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Scottish Parliament: Standing Orders
Lord Selkirk of Douglas asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the transitional Standing Orders for the Scottish Parliament will be put in place by order under Section 129 of the Scotland Act 1998.[HL1130]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Standing Orders for the Scottish Parliament are currently being drafted and will be considered by the all-party Consultative Steering Group on the Scottish Parliament in March. They will be laid before Parliament as soon as practicable thereafter.
Scotland: Housing
Lord Selkirk of Douglas asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sewel on 11 February (WA 51-53), whether they will publish the number of houses sold (a) in England, and (b) in Scotland to sitting tenants annually from 1979 to date as a percentage of the total number of houses in the public sector.[HL1131]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The information requested is set out in the table below.
| England | Scotland | |||||
| Year | Sales to sitting tenants(1) | Cumulative sales | Sales to sitting tenants as a percentage of stock at March 1979 | Sales to sitting tenants(2) | Cumulative sales | Sales to sitting tenants as a percentage of stock at September 1978 |
| 1979 | -- | -- | 0.0% | 1,010 | 1,010 | 0.1% |
| 1980 | -- | -- | 0.0% | 5,913 | 6,923 | 0.7% |
| 1981 | 91,439 | 91,439 | 1.8% | 10,545 | 17,468 | 1.7% |
| 1982 | 185,027 | 276,466 | 5.4% | 14,235 | 31,703 | 3.1% |
| 1983 | 128,102 | 404,568 | 7.9% | 17,877 | 49,580 | 4.8% |
| 1984 | 95,335 | 499,903 | 9.8% | 16,519 | 66,099 | 6.4% |
| 1985 | 84,210 | 584,113 | 11.4% | 14,925 | 81,024 | 7.9% |
| 1986 | 81,279 | 665,392 | 13.0% | 13,992 | 95,016 | 9.2% |
| 1987 | 93,417 | 758,809 | 14.8% | 18,988 | 114,004 | 11.1% |
| 1988 | 139,677 | 898,486 | 17.5% | 31,591 | 145,595 | 14.1% |
| 1989 | 149,130 | 1,047,616 | 20.4% | 38,943 | 184,538 | 17.9% |
| 1990 | 96,572 | 1,144,188 | 22.3% | 32,968 | 217,506 | 21.1% |
| 1991 | 52,860 | 1,197,048 | 23.4% | 23,007 | 240,513 | 23.3% |
| 1992 | 42,288 | 1,239,336 | 24.2% | 24,032 | 264,545 | 25.7% |
| 1993 | 42,607 | 1,281,943 | 25.0% | 20,062 | 284,607 | 27.6% |
| 1994 | 46,163 | 1,328,106 | 25.9% | 21,290 | 305,897 | 29.7% |
| 1995 | 34,094 | 1,362,200 | 26.6% | 16,965 | 322,862 | 31.3% |
| 1996 | 31,797 | 1,393,997 | 27.2% | 13,120 | 335,982 | 32.6% |
| 1997 | 39,292 | 1,433,289 | 28.0% | 16,515 | 352,497 | 34.2% |
| 1998 Q1 | 10,079 | 1,443,368 | 28.2% | 4,146 | 356,643 | 34.6% |
Notes:
(1) Includes Right to Buy and Voluntary sales.
(2) Includes Right to Buy, Voluntary and Rent to Mortgage sales.
Source of English figures
Housing and Construction Statistics 1979 to 1989 and 1987 to 1998.
Baroness Turner of Camden asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue): We are pleased to announce that following discussions with the industry, the European Commission and other Member States, we have managed to secure a derogation that will lower the minimum milkfat content of brandy, rum and sherry butters from 34 per cent. to 20 per cent., thereby ensuring that these traditional alcoholic butters can continue to be made using the traditional recipes enjoyed by the UK consumers for many years.
Lord Monkswell asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The figures that I gave in my reply on 15 February (WA 65) were net expenditure figures, taking account of the income from forestry. We currently receive about £47 million income from forestry in England, through the Forestry Commission.
Our total expenditure on forestry in England is therefore about £83 million, of which the Forestry Commission spends about £66 million and generates an income of about £47 million. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions spends about £11 million, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food about £6 million.
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The scheme was established in 1975 by means of a letter to all maintainers and breeders' agents. The purpose of the scheme was to allow seed of a variety to be multiplied under a controlled system in advance of acceptance on a National List and prior to entry into the statutory seed certification system. No legal power was necessary as this was a non-statutory scheme.
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: Since 1 July 1996, 340 varieties have been entered into the non-statutory provisional seed certification scheme in England and Wales. Of these, eight have been refused entry on to the National List as follows:
What action they are taking to ensure that traditional British brandy and rum butters can continue to be marketed in the European Union.[HL1257]
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Donoughue on 15 February (WA 65) that the Government spend £36 million per year on forestry in England, how much income is obtained from forestry.[HL1142]
When, why, how and under what legal power the non-statutory provisional seed certification scheme was established.[HL1168]
How many seeds have been entered in the non-statutory provisional seed certification scheme; and whether they will list all the seeds they have refused to enter on the national seed list after entry in the provisional scheme.[HL1169]
Application reference number
AFP 1/1011 winter wheat
AFP 1/1072 winter wheat
AFP 1/1082 winter wheat
AFP 1/1089 winter wheat
AFP 1/1106 winter wheat
AFP 2/1339 winter barley
AFP 33/173 winter field bean
AFP 33/175 spring field bean.
1 Mar 1999 : Column WA165
- What provisions are in place for access to information from, and participation of the public in, the non-statutory provisional seed certification scheme.[HL1170]
Lord Donoughue: Information about the scheme that operates for England and Wales is contained in a booklet published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. A copy of this has been placed in the Library of the House. Participation in the scheme is subject to acceptance of the terms and conditions contained in this booklet.
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will specify which applications have been made for genetically-modified seeds to be entered in the non-statutory provisional seed certification scheme by company, date and corresponding deliberate release consent under Directive 90/220 and national list application whether before or after 5 February 1999.[HL1171]
Lord Donoughue: An application by Plant Genetic Systems to enter the parental lines of a genetically modified spring hybrid rape variety into the scheme in England and Wales was made in March 1996. The marketing consent number was 94/M1/1 issued in February 1996. None of the progeny of the parental lines was brought forward for provisional certification. The national list application (Ref No. AFP/35/852) in respect of the hybrid variety obtained from the two parent lines was withdrawn by the applicant in November 1996.
No other applications have been made for genetically modified varieties to be entered into the scheme in England and Wales.
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, since the introduction of the non-statutory provisional seed certification scheme, seeds can be, or have been, entered on the national list without having previously been entered in the provisional scheme.[HL1172]
Lord Donoughue: Yes--entry into the non-statutory provisional seed certification scheme is voluntary.
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Why their original decision to exclude genetically modified seeds from the non-statutory provisional seed certification scheme has recently been reversed.[HL1173]
Lord Donoughue: No decision has been taken to exclude genetically modified seeds from the scheme. In August 1998 a control measure was introduced in England and Wales in respect of applications for the provisional certification of the seed of winter varieties of hybrid oilseed rape entering the first year of national
list trials in autumn 1998. The control measure required a signed statement from the applicant that the variety was not genetically modified. Anyone wishing to enter a genetically modified variety of winter hybrid oilseed rape into the scheme in autumn 1998 was not prevented from doing so but was asked to contact the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It was made clear that this was an interim arrangement designed to ensure that genetically modified varieties would not enter the scheme in autumn 1998 without the Ministry's knowledge while procedures were under review and that new arrangements would be introduced in spring 1999.
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