House of Commons Hansard Debates for 10 May 1991

Written Answers to Questions

Friday 10 May 1991

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

RECHAR

Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to meet the requirements of the European Commissioner to allow additional spending with regard to RECHAR ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Leigh : My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry, for Northern Ireland, for Wales and for Scotland, and other Ministers, met Mr. Bruce Millan, European Commissioner with responsibility for regional policies, on 25 April to discuss issues relating to the Community's structural funds.

The proposed RECHAR programmes of grants for United Kingdom coalfield areas were one of the subjects discussed. The meeting helped reduce the misunderstanding there has been about the additionality of Community grants. We remain in touch with the Commission and hope that agreement will now soon be reached to enable these useful programmes to proceed.

Consumers' Deposits

Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce legislation to ensure that deposits paid by consumers for goods or services are held in trust so that in the event of a company going into receivership, liquidation or bankruptcy, the deposit will be refunded to the consumer.

Mr. Leigh : We have no plans to introduce such legislation. The Government accepted the view of the Insolvency Law Review Committee that compulsory trust accounts would add to the costs and prices of businesses and would be detrimental to the interests of ordinary creditors. The Director General of Fair Trading is, however, continuing to keep this area under review, and we shall give careful consideration to any recommendations he may make.

Stormseal

Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will make an application against Mike and Mark Sweeney, formerly directors of Stormseal and now directors of Sure Style, under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, having particular regard to any responsibility they may have had for the Stormseal company becoming insolvent.

Mr. Redwood : Stormseal UPVC Window Co. Ltd. was one of a group of six companies that went into administrative receivership on 4 January 1991 and were controlled by brothers Mark and Michael Sweeney. Subsequently on 27 March 1991 winding-up orders were made against Stormseal and one other company Stirfront

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Ltd. and the official receiver at Manchester is dealing with their affairs. Both the administrative receiver and the official receiver have a responsibility under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 to consider the conduct of the directors and report any matters to the Secretary of State which they consider makes them unfit to be concerned in the management of a company.

An initial report is required to be submitted within six months of the appointment of the administrative receiver, but it is understood that the complexity of the affairs of the Stormseal group makes it unlikely that a full report will be able to be prepared by June 1991. On receipt of the full reports from the administrative receiver and the official receiver, the Secretary of State will consider whether it is appropriate to apply for disqualification of the said directors or any other persons involved in the affairs of the group.

National Film Commission

Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to take a decision on the film industry's proposal for a national film commission.

Mr. Leigh : I am happy to announce that the Government have decided to invite Sydney Samuelson to establish a United Kingdom film commission to promote the United Kingdom as a place to make films and that the commission will receive grants from the DTI totalling £3.5 million over the next four years. The Department will discuss with the commission detailed terms and conditions.

Industry Council

Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the discussions which took place in the EC Industry Council on 29 April.

Mr. Leigh [holding answer 7 May 1991] : The Industry Council meeting on 29 April, which Lord Hesketh attended for the United Kingdom, discussed Commission communications on the European electronics and information technology industry, the biotechnology industry and the future of the European Coal and Steel Community treaty. The Council also discussed Community policy on small and medium-sized enterprises and adopted a resolution reaffirming the Council's commitment to promoting the creation and development of small firms throughout the European Community.

Post Office

Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what proposals he has to privatise Post Office Counters Ltd ; (2) what preparations Post Office Counters Ltd. is making for privatisation ;

(3) what representations he has received concerning the re-establishment of a sub-post office at Newhill, near Rotherham ; and if he will make a statement ;

(4) what is his policy on the provision of sub-post offices.

Mr. Leigh [holding answer 8 May 1991] : The Government have made it clear on a number of occasions that we remain fully committed to the maintenance of a network of post offices adequate to enable the Post Office

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to fulfil its statutory duty to have regard to economy and efficiency, and to the social, commercial and industrial needs of the United Kingdom. I am satisfied that in managing its network of post offices the Post Office is fully meeting these obligations. We have at present no plans for the privatisation of the Post Office. Girobank has been successfully transferred to the private sector, but no other decisions have been taken.

It has been the policy of successive Governments since the establishment of the Post Office as a public corporation in 1969 that decisions concerning aspects of the day-to-day running of the postal business, such as those relating to the level of service provision available in particular areas, are the operational responsibility of the Post Office Board. The Government's role in Post Office matters is confined to broad issues of general policy and to matters of overall control.

I understand that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received no representations concerning the re-establishment of a sub-post office at Newhill, Rotherham.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

Zoological Society

Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when grants were first made to the Zoological Society of London in connection with scientific research ; what has been the total grant paid to date ; and what is the proposed grant for the current financial year.

Mr. Alan Howarth : The Department of the Environment first provided funds specifically for the society's Institute of Zoology of £1.3 million in 1988-89. Responsibility for public funding of the institute was transferred to my Department through the Universities Funding Council and the university of London in April 1989. The transfer was accompanied by an increase in public funding through the UFC in respect of the university of London of £1.3 million in the 1989-90 financial year and £1.4 million in the subsequent two financial years. The actual level of funding for the institute is strictly a matter for the university of London. In addition, the institute received grants from the research councils and the Royal Society of £0.5 million in 1989-90.

Humanities (Postgraduate Studentships)

Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the recent change in the arrangements for the administration of the postgraduate state studentship scheme in the humanities.

Mr. Alan Howarth : Since 1984 the British Academy has administered the national scheme for postgraduate studentships in the humanities on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education and Science. Full responsibility for the scheme was transferred to the academy which, with effect from the beginning of this financial year, administers it in its own right. It continues to receive funds for this purpose from my Department.

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WALES

Regional Policy

Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement following his discussion with the Commissioner for regional policy of the European Community held on 15 April.

Mr. David Hunt : Together with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and other ministerial colleagues, I met European Commissioner Millan on 25 April.

We discussed a wide range of European structural fund matters. Commissioner Millan assured me that a decision on the

Dyfed-Gwynedd-Powys integrated development operation programme would be made shortly.

Quangos

Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the individual appointments excluding casual vacancies he is scheduled to make to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations in (a) 1991 and (b) 1992 indicating in each case the title of the post, the salary if any and the duration of the appointment.

Mr. David Hunt : The readily available information about the appointments for which I am responsible, a number of which will fall to be made in 1991 and 1992, is in "Public Bodies" and "Public Appointments : A Handbook for Women's Organisations", copies of which are in the Library of the House.

Schools Inspectorate

Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to institute a review of Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools in Wales.

Mr. David Hunt : Given the proposed changes in the education service, I think that this is an opportune moment to conduct an in-depth review of the role and structure of Her Majesty's inspectorate in Wales. I am putting in hand arrangements for such a review.

THE ARTS

Paisley Pattern

Mr. McMaster : To ask the Minister for the Arts what plans he has to fund a heritage centre to show the history of and to promote the sale of articles in the paisley pattern ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Renton : I have no plans to fund such a heritage centre. My funding responsibility does not extend to museums in Scotland, where I assume that such a centre would be based.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Passport Service

Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will be in a position to reply to the correspondence of the right hon. and learned Member for Aberavon requesting a passport for Mrs. Williams of Blaengwynfi, Port Talbot.

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Mr. Kenneth Baker : I wrote to the right hon. and learned Gentleman about this matter on 22 January. Unfortunately, he does not appear to have received the letter. My office has now forwarded a further copy which I trust he has received.

Gloucester Prison

Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the ratio of prison staff to inmates at Gloucester prison for each of the last three years ; and what was the comparable figure in the five prisons nearest to it in size.

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Mrs. Rumbold : On 1 April 1991, the ratio of prison officers to inmates in local prisons, including principal and senior officers but excluding female establishments, ranged from 0.34 to 0.71 officers per inmate. This variation reflects differences in workload, scale and the particular facilities contained in establishments. Over the past three years, the ratios at Her Majesty's Prison Gloucester and at the five local prisons nearest to it in size, by number of inmates, were as follows :

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