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Gas Deregulation
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she intends to make any modifications in the announced timetable for gas deregulation. [31692]
2 Mar 1998 : Column: 461
Mr. Battle:
The announced timetable for gas deregulation is a matter for the Director General of Gas Supply, acting within a statutory framework. That framework, established by the previous administration, is set down in the Gas (Extent of Domestic Supply Licences) Orders of 1996 and 1997. Ministers have no formal role in this process.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the implications of the recent industrial tribunal appeal decision in relation to employment rights for persons over the age of 65 years. [31693]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
Industrial tribunal decisions do not set legal precedents and are not binding on other courts or tribunals. Most employment rights apply regardless of the employee's age, and the right to complain of unfair dismissal applies up to the normal retirement age of the job, where there is one, whether or not this is over 65.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what stocks of coal are currently held at power stations; and how these compare with those held on the equivalent dates in 1996 and 1997. [31694]
Mr. Battle:
Coal stocks held at power stations were as follows:
| Thousand tonnes | |
|---|---|
| End of January 1998 | 11,686 |
| End of January 1997 | 7,252 |
| End of January 1996 | 8,717 |
Source:
Energy Trends, Table 6.
Bank Holidays
Mr. Flynn: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the number of bank holidays in (a) Wales and England, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) other EU countries. [31783]
Mr. Ian McCartney: In the United Kingdom, there are eight bank and public holidays in England, Wales and Scotland and ten in Northern Ireland.
The number of public holidays in other EU countries is set out in the table:
| EU countries | Number of bank holidays |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 8 |
| Eire | 9 |
| Italy and Luxembourg | 10 |
| Sweden, Greece, Finland and Denmark | 11 |
| Portugal and Austria | 12 |
| Spain | 13 |
| France and Belgium | 14 |
| Germany | 15 |
Notes:
The extent to which these holidays are observed varies from country to country. There are also local or regional variations in some areas.
Source:
Official Journal of the European Communities (97/C 97/03).
2 Mar 1998 : Column: 462
NUTS Review
Ms Walley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the Government's position in respect of the NUTS review currently underway in the European Commission; and what is the timetable set for this review. [31320]
Mrs. Liddell: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Tim Holt to Ms Joan Walley, dated 2 March 1998:
As Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary questions on proposing Staffordshire as a single NUTS-2 area and on the Government's position in the NUTS review currently underway and the timetable for the review.
After wide consultation throughout the UK, the Government Statistical Service submitted proposals for a revised NUTS structure to Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, in July 1997. A copy of the proposals was deposited in the House of Commons library. Those proposals included the classification of Staffordshire as a single NUTS-2 area.
During negotiations, Eurostat have stressed that in their view the UK proposals contained too many NUTS-2 areas and that changes from the current structure were unjustified. Discussions are still continuing and an announcement will be made as soon as an agreement is reached.
The original intention was to reach agreement by December 1997 but this has not been possible due to the prolonged negotiations. It is hoped that an agreement will be reached as soon as possible.
Mental Health Unit, Bronllys
Mr. Livsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends to make a decision regarding the creation of a new mental health unit at Bronllys, Powys, through the Private Finance Initiative. [31035]
Mr. Win Griffiths: The development of hospital services in Bronllys is a matter for the Powys Healthcare NHS Trust and the Dyfed Powys Health Authority. They are currently working together to develop revised proposals to best meet the health needs of the area, and have put negotiations with the private sector on hold pending the outcome of the review.
Coastal Defences
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent on coastal defences in Wales in 1997; and what are the estimated figures for 1998. [31369]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
The information requested is not collected centrally. However, the expenditure on capital schemes receiving grant assistance from the Welsh Office was £3.032 million during the financial year 1996-97 and is estimated to be just over £3 million again during the financial year 1997-98. These figures include expenditure on both coast protection and sea defence.
2 Mar 1998 : Column: 463
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many (a) empty local authority homes, (b) empty private homes, (c) empty Government homes, (d) empty flats above shops, (e) vacant offices suitable for conversion into homes and (f) other non-residential premises suitable for conversion into homes there are in each region in Wales. [32225]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
The number of vacant dwellings owned by local authorities is shown in the table, along with the available information on homes owned by the Welsh Office. The number of unoccupied homes owned privately is not collected centrally. Unoccupied homes owned by Government Departments other than the Welsh Office are not disaggregated for Wales. Statistics are not collected centrally on empty flats above shops, vacant offices suitable for conversion or other non-residential premises suitable for conversion.
| Number of vacant dwellings at 31 March 1997 | |
|---|---|
| Local authority dwellings | |
| Blaenau Gwent | 181 |
| Bridgend | 467 |
| Caerphilly | 212 |
| Cardiff | 621 |
| Carmarthenshire | 170 |
| Ceredigion | 27 |
| Conwy | 47 |
| Denbighshire | 29 |
| Flintshire | 90 |
| Gwynedd | 110 |
| Isle of Anglesey | 105 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 238 |
| Monmouthshire | 29 |
| Neath Port Talbot | 230 |
| Newport | 249 |
| Pembrokeshire | 120 |
| Powys | 64 |
| Rhondda, Cynon, Taff | 512 |
| Swansea | 445 |
| Torfaen | 332 |
| The Vale of Glamorgan | 117 |
| Wrexham | 327 |
| Wales | 4,722 |
| Welsh Office Stock | |
| Wales | (8)33 |
(8) At 1 April 1997. Excludes NHS properties.
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money his Department has allocated in the current financial year to fill (a) empty local authority homes, (b) empty private homes, (c) empty Government homes, (d) empty flats above shops, (e) vacant offices suitable for conversion into homes and (f) other non-residential premises suitable for conversion into homes in each region in Wales. [32226]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
None of the funding the Welsh Office makes available for housing capital programmes is tied specifically to use on empty homes. Local authorities are encouraged to include in their programmes action for bringing empty and under-used housing accommodation into efficient use.
2 Mar 1998 : Column: 464
Mr. Rhodri Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Clwyd, West (Mr. Thomas) of 19 February 1998, Official Report, column 804, for how long the term of appointment of the (a) Chairman and (b) Chief Executive of the enhanced Welsh Development Agency will run. [32243]
Mr. Ron Davies:
The information is as follows:
(a) 30 June 1999;
(b) 17 August 2000.
Welsh Assembly
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discount rate will be applied to assessments of PFI elements in bids for the building of the Assembly for Wales. [32252]
Mr. Ron Davies: We will follow current Treasury advice, which uses a discount rate of 6 per cent.
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take into account in his assessment of the Grosvenor Waterside bid for the Assembly for Wales building the effect of that project on the value of nearby land owned by Associated British Ports. [32253]
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