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Compact Discs
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations she has received regarding the retail price of compact discs. [34492]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
My Department has received 7 complaints about the retail price of compact discs since 1 May 1997.
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These have been forwarded to the Director General of Fair Trading who is responsible for considering allegations of abuse of monopoly position, anti-competitive behaviour and restrictive trade practices. The Director General can act if he considers that a particular price is the result of anti-competitive practices.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what action she intends to take to remove trade barriers which prevent United Kingdom car buyers purchasing right-hand drive cars elsewhere in the European Union; [34771]
(3) if she will use the UK's presidency of the European Union to ensure that new car buyers from the UK are given the right to buy a car in any country within the Union. [34773]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths
[holding answer 18 March 1998]: I am determined to ensure that there are not such barriers to UK consumers. EC competition law prohibits manufacturers from restricting the freedom of consumers to obtain new right-hand drive cars from whichever authorised dealer they choose within the European Community.
In January the European Commission, which enforces EC competition law, fined Volkswagen ecu 102 million (about £67 million) for prohibiting its dealers in Italy from selling cars to buyers from Germany and Austria. DTI officials are currently discussing with the Commission what the implications of this case are for UK consumers wishing to buy right-hand drive cars elsewhere in the European Community.
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what training has been provided for Kenyan security units in (a) internal control and (b) internal security by the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement. [28840]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
I have been asked to reply.
The Department for International Development fund one training project for police officers which aims to improve management skills and human rights awareness of senior officers. They intend to evaluate the impact of this project. No other assistance for the police is currently planned. No training in riot control has been provided to the Kenyan police or armed forces by the British Government.
We have expressed our concern over the excessive use of force by Kenyan police in dispersing crowds taking part in protests last year.
The only military training that we offer the Kenyan Armed Forces is focused on raising professional standards for tasks such as peace keeping duties throughout Africa.
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Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish (a) the number of places on each of his Department's non-departmental public bodies, (b) the number of places that are currently unfilled on each non-departmental public body, (c) the total number of members that have resigned since 1 May 1997, (d) the total number that have retired since 1 May 1997, (e) the total number that have not had their contracts renewed since 1 May 1997, (f) the total number that have remained in place since 1 May 1997 and (g) the total number that have been appointed since 1 May 1997. [35277]
Dr. Howells:
The numbers of (a) places and (b) vacancies on the Boards of the Non-Departmental Bodies sponsored by this Department are as follows:
(2) what action she is taking to require car manufacturers to make available new right-hand drive cars to United Kingdom citizens elsewhere in the European Union; [34772]
| NDPB | Places (a) | Current vacancies (b) |
|---|---|---|
| Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT) | 13 | 0 |
| Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) | 18 | 0 |
| Education Assets Board (EAB) | 11 | 0 |
| Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) | 18 | 0 |
| Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) | 15 | 2 |
| Funding Agency for Schools (FAS) | 15 | 0 |
| Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) | 14 | 0 |
| Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) | 15 | 0 |
| Investors in People (UK) (IiPUK) | 15 | 1 |
| British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA formerly known as NCET) | 6 | 0 |
| Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) | 14 | 0 |
| Remploy | 12 | 2 |
| Student Loans Company (SLC) | 7 | 3 |
| Teacher Training Agency (TTA) | 11 | 0 |
The total number of (c) resignations from the Boards of these bodies since 1 May 1997 is 3. The total number of (d) retirements from the Boards of these bodies since 1 May 1997 is 8. The total number of (d) members of the Boards of these bodies who have not been re-appointed since 1 May 1997 is 19 (some of these were not eligible for further re-appointment under the guidance issued by the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA)). The total number of (e) Board members of these bodies who have remained in post since 1 May 1997 is
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128. The total number of (g) appointments of these bodies since 1 May 1997 is 63, of which 15 have been re-appointments.
Sir Brian Mawhinney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire of 23 January on behalf of Mr. Lee. [35325]
Dr. Howells:
A letter was dispatched to the right hon. Member on 17 March.
Mr. David Davis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) for what reasons, in setting achievement targets for primary and secondary schools, he uses data based on pupils' eligibility for, or take-up of, free school meals; [35330]
Mr. Byers:
It is for schools themselves, rather than for the Secretary of State, to set achievement targets. In doing so they will draw on relevant data, including socio-economic characteristics of their intake and the prior attainment of their pupils. School targets should take account of the 1997 benchmark information and other comparative data set out in the Performance and Assessment reports recently provided to each school. School targets should also take account of the national targets for English and Mathematics at age 11.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received from the Coventry Intermediate Labour Market Company. [34181]
Mr. Alan Howarth
[holding answer 16 March 1998]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not received any representations from Coventry Intermediate Labour Market Company.
Mr. Derek Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the New Deal personal advisers to be trained by April 1998 will be recruited (a) from within the Employment Service and (b) externally. [32292]
Mr. Alan Howarth:
Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Derek Foster, dated 19 March 1998:
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Mr. Alan Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many undergraduate students are in receipt of the maximum maintenance grants. [33800]
Dr. Howells:
In academic year 1995-96, the latest year for which information is available, 350,000 mandatory award holders from England and Wales received a full maintenance grant.
(2) what reasons, in setting achievement targets for primary and secondary schools, he does not use data based on pupils' prior achievement. [35331]
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the recruitment and training of New Deal Personal Advisers. This is an operational issue which falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of the Employment Service.
The Employment Service has recruited, through internal means, almost 2,000 New Deal Personal Advisers who will be fully trained by April 1998. We have not ourselves recruited externally.
However, we will in all cases be working with partner organisations in the delivery of the Gateway, all of whom will be deploying their own staff on these programmes.
Within the Employment Service, New Deal Personal Advisers have been carefully selected from amongst the most experienced members of our current advisory teams. All of them either hold an NVQ III in guidance or will be working towards this qualification.
I hope this is helpful.
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