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DEFENCE
Aldermaston
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on what progress has been made in solving the commissioning problems of the A91 building at Aldermaston ; and when he now expects the building to become fully operational.
Mr. Aitken : The project definition study to evaluate the scope of work necessary to overcome the corrosion
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problems of building A91 is due to report at the end of March 1993. This study will identify the most cost-effective repair option and confirm the date on which the building will become operational.Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on each of the (a) major injuries, (b) other injuries, (c) dangerous occurences and (d) cases of disease, as defined in the reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985--SI, 1985, No. 2023--reported to the Health and Safety Executive by AWE Aldermaston during 1991.
Mr. Aitken : A total of 38 such incidents occurred in 1991. Further details are as follows :
(a) major injuries (Total four)--two fractures of the wrist ; one severed fingertip ; one fall from a bicycle ;
(b) other injuries (Total 28)--three fractures of the hands and feet ; seven minor accidents/illnesses ; two sports injuries ; eight strains various ; one dog bite ; one concussion ; four injuries from falls ; two eye injuries ;
(c) dangerous occurrences (Total five)--pipe flange steam leak in the main boilerhouse ; lightning induced cable fault and fire on inductance ; ignition of striker assembly ; two releases of chromate dust ; and
(d) cases of disease (Total one)--suspected contamination by chromate dust (no residual effects found).
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when AWE Aldermaston plans to start the red commissioning stage of the A90 building.
Mr. Aitken : White commissioning is progressing well, but red commissioning will not commence until we are fully satisfied that the facility is ready to receive radio active material.
Atomic Weapons Establishments
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role and powers of the Health and Safety Executive concerning the atomic weapons establishments.
Mr. Aitken : The role and powers of the Health and Safety Executive in this respect were outlined on page 41 of the 12th report of the Select Committee on Defence in 1990.
Vulcan XH558
Sir Nicholas Bonsor : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to allow the Vulcan XH558 to fly at any of the events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the RAF ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : There are no plans to include the Vulcan in the RAF flypast for the royal review at RAF Marham on 1 April 1993, which will consist of current operational RAF aircraft, with Battle of Britain memorial flight aircraft providing a historical perspective for the service.
However, once the future of the Vulcan has been determined, it will be possible to consider the form of a farewell flypast.
Bandsmen
Sir Nicholas Bonsor : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 779, if he will set out the approximate number of bandsmen employed on (a) Operation Corporate and (b) Operation Granby.
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Mr. Archie Hamilton : No Army bandsmen were deployed on Operation Corporate. On Operation Granby approximately 940 individual Army bandsmen were deployed.
Departmental Property
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why his Department's property, Queen Mary buildings in Stillington street, has been rendered uninhabitable ; what was the cost of doing this ; what is the intended future use of the buildings ; and what consideration was given to using them to house the homeless in the interim period.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Queen Mary buildings consists of four blocks of six-storey flats. Two of the blocks are fully occupied ; the other two have been vacated because repairs are necessary in order to rectify corrosion in steel reinforcement bars. Structural investigations have been carried out at a cost of £75,000 to establish the extent of the corrosion and remedial work is now in hand.
The flats are used by military personnel who need to live within close proximity of their place of work. When repairs have been completed all the flats will be required by my Department. The empty blocks are not suitable for occupation due to their structural condition.
Vehicle Leasing
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the numbers and makes of the vehicles currently being leased by (a) the Royal Air Force, (b) the Royal Navy and (c) the Army.
Mr. Aitken : The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force do not have vehicles on long-term lease. The Army, which has the largest fleet of support vehicles, has the following vehicles on lease in the United Kingdom and in Germany :
|Number
--------------------------------------------------------
Iveco Ford tractor units |112
Mercedes Benz tractor units |36
Volvo tractor units |17
Leyland DAF tractor units |1
Volvo rigid vehicles |9
Leyland refrigerated unit |1
Leyland DAF minibuses |28
Renault minibuses |11
Ford transit minibus |1
Minibuses (makes unknown)<1> |6
Box body Luton type van (make unknown)<1> |1
Mechanical grab (make unknown)<1> |1
Volkswagen pick-up |1
Peugeot cars<2> |36
Fiat cars<2> |31
Rover cars |22
Ford cars |27
Nissan cars |2
Vauxhall cars |2
Cars in BAOR<1> |268
Volkswagen minibuses in BAOR |54
Vans in BAOR<1> |15
<1> The vehicle makes are unknown because the lease
contract does not specify a vehicle make but calls for
a vehicle type-for example 12 seater minibus.
<2> The Fiat and Peugeot cars are being phased out and
replaced by Rovers as their lease period expires.
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Bands
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to his answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 778, on medical training of Army bands, what specific medical tasks medical assistants are qualified to undertake ; and what is the equivalent level of qualifications in the Royal Army Medical Corps ; (2) to what level of civilian medical expertise (a) Royal Marine and (b) Royal Air Force band personnel are trained.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : All service band personnel are trained to a level that equates to basic first aider in civilian qualifications. In addition, Royal Marine and RAF personnel are awarded the Health and Safety Executive certificate in first aid in the workplace. Instruction includes emergency resuscitation using basic skills, control of haemorrhage, initial treatment of bone and joint injuries and the application of bandages and dressings. It also covers the basic nursing care of a patient, the management of intravenous infusion equipment, the transportation of casualties and casualty management under nuclear, biological and chemical conditions.
Chemical Discharges
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which chemicals listed under the Trade Effluents (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1989 are discharged into the environment by facilities and sites operated by his Department.
Mr. Aitken : Central records are not maintained of the types and quantities of prescribed substances discharged by MOD. However, non- domestic discharges from individual MOD facilities and establishments are subject to prior agreement with the appropriate pollution control authorities. These agreements take into account the quantities, concentrations and types of prescribed substances contained in the discharges which are, in turn, dependent upon the particular processes or activities being undertaken.
Army Personnel Centre
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 10 June 1992, Official Report, column 176, if he is now in a position to make a statement about his plans for an integrated army personnel centre outside London.
Mr. Archie Hamilton [pursuant to his reply, 13 January 1993, c. 760] : The consultation period has now ended. A number of representations were received, one of which proposed an alternative building for the centre in Stockport at a purchase price to the Ministry of Defence of rather less than £4 million, against a purchase price of around £20 million for the original proposal. These representations are now being considered. No decisions have been taken and I will make a further statement on our intentions as soon as possible.
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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Citizens Charter
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will (a) detail the cost, sample size and sample composition of the recent survey conducted by Research International for the Citizens Charter Unit and (b) place a copy of the research findings in the Library.
Mr. Waldegrave : (a) It is not our practice to reveal the cost of such contracts, as it could prejudice Her Majesty's Government's position when negotiating other contracts. All payments are, of course, open to scrutiny.
A sample of 940 adults was taken, which was representative of the country as a whole. The table gives a detailed profile of respondents.
(Base=940)
|Per cent.
--------------------------------------------------
Sex: Male |49
Female |51
Age: 16-24 |18
25-34 |19
35-44 |17
45-54 |14
55-64 |13
65+
Working Status:
Full/part-time |50
Not working |30
Retired |20
Marital Status:
Married |66
Widowed/separated/divorced |15
Single |19
Finished Full-time Education:
16 years or under |65
17 years or over |35
Regions:
Scotland |9
North/North West |18
Yorkshire/Humberside |9
Midlands/Anglia |20
London |12
South East |19
Wales/South West |13
(b) Copies of the research findings have been placed in the House of Commons and House of Lords Libraries.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
National Lottery
Sir John Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what research his Department has undertaken on the possible effect of the national lottery on the income of charities and voluntary organisations.
Mr. Key : The report prepared for the Department by the GAH group of consultants considered information available from other countries on the possible effects of national and state lotteries on charitable incomes.
Sir John Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what recent representations he has received on the effect of the national lottery on the income of charities and voluntary organisations.
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Mr. Key : I have received a number of observations as to the likely effect on the incomes of charities and voluntary organisations--most recently from the Charities Aid Foundation, which wrote to all members of the Standing Committee on 4 February and the Council for Charitable Sport, which wrote to my right hon. Friend on 9 February.
Sir John Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what direct consultations he has had with (a) voluntary organisations in the disablement field and (b) other voluntary organisations concerning the effect of the national lottery on their income.
Mr. Key : My right hon. Friend has met the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, which expressed its views on the lottery's effect on charities' income, along with a number of other observations on the national lottery. I have also had written representations from a number of voluntary organisations.
Sir John Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what study he has made of the effect of a national lottery on charitable giving in the Republic of Ireland.
Mr. Key : I am aware of the report by DKM management consultants, which includes a chapter on the effect of the Irish national lottery on charitable incomes in the Republic of Ireland.
Package Holidays
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many people in the United Kingdom took overseas package holidays during 1992.
Mr. Key : Latest figures from the international passenger survey show that there were 10,571,000 holiday visits made by United Kingdom residents on marketed package holidays during the first three quarters of 1992--22 per cent. higher than for the first three quarters of 1991. They represented 55 per cent. of all United Kingdom holiday visits overseas and 39 per cent. of all United Kingdom residents' visits abroad.
Sport
Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the total tax revenue from sports and the total Government assistance to sport by way of grant in each EC country for the most recent available year.
Mr. Brooke : This information is not available.
Children's Play
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will establish a dedicated budget for children's play from central Government.
Mr. Brooke : The Sports Council will take over the National Children's Play and Recreation Unit's responsibilities for information, and playwork education and training after 31 March 1993 and fund these from its main budget. This represents a very positive way forward, and I see no need to introduce any other financial arrangements.
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Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will visit the National Children's Play and Recreation Unit to discuss the removal of ring fencing of money allocated to the unit by the Sports Council.
Mr. Brooke : In November, my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State, met the chairman and vice-chairman of the play unit to discuss our plans for supporting children's play after 31 March 1993. The issue of funding after this date is a matter for the Sports Council and I therefore see no need for a further meeting with the play unit.
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the representations he has received about the future of the National Children's Play and Recreation Unit.
Mr. Brooke [holding answer 3 March 1993] : I refer to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 19 January, Official Report, column 131. Between 15 January and 2 March, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under -Secretary of State, and I received 85 letters from hon. Members, 28 from local authorities, 50 from voluntary sector play organisations, 34 from other organisations and 17 from members of the public. A significant proportion of this correspondence consists of identical letters reaching the Department by a number of different routes, and fails to appreciate that funding will continue to be available to play through the Sports Council.
Irish Cannon
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the representations from the Irish Government about the future of the 16th century Irish cannon currently in the royal armouries.
Mr. Key : The two guns cast in London by Robert and John Owen in the late 1540s were bought in good faith from a reputable dealer in 1972. There have been various rumours in the subsequent 20 years, but no evidence about their origin. In June 1992 the National museum of Ireland claimed ownership, saying that an extensive police investigation was in progress. In October its acting keeper of antiquities visited the royal armouries and was given full access to their files. The position remains that no evidence has been presented to support the Irish claim and it seems sensible to await the outcome of their police investigation.
Tourist Boards
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations he has had over the proposed reduction in the grant to the English tourist board and the relation between this grant and others to other tourist bodies in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : My Department has received a number of representations from the tourist industry about the level of English tourist board funding. The ETB is currently carrying out a review of its activities which will enable it to decide how its resources can be allocated most effectively in future.
Decisions on the levels of funding for the other national tourist boards are a matter for the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, based on their assessment of their particular priorities.
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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Legal Aid
Mr. Mike O'Brien : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of the increase in the legal aid budget is due to increased payments on account to solicitors holding legal aid certificates in each of the last three years.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Information is available only in respect of payments on account made to both barristers and solicitors in respect of civil legal aid. The percentage of the increase in legal aid fund expenditure due to increased payments on account to both barristers and solicitors in those circumstances in each of the last three years was as follows :
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|1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92
|£ million|£ million|£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gross fund expenditure |580 |690 |910
Gross annual increase |89 |110 |220
Increase in payments on account |8.3 |12.8 |22.3
Percentage of increase
attributable to increased
payments on account |9.3 |11.6 |10.1
Mr. Mike O'Brien : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of legal aid in each of the last three years was accounted for by payments on account.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The percentage of legal aid fund expenditure in each of the last three years accounted for by payments on account was as follows :
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|1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92
|£ million |£ million |£ million
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gross fund expenditure |580 |690 |910
Payments on account |3.0 per cent.|4.4 per cent.|5.8 per cent.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the expected cost of the reorganisation of the outer London magistrates court system as proposed in Cm. 1829, "A New Framework for Local Justice" ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Taylor : We have not yet formulated proposals on the future organisation of the magistrates courts in outer London. We are at present consulting the service on the options and issues. The cost of reorganisation will depend on the option for change which is selected. Any additional costs arising out of reorganisation will be recovered through the structural improvements made by the changes and by efficiency savings.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will publish his proposals for the reorganisation of the outer London magistrates courts by the end of February ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Taylor : We have recently issued a consultation paper about the future organisation of the magistrates courts service in London. Responses are required by 31 May. The Lord Chancellor and I will give careful consideration to the views of those in the service in London before reaching any decisions about its future.
Committal Proceedings
Mr. Stephen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether he will abolish formal committal proceedings in court under section 6(2) of the Magistrates Courts Act 1980 in cases where the defence lawyer accepts that there is a case to answer.
Mr. Jack : I have been asked to reply.
Consideration of the reform of committal proceedings is within the remit of the Royal Commission on criminal justice. We shall be reviewing the future of these proceedings in the light of the commission's findings.
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TRANSPORT
Light Dues
Mr. Luff : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on light dues.
Mr. Norris : We remain committed to the principle of funding the cost of navigational aids from light dues. We are, however, pursuing a number of initiatives in this regard. We have made a joint approach with the Irish Government to the European Commission proposing that the user should pay for navigational aids throughout the Community's waters. I have opened negotiations with the Irish Government with a view to increasing the level of contributions to the general lighthouse fund from sources within the Republic. I am not yet in a position to make an announcement on the difficult issue of light dues for pleasure craft. But work continues to identify an equitable and cost-effective charging system.
On 15 February 1990 my right hon. Friend the former Member for Hertsmere, when Secretary of State for Transport, announced his intention of moving from a net to a gross tonnage basis for the assessment of light dues in 1994. The general lighthouse authorities and the payers of light dues are consulting together as to what the effects would be on differing types and sizes of vessels. I expect to make a further announcement later in the year.
The tariff for light dues is usually revised annually so that the finances of the general lighthouse fund are maintained at a satisfactory level. Despite a substantial increase in the tariff last year, light dues revenue for 1992-93 was forecast to be 26 per cent. lower in real terms than in 1987. For the forthcoming year from 1 April I am today announcing an average increase in the tariff about of 3.5 per cent.
I am therefore laying regulations to increase the light dues voyage tariff by 1.5p to 43p per tonne with effect from 1 April ; I am also increasing the tariff for periodical payments including those for fishing vessels, from £205 a year plus £21 per metre--for 10 m and over--to £212 and £22 respectively, with consequential increases in related rates.
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Traffic Conference
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contribution his Department made to the conference held in London on 22 February, "Less Traffic, Better Towns".
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I addressed this conference and the head of the Department's urban and general directorate gave a talk on current departmental initiatives. Three other officials from the Department attended the conference.
Motorway Traffic
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider establishing indication markers on the back of vehicles not permitted to overtake in the third lane of motorways, as a contribution to road safety.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We have no evidence of vehicles not permitted in the third lane regularly flouting the regulations and using that lane, and no plans to require any markings on vehicles not permitted to use the third lane.
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what type and size of vehicles are banned from overtaking in the third lane of motorways.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Regulation 12 of the Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) Regulations, as amended by the Motorways Traffic (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 1992, stipulates the type and size of vehicles prohibited from the third lane of motorways. These are motor tractors, light or heavy locomotives, vehicles with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes and those drawing trailers.
Trans-Pennine Study
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria he used to select the consultancy organisation that produced the trans-Pennine study strategy commissioned by his Department.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : As with any such consultancy award, the ability to deliver the work set out in the study brief at a competitive cost.
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what penalty was provided in the contract with the consultancy responsible for producing the trans-Pennine study strategy report for failure to deliver the report on time.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : These kinds of commissions do not include a specific penalty for poor performance. If a consultant does not comply with the Department's requirements this would be taken into account when selecting tenderers for future commissions.
The time scale for delivery of this report was adjusted when the scope of the study was extended.
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 19 February, Official
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Report, column 385, if he will list the organisations that tendered for the trans-Pennine study strategy commissioned by his Department, and the estimated cost of producing the report which was put forward by each organisation.Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We received tenders from Transportation Planning Associates, the MVA Consultancy, Alastair Dick and Associates and Wootton Jeffreys. The value of each tender is a commercially sensitive matter which we do not divulge.
A361
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total value of the outstanding disturbance claims arising from the building of the A361 Tiverton to Barnstaple link road ; and what he estimates to be the interest accumulated on this sum.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The value of third-party claims arising from the construction of the A361 north Devon link road stages 2A and 2B would be difficult to quantify, as they are subject to negotiation between the claimant, the contractors, the consultants who supervise construction, and the Department. Compensation negotiated in respect of third-party claims does not attract interest.
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many disturbance claims arising from the building of the A361 Tiverton to Barnstaple link road are still outstanding.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The table provides a breakdown of third-party claims arising from the construction of the A361 north Devon link road stages 2A and 2B.
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