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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 23 November 1993
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Chemical Weapons Convention
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Her Majesty's Government plans to take to work for the effective implementation of the chemical weapons convention.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We signed the chemical weapons convention in January 1993 and play an active part in the work of the preparatory commission which is charged with setting up the future Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Hague. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is working closely with the Department of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Defence and other Departments to make the preparations for the implementation of the convention in the United Kingdom. The necessary implementing legislation will be introduced when parliamentary time permits.
Foreign Affairs Council
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council held on 8 and 9 November.
Mr. Hurd : I attended the Foreign Affairs Council on 8 and 9 November. My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office also attended.
The Council agreed to rename the "Council of the European Communities" as the "Council of the European Union" to reflect its involvement in both EC affairs and the intergovernmental pillars ; and that political declarations made in the context of common foreign and security policy would now be made in the name of the European Union. The Council also agreed on a minutes statement to the effect that these decisions did not alter the current legal position that the European Union does not enjoy international legal personality and that the designation of the parties to any international instruments having legal effects would be a matter to be decided case by case. Sir Leon Brittan reported to the Council on his recent discussions with the US administration and on the state of the GATT Uruguay round negotiations in Geneva. The Council reaffirmed the need to make every effort to reach a global, durable and balanced agreement by the 15 December deadline. The Council expressed its concern over the slow progress of the negotiations and launched an urgent appeal to its main trading partners to engage more actively in the negotiations. The Council also considered a written report by the Commission on outstanding problems in the negotiations and noted that the Commission would shortly produce a further report on the audio-visual sector. The presidency decided to arrange a further discussion at a special Council in early December.
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The Council agreed that new Commission proposals on anti-dumping procedures should be considered by the Permanent Representatives Committee with a view to a decision at the 6 December Foreign Affairs Council.Greece raised the possible appointment of an EC observer for Cyprus. The Council agreed to defer discussion until a further Council.
Ministers had their first collective meeting with the chairman of the PLO. Mr. Arafat gave his analysis of the latest developments in the peace process, and stressed the importance of international, including EC assistance. The Council recalled that the EC is already the Palestinians' largest donor, and underlined the need for transparent, effective and accountable Palestinian aid structures in the occupied territories.
The Council agreed proposals to amend the negotiating directives for an EC/Russia partnership and co-operation agreement.
The Council adopted a joint action providing for the monitoring of the 12 December Russian elections.
The Council discussed recent developments in the former Yugoslavia relating to the search for a negotiated and durable solution to the conflict, a contribution to the implementation of a peace plan and support for humanitarian action. On the basis of guide-lines from the 29 October Brussels European Council, the Council adopted a joint action on the delivery of humanitarian aid in Bosnia and agreed to meeting further on 22 November to discuss both political and aid-related aspects of the crisis.
The Council discussed the Commission's draft negotiating mandate for a new partnership agreement with Morocco and concluded that further work on the dossier was needed.
In a brief discussion of relations with Tunisia, the Commission said that it expected to present a draft negotiating mandate for a partnership agreement to the next Foreign Affairs Council. The Council held further discussions on access to information. No decision was reached and the negotiations will continue.
The Council agreed to take forward discussion with the European Parliament over detailed rules for the operation of the Parliament's temporary committees of inquiry.
The Council agreed to lift two further sanctions measures, on civil nuclear co-operation and sales of sensitive equipment to the South African police and military, as soon as the Transitional Executive Council is established.
The Council agreed to open negotiations on various bilateral agreements with Switzerland including transport and research. The Council discussed conclusion of the EC/Bulgaria interim agreement. No agreement was reached.
The Council authorised the Commission to negotiate agreements covering trade in aluminium with Russia, Ukraine, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan.
An Association Council with Turkey was held in the margins which recalled both sides' commitment to achieving customs union in 1995. Ministerial sessions of the accession negotiations with Finland, Norway, Sweden and Austria also took place in the margins. No formal votes were taken during the Council.
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Embassies and High Commissions
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many embassies and high commissions are maintained around the world ; and what was the total cost involved under all expenditure headings in the last financial year for which figures are available.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : In 1992-93, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintained 235 embassies, high commissions and subordinate posts at a total overseas, recurrent and capital, cost of £383.5 million.
ENVIRONMENT
South-East London Combined Heat and Power Ltd.
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether Lewisham's South-East London Combined Heat and Power Ltd. will be affected by the Government's planned re-assessment of business rates ; if SELCHP will still be subject to fixed business rates under any review ; and what plans he has to safeguard the future of waste management facilities under any review of business rates.
Mr. Baldry : We have no plans to change the rateability of combined heat and power stations or other waste management facilities in the 1995 revaluation of non-domestic property. We are currently considering whether combined heat and power stations should continue to have a prescribed assessment, instead of having rateable values set by local valuation officers. Whatever the result of that consideration, it is not possible to predict the outcome of the revaluation at this stage.
Neighbour Notification
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent advice his Department has given to local planning authorities on neighbour notification.
Mr. Baldry : Advice on publicity for planning applications, including neighbour notification, is given in my Department's circular 15/92, "Publicity for Planning Applications", issued in July of last year.
Local Government Commission
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a breakdown of the Local Government Commission's time and duties ; and what was the total cost of the commission to the Exchequer up to 28 October.
Mr. Baldry : The Local Government Commission has a duty to undertake reviews of the structure, boundaries, and electoral arrangements of local government in areas of England, in accordance with directions from, and having regard to any guidance issued by, my right hon. Friend. The commission also has a statutory duty to undertake periodic reviews of local government electoral arrangements in all areas. In carrying out these reviews the specific responsibilities of individual members and staff of the Local Government Commission are a matter for the commission itself. Payments of grant-in-aid totalling
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£2,130,000 were made to the Commission in 1992-93 and a further £2, 107,515 has been advanced to it in 1993- 94--up to 28 October 1993.Housing Corporation
Ms Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes were provided through the Housing Corporation in 1992-93 ; and how many he expects will be provided in 1993-94 and 1994-95.
Sir George Young : The total number of completions by the Housing Corporation of housing for rent or sale in 1992-93, and the latest forecast for 1993-94 are as follows. The figures include completions under city challenge.
|Actual |Forecast
|1992-93 |1993-94
------------------------------------------
Completions |<1>62,137|57,600
<1> Including 18,430 completions under
the Housing Market Package.
The figures for 1994-95 will depend on the autumn Budget statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Local Authority Capital Asset Sales
Ms Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much local authorities have already raised from sales of capital assets since the announcement in the 1992 autumn statement that they would be permitted to spend all of their receipts up to the end of December ; how much he now estimates will be raised in total by the end of December ; how much of these receipts he estimates has already been spent by local authorities ; and how much of these receipts will be spent by the end of the financial year 1993-94 and during 1994-95.
Mr. Baldry : The temporary relaxation in the capital receipts rules announced in the 1992 autumn statement allows local authorities to spend 100 per cent. of virtually all the receipts they receive during the period 13 November 1992 to 31 December 1993. Recent information provided by local authorities in England indicates that a total of around £1.3 billion of usable receipts were obtained during the period 13 November 1992 to 31 July 1993. This information also suggests that local authorities currently expect to obtain around £2.3 billion of usable receipts in total during the whole period of the relaxation, of which some £1.3 billion is estimated to arise as a result of the relaxation. On the basis of their latest returns, local authorities plan to finance £1.8 billion of their capital expenditure in 1993-94 from usable capital receipts received in that year or brought forward from earlier years. No equivalent information is yet available for 1994-95.
Council Tax
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals against liability for the council tax have been made this year in each region in England ; what is the length of time taken to hear these appeals ; and what proportion of these appeals was successful.
Mr. Baldry : Information is not available centrally in the form requested. The available information is as follows :--
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Numbers of Appeals against Liability for the Council Tax By Region in England: Period ending September 1993 Region |Received |Resolved |Outstanding ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Northern |21 |4 |17 Yorkshire & Humberside |27 |4 |23 North West |43 |1 |42 East Midlands |17 |1 |16 West Midlands |24 |8 |16 East Anglia |9 |1 |8 London |36 |1 |35 South East (exc London) |95 |15 |80 South West |360 |34 |326 Total |632 |69 |563
County Hall, London
Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will disclose the sale price of London's county hall and the proposed distribution of the proceeds.
Mr. Baldry : The London residuary body has sold the riverside building of county hall to the Shirayama Corporation of Japan. The amount of the consideration is a matter of commercial
confidentiality. My right hon. Friend is about to lay before Parliament an order authorising the Residuary Body to distribute to the London boroughs and to the City of London certain monies which will include the proceeds of the sale of the riverside building.
Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
Mr. Clapham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will call for a public inquiry over the opening of THORP to allow for an examination of the alternative to reprocessing nuclear waste and to provide for an environmental impact assessment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : Responses to the consultation are still being assessed. When they have all been carefully considered my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, will decide whether to afford a hearing or inquiry and, if they decide not to do so, will take final decisions on the authorisations.
Mineral Planning Guidance
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about the revision of mineral planning guidance note 3.
Mr. Baldry : My right hon. and learned Friend the then Secretary of State for the Environment announced on 25 March that we intended to proceed to consultation on revised planning guidelines as soon as possible. This is still our intention.
Sulphur Dioxide Emissions
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to curb sulphur dioxide emissions.
Mr. Yeo : The Government have in place a range of measures to control and progressively reduce emissions of
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sulphur dioxide, which were set out in the 1990 environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance" and subsequent annual reports. Copies are available in the Library of the House.North Cornwall (Planning)
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the results of the inquiry into the operation of the planning system in North Cornwall district will be available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : Miss Audrey Lees was appointed in August last year to carry out an inquiry into the operation of the planning system in North Cornwall. She submitted her very thorough report to my right hon. Friend at the end of August.
Miss Lees concludes that many of the complaints about the district council were justified. North Cornwall has granted planning permission for sporadic developments in the open countryside, on an inconsistent basis, contrary to national planning guidance and the structure plan. Some councillors seem to have favoured certain applicants, often local people, because of their personal circumstances.
Miss Lees suggests that the practices and procedures of the council in publicising, assessing and deciding planning applications should be improved. She recommends that priorities given to completing the local plan to provide the basis for consistent decisions in future. I am seeing North Cornwall district councillors today to emphasise the Government's concern to seek a positive commitment from the Council. I know that some improvements have been made already, but I will be seeking a full response to Miss Lee's recommendations when the council have considered her report.
The report also provides a valuable reminder of the need for all local planning authorities to follow proper procedures when dealing with applications for planning permission. I have arranged for each authority to receive a copy.
I note that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has recently written to all the local planning authorities in the Principality to emphasise the importance of taking full account of Government planning guidance and the development plan in making decisions. He also warned that the personal circumstances of applicants should not normally influence such decisions.
Copies of the report are being placed in the Library of the House today and copies will be on sale from Her Majesty's Stationery Office tomorrow.
Local Government Staffing
Mr. Clappison : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to issue further guidance to the Local Government Staff Commission (England) about the staffing implications of the continuation of district or county councils as unitary authorities.
Mr. Baldry : I am placing in the Library a copy of the further guidance which we are issuing to the Local Government Staff Commission for England.
The guidance, which has been drawn up in consultation with the local authority associations and the staff commission itself, is designed to clarify the original policy guidance in cases where district or county councils continue as unitary authorities.
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A continuing authority with new functions will need to take a completely fresh look at its existing organisational structures and staffing in planning for unitary status.Within the constraints of employment legislation, the additional guidance provides as level a playing field as can be achieved for staff of outgoing authorities compared with those of the continuing authorities. It gives a framework within which the commission can provide continuing authorities with some practical examples of ways to help maximise their freedom to choose a new head of paid service and other senior managers, and to review the organisational structures and staffing of existing support services.
We expect the staff commission to look carefully at all the implications of the additional guidance.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Trial Delays
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in reducing delays in coming to trial in Northern Ireland ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : We remain determined to address with sustained and vigourous measures the problem of delays on remand. I believe that our efforts to do so in the past year have brought encouraging progress.
I announced to the House on 10 June last year a scheme designed to reduce the time defendants spent in custody before trial on indictment for schedule offences--the type of case where delays had been longest. This scheme was a joint initiative, involving agencies answering to the Lord Chancellor and the Attorney-General as well as the police and my own officials. It introduced targets for the progress of cases : 38 weeks from remand to committal and 14 weeks from committal to arraignment, a culmultative target of 12 months. It began on 1 July last year. The agencies involved set up new machinery for close co-operation between them, in order to track the progress of cases, and to signal the need for attention to those whose targets risked being exceeded.
I am now able to announce the results of the first year's operation of the scheme. Fifty-seven cases with their first remand on or after 1 July 1992 had reached arraignment by 30 June 1993. All met the 12-month cumulative targets ; all also met the 14-week committal to arraignment taget. Six cases, however, failed to reach committal within the target of 38 weeks from first remand. The average time taken to process cases also fell. In 1991, the last full year before the introduction of the scheme, the average time from remand to committal for such cases was 33 weeks ; in 1992 case covered by the scheme reached committal in an average of 24 weeks, an improvement by 27 per cent. The statistics for a single year must obviously be read with caution, but I believe that the improvements indicated are most impressive and reflect great credit on all the agencies concerned. We wish to see these improvements sustained. We have accordingly decided to continue the scheme until at least 30 June 1994 ; to extend its oversight to non-scheduled cases tried on indictment ; and to tighten targets under the scheme by reducing cumulative target to 11 months. The latter will be achieved by making the committal to arraignment target 10 weeks instead of 14.
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We will continue to take a close interest in the operation of the scheme, and in the whole period up to the start of the trial, in order to identify any further ways in which avoidable delay can be reduced.TRANSPORT
Channel Tunnel
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations the Minister for Public Transport has had from the North West channel tunnel group about the high speed rail link from London to the Channel Tunnel ; what reply he is sending ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The chairman of the North West Channel Tunnel group wrote to me on 4 November. I am placing a copy of my reply in the Library.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the cost of providing 4,400 DVLA staff with (a) charter mark coasters, (b) charter mark book marks and (c) charter mark vehicle disc holders ; what has been the total cost of the provision of these items ; what has been the cost of consultancy advisers for DVLA's market-testing programme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robert Key : The DVLA is proud to have been awarded a charter mark on 27 October. The items mentioned were issued to agency staff to mark the occasion and to remind them of the charter principles. The total cost was £3,970, or £0.90 per head. The agency has contractually committed some £300,000 to the end of October to consultancy support for its current market-testing programme. This includes support for in- house teams such as the recent successful bid for the security guard work at the agency's Swansea headquarters.
Highways Agency
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff are currently employed at each location of the Highways Agency ; and what are the projected site costs for the current year of each location (a) in total and (b) as a figure per whole time equivalent staff.
Mr. Key : The Highways Agency will not be in existence until April 1994 ; the following figures relate to the highways safety and traffic command of the Department of Transport. These figures therefore cover both staff who will become part of the agency and others who will remain in the central part of the Department. The current staff numbers and pay budgets are :
|Staff numbers |£ million
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Construction Programme Division Operating Units
South Eastern, Dorking |157
Eastern, Bedford |123.5
North Western, Manchester |84
West Midlands, Birmingham |105
Yorks and Humberside, Leeds |91.6
South Western, Bristol |66
East Midlands, Nottingham |30.1
Motorway Widening Unit, Coventry |143.5
|---
Total staff numbers |800.7
Total pay budget |£18.255 million
Network Management and Maintenance Operating Units
South Eastern, Dorking |97
Eastern, Bedford |125
North Western, Manchester |94.5
West Midlands, Birmingham |107.5
Yorks and Humberside, Leeds |86
South Western, Bristol |1081
East Midlands, Nottingham |1121
Northern, Newcastle |57
|---
Total staff numbers |787
Total pay budget |£16.588 million
London Regional Office |251
Total pay budget |£6.756 million
Traffic Area Offices |449.5
Total pay budget |£6.943 million
Headquarters Directorates |872.3
Total pay budget |£23.492 million
Staff numbers are recorded as either full time or percentages of full time ; the pay budgets are, therefore, based on whole-time equivalent staff, and are set to cover expected requirements for the year as a whole.
HEALTH
Specialised Services
Dr. Liam Fox : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are being made to improve contracting arrangements for specialised services.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We have been reviewing arrangements for the contracting of specialised services and last week issued guidance to the service under cover of EL(93)98--"Contracting for Specialised Services" --copies of which are available in the Library.
The guidance emphasises the need for purchasers, working closely with providers, to identify appropriate contracts covering needs, costs, quality and developmental issues to ensure the delivery of high-quality services to patients.
NATIONAL FINANCE
Ecofin Council
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes the Ecofin Council of 15 November made to the proposed amendments submitted to the Council by the European Parliament on the 1994 budget for the European Communities ; and if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Ecofin meeting.
Sir John Cope : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 19 November, Official Report, columns 4-6.
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WALES
Mr. W. J. Ravenscroft
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how long Mr. W. J. Ravenscroft, the executive director of Clwyd health authority and his assistant have been working for three days per week with the health service in Pembrokeshire ; and when he expects their work to be concluded ;
(2) who is responsible for the salaries and expenses of Mr. W. J. Ravenscroft, the executive director--corporate management--of Clwyd health authority and his assistant during the period they have been working on the health service in Pembrokeshire ;
(3) what are the terms of reference issued to Mr. W. J. Ravenscroft, the executive director--corporate management--of Clwyd health authority and his assistant in their work within the health service in Pembrokeshire.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Mr. W. J. Ravenscroft is not associated with the service review which has been commissioned jointly by Pembrokeshire health authority and the Pembrokeshire NHS trust for completion by the end of the year. Questions about the review should be addressed to the commissioning bodies. All costs of the review are being contained within existing management budgets without detriment to patient care.
Council Tax
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many appeals against liability for the council tax have been made this year in Wales ; what is the average length of time taken to hear these appeals ; and what proportion of appeals was successful.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To mid November, the eight valuation tribunals in Wales had received 36 liability appeals. Tribunals expect to deal with appeals within an average time of eight weeks from receipt. Appellants have been successful in four of the eight appeals dealt with to date.
Housing Revenue Account Subsidy
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will announce his proposals for housing revenue account subsidy for 1994-95 ; and what proposals he will be making.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The Welsh Office is consulting local authorities and other bodies on proposals for the rent guidelines and management and maintenance allowances to be used in calculating next year's entitlement to housing revenue account subsidy. I shall be placing a copy of the consultation papers in the Library of the House with a list of the estimated guidelines and allowances for each authority. The proposals are for an average guideline rent increase of £2.20 per week with a range of increases for individual authorities from £1.50 to £2.90 per week. The new average weekly guideline rent would be £31.30. For management and maintenance, it is proposed to increase allowances by an average of £31 per annum per dwelling over the 1993-94 level.
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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
f the Board of Trade what changes are proposed to the banking provisions of the Companies Act 1985.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : A consultative letter was issued on 17 November seeking comments on draft regulations to change some of the banking accounting provisions of the Companies Act 1985.
The draft regulations would delete the definitions of the terms "banking activities" and "banking transactions" from schedule 9 to the Act. Banks would then, as they have sought, interpret the terms in the context of EC directive 86/635/EEC on the annual and consolidated accounts of banks and other financial institutions. The draft regulations would also ensure that the UK holding companies on non-UK banking subsidiaries disclose details of transactions such as loans or mortgages from the subsidiaries to staff in the same way as UK holding companies of UK banking subsidiaries.
Comments should be made by 17 December.
Insolvency Service
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the hon. Member for Birkenhead may expect a reply from the Newcastle upon Tyne Insolvency Service office to his letters of 29 October and 10 November about Mr. A. Hemmings.
Mr. Neil Hamilton : The official receiver at Newcastle replied to the hon. Member on 19 November 1993.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Register of Sports Sites
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage where the register of sports sites may be inspected ; and which organisations have been given copies.
Mr. Brooke : Copies of the register of recreational land's database will be made available free of charge to the Sports Council, the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the National Playing Fields Association, local authority associations, local authorities, relevant professional organisations and relevant national governing bodies of sport.
The Sports Council is establishing with these organisations whether they require the information on diskette or on paper. Until the database has been circulated, all inquiries concerning the register are directed through the Sports Council.
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the cost to his Department of the register of sports sites.
Mr. Brooke : The Government's grant in aid to the Sports Council in 1991-92 included £500,000 to establish the register of recreational land.
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EDUCATION
English
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of respondents to the National Curriculum Council consultation on his proposals for the revision of attainment targets and programmes of study for English circled the strongly disagree option in each of the questions G1, G2, G3, G4 and G5.
Mr. Robin Squire : The Department does not have that level of detail because the consultation on the proposals for revisions to the English order was carried out by the National Curriculum Council. However, section 2 of NCC's consultation report, recently published by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority, does summarise the views expressed by respondents in general terms.
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