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Training of Scientists
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what consultations he has had with Ministers and officials in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in respect of the training of scientists with the appropriate expertise to manage radioactive waste. [128862]
Mr. Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has had no consultation with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions on this subject.
Performance-related Pay
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many teachers employed in schools in the London Borough of Wandsworth have applied for the performance-related pay scheme; and if he will make a statement. [128892]
Ms Estelle Morris: At this stage, information relating to applications for threshold assessment has not been analysed in sufficient detail to identify the numbers applying from Wandsworth. We will be making this information available in due course.
Chief Inspector of Schools
Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on what date the contract of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools expires. [129020]
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Ms Estelle Morris: Chris Woodhead's current term of employment as HM Chief Inspector of Schools ends on 31 August 2003.
Equal Treatment Directive
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the implications of the proposed EU Council directive, establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation for religious liberties. [129086]
Ms Jowell: The Employment Directive is still being negotiated and we will work with our partners in other member states to ensure that its provisions relating to religious liberties are clear, workable and consistent with the existing position in the UK.
DEFENCE
Dockyards
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent meetings he has held with trade unions to discuss dockyard work loads. [128769]
Mr. Spellar: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and the rest of his ministerial team met senior trade unions national officers on 12 June 2000 to discuss, among other matters, the management of overall capacity for warship support and maintenance.
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans for efficiency savings he has made with regard to Royal Navy dockyards; and if he will make a statement. [128768]
Mr. Spellar: As part of the Defence Logistic Organisation's drive to reduce costs while increasing the quality of logistic support to the Front Line, discussions have commenced with the privatised dockyard companies and senior trades union national officers looking for innovative ways to reduce the current excess capacity for warship support and maintenance. It is too early to say what this will mean in terms of efficiency savings.
Precision Bombing
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will acquire GPS tail kits for all RAF iron bombs. [129080]
Mr. Spellar: On current plans, we aim to introduce an all-weather precision bombing capability in 2006. The Kosovo campaign confirmed the need to improve our capability in this area and we are examining the scope for advancing this date alongside other high priorities.
Various technological solutions are available that could provide autonomous guidance for a weapon which meets this requirement, including the use of Global Positional System (GPS) technology.
There is not considered to be a requirement to acquire all-weather guidance for all our bombs. Laser guided bombs such as Paveway 2 and 3 remain highly cost effective weapons in the majority of weather conditions.
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will acquire the Maverick missile system. [129081]
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Mr. Hoon: The Kosovo campaign identified the need to enhance our precision attack capability. In March, I announced the start of work to trial the integration of Maverick anti-armour missiles onto RAF Harrier GR7. Trials are proceeding and further decisions will be taken when they are complete.
TREASURY
European Investment Bank
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those UK companies which receive financial support from the European Investment Bank; for what reason such assistance is provided; and if he will make a statement. [123623]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information is given in the 1999 EIB Annual Report, which is available in the Library.
European Integration
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which areas have been identified by (a) member states and (b) European Community institutions as requiring additional pooling of sovereignty for the better functioning of the single currency zone. [123613]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 June 2000, Official Report, column 71W.
Euro
Tony Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish an independent assessment of the extent to which the five economic tests for entry into the single currency have been met at the time when the Government make their recommendations on entry; [128627]
- (2) what plans he has to publish the Treasury's assessment of whether the five economic tests for membership of the single currency have been met. [128628]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Treasury published the paper "UK Membership of the Single Currency: An Assessment of the Five Economic Tests" in October 1997. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said we will make another assessment of the five economic tests early in the nextParliament.
Road Fuel
Mr. Norman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from fuel retailers about rates of duty on diesel and petrol in Northern Ireland and their impact on cross-border smuggling of fuel; and if he will make a statement. [129063]
Mr. Timms: I met with the Northern Ireland Committee of the Petrol Retailers Association in October 1999 to discuss the cross-border smuggling of road fuels in Northern Ireland and its impact on the petrol retail industry.
Treasury Ministers continue to receive representations about the rates of duty on diesel and petrol in Northern Ireland. In addition to representations directly from the
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Petrol Retailers Association, some individual retailers have contacted their Members of Parliament who have then written to Treasury Ministers on their behalf.
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the quantity of smuggled road fuel of each type seized by the customs officers in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years and the current year; and how much revenue these seizures represented. [128611]
Mr. Timms: The seizures for financial years 1995-96 to 1998-99 are in the Northern Ireland Select Committee Third Report (July 1999). The seizures for the financial year 1999-2000 are as follows:
| Volume seized (litres) | Revenue (£) |
|---|---|
| 1,037,001(6) | 528,870 |
(6) a breakdown by type is not available
The seizures for the current year are not yet available.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he (1) takes to ensure that answers to parliamentary questions are dealt with in accordance with the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information; [129068]
- (2) has undertaken to ensure that answers to parliamentary questions are dealt with in accordance with the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. [129217]
Mr. Timms: Treasury Ministers seek to answer parliamentary questions fully, providing Members with the information they are seeking. In those cases where it is not possible to do so--for example, if the information requested is not available, if it would be disproportionately costly to obtain it, or if it is appropriate under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information not to disclose the information--it is our practice to explain the reason in the answer.
Tax Law Rewrite
Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future work programme of the Tax Law Rewrite project; and if it includes the rewriting of the Pay As You Earn Regulations. [129448]
Dawn Primarolo: I am pleased to say that the Tax Law Rewrite project is making very good progress and continues to enjoy wide support. A rewritten draft Capital Allowances Bill will be published at the end of July, for final consultations. It is planned to be ready for introduction in Parliament towards the end of this year.
Work also continues on the much larger task of rewriting the Income Tax legislation. For practical reasons, this will be enacted in stages. The first Income Tax Bill--covering employment income and possibly social security and pensions income--is planned to be ready in November 2002. The aim is to have a second Income Tax Bill--covering trading income, property income and savings and investment income--ready for November 2003.
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Although the project's remit does not extend to secondary legislation, I am pleased to announce that--as an exception--the rewriting of the PAYE Regulations will be included in the work programme for the first Income Tax Bill. This should be warmly welcomed by employers. The aim is for the rewritten Regulations to come into force at the same time as the first Income Tax Bill, in April 2003.
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