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Mr. MacGregor : The cash limit for class XII, vote 5 will be increased by £1,489,000 from £815,875,000 to £817,364,000. A total of £1,191,000 of the increase reflects the take-up of the entitlement to carry forward capital underspend under the end-year flexibility arrangement, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 20 July 1989. A total of £548,000 of the increase reflects an adjustment to the level of grant following an administrative error in the payment of 1988-89 grant to the Science and Engineering Council. Increased expenditure on fees paid under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 accounts for a further £4, 000.
These increases are offset by a reduction of £254,000 in the grant to the Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) to reflect a further reduction in the AFRC's grant to the Institute of Plant Science Research following the institute's retention of proceeds from the sale of the Plant Breeding Institute.
SCOTLAND
Social Security Benefit
Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of the Scottish population of 16 years and over receive any form of social security benefit payment or pension ; and if he will make a statement containing numerical information on this matter.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : I have been asked to reply.
In 1988 about 2.5 million adults in Scotland (65 per cent.) were in receipt of some form of social security benefit. This figure includes both partners of all couples in receipt of benefit but excludes dependent young people aged 16 to 18 as well as children under 16. The total includes about 1.1 million adults in families receiving child benefit and about 800,000 pension recipients.
Source : Administrative Statistics and the Family Expenditure Survey.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Family Law
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Attorney-General when the family law and administration working party intends to report its interim deliberations for consultation.
Mr. Key : To ask the Attorney-General when the family law and administration working party intends to report its interim deliberations for consultation.
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Attorney-General when the family law and administration working party intends to report its interim deliberations for consultation.
The Attorney-General : The role of the family law and administration working party is to oversee and where necessary co-ordinate advice to Ministers on matters within the announced rolling programme to review family law and administration. Accordingly it is not expected itself to publish reports or consultation documents.
Mr. Day : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the rolling programme of family law reform promised in the later stages of the Children Act 1989.
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Sir George Young : To ask the Attorney- General if he will make a statement on the rolling programme of family law reform promised in the later stages of the Children Act 1989.Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the rolling programme of family law reform promised in the later stages of the Children Act 1989.
The Attorney-General : The Government's rolling programme of review of family law and its administration includes :
(a) implementation of the Children Act 1989, including a review of court procedures ;
(b) consideration of the Law Commission's report on divorce when it is received and with it the future provision of conciliation and reconciliation services ;
(c) consideration of the law relating to financial provision in family cases ;
(d) consideration of the Law Commission's report on domestic violence and rights to occupy the family home when received ; (e) the future provision and organisation of the services which provide independent and expert advice to the courts in family proceedings or which provide representation for the child or his interests ; and
(f) consideration, in the light of other changes, of the jurisdiction of the courts in family matters.
The Government have set up an interdepartmental working party, the family law and administration working party, to oversee and, where necessary, to co-ordinate advice to Ministers on implementation of the Children Act 1989 and matters falling within the rolling programme.
Mr. Rowe : To ask the Attorney-General if the family law and administration working party is considering the future of welfare and conciliation services ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gregory : To ask the Attorney-General if the family law and administration working party is considering the future of welfare and conciliation services ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Squire : To ask the Attorney-General if the family law and administration working party is considering the future of welfare and conciliation services ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Doran : To ask the Attorney-General if the family law and administration working party is considering the future of welfare and conciliation services.
The Attorney-General : The role of the family law and administration working party is to oversee and where necessary co-ordinate advice to Ministers on matters within the announced rolling programme to review family law and business. Work is in hand in the responsible Departments on the future of welfare and conciliation services but it is too early to say what the results may be.
Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Attorney-General when the family law and administration working party last met ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Hayes : To ask the Attorney-General when the family law and administration working party last met ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Attorney-General when the family law and administration working party last met ; and what matters were discussed.
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The Attorney-General : The family law and administration working party last met in November 1989, when it discussed the parliamentary passage of the Children Bill and progress towards the Bill's implementation, including training in the handling of children's cases.
Mr. French : To ask the Attorney-General if he has any proposals to increase the rate at which divorce hearings and child custody hearings are processed.
The Attorney-General : It is the aim of the Government that child custody cases should be processed expeditiously. When the Children Act 1989 comes into force it will re-emphasise the importance of avoiding delay in determining any issue relating to the upbringing of a child and will facilitate the imposition of timetables in such proceedings.
Mr. French : To ask the Attorney-General if he will introduce legislation to provide for indexing of maintenance payments in divorce proceedings to the retail price index.
The Attorney-General : No. The Government are, however, reviewing the arrangements for assessing, collecting and enforcing maintenance payments ; and means of keeping the levels of maintenance awards up to date is one of the major aspects being addressed.
Mr. French : To ask the Attorney-General what information he has on the length of time taken to process (a) divorce hearings and (b) child custody hearings ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : The length of time a divorce hearing or child custody hearing takes from application to completion is subject to several factors, including the action of the parties.
The only measurement of time recorded is the interval between a request from the parties for a hearing, or at the instigation of the court, and the next date with sufficient time available to hear the case. It is not possible to distinguish between divorce or child custody hearings and other civil cases.
Mr. Waller : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the future of welfare services and their role in resolving matrimonial disputes.
The Attorney-General : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I have given today to the questions on the rolling programme of family law reform.
Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Attorney-General when proposals from the family law and administration working party on the future of welfare and conciliation services will be available for consultation.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Attorney-General when proposals from the family law and administration working party on the future of welfare and conciliation services will be available for consultation.
Mr. Graham : To ask the Attorney-General when proposals from the family law and administration working party on the future of welfare and conciliation services will be available for consultation.
The Attorney-General : The role of the family law and administration working party is to oversee and where
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necessary co-ordinate advice to Ministers on matters within the announced rolling programme to review family law and administration. Accordingly it is not expected to publish reports or consultation documents. Work is in hand in the responsible Departments on the future of welfare and conciliation services but it is too early to say what the results might be.Mr. Paice : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the future of the conciliation services.
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the future of the conciliation services.
The Attorney-General : I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave on 29 January at column 27.
Divorce Laws
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Attorney-General what plans have been formulated for a reform of the divorce laws ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Knapman : To ask the Attorney-General what plans have been formulated for a reform of the divorce laws ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Attorney-General what plans have been formulated for a reform of the divorce laws.
The Attorney-General : The Law Commission is reviewing the law of divorce and is expected to report later this year. It would be premature to reach any conclusions until its proposals have been considered in detail.
Cre ches
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Attorney-General if he will list by location where cre che facilities are provided for working mothers employed in his Department ; and if they have to make any payment for this service.
The Attorney-General : Cre che facilities are not provided at the legal secretariat to the Law Officers or the Serious Fraud Office. The Crown prosecution service is encouraging the establishment of cre che facilities where this is justified by demand and local CPS offices are encouraged to co-operate with other Departments. The Treasury Solicitor's Department provides accommodation in Queen Anne's chambers for a holiday play scheme, run in conjunction with the Cabinet Office, and which offers 32 places for five to 12-year-olds. A payment of £5 per day per child is required for this service. The Treasury Solicitor's Department is actively considering a cre che and hopes to establish such facilities in conjunction with the Charity Commission when its property division relocates to Taunton in August 1991.
Welfare Services
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the future of welfare services and their role in resolving matrimonial disputes.
The Attorney-General : I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I have given today to the questions on the rolling programme of family law reform.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Local Government Pensioners
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the level of pensions paid to retired Kenya local government officers.
Mr. Waldegrave : We have received representations on behalf of retired Kenya local government officers on a number of occasions, both from the retired officers themselves and through hon. Members.
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the cost of extending United Kingdom pension increase arrangements to (a) all expatriate local government pensioners and (b) local government pensioners formerly employed in Kenya.
Mr. Waldegrave : We do not hold sufficient information about these groups of pensioners to enable us to provide meaningful estimates.
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to assume responsibility for pensions paid to retired Kenya local government officers.
Mr. Waldegrave : None. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development gave him on 16 January.
Ethiopia
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy on giving (a) emergency famine relief to Ethiopia and (b) assistance for long-term development.
Mr. Waldegrave : We shall continue to respond generously to the renewed threat of famine in Ethiopia and the hon. Member will be aware of the most recent commitment of relief aid announced by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development on 31 January at column 189. As to the question of assistance for longer-term development, the Government's policy remains as stated in their observations (column 432) on the report of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs on famine in the Horn of Africa and, in particular, in the response (page 6) to the recommendations contained in paragraph 101 of the report.
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will give details of the £0.7 million provided for food-growing programmes in Ethiopia referred to by the Minister for Overseas Development on 29 January, Official Report, column 16 ; and whether the Government will support agricultural rehabilitation programmes in Ethiopia, sponsored by British voluntary agencies.
Mr. Waldegrave : The figure stated by my right hon. Friend represents anticipated expenditure in the current financial year against overall commitments totalling £2.6 million in respect of four community-level, agricultural rehabilitation and development projects being imple-mented by British non-governmental organisations
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(CARE Britain, Farm Africa and SOS Sahel) and a commitment of up to £400,000 in respect of a research project designed to produce improved strains of teff (an indigenous cereal crop). Two further NGO proposals are under consideration and we remain ready to consider any others which may be submitted.Development Assistance
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was United Kingdom official development assistance as a percentage of gross national product for each year from 1979 to 1989 ; what is the estimated percentage for 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave : United Kingdom official development assistance as a percentage of gross national product for each year from 1979 is given in the table. The figure for 1989 is not yet available, nor is an estimate for 1990.
Net overseas development aid as percentage Gross National Product Year |Per cent. ------------------------------ 1979 |.51 1980 |.35 1981 |.42 1982 |.37 1983 |.35 1984 |.33 1985 |.33 1986 |.31 1987 |.28 1988 |.32 Source: British Aid Statistics.
Arms Exports
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he will take in order to implement the resolution on arms exports unanimously adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in September 1989.
Mr. Waldegrave : We already apply stringent licensing controls to all proposed arms exports ; the sale of equipment judged likely to be used for internal repression, for example, would not be allowed. We are now taking part in the United Nations study group promoting transparency in international transfers of conventional arms, which had its first meeting in New York on 22 to 26 January.
PHARE
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on British involvement in the Poland and Hungary Assistance for Economic Restructuring, PHARE, programme with reference to that priority sector of the programme which concerns environmental issues.
Mr. Waldegrave : We strongly support the work of the Group of 24 in providing co-ordinated help to Poland and Hungary, under the chairmanship of the European Commission. The European Community has so far provided £210 million for aid to Poland and Hungary in 1990, some £35 to £50 million of which has been earmarked for expenditure on the environment. United Kingdom experts participated in two recent fact-finding
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missions to Poland and Hungary to assess environmental priorities in those two countries. Proposals based on their reports are in preparation. We shall continue to urge that resources and expertise are deployed according to a scientifically based assessment of those countries' needs.Ivory
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on how the existing 600-tonne stock of ivory in Hong Kong was acquired.
Mr. Waldegrave : Hong Kong's ivory stock was acquired in the normal process of trade. Most was imported in the raw form from all major sources, either directly or through intermediaries.
Hong Kong
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much elephant ivory and rhino horn has been seized by the authorities in Hong Kong during the last six months.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 22 January 1990] : In the last six months, the following has been seized by the authorities in Hong Kong :
|Number of seizures|Quantity
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elephant ivory |27 |2.16 tonnes
Rhino horn |2 |21.2 kilogrammes
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much ivory has been exported from Hong Kong in the last six months ; to which countries it was exported ; and how much of such ivory was (a) worked and (b) raw.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 22 January 1990] : Since 1 June 1989, Hong Kong has exported 4.8 tonnes of worked ivory and 50 tonnes of raw ivory. The principal destinations were China, Macau, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, India, Thailand, South Korea, the Federal Republic of Germany and Mexico.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if all the current ivory stock in Hong Kong is marked and registered in accordance with CITES requirements.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 22 January 1990] : All ivory stock in Hong Kong that may be traded is marked and registered in accordance with CITES requirements.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the steps being taken by the Hong Kong authorities to monitor the disposal of the ivory stocks which can be traded during the next six months.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 22 January 1990] : All traders are required to take out possession licences for all commercial ivory and personal effects in excess of 5 kg. Details of stocks are entered into the computer data base of the CITES management authority. The authority has to be notified of transfers of stocks between traders and their stock balance is varied accordingly. An export licence is required for any trader to export ivory, either in raw or in
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worked form. An export licence will be granted to the trader only if the ivory in question is from the trader's legally registered stock from CITES approved sources and the destination of the export is not a CITES party which exercises a ban on ivory imports.Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has as to whether all the current ivory stock in Hong Kong was legally acquired.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 22 January 1990] : The Hong Kong authorities have inspected all the ivory stocks in the territory. They have found no evidence that the stocks were illegally acquired.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the exact current stock of ivory in Hong Kong which may be traded in the next six months ; and how much of it is (a) worked and (b) raw.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 22 January 1990] : The current stocks of ivory in Hong Kong that may be traded in the next six months are 104 tonnes of worked ivory and 254 tonnes of raw ivory.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what will happen to that Hong Kong ivory not disposed of by the end of the six months exemption to the current trade ban.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 22 January 1990] : Under the CITES ban, all commercial exports of ivory will cease. Ivory not disposed of by the end of the six months exemption period could not be legally exported as no licence for this would be issued by the Hong Kong authorities. It will remain in Hong Kong.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs where the legally held ivory in Hong Kong came from.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 30 January 1990] : The Hong Kong authorities believe that Hong Kong stocks are likely to include ivory originating from all major sources, either directly or via intermediary countries.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the shipment records of Hong Kong ivory recently given an exemption from the ivory trade ban will be open to inspection by the public.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 29 January 1990] : Commercial documents such as bills of lading and export licences are not open to public inspection.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Hong Kong authorities have received from the ivory trade to extend the six-month exemption on the sale of ivory.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 29 January 1990] : No representations have been received since the exemption was announced.
EEC Overseas Territories
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the names and populations of overseas territories of members
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of the EEC ; if he will futher indicate what plans there are to allow persons from such territories the right of abode within the EEC ; and if he will make a statement.
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