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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 19 December 2002
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Clergy
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the honourable Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what plans there are to establish clergy on civil service terms. [87986]
Mr. Bell: The Archbishops' Council, acting as the Church of England's Central Stipends Authority, bases its recommendations for maternity and paternity provision and long term sick leave for parish clergy upon civil service terms and conditions. Most of the (relatively few) anglican clergy directly employed by the Council or by diocesan offices will also be on civil service terms.
On the wider question of future options in respect of clergy employment rights I refer the hon .Member to my answers earlier this month.
Statutory Employment Rights
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the honourable Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners (1) if he will make a statement on the timetable for the Commissioners' response to the DTI's discussion document on Employment Status in relation to Statutory Employment Rights; [87260]
- (2) how many people whose salaries are paid by Church funds are not covered by employment legislation; [87261]
(3) what the terms of reference of the working group on clergy employment arrangements established by the Archbishops' Council are, and who the members are; [87281]
(4) if he would make a statement on the Archbishops' Council's announcement of 10th December on clergy employment.rights [87275]
Mr. Bell: The Archbishops' Council has responded to the DTI's discussion document on Employment Status in relation to Statutory Employment Rights. A copy of the response has been placed in the Library, along with the terms of reference and membership of the working group, and I am happy to provide the hon. Gentleman with his own copy.
From this he will note that there are approximately 9,000 clergy on the central payroll not covered by employment legislation, of which 5,500 have the freehold (and thus have greater employment security than most employees) and 3,500 operate under a bishop's licence (and have less).
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CABINET OFFICE
Contingency Planning
Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions his Department has had with the Local Government Association and Emergency Planning Society regarding funding levels for emergency planning. [86599]
Mr. Alexander: Government provides funding for emergency planning in local authorities in England and Wales through the civil defence grant. The Government determines that level at which the grant is set. The LGA were involved in discussions earlier this year on how the grant should be allocated to local authorities.
Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the principal and common medium is for effective and secure communication between emergency services involved in contingency provision, with particular reference to when more than one major geographical area of England is involved. [86600]
Mr. Alexander: The PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) is the principal common medium for communication between emergency services throughout the UK. Encrypted telephone instruments are available, for use with the PSTN, to provide secure communication.
Tom Brake: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what arrangements are in place to ensure that emergency services are able to efficiently and effectively liaise and work together in the event of a major civil disaster; and what common training and instructions exist to ensure that emergency services are able to efficiently work and communicate together in such an event. [86597]
Mr. Alexander: The Government's XDealing with Disaster" (3rd Edition) sets out core guidance for all emergency services in achieving a co-ordinated response in the event of a major incident or disaster. The emergency procedures manuals of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers Association (CACFOA) and the Ambulance Services Association (ASA) all contain guidance on the management of emergencies.
Because of the lead role of the police in co-ordinating the emergency services response to major incidents, the ACPO guidance sets out, in detail, the relationships and working arrangements between all of the emergency services in responding to a major incident. These arrangements are jointly exercised against different scenarios.
The emergency services each have an emergency procedures sub-committee, which meets regularly to ensure that they abide by best practice in co-ordinating responses.
Apart from their own individual service training and exercise schedules, the emergency services regularly run joint exercises both to train for and to validate their joint response arrangements, especially command, control, and communications. The Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College regularly hosts and runs multi-agency
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major incident management events. For specific scenario exercising and training, such as those around chemical plants, civil nuclear power stations and major transport arrangements (by rail, sea and air), scenario-based multi-agency exercises are regularly carried out (often as a requirement under licensing regulations). Post Exercise Reports are regularly lodged, for wider dissemination and information, at the Emergency Planning College.
Government Car Service
Andrew Selous: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many cars manufactured outside the United Kingdom are used by the Government car service, broken down by manufacturer. [87833]
Mr. Alexander: Responsibility for the provision of ministerial cars and drivers has been delegated under the terms of the framework document to the Government Car Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. Nick Matheson, to write to the hon. Member.
WALES
Christmas Expenses
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many departmental Christmas cards he and his Ministers intend to send in 2002; how much these cards will cost (a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if he will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card he has sent this year; [88105]
- (2) how much will be spent on (a) entertaining, (b) Christmas decorations and (c) other festive activities this Christmas season by his Department and government agencies answerable to his Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' (i) private offices and (ii) official residences. [88133]
Peter Hain : I anticipate sending some 600 Christmas cards; my ministerial colleague expects to send up to 500. The total cost of printing these cards is expected to be some #484, postage will be payable on many but not all. It is not possible to accurately measure the staff time involved in issuing them.
I am placing a sample of my card in the Library.
My Department has spent #15 on hosting a party for XDaffodil Kids"—an organisation which provides outings for seriously ill Welsh children.
Other than these, there has been no cost to the public purse arising from Christmas entertaining, decorating, or related festive activities this year.
My Department has no agencies and I have no official residence.
Cockle Industry (Burry Inlet)
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received in relation to the cockle industry in the Burry Inlet. [86770]
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Peter Hain: None. However, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary has received representations from hon. Members representing affected areas of the cockle industry in Wales. These include the Burry Inlet. I am aware that the fishery has been closed for many months during the past two years, following an outbreak of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP) in cockles. I understand that the fishery is open at the moment.
I understand that the National Assembly for Wales, which has responsibility for fisheries issues, is working with the Food Standards Agency, with the Environment Agency and with Carmarthen and Swansea unitary authorities, to identify the causes of the outbreak, and to agree possible solutions.
I am also advised that the National Assembly for Wales is in the final stages of negotiations with the European Commission about state aids clearance for a compensation scheme for cockle gatherers who have suffered financial hardship because of the closure of the fishery.
Spending Review
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for his Department (a) those Comprehensive Spending Review 1998 targets that were outstanding at the time of the statement on the Comprehensive Spending Review 2002, (b) progress on such targets since then and (c) the expected date when targets not yet achieved will be met. [87704]
Peter Hain [holding answer 17 December 2002]: The creation of the National Assembly for Wales in July 1999 means that any extant 1998 targets will now lie with the Assembly rather than with my Department.
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