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Retail Outlets
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set up a working party to examine the impact of out-of-town retail outlets upon town shopping areas; and if he will make a statement. [80843]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to set-up a working party on retail matters. New planning policy guidance for Wales was issued on 7 April this year including further encouragement for locating new retailing in town centres and clarifying policy in respect of testing the need for new shopping developments.
In the future, planning guidance on retail development will be a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
21 Apr 1999 : Column: 599
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) Green Belt and (b) green barrier areas there are in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [80845]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
There are currently no Green Belts in Wales and information on the extent of green barriers in Wales is not collected centrally.
Planning policy guidance on Green Belts in Wales is set out in the first revision of "Planning Guidance (Wales): Planning Policy" which was published on 7 April.
In future, planning guidance on Green Belts in Wales will be a matter for the National Assembly.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the National Assembly for Wales will have the power to (a) modify and (b) lift the ban on beef sold on the bone; and if he will make a statement. [81622]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
Yes. The power under which the Beef Bones Regulations 1997 were made will be transferred to the National Assembly for Wales.
15. Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what monitoring has taken place of the conduct of public consultation exercises by Government Departments. [80306]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
The Cabinet Office are monitoring written consultation exercises so as to evaluate how far the guidance has been adopted and what impact it has made on the quality of consultation.
18. Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he will announce his criteria for measuring changes in illegal drug (i) use, (ii) addiction and (iii) deaths. [80310]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
Details of how we will measure progress towards all objectives linked to the four key aims of the strategy will be included in the co-ordinator's report and plan, due to be published shortly.
19. Mrs. Gilroy:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with trade unions representing public sector organisations to reduce absenteeism rates at work. [80311]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
In developing guidance on managing attendance in the public sector, my officials have worked closely with the TUC, Unison and the Council of Civil Service Unions. This issue was also touched upon in one of my regular meetings with the Council.
21 Apr 1999 : Column: 600
20. Mr. Leigh:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he will demolish the old Department of the Environment buildings at Marsham Street. [80312]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
The Government are committed to the demolition of the building at 2 Marsham Street. However, we are not yet in a position to proceed with immediate demolition. Temporary re-use, or demolition and re-building, are being considered by the Home Office as part of their PFI accommodation project. Their decision on which option to follow is expected later this year.
21. Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on his plans to increase the representation of ethnic minorities in the senior civil service. [80314]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
The Civil Service has a strong commitment to equality of opportunity and wants to reflect the full diversity of society at all levels.
Addressing the under-representation of ethnic minorities in the Senior Civil Service is a priority. The Modernising Government White Paper set out targets for ethnic minority representation in the Senior Civil Service. By 2004-05, our aim is that 3.2 per cent. of the Senior Civil Service will be from ethnic minority backgrounds--this is double the current position.
22. Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his oral answer of 10 February 1999, Official Report, column 307, on the biotechnology and genetic modification ministerial group, if he will place in the Library his assessment of the prospective benefits to humankind of biotechnology. [80315]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
As Minister for the Cabinet Office I have commissioned no such assessments. However, I can inform the House that the prospective benefits of biotechnology have been well documented in a number of reports from the S&T Select Committees of this House and the S&T and European Communities' Select Committees of the Other Place.
23. Mr. Jack:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the ways in which CAP reform will have an impact upon the returns from the estates currently run by the Duchy of Lancaster. [80316]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
The Duchy of Lancaster lets all productive agricultural land on its estates to tenant farmers. The returns to the Duchy from let farms are in the form of farm rents. These rents are related to the earning capacity and profitability of farm holdings.
Should reform of the Common Agricultural Policy bring a change in the economics of tenanted farms, the Duchy would expect this to affect the earning capacities of the holdings, being the basis on which rents are calculated.
21 Apr 1999 : Column: 601
24. Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what further steps are being taken to co-ordinate the presentation of Government policies through advertising in the media. [80319]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
Advertising is used to support the particular communication needs of individual policies or programmes. Under Cabinet Office Guidance, Departments must ensure that advertising is the most economical, efficient and effective way to meet the need, and that any campaign is no bigger than necessary.
25. Mr. Amess:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent representations he has received on the White Paper "Modernising Government". [80320]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
I refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made to the House on 30 March 1999, Official Report, columns 859-61, commending Modernising Government. Members of the public as well as those who work in the public service have been invited to feed in their views on the White Paper, in writing or direct to the Modernising Government e-mail address: at Moderngov@gtnet.gov.uk. To-date some 50 responses have been received.
Mr. David Heath:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what remedy is available to an individual who believes he has suffered from maladministration on the part of an ombudsman. [80302]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
If a complainant is dissatisfied with the way in which the investigation of their complaint has been handled by the Parliamentary Ombudsman, they can ask their MP to take up the matter with the Chairman of the Select Committee on Public Administration.
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to improve the quality of advice given to the public by telephone from Government Departments. [80303]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
The Modernising Government White Paper set out revised service standards for central Government Departments and agencies. These included, for the first time, a commitment to answer telephone calls quickly and helpfully.
Mr. Menzies Campbell:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff by grade are employed as professional statisticians in his Department; how many of these staff have been accepted as fast stream by the Civil Service Selection Board; and how many have been granted chartered statistician status by the Royal Statistical Society. [81207]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
Statistical work is undertaken by a range of specialists such as Research Officers, Social Survey Officers and Economists. Within the Cabinet Office, there are two Band A staff employed as professional
21 Apr 1999 : Column: 602
statisticians, both of whom were recruited through the Civil Service Selection Board. Neither hold the status of Chartered Statistician.
Mr. Menzies Campbell:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff who have worked as professional statisticians in the Cabinet Office have left on early retirement in each of the past 10 years. [81187]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
No professional statisticians on the permanent strength of the Cabinet Office have left on early retirement in any of the past 10 years.
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