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Illiteracy
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional resources have been made available by his Department to help combat illiteracy in developing countries.
Mrs. Chalker : I am ready to give additional help, but the ODA must take account of the plans and priorities of developing country Governments.
I hope that the world conference on education for all which was held in Thailand last year will encourage governments to give greater priority to combating illiteracy. We currently spend £3.7 million of capital and technical co-operation funds specifically on primary education and adult literacy. We are making £20 million available this year to the joint funding scheme for non-governmental organisation work which includes a number of literacy projects.
Least-developed Countries
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid his Department is giving to help the least- developed countries develop more effective governmental, legal and commercial structures ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Chalker : Effective governmental, legal and commercial structures are essential to economic and social development in least developed countries, as elsewhere. We provide assistance under our aid programme in many least developed countries through technical cooperation and training. Our aid also provides financial support for economic reform programmes linked to strengthening of these structures.
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Commonwealth Development Corporation
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all projects and programmes funded by the Commonwealth Development Corporation in the last five years.
Mrs. Chalker : The following is the list of the projects in which the Commonwealth Development Corporation made an investment during the years 1986 to 1990.
Projects receiving CDC investment in 1986
Country |Project
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belize |Belize Hotel Ltd.
Botswana |Water Utilities Corporation
Botswana |Botswana Housing Corporation
Botswana |Botswana Telecom
Botswana |Botswana Development Corporation
Cameroon |Cameroon Development Corporation
Cameroon |Societe Hevea Cameroun (La)
Cayman Islands |Caribbean Utlities Co. Ltd.
Costa Rica |Inst Costa de AYA
Costa Rica |Inst Costa de Elect
Costa Rica |Inst Costa de AYA
Fiji |Fiji forest Industries Ltd.
Ghana |Twifo Oil Palm
Honduras |Division Municipal de Aguas
Indonesia |Nucleus Estate and Smallholders Project VI
Indonesia |Nucleus Estate and Smallholders Project VII
Ivory Coast |Societe pour le Development des
| Plantations Forestieres (Hardwood)
Ivory Coast |Rubber Outgrowers Project II-Cavally
Ivory Coast |Rubber Outgrowers Project II-Smallholder
Ivory Coast |Societe pour le Development des Plantations Forestieres I (Hardwood)
Ivory Coast |Palmindustrie
Jamaica |Coffee Industry Board
Kenya |Smallholder Coffee
Kenya |Kenya Power Co. Ltd.
Kenya |Oil Crop Development
Malawi |Mandala Ltd.
Malawi |Kawalazi Estates
Malawi |Blantyre Water Board
Malawi |Mandala Ltd.
Malaysia |Darabif Sdn Bhd
Malaysia |Aluminium Industries Sdn Bhd
Mauritius |Mauritius Housing Corporation
Papua New Guinea |Electricity Supply Commission
Sri Lanka |Pelwatte Sugar
Sri Lanka |Samanala Wena
St. Lucia |St. Lucia Model Farms
Sudan |Sudanese Fermentation Industry Ltd.
Tanzania |Tanganyika Wattle Co.
Tanzania |Kibo Match
Thailand |World Aquaculture
Thailand |Thailand Rubber Replanting Aid Fund
Uganda |Sugar Corporation of Uganda Ltd.
Vanuatu |Metensel Estates Ltd.
Zambia |Zambia Sugar Co. Ltd.
Zambia |Mpomgwe Development Co. Ltd.
Zambia |Zambia Oxygen Ltd.
Zimbabwe |Rusitu Valley Development Co. (Pvt) Ltd.
Zimbabwe |Low Cost Housing
Projects receiving CDC investment for first time in 1987
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barbados |Caribbean Financial Services Corporation
Botswana |Botswana Power Corporation
Cameroon |Societe Hevea Cameroun (La)
Cameroon |Cameroon Development Corporation II
Ecuador |Palmoriente SA
Indonesia |Smallholder Rubber Development Project
| II
Ivory Coast |Societe Africaine de Plantations d'Heveas
Jamaica |Forest Industries Development Co. Ltd.
Jamaica |St. Mary Bananas Est. Ltd.
Kenya |Kulalu Ranching Co. Ltd.
Malawi |Blantyre Netting Co. Ltd.
Malawi |Malawi Government
Malawi |Kavuzi Tea Co.
Malawi |Investment and Development Bank of
| Malawi Ltd.
Malaysia |Palong Cocoa Sdn Bhd
Malaysia |Palong Cocoa Sdn Bhd
Mauritius |Mauritious Export Development &
| Investment Authority
Mauritius |Bonair Fashion Ltd.
St. Lucia |St. Lucia Electricity
Swaziland |Langa National Brickworks (Pty) Ltd.
Swaziland |Shiselweni Forestry Co. Ltd.
Swaziland |Natex Swaziland Ltd.
Tanzania |Tanzania Government
Thailand |Thailand Rubber Replanting Aid Fund
Uganda |Toro and Mityana Tea Co. Ltd.
Vanuatu |South Santo Cattle Co.
Zambia |Kafue Textiles of Zambia Ltd.
Zimbabwe |Zimbabwe Development Bank
Projects receiving CDC investment for first time in 1988
Country |Project
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belize |Belize Electricity Board
BVI |BVI Electricity Corporation
Ecuador |Empresa Nacional de Energia Eletrica
France |Tropiclone SA
Ghana |Volta River Authority
India |Shipping Credit and Investment Company
| of India
India |Industrial Credit and Investment
| Corporation of India
Indonesia |PT Coklat Ransiki
Ivory Coast |Serebou Seed Project
Jamaica |Jamaica Telephone Co.
Kenya |Development Finance Co. of Kenya Ltd.
Kenya |Kulalu Ranching Co. Ltd.
Malawi |Capital Developments Ltd.
Malawi |Investment and Development Bank of
| Malawi Ltd.
Malawi |Impala Farming Co. Ltd.
Malawi |Sable Farming Co. Ltd.
Malawi |Malawi Government
Malaysia |Desa Tea Sdn Bhd
Mauritius |Mauritius Export Development and
| Investment Authority
Mauritius |Woventex Ltd.
Mauritius |Development Bank of Mauritius
Pakistan |Mubarik Dairies Ltd.
Papua New Guinea |PNG Venture Fund (Pty) Ltd.
Papua New Guinea |Poliamba pty Ltd.
Papua New Guinea |New Guinea Plantation Ltd.
Papua New Guinea |Milne Bay Estates Pty Ltd.
Solomon Islands |Solomon Islands Plantations Ltd.
Thailand |Thai Factory Development Co. Ltd.
Thailand |Industrial Finance Corporation of Thailand
Uganda |Development Finance Co. of Uganda Ltd.
Vanuatu |Tanna Coffee Development Co. Ltd.
Vanuatu |South Santo Cattle Co.
Zimbabwe |Cold Storage Commission
Zimbabwe |Southdown Holdings Ltd.
Projects receiving CDC investment for first time in 1989
Country |Project
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bangladesh |United Leasing Company Ltd.
Bangladesh |New Dhaka Refractories (Bangladesh) Ltd.
Bangladesh |Padma Textile Mills Ltd.
Cameroon |Socatral
Costa Rica |Cooperativa Agroindustrial de Productores
| de Palma Aceitera R. L.
Cote D'Ivoire |Rubber Outgrowers Project V
Fiji |Fiji Development Bank
India |Sakthi Soyas Ltd.
India |Credit Capital Venture Fund (India) Ltd.
India |Asian Coffee Ltd.
India |Shipping Credit and Investment Company
| of India
Indonesia |PT Kewalram
Jamaica |Jablum (Jamaica) Ltd.
Jamaica |Caribbean Housing Finance Corporation
| Ltd.
Kenya |African Management Services Ltd.
Kenya |Koma Rock Housing Project
Malawi |National Seed Co. of Malawi Ltd.
Malawi |Malawi Hotels Ltd.
Malawi |The Match Co. Ltd.
Malawi |Sable Farming Co. Ltd.
Mauritius |Development Bank of Mauritius
Mauritius |Shape Fabrics Ltd.
Mauritius |Maunex (Mauritius) Ltd.
Pakistan |Hala Spinning Ltd.
Papua New Guinea |MacGregor Property Pty. Ltd.
Philippines |H & Q Philippine Ventures Inc.
Sudan |Sudan Rural Development Finance Co.
| Ltd.
Swaziland |Swaziland Meat Industries Ltd.
Swaziland |Inyoni Yami Swaziland Irrigation Scheme
Swaziland |Swaziland Industrial Development Co. Ltd.
Tanzania |East Usambara Tea Company Ltd.
Tanzania |Chrismill Farms Ltd.
Thailand |Mongkolwat Company Ltd.
Uganda |Uganda Electricity Board
Vanuatu |Metenesel Estates Ltd.
Zambia |National Hotels Development Corporation
Zambia |Masstock (Zambia) Ltd.
Zimbabwe |Zimbabwe Development Bank
Projects receiving CDC investment for first time in 1990
Country |Project
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bangladesh |Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company
Belize |Big Falls Plantations Ltd.
Belize |Toledo Enterprise Ltd.
Botswana |Water Utilities Corporation
Costa Rica |Cooperation Agroindustial de Productores
| de Palma aceitera R.L.
Cote d' Ivoire |Project Serebou
Ecuador |Instituto Ecuatoriano de
| Telecommunicaciones
Ecuador |Pamoriente SA
India |Andhra Petrochemicals Ltd.
India |Apollo Tyres Ltd.
India |Modi Threads Ltd.
Indonesia |PT Tasik Raja Palm Oil Mill
Jamaica |Caribbean Housing Finance Corporation
Jamaica |Ciboney Villas Ltd.
Jamaica |Dr. Ian Sangster and Co. Ltd.
Jamaica |Trafalgar Development Bank Ltd.
Kenya |Galsheet (Kenya) Ltd.
Kenya |South Nyanza Sugar Co.
Malawi |Impala Farming Co. Ltd.
Malaysia |Wembley Rubber Products (Malaysia) Sdn
| Bhd
Pakistan |Fauji Fertiliser Co. Ltd.
Pakistan |Pakistan Industrial Leasing Co.
Papua New Guinea |Papua New Guinea Electricity Commission
Philippines |Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.
PNG |New Guinea Plantations Ltd.
Solomon Islands |Kolombangara Forest Products Ltd.
Tanzania |East Usambara Tea Co. Ltd.
Thailand |Mah Boonkrong Sirichai 25 Company
Thailand |Phansriviat Company Ltd.
Uganda |Development Finance Co. of Uganda Ltd.
Vanuatu |National Housing Corporation
Zambia |National Hotels Development Corporation
Zimbabwe |Zimbabwe Electricity Services
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HOUSE OF COMMONS
Souvenir Kiosk
32. Mr. Ray Powell : To ask the Lord President of the Council what was the total turnover from the House of Commons souvenir kiosk during November and December ; and what estimated profit after deducting wages and administration charges the authorities will receive.
Mr. MacGregor : The total turnover of the Refreshment Department kiosk during November and December 1990 including VAT, was £109,786 and £213,318, respectively. Equivalent gross profits were £34,368 and £66,778, respectively. After the deduction of £5,261.53 for direct payroll costs during the two-month period, the net operating surplus for both months combined was £95,884.47.
40. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Lord President of the Council what were the takings of the House of Commons kiosk (a) in the four weeks to Christmas and (b) over the past year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : The takings, or turnover, of the Refreshment Department souvenir kiosk during the four weeks to Christmas 1990 and for the previous 12 months to Christmas--including VAT--were £246,472 and £701,404, respectively.
Members of the European Parliament
39. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Lord President of the Council what proposals he has to improve liaison between the House and Members of the European Parliament.
Mr. MacGregor : At its next meeting the Services Committee will be asked to consider measures designed to facilitate contacts between this House and Members of the
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European Parliament. Proposals will also be presented for the introduction of free postage and telephone calls with EC institutions.Procedural Changes
41. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Lord President of the Council whether he is now in a position to announce any proposals for procedural changes for the House of Commons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. MacGregor : The House will be considering important changes to the European Standing Committees tomorrow.
Notices of Motions
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Lord President of the Council on how many days between 1 July 1987 and 31 December 1990 the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) has tabled notices of motions relating to each of (a) the Select Committee on Legal Affairs, (b) reform of House of Commons procedure, (c) sittings of the House and (d) Members' facilities ; and what estimate he has made of the total cost to public funds and the volume of newsprint that have been involved in the printing of the motions.
Mr. MacGregor : The total cost to public funds of printing and publishing notices of motions relating to (a) a Select Committee on Legal Affairs, (b) the reform of the House of Commons procedure, (c) sittings of the House and (d) Members facilities, tabled by the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) in Sessions 1987-88, 1988-89, 1989-90 and in the current Session to 31 December 1990 is estimated as £68,000. The volume of paper consumed was about 345,000 sheets of A4 paper. The number of days on which the notices of motions were tabled in each Session are as follows :
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Number of days
|Session |Session |Session |Session
Motion |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91<1>|Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Select Committee on Leg71 Affairs <2>87 - 158
(b) Procedure |69 |122 |132 |23 |346
(c) Sittings |69 |123 |132 |23 |347
(d) Facilities |- |115 |132 |23 |270
<1>Up to 31 December 1990.
<2>The figure given in the Official Report on 14 June 1990, column 298 was
incorrect.
Committee Rooms
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Lord President of the Council what plans there are for House of Commons Committee Rooms to be fitted with the audio loop.
Mr. MacGregor : With the exception of three rooms, where the installation of an electronic loop to enhance audibility for the hard of hearing was not considered practical, all other rooms on the Committee Corridor are equipped with that facility. So too is the Great Committee Room, Westminster Hall.
Reception of proceedings by means of these loops requires the attendance of an operator and so is not available for those Select Committees, the proceedings of which are not recorded by sound or for television broadcast, nor for private meetings.
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The system is compatible with most modern hearing aids and with portable receivers available on loan from the Serjeant's staff on duty in the Committee Corridor.FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Economic Sanctions
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the nations against which the United Kingdom is currently operating economic sanctions, giving the reason in each case.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We are implementing a variety of restrictive measures on our trade and other relations with a number of countries. These include :
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(a) controls, operated for strategic reasons, through COCOM on the export of high technology equipment which could be used for military as well as civil purposes to a number of proscribed destinations, including the Soviet Union, eastern Europe and China. COCOM comprises the NATO countries, less Iceland, as well as Japan and Australia ; ((b) a variety of restrictive measures on our economic relations with South Africa, implemented within the EC and by agreement with the Commonwealth, as a signal of our disapproval of apartheid. For details of these measures I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer my right hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave to the hon. Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor) on 15 February 1990 and to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 19 February 1990. Since then, we have lifted the ban on new investments and the Commonwealth voluntary ban on the promotion of tourism to South Africa (on 23 February 1990) and the European Council has lifted the ban on new investments Community-wide (on 15 December 1990) ;
(c) restrictions not aimed at particular countries, such as those of the missile technology control regime, and those resulting from our commitment to nuclear non-proliferation, and controls on the export of material used in production of chemical and biological weapons ;
(d) special restrictions applied to arms exports to certain countries, for example, in the middle east, reflecting our wish not to fuel or prolong conflicts in the region, and our determination to take a firm line on state -sponsored terrorism. The embargo on trade in arms with China, introduced by the European Community in June 1989 to mark their concern about the repression of the democracy movement, remains in place ;
(e) economic sanctions imposed on Iraq and occupied Kuwait, in accordance with our obligations under UNSCR 661, following Iraq's illegal invasion of Kuwait and subsequent refusal to withdraw.
FCA
Military Aid
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total level of British military aid to the 20 poorest nations, measured by GDP, since 1987.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Excluding the cost of the garrison in Belize, the figures are as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1987-88 |2.1
1988-89 |1.8
1989-90 |2.7
1990-91 |2.6
Katyn Massacre
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there will now be a statement to correct official information regarding the Polish Government in exile's claims concerning the responsibility for Katyn.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have in the past issued no statement or official comment on the Polish Government in exile's claims about Katyn. As we have said before, the Soviet authorities' admission last April that the NKVD was responsible for the massacre was very welcome.
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Dounreay
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance has been afforded to AEA Fuel Services by British embassies to assist in the promotion of Dounreay.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : AEA Fuel Services has not sought our help in providing the services that it offers.
Technology Exports
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to brief exporters of militarily sensitive technologies of their responsibilities in such exports.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : This is a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry. There are regular consultations among Whitehall departments on the enforcement of export controls. When necessary officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office participate in briefings organised by the DTI for business men.
Khmer Rouge
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to prevent the Khmer Rouge from returning to power in Cambodia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : A comprehensive political settlement that enables the Cambodian people to choose their own government free from the fear of Khmer Rouge atrocities, civil war and invasion is the best way to bring durable peace to Cambodia and prevent the Khmer Rouge from returning to power. That is the purpose of the document drawn up in November 1990 by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the co- chairmen of the Paris conference on Cambodia and the United Nations Secretary General's representative. As one of the permanent five, the United Kingdom will continue to work for the acceptance and implementation of this document.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs further to his reply of 12 November 1990, Official Report, columns 54-55, what information he has on the number of tanks the Khmer Rouge possess, and who supplied them ; and what efforts he is taking as a member of the United Nations Security Council to restrain Khmer Rouge military aggression in Cambodia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We understand that the Khmer Rouge has acquired a number of tanks of Chinese origin.
As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Britain is playing an active role in diplomatic efforts to resolve the Cambodian conflict. Acceptance by all Cambodian parties of the draft comprehensive settlement document agreed in Paris on 23 to 26 November by the permanent five, the co-chairmen of the Paris conference and the United Nations Secretary-General's representative would be the best way to bring the fighting to an end. The Five have repeatedly called on all parties to stop fighting and co-operate to the full in helping to implement the settlement document.
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Cambodia
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if, in his discussions with the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, while drafting the United Nations framework for Cambodia, he sought a commitment from them to end supplies of military aid to the Cambodian parties ;
(2) if he will now seek a commitment from the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to end supplies of military aid to the Cambodian parties.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : A commitment has already been given in the framework document a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in resolution 668 of 20 September 1990.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts he is making to ensure the cessation of arms supplies to the warring parties in Cambodia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Pollok (Mr. Dunnachie) of 14 January, at column 382.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role he envisages for the international control mechanism to monitor military action in Cambodia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Under the United Nations peace plan, the international control mechanism proposed at the Paris conference on Cambodia in August 1989 is replaced by the military component of the United Nations transitional authority--UNTAC. Its functions are set out in the draft settlement document agreed by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the co-chairmen of the Paris conference on Cambodia and the United Nations Secretary-General's representative in Paris on 23 to 26 November 1990.
Baltic States
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Government policy concerning the development of democratic self-government for Lithuania and other Baltic states within the Soviet Union ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We fully support the right of the Baltic peoples to determine their own future, and welcome the progress made in the last two years towards this goal. We have strongly urged the Soviet authorities not to reverse that process. To do so would contravene the Soviet Union's commitment to strengthen democracy, under the charter for a new Europe signed in Paris on 21 November 1990. Only free negotiation based on democratic principles can provide a solution to the problems of the Baltic peoples.
Lithuania
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has any plans to meet the Lithuanian Foreign Minister ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : I met the Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Mr. Algirdas Saudargas at the Foreign Office on 15 January. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met Mr. Saudargas on 16 January. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State told the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Kaufman) in reply to his question later that day, we shared Mr. Saudargas's anxiety about the continuing threat of repression in Lithuania and other republics.
Albania
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will bring forward a programme of bilateral and European Community advice and aid to the Government and people of Albania following their elections.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We shall not take a decision on this before the election.
Mr. Jonathan Moyle
Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if his Department has been informed officially of the latest court decision in Chile of the circumstances of Mr. Jonathan Moyle's death ;
(2) if he will make a statement regarding inquiries carried out by his Department into the circumstances in Jonathan Moyle, met his death in Chile ;
(3) if his Department has any details of the information Mr. Jonathan Moyle, found dead in Chile, had come across in relation to arms being exported from Chile to Iraq.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 17 January 1991] : The circumstances of Mr. Jonathan Moyle's tragic death are still under investigation by the Chilean autborities ; no decision has yet been reached. Her Majesty's coroner for Exeter and East Devon has opened and adjourned an inquest. It is for these authorities to determine the cause of death.
The British embassy in Santiago, has been, and remains in close and regular touch with the Chilean authorities and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in contact with Mr. Moyle's family. Neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office nor the British embassy at Santiago has ever taken an official position on the cause of Mr. Moyle's death. I have looked into media reports that Mr. Moyle may have come across information about Chilean arms sales to Iraq, but I have no evidence to substantiate this.
DEFENCE
Civilian Employees
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many serving members of the Royal Air Force and civilians working ancillary to the Royal Air Force are employed in Wales ; and if he will make a statement on the future of the Royal Air Force in Wales ;
(2) how many serving members of the Army and civilians working ancillary to the Army are employed in Wales ; and if he will make a statement on the future of the Army in Wales.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are currently 4,646 established RAF posts and 2,643 civilians employed at
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RAF units in Wales, while the Army presence comprises some 650 trained service personnel and 550 civilian employees. A strengthening of this presence in future would be consistent with wider Government policy on relocation ; and certainly we shall take account of the natural advantages offered by Wales, especially for training, in our planning for any redeployments. We are, however, contemplating a significant reduction in the long-term size of our forces under "options for change", and the impact of this is bound to be felt to some degree in Wales as in other parts of the United Kingdom.Toxic Waste
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Her Majesty's Government will undertake a public survey of the problems of toxic waste pollution in and around United States overseas bases as it affects United States bases in Britain, including bases closing or closed.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : There are no plans to undertake such a survey.
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what information Her Majesty's Government has or intends to seek on the problems of toxic waste pollution in and around United States bases in Britain ;
(2) whether Her Majesty's Government will seek binding agreements with the United States Government to ensure the clean-up, at United States expense, of all United States bases in Britain and surrounding areas which have been affected by toxic waste pollution.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Such bases are bound by the same environmental legislation as military establishments occupied by our own armed forces. Any particular occurrence of pollution, either governed by such legislation or otherwise notifiable, are dealt with in the appropriate manner. There are in addition general agreements, on basing responsibilities already in existence.
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Her Majesty's Government intends to examine the United States congressional report on the problems of toxic waste pollution in and around United States overseas bases, due to be published at the end of 1990.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : I understand that no such report exists.
Body Bags
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has placed orders for body bags with firms in Halifax and the Calder Valley during the last six months.
Ammunition
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the provision of ammunition by the United Kingdom's European partners for the United Kingdom Gulf force, including who is financing such ammunition and the reasons.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : During the build-up of the British contribution to the multinational force in the Gulf
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we sought additional ammunition of certain types from our European allies. Most of the ammunition required was provided either on loan--that is on a replacement or repayment basis--or for a nominal price, although some was procured at the market price.SOCIAL SECURITY
Visual Handicap
Sir Russell Johnston : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many people receive mobility allowance whose main disabling condition is listed as blindness or disease of the eye ; (2) how many people receive mobility allowance solely on the basis of visual impairment.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is not available.
Benefits and Allowances
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action his Department intends to take regarding the Court of Appeal judgment in July 1990, Secretary of State v. Thomas, Cooze, Beard, Murphy and Morley v. Secretary of State, regarding discriminatory upper age limits for severe disability allowance and invalid care allowance.
Mr. Scott : My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has appealed to the House of Lords against the decision of the Court of Appeal.
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much his Department will save through the restriction of paying back- dated benefits arising from test cases, introduced by the Social Security Act 1990.
Miss Widdecombe : Savings for the current financial year are estimated to be of the order of £2 million.
Computers (Security)
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures he is taking to ensure the security of (a) his Department's computers in house and (b) lap-top personal computers when used by his civil servants outside his Department's offices.
Miss Widdecombe : It is not Government policy to disclose details of the protective security measures for safeguarding computers used for official purposes. To do so would be of assistance to potential attackers and therefore reduce the effectiveness of the measures. These measures are kept under review. The Department of Social Security does not process classified information on its mainframe or lap-top computers.
Housing Benefit
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list, for the Doncaster area, how many (a) pensioner households, (b) families with children and (c) other households who are tenants of (i) Doncaster local authority, (ii) housing associations and (iii) other landlords, are estimated to be receiving (1) maximum housing benefits with no deduction for non-dependants,
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(2) maximum housing benefit but with deductions for non-dependants and (3) a lesser amount of housing benefit towards their rent payments currently and over the periods 1988-89 and 1989 -90 ; and what proportions of the total numbers of tenants in each category they represent.Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is not available.
Loans and Grants
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will state (a) the amounts available and (b) the amounts taken up by each Department of Social Security office in Scotland for (i) crisis loans, (ii) budgeting loans and (iii) community care grants in each year since the system was introduced, including the current year until the latest convenient date.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is available in the Library.
Supplementary Benefit and Income Support
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing how many people were provided for by supplementary benefit or income support in Scotland in each year since 1974 separately identifying the number of children.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is in the table :
Thousands
Year |Total |Of which
|claimants, |children
|partners and|(0-15 years)
|dependants
----------------------------------------------------
1974 |n/a |n/a
1975 |449 |115
1976 |n/a |n/a
1977 |473 |120
1978 |468 |120
1979 |451 |109
1980 |482 |119
1981 |608 |154
1982 |705 |183
1983 |713 |177
1984 |772 |195
1986 |832 |212
1987 |862 |216
1988 |827 |226
1989 |799 |223
Source: Annual Statistical Inquiries.
Notes:
(a) Information for 1974 is not available in the
form requested.
(b) The Annual Statistical Inquiries for 1976 is
incomplete. It does not contain details of
unemployed cases.
(c) There was no Annual Statistical Inquires in
1985; the one due in December that year was
deferred until February 1986.
Income Support Deductions
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many, and what percentage of, income support claimants in Scotland (a) aged over 60 years and (b) aged under 60 years are repaying social fund budgeting loans or crisis loans by deductions from their benefit payments.
Mr. Scott : The table shows the number and the percentage of income support claimants in Scotland (a)
Column 56
aged over 60 and (b) aged under 60 repaying social fund budgeting loans or crisis loans from their benefit payments at the end of November 1990.
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