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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 1 March 2000
PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 1 March. [111213]
The Prime Minister: This morning, I had meetings with Ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I will have further such meetings later today.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Cox: To ask the Prime Minister how many senior civil servants from an ethnic minority background are employed in his office; and how many of them are (a) men and (b) women. [110676]
The Prime Minister: As at 1 April 1999, 55 members of the Senior Civil Service were from ethnic minority background (1.7 per cent.).
Information on ethnic origin in the Civil Service is collected on the understanding that it will be treated on a confidential basis. To protect the privacy of individual members of staff we do not disclose data relating to fewer than five people.
The Cabinet Office monitors ethnicity but not at individual unit level. The Cabinet Office and Number 10, which for these purposes are taken together, have fewer than five people of ethnic minority background in the Senior Civil Service.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Prime Minister if the cost of the Countryside Reception held at No. 10 Downing street on 2 February was borne from public funds. [112069]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 28 February 2000]: Yes.
Stock Exchange
Mr. Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he proposes to effect the transfer of the Competent Authority for listing from the London Stock Exchange to the Financial Services Authority. [112936]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
Given the need for planning purposes to have a precise target date for the transfer of the Competent Authority for listing function, we have decided to make the transfer by means of Regulations made under the European Communities Act 1972. These Regulations are being laid in draft today for the approval
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of Parliament with the intention that the transfer should take place on 1 May. The proposed new legislative framework for the Competent Authority would then be brought into effect as soon as possible after the enactment of the Financial Services and Markets Bill.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the income from the vehicle excise duty levy in 1999. [111977]
Mr. Timms:
Figures are available only on a financial year basis and are shown in table B9 of the 1999 pre-Budget Report, p.154.
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what investigations Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has conducted of imports to the UK during the past three years of wines produced in wineries located in (a) the Golan Heights and (b) the Israeli West Bank settlement of Barkan; and what its findings have been concerning imports under preferences during that period. [111882]
Dawn Primarolo:
From examination of entry records Customs and Excise has identified small quantities of wines from the Golan Heights and the area Barkan. Details have been passed to the European Commission.
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 14 February 2000, Official Report, column 447W, concerning imports from Israeli settlements in occupied territories, whether the documents referred to in the answer declared products imported to the United Kingdom in violation of Article 38 and the provisions of the Protocol on Rules of Origin of the EC Trade Agreement with Israel to have originated in Israel. [111874]
Dawn Primarolo:
As indicated in my answer of 14 February, the documents failed to substantiate the alleged non-compliance with the provisions of the Agreement between the EC and Israel.
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what post-import verification procedures Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has initiated with Israel's customs service for products imported from Israel following indications that the products in question may have been wholly obtained or significantly processed in territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including in Israeli settlements. [111883]
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has made of its ability to establish the origin of products that may have been produced in territories occupied by Israel since 1967 if Israel's customs misapply the origin rule protocol and the territorial clause in its agreements. [111884]
Dawn Primarolo:
The European Commission is taking the lead in establishing the origin of products imported into the European Union, that may have been produced in territories occupied by Israel since 1967. The Commission has not yet provided an assessment of the likely outcome of this initiative.
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Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what investigations Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has conducted and what information it has obtained concerning carpets imported to the UK under preferences from a manufacturing firm in the Israeli West Bank settlement of Barkan, or carrying the name or trademark of such a firm. [111879]
Dawn Primarolo:
Customs and Excise has identified a number of consignments of carpets from the area Barkan which have been imported into the UK under preferences. Details have been passed to the European Commission.
Dr. Starkey:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 14 February 2000, Official Report, column 447W, what the information was concerning products processed in Israeli settlements in occupied territories which may have been imported into the UK in violation of Article 38 and the provisions of the Protocol on Rules of Origin of the EC Trade Agreement with Israel; and if Her Majesty's Customs and Excise has identified (a) importations to the UK under preferences of dates from the Israeli exporters in question and (b) the UK importers and consignees. [111881]
Dawn Primarolo:
It comprised details obtained by the European Commission of a range of goods together with information from another source about dates produced in Israeli settlements. Customs and Excise has identified importations into the UK under preferences of dates of Israeli origin but, as indicated in my answer of 14 February, scrutiny of the customs entry documents has failed to substantiate the alleged non-compliance with the provisions of the EC-Israel trade agreement.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total revenue which the Treasury received in each of the last five years from the agricultural sector of the economy; and how much of this arose from taxation on fuel. [111789]
Mr. Timms:
The estimated amount of revenue received from the agricultural sector (including the forestry and fishing sectors) for each of the last five years is:
| £ million | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| PAYE and NICS | Other Taxes (1) | Total | |
| 1994-95 | 1,000 | -250 | 750 |
| 1995-96 | 1,090 | -315 | 775 |
| 1996-97 | 780 | -245 | 535 |
| 1997-98 | n/a | 40 | n/a |
| 1998-99 | n/a | -140 | n/a |
(1) Capital Gains Tax, Corporation Tax, Self-employed Income Tax and VAT.
Note:
Figures of income tax and national insurance contributions collected via PAYE cover employers classified to agriculture, forestry or fishing. They are available only to 1996-97, due to problems with the NIRS2 computer system.
In addition to the revenues shown, stamp duty is payable on transactions of agricultural property, but cannot be separately identified.
It is not possible to identify the amount of excise duty or VAT relating to fuel in the agricultural sector.
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Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what use experience of video conferencing exists in (a) the Army and (b) the RAF; and what were the locations linked and the bandwidth used; [110851]
Mr. Spellar
[holding answer 21 February 2000: VideoTeleConferencing (VTC) is used both operationally and for normal business across Defence. Because it is primarily used in a joint environment, the questions are answered together.
HMS Illustrious, Invincible and Fearless are permanently fitted with VTC facilities. HMS Chatham, Campbeltown, Cumberland and Cornwall are also fitted to receive VTC, but the terminal equipment is not carried routinely unless the ship is in Flag Ship role. They typically operate at bandwidths of either 64 kilobits per second or 128 kilobits per second and use dedicated military satellite services, although some ships can also use Inmarsat if required.
The Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) is the main sponsor of deployed, operational VTC. VTC was first deployed on operations in 1997 in the form of a capability trial. The trial was successful and VTC is now routinely deployed on operations to provide the Chief of Joint Operations with one of his primary command tools. The PJHQ has a significant VTC capability and is able to conduct secure VTC with a wide range of UK and allied Headquarters and deployable formations. In addition, HQ Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps, for which UK is framework nation, is in the process of being equipped with VTC. Secure high quality VTC links also exist between the PJHQ and the Defence Crisis Management Centre that are used to conduct crisis planning and to provide operational updates to Defence chiefs. The bandwidth employed by operational VTC services varies between 64 kilobits per second and 384 kilobits per second. It forms part of the overall information exchange requirements package for a deployed formation which takes account of the operational requirement, whether or not the end user is in a mobile or static environment, and the available capacity in the overall communications planning scenario.
Within the Royal Air Force, VTC systems exist in the main Headquarters of Strike Command and Personnel and Training Command among other locations. Additionally, a Closed Circuit Television System is used in Headquarters Strike Command to support operational briefings for senior staff. Commercially available systems are employed which typically utilise a bandwidth of between 128 kilobits per second and 384 kilobits per second, connected via Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) lines. These allow dial-up connections to be established to other sites with similar facilities.
Within the Army, VTC is being used for a variety of applications including communication between the main locations of the Adjutant General's staff in Upavon, Glasgow and London and also within Headquarters Land
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and at a number of garrisons. Again these systems typically utilise a bandwidth of between 128 kilobits per second and 384 kilobits per second. Initiatives are currently being studied to extend this connectivity to provide VTC facilities in other major Army headquarters to support a variety of business activities in the future.
One specific application under investigation is the use of VTC in support of Custody Hearings and Summary Appeal Courts under the control of the Courts Martial Administrative Office (CMAO) to support the processes set out in the Armed Forces Discipline Bill. On 18 February 2000, CMAO staffs completed a two week trial which included links to sites in Germany, Brunei and Canada. The purposes of this trial were: to demonstrate to the Judge Advocate General's department the proposed Custody Hearing process using VTC; to prove the principle of using VTC for Custody Hearings; to examine the possibility of taking evidence from witnesses in overseas theatres and to examine the possibility of conducting Directions Hearings by VTC. The trial report is expected to conclude that the aims of the study were achieved although some processes and procedures would need to be refined. The report will recommend that a detailed Statement of Requirement be prepared for a VTC system to be procured and installed later this year.
In the event, however unlikely, that a soldier needs legal advice on a Summary Dealing matter while in an operational theatre, it will firstly be sought from other Service lawyers in theatre (RAF or RN). Should these not
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be available then the use of telephone or VTC will be made available subject to operational priorities. If the matter was sufficiently serious for the CO to believe that detention is necessary, he will almost certainly wish the individual to be removed to a rear area where he can be appropriately dealt with.
(2) if he will list the Royal Navy ships which have video conferencing facilities, indicating the bandwidth used and the locations where video conferencing has been (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful for each ship. [110852]
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