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Written Answers
Wednesday, 24th April 1996.
Israel: US Policy
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they support the United States of America's policy of funding and building up Israel as a regional nuclear super-power in the Middle East.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey): Relations between the United States and Israel are a matter for the two countries concerned.
Israel: Proposed Security Agreement with US
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What effect on NATO countries' relations with Middle Eastern countries they consider the
proposed United States agreement with Israel will have, especially in view of Israel's wish to be provided under that agreement with advanced
US Counter-proliferation systems and with "real-time" input from US surveillance and intelligence satellites and to prevent sales of spy satellites and satellite photographs to Arab countries.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: Bilateral arrangements between NATO allies and other countries are a matter for the governments concerned.
Sharm El Sheikh Summit Follow-Up Meeting
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will support Egypt and other countries in requiring that Israel's actions as well as others' are fully examined at the Sharm El Sheikh follow-up meeting on terrorism later this month.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: The meeting planned for 22nd April was cancelled. But the United Kingdom will continue to be closely involved in the work following up the Sharm El Sheikh summit.
London Transport: Financial Objectives
Lord Brabazon of Tara asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What financial objectives they have set for London Transport.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Viscount Goschen): We
have written to Peter Ford, chairman of LT, to set new medium-term financial objectives for LT to achieve in 1998-99. These replace the objectives which came to an end on 31st March 1996. The package of new objectives sets challenging but achievable targets for the continued improvement in LT's financial performance and efficiency. The objectives are set out below.| All figures are at 1995/96 prices | Objective |
| Costs per train kilometre (1) | Not more than £9.45 |
| LUL gross margin (2) | At least £285 million |
| Bus subsidy per kilometre (3) | Not more than 6.0 pence |
| LT Buses gross loss (4) | Not more than £20 million |
| Group services etc. (5) gross loss | Not more than £21.5 million |
| Dial-a-Ride costs per trip | Not more than £9.40 |
| Property rental income growth | To be at least as good as the average shown by the IPD index (6) on three year rolling basis |
Notes:
1. Costs per operated train kilometre to exclude depreciation, renewals, restructuring and PFI costs.
2. LUL gross margin before depreciation, renewals, restructuring and PFI costs.
3. Net subsidy per operated bus kilometre before depreciation, renewals, restructuring and PFI costs.
4. LT Buses gross loss before depreciation, renewal, restructuring, and PFI costs.
5. LT Group Services, plus Victoria Coach Station, Unit for Disabled Passengers, PASS and LT Museum.
6. IPD is the Investment Property Databank index.
Baroness Masham of Ilton asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege): The "brand name" of a medicine is determined by the manufacturer and is considered for its suitability by the licensing authority before a product is put on the market. Where a "brand name" is used for a medicine, the "generic" or "common" name of the active ingredient must always be shown clearly on all labelling in addition.
Lord Burnham asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch): My right honourable friend the Home Secretary and my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland have today announced that a national firearms amnesty will start on 3 June and will run for the rest of that month. It will apply to England and Wales and to Scotland and will enable people to hand in to a police station illegally held weapons without fear of prosecution. It will not, however, give
Guidance has been issued to the police to ensure that all appropriate arrangements are made to facilitate the surrender of weapons during the period of the amnesty.
Publicity material will be made available locally to provide people with information as to how they can hand in weapons.
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Fraser of Carmyllie): The information for the three years to 1994 is published by the Office for National Statistics in table G2A of the Geographical Analysis of the Current Account of the Balance of Payments, which appeared in the October 1995 issue of Economic Trends and is available in the Library of the House.
Viscount Addison asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Lucas: I refer my noble friend to the Statement given by my noble friend Lord Lindsay to the House on 3rd April 1996 (Official Report, cols. 356-360).
Lord Brougham and Vaux asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Lucas: I refer my noble friend to the statement that my noble friend Lord Lindsay repeated on 16th April 1996 (Official Report, col. 597).
In addition to the support measures previously announced, particularly for the rendering industry and for the slaughter of young bull calves, the measures set out below have now been implemented. Parliamentary approval for additional provision and for the funding of
1. Supplementary compensation payments on steers and heifers--i.e. older beef cattle whose market value is greater than cull cows.
Cost: £80 million on Class III Vote 1. An advance from the Contingencies Fund of the full amount is required.
2. Emergency aid to the slaughtering industry, comprising two elements:
(i) Immediate payment to slaughterhouses calculated on the basis of bovines slaughtered during 1995/96. Cost: £30 million on Class III Vote 2.
(ii) Purchase of unsaleable stocks of beef held by licensed slaughterhouses and cutting premises. Cost: £80 million on Class III Vote 1.
An advance from the Contingencies Fund of the full amount (£110 million) is required.
3. A scheme to purchase beasts over 30 months old and to dispose of their carcasses safely to prevent beef from these cattle from entering the human food chain.
Cost: £550 million on Class III Vote 1, 70 per cent. of compensation payments to be funded by the EU.
Lord Brougham and Vaux asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Lucas: My right honourable friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has set the Pesticides Safety Directorate the following targets relating to financial performance, efficiency, the delivery of pesticides approval services and policy advice in 1996-97:
To achieve 100 per cent. recovery of costs;
To comply with budgetary controls resulting from the Public Expenditure Survey and the Supply Estimates;
To achieve an overall efficiency gain of 3 per cent.;
To meet the targets for delivery of services as follows:
Notes:
(1) The processing time targets apply to 85 per cent. of applications received except the EC and UK sifts for New Substances, where the figure is 100 per cent.
(2) The quality of the directorate's scientific and policy work will be subject to separate quality audits.
(3) Details of performance in 1995-96 will be set out in the agency's annual report and accounts to be published during July 1996.
Whether they will take steps to reduce the confusion caused to patients by the variety of names given to the same drug.
Whether they can give further details of the forthcoming firearms amnesty.
What were the United Kingdom's overall regional trade balances during the latest three years for which figures are available with (a) North and South America; (b) Africa; (c) Australasia and the Pacific; (d) Asia; and (e) the European Communities.
What was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Luxembourg on 1st to 3rd April.
What financial support will be provided to UK beef producers and slaughterhouses in the current financial year.
What targets have been set for the Pesticides Safety Directorate in 1996-97.
Application stream notes Applications completed Maximum processing time (working weeks)
Technical Secretariat (1)
Normal 255 43
Administrative Fast 400 4
Fast 325 21
Experimental Permit 30 36
Off label 200 12
Other 205 --
New Substances (1)
Sift (EC and UK) 13 24
Active Substance -- --
UK: National Rules 8 54
EC: UK Rapporteur 1 54
UK Reviews
Full 3 --
Other 4 --
EC Reviews
UK Rapporteur 7 --
Non-Rapporteur (Monograph Co-ordination) 15 --
Total 1,466 --
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