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PRIME MINISTER
Tuition Fees
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions (a) he and (b) No. 10 policy advisers have had with the Committee of Vice Chancellors on the subject of top-up tuition fees. [113919]
Seals
Mr. Howard: To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise the killing of baby seals during his forthcoming discussions with Acting President Putin. [114101]
The Prime Minister: This has been raised with the Russian Ambassador. The Russians are not in breach of any international agreements but are aware of our concern.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Mozambique
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what additional funding for the years 2000-01 and 2001-02 over and above the bilateral
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country programme for Mozambique contained in the Departmental report 1999 is to be made available for Mozambique following the recent flooding crisis. [113927]
Mr. Foulkes:
In the light of the current major disaster we are reviewing urgently with others the needs of Mozambique, to help restore livelihoods, rehabilitate infrastructure, and maintain economic growth and poverty reduction.
Meanwhile, we have already allocated £20 million for immediate humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation needs, and £10 million is planned for emergency budgetary support to help the Government cope with the immediate crisis.
Ms Drown:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to use companies in local recipient countries to provide the advice and products necessary for UK aid projects. [113488]
Mr. Foulkes:
Far too little attention has been paid to local procurement in the past. Sound local procurement of goods and services gives a substantial development benefit. DFID is taking steps to increase both our use of local resources and our capacity to carry out local procurement effectively. We have recently appointed two procurement advisers with the remit of increasing the use of local consultants in Africa and India. We are increasingly working with our development partners to strengthen their own capacity to undertake procurement competently. Over the last two years the percentage of consultancy services which we purchased locally rose from 5 per cent. to 12 per cent.
Ms Drown:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which UK companies received (a) the greatest number and (b) the greatest value of contracts from the Crown Agents in the past three years in respect of their procurement activities on behalf of her Department. [113490]
Mr. Foulkes:
From January 1997 to date, the UK suppliers to receive the greatest number of contracts from Crown Agents in respect of their procurement activities on behalf of the Department were:
| Number of contracts | |
|---|---|
| Globe Microsystems | 108 |
| Landrover Exports | 32 |
| Ko-Ed | 29 |
The UK suppliers to receive the greatest value of contracts were:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Mabey and Johnson | 12,578,000 |
| Qualter Hall | 4,054,000 |
| KSB Exports Ltd. | 3,044,000 |
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ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS
Asbestos Removal Companies
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many Health and Safety Executive inspections were made to sites operated by licensed asbestos removal companies in the last year for which figures are available; and how many were found to be breaking the law. [113326]
Mr. Meacher: In 1998-99 HSE's Field Operations Directorate inspected 961 sites. 41 enforcement notices were issued and seven prosecutions taken where inspectors considered that there was a breach of the law.
Railway Inspections
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when the Health and Safety Executive's Railway Inspectorate will carry out inspections on services between Shrewsbury and Birmingham; and if he will make a statement. [113272]
Mr. Hill: The Health and Safety Executive's (HMRI) Railway Inspectorate monitors and enforces safety on Britain's railways. Responsibility for the safety, welfare and convenience of passengers rests with railway operators.
The HMRI has a planned inspection programme, including inspections of Central Trains Ltd. The last inspection of the activities of Central Trains, Railtrack and the track maintenance contractor between the Birmingham and Shrewsbury line was on 7 March 2000.
The inspector was generally content with the drivers' competence and the track layout and condition on the Birmingham to Shrewsbury line. HMRI are pursuing some matters with the maintenance contractor regarding the condition of certain sections of track, where drainage appeared to be a problem.
Mr. Bill O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to review the distribution of resources generated by the landfill tax; and if he will make a statement. [113290]
Mr. Mullin:
Landfill site operators may claim landfill tax credits for voluntary contributions to support specified environmental objectives. As we said in response to the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Select Committee's report on the operation of the Landfill Tax, we are discussing with industry the setting of indicative guidelines for the distribution of funds to each objective under the credit scheme, in line with the priorities we set out in our draft waste strategy "A Way with Waste".
Mr. Bill O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those items of (a) special, (b) toxic and (c) liquid wastes that will be excluded from landfill sites when the new directives are introduced in 2005. [113287]
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Mr. Mullin:
The EC Landfill Directive will prohibit from disposal in landfill sites special wastes which are infectious clinical wastes or which, in the conditions of landfill, are explosive, corrosive, oxidising, or flammable. The Directive will allow the disposal of other special and toxic waste to landfills, provided that the waste meets the acceptance criteria in Annexe II of the Directive. The Directive prohibits the landfill of all liquid wastes.
Mr. Fearn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many tour buses are registered to operate in (a) London, (b) Oxford, (c) Cambridge, (d) Bath and (e) Stratford upon Avon; and how many are entitled to a fuel-duty rebate. [113440]
Mr. Hill:
Local bus service registrations outside London do not identify tour buses as a separate category. It is not therefore possible to supply the information requested for items (b) to (e). In London, around 68 London Local Service Licences have been granted by the Traffic Commissioner for excursions and tours.
Fuel Duty Rebate is paid on bus services which are registered with the Traffic Commissioner as a local bus service, and which meet the requirements of the relevant Regulations, designed to ensure that, among other things, they are available to the general public. Fuel Duty Rebate claims do not separately identify tour buses.
Mr. Bill O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he plans to take to increase the income from Packaging Recovery Notes to ensure the continuing recovery and recycling of glass and other waste materials; and if he will make a statement. [113423]
Mr. Meacher:
The main purpose of the Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRN) is to enable those obligated under the packaging Regulations to demonstrate compliance with their obligations. In addition, the PRN is intended to direct the necessary resources at increasing collection and reprocessing capacity in the UK and developing end-use markets for recyclate. The PRN system is a market-based system and PRN prices are therefore affected both by the balance between targets and available capacity and by developments in the international market. Prices for both virgin and recycled materials are currently low.
Given the targets in the EC Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste that the UK must meet in 2001, it is clear that a considerable increase in recovery will be needed between now and 2001 if the targets are to be met and we would expect this to influence PRN prices.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library his response to the MAFF response to changes to the 1982 Seeds Regulations. [113475]
Mr. Meacher
[holding answer 7 March 2000]: The letter from MAFF on the 1982 Seeds Regulations was circulated to Departments for information only. Since the matter was clearly for MAFF, and not a matter for DETR, a response was not necessary.
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