Written Answers
Tuesday, 29th June 1999.
Legal Services Ombudsman: Annual Report
asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Legal Services Ombudsman intends to publish her eighth annual report. [HL3346]
The Legal Services Ombudsman has today published her eighth annual report, and copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Crown Prosecution Service Review
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the 75 recommendations contained in the Review of the Crown Prosecution Service 1998 (Cm 3960) have been accepted in principle and how many have been implemented; and for what reasons any of the recommendations have either been rejected or remain unimplemented. [HL2998]
The Attorney-General announced on 28 June 1999 that 64 recommendations have now been accepted, accepted in part or in principle or implemented. Two recommendations have been rejected though the concerns that prompted the recommendations are being addressed in other ways. The Attorney-General will write to the noble Lord with details of these recommendations and the work that is continuing on the implementation of the recommendations which have been accepted.
United Kingdom Citizens: Emigration
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many United Kingdom citizens in each 10 year period since 1945 have emigrated to New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United States; and what are the annual figures since 1995 up to the latest available date. [HL3221]
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics who has been asked to reply.
Letter from the Director of Social Statistics, Office for National Statistics, Mr. John Fox, dated 29 June 1999.
The Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the number of people emigrating to New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United States. I am replying in Dr. Holt's absence.
For the years 1945–74, estimates of international migration are not available at this level of detail. The information that you requested for 1975 to 1997, the latest year for which data are available, is shown below.
Estimates of UK Citizens emigrating to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States
| |||||
Year
| Australia
| Canada
| New Zealand
| South Africa
| USA
|
| 1975–84 | 245.7 | 152.8 | 58.6 | 135.8 | 132.4 |
| 1985–94 | 251.6 | 61.4 | 37.0 | 37.8 | 152.0 |
| 1995 | 20.3 | 4.6 | 6.3 | 2.5 | 17.2 |
| 1996 | 20.7 | 3.9 | 9.3 | 2.8 | 15.6 |
| 1997 | 20.6 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 3.0 | 15.3 |
The estimates in the table are derived from data obtained from the International Passenger Survey, a continuous voluntary survey which covers principal air and sea routes between the United Kingdom (UK) and countries outside the British Isles. The routes between the UK and the Irish Republic are excluded, as is all movement of diplomats and armed forces personnel. It is also highly likely that the survey excludes visitor switchers: persons admitted as short term visitors who are subsequently granted a stay for a year or longer.
Average Taxable Income Per Household
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the average taxable income per household for each local authority area in England. [HL3153]
I regret that the information requested is not available.
United Kingdom-European Union Trade Deficit
asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the cumulative deficit on the United Kingdom's trade (less exports of goods, services and investment income) with the rest of the European Union for the years 1973 to 1998 inclusive. [HL3001]
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics who has been asked to reply.
Letter from the Director, Macro-Economic Statistics and Analysis Group, Office for National Statistics, Mr. John Kidgell, dated 29 June 1999.
In the absence of the Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on the deficit of the United Kingdom's trade with the rest of the European Union (EU).
Latest data for current account transactions with the EU are published in the Balance of Payments First Release, a copy of which is available in the House of Lords Library. The latest release published on 22 March gave estimates for 1997 and 1998.
Estimates of the geographical breakdown of the UK balance of payments current account data for 1992 to 1997 were published in Economic Trends, December 1998 (number 541), a copy of which is available in the House of Lords Library. It is planned to extend this analysis from 1988 to 1998 in the forthcoming annual UK Balance of Payments (Pink Book) to be published later this summer. These data are likely to be revised for all years due to improvements in methodology.
A copy of the relevant pages of the Economic Trends article are enclosed. I have also attached a table that shows the UK's current account balance with the EU excluding the balance on current transfers for the years 1992 to 1998. Finally, I have attached a table showing the UK's balance of trade in goods only for 1973 to 1998.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the current account surplus or deficit in United Kingdom trade with the other countries in the European Union in the latest available year; and what were the figures of the United Kingdom's current account with other countries in the European Union (excluding Finland, Austria and Sweden) in each year since 1990 at constant prices. [HL3168]
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics who has been asked to reply.
Letter from the Director, Macro-Economic Statistics and Analysis Group, Office for National Statistics, Mr. John Kidgell, dated 29 June 1999.
In the absence of the Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question on current account data for the United Kingdom with the countries in the European Union (EU).
The data requested are shown in the attached table. The latest annual data for the individual EU countries are for 1997 as published in the December 1998 edition of Economic Trends. Figures for 1998 will be published in the 1999 UK Balance of Payments Pink Book, a copy of which will be available in the House of Lords Library at the end of August.
The ONS does not compile constant price data for trade in goods and services for individual countries. We do however publish volume and price indices for trade in goods with the EU as a whole. I am therefore attaching copies of tables 4 and 5 from the latest UK Trade First Release, published 23 June, a copy of which is available in the House of Lords Library. The series have been defined to include Finland, Austria and Sweden for the years before their accession.
UK Current Account Balances with EU Countries, 1997
| |||||
£ million
| |||||
Trade in Goods
| Trade in Services
| Total Income
| Current Transfers
| Current Account
| |
| Austria | -234 | 1 | -273 | -28 | -534 |
| Belgium & Luxembourg1 | -632 | 68 | -637 | -20 | -1,221 |
| Denmark | -227 | 363 | -233 | 15 | -82 |
| Finland | -988 | 249 | -109 | 30 | -818 |
| France | -1,167 | -1,463 | 847 | 68 | -1,715 |
| Germany | -5,030 | 970 | 940 | 101 | -3,019 |
| Greece | 649 | -291 | 78 | -8 | 428 |
| Ireland | 1,935 | 823 | 311 | -256 | 2,813 |
| Italy | -1,333 | 37 | 1,189 | 55 | -52 |
| Netherlands | 1,578 | 350 | -716 | 481 | 1,693 |
| Portugal | -11 | -529 | 95 | -23 | -468 |
| Spain | 1,654 | -2,593 | 137 | -100 | -902 |
| Sweden | -281 | 440 | 188 | 31 | 378 |
| EU Institutions2 | — | 274 | -682 | -2,164 | -2,572 |
| EU Total | -4,087 | -1,301 | 1,135 | -1,818 | -6,071 |
Source:
Office for National Statistics.
Notes:
1 Data for Belgium are not separately available.
2 The definition of the EU includes EU institutions as defined by EUROSTAT.
Russia: Humanitarian Assistance
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the Secretary of State for International Development is in touch with the Russian Minister for Emergencies, Mr. Shygo. [HL3199]
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development has met with the Russian Minister for Emergencies.The Department for International Development contributed a total of £1.4 million to two Red Cross appeals for humanitarian assistance to Russia during last winter.
No 2 Marsham Street
asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they now have for the future of No. 2 Marsham Street. [HL3008]
Responsibility for this matter has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document for Property Advisers to the Civil Estate. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr. John Locke, to write to the noble Lord.
Letter from the Chief Executive of the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate, Mr. John Locke, dated 28 June 1999.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton has asked me, as Chief Executive of the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) which has responsibility for the disposal of 2 Marsham Street, to reply to your question about the Government's future plans for this building.
It is our intention to demolish 2 Marsham Street as soon as practicable. However, immediate plans to commence demolition have been put on hold because temporary reuse, as well as demolition and rebuilding, is an option under consideration by Home Office as part of their Headquarters' PFI project.
A decision by Home Office is expected later this year, but it cannot be taken until a further round of bids for their project has been completed. Pending this decision, Home Office have taken on management responsibility and are paying the holding costs of the property.
Quality Protects Programme
asked Her Majesty's Government:What overall assessment they have made of the Quality Protects management action plans submitted by local authorities. [HL3364]
We have today placed in the Library a copy of the report Mapping Quality In Children's Services: An Evaluation of Local Responses To The Quality Protects Programme.When we launched the Quality Protects programme in September 1998 we required local authorities to submit annual management action plans to show how they were intending to improve the management and delivery of children's social services. This report presents the key messages and findings from the first round of management action plans (MAPs) which were received in January 1999. We are pleased that local authorities have responded with energy and urgency to the first stage of Quality Protects and that we were able to approve all 150 Quality Protects MAPs and authorise payment of the children's services grant for this year.The report identifies many examples of good practice from across the country. But it also highlights major areas where improvement is urgently needed. It is now crucial that these plans are turned into action and we expect to see evidence of real progress by January 2000.
European Funding
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the case of the European regional development funding and European structural funding, commitments to end beneficiaries under delegated projects must be identified by 31 December, and whether this is likely to reduce the number of businesses likely to benefit from the funds and lead to underspending. [HL3223]
Eligibility for structural funds expenditure is defined in each Commission decision approving Community programmes of grant.
In the case of aid schemes the decisions require that final recipients and the amount granted to each are identified before the end date for commitment under the programmes, i.e. 31 December 1999.
Aid schemes have been approved in accordance with the requirements in the decisions and it is a matter for each scheme promoter to ensure the funds are disbursed before the end date. There is no reason why this procedure should lead to underspends.
Science: Government Spending
asked Her Majesty's Government:How much they are investing in science; and whether the information is publicly available. [HL3345]
I am today publishing the Forward Look of Government funded Science, Engineering and Technology which sets out the Government's spending plans. We see science as a major priority and a key driver for wealth creation, employment and an improved quality of life both in this country and overseas. We will be investing over £20 billion in this area over the next three years—a real terms increase of £1.8 billion—representing a level of investment higher in real terms than at any time over this decade. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
Power Line Technology
asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to ensure that the use of the electricity mains to distribute Internet data (power line telecommunications) through the use of radio frequencies in the short wave band does not cause interference to legitimate users of the short wave spectrum, affect the Ministry of Defence, international broadcasting authorities, radio amateur and civil and military aviation users. [HL3144]
Power line technology is an innovative use of mains electrical wiring to bring information age services to consumers. The exploitation of this technology could make a significant contribution to building the knowledge driven economy as it uses infrastructure that is ubiquitous and already in place. On the other hand, it could give rise to interference to radio services.The Radiocommunications Agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, which is responsible for managing most non-military radio spectrum in the UK, is urgently studying the propensity of power line technology to cause radio interference, including to essential services, international broadcasting and radio amateurs. Decisions will be taken in the light of that work on what steps are necessary in order to prevent undue interference. These could include using powers available under Section 10 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949.
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether power line telecommunications technology will result in the electricity mains, house wiring and street furniture such as lamp posts acting as antennae, transmitting Internet data as wideband noise across the short wave bands. [HL3145]
Power line technology has the potential to cause signals to be radiated from mains electrical wiring in the home and outside, although it is not yet determined whether the emissions would be sufficiently powerful to cause serious interference to radio services.
asked Her Majesty's Government:With whom they have consulted on power line telecommunications; and whether agreement has been reached. [HL3146]
The Radio-communications Agency has established a working group to evaluate the technical issues relating to power line. The agency has consulted widely, including government departments and other users of frequencies that may be affected, such as the Civil Aviation Authority, the armed forces, the BBC and the Radio Society of Great Britain, as well as communications operators and manufacturers involved in power line technology and similar systems. Work is continuing and agreement has not yet been reached.
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether power line telecommunications will run contrary to the principles of electromagnetic compatibility developed over the last 50 years to control levels of interference to the radio spectrum from one user to another. [HL3147]
Principles of electromagnetic compatibility of any new technology are extremely important if maximum benefit is to be gained from the radio spectrum. Power line raises novel and complex technical issues that are being carefully and intensively researched. Until this work is complete, it would be premature to comment on the electromagnetic compatibility of power line.
asked Her Majesty's Government:How, when controlling power line telecommunications, they will ensure that radio frequencies already used for national and international communication and of life operations will not be affected. [HL3148]
The Radio-communications Agency is currently assessing as matter of urgency the potential of the innovative power line technology to interfere with radiocommunications. It has established a working group to evaluate the issues and is conducting a full technical investigation, including computer modelling.