HC Deb 25 April 1996 vol 276 cc236-8W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the results of the National Physical Laboratory monitoring of plume grounding at Castle Cement were sent to Lancashire county council; and for what reasons no request was made for observations or comments. [26007]

Mr. Clappison

A copy of the National Physical Laboratory monitoring report was sent as received, for information, to the chief executive of Lancashire county council on the 23 January 1996.

Mr. Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the date when the Government will publish their response to the second report of the Environment Committee on "The Burning of Secondary Liquid Fuel in Cement Kilns", HC 497 of Session 1994–95. [26099]

Mr. Clappison

Our current estimate is that the response will be published by the end of May 1996.

Mr. Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of potential conflicts of interest arising from the appointment of a director of Ready Mix Concrete as a director of the Environment Agency in respect of decisions on the circumstances in which cement companies should be permitted to burn hazardous waste in cement kilns. [26100]

Mr. Clappison

Careful consideration was given to potential conflicts of interest presented by appointments to the agency board, including the appointment of a director of Ready Mixed Concrete. Appropriate arrangements exist for such conflicts to the be declared, and for board members to withdraw from discussions or decisions likely to affect those interests.

Employment Department
Expenditure outturn NE NW M YH WM EM ER SW SE L
1993–94
Training for work fees 39.5 38.5 23.9 47.5 44.3 36.7 23.4 28.6 27.6 59.6
Youth programmes 60.8 74.7 47.0 80.1 74.9 57.6 56.7 55.6 64.0 58.4
1994–95
Employer Investment in People (£ million) 4.2 7.5 2.4 5.9 5.8 6.4 5.0 6.0 7.2 10.7
Childcare Grants (£ million) 0.8 1.2 0.4 1.3 1.2 1.0 0.9 1.1 1.6 1.6
Training for Work Fees (£ million) 35.6 36.6 18.4 43.6 34.7 34.4 22.0 25.9 24.6 54.7
Youth Programmes (£ million) 55.8 91.3 33.2 71.9 72.8 60.5 60.5 53.1 77.6 60.4
WRFE (£ million) 5.0 13.1 3.8 14.6 11.9 8.5 10.2 10.3 15.7 18.5
Skill Choice (£ million) 1.7 1.0 0.6 n/a 1.7 1.3 3.6 1.0 0.6 0.6
Workstart (£ thousand) 376.0 24.0
Learning for Work (£ million) 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.8
Technical Vocational Education Initiative (£ million) 2.6 11.2 4.5 11.3 4.6 9.2 5.3 9.5 9.5 14.3
Careers Service—Contracted (£ million) 3.0 4.5 n/a 2.8 10.3 3.3 2.5 5.7 3.0 n/a
Careers Service—Directed (£ million) 6.7 13.1 5.9 13.7 9.7 8.4 12.0 8.6 16.7 22.2

Employment Department/Department for Education and Employment: 1995–96
Expenditure outturn NE NW M YH WM EM ER SW SE L
Employer Investment in People (£ million) 3.9 7.8 2.1 5.2 6.4 5.9 4.6 4.0 6.0 10.2
Skills for Small Businesses (£ million) 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.6 1.1
Childcare Grants (£ million) 1.0 1.9 0.5 1.8 2.0 1.4 1.9 1.7 2.5 2.2

These arrangements are set out in schedule 1 to the Environment Act 1995, and in the Environment Agency's own internal guidance for board members. The latter requires details of interests to be held on a register which will be available for public inspection.

Appointees to boards, such as the Environment Agency, are people with a track record of success in their chosen fields, who are likely to have a variety of outside commitments and interests. It would be wrong to exclude such people from public appointments as their skills and experience are essential to the board's success.