The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1990-1997

1992Prime Minister (1990-1997)

PMQT Written Answers – 27 October 1992

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Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 27th October 1992.

PRIME MINISTER:

 

Appointments

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list all the names of public appointments that he has made, giving the period for which the appointment was made, relevant qualifications of the appointees and what remuneration each currently receives.

The Prime Minister : As I told the hon. Member on 13 June 1991, Official Report, column 663, in answer to a similar question, this information could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

 

Housing Associations

Ms. Walley : To ask the Prime Minister what response he has made to representations from the National Federation of Housing Associations about the retention of the £2 billion grant for housing associations ; and if he will make it his policy that no cuts in expenditure will be made to the budget for the west midlands.

The Prime Minister : The hon. Member for Coventry, North-East (Mr. Ainsworth) wrote to me on 15 October, enclosing a letter which he had received from the chairman of the west midlands regional council of the National Federation of Housing Associations (NFHA). My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of the Environment replied on my behalf.

The Government cannot comment on the outcome of the public expenditure survey, which will be announced in my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s “Autumn Statement”. The Government have shown their commitment to housing associations as the main providers of new social housing by increasing resources for the Housing Corporation from £935 million in 1989-90 to over £1,700 million in 1992-93.

Next year resources will be allocated among the Housing Corporation’s regions in accordance with the housing needs indicator, which is agreed by the Department of the Environment, the Housing Corporation and the NFHA.

 

Engagements

Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 27 October.

Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 27 October.

The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

 

Pit Closures

Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Prime Minister in agreeing to the pit closures what account he took of the effect on competitiveness of the changes in exchange rate between the pound and the dollar; and if he will publish a table showing for each year since 1970 (a) the relative unit value of United Kingdom exports compared with those of the United States of America in each year based on the second half of 1973 equals 100 and the fourth quarter of 1986 equals 100, (b) the world price of coal in terms of dollars and (c) an index of freight rates from (i) the United States of America, (ii) Australia and (iii) the contract price for United Kingdom coal delivered to power stations.

The Prime Minister [holding answer 23 October 1992] : The competitiveness of British-mined coal was considered at a range of pound : dollar exchange rates. The other information requested cannot be supplied in the time available and my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade will write to the hon. Member.

 

Middle East

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy during his visit to Egypt on 23 October to raise with President Mubarak Israel’s nuclear capability and the danger of nuclear proliferation throughout the middle east.

The Prime Minister [holding answer 26 October 1992] : I discussed a number of middle east security matters with President Mubarak. I did not discuss Israel’s nuclear potential.