Written Answers
Immigration Applications: Husbands And Fiancés Of Uk Citizens
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many applications for entry certificates have been lodged respectively by husbands and fiancés wanting to join British citizens wives and fiancées in the United Kingdom since the change of rules which applied to them; and how many of these respectively have been accepted, rejected and are still pending.
:Information on applications for entry clearance is available only for the Indian subcontinent. The information available on applications received from husbands and fiancés and dealt with under the 1983 rules is given in the table below; most of the applications decided in the first nine months of 1983 were received before 1983. Combined figures for applications from husbands and fiancés are published in the quarterly Home Office Statistical Bulletin Control of Immigration: Statistics (Table 7 of issue 23/83), but those figures for applications granted in 1983 include a small number of applications dealt with under the pre-1980 rules.
| Husbands and fiancés applying for entry clearance for leave to enter the United Kingdom under the 1983 Immigration Rules (1) | ||
| Indian sub-continent, | Number of persons | |
| January to September 1983 | ||
| Husbands | Fiancés | |
| Applications newly-received | 720 | 1,890 |
| Applications granted | 200 | 520 |
| Applications refused | 70 | 500 |
| Applications awaiting decision at end September 1983 | 900 | 2,600 |
| (1) HC66 or HC169 | ||
The Falkland Islands: New Airfield
Asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the new airport in the Falkland Islands will be suitable for use by fully laden DC10–30 and Boeing 747aeroplanes landing at the new airport whether they will deny rumours that such aeroplanes, when fully loaded, will not be able to take off from the airport; and whether the airport; will be suitable for DC10–30 and Boeing 747 aeroplanes to fly non-stop to Ascension Island and Dakar.
From the start, civil as well as military requirements were taken into account in planning, and I can confirm that the runway has been designed to accept all fully laden wide-bodied aircraft, including those mentioned by my noble friend. In certain adverse conditions, these aircraft might not be able to take off with a full load to fly non-stop to Ascension Island, but the effect would he marginal and might mean for example that a few less passengers could be carried. I will write to my noble friend about Dakar.
The Falkland Islands: Airfield Contracts
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the value of contracts relating to the construction of the new airfield in the Falkland Islands that have been placed with companies in the United Kingdom; whether they will publish in the
Official Report a list of such contracts detailing the value, the firm with which the contract has been placed and, if known, the location where the work will be done; and whether they are able to estimate the number of jobs created or saved by the placing of such contracts.
I refer my noble friend to the Statement made by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 27th June. The main contract has been placed with the Laing-Mowlem-Amey Roadstone Construction Joint Venture. …190 million is our latest estimate of the value of the work on the airfield and associated RAF facilities. The subcontractors nominated by the PSA are Balfour Kirkpatrick Ltd. (Mechanical and Electrical Services), GEC Diesels Ltd. (Power Generation Services), and Capper Neil International Ltd. (Bulk Fuel Installation). All other sub-contractors have been selected by the Joint Venture under the terms of their contract. It is not possible to give the details of the many sub-contracts and of the additional employment opportunities they entail, without disproportionate cost. However, the terms of the Joint Venture's contract require it to use United Kingdom products and materials unless this is impractical or uneconomic, and United Kingdom shipping similarly. In addition, the contractors' own labour force is being recruited in this country and will total some 1,400 jobs at the peak of the construction work.
The Falkland Islands: Garrison Costs
asked Her Majesty's Government:What costs would arise if the Falkland Islands Garrison were stationed in the United Kingdom or Germany, not in the Falkland Islands.
A high proportion of the day-to-day expenditure on items such as pay, food and training for the Falklands garrison would be incurred whether the servicemen concerned were in the Falklands or not.
asked Her Majesty's Government:By how much the cost of garrisoning the Falkland Islands will be reduced after the new airport is opened.
Once the new airfield is operational, we expect to save some £25 million a year at current prices on movements. Details of these savings were reported in evidence to the House of Commons Defence Committee (H.C. 154 of 12th May 1983, page 225). Any change in the size of the garrison as a result of the opening of the airport will of course have to be considered in the context of the wider Falklands situation nearer the time.
Public Expenditure: Capital Spending
asked Her Majesty's Government:Approximately how much capital expenditure at constant prices was included in total public expenditure for each of the 10 year ending 1983–84.
There is no single definition of public sector capital spending. Figures on two readily available definitions, expressed in real terms, are provided below:
| 1. Gross domestic fixed capital formation at 1980 prices | ||||||||||
| £ billion | ||||||||||
| 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | |
| by general government | 10.9 | 10.2 | 9.4 | 9.1 | 7.6 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 4.1 | 3.9 |
| by public corporations | 6.2 | 7.1 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 6.3 |
Source: National Income and Expenditure, Table 10.2
| 2. Capital expenditure in public expenditure programmes(1), cost terms, base year 1982–83. | |||||
| £ billion | |||||
| 1973–74 | 1974–75 | 1975–76 | 1976–77 | 1977–78 | |
| 22.3 | 26.0 | 23.3 | 18.5 | 12.9 | |
| 1978–79 | 1979–80 | 1980–81 | 1981–82 | 1982–83 | |
| 14.1 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 11.2 | 11.1 | |
| (1) As defined in Cmnd 8789, Table 4.2, and thereby excludes nationalised industry capital spending. | |||||
Although suitable for some purposes, neither set of figures provides a comprehensive picture of the acquisition of new assets by the public sector or of purchases from the construction and capital goods industries. The Government's policy of selling council houses and the privatisation programme have decreased public sector capital spending figures in recent years (and increased the corresponding private sector figures). Following international convention, the above figures exclude nearly all defence expenditure, much of which is of a capital nature, and has been a growing proportion of public expenditure in recent years.
The next Public Expenditure White Paper will include additional information on public sector capital spending, including figures for 1983–84 and 1984–85.
Barnacle Geese: Islay
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will confirm that a licence has been issued to a farmer on Islay in Scotland allowing the killing of barnacle geese, despite the fact that the land in question has never been visited by the species and that no agricultural damage has been caused on this land by barnacle geese.
No. Licences have been issued only in respect of farms on which past agricultural damage has been reported.
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many barnacle geese were killed under licence on Islay in Scotland during the winter of 1982–83, and what estimate they have of population recruitment to the Islay wintering flock of this species following the 1982 breeding season.
The number of barnacle geese killed under licence on Islay during the winter of 1982–83 was 956. The estimate of population recruitment to the Islay wintering flock of barnacle geese following the 1982 breeding season measured by the number of young birds which arrived on Islay in autumn 1982 was 860. The equivalent recruitment figure for the 1983 breeding season is estimated at between 1,500 and 1,600.