30 Apr 1999 : Column: 269
Written Answers to Questions
Friday 30 April 1999
SOCIAL SECURITY
Winter Allowance
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of (a) the cost of paying the £100 winter allowance through the basic state pension and (b) the cost of paying the winter allowance separately. [82283]
Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb) on 28 April 1999, Official Report, columns 168-69.
Birth Certificates
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the purposes for which his Department and its Executive Agencies require a birth certificate to be provided by (a) employees, (b) contractors, (c) those applying for employment or contracts and (d) other persons. [82768]
Mr. Timms: This Department and its Agencies require new employees to provide proof of identity and their date of birth, and the provision of their birth certificate is one means of doing this. However, a birth certificate is required only in the absence of other documentation, usually a passport. The Department and its Executive Agencies do not ask for birth certificates from contractors or from those seeking a contract.
The Benefits Agency does not insist on seeing birth certificates of new claimants of social security benefits to verify their identity, except when they are claiming certain benefits such as retirement pensions and child benefit. For other social security benefits, other forms of documentation are also acceptable.
The Child Support Agency will ask for sight of a qualifying child's birth certificate where there is a paternity dispute to establish whether or not the non-resident parent is shown on the birth certificate. It is unlikely that the Agency will request a birth certificate in any other circumstances, as the dates of birth of qualifying children are verified for the purposes of child benefit.
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 18 March 1999, Official Report, column 791, on Special Advisers, if he will give the total travel cost of each occasion when (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental advisers have travelled abroad in an official capacity since 2 May 1997 and the place visited. [82418]
30 Apr 1999 : Column: 270
Mr. Timms:
For the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 1999, Special Advisers in this Department have travelled overseas in an official capacity on one occasion to Brussels. The total cost, for a party of four, for travel and any hotel accommodation was £642. All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many vessels from each EU country have been (a) monitored and (b) boarded by his Department's Fisheries Inspectorate in British territorial waters in the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [82566]
Mr. Morley:
The UK has exclusive fishing rights within the UK 0-6 mile limits and there is only limited access for other Community fishing vessels within our 12 mile limits. It follows that the majority of enforcement activity within the territorial waters adjacent to England and Wales involves UK fishing vessels.
Details of sightings and boardings of fishing vessels in British Fishery Limits adjacent to England and Wales are held by the Ministry. However, this information is not recorded in a way which would enable detailed information to be provided in respect of the territorial waters adjacent to England and Wales without incurring disproportionate cost.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many bids from farmers and farming organisations were (a) received and (b) successful in each of the competitive bidding processes launched and managed by his Department since May 1997. [82463]
Mr. Morley
[holding answer 28 April 1999]: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Caplin:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the next areas to be brought into the randomised culling trial. [83267]
Mr. Rooker:
Using the criteria set out in their report of last July, the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB has now identified the fourth triplet of trial areas. It is located in east Herefordshire and work will begin there shortly.
Air Brigades
Mr. Brazier:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the readiness time for 5 Airborne Brigade; and what is the estimated deployment time for 16 Air Assault Brigade. [82347]
30 Apr 1999 : Column: 271
Mr. Doug Henderson
[holding answer 27 April 1999]: Under current plans, 5 Airborne Brigade will cease to exist on 1 September 1999, and the command of the Airborne Battle Group will transfer to 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Airborne Battle Group will be maintained at the same very high readiness by 16 Assault Brigade as it is currently maintained by 5 Airborne Brigade. I am withholding more detailed information on readiness states under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Chief Executive of the Army Base Repair Organisation for 1999-2000. [83229]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The Chief Executive of the Army Base Repair Organisation has been set the following 5 Key Targets for 1999-2000.
To complete 95 per cent. of all programmes within the plan agreed with the customers; to complete 95 per cent. of district load tasks within the turnaround times agreed with the customer unit;to drive down the cost of repairs, by 3 per cent. in real terms, for financial year 1999-2000; to reduce the cost of reworking returned faulty equipment by 3 per cent., in real terms, for financial year 1999-2000; and to develop a trading mechanism with the owner and other parts of MOD, as part of the transition to full Trading Fund status, by 31 March 2000.
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of Gloucestershire airport about low flying by military aircraft. [82767]
Kosovo
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the mandate of the EU Special Envoy for Kosovo; what is his budget; and what level of assistance has been provided to him to date. [82234]
Mr. Tony Lloyd: On 5 October 1998, the European Council nominated Mr. Wolfgang Petritsch as EU Special Envoy to Kosovo to act on the spot for the EU under the direction of the Presidency and in close co-ordination with the EU Special Representative for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY).
In order to provide the EU Special Envoy with the human and logistical resources needed to carry out his functions, the Presidency presented a Joint Action which allocated a sum of euro 510,000 to cover the costs related to Mr. Petritsch's mission.
The action was adopted on 25 March 1999. The action shall apply until 30 September 1999, unless renewed subject to a review including administrative and financial aspects.
30 Apr 1999 : Column: 272
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many ambassadors' and high commissioners' cars were made (a) in the UK and (b) outside the UK. [82559]
Mr. Fatchett:
The Foreign Office has 215 flag cars in operation at Embassies and High Commissions overseas. These include protected and non-protected vehicles. There are presently 204 (95 per cent.) flag cars which have either been built in the UK and exported or built in the UK but bought locally. The Foreign Office has 11 flag cars which are non-UK built vehicles.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of vehicles used by (a) diplomatic posts and (b) Government departments overseas are (i) British manufactured and (ii) non-British manufactured. [82558]
Mr. Fatchett:
Of the 1,202 vehicles currently supplied to diplomatic Posts overseas, 61.6 per cent. are British manufactured and 38.4 per cent. non-British manufactured. The information to answer part (b) of this question is not centrally held.
Mr. Alan Johnson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the EU oil embargo against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia came into force; and if he will make a statement. [83228]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
On 23 April, the Council of the EU adopted a Common Position (1999/273/CFSP) prohibiting the sale or supply of petroleum and petroleum products to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Following from this Common Position, the EC adopted a Regulation on 26 April. The Regulation prohibits
The Regulation includes exemptions, under certain conditions, for the sale, supply or export of petroleum and petroleum products for the use of diplomatic and consular missions of EU Member States; for the use of a future international military presence; and for humanitarian purposes.
The Regulation applies within the territory of the Community, including its air space and on board any aircraft or any vessel under the jurisdiction of a Member State and to any person elsewhere who is a national of a Member State and any body which is incorporated or constituted under the law of a Member State.
The Regulation will enter into force on 1 May and is directly applicable in the UK. Legislation introducing licensing and enforcement provisions, including penalties, will come into force the same day.
30 Apr 1999 : Column: 273
(a) the sale, supply or export, directly or indirectly, of certain petroleum and petroleum products listed in an Annex to the Regulation, whether or not originating in the Community, to any person or body in the FRY or to any person or body for the purpose of any business carried on in, or operated from the territory of the FRY;
(b) the shipping of such products to the territory of the FRY
(c) participation in related activities the object or the effect of which is to promote the transactions or activities referred to under (a).
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |