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WALES
Advisory Bodies
Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the (a) task forces, (b) action teams, (c) policy reviews and (d) other temporary advisory bodies with external members currently in existence within his Department; and on what date each body (i) was set up and (ii) is expected to terminate. [131444]
Spending Review
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Secretary concerning the extra cash totals under the Comprehensive Spending Review for the (a) NHS, (b) education and (c) transport; and if he will make a statement. [132382]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I have discussed the spending review with the First Secretary on a number of occasions, and he welcomes the outcome as much as I do.
The increase for Wales resulting from extra spending in England announced in the spending review is:
| 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 163 | 458 | 728 |
| Education(1) | 78 | 183 | 290 |
| Transport | 40 | 94 | 163 |
(1) Excluding Welsh increases as a result of increases in education funding for local government in England
The Assembly has the freedom to make its own spending decisions about the use of these extra resources in response to Welsh priorities, and this settlement will make a huge difference to the services it provides.
Lords Lieutenant
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many of Wales's Lords Lieutenant are (a) women and (b) members of an ethnic minority. [132142]
Mr. Paul Murphy [holding answer 24 July 2000]: There is one female Lord Lieutenant in Wales, the Lord Lieutenant of Powys, the hon. Mrs. Elizabeth Shan Legge-Bourke. There are not currently any Welsh Lord Lieutenants who are members of an ethnic minority.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many unfilled vacancies for permanent staff his Department has; what percentage of staff positions in his Department are vacant; what the monthly cost would be to his Department of employing civil servants in these positions; how many and what percentage of staff his Department employs on a temporary basis through employment agencies; how much his Department paid employment agencies to supply temporary staff in each of the last 12 months; and how much he expects to pay employment agencies to supply temporary staff in each of the next 12 months. [131425]
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Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has seven unfilled vacancies for permanent staff, which represents 15 per cent. of staff positions. Costs for employing civil servants into these positions can only be provided yearly, the salary scales for these positions are:
- Band A--Minimum £11,096, Maximum £14,850--1 vacancy
- Band B--Minimum £12,272, Maximum £17,609--2 vacancies
- Band C--Minimum £15,237, Maximum £22,736--2 vacancies
- Band D--Minimum £19,297, Maximum £28,942--2 vacancies.
The table shows the amount the Wales Office has paid to employment agencies to supply temporary staff in each of the last 12 months.
The Wales Office budget for 2000-01 for casual staff is £70,000. It is not possible to predict how much expenditure will be incurred to employ temporary staff in each of the next 12 months, because this will depend on whether vacancies can be filled with permanent staff, but expenditure will be within budget.
| Month | £ |
|---|---|
| 1999 | |
| July | 2,964.09 |
| August | 4,666.96 |
| September | 2,668.43 |
| October | 8,031.35 |
| November | 7,426.53 |
| December | 7,850.53 |
| 2000 | |
| January | 9,692.70 |
| February | 9,640.07 |
| March | 12,121.65 |
| April | 8,494.44 |
| May | 9,016.50 |
| June | 10,062.04 |
| Total | 92,635.29 |
New Deal
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people who have participated in the New Deal in Wales had previously been unemployed for six months or more in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999. [130986]
Mr. Paul Murphy [holding answer 17 July 2000]: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ombudsmen
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has held with the First Secretary in the National Assembly for Wales about the implications for Wales of the implementation of recommendations in the Cabinet Office report on the Review of the Organisation of Public Sector Ombudsmen in England. [123522]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Although I meet regularly with the First Secretary to discuss a range of issues affecting Wales, we have not had discussions specifically about the
25 Jul 2000 : Column: 574W
implications for Wales of the Cabinet Office's report. The report proposes the creation of a single Ombudsman service for England by amalgamating the Parliamentary, Local Government and Health Service Ombudsmen. It will be for the National Assembly for Wales to consider the report's recommendations and to determine whether it would wish to follow the report's recommendations in relation to the Ombudsman service in Wales.
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the implications for Wales of the implementation of the recommendations in the Cabinet Office report on the Review of the Organisation of Public Sector Ombudsmen in England. [123521]
Mr. Paul Murphy: This report proposes the creation of a single Ombudsman service for England by amalgamating the Parliamentary, Local Government and Health Service Ombudsmen, and does not affect Wales directly. It is for the National Assembly for Wales to consider the report's recommendations and to determine whether it would wish to follow the report's recommendations in relation to the Ombudsman service in Wales.
TREASURY
Non-Aggregate Minerals
Mr. David Heath: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he is not proposing to introduce a tax on the extraction of non-aggregate minerals. [131917]
Mr. Timms: As aggregates are the largest tonnage of onshore minerals extracted, they generate the largest environmental impact, costed at around £380 million per annum in research conducted for DETR in 1997-99. The aggregates levy will send a permanent price signal about this damage, and provide an incentive for the construction industry to reduce waste and make more use of recycled material as substitutes. The scope of the levy was determined following extensive consultation with interested paries, which suggested that certain non- aggregate minerals should not be taxed. These minerals are not open to the same degree of substitution as aggregates. In some cases they are constituents of products subject to significant international competition, so the application of the levy to these materials would raise difficulties over the international competiveness of UK producers.
Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 23 May concerning lock purchasing. [132448]
Mr. Timms: There is no record of the correspondence being received. My hon. Friend would like to forward a copy, it will be dealt with as a matter of urgency.
Tax Law Rewrite
Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if there have been further developments on the Tax Law Rewrite project. [133029]
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Dawn Primarolo: I am pleased to tell the House that the Tax Law Rewrite project will soon reach a major milestone. Next week, the Inland Revenue will publish the project's first draft Bill, on capital allowances, for a final round of consultation. The Bill will be ready for introduction in Parliament by the end of the year. Earlier versions of this rewritten legislation have been extensively revised in the light of comments and suggestions from tax professionals and other interested parties. This continuous dialogue between the project team and business interests, tax practitioners, the legal profession and Inland Revenue specialist is a key feature contributing to the success of the project.
Aggregates Tax
Mr. Rogers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors were taken into account in considering the relative value to the environment of the introduction of the proposed aggregates tax and the rejection of the Quarry Products Association's New Deal package of voluntary measures. [132264]
Mr. Timms: The Government held discussions with the Quarry Products Association regarding its proposed package of voluntary measures for a number of months, but at the time of the Budget, no viable package was on offer. In particular, the QPA attached conditions relating to Government procurement which were considered to be inconsistent with EU procurement law and would have had potential negative implications for competition within the industry.
The levy will achieve environmental benefits by making the price of aggregates reflect the environmental costs of quarrying and by encouraging the use of recycled aggregates.
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