Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the first stage of the quinquennial review of the Oil and Pipelines Agency has been completed.
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they expect to lay the Intelligence and Security Committee's report into the terrorist bombings on Bali.[HL Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will make an announcement about the Wye Navigation Order.
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: How the £6 million announced for restructuring the English fishing industry will be allocated.
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the outcome of the recent consultation exercise into an appeal mechanism for Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) claimants in England.
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made in the payment of compensation to former miners suffering from chest diseases as a result of their employment in the mining industry.
Lord Islwyn: My Lords, does the Minister appreciate that mining communities up and down the country will be pleased that progress is at last being made in paying compensation to the most deserving cases? Can he say whether any new fast-track schemes are envisaged? Will he look in particular at the plight of widows, who, it appears, are not included in any priority procedure? Will he give noble Lords an...
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to stimulate manufacturing industry.
Lord Islwyn: My Lords, has the steel-maker Corus turned down the imaginative plan drawn up by the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation to save 6,000 jobs in the steel industry? The plan calls for part-time shifts, with the rest of employees' time being spent on training. It would be funded by the Government and by Corus. Does the Minister appreciate that according to an eminent QC--namely, Cherie...
Lord Islwyn: My Lords, I join other noble Lords in the thanks that they expressed to the noble Lord for initiating this most important debate. However, as several other speakers have pointed out, it is more about the Budget than about the report of the International Monetary Fund which voiced only the mildest of criticisms of the Government's policies. The Chancellor of the Exchequer reminds me of a sort...
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the position on the granting of objective one status to areas of Wales, and what progress has been made on implementation.
Lord Islwyn: My Lords, with regard to the boundaries for objective one status, will there be a measure of flexibility in order to meet changes in circumstances? I am thinking, for example, of the current serious crisis in the steel industry. If Llanwern were to be partially closed, that would result in a loss of jobs in the Valleys, where objective one status exists. Yet such a status does not apply in...
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government What progress has been made in the payment of compensation to ex-miners suffering from dust-related diseases.
Lord Islwyn: My Lords, does the Minister recognise that one of the major stumbling blocks for early settlements is the shortage of consultants? If more were taken out of the National Health Service for that work, it would tend to cause resentment among the general public. Will the Government consider approaching the judge with a view to waiving some of the regulations? That might help to achieve earlier...
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will use powers under Part V of the Police Act 1997 to waive charges to voluntary organisations for checks by the Criminal Records Bureau.
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have had any recent discussions with Corus on the future of the British steel industry.
Lord Islwyn: My Lords, does the Minister recognise that the steel industry is of basic importance to the nation? Does he further recognise that at Llanwern there is a highly trained, skilled and adaptable workforce which is being treated badly? For months the future of those jobs has been hanging like a gossamer thread, with no consultation whatever. As the Government are so enamoured with Europe, why...
Lord Islwyn: My Lords, first, I thank my noble friend Lord Lofthouse for initiating this important debate. He brings a good deal of expertise and common sense to the subject. He has been a constant advocate of the miners' case. My noble friend reminded us that justice delayed is justice denied. That is the theme of the debate. I was among the delegation of noble Lords who met the right honourable Helen...
Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have had any recent discussions with the Corus company concerning the future of the British steel industry.
Lord Islwyn: My Lords, does the Minister appreciate that since British Steel merged with the Dutch concern Hoogvens about 14 months ago to form Corus there has not been much harmony or business success? Thousands of British Steel jobs have already been lost, with not a single job loss in the Netherlands. That rationalisation to be nearer European markets is being carried out under the subterfuge that...
