| Previous Section | Home Page |
Playgroups
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what steps he has taken to determine the financial impact of the imposition of registration and inspection fees on non-profit-making play groups, mother and toddler groups and under-fives groups in Scotland ;
(2) whether he will bring forward proposals to exempt non-profit-making play groups, mother and toddler
Column 474
groups and under-fives groups from registration and inspection fees under section 10 of the Children Act 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Michael Forsyth : When the Children Act 1989 comes into force on 14 October, fees payable by applicants for registration will be prescribed by regulations, as will annual inspection fees. The Government have not yet decided on the level of fees. We fully recognise the value to children and their families of the services provided by local playgroups, often within very tight budgets. We shall take this into account when we come to prescribe fees.
Set-aside Scheme
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the numbers of farms, the numbers of hectares and the average area per farm in hectares which are in the set-aside scheme in each region in 1991.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information is set out in the table :
<1>Region |Number of |Area set |Average
|Farms |aside (ha)|area/farm
|(ha)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |37 |2,261 |61.1
Central |19 |709 |37.3
Dumfries and Galloway, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles<2> |9 |104 |11.6
Fife |20 |1,269 |63.5
Grampian |337 |10,796 |32.0
Highland |50 |2,240 |44.8
Lothian |18 |1,327 |73.7
Strathclyde |37 |665 |18.0
Tayside |90 |3,662 |40.7
Scotland |617 |23,033 |37.3
<1> Information is provisional pending the processing of the 1990-91 set-aside claims.
<2> Data for these regions have been grouped together for reasons of confidentiality.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the uptake of the set-aside scheme in (a) the number of farms and (b) the area of land set aside in hectares for 1990-91.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : In 1989-90, the second year of the set-aside scheme, a cumulative total of 498 farms in Scotland set aside 18,840 hectares of land. This increased in 1990-91, to 617 farms setting aside 23,033 hectares.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (Compensation)
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 13 June, Offficial Report, column 653, when the hon. Member for Linlithgow may expect a letter on his assessment of the size and number of other estates in a similar position to Glenlochay.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I expect to be in a position to write to the hon. Member very shortly, once some necessary information has been obtained from the Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland.
Playgroups
Mr. Wray : To asks the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, in implementing section 10 of the Children Act 1989, he will make sure that no fees for registration and inspection are charged to non-profit playgroups with charitable status.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Playgroups provide a valuable service for children and their families, often within very tight budgets. In fixing the fees for registration and inspection, which will be prescribed by regulations under the Children Act 1989, we shall take account of the position of playgroups.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Mortgage Repossessions
3. Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of mortgage repossessions in Northern Ireland in 1990.
Mr. Needham : Repossessions statistics are not provided by the mortgage lending institutions on a regional basis. National totals are published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders in its GB quarterly publication "Housing Finance".
Constitution
13. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met leaders of the political parties in Northern Ireland to discuss constitutional matters.
Mr. Brooke : On Wednesday 3 July.
Anglo-Irish Conference
15. Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when Ministers from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland Governments will next meet within the context of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
Column 476
Mr. Brooke : I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Sir P. Duffy).
Cross-border Co-operation
16. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has recently made to, or received from, the Government of the Republic of Ireland regarding co-operation in security matters.
24. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on cross-border security co- operation between the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.
Dr. Mawhinney : At the meeting of the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental conference on 26 April measures to enhance security co-operation were discussed in detail with Irish Ministers. At that meeting, both Governments reaffirmed their commitment to continue to work together to counter terrorist violence. My right hon. Friend intends to return to those discussions at the next meeting of the conference.
Armagh Four
17. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has received concerning the imprisonment of Winston Allen, Noel Bell, James Hegan and Neil Latimer, known as the Armagh Four ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : My right hon. Friend has, in addition to a petition and numerous letters from the public, received representations from Members, Lords, churchmen and others about the case. These have generally sought to encourage him to exercise his discretionary power to refer the case back to the Court of Appeal, which he would do only if some new evidence or consideration of substance is produced.
Rail Services
18. Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the disruption of rail services in Northern Ireland arising from both acts and threats of terrorism.
Mr. Needham : In spite of acts and threats of terrorism, Northern Ireland Railways continues to provide an important service to people on both sides of the border. Those who seek to disrupt it, not only cause needless hardship and inconvenience but put lives at risk.
Political Talks
19. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the response to his latest political initiative.
23. Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of the talks between the Northern Ireland political parties on the future of the Province.
26. Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the latest position regarding the current talks over political progress in the Province.
Column 477
Mr. Brooke : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Dover (Mr. Shaw).NHS Trusts
20. Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has any plans to introduce national health service trusts into Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : The Department of Health and Social Services is consulting on an application from the Royal group of hospitals for health and social services trust status which, if successful, would result in the creation of a trust. Varying degrees of interest in trusts status have been expressed by other hospitals.
Electricity Privatisation
21. Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has finalised the date for the privatisation of Northern Ireland Electricity ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Needham : Subject to the necessary legislation being approved by Parliament, the Government hope to be in a position to complete the sale of the power stations in spring 1992, and aims to float the remainder of NIE's business on the stock exchange later in the year.
Home Ownership
22. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the level of home ownership in Northern Ireland since 1979.
Mr. Needham : The growth in home ownership in Northern Ireland since 1979 has been a noted success. In that year the total number of owner- occupied properties was 256,500 which represented 52 per cent. of the total housing stock. By the end of 1990 this figure had risen to 347,500 or 66 per cent.
Conservative Party
25. Dr. Twinn : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has any plans to meet representatives of the Northern Ireland Conservative party to discuss the talks on the future of the Province ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Brooke : I shall be meeting representatives of the Conservative party constituency associations in Northern Ireland in the near future for a general exchange of views on Government policy.
Terrorism
27. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has had about the prevention of terrorism ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Government regularly receive and consider representations from a wide range of bodies and individuals about the prevention of terrorism.
The Government remain determined to defeat terrorism through the even- handed and energetic
Column 478
enforcement of the rule of law. The RUC, supported by the Army, continue to make progress to this end, in the knowledge that Government will provide them with adequate resources, including legal resources. The Emergency Provisions (N.I.) Act, which received its Royal Assent on 27 June, is a further example of this support. However, the prevention of terrorism will not be achieved by security measures alone. The Government are also working, therefore, to implement effective measures in the political, social and economic fields.Stevens Inquiry
28. Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the cost of the Stevens inquiry to date ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : I understand that up to 3 July the cost of the Stevens inquiry has been £868,480.
Mr. John Stevens, the deputy chief constable of Cambridgeshire, at the request of the chief constable of the RUC, conducted an inquiry into allegations of collusion between members of the security forces in Northern Ireland and loyalist paramilitaries. After a most thorough examination, he presented his report to the Chief Constable on 5 April 1990. Action on the report's conclusions and recommendations is being taken by the police and Army.
Publications
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all publications relating to Northern Ireland ordered to be stocked by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, in each of the last five years ; the total cost of each publication ; and who was awarded the printing contract.
Mr. Maples : I have been asked to reply.
A search of HMSO's title database shows the following number of publications with Northern Ireland or Ulster in the bibliographic details :
Year of |Number Publication ------------------------------------ 1986 |512 1987 |653 1988 |642 1989 |765 1990 |699
This does not, of course, represent the totality of HMSO publications that may relate to Northern Ireland in some way but it would involve disproportionate cost to examine each of the over 40, 000 new items published by HMSO over this period for specific relevance.
Similarly, the other details requested could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Colin Wallace
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make a response to the most recent representations he has received about the case of Colin Wallace.
Dr. Mawhinney : My right hon. Friend replied to a letter from the hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) on 5 July.
Column 479
Shipbuilding
Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the number of people employed in shipbuilding and shiprepair in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Needham : At 31 May 1991, the latest date for which figures are available, some 2,458 people were employed in shipbuilding and shiprepair in Northern Ireland.
Fair Employment
Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that draft copies of the Fair Employment (Monitoring) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991 are available to the House when it considers the draft Fair Employment (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1991.
Mr. Needham : I have arranged for copies of the draft Fair Employment (Monitoring) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991 to be placed in the Library to facilitate debate on the Fair Employment (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 1991.
Health and Social Services Councils
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has given consideration to the extent to which funding will be required for health and social services councils, in order that they may fulfil their functions and meet the requirements to reflect the interests of the consumer ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Yes. I recently met the four health and social services council chairmen to discuss finance and asked them to draw up budgets for the current financial year and for 1992-93, taking account of advice from the health and social services boards and the Department of Health and Social Services. I have undertaken that the councils will be adequately funded to represent the interests of the public in the health and personal social services in their areas.
DEFENCE
Challenger 2 Tank
Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has yet placed the production contract with Vickers for the Challenger 2 main battle tank.
Mr. Alan Clark : Yes. Contractual negotiations have been successfully concluded between my Department and Vickers and the contract for two regiments of Challenger 2 main battle tanks was placed on Friday 28 June.
Attack Helicopter
Mr. Wiggin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the procurement of a new attack helicopter for the Army.
Mr. Alan Clark : Following our withdrawal from the collaborative A129-LAH studies, we have decided that the attack and armed reconnaissance roles would be best met by separate helicopters. We plan to replace the Lynx in the
Column 480
anti-tank role by an off-the-shelf purchase towards the end of the decade. To this end, we propose to issue a request for proposals against a cardinal points specification in the spring of 1992. The requirement for an armed reconnaissance helicopter will be considered separately.RAF Bases
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the former RAF bases which have closed since 1987 (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) abroad.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Since 1987 the former RAF bases at Barnwood, Bawdsey, Binbrook, Bishops Court, Hendon and North Coates in the United Kingdom have closed. There have been no overseas base closures in this period. We have also announced our plans for the full or partial closure of RAF Abingdon, RAF Biggin Hill, RAF Church Fenton, RAF Ely, RAF Halton, RAF Hullavington and RAF West Raynham in the United Kingdom, as well as the cessation of flying at RAF Gutersloh and RAF Wildenrath in Germany.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by location the RAF bases in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) abroad.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The following is a list of active bases where there is a permanent RAF presence :
(a) In the United Kingdom
RAF Abingdon
RAF Aldergrove
RAF Amport House
RAF Ash
RAF Bampton Castle
RAF Benbecula
RAF Benson
RAF Bentley Priory
RAF Biggin Hill
RAF Boddington
RAF Boulmer
RAF Bracknell
RAF Brampton
RAF Brawdy
RAF Brize Norton
RAF Buchan
RAF Cardington
RAF Carlisle
RAF Catterick
RAF Chilmark
RAF Chivenor
RAF Church Fenton
RAF Coltishall
RAF Coningsby
RAF Cosford
RAF Cottesmore
RAF Cowden
RAF Cranwell
RAF Digby
RAF Ely
RAF Finningley
RAF Flyingdales
RAF Halton
RAF Harrogate
RAF Headley Court
RAF Henlow
RAF Hereford
RAF High Wycombe
RAF Holbeach
RAF Honington
RAF Hullavington
RAF Innsworth
RAF Jurby Head
RAF Kemble
RAF Kinloss
| Next Section
| Home Page |