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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 19 June 1995
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Food Research
Dr. Strang: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total number of scientists employed by the Agricultural and Food Research Council for (a) 1979 and (b) at present. [28567]
Mr. Horam: The number of scientists employed by the Agricultural and Food Research Council in 1979 was 3,417. As at March 1995, the number employed in the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, as it is now known, has fallen to 1,988.
Dr. Strang: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many scientists were employed at the Institute of Food Research for each year since 1986; and what was the total expenditure for each year since 1986 in (a) cash and (b) constant prices. [28599]
Mr. Horam: The number of scientists employed at the Institute of Food Research since 1986, and the total expenditure for each year since 1986 in (a) cash and (b) constant prices are as follows:
Expenditure £
million
|Number of
Year |Scientists|Cash |Constant
-------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |534 |9.6 |14.3
1986-87 |514 |10.7 |15.4
1987-88 |517 |10.9 |15.0
1988-89 |463 |11.4 |14.5
1989-90 |425 |11.4 |13.6
1990-91 |308 |11.3 |12.8
1991-92 |338 |10.9 |11.3
1992-93 |335 |11.8 |11.8
1993-94 |303 |11.7 |11.4
1994-95 |313 |11.8 |11.2
Research Councils
Mr. Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people employed on research council grants have funding from the research councils for telephone bills; and how many do not. [28678]
Mr. Horam: Research councils' databases do not hold data at this level of disaggregation. Telephone bills are covered within the indirect costs element of research grants, except where the telephone cost dedicated to a specific project exceeds £1000 per annum.
Mr. Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he is taking or has taken to ensure that funds provided by research councils to meet overhead costs to universities associated with the employment of those funded by such grants are used for the purposes for which they are intended. [28679]
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Mr. Horam: The funds provided to universities by the research councils to meet overhead or indirect costs are intended to cover central and departmental costs that underpin research activities, but that cannot readily be uniquely assigned to particular research projects. The funding for indirect costs is therefore not earmarked in any way for particular purposes.
The Government are currently funding an independent review of new arrangements introduced in 1992 for the funding of research council work in universities to examine whether these are operating as intended.
Civil Service Retirement
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer of 4 May, Official Report , column 264 , if he will provide comparable details on civil service retirement packages on grounds of inefficiency. [29283]
Mr. David Hunt: Inefficiency is a ground for dismissal. An immediate lump sum payment of up to two years' salary may be made where a Department judges payment of compensation to be appropriate. Where compensation is agreed and the person dismissed is over age 55, this may be forgone in favour of immediate payment of the accrued superannuation benefits which would otherwise be preserved for payment at retiring age. There have been no departures on inefficiency grounds in the past five financial years from the Cabinet Office, including OPSS and its agencies, HMSO, or the COI.
Charter Week
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his current estimate of the total cost to public funds of Charter Week 1995. [29178]
Mr. Horam: A number of public service events have been timed to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the charter programme, including the publication of several new or revised charters. There will be no extra cost from holding these events in July.
TRANSPORT
Road Inquiries
Mr. Anthony Coombs: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the results of the inquiry on (a) Kidderminster, Hagley, Blakedown bypass and (b) the western orbital route; and when he will announce a decision as to the timetable for the building of these schemes. [28274]
Mr. Watts: The Secretaries of State are considering the inspector's report on the A449/A456 Kidderminister, Blakedown and Hagley bypass following public inquiry and will announce their decision in due course. No draft orders for the western orbital route, which could be the subject of an inquiry, have been published. It is not possible, therefore, to give a timetable for either scheme.
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Rail Services
Mr. Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications for closure of rail services have been submitted to him in (a) the last five years and (b) the last 10 years; and how many of those he has accepted. [28618]
Mr. Watts: Over the past five years, 14 closure proposals have been submitted to the Secretary of State for his consent for closure. Consent was given in 13 cases and one proposal is outstanding. Thirty-six proposals have been submitted to the Secretary of State over the past 10 years. Consent for closure has been given in 30 cases, one has been refused, one is outstanding and four were withdrawn.
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure improvements in the provision for (a) cycles and (b) disabled persons on all rail services and in all rail stations; and if he will make a statement. [29253]
Mr. Watts: The franchising director is minded to include in franchise agreements the provision that, as far as is reasonably practicable, and subject to the availability of appropriate space on their rolling stock, franchise operators should ensure that facilities for the carriage of cycles on trains are provided. The rail regulator has responsibility under the Railways Act 1993 for the protection of the interests of disabled passengers. He has included in passenger and station licences a requirement to establish and comply with a disabled persons' protection policy; and in July 1994 he issued a code of practice on meeting the needs of the disabled which offers practical guidance to the rail industry on improving accessibility to the rail network.
Motor Cars (Glass)
Mr. John Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent the test for excessively dark or smoked glass in the windows in motor cars depends on whether the driver of another vehicle can see the occupants of the vehicle fitted with such glass; and if he will introduce further regulations to define the criteria. [28977]
Mr. Norris: Regulations require the glass in motor cars first used from 1 June 1978 to have at least 70 per cent. light transmittance. This allows only a light tint. Whether one can see the occupants of another vehicle depends on overall light conditions as well as the light transmittance of the glass.
National Superdome
Mr. Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made as to the impact of the new proposed national superdome on the traffic flow of the M606, M62 and other related road systems; [29002]
(2) how many places are proposed for the car park for the proposed national superdome; and what estimate he has made of the length of time it would take to clear; [29003]
(3) what estimate he has made of the likely increase in exhaust emissions in the area should the proposed national superdome be constructed. [29001]
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Mr. Watts: These are operational matters for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member. Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Gerry Sutcliffe, dated 19 June 1995:
As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your 3 recent Parliamentary Questions asking the Secretary of State for Transport about the proposed National Superdome.
i) The developer has made a traffic impact assessment of the effect of the proposed National Superdome on the adjacent road network. The Highways Agency has examined the effects on the M606 Euroway Junction, M606 between M62 and the Euroway, M606/M62 Junction 26 and M62 main carriageways.
ii) The proposal is for 8,750 car parking spaces at the National Superdome and a further 1,250 spaces at the nearby Richard Dunn site. The developer predicts that spectators will leave over a three hour period with half leaving in the first hour.
iii) We have made no estimate of the increase in exhaust emissions in the area. The developer's consultant has produced an environmental statement which concludes that:
`Although it will have a contribution to the levels of noise and pollution on the road network, its overall contribution is so small as to be immeasurable'.
I hope this answers your questions.
Jubilee Line
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement as to progress on the construction of the Jubilee line. [28990]
Mr. Norris: Progress continues to be made with construction of the line. London Underground is still aiming for it to be completed in early 1998.
Trust Ports
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he intends to take concerning privatisation of the larger trust ports.[289617]
Dr. Mawhinney: Ports privatised under the Ports Act 1991 are showing already the increased efficiency which comes from full commercial management and competition on an equal footing with other ports. Both ports and port users benefit from such increased efficiency. All trust ports can, at any time, use the Ports Act 1991 to take action to privatise themselves. Five--Forth, Clyde, Tees and Hartlepool, Medway and Tilbury--have done so already. Dundee is now in the process of privatisation. I welcome this, and hope more will follow.
Under the Act, following consultation, I am able to direct a trust port with an annual turnover of more than £5.4 million in two of its last three accounting years to form a successor company and to prepare a scheme for transferring the undertaking to that company, with a view to the sale of the company to the commercial sector. I am considering giving a direction to the Dover Harbour Board, the Port of Tyne Authority and the Ipswich Port Authority directing each to form a company and to prepare a scheme for transferring the authority's undertaking to it. I have accordingly written separately today to the chairmen of those authorities to consult them on my proposal.
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I have no plans at present to consult the other ports with annual turnover above the threshold.Railways (Vandalism)
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) railway employees and (b) railway passengers have suffered injury as a result of acts of vandalism or other aspects of criminal activities on railway lines in each year since 1990. [28161]
Mr. Watts: The table shows the number of passengers and staff who have suffered injury on the railways, as a result of criminal activity, since 1991. Comparable figures for 1990 are not available.
|1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
-----------------------------------------
Passengers |3,316|3,523|3,745|3,742
Staff |428 |442 |449 |344
Disabled Parking, Great Minster House
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how the number of car parking spaces that are available at Great Minster house and the Horseferry road will affect the representation of disabled people's view points by people who are themselves disabled at meetings of (a) the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee and (b) the joint committee on mobility for disabled people; [28105]
(2) how many car parking spaces the city of Westminster will make available on Horseferry road for disabled orange badge holders visiting Great Minster house; [28104]
(3) how many car parking spaces are available at Great Minster house (a) for disabled employees and (b) disabled
visitors. [28100]
Mr. Norris: The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee is the statutory adviser to the Department of Transport on matters affecting the transport of disabled people. The needs of that committee will continue to be met when the Department moves to Great Minster house. The Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation was commissioned to carry out an access audit of the new building to ensure that it will meet the needs of disabled staff and visitors, including members of the DPTAC.
The joint committee on mobility for disabled people is a non-statutory body whose meetings the Department has accommodated on an informal basis for a number of years. However, the parking requirements for that committee far exceed the capacity at Great Minster house and we have regrettably had to tell the organisers that we will be unable to continue the arrangements beyond the end of July 1995. Officials will, however, continue to attend meetings of the JCMD at their new venue and to work closely with them.
Of the 21 parking spaces at Great Minster, seven will be reserved for disabled people whether staff or visitors.
Westminster City council has also agreed to make two bays available for orange badge holders in Horseferry road outside Great Minster House.
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The needs of disabled staff and visitors will continue to be assessed once the new building is operational.Bascule Bridge, Lowestoft
Mr. David Porter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he now makes of the life expectancy of the existing A12 Bascule bridge at Lowestoft; and if he will make a statement; [28911] (2) what contingency he has for moving traffic from north to south Lowestoft and vice versa, when breakdowns of the Bascule bridge of A12 at Lowestoft occur for (a) 24 hours or less, (b) up to three days, (c) up to a month and (d) longer than a month; and if he will make a statement. [28912]
Mr. Watts: The A12 Bascule bridge is now 22 years old and should continue to operate satisfactorily for many more years.
For planned maintenance closures, and in the event of a breakdown of the Bascule bridge, contingency arrangements are in place to divert local and through traffic via the A1117 Mutford Lock bridge. Associated British Ports, which operates the bridge, liaises closely with the police and Waveney district council to install diversion signing and managing traffic on the diversion route.
The Highways Agency and Suffolk county council are considering the possibility of a permanent diversion signing scheme to cater for closures of either the A12 Bascule bridge on the A1117 Mutford Lock bridge.
Civil Service Retirement
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 2 May, Official Report , column 152 , if he will provide comparable details on civil service early retirement packages on grounds of inefficiency. [29290]
Mr. Norris: Inefficiency is a ground for dismissal. An immediate lump sum payment of up to two years' salary may be made where a Department judges payment of compensation to be appropriate. Where compensation is agreed and the person dismissed is over age 55, this may be forgone in favour of immediate payment of the accrued superannuation benefits which would otherwise be preserved for payment at retiring age. There have been four departures on inefficiency grounds in the past five financial years. Details are contained in the table.
Benefits payable
at
age 60
Year |Number of |Immediate |Annual |Pension
|cases |compensation|pension |lump sum
|lump sum
|£ |£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 |<1>1 |Nil |Nil |Nil
1991-92 to
1993-94 |Nil |n/a |n/a |n/a
1994-95 |3 |12,221 |1,932 |5,798
|4,476 |1,253 |3,759
|19,256 |3,770 |11,059
<1>The officer had under two years service and did not qualify for benefits.
Unadopted Roads
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he intends to take to end the system of unadopted roads and pathways and to incorporate such thoroughfares within the responsibilities of local authorities. [29018]
Heavy Goods Vehicles
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if lorry checks now include a requirement to ensure that where appropriate the connector on the brake pipe is connected to the trailer; and what spot checks are taking place to ensure that this piece of equipment is attached. [28870]
Mr. Norris: All heavy goods vehicle inspections by the Vehicle Inspectorate include a check of brake performance. Regulations requiring operating adaptors to be fitted to all heavy goods vehicles will be made shortly. In the meantime we are running a publicity campaign to alert operators to the dangers of not fitting them. In addition, the Vehicle Inspectorate is obtaining equipment with which checks for fitment can be made at annual and roadside tests.
Track Access Charges
Miss Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the track access subsidy paid to a private rail franchise will be tax deductible as a trading expense. [28671]
Mr. Watts [holding answer 15 June]: The payment of track access charges by a franchisee to Railtrack will be deductible as a trading expense. The receipt of track access charges by Railtrack will be taxable in Railtrack's hands.
Road Pricing
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost to the transport and information technology industries of the Government's postponement of road pricing. [28815]
Mr. Watts: No decision has been taken about the introduction of road pricing in urban areas, so the question of postponement does not arise.
TREASURY
Customs and Excise
Mr. Matthew Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Customs and Excise has responded to the open government initiative. [29943]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Notice 950, entitled "Open Government: Access to information held by Customs and Excise", has just been published. The notice sets out what Customs and Excise is doing about the open government code of practice, and explains the kinds of information available and how to obtain it. It also sets out Customs's charging policy and the procedures for complaining to the Department, the independent adjudicator and the
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Parliamentary Ombudsman should the applicant be dissatisfied with the way Customs has handled their request for information. The notice includes an application form for requesting information from Customs and is available, on request, from all Customs and Excise inquiry offices.Scott Inquiry
Mr. Bermingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what legal advice he has sought from solicitors or barristers in respect of draft conclusions reached by the Scott inquiry; what is the estiamted cost of such legal expenses to public funds; and if he will make a statement. [28900]
Mr. Kenneth Clarke [holding answer 15 June 1995]: The Government do not consider it right to publish the nature or costs of any advice which may have been given to individual witnesses to the Scott inquiry. This is a matter of confidence between them and any legal advisers they may have retained.
Capital Expenditure
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estiamte of the net government capital expenditure, less net sales of public sector assets, including privatised entities, for the fiscal years (a) 1993 94, (b) 1994 95, (c) 1995 96, (d) 1996 97 and (e) 1997 98. [28199]
Mr. Aitken [holding answer 14 June 1995]: The table gives public sector capital expenditure, net of depreciation and receipts from disposals of capital assets, for fiscal years 1993 94 to 1997 98.
£ million
|1993-94|1994-95|1995-96|1996-97|1997-98
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Capital Expenditure |11,668 |12,934 |11,404 |11,277 |10,663
Figures for receipts from privatisation are given in table 5.6 of the statistical supplement of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" (Cm 2821). In addition, since its launch in 1992, the private finance initiative has harnessed an increasing amount of private sector finance. This increase is set to continue, leading to more and better infrastructure projects and improved services.
Consultants
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what policies he intends to implement in order to reduce the expenditure of Government Departments on external consultants. [28158]
Mr. Aitken [holding answer 14 June 1995]: It is for individual Government Departments to decide how much of their cash provision to spend on external consultants. A report by the efficiency unit on the Government's use of external consultants, published in August 1994, indicated a number of ways in which Departments could optimise their use of consultants. Implementation of those measures, combined with continued firm control of
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provision available for public expenditure, should enhance the value for money Departments obtain from the services of external consultants.Mortgage Interest Relief
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals in Scotland are currently receiving mortgage tax relief; what estimates he has of the regional distribution of mortgagors and mortgage interest relief in each year since 1988; and what is the current cost to the Exchequer of paying mortgage interest relief in Scotland; [27369]
(2) what was the cost of mortgage tax relief (a) at basic rate and (b) in excess of the basic rate in 1993 94, 1994 95 and 1995 96. [27370]
Sir George Young [holding answer 9 June 1995]: Information for the years 1988 89 to 1992 93 was published in table 5.3 of "Inland Revenue Statistics 1994". Updated figures for 1993 94 and figures for 1994 95 are given in the tables.
Cost of mortgage interest tax relief and numbers
of mortgagors,
by region and country:
Amounts: £ million
Cost |1993-94 |1994-95<1>
--------------------------------------------------
Northern |200 |160
Yorkshire |300 |240
North West |430 |350
East Midlands |280 |230
West Midlands |340 |280
East Anglia |170 |140
Greater London |580 |470
Other South East |1,090 |890
South West |400 |320
England |3,790 |3,080
Wales |150 |130
Scotland |300 |240
Northern Ireland |60 |50
United Kingdom |4,300 |3,500
<1> Provisional.
Numbers: thousands<1>
Mortgagors |1993-94 |1994-95<1>
--------------------------------------------------
Northern |560 |570
Yorkshire |840 |850
North West |1,190 |1,200
East Midlands |730 |740
West Midlands |910 |920
East Anglia |380 |380
Greater London |1,060 |1,070
Other South East |2,120 |2,140
South West |890 |900
England |8,680 |8,770
Wales |450 |450
Scotland |720 |730
Northern Ireland |150 |150
United Kingdom |10,000 |10,100
<1> Provisional.
No mortgage interest relief in excess of the basic rate is available for the years specified. In 1994 95 the rate of relief was 20 per cent. and in 1995 96 the rate of relief is 15 per cent. The estimated total cost of mortgage relief
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in 1995 96 is about £2.8 billion with about 10.1 million married couples and single people receiving the relief. This is based on the assumption, by convention, of no change from the current estimated average building society interest rate of 8 per cent. The regional distribution for 1993 94 is a broad estimate based on analyses of family expenditure surveys up to 1993. The regional distribution for 1994 95, which is shown in the table, is a projection based on applying the same regional percentages to the total figures for 1994 95. It is not possible to provide reliable estimates of regional distributions for 1995 96.PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION
British Coal
Mr. Redmond: To ask the chairman of the Public Accounts Commission (1) if the National Audit Office will publish an interim report into its findings into the British Coal privatisation by N. M. Rothschild; and if he will make a statement; [28278]
(2) when the National Audit Office will publish its findings into the British Coal privatisation handled by N. M. Rothschild; and if he will make a statement. [28276]
Sir Peter Hordern: The National Audit Office is currently examining the sale by the Department of Trade and Industry of British Coal's mining activities. This examination will consider the steps taken by the Department in pursuit of its objectives for the sale, and the costs of the sale, including advisers' costs. When the examination has been completed, the National Audit Office will report to Parliament. I understand that it currently has no plans to make interim reports on any particular aspect of the sale.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Civil Service Retirement
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 17 May, Official Report , column 232 , if he will provide comparable details on civil service early retirement packages on grounds of inefficiency. [29281]
Mr. John M. Taylor: This information is not held by my Department in a readily accessible form. The information which the hon. Member has requested is being collated and I will provide him with a substantive answer shortly.
Mr. Reda Hanna
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the cost of the legal aid given to Mr. Reda Hanna; what was his contribution; and what account was taken of his parents' wealth as a means of assessing his
contribution. [28364]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The trial of Mr. Hanna has only just ended and the costs have not yet been determined. Mr. Hanna was not required to contribute towards the costs of his legal aid, but was ordered to pay £200 towards the costs of the prosecution. Current legal aid regulations do
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not provide for a parent's resources to be included in the means assessment of applicants for legal aid. However, the Lord Chancellor has indicated that he intends to amend the legal aid regulations to provide those conducting means assessments with a discretionary power to include in the means assessment the assets of friends, relatives and children where these appear to be providing a significant material advantage to the applicant.PRIME MINISTER
Committee on Standards in Public Life
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Prime Minister what has been the cost to date of the Nolan Committee on Standards in Public Life. [28931]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Ryedale, (Mr. Greenway), 22 May, Official Report , columns 377 78 .
HOME DEPARTMENT
Liverpool Police
Mr. Parry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his recent meeting with the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside, and adeputation from the Merseyside police authority concerning recent troubles on Liverpool streets and the funding for the police. [29279]
Mr. Howard: This was a useful meeting, at which I was able to receive a personal briefing on the position in the hon. Member's constituency and to hear the views of the police authority. My Department continues to keep in close touch with events in the area.
Probation Officers
Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 1 May from the hon. Member for Hammersmith concerning training of probation officers. [29103]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: A reply was sent to the hon. Member for Hammersmith on 16 June.
Inquests
Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time between a death occurring and an inquest being completed in (a) south Northumberland and (b)
nationally; [29256]
(2) on how many occasions over the past five years the coroner for south Northumberland has failed to issue a death certificate within 12 months of death occurring. [29255]
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