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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 9 July 1992

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Obscene Publications

Mr. Stephen : To ask the Attorney-General if he will take action under section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 to confiscate copies of the book published by Arrow Books of which the hon. Member for Shoreham has given him details.

The Attorney-General : It is the police rather than the Crown prosecution service who initiate proceedings under section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 by the obtaining and execution of a search warrant. The Crown prosecution service would, however, expect to be consulted in advance of such action and would not endorse any such application in respect of the book in question in view of its decision not to institute proceedings under section 2 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959.

Mr. David Irving

Ms. Glenda Jackson : To ask the Attorney-General what consideration the Director of Public Prosecutions has given to prosecuting Mr. David Irving under the Race Relations Act 1976 over the organisation of revisionist seminars describing the holocaust as a liberal myth.

The Attorney-General : The Director of Public Prosecutions is not currently giving consideration to any proceedings against David Irving. Anyone who has evidence giving reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has been committed should report it to the police.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Indonesian Military Personnel

Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Indonesian military personnel have recently been awarded Foreign and Commonwealth Office scholarships awards schemes to study at the Royal College of Military Science at Shrivenham, Swindon.

Mr. Goodlad : Two Indonesian military officers are currently at the Royal College of Military Science at Shrivenham on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office scholarships award scheme. One student was at the college last year on the same basis ; a further student is expected to attend the college in the next academic year.

Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will cancel the invitations issued to Mr. Kustanto Widiatmoko, Mr. Akmad Buldan and Mr. Minulyo Suprato to attend the Royal College of Military Science at Shrivenham under his Department's scholarships and awards scheme, in view of Indonesia's human rights record.


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Mr. Goodlad : Only one of the three Indonesians named--Mr. Widiatmoko--is to attend a course at the Royal College of Military Science, Shrivenham. The other two are to undertake studies at Nottingham university and at the Cranfield Institute of Technology, Bedford. There are no plans to cancel these scholarships awards. We do not believe that the cancellation of this form of educational assistance would help the human rights situation in Indonesia.

Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe

Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the first meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe in Budapest, between 3 and 6 July.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : I welcome the addition of a parliamentary dimension to the CSCE process, and in particular the adoption by the parliamentary assembly of declarations in favour of strengthening CSCE institutions. I agree with the assembly that respect for CSCE values, including parliamentary democracy and human rights, should be translated into every day practice, and that CSCE should seek to prevent and resolve conflicts both within and between states.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

National Lottery

Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the names of each of the organisations and individuals who have sent responses to the White Paper on a national lottery ; and if he will make a statement on the timetable for completing his consultation process.

Mr. Mellor : A total of 224 respondents were listed on 6 July, Official Report, columns 23-26, most of whom submitted their comments to the Home Office before 1 June. In addition, the Department of National Heritage has now received seven further communications from organisations and individuals. These are from the Continental On-Line Lottery and Totalisator Advisors ; Nairn district council ; Northern Arts ; the Sports Council for Northern Ireland ; the United Kingdom Lottery Company Limited ; the Victoria and Albert museum ; and the hon. Member. This brings the total to 231. Over the next few months we will continue discussions with key respondents. Legislation will be brought forward in due course.

Press (Self-regulation)

Mr. Andrew Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has for reviewing press self-regulation.

Mr. Mellor : When the report of the Committee on Privacy and Related Matters was published in June 1990, the then Home Secretary said that the Government would review the effectiveness of press self-regulation once the new Press Complaints Commission which the committee recommended be established had been in operation for 18 months.


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Now that the 18 month period is over, I have decided to ask Sir David Calcutt QC, the Master of Magdalene college Cambridge, who chaired the earlier committee, to undertake an assessment of how self-regulation has worked in practice since his committee reported. His remit will be to assess the effectiveness of non-statutory self regulation by the press since the establishment of the Press Complaints Commission and to give his views on whether the present arrangements for self-regulation should now be modified or put on a statutory basis. I have also asked him to consider whether any further measures may be needed to deal with intrusions into personal privacy by the press, and to make recommendations.

I believe that a further independent analysis based on recent experience of self-regulation will be of great assistance in determining the way forward in this difficult and sensitive area. In view of his chairmanship of the earlier committee, Sir David is uniquely qualified to carry out this task, and I am very grateful to him for agreeing to take it on.

Green Minister

Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will outline the priorities for future action of the green Minister in his Department (a) over the next year and (b) over this Parliament ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Key : Over the next 12 months, I shall continue to follow up commitments in the White Paper Cm 1200 "This Common Inheritance" and its successor Cm 1655 "The First Year Report". I shall also be contributing to the second anniversary White Paper in the autumn. By the end of 1992 my Department will have developed an environmental housekeeping strategy for the management of its accommodation and purchasing, and over the next year and beyond I shall continue to ensure that environmental concerns shape the policy and work of my Department whenever appropriate.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Marine Theft

Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total value of marine theft of United Kingdom vessels stolen in United Kingdom territorial waters for the last five years ; and if he will tabulate.

Mr. Jack : The requested information is not collected centrally.

AIDS

Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation so that charges of (a) indecent assault, (b) assault occasioning actual bodily harm and (c) procurement of sex with a woman by false pretences, may be brought against a person who is an HIV/AIDS carrier who wilfully infects others ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jack : We have no current plans to introduce such legislation. There are difficulties both of principle and of practice in bringing this type of behaviour within the scope


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of the criminal law. The issue is, however, being kept under review and we will be taking into account the precedents in other countries before reaching a final view.

Mr. Martin Foran

Mr. Mills : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will refer to the Court of Appeal the conviction of Martin Foran, presently at Her Majesty's prison, Millers Park, following the receipt of the letter from the Crown prosecution service of 28 May, 11NN 158212 Foran, relating to non-disclosure of evidence during his application for leave to appeal.

Mr. Jack : We are considering, in the light of further representations from solicitors for Mr. Foran, including the letter to them of 28 May from the Crown prosecution service, whether there are any grounds to justify intervention in the case. I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as consideration of the representations is complete.

Police, Wales

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of police officers in Wales relieved of duty because of criminal misconduct in (a) 1991, (b) 1990 and (c) 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Charles Wardle : The table gives total numbers of officers suspended from duty pending investigation of a criminal allegation, in respect of each of the four Welsh constabularies in the years in question. The figures in brackets denote the number of officers who were convicted of a criminal offence in those years. Any conviction of an officer who has been suspended from duty may take place in a year subsequent to that of his suspension.


            |1989  |1990         

---------------------------------

Dyfed-Powys |0 (0) |3 (1)        

Gwent       |6 (0) |3 (1)        

North Wales |3 (1) |1 (0)        

South Wales |8 (6) |9 (3)        

                                 

Total       |17 17)|16 (5)       

Immigration

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current backlog in dealing with referral cases at each of the immigration centres.

Mr. Charles Wardle : The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of passengers detained overnight under Immigration Act powers during 1991 by nationality.

Mr. Charles Wardle [holding answer 3 July 1992] : The information requested is given in the table.


Passengers<1>detained overnight or longer in 1991, by nationality                                                         

Geographical region and nationality<2>      |Number                                                                       

                                            |of persons                                                                   

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All nationalities                           |8,016                                                                        

                                                                                                                          

European Community                          |35                                                                           

Belgium                                     |-                                                                            

Denmark                                     |-                                                                            

France                                      |10                                                                           

Germany                                     |2                                                                            

Greece                                      |-                                                                            

Italy                                       |2                                                                            

Luxembourg                                  |-                                                                            

Netherlands                                 |4                                                                            

Portugal                                    |13                                                                           

Spain                                       |4                                                                            

                                                                                                                          

Other Western Europe                        |689                                                                          

Austria                                     |6                                                                            

Cyprus                                      |42                                                                           

Finland                                     |12                                                                           

Malta                                       |7                                                                            

Norway                                      |3                                                                            

Sweden                                      |27                                                                           

Switzerland                                 |8                                                                            

Turkey                                      |229                                                                          

Yugoslavia                                  |355                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

Eastern Europe                              |198                                                                          

Bulgaria                                    |28                                                                           

Czechoslovakia                              |22                                                                           

Hungary                                     |27                                                                           

Poland                                      |48                                                                           

Romania                                     |55                                                                           

USSR                                        |18                                                                           

                                                                                                                          

Americas                                    |1,031                                                                        

Argentina                                   |24                                                                           

Barbados                                    |5                                                                            

Brazil                                      |204                                                                          

Canada                                      |17                                                                           

Chile                                       |23                                                                           

Colombia                                    |297                                                                          

Cuba                                        |2                                                                            

Guyana                                      |11                                                                           

Jamaica                                     |219                                                                          

Mexico                                      |21                                                                           

Peru                                        |29                                                                           

Trinidad and Tobago                         |16                                                                           

USA                                         |148                                                                          

Uruguay                                     |1                                                                            

Venezuela                                   |14                                                                           

                                                                                                                          

Africa                                      |2.902                                                                        

Algeria                                     |232                                                                          

Egypt                                       |31                                                                           

Ethiopia                                    |113                                                                          

Ghana                                       |539                                                                          

Kenya                                       |50                                                                           

Libya                                       |27                                                                           

Mauritius                                   |34                                                                           

Morocco                                     |138                                                                          

Nigeria                                     |1,036                                                                        

Sierra Leone                                |211                                                                          

Somalia                                     |190                                                                          

South Africa                                |56                                                                           

Sudan                                       |52                                                                           

Tanzania                                    |41                                                                           

Tunisia                                     |19                                                                           

Uganda                                      |72                                                                           

Zambia                                      |26                                                                           

Zimbabwe                                    |35                                                                           

                                                                                                                          

Indian sub-continent                        |1,047                                                                        

Bangladesh                                  |497                                                                          

India                                       |223                                                                          

Pakistan                                    |327                                                                          

                                                                                                                          

Middle East                                 |298                                                                          

Iran                                        |53                                                                           

Iraq                                        |81                                                                           

Israel                                      |71                                                                           

Jordan                                      |12                                                                           

Kuwait                                      |3                                                                            

Lebanon                                     |62                                                                           

Saudi Arabia                                |2                                                                            

Syria                                       |14                                                                           

                                                                                                                          

Remainder of Asia                           |521                                                                          

China                                       |32                                                                           

Indonesia                                   |6                                                                            

Japan                                       |26                                                                           

Malaysia                                                                                                                  

Philippines                                 |31                                                                           

Singapore                                   |12                                                                           

Sri Lanka                                   |176                                                                          

Thailand                                    |12                                                                           

Hong Kong<3>                                |51                                                                           

                                                                                                                          

Australasia                                 |33                                                                           

Australia                                   |27                                                                           

New Zealand                                 |6                                                                            

                                                                                                                          

Others                                      |1,262                                                                        

British Overseas Citizens                   |33                                                                           

                                                                                                                          

Other countries not elsewhere specified 861                                                                               

                                                                                                                          

Stateless                                   |368                                                                          

<1>Includes some illegal entrants and deportees.                                                                          

<2>Or claimed nationality where the nationality is in doubt.                                                              

<3>British Dependent Territories citizens and British Nationals (Overseas) only.                                          

Derek Bentley

Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply of 18 May, Official Report, column 10, when he expects to make an announcement or decision on his study of the report submitted to his predecessor, the right hon. Member for Mole Valley (Mr. Baker), by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the case of Derek Bentley.

Mr. Jack : This report is receiving careful consideration together with other material which has been submitted more recently, including a letter and dossier received on 1 June from solicitors acting for Miss Iris Bentley. My right hon. and learned Friend will decide as soon as possible whether any action on his part would be appropriate.

Victim Support

Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much public money has been made available to victim support organisations in the mid-Essex area in each of the last three available years.

Mr. Jack : Home Office funding of local victim support schemes is channelled through the National Association of Victim Support Schemes, and is allocated by the Victim Support local funding panel on which the Home Office has observer status. There is one local victim support scheme in the mid-Essex area, the Chelmsford and Braintree scheme. Home Office funding allocated to that scheme amounted to £14, 484 in 1990-91, £15,788 in 1991-92, and is planned to amount to £26, 208 in the current financial year.

Deportation Orders

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deportation orders he has signed in each month in 1992.


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Mr. Charles Wardle : The information is as follows :


         |Number       

-----------------------

January  |62           

February |49           

March    |74           

April    |109          

May      |77           

June     |85           

Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy on deporting foreign nationals whose families reside in this country and who have no means of support in their own country.

Mr. Charles Wardle : Deportation will normally be the proper course where a person subject to immigration control overstays a permitted leave, breaches a condition attached to it or engages in serious criminal or other activity against the public interest. Each case is considered on its merits having full regard to all known compassionate circumstances including age, character, domestic circumstances, length of residence in and strength of ties with the United Kingdom. The effect of deportation on a person's family in the United Kingdom and the situation he or she will face on return are factors to be taken into account.

Prison Service

Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a statement of the annual objectives of the prison service and of the resources provided for it.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I am placing in the Library a copy of the "Statement of Objectives and Resources for HM Prison Service, 1992-93", which is being issued today.

The statement forms the "compact" between Ministers and the Director General of the prison service recommended by Lord Justice Woolf. It sets out the prison service's purpose and goals, the planning assumptions and resources for 1992-93 and the service's objectives, targets and performance indicators.

It was announced in March 1992 that it was intended that the prison service should become an executive agency on 1 April 1993. The framework document and corporate and business plans for the agency will succeed the present statement from 1993-94 onwards.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Select Committee Reports

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will list the substantive reports from the departmental Select Committees in the 1987 Parliament which have not been debated, or referred to on the Order Paper as relevant to a debate.

Mr. Newton : I regret that this information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Office Costs Allowance

Mr. Page : To ask the Lord President of the Council when he intends to publish the Top Salaries Review Body's report on the office costs allowance and the Government's response to it.


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Mr. Newton : I have today placed copies of the TSRB's report in the Vote Office.

The TSRB's proposals

The TSRB's wide-ranging report recommends fundamental changes to the level and structure of the OCA. The main recommendations are : (

(a) to disaggregate the OCA into separate allowances covering expenditure for different purposes (eg staff, equipment etc) in order to improve accountability ;

(b) a separate staff allowance of £33,360 (includng the 4.25 per cent. uprating from 1 April) to enable MPs to employ up to 2 full-time staff rather than 1 as at present ;

(c) a separate allowance of £4,000 for general office expenses ; (

(d) central procurement of IT equipment, to be introduced as soon as possible ;

(e) as an interim measure, a separate one-off initial acquisition grant for IT equipment of £5,000. available to all MPs, but with the general office expenses allowance halved in the year in which the grant is taken ;

(f) a separate additional allowance of £2,000 a year for MPs basing their activities in their constituency, provided they occupy only "the basic minimum accommodation at Westminster as defined by the House" ;

(g) the creation of a Personnel Office, separate from the Fees Office, to advise MPs and their staff on matters including rates of pay and job specifications ;

(h) (in the expectation that their Report would not have been implemented in advance of the general election this year) only one quarter of the allowance for 1992-93 should be available to Members between 1 April 1992 and the election.

If implemented in full these recommendations would increase the maximum of the OCA from the 1991-92 figure of £28,986 to between £37, 360 for a Member not entitled to the constituency office allowance and not claiming the one-off initial acquisition grant and £42,360 in 1992-93 for a Member claiming both, which would cost up to an additional £8 million in the first year. In percentage terms the increases would range between 23.6 and 40.2 per cent. in addition to a 4.25 per cent. increase due from 1 April 1992 in line with the existing uprating formula.

The Government's Views The TSBR's proposals raise three fundamental issues : compartmentalisation of the OCA ; central procurement of IT equipment ; creation of a separate Personnel Office.

The key argument for compartmentalisation of the OCA is that it would improve accountability. But almost all MP's expenditure on office, secretarial and research support is disbursed directly by the Fees Office or reimbursed on the basis of invoices submitted. The Government do not consider therefore that disaggregation would significantly improve accountability, but it would reduce MP's flexibility to make most effective use of the OCA. The Government do not therefore support this proposal. It follows that we oppose the creation of a separate constituency office allowance. It would be exceedingly difficult to define an acceptable criterion based on a Member occupying "minimum accommodation at Westminster". It would also be difficult in some areas--for example, portable office equipment--to distinguish between general office expenses and constituency office expenses.

Turning to the provision of IT equipment, we believe that the case for central procurement needs further consideration. It should be possible to negotiate discount arrangements without the need for bulk purchase of equipment by a central procurement authority which


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would inevitably base its specification on a generalised requirement rather than specific needs. The Government therefore have strong reservations about this proposal. In of these concerns we also do not favour the introduction of a separate initial acquisition grant pending the introduction of central procurement. We consider that MPs should continue to lease or purchase equipment which best meets their particular requirements from the aggregate OCA. Subject to the views of the House, however, the Government would be content for an invitation to be extended to the Information Committee of the House to consider the TSRB's proposals on equipment provision in the light of planned progress on the study of networking in the House. The final fundamental issue is the proposal to create a separate Personnel Office. The Government appreciate the reasons underlying the recommendation, but are conscious of the concern of many Members about possible external intervention in the relationships between themselves and their staff. Subject to the views of the House, therefore, the Government do not propose to pursue this proposal. Against this background, the Government consider that the most sensible course is to retain the OCA as a single sum but increase the maximum level. We accept that there is a case for increasing provision for support staff but taking account of both the TSRB's findings and the public expenditure implications and wider economic considerations we do not believe an increase as high as the TSRB recommends would be appropriate. The Government propose, therefore, that the OCA should be increased to provide for a maximum additional one quarter of a staff member, or equivalent expenditure, per Member. We also accept the TSRB's proposal that provision of £4,000 should be provided for general office expenses, but as part of the aggregate OCA rather than as a separate allowance as the TSRB suggests. Taken together the Government's proposals would increase the maximum OCA from £28,986 in 1991-92 to £33,190 in 1992-93. This represents a 9.8 per cent. increase, to provide for additional support from members, in addition to a 4.25 per cent. increase from 1 April in line with the existing uprating formula.

Finally, the Government note that at present an MP who joins or leaves the House part way through a year is entitled to claim against the full year's OCA. The TSRB addressed this point in the run-up to the election, but made no longer-term recommendation. The Government propose that from 1 April 1993 eligibility to the OCA will be calculated on a quarterly basis.

Overall, the Government believe this new higher level of OCA, while less than the TSRB recommended, provides a substantial increase which represents a fair balance between the taxpayers' interests and the needs of MPs for sufficient support to enable them to carry out adequately their duties to their constituents. It also provides MPs with continued flexibility in the ways they organise staff and equipment support to meet best their individual requirements.


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ACCOMMODATION AND WORKS COMMITTEE

7 Millbank

Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what percentage of the floor space of 7 Millbank is to be used for House of Commons purposes ; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for not leasing the whole building.

Mr. Ray Powell : In response to the recommendation of the Services Committee that alternative accommodation should be provided for the occupants of St. Stephen's house, which has to be demolished as part of the works for the Jubilee line extension, the Secretary of State for the Environment took a lease on the basement, ground, first and second floors. Based on the figures provided by the landlord's agents, these floors represent some 50 per cent. of the total space available. Following the Parliamentary Corporate Bodies Act 1992, the lease has been transferred to the House authorities. The accommodation will become available during the summer recess. I understand that, in addition, the Department leased the third floor of 7 Millbank for use by the House of Lords.

It is a matter for the Accommodation and Works Committee to consider against progress on the next phase of the new parliamentary building, whether further space should be taken in 7 Millbank or any of the other available buildings in the area.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Finance Bill

Mr. William Powell : To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon- Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what extra costs were incurred as a result of the Standing Committee considering the Finance Bill sitting after the House adjourned on 16 June, 23 June and 30 June.

Mr. Beith : The calculation of detailed and meaningful statistics in relation to extra costs incurred as a result of any specific late night sitting is complex and cannot begin until all claims for extra payment are received. However, the Finance Office will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is able to provide this information.

1 Parliament Street

Mr. Renton : To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, whether he will make arrangements for a fax machine to be installed at 1 Parliament street for the use of hon. Members with rooms in that building.

Mr. Beith : The provision of facsimile machines for Members was examined by the Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee to the Services Committee in May 1988. It was resolved that centralised facsimile machine facilities in the House would be inappropriate and that the provision of these machines should be the responsibility of hon. Members. I understand that some 332 hon. Members now have individual facsimile


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machines. Any proposal to review these arrangements would have to be considered by the Administration Committee.

Transport Office (Bank Notes)

Mr. Wallace : To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will make it a requirement of the continuation of Thomas Cook Ltd.'s operation of the Transport Office that the company will exchange Scottish and Northern Ireland notes on the same basis as it exchanges Bank of England notes.

Mr. Beith : It has never been the policy of the Transport Office in the House to impose a charge for the exchange of Scottish or Northern Ireland bank notes, or to charge for transactions settled in those notes.

I am advised that within the United Kingdom no charge has been made by Thomas Cook for transactions made in these notes, except at Heathrow and Glasgow airports where, until recently, a commission was charged. That practice was terminated on 1 July.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

Guyana

Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the environmental projects currently funded by the Overseas Development Administration in Guyana.

Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The ODA is currently funding two projects in this field. These are :

(a) Research project on the major problems of the regeneration of Greenheart timber. Funded through Imperial College. Cost to the ODA : £200,000 over three years.

(b) Support for the Commonwealth Programme for Sustainable Tropical Forestry. ODA commitment approximately £180,000, to meet the costs of the Phase 1 preparatory work programme, carried out by the Natural Resources Institute.

Malawi

Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's position on the loan by the World bank to Malawi for construction of the Malawi V project ; and what human rights considerations were taken into account when reaching this decision. Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Malawi power V project was approved by the World Bank's executive board on 17 June. The United Kingdom judges all world bank loans on their economic and technical merits, in line with the provision of the bank's article of agreement. The proceedings of the World bank board on individual projects are confidential.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Correspondence

Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to reply to the letter dated 21 June from a constituent of the hon. Member for Brent,


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East, the name and address of whom have been supplied to him ; and what is the Government's commitment in the citizens charter about the length of time members of the public should expect to wait for a reply from the Government.

Mr. Waldegrave : The Secretary of State for the Environment is responsible for the matter on which the hon. Member's constituent wrote to me. The hon. Member's constituent will therefore receive a reply from officials at the Department of the Environment. That is normal practice where a correspondent raises matters with a Minister which do not relate to that Minister's responsibilities.

I understand that my right hon. and learned Friend's officials will reply to the hon. Member's constituent by Friday, 10 July. The citizens charter calls for all public services to set standards for response times to correspondence. These should be appropriate both to local circumstances and to the needs of their clients.

PRIME MINISTER

Engagements

Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 9 July.

Mr. Newton : I have been asked to reply.

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is on his way to Helsinki to attend the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Top Salaries Review Body

Mr. King : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Top Salaries Review Body report.

The Prime Minister : The Review Body on Top Salaries--TSRB--has submitted to me the report of its fundamental review of the pay of the posts within their remit groups. These comprise about 1,290 members of the judiciary, 660 senior civil servants, and 190 senior officers in the armed forces. The TSRB last carried out a fundamental review in 1985. I am grateful for the work which it has done on this further review.

The recommendations would add 19.7 per cent. to the pay bill for the remit groups, at a cost of £27.6 million. The Government understand the reasons which underlie these recommendations, which relate to senior people whose work it relies upon and greatly values, but believe that on this occasion there are also wider considerations which they must take into account. The rate of increase in average earnings is now at the lowest level for 25 years, and pay settlements in the private sector are running at around 4 per cent. The economy is moving to a low rate of inflation as the essential basis for resumed and sustained growth. Against this background the Government have decided to moderate the proposed increases.

The increase from 1 April this year will therefore be limited to 4 per cent. The main new rates of pay for 1992-93 are set out in the table. A further 3 per cent. will be paid from 1 April 1993 and a final stage of 2.8 per cent. from 1 April 1994, in addition to whatever annual increase may be decided for those years. The total increase will, therefore, be about half of the recommended level.


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For those groups which are covered by performance pay arrangements, individual increases will vary within the overall increases in the pay bill. The Government attach importance to strengthening links between pay and performance, in line with the principles of the citizens charter ; I have therefore asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and other Ministers the possibility of extending the performance pay system.

The TSRB has also made a number of additional recommendations affecting the judiciary and senior civil servants. The Government are considering the recommendations on regrouping for the judiciary, but have decided to reject the other recommendations affecting the judiciary and the increase in London pay for grade 3 civil servants.


TSRB remit groups: existing and recommended salaries                                                                          

Group                               |Existing                     |Plus                                                       

                                    |Salary (£)                   |4 per cent.                                                

                                    |1 December                   |1 April 1992                                               

                                    |1991)                                                                                    

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Judiciary                                                                                                                     

Lord Chief Justice of England       |104,750                      |108,940                                                    

                                                                                                                              

Judicial Group 2                    |97,000                       |100,880                                                    

   (includes Lords of Appeal in                                                                                               

   Ordinary and Master of the                                                                                                 

   Rolls)                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                              

Judicial Group 3                    |93,000                       |96,720                                                     

                                    |  (includes Lords Justices of                                                            

   appeal and President of the                                                                                                

   Family Division)                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                              

Judicial Group 4                    |84,250                       |87,620                                                     

   (includes High Court Judges)                                                                                               

                                                                                                                              

Judicial Group 5                    |73,250                       |76,180                                                     

   Official Referees                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                              

Judicial Group 6                    |-                            |67,564                                                     

   Presidents of Industrial etc.                                                                                              

   Tribunals, Judge Advocate                                                                                                  

   General (new appointments)                                                                                                 

   Circuit judges etc.              |61,600                       |64,064                                                     

                                                                                                                              

Judicial Group 7                    |50,500                       |52,520                                                     

   (includes Chairmen of Industrial                                                                                           

   Tribunals and                                                                                                              

   Magistrates)                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                              

Note: The Government is considering the recommendations for                                                                   

      regrouping of Senior Circuit Judges etc.                                                                                

                                                                                                                              

Senior Civil Service                                                                                                          

Secretary of the Cabinet and Head   |104,750                      |108,940                                                    

   of the Home Civil Service                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                              

Permanent Secretary to the          |98,000                       |101,920                                                    

   Treasury                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                              

Grade 1 (Permanent Secretary)       |84,250                       |87,620                                                     

                                                                                                                              

Grade 1A (2nd Permanent             |77,500                       |80,600                                                     

   Secretary)                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                              

Grade 2 (Deputy Secretary)                                                                                                    

   range minimum                    |60,100                       |62,504                                                     

   range maximum                    |70,400                       |73,216                                                     

                                                                                                                              

Grade 3 (Under Secretary)                                                                                                     

  London range minimum              |49,300                       |51,272                                                     

         range maximum              |57,000                       |59,280                                                     

  Elsewhere range minimum           |48,000                       |49,920                                                     

         range maximum              |55,700                       |57,928                                                     

                                                                                                                              

Senior Military                                                                                                               

  Admiral of the Fleet              |104,750                      |108,940                                                    

  Field Marshal                                                                                                               

  Marshal of the RAF                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                              

  Admiral                           |84,250                       |87,620                                                     

  General                                                                                                                     

  Air Chief Marshal                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                              

  Vice Admiral                      |60,600                       |63,024                                                     

  Lieutenant-General                                                                                                          

   Air Marshal                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                              

  Rear Admiral                      |53,000                       |55,120                                                     

  Major General                                                                                                               

  Air Vice-Marshal                                                                                                            

NATIONAL FINANCE

Employment Statistics

13. Mr. Watson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the position of the United Kingdom in the league table of growth of employment among the Group of Seven countries in 1992 and 1993.

Mr. Portillo : The Government do not publish forecasts of employment growth.

VAT (Charities)

14. Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has to require Oxfam and other charity shops to introduce VAT on their operations.


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