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Mr. John Patten : Local authority expenditure on magistrates' courts in England and Wales and the amount of central Government grant paid in support of this expenditure since 1980-81 is set out in the table. Grant is paid at a rate of 80 per cent. of net current expenditure.
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Before the present financial year, capital expenditure was supported by grant at 80 per cent. payable only in respect of revenue contributions and loan charges. Since April 1990 capital grant is paid at 80 per cent. on approved capital expenditure and on loans incurred before that date. Grant is not necessarily paid in the same year as that in which the expenditure is incurred.
Expenditure on magistrates' courts
|(1) |(2) |Local
|Total |Central |government
|expenditure |government |expenditure as a
|(current and |grants in |proportion of
|capital)<1> |support of(1) |total
|(1)minus(2)
|as a percentage
|(£ million) |(£ million) |of (1)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980-81 |102 |85 |17
1981-82 |114 |101 |11
1982-83 |124 |105 |15
1983-84 |139 |114 |18
1984-85 |152 |121 |20
1985-86 |161 |128 |20
1986-87 |178 |134 |25
1987-88 |213 |153 |28
1988-89 |235 |170 |28
1989-90 |<2>273 |187 |32
1990-91 |307 |<3>280 |9
<1> Excluding loan charges.
<2> Provisional figure.
<3> Estimate.
Probation Service
Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the efficiency scrutiny of in-service training for the probation service to begin.
Mr. John Patten : The efficiency scrutiny of in-service probation training will begin on 26 November. It will have the following terms of reference :
"To examine the current arrangements for providing in-service probation training, and to advise and make recommendations on : (
(a) what in-service training, including management training, should be offered to probation officers up to and including SPO grade ; (
(b) who should provide it and how ;
(c) what it will cost and how it should be financed ;
(d) how it should link with pre-qualifying training and management training for chief officers grades ;
(e) what steps should be taken to monitor quality, relevance, effectiveness and consistency throughout the service, to measure performance and to ensure value for money ; and
(f) what the line of accountability should be, and what structured systems and procedures are needed."
The scrutiny will be conducted by a small team of officials led by Dr. Savas Hadjipavlou of the Home Office. He will be closely assisted by Mr. Steven Murphy on secondment from the inner London probation service. We expect to receive the report during April 1991. The scrutiny team will be consulting widely. Interested parties may wish to send their observations in writing to the In-Service Probation Training Scrutiny Team, Room 116/117, Home Office, Whittington house, 19-30 Alfred place, London WC1E 7LG.
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Murderers (Release)
Mr. Tebbit : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will update his reply to the hon. Member for Beverley (Mr. Cran) of 13 July 1989, Official Report, column 638 concerning the numbers of people who have died at the hands of previously convicted killers.
Mr. Waddington [holding answer 19 November 1990] : Information on the number of suspects convicted of homicide who had previous homicide convictions is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales"--tables 4.9 and 4.10 of the latest issue, for 1989, Cm. 1322--copies of which are in the Library.
During the period 1963 to 1989, a total of 59 persons in England and Wales are killed by persons previously convicted of homicide.
Electoral Registration
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what rights of appeal persons have whose names are removed from an electoral register ; whether such persons are notified by electoral registration officers of an intention to remove a name and are given an explanation ; and what information electoral registration officers are required to supply in writing ; (2) if he will withdraw Home Office circular RPA 347, issued to electoral registration officers, concerning registration of those persons whose names do not appear on poll tax registers ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) what is Government policy with respect to the removal of names from electoral registers of those who have failed to register for poll tax purposes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold [holding answer 19 November 1990] : Circular RPA 347, issued by the Home Office on 10 August 1990 as part of its guidance to electoral registration officers--EROs--in England and Wales, made recommendations about the use of information in the community charges register in the compilation of the electoral register. This included a recommendation that a person's name should not be carried forward from one electoral register to the next if that person does not respond to the electoral canvass and his or her name does not appear in the community charges register. It also recommended that where such a name does appear in the community charges register it should not be carried forward for more than one year without further inquiries to establish eligibility.
Under section 29 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, EROs in England and Wales may, for the purpose of exercising their functions, inspect the community charge register of any charging authority. The purpose of the Home Office guidance issued on 10 August was to enable and encourage EROs to make the fullest and most effective use of this right of access, to assist in the preparation of an accurate electoral register.
There is no procedure whereby names can be removed from the published register. A person whose name is not carried forward from one register to the next, because he or she has failed to respond to the canvass and no longer appears to be eligible, has ample opportunity to make a claim for inclusion in the register.
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Asylum Seekers
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of people seeking asylum in the United Kingdom in each quarter of 1988, 1989 and 1990, showing the numbers by country of embarkation.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 14 November 1990] : Information by nationality of applicant is given in the table.
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Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, by nationality, 1988-90
1988 <1>1989 <1>1990
|Q1 |Q2 |Q3 |Q4 |Q1 |Q2 |Q3 |Q4 |Q1 |Q2 |Q3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Europe
Czechoslovakia |2 |8 |10 |6 |5 |15 |35 |5 |* |- |-
Hungary |15 |5 |7 |9 |10 |* |5 |5 |* |* |-
Poland |25 |19 |26 |18 |10 |10 |15 |15 |5 |5 |*
Romania |4 |2 |13 |3 |5 |5 |* |5 |5 |20 |75
Turkey |217 |155 |126 |203 |570 |3,645 |140 |125 |135 |210 |245
Yugoslavia |3 |1 |2 |2 |* |* |15 |* |* |5 |5
Others |- |9 |8 |5 |10 |15 |25 |20 |30 |35 |60
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |266 |199 |192 |246 |610 |3,695 |230 |175 |180 |280 |380
Americas
Chile |7 |6 |2 |3 |5 |5 |5 |5 |* |- |-
Colombia |21 |15 |15 |9 |20 |15 |30 |25 |20 |55 |25
Others |1 |3 |4 |4 |5 |5 |5 |5 |15 |10 |15
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |29 |24 |21 |16 |30 |30 |40 |30 |35 |60 |40
Africa
Angola |11 |11 |15 |23 |40 |35 |95 |90 |135 |200 |160
Ethiopia |53 |62 |86 |69 |65 |70 |230 |240 |190 |380 |950
Ghana |51 |43 |45 |48 |45 |75 |90 |135 |220 |170 |410
Libya |25 |18 |12 |4 |5 |* |5 |5 |* |5 |*
Seychelles |32 |14 |15 |16 |15 |5 |10 |15 |10 |5 |5
Somalia<2> |70 |73 |125 |154 |420 |345 |1,005 |930 |475 |510 |1,100
South Africa |13 |3 |11 |12 |15 |20 |5 |5 |10 |5 |*
Sudan |3 |11 |18 |16 |25 |25 |45 |60 |60 |40 |40
Uganda |92 |163 |152 |141 |235 |385 |500 |545 |460 |550 |950
Zaire |37 |33 |38 |75 |100 |105 |200 |315 |450 |440 |1,220
Others |21 |27 |27 |42 |55 |35 |35 |30 |50 |60 |70
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |409 |458 |544 |600 |1,010 |1,100 |2,220 |2,365 |2,070 |2,360 |4,910
Middle East
Iran |181 |177 |119 |110 |130 |115 |125 |125 |110 |85 |125
Iraq |66 |48 |113 |75 |105 |60 |120 |105 |160 |195 |510
Lebanon |57 |43 |32 |48 |25 |20 |50 |95 |100 |55 |260
Syria |- |2 |8 |- |* |5 |5 |* |* |5 |*
Others |5 |9 |8 |15 |10 |5 |5 |20 |15 |10 |15
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |309 |279 |280 |248 |270 |205 |310 |345 |380 |350 |920
Remainder of Asia
Afghanistan<3> |9 |4 |14 |14 |40 |25 |25 |25 |25 |55 |65
Bangladesh |- |7 |6 |2 |5 |5 |* |* |5 |15 |5
India |20 |61 |87 |179 |140 |150 |180 |255 |340 |320 |390
Pakistan |125 |85 |129 |57 |40 |55 |65 |135 |190 |155 |385
Sri Lanka |167 |101 |105 |134 |190 |260 |550 |1,055 |785 |705 |825
Others |3 |2 |9 |15 |10 |30 |50 |40 |40 |20 |50
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |304 |260 |350 |401 |430 |520 |875 |1,510 |1,385 |1,270 |1,720
Other and unknown nationalities |20 |21 |48 |25 |30 |35 |65 |85 |75 |80 |95
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Grand Total |1,357 |1,241 |1,435 |1,536 |2,385 |5,585 |3,740 |4,515 |4,130 |4,410 |8,060
<1> Provisional figures: those for 1990 may understate because of delays in recording.
Figures rounded to the nearest 5, with "*"=less than 3.
<2> In addition, since mid 1990 certain applications by nationals of Somalia to the British High Commission in Dhaka are being
processed locally: information on these cases is not yet available centrally.
<3> In addition, about 1,700 applications in 1988, 35 in 1989 and 30 during January to April 1990, by nationals of Afghanistan,
made to the British High Commission in New Delhi, are being processed locally. Corresponding information since May 1990 is not
yet available centrally.
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Small Shops
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met representatives of OPEN to discuss the effects of the Shops Act 1950 on the trading position of small shops.
Mrs. Rumbold : The last meeting between Ministers and representatives of OPEN was held on 7 June 1989. Representatives of OPEN have met Home Office officials on several occasions since then to talk about ways of reforming the present law.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Bangladesh
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the impact of the Gulf crisis upon Bangladesh's economy and development plans ; and what assistance, in addition to existing overseas aid programmes, he proposes.
Mrs. Chalker : Iraq's invasion of Kuwait has affected the economies of many countries. The adverse balance of payments impact on the Bangladesh economy has been estimated at nearly $500 million in 1990-91 by the International Monetary Fund. This includes the loss of workers' remittances, a higher oil import bill and weaker export demand. Prompt domestic action by the Bangladesh Government has reduced to an estimated $260 million the additional external finance needed to maintain imports and real growth at their originally planned levels.
In addition to a substantial bilateral aid programme of over £50 million a year to Bangladesh, Her Majesty's Government have responded quickly with a contribution to the costs of repatriating refugees from the Gulf of whom many are from Bangladesh. This contribution, including Britain's share of European Community assistance, now amounts to £11 million.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has of the number of Bangladeshis still stranded as a consequence of the Gulf crisis, the cost of it in total to the Bangladesh Government ; and whether he will now take further steps, including allocating Hercules aircraft and directly chartering United Kingdom civil aircraft, to help the stranded Bangladeshis return.
Mrs. Chalker : I understand that about 6,000 Bangladeshis remain in Kuwait and Iraq. These either cannot or do not wish to leave. The United Nations reports that by the end of September some 50,300 Bangladeshis had left ; more than 14,000 were repatriated by the Government of Bangladesh itself, and the remainder by the international operation to which Britain contributed.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government will be making to the World bank meeting this month reviewing, mid-term, aid to Bangladesh.
Mrs. Chalker : The World bank meeting in Dhaka on 6 and 7 November examined the progress made by the Government of Bangladesh on the economic management action plan agreed at the annual aid group meeting last April.
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The British delegation joined other donors and the World bank in commending the Government of Bangladesh on their firm short-term macro-economic efforts and their response to the problems caused by the Gulf crisis, but urging further action on several long-term structural issues. As well as general economic management the United Kingdom referred to the importance of good government, including responsiveness to the aspirations of the population, and accountability.A further review of progress on these issues will take place at the next aid group meeting in April 1991.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals Her Majesty's Government will present to the Bangladesh-United Kingdom bilateral meeting scheduled for December.
Mrs. Chalker : The next meeting in our annual sequence of bilateral aid talks is now scheduled to be held in Dhaka in January 1991. These talks enable both sides to review economic and aid management in the previous and current year ; and to consider the likely shape and direction of future British assistance, taking due account of the Bangladesh Government's own priorities as well as the resources available to Her Majesty's Government for development activities in Bangladesh.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Appeals
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Attorney-General what information he has on the number of instances, from such date as is convenient, in which an appeal against a conviction has not been heard after a lapse of more than three years.
The Attorney-General : On 12 November 1990 there were six cases in the Criminal Appeal Office where leave to appeal against conviction was sought or an appeal against conviction was pending which had been continuously on foot for over three years.
Fraud Investigation
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Attorney-General what have been the results of the investigations of the serious fraud squad and the Metropolitan police company fraud department into allegations of fraud prior to, surrounding and subsequent to the merger of Ferranti plc and International Signal and Control Group plc ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : Inquiries into this matter are being carried on by the Serious Fraud Office and the Metropolitan police in conjunction with the relevant authorities in the United States of America. Those inquiries have not yet been completed.
Shops Act 1950
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Attorney-General what consideration has been given in respect of the enforcement of the Shops Act 1950 to the judgment of Mr. Justice Hoffmann in the High Court on 18 July.
The Attorney-General : Enforcement of the Shops Act 1950 is the duty of local authorities, and I do not know
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what consideration they have given to Mr. Justice Hoffmann's decision. Mr. Justice Hoffmann confirmed that it continues to be an offence for shops in England and Wales to be open for the serving of customers on Sunday other than in accordance with the provisions of the Act. It follows that local authorities continue to be subject to the duty of enforcement conferred on them by section 71 of the Act.Local Authorities
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Attorney-General when was the last time he issued guidance on any subject to local authorities.
The Attorney-General : Guidance to local authorities is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.
WALES
Welsh Medium Schools
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to review the policies being pursued by local education authorities in Wales to ensure that children who wish to have their primary or secondary education in Wales at a Welsh medium school are able to do so in conditions and circumstances that are in no way inferior to those available for English medium schools in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : We expect local education authorities to pursue policies which enable them to discharge their statutory responsibilities for the education of all children at maintained schools irrespective of the medium of education.
In the exercise of my responsibilities I am concerned to ensure parity between English medium and Welsh medium provision so far as practicable. For example, the national curriculum provides for the assessment of pupils at all key stages through the medium of either English or Welsh. Welsh medium assessment materials will be of comparable standard to those in English. Moreover central Government continue to give substantial financial support for the development of Welsh medium teaching materials generally.
It is for local education authorities to determine their own priorities for allocating capital resources for the provision of educational buildings and their capital maintenance, bearing in mind the needs of both the English and Welsh medium sectors.
Local education authorities are also responsible for ensuring that schools have adequate funds to meet the cost of essential equipment. The introduction of local management of schools will ensure a fair distribution of resources and will provide schools with the flexibility to decide their own education priorities.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest estimate of the number of persons in Wales liable to poll tax who have not yet made any payment.
Mr. Grist : The information requested is not available centrally.
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Cardiganshire
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people reside in Cardiganshire ; what were the corresponding figures for 1960 and 1970 ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Estimates of the population of the area of Ceredigion, known prior to 1974 as Cardiganshire, are given in the following table. As the definition of the population was changed following the 1981 census, the estimates for the years 1971 to 1981 were recalculated and 1971 data are given on both bases for comparison.
p
Mid year |Home |Usually
|population |resident
|population<1>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1960 |53,300 |n/a
1970 |53,200 |n/a
1971 |54,000 |55,700 |1989 |n/a |69,000
<1> This 1981 Census based estimate differs from the home population definition in that all usual residents,
including stationed armed forces, are included whatever their nationality.
Source: OPCS.
Live Horses (Export)
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the progress of negotiations with the European Community on welfare standards for live horses for export from Wales after 1992.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Only one Community meeting has been held to discuss the Commission's proposals on protection of animals during transport. We will be pressing to retain controls on the export of horses and ponies.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the unemployment rate by age for each Welsh district, travel-to-work area and parliamentary constituency.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Unemployment rates are not calculated for individual districts or parliamentary constituencies. The unemployment rates for Welsh travel-to-work areas are available from the NOMIS database, which can be accessed on-line by House of Commons Library staff. Separate rates for particular age groups are not available.
Mr. Rod Richards
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, further to his reply of 13 November, Official Report, column 106, if he will make a further statement on the range of subjects on which Mr. Rod Richards will be expected to advise him.
Sir Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend has nothing to add to the answer he gave the hon. Gentleman on 13 November.
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DEFENCE
Trident
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the earliest possible contractual dates for completion for the Trident-related contracts with GEC, Plessey, Rolls-Royce, Tarmac and Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd.
Mr. Alan Clark : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 26 July 1990 at column 541, and to my reply dated 21 September 1990 to her letter of 30 August 1990.
Nuclear Weapons Testing
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the nuclear weapons testing programme.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The United Kingdom carried out an underground nuclear test at the United States Department of Energy's Nevada test site on Wednesday 14 November. Such tests are carried out under the 1958 United States-United Kingdom agreement for mutual co-operation for defence purposes and are necessary to maintain the effectiveness of the nuclear deterrent.
Damage to Property
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy on compensating, or making ex gratia payments to, his Department's employees whose personal property is damaged on his Department's premises by people unlawfully present on his Department's premises.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : While my Department pays compensation where it is legally liable to do so, it cannot generally be held responsible for the acts of persons unlawfully present on the Department's property. However, the Department, exceptionally, considers small value claims from its employees for damage to personal property sustained on the Department's premises on an ex-gratia basis.
Officers' Married Quarters
Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much is currently being spent on the renting of residential accommodation for RAF officers in the Greater London area as a consequence of the shortfall in the availability of officers' married quarters in the area.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The RAF no longer rents residential accommodation in lieu of married quarters. An excess rent allowance is paid to compensate married service personnel for higher costs incurred in renting private accommodation, but the information on that paid for RAF officers in the Greater London area is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will indicate the present position with regard to the availability of RAF officers' married quarters in the Greater London area ; and what effect the planned disposal of officers' married quarters at RAF Biggin Hill is expected to have on the supply of such accommodation.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The number of RAF officers' married quarters in the Greater London area is adequate
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for our needs. In view of the anticipated reduction in the requirement for officers' married quarters in the Greater London area in the medium to long term, the planned disposal of the RAF officers' married quarters at RAF Biggin Hill is not expected to affect the situation adversely.RAF Biggin Hill
Sir John Hunt : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent reductions have taken place in the establishment at RAF Biggin Hill ; and what effect such reduction in posts there will have on the anticipated savings from the pending closure of RAF Biggin Hill.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Following a review of RAF catering manpower scales, on which establishments are based, a small number of posts has recently been disestablished at RAF Biggin Hill. The disestablishment of these posts ahead of relocation of the RAF officer and aircrew selection centre does not significantly affect the anticipated savings attributable to the closure of RAF Biggin Hill.
Welsh Army Headquarters
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to continue to maintain a separate Welsh headquarters base for the Army at Brecon, commanded by a General as at present, and not to merge Welsh headquarters with those in other areas.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I have already announced that the district structure of the United Kingdom land forces has been the subject of a review by the commander in chief. Consideration of the
recommendations of that review is now at an advanced stage and I expect to be able to make an announcement on the way ahead in the near future.
Military Installations
Mr. Livsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it remains the policy of his Department to comply with planning procedures for new military installations.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Although developments by the Crown do not require planning permission, it remains the policy of the Ministry of Defence to follow the provisions laid down in the appropriate DOE, Welsh Office and Scottish Office circulars.
Technology Exports
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all proposed orders and contracts known to Her Majesty's Government which have been thwarted due to the NATO ban on exporting high technology to communist countries ; what was the purpose and value in each case ; and whether it is proposed to lift the ban.
Mr. Sainsbury : I have been asked to reply.
No. It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on individual licensing matters. While there has been a significant relaxation of export controls maintained for strategic reasons in the light of recent developments, and work is continuing with our COCOM partners, certain controls on exports of sensitive technology and equipment continue to be necessary.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Western Sahara
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives of Polisario to discuss the problems of Western Sahara ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not met any Polisario representative, but there have been occasional informal meetings between Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials and representatives of Polisario.
Kuwait
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the latest position of Her Majesty's Government's policy over the continuing occupation of Kuwait.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We want to see the United Nations Security Council resolutions fully implemented. We seek complete and unconditional Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, the restoration of its legitimate Government and the release of all foreign nationals held in Iraq and Kuwait. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 7 November, either Saddam Hussein should voluntarily leave Kuwait or he will be forced to withdraw.
Iraq
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on the effect that economic sanctions against Iraq are having on that country's economy ; what measures need to be taken to make them more effective ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs told the House on 8 November, the international embargo continues to be broadly effective. Iraq's access to foreign exchange has been drastically reduced. Iraq's manufacturing and industrial capabilities have been particularly affected. Food rationing has been introduced. However, on the evidence available, sanctions alone are unlikely to be decisive in reversing Iraqi policy in the near future.
Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the hon. Member for Bassetlaw may expect a reply to his letter of 15 October concerning the situation of Mr. Mel Hewson of The Orchard, Station road, Walkeringham, Nottinghamshire, and Mr. Roland Hornsby of High street, North Leverton,
Nottinghamshire, who are detained in Al Qaim in Iraq.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I have replied today to the hon. Member's letter of 18 October. We have great sympathy for the plight of Mr. Hewson and Mr. Hornsby.
Cayman Islands
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for reviewing the constitution of the Cayman Islands ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Lennox-Boyd : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has agreed to a request from the legislative assembly in the Cayman Islands for a constitutional review. He has appointed Sir Frederick Smith KA QC, chief justice in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Mr. Walter Wallace CVO CBE DSC, constitutional adviser on the dependent territories to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as commissioners. The commission will sit for eight weeks, beginning in January 1991.
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