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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 6 November 1992
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Citizens Charter
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what were the publication dates of (a) the citizens charter White Paper, Cm 1599, and (b) the tape recorded version for partially sighted people.
Mr. Jackson : The citizens charter White Paper (Cm 1599) was published on 22 July 1991 and the audio version on 18 November 1991.
Her Majesty's Stationery Office
Mr. Garrett : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the salaries of the executive directors of Her Majesty's Stationery Office at the present time and 18 months ago ; and what proportion of their present salaries is in the form of
performance-related pay.
Mr. Waldegrave : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to HMSO under its chief executive. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member direct.
Letter from Paul Freeman to Mr. John Garrett, dated 3 November 1992 :
I have been asked to reply to your Question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster about the salaries of HMSO's executive directors.
The remuneration arrangements for HMSO's directors are exactly the same as for other staff. Jobs are assigned to a pay band by means of an analytical job evaluation system. Progression within the pay band is dependent on performance, and performance pay is not separately identifiable. Details of the relevant pay bands are as follows :
Pay band |April 1991 |Now
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------
14 |27,856-36,549|29,165-38,267
15 |30,748-40,343|32,193-42,239
16 |33,940-44,532|35,536-46,625
17 |35,658-46,786|37,334-48,985
18 |37,469-49,155|39,224-51,465
ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
Forged Banknotes
Mr. Janner : To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee whether he will arrange for an ultraviolet monitoring machine to be made available in the House of Commons Members' post office to protect hon. Members against receiving forged banknotes.
Mr. Martin : There is no evidence of sufficient demand to justify this provision.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Battery Cages
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the main findings of the EC scientific veterinary committee report on hen welfare ; and if he will make it his policy to advocate the phasing out of battery cages.
Mr. Soames : We await the official publication of the scientific veterinary committee's report, together with the Commission's proposals for revision of the battery hens directive and new welfare standards for hens kept in alternative systems.
It is already the Government's policy that the current battery cage design, in which only feeding and drinking facilities are provided, must be phased out on a Community basis.
Farms (Pollution Control)
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures are currently available to assist family farms with the costs of fulfilling pollution control requirements.
Mr. Curry : Since the farm and conservation grant scheme was introduced in 1989, £88 million has been spent on grants to help United Kingdom farmers meet the costs of installing or improving waste handling facilities. Free initial advice on pollution control is available to farmers from the Agricultural Development Advisory Service, the Scottish Agricultural College and the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture.
In addition, the Ministry is carrying out a pilot study to see if farmers can help to reduce pollution themselves by drawing up their own farm waste management plans.
Agricultural Support
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out, for each system of agricultural support which will be effective next year, the total estimated cost, the likely quantities involved and also the split in costs between the common agricultural policy and United Kingdom public funds.
Mr. Curry : Details of estimates for the years 1992-93 to 1994-95 were provided in the departmental report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Intervention Board. This report was presented to Parliament in February 1992 and a copy was placed in the Library. Details are not readily available of the likely quantities involved in each of the support systems and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
Milk Hygiene
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what charges are being set for milk hygiene enforcement work for 1992-93.
Mr. Curry : Following consultation with interested parties the Government have today laid before Parliament regulations maintaining the current charge for milk hygiene inspection visits and increasing the charge for visits for sampling and testing of untreated milk undertaken by ADAS. The new charge will come into force on 27 November 1992.
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The Milk and Dairies and Milk (Special Designation) (Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 1992 will increase the charge for sampling and testing visits from £47 to £63. This increase is necessary to assist the Government in meeting its ultimate objective of recovering the full costs of milk hygiene enforcement work. The charge for milk hygiene inspection visits will remain unchanged at £92--£71 for producers with fewer than 20 cows--as will the present exemptions from charges for pre-registration inspection visits, for farmhouse caterers and for suppliers in remote areas.The current milk hygiene enforcement programme will be reviewed in the context of the arrangements that are being made to implement the new EC milk hygiene directive by 1 January 1994. The review will include an examination of the possibility of contracting out the work.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Poll Tax
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the average weekly amount ordered by magistrates for payment of poll tax arrears by recipients of income support.
Mr. John M. Taylor : This information is not collected.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will include in the community charge enforcement statement figures for the remission of debt following means tests.
Mr. John M. Taylor : I have no plans to add to the existing information that is supplied to the Library of the House.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make regulations to limit the amount of payment for poll tax arrears ordered by the courts in the case of recipients of income support to no more than £2.15 per week ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : It is not the role of the courts to determine the rate of payment of arrears by debtors subject to a liability order. Where recovery cannot otherwise be achieved, a court may, on an application by the charging authority, decide in the light of the debtor's means to postpone committal to prison for default, subject to any requirement to make such payments as the court may determine. I do not think that it would be right for me to seek to fetter the courts' discretion in such matters.
Legal Aid
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to grant the right to free legal advice to all patients detained in psychiatric hospitals.
Mr. John M. Taylor : No. It is the Government's general policy that those who are assessed as having the means to contribute towards the cost of legal advice provided under the legal aid scheme should do so.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average time
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between legal aid work being done by barristers and legal aid fees being paid to them for (a) criminal and (b) civil legal aid for each of the past 20 years.Mr. John D. Taylor : Figures are not available in the form nor for the period requested. The information immediately available is contained in the tables. It shows performance against target for bills paid by the Legal Aid Board and the Crown court. It is only available in respect of the time taken to pay bills once they have been submitted.
Payments made by the Legal Aid Board
1991-92 |March 1992 |March 1992
and assessed
Time taken |Per cent. |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 weeks |65 |78
8 weeks |85 |88
Bills in Magistrates' Courts' proceedings
6 weeks |80 |89
Other bills
6 weeks |95 |95
1990-91 |March 1990 |March 1991 |March 1992
Civil bills: taxed |performance |performance |target
and assessed
time taken |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 weeks |38 |31 |-
6 weeks |68 |71 |85
8 weeks |81 |88 |85
Bills in Magistrates' Courts' proceedings
4 weeks |78 |76 |-
6 weeks |93 |91 |80