In the House... Questions in the House of Commons 1997-8

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Concerns about the millennium bug were raised earlier. Obviously, my right hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) has some difficulties of his own with information technology. In view of the alarmist comment in the press earlier this week on the millennium bug, and given that the Leader of the House referred to a statement earlier, I wonder whether we are shirking our responsibility by not having a proper debate on the Government's preparations for the millennium bug. I believe that the Government have taken the problem seriously, in sharp contrast to the Conservative party, which had many years to prepare for the problem, particularly in respect of small and medium enterprises. May we have a debate in Government time on the problems of and preparations for the millennium bug?

Mrs. Beckett: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the Government's preparations again. He is right to say that we substantially stepped up the procedures and preparations that we inherited from the Conservatives. I am prepared to be characteristically generous towards them and acknowledge that, as time goes on, it is more and more evident that everyone who is dealing with the issue realises that they should have started several years before they actually did. Certainly, those who began to make their preparations as long as ago as 1996 often now believe that it would have been better if they had begun earlier.
As long as the Conservative party refrains from trying to make silly points by trying to pretend that we diminished the programme that we inherited from it, I am prepared to recognise that it could not have been expected to foresee some of the issues that face us now. I cannot promise him that I will find time for a debate on the matter in the near future. As I told the hon. Member for South Staffordshire, I intend to keep the House informed and up to date about the Government's preparations.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What discussions he has had with the United Kingdom's small breweries about promoting local beers during the period of the millennium experience. [57271]

Mr. Mandelson: The New Millennium Experience Company announced in April that it wanted to serve visitors to the dome with the United Kingdom's best traditionally brewed and popular beers. The company is in discussion with a number of local and regional brewers.

Mr. Quinn: Will my right hon. Friend confirm that Black Dog Brewery Ltd. in Whitby will be one of the breweries approached? Without doubt, such a regional flavour will spread the millennium experience around the country. May I also make a plea for Whitby kippers, which would go particularly well with the beer?

Mr. Mandelson: I am sure that the very appropriately named Black Dog beer will be among those that are very hotly considered by the New Millennium Experience Company. As for Whitby's kippers and all the other magnificent products and services, moving the town into the dome might not be a bad idea. The town will certainly have an opportunity to tell its story in the dome under a project called "Our Town's Story", which will enable people from all over the country to tell their story for the benefit and enjoyment of millions of our fellow citizens.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Will my right hon. Friend confirm that he understands that, in my constituency, only 57 per cent. of rural dwellers have access to a private vehicle? The initiative taken forward with the county council to introduce community transport and improvements in rural bus services will play an important part in dealing with the problems of social exclusion that manifest themselves in the north-east of England.

Dr. Reid: Yes, indeed. My hon. Friend gives a prime example of the difficulties faced by many people in rural areas. That is why I am extremely pleased and proud that this Government have taken measures, as I mentioned earlier, to allocate an additional £50 million towards public transport in the rural areas. He will also know that the Chancellor announced an increase in bus fuel duty rebate worth £40 million to protect bus operators from the increases in diesel duty over the next 12 months. My hon. Friend can be sure that we shall continue to bear in mind the particular circumstances of people in rural areas.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Does my hon. Friend agree that, in areas such as North Yorkshire, where both the police authority and the fire authority have particular problems of sparsity because of the large geographical area and the limited manpower available to them, special consideration must be given to the management problems that those authorities face, to which my hon. Friend referred earlier?

Mr. Michael: The impact on individual forces is set out and considered in the formula that applies to police forces and the fire service. Sparsity is identified as a major complication by police forces and fire services covering rural areas. That is why I have commissioned research into the impact of sparsity, to see whether that can be evaluated. We may have more to say when we see the outcome of that research.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What steps he has taken to permit individuals to supply information electronically to Government. [47927]

The Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service (Mr. Peter Kilfoyle): The Government have been working closely with the public and private sectors on identifying new ways to enable people to supply information electronically to Government.
Last December, we launched the "intelligent" form, which enabled people to register as self-employed at a bank. That model has now been extended by the launch of the Post Office-led "Open for Business" pilot, which enables people to register as self-employed in a post office, library, a community-based "telecottage" or local government office. As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy has said, the Barclays bank Endorse project, which uses a smartcard-based digital signature service, enables registration on the internet to take place in people's homes.

Mr. Quinn: I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Does he agree that many people are phobic about information technology? If we go for a process of open government under which the citizen will be allowed to provide feedback, many people who are allergic to IT will need assistance and encouragement. What are his Department's plans to encourage that process?

Mr. Kilfoyle: In reality, many projects are being encouraged, not just by my Department but by Government, to raise the standard of IT literacy throughout the nation. There will be a parallel approach to the fulfilment of the information technology era. Hard copy forms of information and electronic forms will run contemporaneously. There will always be those who lag behind new developments.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): My right hon. Friend will know that the incomes of many farmers have been suppressed because of the legacy of the BSE crisis. Is he in a position to update us on the cattle traceability scheme, which I think will do much to help farmers in my constituency?

Dr. Cunningham: I am grateful to my hon. Friend. It is certainly true that, in addition to the strength of sterling, lower commodity prices have impacted adversely on farm incomes. It is for that reason, among others, that we announced £85 million of agrimonetary compensation earlier this year, and it is also for that reason that the Government have invested £30 million in the establishment of the cattle traceability scheme, which is located in Workington. I shall visit it tomorrow with the president of the National Farmers Union to get an on-the-spot update on progress, but I can tell the House that we are on course for the scheme to be fully operational in September.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Does my right hon. Friend agree that areas such as mine need economic development not just at the seaside but more widely in the rest of the region? The region, after all, feeds the local tourism economy. Does he propose to have words with the regional development agencies, once they are set up, to stimulate regional tourism and the local economy by allowing local people an input?

Mr. Clarke: My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The tourism industry in Great Britain needs a closer working relationship between the regional tourist boards and, in due course, the RDAs. I know that my hon. Friend has contributed thoughtful ideas in that respect; I can assure him that the membership of the forum is much concerned with his excellent point.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Almost one in six of the people who have visited me in my constituency surgeries over the past year have been from the hard-pressed agriculture community. Does the Prime Minister agree, on hearing the remarks of Ben Gill, who is also a North Yorkshire farmer, that today's success in Brussels on the recommendation to lift the ban on British beef is due to the patient diplomacy of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture--[Laughter.] Conservative Members laugh, but the concerns of many of my constituents are founded on the failure of Conservative policies over 18 years. All credit should be given to my right hon. Friend.

The Prime Minister: I pay tribute to the work my hon. Friend has done on behalf of the farming industry. The decision to lift the ban in respect of Northern Ireland was an important first step; the Commission's decision today is a very important further step because it applies to the whole of the UK. However, there is still a long way to go and I counsel caution until we are through all the various stages of the European negotiations. It is right to point out, however, that not only did the previous Government give us the BSE crisis; they ended up causing what has probably been the most diplomatically disastrous episode in the country's history.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): If he will make a statement about the use of the internet by Government Departments. [43500]

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Dr. David Clark): I was staggered on coming to office to discover that Government Departments could not communicate with each other electronically; nor could they even e-mail each other. One of my key priorities was to put that right. I recently launched the Government secure intranet, which makes it possible for Government Departments to have safe, controlled and high-performance access to the internet. For the first time, Government Departments can communicate electronically with each other and also with citizens and business.
More importantly, the service is being used. At the launch of the GSI, just over 4,000 civil servants had e-mail access--that was just six weeks ago. The number has now risen to more than 12,000, and it will continue to increase. By the end of the year, I hope that every Government Department will be connected.

Mr. Quinn: I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer in respect of Westminster and Whitehall. How can people such as those in my constituency who live in more sparsely populated areas expect the technology revolution to help and empower them, so that they, as citizens, can take part in government to the fullest extent?

Dr. Clark: We are keen to use IT for the benefit of our citizens. I happen to believe that those, such as my hon. Friend's constituents, who live in more rural areas, will be among the main beneficiaries. Instead of having to traipse from one Government office to another--that can often mean from one town to another in rural areas--they will find that information technology, one-stop shops and highly motivated staff will allow them access to Government services across Departments, and even possibly across central and local government, at one point of access.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What plans he has to encourage more children to walk, cycle and use public transport for their journey to school. [43257]

The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Mr. John Prescott): We will shortly publish a White Paper following the comprehensive spending review, which will deliver on our manifesto commitment to introduce an integrated transport policy to fight congestion and pollution. An important objective will be to reduce car use on journeys to school.

Mr. Quinn: You, Madam Speaker, will know that this week is national bike week. May I commend to you all those people who joined me this morning on the cycle ride to the House? Let me ask my right hon. Friend a very serious question: do not many parents find it difficult to allow their children to progress to school outside the confines of the motor car, because they fear for their safety? Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating local authorities such as Scarborough borough council, which is introducing a cycling strategy especially for children, to allow them to go to school safely?

Mr. Prescott: Yes. That is a very important matter. I welcome national bike week, which is this week. The responses to our consultation about the use of the cycle will be embodied in our forthcoming integrated transport White Paper. We believe that we should make it easier for people to cycle and walk, and that will be a key element in our White Paper.
The question of how we encourage people to cycle or walk to school is important. Between 1975 and 1994, the use of cars taking youngsters to school more or less doubled, from 12 per cent. to 27 per cent. We look to local authorities to think of imaginative schemes to improve that situation. I congratulate Warwickshire county council on the improvements that it has made regarding Myton school. The council built a bridge over the River Avon, which has enabled the number of people going to school on foot or by bicycle to increase--to more than 700 walking and more than 400 cycling each morning.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): If she will make a statement on Government action in respect of assistance for the poorest pensioners. [42940]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security (Mr. John Denham): For today's pensioners, the policies of the previous Administration created growing inequality and widespread insecurity. One in four pensioners are forced to depend on income support, or fail to receive it. We have commissioned research to find out why those people do not make a claim and we are running pilots in nine areas to find the best ways of getting more automatic help to them. The introduction of pension sharing on divorce, on which we have published draft clauses today, will also help to ensure that women are able to enjoy their fair share of pension income in retirement.

Mr. Quinn: I do not know whether the Minister realises this, but, in the county of North Yorkshire, some 14,000 people over 60 are failing to get the extra support that income support offers them. I find many times at my surgery that people from more rural and sparsely populated parts of my constituency of Scarborough and Whitby are failing to realise that those benefits are available to them.
On the pilot studies that the Minister mentioned earlier, I wonder whether some consideration might be given to those rural constituents, to find out whether they can have extra help in understanding what their entitlement is.

Mr. Denham: I can assure my hon. Friend that the pilot project areas cover a range of urban, suburban and rural areas and that we are working with local authorities to find the best ways of getting more automatic help to those pensioners. We are particularly keen to use the information that is already available to the Benefits Agency or local authorities, and the information that exists on retirement pensions, to identify those older people who are most likely to be entitled to income support and to find the best ways of approaching them to encourage them to make a claim for that income support.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What contribution his Department is making to the Government's new deal initiative. [41309]

The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. George Robertson): My Department is committed to and is continuing to play a full part in contributing to the new deal. The armed forces are working closely with the new deal personal advisers and the further education colleges to identify, at the gateway stage, what self-development is required to make young people more confident and self-reliant. We are also committed to offering new deal opportunities whenever civilian recruitment campaigns are run.

Mr. Jenkins: I thank my right hon. Friend for that full answer. Will he point out the many opportunities available to our young people in the services and also give me, the House, young people and, more important, our armed forces, an assurance that every young person allocated a place in the scheme will be a volunteer and that no force whatever will be used? Will he oppose the suggestion in one of the Sunday papers that the scheme is a back-door way to national service?

Mr. Robertson: I can give my hon. Friend an absolute assurance that the armed forces are and will remain volunteer organisations. There is no question of utilising the new deal as a method of press-ganging people into the armed forces.
The three armed forces offer worthwhile, satisfying and profoundly rewarding careers for young people. If I had been answering Question No.1, I should have pointed out that we have turned a corner in the recruiting position in the British Army and are at last making inroads into the shortfall. My hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces, who is in the lead on the matter, has done a superb job in the past 12 months. Young people are coming to our armed forces and we hope that, through the brief taster experiences under the new deal, which is opening new vistas for thousands of young people who for 18 years were denied hope or vision for the future, their eyes will be opened to the possibilities of a good career serving their country.

Mr. Quinn: Will my right hon. Friend please say whether suppliers and contractors who support our armed forces and his Department have proposals to help with the new deal and to encourage young people to get into the broader side of the defence industry?

Mr. Robertson: We always hope that Ministry of Defence suppliers will be among those involved in best practice in every field. We shall encourage those in the defence industry to participate in what is an enriching experience, not only for young people, but for companies and for the country. Many people forget that the defence industry employs 440,000 people at the cutting edge of technology and of success for the nation. Companies that are so successful should clearly recognise the benefits of getting young people through their doors by way of the new deal.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Is my right hon. Friend aware that my constituents in Scarborough and Whitby, along with many other people in North Yorkshire, will benefit from the £1.4 million extra spending on rural bus services? Does that not show clearly that the Government will deliver a national transport policy, unlike the previous Government, who presided over a decline in rural transportation to the extent that three quarters of parishes in England have no daily bus services?

The Prime Minister: Yes. The money announced in the Budget--£41 million for England and £50 million overall in the next three years--will go some way towards repairing the damage done by the previous Government. Literally only a quarter of parishes in England have proper rural transport services at present. Our Budget announcement is only a start: we want to go on and do more.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What plans he has to increase child care provision in 1998-99. [34896]

The Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mr. David Blunkett): In the current year, my Department will allocate an additional £42 million for child care provision, including £10 million for the out-of-school child care initiative--which will provide an additional 20,000 places in the coming year. I am pleased to tell the House that I have allocated £5 million to the Further Education Funding Council, to enable it to provide additional places for child care and creche facilities, so that people can have access to further education.

Mr. Quinn: I welcome that reply. Will the Secretary of State give special consideration to sparsely populated areas, such as mine in Scarborough and Whitby? Those areas have to build infrastructure, and will require resources, which were not forthcoming over the many years of the previous Government.

Mr. Blunkett: I am happy to give that assurance. The Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, East (Mr. Howarth), and I will examine ways of expanding child care provision in conjunction with nursery provision for four-year-olds--and later for three-year-olds--including the extension of the present disregard under family credit. That is being increased in June from £60 to £100 and will be extended until the September after a child's 12th birthday.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What consultations he has had recently with leaders of the fishing industry with regard to coastal management schemes. [33769]

Mr. Morley: I plan to meet leaders of the fishing industry shortly to discuss their recent paper on zonal and coastal state management.

Mr. Quinn: I thank my hon. Friend for that answer and suggest that it would be useful if he could visit fishing communities in Scarborough and Whitby and along the rest of the North Yorkshire coast to receive from them in person the thanks that they have expressed to me for the good start that the Government have made with fishing policy.

Mr. Morley: I am grateful for my hon. Friend's comments. I am always more than willing to meet people from the fishing industry in fishing ports to talk about issues of concern. It is true that we have brought stability to an industry that has lacked it for many years, by getting to grips with the issue of multi-annual guidance programmes III and IV after years of delay.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): What plans he has to visit the middle east to discuss the peace process. [31811]

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Robin Cook): With the presidency of the European Union, we have launched an intensive European effort to restore momentum to the middle east peace process. In a speech last Thursday, I set out an EU initiative on the peace process, in three parts. First, I detailed six immediate steps that must be taken to restore confidence in the peace process. In particular, I called on the Government of Israel to make substantial, credible and urgent further redeployments of troops. At the same time, I called on a 100 per cent. commitment from the Palestine National Authority in respect of security.
Secondly, I pledged the EU to provide practical assistance to remove the obstacles in the path of progress. Under the UK presidency, the EU has agreed to renew financial assistance to the peace process which would otherwise expire this year. We shall now work for a joint effort by Europe, the United States, Israel and the Palestine National Authority on how that aid can best boost the peace process.
Thirdly, we shall undertake intensive diplomatic action to break the current deadlock. On Sunday I leave for a tour of Israel, the Palestine National Authority, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. I shall be pressing, in all six places, the urgent importance of restoring progress towards an agreement that provides peace with security for Israelis and peace with justice for the Palestinians.

Mr. Quinn: Does my right hon. Friend agree that there is much frustration among hon. Members at the lack of progress in the peace process in the middle east? Why is there no opportunity for him to visit the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so that it may help to bring about a rapid and successful harmonisation in the middle east?

Mr. Cook: I am happy to tell my hon. Friend that I visited Saudi Arabia last month. The focus of that visit was to discuss the then confrontation with Iraq, but we did, of course, touch on the peace process. My hon. Friend will be aware that across much of the middle east an unfair comparison was made between our robust approach to Iraq and our alleged weakness towards Israel. I very much hope that the clear, resolute approach that I took in my speech and the comprehensive visits that I am making to the region next week will make it abundantly clear to all that Britain takes fully its responsibility under the resolutions on the middle east--as we do under the resolutions on Iraq.

Mr. Lawrie Quinn (Scarborough and Whitby): Does my right hon. Friend agree--I am sure that my colleague from North Yorkshire, the hon. Member for Ryedale (Mr. Greenway) does--that the real challenges facing hill farmers lie in the future of the common agricultural policy? Farmers in my constituency, which is not many miles from that of the hon. Gentleman, are concerned that we are throwing the baby out with the bath water. I commend to my right hon. Friend an early visit to North Yorkshire, as suggested by the hon. Gentleman. Dr. Cunningham: I agree with my hon. Friend that at the root of these problems--and the causes of the difficulties that farmers face--is the failure of existing provisions in the CAP to provide a long-term, viable income for farmers. It is to that problem that we must look in the longer term, although we shall try to deal with the immediate issues in a different way.

Reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO