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Mr. Mellor : All such requests are considered in the light of the criteria governing such transfers, which were set out in the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Bury, North (Mr. Burt) on 23 June 1989 at column 263.
Wandsworth Prison
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make his reply to the report of Her Majesty's inspectorate of prisons on conditions within Wandsworth prison.
Mr. Mellor : My right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr. Hurd) published his response to the report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons on Wandsworth on 20 October 1989 and a copy was placed in the Library.
Mr. Lorrain Esme Osman
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish all the representations he has received about Mr. Lorrain Esme Osman.
Mr. John Patten : It is not normal practice to publish such correspondence, and I can see no reason to make an exception in this case.
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Drugs
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis as to the estimated cost of the Metropolitan police drugs raid on Broadwater Farm estate on 29 September ; and what type and quantity of drugs were seized during the raid.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 27 October 1989] : I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the additional overtime costs were about £42,500. There were some other minor additional costs but these cannot readily be identified. The forensic examination and weighing of the drugs found has not yet been completed, but an initial examination indicates that about a kilo of cannabis was seized as well as some cocaine.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order
Mr. A. Cecil Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, further to his written answer to the hon. Member for Londonderry, East (Mr. Ross) of 27 July, Official Report, column 856, if he will indicate the particular section of the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order (SI 1983. No. 764) which makes provision to appeal from decision to destroy a dog which has bitten a person.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Article 33(1) of the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 requires a court to make an order directing that a dog be destroyed where it appears to the court that the dog has attacked any person or attacked or killed livestock.
Articles 143 and 146 of the Magistrates Courts (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 as applied and modified by article 33(6) of the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 enable an owner to appeal to a county court from an order for the destruction of a dog or, where a point of law is involved, to apply to the magistrates' court to state a case for the opinion of the Court of Appeal.
Students
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the estimated cost of providing education for European Community students in Northern Ireland in (a) the current academic year and (b) each of the last three years.
Dr. Mawhinney : It is not possible to disaggregate such overall costs.
The cost of remitting the tuition fees of eligible European students for the previous three years was :
Current year figures are not yet available.
Mr. Gerard Slane
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will call for a report from the chief constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary on the circumstances of
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the murder of Mr. Gerard Slane in respect of whether any leaking of official photographs and documents relating to Mr. Slane were involved ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Cope : No. However, at the request of the chief constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the deputy chief constable of Cambridgeshire, Mr. John Stevens, is already undertaking a full and impartial investigation into the alleged leaking of security material with a view to the earliest possible comprehensive report to the chief constable.
Seamus Duffy
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the present state of investigation by the police and the independent Police Complaints Commission into the circumstances in which Seamus Duffy was killed by a police plastic baton round in Belfast on 9 August.
Mr. Cope : The police investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Seamus Duffy is being actively pursued and has reached an advanced stage. The investigation is being closely monitored by the Independent Commission for Police Complaints for Northern Ireland. Once the investigation has been completed the investigating officer's final report will go to the Commission which will then issue a statement to the chief constable on the conduct of the investigation. The papers will then be passed to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Until such time as the DPP has issued directions on the case, or any proceedings have terminated, it would not be appropriate to give details of the investigations.
Prisons
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give (a) the optimum operational capacity of each prison in Northern Ireland and (b) the actual numbers of prisoners currently housed in each prison in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Cope : The optimum operational capacity of each prison in Northern Ireland together with the actual numbers of prisoners currently housed is :
Population as at 08.30 hours 3 November 1989 Accommodation |Number ------------------------------------------------------------ Her Majesty's prison Belfast <1>433 |533 Her Majesty's prison Maghaberry <1>486 |<2>297 Her Majesty's prison Magilligan <1>300 |266 Her Majesty's prison Maze <1>750 |517 <1>Single cell accommodation. <2> Including 23 female prisoners.
These figures include prisoners on home leave and in outside hospitals.
In addition, the young offenders centre, Hydebank, has single cell accommodation for 300 and has a current population of 158.
Mr. Mallon : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the total prison population in Northern Ireland in each of the years since 1980.
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Mr. Cope : The average prison population in each of the years since 1980 was :
|Numbers
---------------------------
<1>1980 |2,489
<1>1981 |2,521
<1>1982 |2,481
<1>1983 |2,453
<1>1984 |2,248
<1>1985 |2,943
<2>1986-87 |1,907
<2>1987-88 |1,947
<2>1988-89 |1,860
<1> Calendar year.
<2> Financial year.
NATIONAL FINANCE
IMF/World Bank (Meetings)
63. Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's action in response to the outcome of the recent annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Mr. Ryder : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 October to my hon. Friend, the Member for Gedling (Mr. Mitchell) at column 202. The United Kingdom will play its full part in furthering these policies.
Gross Domestic Product
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will list the gross domestic product per head for (a) Wales, (b) England and (c) the United Kingdom for the most recent 10 years ; (2) if he will list the main components of the gross domestic product per head which result in the total for Wales being lower than the total for England and the United Kingdom for the most recent 10 years.
Mr. Lamont [holding answer 2 November 1989] : For the latest estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) per head, I refer the hon. Member to "Economic Trends" No. 421, November 1988, page 90. An industrial analysis of
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GDP is given on page 93 of the same article which gives detailed figures for the latest four years ; a copy of which is available in the Library. A copy of the information requested on the main components of the gross domestic product for the 10 most recent years has been placed in the Library.Child Care Facilities
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of parents paying tax on the provision or subsidy of child care facilities by employers and the amount of tax collected in each of the past five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 2 November 1989] : I regret that information on which to base reliable estimates of the number of parents paying tax on this benefit in kind and the amount of tax collected is not available.
Families with Children
Mr. Squire : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with children fall below the tax threshold.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 2 November 1989] : In 1989-90, it is estimated that some 1.6 million families with children have taxable incomes below the income tax threshold. The estimate is based on a projection of the 1986 family expenditure survey and is therefore provisional.
Tax and Insurance
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give up to date figures on income tax and national insurance averages on the same basis as in his reply to the hon. Member for Hornchurch (Mr. Squire) of 10 January, Official Report, columns 633-56, including data for 1989-90.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 2 November 1989] : Figures for 1978-79 to 1988-89 were earlier placed in the Library of the House on 13 April 1989. Revised estimates for 1988-89 and estimates for 1989-90 are set out in the tables.
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Income Tax and NICS Payments at Multiples of Average Earnings, 1989-90
|Multiples of Average
|Earnings
|0.5 |0.75 |1 |1.5 |2 |3 |4 |5 |7 |10 |20
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Single
Amounts, £ per week
Income Tax |21.05 |38.27 |55.49 |89.92 |139.27 |249.47 |359.67 |469.87 |690.27 |1,020.87 |2,122.87
NICS |10.46 |16.66 |22.86 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |----
Total |31.51 |54.93 |78.35 |117.66 |167.01 |277.21 |387.41 |497.61 |718.01 |1,048.61 |2,150.61
Amounts 1988-89 prices
Income Tax |19.86 |36.10 |52.35 |84.83 |131.39 |235.35 |339.31 |443.27 |651.20 |963.08 |2,002.71
NICS |9.87 |15.72 |21.57 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |----
Total |29.73 |51.82 |73.92 |111.00 |157.56 |261.52 |365.48 |469.44 |677.37 |989.25 |2,028.88
Percentage of Earnings
Income Tax (per cent.) |15.3 |18.5 |20.1 |21.8 |25.3 |30.2 |32.6 |34.1 |35.8 |37.1 |38.5
NICS (per cent.) |7.6 |8.1 |8.3 |6.7 |5.0 |3.4 |2.5 |2.0 |1.4 |1.0 |0.5
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total (per cent.) |22.9 |26.6 |28.4 |28.5 |30.3 |33.5 |35.2 |36.1 |37.2 |38.1 |39.0
Married, no children
Amounts, £ per week
Income Tax |13.40 |30.62 |47.84 |82.28 |127.03 |237.23 |347.43 |457.63 |678.03 |1,008.63 |2,110.63
NICS |10.46 |16.66 |22.86 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74
Total |23.86 |47.28 |70.7 |110.02 |154.77 |264.97 |375.17 |485.37 |705.77 |1,036.37 |2,138.37
Amounts 1988-89 prices
Income Tax |12.64 |28.89 |45.13 |77.62 |119.84 |223.80 |327.76 |431.73 |639.65 |951.54 |1,991.16
NICS |9.87 |15.72 |21.57 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |----
Total |22.51 |44.60 |66.70 |103.79 |146.01 |249.97 |353.93 |457.90 |665.82 |977.71 |2,017.33
Percentage of Earnings
Income Tax (per cent.) |9.7 |14.8 |17.4 |19.9 |23.1 |28.7 |31.5 |33.2 |35.2 |36.6 |38.3
NICS (per cent.) |7.6 |8.1 |8.3 |6.7 |5.0 |3.4 |2.5 |2.0 |1.4 |1.0 |0.5
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total (per cent.) |17.3 |22.9 |25.7 |26.6 |28.1 |32.1 |34.0 |35.2 |36.6 |37.6 |38.8
Married, both working
Amounts, £ per week
Income Tax |0.01 |17.23 |34.45 |68.89 |105.61 |186.49 |280.16 |388.73 |609.13 |939.73 |2,041.73
NICS |9.39 |15.59 |21.79 |34.18 |46.08 |55.49 |55.49 |55.49 |55.49 |55.49 |55.49
Total |9.40 |32.82 |56.24 |103.07 |151.69 |241.98 |335.65 |444.22 |664.62 |995.22 |2,097.22
Amounts 1988-89 prices
Income Tax |0.01 |16.25 |32.50 |64.99 |99.63 |175.93 |264.30 |366.73 |574.65 |886.54 |1,926.16
NICS |8.86 |14.71 |20.56 |32.25 |43.47 |52.35 |52.35 |52.35 |52.35 |52.35 |52.35
Total |8.87 |30.96 |53.06 |97.24 |143.10 |228.28 |316.65 |419.08 |627.00 |938.89 |1,978.51
Per cent. of Earnings
Income Tax (per cent.) |0.0 |8.3 |12.5 |16.7 |19.2 |22.6 |25.4 |28.2 |31.6 |34.1 |37.1
NICS (per cent.) |6.8 |7.5 |7.9 |8.3 |8.4 |6.7 |5.0 |4.0 |2.9 |2.0 |1.0
Total (per cent.) |6.8 |15.9 |20.4 |24.9 |27.5 |29.3 |30.5 |32.2 |34.5 |36.1 |38.1
Married, two children
Amounts, £ per week
Income Tax |-1.1 |16.12 |33.34 |67.78 |112.53 |222.73 |332.93 |443.13 |663.53 |994.13 |2,096.13
NICS |10.46 |16.66 |22.86 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74 |27.74
Total |9.36 |32.78 |56.20 |95.52 |140.250 |250.47 |360.67470.87 |91.27 |1,021.87 |2,123.87
Amounts 1988-89 prices
Income Tax |-1.04 |15.21 |31.45 |63.94 |106.16 |210.12 |314.08 |418.05 |625.97 |937.86 |1,977.48
NICS |9.87 |15.72 |21.57 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17 |26.17
Total |8.83 |30.92 |53.02 |90.11 |132.33 |236.29 |340.25 |444.22 |652.14 |964.03 |2,003.65
Per cent. of Earnings
Income tax (per cent.) |-0.8 |7.8 |12.1 |16.4 |20.4 |26.9 |30.2 |32.2 |34.4 |36.1 |38.0
NICS (per cent.) |7.6 |8.1 |8.3 |6.7 |5.0 |3.4 |2.5 |2.0 |1.4 |1.0 |0.5
Total (per cent.) |6.8 |15.9 |20.4 |23.1 |25.5 |30.3 |32.7 |34.2 |35.8 |37.1 |38.5
Table file CW891106.016 not available
Income Tax and NICS payments at multiples of Average Earnings, 1988-89
|Multiples of Average
|Earnings
|0.5 |0.75 |1 |1.5 |2 |3 |4 |5 |7 |10 |20
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Single
Amounts, £ per week
Income Tax |19.51 |35.53 |51.55 |83.59 |129.33 |231.85 |334.37 |436.89 |641.93 |949.49 |1,974.69
NICS |11.53 |17.30 |23.07 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45
Total |31.04 |52.83 |74.62 |111.04 |156.78 |259.3 |361.82 |464.34 |669.38 |976.94 |2,002.14
Per cent. of Earnings
Income Tax
per cent. |15.2 |18.5 |20.1 |21.7 |25.2 |30.2 |32.6 |34.1 |35.8 |37.0 |38.5
NICS per
cent. |9.0 |9.0 |9.0 |7.1 |5.4 |3.6 |2.7 |2.1 |1.5 |1.1 |0.5
Total per
cent. |24.2 |27.5 |29.1 |28.9 |30.6 |33.7 |35.3 |36.2 |37.3 |38.1 |39.1
Married, no children
Amounts, £ per week
Income Tax |12.35 |28.37 |44.39 |76.43 |117.87 |220.39 |322.91 |425.43 |630.47 |938.03 |1,963.23
NICS |11.53 |17.30 |23.07 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45
Total |23.88 |45.67 |67.46 |103.88 |145.32 |247.84 |350.36 |452.88 |657.92 |96.48 |1,990.68
Per cent. of Earnings
Income Tax
per cent. |9.6 |14.8 |17.3 |19.9 |23.0 |28.7 |31.5 |33.2 |35.1 |36.6 |38.3
NICS per
cent. |9.0 |9.0 |9.0 |7.1 |5.4 |3.6 |2.7 |2.1 |1.5 |1.1 |0.5
Total per
cent. |18.6 |23.8 |26.3 |27.0 |28.3 |32.2 |34.2 |35.3 |36.7 |37.7 |38.8
Married, both working
Amounts, £ per week
Income Tax |0 |15.84 |31.86 |63.9 |97.83 |173.19 |260.33 |361.18 |566.22 |873.78 |1,898.98
NICS |7.95 |15.76 |21.02 |34.60 |45.90 |54.90 |54.90 |54.90 |54.90 |54.90 |54.90
Total |7.95 |31.60 |52.88 |98.50 |143.73 |228.09 |315.23 |416.08 |621.12 |928.68 |1,953.88
Per cent. of Earnings
Income Tax
per cent. |0.0 |8.2 |12.4 |16.6 |19.1 |22.5 |25.4 |28.2 |31.6 |34.1 |37.0
NICS per
cent. |6.2 |8.2 |8.2 |9.0 |9.0 |7.1 |5.4 |4.3 |3.1 |2.1 |1.1
Total per
cent. |6.2 |16.4 |20.6 |25.6 |28.0 |29.7 |30.7 |32.5 |34.6 |36.2 |38.1
Married, two children
Amounts, £ per week
Income Tax |-2.15 |13.87 |29.89 |61.93 |103.37 |205.89 |308.41 |409.93 |615.97 |923.53 |1,948.73
NICS |11.53 |17.3 |23.07 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45 |27.45
Total |9.38 |31.17 |52.96 |89.38 |130.82 |233.34 |335.86 |437.38 |643.42 |950.98 |1,976.18
Per cent. of Earnings
Income Tax
per cent. |-1.7 |7.2 |11.7 |16.1 |20.2 |26.8 |30.1 |32.0 |34.3 |36.0 |38.0
NICS per
cent. |9.0 |9.0 |9.0 |7.1 |5.4 |3.6 |2.7 |2.1 |1.5 |1.1 |0.5
Total per
cent. |7.3 |16.2 |20.7 |23.2 |25.5 |30.3 |32.8 |34.1 |35.9 |37.1 |38.6
Notes to Tables:
1. Income tax payments are calculated on the assumption that the tax units receive no tax reliefs other than the standard allowances. Earners, including working wives, are assumed to pay Class 1 NI contributions at the contracted in rate. The figures for NI contributions
are financial year averages.
2. The two earner married couple is assumed to have combined earnings equal to the various multiples of average earnings. In calculating disposable income it is assumed that these earnings are split between husband and wife in the ratio 60:40.
3. For the married couple with two children, child benefit is treated as a negative income tax.
4. Average earnings are taken to be the average gross weekly earnings of all full-time males on adult rates with pay unaffected by absence. These were £256.30 per week in 1988-89, and estimated to be £275.50 per week in 1989-90 using the Government Actuary Department's
assumption of 7" per cent. growth over 1988-89 as published in the GAD annual report in December 1988.
5. 1989-90 figures are converted into 1988-89 prices by assuming that the RPI is 6 per cent. higher in 1989-90 than the previous financial year. This is consistent with the forecasts published in the 1989-90 Financial Statement and Budget Report.
EEC (Contributions)
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the net contribution to the EEC in 1989.
Mr. Ryder [holding answer 31 October 1989 ]: The Government's latest published estimate of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the Community budget in 1989 is £1,966 million. A new estimate of the United Kingdom's net payments to European Community institutions for the financial year 1989-90 will be published in the Autumn Statement.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Aid Charities
49. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sum is currently given per capita in donations to overseas aid charities ; and what was the equivalent sum in donations in 1979.
Mrs. Chalker : There is no Government record of the public's donations to voluntary agencies for work overseas. However, each major agency publishes an
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annual report and accounts. It is clear that voluntary giving for overseas aid agencies has increased substantially since 1979.Ethiopia
50. Mr. Kirkhope : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what way Her Majesty's Government are helping to reduce the consequences of famine in Ethiopia.
Mrs. Chalker : Substantial amounts of food aid are likely to be needed but a fuller picture will emerge when United Nations crop assessment data become available shortly. Meanwhile, I announced in August 5,000 tonnes of wheatflour and I have recently approved a further 5,000 tonnes. We are, of course, working closely with other aid donors on emergency help.
61. Mr. Jacques Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans Her Majesty's Government have to help alleviate famine in Ethiopia.
Mrs. Chalker : As I have said in reply to the question from my hon. Friend, the Member for Leeds, North-East (Mr. Kirkhope), the situation is not yet fully clear, but it is likely that substantial amounts of food aid will be
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needed to prevent the recurrence of famine in northern Ethiopia over the coming year. I announced in August the allocation of 5,000 tonnes of wheatflour to Ethiopia and I have recently approved the allocation of a further 5,000 tonnes. We shall continue to monitor the situation very closely and to liaise with other aid donors.South Africa
51. Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what safeguards exist to monitor the allocation of overseas Government funding to organisations in South Africa and to South African organisations not currently located within South Africa ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Chalker : Staff of our Embassy in Pretoria and of the British Council make frequent visits to the organisations to which we provide aid and the projects we help finance. Officials from my Department visit South Africa regularly to oversee our aid programme and to ensure that it is being well spent. We do not finance any South African organisations outside South Africa.
Namibia
52. Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid he proposes to make available to Namibia on attainment of independence.
Mrs. Chalker : As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated in the House on 26 October, we are willing to provide financial assistance to independent Namibia. But it will not be possible to make specific plans until we have had discussions with the elected Government on their own priorities and policies.
Wildlife Conservation (Africa)
53. Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in what ways Britain is helping to conserve wildlife in Africa.
Mrs. Chalker : Britain has long been helping African Governments with their wildlife conservation efforts, and we are always ready to consider new requests for help. I have placed a list of recent and continuing activities in the Library of the House.
Northern Somalia
54. Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of United Kingdom aid to Somalia particularly in terms of alleviating the poverty and suffering of people in northern Somalia ; whether his policy has been reviewed in the light of renewed internal conflicts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Chalker : The security situation in northern Somalia since the beginning of the civil conflict there has prevented an effective relief effort being mounted, although we remain ready to support the operations of the international relief agencies and British voluntary organisations when these become possible. Concern about human rights abuses led us to suspend an offer of new capital aid to Somalia in October last year and following the deterioration of conditions since mid-July, we concluded that it was necessary to reduce our existing technical co-operation programme.
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Brundtland Commission Report
55. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's response to the Brundtland Commission report on environment and development issues.
Mrs. Chalker : The Government's commitment to sustainable development is set out in the United Kingdom response of July 1988 to the Brundtland report and in a progress report, "Sustaining our Common Future", produced recently by the Department of the Environment. Copies of both documents are in the Library. Among the things they show is how, through the aid programme, we are working to promote sustainable economic and social progress and alleviate poverty in developing countries.
India
56. Mr. Irvine : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the United Kingdom is giving to support primary education in India.
Mrs. Chalker : A grant of just over £31 million was approved earlier this year for a primary education project in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It provides for the design and construction of some 1,100 teachers centres and 4,000 classrooms mostly in remote rural areas throughout the state. It will also cover the training of teachers and teacher educators, teaching materials and research and evaluation activities designed to measure and improve the effectiveness of training and child-centred learning techniques.
Overseas Aid Programme
57. Sir Anthony Meyer : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in the light of world economic conditions, he will review the priorities in the United Kingdom overseas aid programme.
Mrs. Chalker : Priorities in the United Kingdom overseas aid programme are kept under constant review, as indicated in the Government's observations on the 1987 FAC report on bilateral aid, Cm. 225.
Amazonian Rain Forest
58. Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific developments have now resulted from the visit by the right hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Patten) to the Amazonian rain forest.
Mrs. Chalker : In August and September British experts visited Brazil and identified a number of well-defined possibilities for collaborative projects. One of these, a joint five year project by Brazilian scientific institutions and the Institute of Hydrology to improve our knowledge of the critical effect of rainforests on climate, has been worked out in detail and has been put forward to the Brazilian authorities for agreement. If it is acceptable, I hope work will start by January, 1990.
In addition, Dr. Synnott of the Oxford Forestry Institute will visit Brazil again later this month to try to finalise the details of certain projects in sustainable forestry management and the genetic resources of forests so that work on these can also start early next year.
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Overseas Aid
59. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many former colonies are currently in receipt of overseas aid from the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Chalker : There are 59 former British dependent territories currently in receipt of British aid.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of gross domestic product is currently spent on overseas aid.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage proportion of gross domestic product is currently spent on overseas aid.
Mrs. Chalker : United Kingdom aid as a proportion of gross national product stood at 0.32 per cent. in 1988--14 per cent. up on the figure for 1987.
Aid (Debt)
60. Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what weight he gives to a country's level of indebtedness when making decisions about the level of aid allocated to them.
Mrs. Chalker : Our criteria for allocating bilateral aid are set out in the Government's observation on the 1987 FAC report on bilateral aid, Cm. 225. Indebtedness by itself is not a reason for providing aid. In the context of support for economic policy reform the level of debt servicing obligations a country has to meet, after any debt rescheduling or relief, is one of the factors taken into account on deciding on the level of bilateral aid provision.
AIDS
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, pursuant to his answer of 6 March, Official Report, column 403, he will estimate when the research would be complete in order to assess the impact of AIDS on developing countries.
Mrs. Chalker : We are supporting research on the demographic and economic impact of AIDS in developing countries. We expect this work to be completed in October 1990.
Developing Countries
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has received a copy of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report on strengthening environmental co-operation with developing countries, published in the current year.
Mrs. Chalker : Yes. A copy has been placed in the Library.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Guildford Four
38. Mr. Allen : To ask the Attorney-General what discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding the granting of immunity from prosecution to those giving evidence in the judicial inquiry on the convictions of the Guildford Four.
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The Attorney-General : There is a distinction between a full immunity from prosecution, which might be given to a particular witness, and an assurance to that witness that any evidence he might give would not be used against him in criminal proceedings. I have discussed these matters in general terms with the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Civil Legal Aid
39. Mr. Fraser : To ask the Attorney-General what percentage of adults are now estimated to be eligible for civil legal aid ; and what was the comparative figure in 1979.
The Attorney-General : Eligibility for legal aid is determined by a great number of factors. Among them is the fact that a large proportion of civil legal aid is for matrimonial proceedings where it is not easy to estimate who might be eligible as proceedings only arise where there has been a breakdown of an existing household. Officials have been considering how it might be possible to make more reliable estimates of current eligibility for civil legal aid. Their work is not yet complete.
Relator Proceedings
40. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Attorney-General whether he has received any representations about his criteria for deciding on the granting of relator proceedings ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : Representations have been made in the context of recent proceedings brought against Barratt Manchester Ltd. and Bolton metropolitan borough council. The solicitor to the two relators concerned has confirmed that one of them is an undischarged bankrupt. Despite his making the usual inquiries, this was not known to him or the Attorney- General at the time consent was granted. The relator concerned has now withdrawn from the action.
Judicial Review
41. Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Attorney-General if he will review the rule that application for judicial review must normally be made within three months from the decision complained of ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : The Government have no plans to review the three month period within which applications for leave to apply for judicial review must normally be made. The present rules both encourage promptness and allow exceptions to be made where necessary.
Legal Profession
42. Mr. Favell : To ask the Attorney-General if he has had any recent representations from the judiciary on the green papers on the legal profession ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor received a number of representations from the judiciary on the Green Papers on the legal profession during the consultation period, but none since the White Paper was published on 19 July.
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Justices of the Peace
43. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Attorney-General how many justices of the peace are currently in post ; how many of these are from ethnic minorities ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : The total number of active justices of the peace in England and Wales at 1 January 1989 was 28,211. Records are not kept of the racial origins of magistrates but surveys in 1987 indicated that 528 were members of an ethnic minority.
Since then an informal count has revealed that the number of appointments of justices from the ethnic minority has exceeded their proportion in the population age groups from which appointments are normally made. Subject to the personal suitability of candidates, it is desirable that each bench should broadly reflect the local community. Where this is not currently the case, advisory committees seek to redress the balance.
City Fraud
44. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Attorney-General what recent meetings he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions regarding serious City fraud ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : Matters of serious City fraud are largely the responsibility of the serious fraud office. I have met the director and deputy director of the serious fraud office on a number of occasions in the past month to discuss matters of departmental interest.
Correspondence
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Attorney-General what information his Department and the Lord Chancellor's Department have on the length of time taken to respond to letters from hon. Members.
The Attorney-General : Between 1 January 1989 and 30 September 1989, 67 per cent. of letters from hon. Members to the Lord Chancellor's Department were answered within 28 days of receipt. Information for earlier periods is not available.
I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 31 October 1989 at col. 133 to his earlier question concerning my own Department.
Ministers (Prosecution)
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Attorney-General (1) if his fiat has been refused in any cases where citizens have attempted to bring a private prosecution against a Government Minister for alleged serious offences ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if his power of consent has been used at any time to refuse the prosecution of Government Ministers ; and if he will make a statement.
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