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Disarmament Conferences
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress towards an agreed formula for negotiations in the current session of the Conference on Disarmament on a Fissile Material Treaty; and if Russia remains a participating country. [91730]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
We regret that the Conference on Disarmament has been unable to agree a work programme which would enable negotiations to begin on the Fissile Material Cut Off Treaty. In May, together with France
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and the United States, we put forward proposals designed to break the deadlock in the Conference on Disarmament. We will continue to work for an early start to negotiations.
Russia remains a member of the Conference on Disarmament and will be expected to participate in negotiations when they begin.
Helen Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the UNHCR in Kosovo have the expertise to deal with the dangers of depleted uranium from US armaments used in the recent Balkan conflict. [90362]
Mr. George Robertson:
I have been asked to reply.
The UNHCR is the lead agency responsible for the return of refugees to Kosovo. We have passed to them a copy of the March 1999 paper "Testing For The Presence of Depleted Uranium in Veterans of the Gulf Conflict" which contains information which may be useful to them. We stand ready to provide them with whatever advice they judge necessary to help them complete their tasks. I should stress however that health risks from depleted uranium have been assessed as low.
Public Bodies
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the non-departmental public bodies in existence on 1 May 1997 that (a) have been disbanded, indicating when they were disbanded, (b) will be disbanded in the next 12 months, (c) have had their functions transferred to (i) another non-departmental public body and (ii) a democratically elected body, (d) have been renamed but continue to perform a similar role and (e) have been unchanged; if he will indicate in (c)(ii) the relevant successor body; what new non-departmental public bodies have been established since 1 May 1997; and how many non-departmental public bodies his Department currently is responsible for. [90681]
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Mr. Vaz:
Two of the Lord Chancellor's non-departmental public bodies have been disbanded since 1 May 1997: the Supreme Court Rule Committee and the County Court Rule Committee were disbanded on 26 April 1999. Their functions have been transferred to the Civil Procedure Rule Committee. That Rule Committee and the Civil Justice Council, which were both provided for by the Civil Procedure Act 1997, were set up after 1 May 1997.
Under the provisions of the Access to Justice Bill, the Legal Aid Board and the Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct would both be disbanded within the next 12 months, but their functions will be included in the functions of their replacement bodies, respectively the Legal Services Commission and the Legal Services Consultative Panel.
Three of the Advisory Committees on Justices of the Peace have been amalgamated into one committee.
Non-departmental public bodies are listed in the Cabinet Office Publication "Public Bodies". The Government are committed to keeping the number of NDPBs to a minimum and to ensuring that those which remain are open, accountable and effective. Many of the new NDPBs established across Whitehall since 1 May are essential in helping the Government deliver their Manifesto commitments.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list for (a) his Department and (b) associated bodies listed in the National Asset Register, how many vehicles are currently (i) owned and (ii) leased; if he will indicate their (1) fuel types and (2) engine cubic capacities; how many of the vehicles due for replacement by (A) his Department and (B) associated bodies listed in the National Asset Register will be replaced in (x) 1999-2000, (y) 2000-01 and (z) 2001-02 by vehicles using (a1) petrol, (b2) diesel, (c3) natural gas, (d4) electric batteries and (e5) other; and how much his Department plans to spend in each year on vehicle replacements. [90692]
Mr. Vaz:
The information requested is as follows:
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For the financial year 1999-2000, we expect the cost of replacing vehicles to be £1,795,000; of the vehicles to be replaced, 166 will be diesel fuelled and four will be petrol fuelled. For subsequent years, the decision on how much the Department plans to spend each year on vehicle replacements and, what means of fuel the replacement cars will have, will be made in light of the best environmental advice available and in accordance with our Green Transport Plan.
Mr. Clapham:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the decision on the merger of the Official Solicitor, Guardian Ad Litem and Family Court Welfare will be finalised and the decision will be communicated to the relevant parties. [91939]
Mr. Vaz:
Ministers and officials have been considering the key issues arising from last year's inter-departmental consultation paper on the future organisation of court welfare services. Discussions are proceeding and a decision is expected shortly.
Genetically Modified Crops
Mr. Baker: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reports he has received from Sainsbury's plc about the levels of herbicide residue present in GM soya. [90723]
Mr. Rooker [holding answer 13 July 1999]: Perhaps the hon. Member will write to me regarding his concerns and specifying the herbicides he is referring to.
Food and Drink Inspections
Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement explaining the total amount spent by the EU on the disposal of fruit and vegetables in the most recent annual period for which figures are available; and if he will list the tonnage of each particular fruit and vegetable so disposed of. [90422]
Mr. Rooker
[pursuant to the reply, 14 July 1999, c. 265]: The Government have no wish to see good food go to waste and have consistently opposed the system of paying compensation for produce withdrawn from the market, arguing that it distorts the market and encourages surpluses. The reform of the EU fruit and vegetable regime in 1996 was a step in the right direction, providing for reductions in withdrawal prices and volumes withdrawn over the first six years of the reform. The reform also encouraged greater use of free distribution to charities and other non-profit making institutions. A considerable amount of produce withdrawn in the UK has been distributed to such bodies in the past year. In
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addition, it is hoped that it will be possible to distribute fruit to schools in the coming season, following a recent change in the rules which allows transport costs to be claimed.
Provisional quantities of each product withdrawn in the EU during the 1997-98 marketing years:
| Tonnes | |
|---|---|
| Cauliflowers | 172,928 |
| Apricots | 16,965 |
| Nectarines | 72,688 |
| Peaches | 89,616 |
| Lemons | 7,866 |
| Tomatoes | 240,828 |
| Aubergines | 4,050 |
| Pears | 86,208 |
| Table grapes | 133 |
| Apples | 357,615 |
| Satsumas | 4,033 |
| Mandarins | 1,836 |
| Clementines | 68,964 |
| Oranges | 144,819 |
| Melons | 17,030 |
| Watermelons | 6,850 |
Source:
EU Commission data
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