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Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what resources will be made available to local community groups in Islington for them to make representations on the channel tunnel route to St. Pancras.
Mr. Freeman : The Government have asked Union Railways to take the lead in the public consultation on the rail link. They will be devoting engineering and environmental resources to examining worthwhile suggestions put forward for any improvements to the proposals.
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Mr. Dowd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if customs, immigration and security checks for international rail services will be handled on board international train services using the channel tunnel line.
Mr. Freeman : Immigration controls will be carried out on board channel tunnel day passenger services using Waterloo. Customs and security checks will be carried out in the station. All three controls on night trains using Waterloo will be carried out at the station. All three controls for channel tunnel passenger services running beyond London will be carried out on board the trains.
Midibuses
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the effect on traffic congestion of increasing use of smaller midibuses.
Mr. Norris : Midibuses are more manoeuvrable and smaller than traditional buses. They have proved to be popular with passengers. I have seen no evidence that bus size has any significant impact on traffic congestion.
Barking to Gospel Oak Railway Line
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with British Rail about expenditure on maintenance and rolling stock on the Barking to Gospel Oak railway line necessary to maintain safety.
Mr. Freeman : None. Expenditure priorities are a matter for British Rail, which has a statutory duty to operate safely.
Plutonium
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the transportation of plutonium nitrate is being considered under the auspices of the Braer inquiry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : Lord Donaldson's inquiry is to advise on whether any further measures are appropriate and feasible to protect the United Kingdom coastline from pollution from merchant shipping, giving due consideration to the international and economic implications of any new measures. These terms of reference are wide enough to allow Lord Donaldson to consider the matter raised, should he decide to do so.
London Bus Routes
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what considerations underlay the timing of the decision to put a further 30 London bus routes out to tender ; and what assessment was made of the results of previous tendering.
Mr. Norris : The decision on which routes to put to tender could not be taken until the completion of the negotiations to put all London Buses Ltd. bus routes on to a contractual basis.
Since its introduction in 1985 London Transport's route tendering programme has delivered substantial quality of service improvements and reductions in costs.
Column 441
Public Transport, London
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for each year since 1983 the capital and revenue support given to public transport in London by central and local Government at constant prices.
Mr. Norris : Grants to London Transport are as follows at 1993-94 prices : (for 1984-85, they were made by the GLC ; since that year, they have been made by the Department of Transport).
£ million Year |Capital|Revenue -------------------------------- 1984-85 |192 |236 1985-86 |297 |187 1986-87 |333 |94 1987-88 |269 |65 1988-89 |222 |28 1989-90 |291 |58 1990-91 |502 |94 1991-92 |557 |130 1992-93 |579 |241
Amounts up to 1991-92 include grant for the Docklands light railway. In 1992-93 the Department of the Environment paid grant of £149 million for the Docklands light railway.
Public service obligation grant allocated by British Rail to Network SouthEast was as follows, in 1993-94 prices :
|£ million
------------------------------
1986-87 |288
1987-88 |290
1988-89 |168
1989-90 |97
1990-91 |162
1991-92 |367
No separate figures are available for London services. No comparable figures are available for pre-1986. Figures for 1992-93 are not yet available.
These figures exclude financial support by local authorities for concessionary fares in London.
Concessionary Fares
Mrs. Jane Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those local authorities in England that provide concessionary fares for people of or above the age of retirement on (a) buses and (b) any other form of local public transport ; and if he will list the extent of the subsidy in each case.
Mr. Freeman : I am sending the hon. Member a copy of "Concessionary Fare Schemes in Great Britain in 1992", which was produced by the Department's directorate of statistics on the basis of returns by local authorities.
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the senior citizen railcard scheme will be retained to ensure concessionary fares for pensioners over the entire railway network after privatisation.
Mr. Freeman : The senior railcard is a commercial initiative designed by British Rail to attract passengers and to maximise revenue by filling seats which might otherwise by empty ; BR is not under any legal obligation to provide
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it. We believe that in a competitive environment it will be in the interests of the rail operators to continue to offer such discounts. We therefore see no need to impose requirements on operators to offer this particular discount facility. Transitional arrangements will be made to ensure that franchisees continue to honour existing railcards.Cycle Routes, London
Mr. Dowd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines his Department sets for classifying the quality of cycle routes implemented by the London boroughs ; and what discussions he has had with cycling organisations and representatives in setting them.
Mr. Norris : The Department has provided advice and guidance on the design and construction of cycling facilities in Local Transport Note 1/89 "Making Way for Cyclists". We consulted widely on the document before publication and were grateful for the contribution made by cycling organisations. We also hold regular meetings with the borough cycle officer group and the London Cycling Forum.
Unstaffed Railway Stations
Mr. Dowd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Rail stations in Greater London are unstaffed after 6 pm ; and what discussions he has had with the Transport police about the effect on crime and fear of crime at stations as a result.
Mr. Freeman : I understand that statistics are not maintained in the form requested. However, of some 500 stations within the London regional passenger committee's area 56 are totally unstaffed and a further 145 are staffed on the basis of less than two full shifts on any week day. The British transport police are, of course, employed by the British Railways Board and the Secretary of State regularly meets the BR chairman and board members to discuss a wide range of matters relating to the railways, including policing and crime.
Traffic Noise, London
Mr. Dowd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the existing targets for acceptable noise levels of traffic in London ; who is responsible for setting them ; and if he will list those monitoring areas where they are being exceeded.
Mr. Norris : There are no such targets. However, the United Kingdom has recently secured EC agreement to lower limits for the noise standards to which individual vehicles are built ; tighter standards for vehicles have reduced noise levels by up to 10 dB(A) over the last 10 years.
Travelcard
Mr. Dowd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Travelcard in London will be retained after his Department's proposed deregulation of buses and privatisation of British Rail.
Mr. Norris : The Government believe that, in the light of travelcard's popularity, private sector bus and rail operators will be keen to offer such a facility.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Potatoes
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table showing the acreage of each variety of seed potatoes planted in each of the last four years ; what is his estimate of the average yield per acre of seed and the total yield of seed of each variety,
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in those years and also show the tonnage (a) exported, with the destination and (b) the tonnage used for home planting.Mr. Hanley : The available information is set in the tables. Those relating to yields and exports have been limited to the main varieties not subject to plant breeder's rights. This information cannot be disaggregated further for reasons of commercial confidentiality.
Column 443
Tonnages of seed potatoes exported
Variety |Balearic Islands|Canary Islands |Egypt |Malta |Morocco |Portugal |ROI |Other countries |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1989 Crop
Arran Banner |263 |611 |- |1,025 |- |3,130 |- |347 |5,376
Desiree |10 |- |- |- |2,600 |8,008 |- |314 |10,932
Kerrs Pink |- |744 |- |- |- |- |163 |- |907
King Edward |- |1,598 |4,000 |- |- |24 |11 |- |5,633
Pentland Dell |675 |- |- |- |- |- |790 |48 |1,513
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,088 |- |1,088
Others, including protected varieties |236 |1,305 |3 |1 |10 |2,558 |869 |844 |5,826
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |1,184 |4,258 |4,003 |1,026 |2,610 |13,720 |2,921 |1,553 |31,275
1990 Crop
Arran Banner |198 |516 |- |1,019 |- |3,934 |22 |372 |6,061
Desiree |91 |8 |- |- |2,508 |11,753 |2 |2,444 |16,806
Kerrs Pink |- |1,004 |- |- |- |- |178 |- |1,182
King Edward |- |1,412 |192 |- |- |12 |60 |- |1,676
Pentland Dell |425 |- |- |- |- |58 |793 |85 |1,361
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,796 |- |1,796
Others, including protected varieties |86 |1,253 |10 |11 |12 |1,997 |909 |1,259 |5,537
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |800 |4,193 |202 |1,030 |2,520 |17,754 |3,760 |4,160 |34,419
1991 Crop
Arran Banner |279 |381 |173 |1,050 |- |3,203 |- |469 |5,555
Desiree |34 |15 |- |- |3,578 |8,530 |12 |183 |12,352
Kerrs Pink |- |860 |- |- |- |- |219 |- |1,079
King Edward |- |1,222 |2,000 |- |- |29 |67 |22 |3,340
Pentland Dell |418 |- |- |- |- |6 |1,168 |132 |1,724
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |567 |- |567
Others, including protected varieties |237 |1,212 |26 |- |2 |1,531 |1,031 |988 |5,027
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |968 |3,690 |2,199 |1,050 |3,580 |13,299 |3,064 |1,794 |29,644
1992 Crop to 13 March 1993
Arran Banner |221 |321 |- |1,000 |- |1,786 |- |163 |3,491
Desiree |- |- |- |- |1,205 |5,059 |- |203 |6,467
Kerrs Pink |- |711 |- |- |- |- |189 |17 |917
King Edward |- |1,062 |800 |- |- |3 |8 |- |1,873
Pentland Dell |27 |- |- |- |- |4 |35 |89 |155
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |90 |100 |190
Others, including protected varieties |89 |872 |17 |32 |45 |822 |221 |794 |2,892
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |337 |2,966 |817 |1,032 |1,250 |7,674 |543 |1,366 |15,985
Column 445
Tonnages of seed potatoes exported
Variety |Balearic Islands|Canary Islands |Egypt |Malta |Morocco |Portugal |ROI |Other countries |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1989 Crop
Arran Banner |263 |611 |- |1,025 |- |3,130 |- |347 |5,376
Desiree |10 |- |- |- |2,600 |8,008 |- |314 |10,932
Kerrs Pink |- |744 |- |- |- |- |163 |- |907
King Edward |- |1,598 |4,000 |- |- |24 |11 |- |5,633
Pentland Dell |675 |- |- |- |- |- |790 |48 |1,513
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,088 |- |1,088
Others, including protected varieties |236 |1,305 |3 |1 |10 |2,558 |869 |844 |5,826
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |1,184 |4,258 |4,003 |1,026 |2,610 |13,720 |2,921 |1,553 |31,275
1990 Crop
Arran Banner |198 |516 |- |1,019 |- |3,934 |22 |372 |6,061
Desiree |91 |8 |- |- |2,508 |11,753 |2 |2,444 |16,806
Kerrs Pink |- |1,004 |- |- |- |- |178 |- |1,182
King Edward |- |1,412 |192 |- |- |12 |60 |- |1,676
Pentland Dell |425 |- |- |- |- |58 |793 |85 |1,361
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,796 |- |1,796
Others, including protected varieties |86 |1,253 |10 |11 |12 |1,997 |909 |1,259 |5,537
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |800 |4,193 |202 |1,030 |2,520 |17,754 |3,760 |4,160 |34,419
1991 Crop
Arran Banner |279 |381 |173 |1,050 |- |3,203 |- |469 |5,555
Desiree |34 |15 |- |- |3,578 |8,530 |12 |183 |12,352
Kerrs Pink |- |860 |- |- |- |- |219 |- |1,079
King Edward |- |1,222 |2,000 |- |- |29 |67 |22 |3,340
Pentland Dell |418 |- |- |- |- |6 |1,168 |132 |1,724
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |567 |- |567
Others, including protected varieties |237 |1,212 |26 |- |2 |1,531 |1,031 |988 |5,027
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |968 |3,690 |2,199 |1,050 |3,580 |13,299 |3,064 |1,794 |29,644
1992 Crop to 13 March 1993
Arran Banner |221 |321 |- |1,000 |- |1,786 |- |163 |3,491
Desiree |- |- |- |- |1,205 |5,059 |- |203 |6,467
Kerrs Pink |- |711 |- |- |- |- |189 |17 |917
King Edward |- |1,062 |800 |- |- |3 |8 |- |1,873
Pentland Dell |27 |- |- |- |- |4 |35 |89 |155
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |90 |100 |190
Others, including protected varieties |89 |872 |17 |32 |45 |822 |221 |794 |2,892
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |337 |2,966 |817 |1,032 |1,250 |7,674 |543 |1,366 |15,985
Column 445
Tonnages of seed potatoes exported
Variety |Balearic Islands|Canary Islands |Egypt |Malta |Morocco |Portugal |ROI |Other countries |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1989 Crop
Arran Banner |263 |611 |- |1,025 |- |3,130 |- |347 |5,376
Desiree |10 |- |- |- |2,600 |8,008 |- |314 |10,932
Kerrs Pink |- |744 |- |- |- |- |163 |- |907
King Edward |- |1,598 |4,000 |- |- |24 |11 |- |5,633
Pentland Dell |675 |- |- |- |- |- |790 |48 |1,513
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,088 |- |1,088
Others, including protected varieties |236 |1,305 |3 |1 |10 |2,558 |869 |844 |5,826
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |1,184 |4,258 |4,003 |1,026 |2,610 |13,720 |2,921 |1,553 |31,275
1990 Crop
Arran Banner |198 |516 |- |1,019 |- |3,934 |22 |372 |6,061
Desiree |91 |8 |- |- |2,508 |11,753 |2 |2,444 |16,806
Kerrs Pink |- |1,004 |- |- |- |- |178 |- |1,182
King Edward |- |1,412 |192 |- |- |12 |60 |- |1,676
Pentland Dell |425 |- |- |- |- |58 |793 |85 |1,361
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,796 |- |1,796
Others, including protected varieties |86 |1,253 |10 |11 |12 |1,997 |909 |1,259 |5,537
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |800 |4,193 |202 |1,030 |2,520 |17,754 |3,760 |4,160 |34,419
1991 Crop
Arran Banner |279 |381 |173 |1,050 |- |3,203 |- |469 |5,555
Desiree |34 |15 |- |- |3,578 |8,530 |12 |183 |12,352
Kerrs Pink |- |860 |- |- |- |- |219 |- |1,079
King Edward |- |1,222 |2,000 |- |- |29 |67 |22 |3,340
Pentland Dell |418 |- |- |- |- |6 |1,168 |132 |1,724
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |567 |- |567
Others, including protected varieties |237 |1,212 |26 |- |2 |1,531 |1,031 |988 |5,027
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |968 |3,690 |2,199 |1,050 |3,580 |13,299 |3,064 |1,794 |29,644
1992 Crop to 13 March 1993
Arran Banner |221 |321 |- |1,000 |- |1,786 |- |163 |3,491
Desiree |- |- |- |- |1,205 |5,059 |- |203 |6,467
Kerrs Pink |- |711 |- |- |- |- |189 |17 |917
King Edward |- |1,062 |800 |- |- |3 |8 |- |1,873
Pentland Dell |27 |- |- |- |- |4 |35 |89 |155
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |90 |100 |190
Others, including protected varieties |89 |872 |17 |32 |45 |822 |221 |794 |2,892
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |337 |2,966 |817 |1,032 |1,250 |7,674 |543 |1,366 |15,985
Tonnages of seed potatoes exported
Variety |Balearic Islands|Canary Islands |Egypt |Malta |Morocco |Portugal |ROI |Other countries |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1989 Crop
Arran Banner |263 |611 |- |1,025 |- |3,130 |- |347 |5,376
Desiree |10 |- |- |- |2,600 |8,008 |- |314 |10,932
Kerrs Pink |- |744 |- |- |- |- |163 |- |907
King Edward |- |1,598 |4,000 |- |- |24 |11 |- |5,633
Pentland Dell |675 |- |- |- |- |- |790 |48 |1,513
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,088 |- |1,088
Others, including protected varieties |236 |1,305 |3 |1 |10 |2,558 |869 |844 |5,826
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |1,184 |4,258 |4,003 |1,026 |2,610 |13,720 |2,921 |1,553 |31,275
1990 Crop
Arran Banner |198 |516 |- |1,019 |- |3,934 |22 |372 |6,061
Desiree |91 |8 |- |- |2,508 |11,753 |2 |2,444 |16,806
Kerrs Pink |- |1,004 |- |- |- |- |178 |- |1,182
King Edward |- |1,412 |192 |- |- |12 |60 |- |1,676
Pentland Dell |425 |- |- |- |- |58 |793 |85 |1,361
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,796 |- |1,796
Others, including protected varieties |86 |1,253 |10 |11 |12 |1,997 |909 |1,259 |5,537
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |800 |4,193 |202 |1,030 |2,520 |17,754 |3,760 |4,160 |34,419
1991 Crop
Arran Banner |279 |381 |173 |1,050 |- |3,203 |- |469 |5,555
Desiree |34 |15 |- |- |3,578 |8,530 |12 |183 |12,352
Kerrs Pink |- |860 |- |- |- |- |219 |- |1,079
King Edward |- |1,222 |2,000 |- |- |29 |67 |22 |3,340
Pentland Dell |418 |- |- |- |- |6 |1,168 |132 |1,724
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |567 |- |567
Others, including protected varieties |237 |1,212 |26 |- |2 |1,531 |1,031 |988 |5,027
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |968 |3,690 |2,199 |1,050 |3,580 |13,299 |3,064 |1,794 |29,644
1992 Crop to 13 March 1993
Arran Banner |221 |321 |- |1,000 |- |1,786 |- |163 |3,491
Desiree |- |- |- |- |1,205 |5,059 |- |203 |6,467
Kerrs Pink |- |711 |- |- |- |- |189 |17 |917
King Edward |- |1,062 |800 |- |- |3 |8 |- |1,873
Pentland Dell |27 |- |- |- |- |4 |35 |89 |155
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |90 |100 |190
Others, including protected varieties |89 |872 |17 |32 |45 |822 |221 |794 |2,892
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |337 |2,966 |817 |1,032 |1,250 |7,674 |543 |1,366 |15,985
Column 445
Tonnages of seed potatoes exported
Variety |Balearic Islands|Canary Islands |Egypt |Malta |Morocco |Portugal |ROI |Other countries |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|1989 Crop
Arran Banner |263 |611 |- |1,025 |- |3,130 |- |347 |5,376
Desiree |10 |- |- |- |2,600 |8,008 |- |314 |10,932
Kerrs Pink |- |744 |- |- |- |- |163 |- |907
King Edward |- |1,598 |4,000 |- |- |24 |11 |- |5,633
Pentland Dell |675 |- |- |- |- |- |790 |48 |1,513
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,088 |- |1,088
Others, including protected varieties |236 |1,305 |3 |1 |10 |2,558 |869 |844 |5,826
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |1,184 |4,258 |4,003 |1,026 |2,610 |13,720 |2,921 |1,553 |31,275
1990 Crop
Arran Banner |198 |516 |- |1,019 |- |3,934 |22 |372 |6,061
Desiree |91 |8 |- |- |2,508 |11,753 |2 |2,444 |16,806
Kerrs Pink |- |1,004 |- |- |- |- |178 |- |1,182
King Edward |- |1,412 |192 |- |- |12 |60 |- |1,676
Pentland Dell |425 |- |- |- |- |58 |793 |85 |1,361
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |1,796 |- |1,796
Others, including protected varieties |86 |1,253 |10 |11 |12 |1,997 |909 |1,259 |5,537
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |800 |4,193 |202 |1,030 |2,520 |17,754 |3,760 |4,160 |34,419
1991 Crop
Arran Banner |279 |381 |173 |1,050 |- |3,203 |- |469 |5,555
Desiree |34 |15 |- |- |3,578 |8,530 |12 |183 |12,352
Kerrs Pink |- |860 |- |- |- |- |219 |- |1,079
King Edward |- |1,222 |2,000 |- |- |29 |67 |22 |3,340
Pentland Dell |418 |- |- |- |- |6 |1,168 |132 |1,724
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |567 |- |567
Others, including protected varieties |237 |1,212 |26 |- |2 |1,531 |1,031 |988 |5,027
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |968 |3,690 |2,199 |1,050 |3,580 |13,299 |3,064 |1,794 |29,644
1992 Crop to 13 March 1993
Arran Banner |221 |321 |- |1,000 |- |1,786 |- |163 |3,491
Desiree |- |- |- |- |1,205 |5,059 |- |203 |6,467
Kerrs Pink |- |711 |- |- |- |- |189 |17 |917
King Edward |- |1,062 |800 |- |- |3 |8 |- |1,873
Pentland Dell |27 |- |- |- |- |4 |35 |89 |155
Record |- |- |- |- |- |- |90 |100 |190
Others, including protected varieties |89 |872 |17 |32 |45 |822 |221 |794 |2,892
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |337 |2,966 |817 |1,032 |1,250 |7,674 |543 |1,366 |15,985
Potatoes
Mr. Williams Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table showing (a) for October 1989, (b) for October 1990, (c) for October 1991 and (d) for each month since October 1992 to the latest
Column 448
available date the price ex-farm of each of the principal varieties of seed potatoes, and of each of the categories of ware potatoes ex-farm sold in Northern Ireland.Mr. Hanley : The information requested on ware potatoes is given in the following tables. The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland does not collect information on the price of seed potatoes.
Column 447
Provisional average price per tonne of Ware Potatoes Ex-Farm
from November 1992
Category 1992 1993
|November|December|January |February|March
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Early varieties |- |- |- |- |-
(2) Arran Victory} |71.15 |75.11 |86.93 |70.36 |63.65
Kerrs' Pink}
(3) Dunbar Standard |57.39 |63.82 |60.79 |54.13 |41.16
(4) Pentland Dell |36.20 |45.15 |47.39 |42.70 |30.20
(5) King Edward}
Arran Consul} |52.13 |33.57 |56.80 |49.05 |-
Arran Banner}
(6) Other varieties |45.84 |45.89 |44.09 |40.69 |35.26
Provisional average price per tonne of Ware Potatoes Ex-Farm
from November 1992
Category 1992 1993
|November|December|January |February|March
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Early varieties |- |- |- |- |-
(2) Arran Victory} |71.15 |75.11 |86.93 |70.36 |63.65
Kerrs' Pink}
(3) Dunbar Standard |57.39 |63.82 |60.79 |54.13 |41.16
(4) Pentland Dell |36.20 |45.15 |47.39 |42.70 |30.20
(5) King Edward}
Arran Consul} |52.13 |33.57 |56.80 |49.05 |-
Arran Banner}
(6) Other varieties |45.84 |45.89 |44.09 |40.69 |35.26
Equal Opportunities
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of each health and social services board.
Column 448
Mr. Hanley : The costs of equal opportunities monitoring in the health and social services boards are shown in the table. The costs not only include the monitoring and analysis of perceived religious affiliations within the boards but also the cost of the collection and analysis of information relating to gender and disability issues.
Column 449
Board |Cost
|£
-----------------------
Eastern |78,000
Northern |66,435
Southern |45,000
Western |54,300
Firearms Licences
Mr. Peter Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many gun licences are held in Northern Ireland ; and what is the number per head of population.
Mr. Mates : Firearms licensing is the responsibility of the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. He has advised me that at the end of February this year a total of 87,421 firearm certificates were held in Northern Ireland. This figure equates to approximately one certificate per 13 persons aged 18 and over.
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many farmers are in receipt of hill livestock compensatory allowance payments in (a) severely disadvantaged areas and (b) disadvantaged areas in each county in Northern Ireland containing less favoured area land.
Mr. Hanley : The number of farmers in receipt of 1992 hill livestock compensatory allowances is as follows :
|SDA |DA
-------------------------------------
County Antrim |1,703|1,330
County Armagh |956 |1,409
County Down |1,386|904
County Fermanagh |3,213|90
County Londonderry |1,667|816
County Tyrone |3,368|1,683
Livestock Auctions
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the turnover in terms of value, of livestock auctions for each county in Northern Ireland ; and how many auctions account for that value in each county.
Mr. Hanley : The information requested is not available.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress in establishing an executive agency under the next steps initiative to carry out the work of driver and vehicle licensing in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Atkins : Preparations for the establishment of an executive agency to carry out the work of driver and vehicle licensing in Northern Ireland are well in hand. A chief executive (designate) was appointed on 1 March 1993. However, further consideration of the business plan for the first year of the agency's operation is required before I will be in a position to finalise targets for the
Column 450
agency which will ensure that there will be a satisfactory level of improved customer service and value for money. Accordingly, it has not been possible to establish the agency on the target date of 1 April 1993 but I hope to be in a position to announce a new date for the launch of the agency shortly.AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Integrated Administration and Control System
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will carry out and publish a survey of the penalties other EC countries are applying to the integrated administration and control system ; and what information he has as to the date set for compliance in each other country.
Mr. Curry : The penalties for late or inaccurate applications are laid down in the EC regulations and apply equally in all 12 member states. Details are set out in full at annexes 6, 7 and 8 of the IACS explanatory booklet. Member states may impose additional penalties at the national level. Under the EC regulations, all member states have to set a deadline not later than 15 May this year for receipt of completed application forms. The majority of member states have deadlines of 14 or 15 May.
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many farmers are in receipt of hill livestock compensatory allowance payments in (a) severely disadvantaged areas and (b) disadvantaged areas in each county in England containing less-favoured area land.
Mr. Gummer : The table shows the number of claims paid under the 1992 hill livestock compensatory allowance scheme from producers farming eligible land wholly within the severely disadvantaged area (SDA), or the disadvantaged area (DA) or on mixed land (i.e., SDA combined with DA land).
|SDA |DA |Mixed
-----------------------------------------------
Cheshire |117 |26 |35
Cleveland |5 |17 |4
Cornwall |58 |561 |137
Cumbria |1,501|411 |868
Derbyshire |621 |177 |140
Devon |797 |699 |113
Durham |455 |140 |108
Greater Manchester |111 |70 |32
Hereford and Worcester |191 |125 |109
Lancashire |413 |434 |307
Northumberland |642 |148 |249
North Yorkshire |960 |401 |715
Scilly Isles |6 |Nil |Nil
Shropshire |380 |122 |233
Somerset |264 |23 |43
South Yorkshire |50 |59 |33
Staffordshire |232 |275 |112
Tyne and Wear |Nil |7 |Nil
West Yorkshire |572 |130 |88
Dr. Strang : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the turnover in terms of value, of livestock auctions for each county in England ; and how many auctions account for that value in each county.
Column 452
Mr. Gummer : The information requested is not readily available. However, to give an indication of the distribution of sales through auction markets the table provides the total number (rather than value) of cattle, sheep, pigs and calves sold through livestock auctions in England by county.
Column 451
Sales through livestock auction markets in 1991 by county (number of animals)
County |Cattle |Sheep |Pigs |Calves |Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon |15,886 |41,741 |2,512 |14,433 |74,572
Bedfordshire |692 |36,057 |26 |169 |36,944
Berkshire |2,967 |8,814 |2,795 |2,235 |16,811
Buckinghamshire |944 |16,884 |- |- |17,828
Cambridgeshire |- |- |- |- |-
Cheshire |112,995 |164,638 |36,492 |88,823 |402,948
Cornwall |107,242 |262,870 |7,359 |31,489 |408,960
Cumbria |256,931 |2,110,920 |10,232 |35,823 |2,413,906
Derbyshire |134,708 |265,847 |11,388 |44,546 |456,489
Devon |146,942 |925,257 |12,198 |75,333 |1,159,730
Dorset |30,275 |74,486 |4,898 |46,211 |155,870
County Durham |52,675 |372,802 |26,996 |11,772 |464,245
Essex |24,507 |23,961 |7,865 |4,247 |60,580
Gloucestershire |74,292 |318,578 |19,031 |40,067 |451,968
Hampshire |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Hereford and Worcestershire |119,308 |913,022 |16,389 |21,811 |1,070,530
Hertfordshire |4,162 |32,908 |669 |1,323 |39,062
Humberside |17,708 |82,130 |129,716 |1,639 |231,193
Kent |27,627 |345,807 |8,737 |5,800 |387,971
Lancashire |131,236 |524,688 |3,605 |37,412 |696,941
Leicestershire |36,585 |295,026 |12,047 |17,500 |361,158
Lincolnshire |26,143 |152,745 |8,445 |2,556 |189,889
Middlesex |383 |- |893 |79 |1,355
Norfolk |41,015 |60,531 |53,411 |3,757 |158,714
Northamptonshire |23,224 |110,503 |6,573 |5,667 |145,967
Northumbria |107,603 |850,217 |11,115 |1,162 |970,097
Nottinghamshire |38,816 |99,327 |27 |3,617 |141,787
Oxfordshire |108,326 |470,915 |112,886 |17,552 |709,679
Shropshire |154,301 |818,791 |32,951 |60,687 |1,066,730
Somerset |155,678 |501,800 |21,200 |89,839 |768,517
Staffordshire |54,731 |159,306 |55,246 |13,698 |282,981
Suffolk |25,552 |49,317 |144,767 |4,553 |224,189
Surrey |41,517 |71,031 |5,300 |8,598 |126,446
Sussex |27,754 |131,687 |2,184 |4,004 |165,629
Warwickshire |33,189 |263,760 |54,765 |7,842 |359,556
Wiltshire |59,945 |60,006 |15,627 |27,958 |163,536
North Yorkshire |251,120 |1,367,159 |407,745 |38,908 |2,064,932
South Yorkshire |4,313 |8,328 |15,929 |533 |29,103
West Yorkshire |46,003 |236,477 |18,925 |8,242 |309,647
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |2,497,295 |12,228,336|1,280,944 |779,885 |16,786,460
EC Agri-environment Package
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what plans there are to renegotiate the EC agri-environment package ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what monitoring and targets for monitoring will be set by (a) the EC and (b) the United Kingdom for schemes operating under the agri-environment package ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : The Government's proposals for implementing the EC Agri- Environment Regulation (2078/92) were issued for public consultation on 26 March and we have no plans to seek a renegotiation of the regulation. Monitoring of schemes operating under the regulation is the responsibility of individual member states and we will determine our monitoring arrangements when individual schemes are finalised after the public consultation period.
Column 452
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much will be spent or has been spent in each year from 1990-91 to 1995- 96 on (a) stage 1 environmentally sensitive areas, (b) stage 2 ESAs, (c) stage 3 ESAs and (d) stage 4 ESAs, identifying how much of the total is allocated for the public access payments (i) nitrate sensitive areas, (ii) moorland scheme, (iii) habitat improvement scheme, (iv) set-aside management identifying how much of the total will be for public access payments and (v) organic farming ; if he will identify which schemes are part of the agri-environment package ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : There is a single budget for the Ministry's environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs). Expenditure on payments to farmers in English ESAs was £7.5 million in 1990-91, £8.0 million in 1991 -92 and is forecast to be £10.8 million in 1992-93. Planned expenditure is £30.2 million in 1993-94, £42.6 million in 1994-95 and £43.1 million in 1995-96. The figures for the last two years include the
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proposed payments for public access in ESAs. Expenditure on payments to farmers in the pilot nitrate sensitive areas (NSAs) was £0.3 million in 1990-91, £1.0 million in 1991-92, and is forecast to be £1.4 million in 1992-93. Planned expenditure is £1.6 million in each of the years 1993-94 to 1995-96. In addition to this expenditure on ESAs and pilot NSAs, we have issued for public consultation proposals for a moorland scheme, a habitat improvement scheme, a meadowland scheme for public access to set-aside land and an organic scheme, and will shortly be issuing proposals for new nitrate measures. Planned expenditure on payments to farmers under these proposed new measures in England is £0.2 million in 1993-94, £4.5 million in 1994-95 and £18.8 million in 1995-96. The precise allocation between the schemes will be decided in the light of the results of public consultation.Grant Schemes
Mr. Martlew : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of his grant schemes currently operating are monitored ; what is the target for that monitoring ; what action is taken if abuses are discovered ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : All applications for aid under the Ministry's capital grant schemes are carefully checked to ensure that they are valid and comply with the rules of the scheme. The action which is taken if abuses are discovered will depend on the circumstances but can include loss of grant and prosecution.
Column 454
Integrated Admission Control Scheme
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library copies of the equivalent of the integrated administration control scheme forms for each of the member states of the European Community.
Mr. Curry : I will place copies in their original languages in the Library when they are available.
WALES
Welsh Language
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of primary school children in each local education authority area in Wales speak Welsh fluently as a second language ; and what the corresponding figures were for each year since 1977.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Information collected about the percentages of pupils, aged five and over, in maintained primary schools, who speak Welsh as a second language, are shown in the following tables. Prior to 1986 the school census sought information on the proportion of pupils who speak Welsh as a second language. This information is shown in table 1. Since 1986 information about the fluency of second language Welsh speakers has been collected under two separate categories as shown in table 2.
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Table 2
|1986|1987|1988|1989|1990|1991
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |5.0 |5.5 |5.9 |5.9 |5.7 |6.1
Speak Welsh but not fluently |22.1|22.7|24.0|24.9|27.1|26.9
Dyfed
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |8.0 |8.4 |9.0 |10.3|11.1|12.9
Speak Welsh but not fluently |21.2|20.3|22.7|24.9|25.3|26.5
Gwent
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |0.9 |1.4 |1.3 |1.4 |1.5 |1.8
Speak Welsh but not fluently |0.4 |0.4 |0.2 |0.2 |0.9 |3.5
Gwynedd
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |18.4|18.6|19.5|19.7|21.4|21.3
Speak Welsh but not fluently |31.3|33.5|32.0|33.0|32.2|32.9
Mid Glamorgan
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |8.8 |9.1 |9.0 |8.6 |9.3 |9.9
Speak Welsh but not fluently |4.5 |4.3 |5.5 |8.5 |7.6 |9.5
Powys
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |3.6 |4.2 |4.2 |5.3 |5.3 |5.1
Speak Welsh but not fluently |12.4|15.6|21.3|13.6|21.0|29.8
South Glamorgan
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |2.8 |2.1 |2.6 |3.3 |3.6 |2.7
Speak Welsh but not fluently |5.1 |5.8 |10.6|7.0 |7.6 |8.2
West Glamorgan
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |2.4 |2.5 |3.3 |3.4 |3.6 |4.0
Speak Welsh but not fluently |5.2 |7.1 |4.1 |7.1 |10.5|14.9
Notes: At September each year. Figures are derived from assessments made by
headteachers.
The figures for 1986 onwards are not directly comparable with those for 1985 and
preceding years. From September 1986 the wording and format of the question on Welsh
speaking ability was changed to permit a more detailed analysis of Welsh medium
education.
Column 453
Table 2
|1986|1987|1988|1989|1990|1991
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |5.0 |5.5 |5.9 |5.9 |5.7 |6.1
Speak Welsh but not fluently |22.1|22.7|24.0|24.9|27.1|26.9
Dyfed
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |8.0 |8.4 |9.0 |10.3|11.1|12.9
Speak Welsh but not fluently |21.2|20.3|22.7|24.9|25.3|26.5
Gwent
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |0.9 |1.4 |1.3 |1.4 |1.5 |1.8
Speak Welsh but not fluently |0.4 |0.4 |0.2 |0.2 |0.9 |3.5
Gwynedd
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |18.4|18.6|19.5|19.7|21.4|21.3
Speak Welsh but not fluently |31.3|33.5|32.0|33.0|32.2|32.9
Mid Glamorgan
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |8.8 |9.1 |9.0 |8.6 |9.3 |9.9
Speak Welsh but not fluently |4.5 |4.3 |5.5 |8.5 |7.6 |9.5
Powys
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |3.6 |4.2 |4.2 |5.3 |5.3 |5.1
Speak Welsh but not fluently |12.4|15.6|21.3|13.6|21.0|29.8
South Glamorgan
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |2.8 |2.1 |2.6 |3.3 |3.6 |2.7
Speak Welsh but not fluently |5.1 |5.8 |10.6|7.0 |7.6 |8.2
West Glamorgan
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |2.4 |2.5 |3.3 |3.4 |3.6 |4.0
Speak Welsh but not fluently |5.2 |7.1 |4.1 |7.1 |10.5|14.9
Notes: At September each year. Figures are derived from assessments made by
headteachers.
The figures for 1986 onwards are not directly comparable with those for 1985 and
preceding years. From September 1986 the wording and format of the question on Welsh
speaking ability was changed to permit a more detailed analysis of Welsh medium
education.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what change there has been in the percentage of fluent Welsh-speaking primary school children in each local education authority area in Wales since 1986-87.
Column 456
Sir Wyn Roberts : The percentage of children in primary schools who speak Welsh fluently as a first language in each school education authority in Wales since 1986-87 are shown in the following table.
Column 455
|1986|1987|1988|1989|1990|1991
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd
Speak Welsh at home |5.2 |4.7 |4.3 |5.2 |4.3 |4.1
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |5.0 |5.5 |5.9 |5.9 |5.7 |6.1
Dyfed
Speak Welsh at home |20.8|20.1|19.5|18.8|18.9|18.2
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |8.0 |8.4 |9.0 |10.3|11.1|12.9
Gwent
Speak Welsh at home |0.1 |0.1 |0.5 |0.2 |0.2 |0.6
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |0.9 |1.4 |1.3 |1.4 |1.5 |1.8
Gwynedd
Speak Welsh at home |40.7|40.2|39.2|39.5|39.5|39.5
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |18.4|18.6|19.5|19.7|21.4|21.3
Mid Glamorgan
Speak Welsh at home |0.6 |0.7 |1.0 |0.9 |0.9 |0.9
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |8.8 |9.1 |9.0 |8.6 |9.3 |9.9
Powys
Speak Welsh at home |5.6 |5.7 |5.5 |5.9 |5.5 |5.5
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |3.6 |4.2 |4.2 |5.3 |5.3 |5.1
South Glamorgan
Speak Welsh at home |1.2 |1.2 |1.3 |1.2 |1.3 |1.8
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |2.8 |2.1 |2.6 |3.3 |3.6 |2.7
West Glamorgan
Speak Welsh at home |2.8 |2.8 |2.8 |2.9 |3.1 |3.4
Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency |2.4 |2.5 |3.3 |3.4 |3.6 |4.0
Note: At September each year. These figures are derived from assessments made by head
teachers.
Health Authority Administration
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each of the health authorities in Wales the number of (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff who are employed on administration for the latest date for which figures are available, together with the corresponding figures for each of the past six years.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : It is essential that the NHS is sufficiently staffed at the administrative level to manage effectively its record budget, in the best interests of patients.
Column 456
The available information relates to staff in the administrative and clerical group, which includes senior managers. The figures include staff within the groups performing clinically related duties which account for over 25 per cent. of the total, so freeing clerical staff to concentrate their skills and experience on direct patient care.Part of the increase in the size of this group is due to the transfer of some nursing and other professional staff to the senior manager grades.
The 1992 figures for Pembrokeshire are not readily available and I will supply these as soon as possible.
Column 457
Administrative and Clerical Staff<1><2><3>
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992
|Full Time|Part Time|Full Time|Part Time|Full Time|Part Time|Full Time|Part Time|Full Time|Part Time|Full Time|Part Time|Full Time|Part Time
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pembrokeshire |127 |44 |141 |65 |149 |69 |165 |68 |192 |86 |214 |72 |n/a |n/a
Clwyd |588 |239 |635 |290 |656 |303 |671 |303 |713 |330 |784 |366 |851 |420
East Dyfed |452 |88 |464 |115 |461 |118 |511 |137 |581 |157 |627 |169 |652 |194
Gwent |682 |406 |707 |486 |715 |477 |764 |502 |770 |532 |796 |544 |803 |544
Gwynedd |436 |140 |438 |165 |429 |164 |460 |177 |469 |158 |506 |159 |572 |173
Mid Glamorgan |880 |279 |889 |349 |883 |342 |921 |367 |1,010 |384 |1,047 |402 |1,056 |425
Powys |138 |29 |181 |37 |181 |43 |190 |47 |208 |61 |236 |55 |242 |67
South Glamorgan |1,019 |531 |1,128 |600 |1,207 |665 |1,222 |675 |1,266 |718 |1,355 |776 |1,471 |848
West Glamorgan |620 |205 |681 |261 |722 |255 |767 |295 |840 |298 |847 |332 |897 |365
<1>At 30 September.
<2>Including staff performing clinically related duties.
<3>Including senior managers whose conditions were restructured and included in 1989-90 to accommodate second and third level managers from all disciplines.
Water Disconnections
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what evidence he has of a connection between cases of hepatitis and dysentery and the disconnection of household water supplies.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Dysentery and hepatitis A are commonly spread by direct contact between individuals. I am aware of no evidence of a direct causal association between cases of hepatitis and dysentery and the disconnection of household water supplies.
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many farmers are in receipt of hill livestock compensatory allowance payments in (a) severely disadvantaged areas and (b) disadvantaged areas in each county in Wales containing less favoured area land.
Mr. David Hunt : The numbers who received HLCAs in 1992 were as follows :
Column 458
|Severely |Disadvantaged areas
|disadvantaged areas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |1,464 |100
Dyfed |2,315 |2,268
Gwent |407 |371
Gwynedd |1,912 |1,001
Mid Glamorgan |453 |51
Powys |3,809 |327
South Glamorgan |6 |1
West Glamorgan |276 |85
|------- |-------
Total |10,642 |4,204
Livestock Auctions
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the turnover in terms of value, of livestock auctions for each county in Wales ; and how many auctions account for that value in each county.
Mr. David Hunt : I do not have this information. However, the Livestock Auctioneers' Market Committee for England and Wales calculates information on throughput by county and these are shown in the following table :
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