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Mr. John M. Taylor : The immigration appellate authorities keep statistics by the country from which the appeal originates, not by nationality. Visit visa statistics are not kept separately from other appeals against refusal of short-term visas and the figures given are achieved by applying a typical proportion of visit visa appeals to the total in each period. On that basis, the number of appeals against refusal to grant visas to visit the United Kingdom that have been lodged in each of the last three years, by country, is set out in the table.
The information requested concerning the number of visit visa appeals currently awaiting determination is not available.
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1989
October-December
Country |Received |Upheld |Refused |Withdrawn
-------------------------------------------------------------
India |209 |52 |173 |37
Bangladesh |67 |8 |40 |15
Pakistan |385 |77 |172 |73
Ghana |57 |6 |21 |10
Nigeria |106 |3 |20 |5
Jamaica |32 |11 |12 |5
EEC |- |- |- |-
Other |330 |45 |95 |42
|--- |--- |--- |---
Total |1,186 |202 |533 |187
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1990
Country |Received |Upheld |Refused |Withdrawn
-------------------------------------------------------------
India |2,064 |191 |583 |187
Bangladesh |880 |61 |290 |96
Pakistan |1,614 |327 |869 |186
Ghana |230 |35 |103 |26
Nigeria |679 |27 |200 |28
Jamaica |101 |19 |73 |22
EEC |3 |- |4 |1
Other |2,543 |169 |567 |212
|--- |--- |--- |---
Total |8,114 |829 |2,689 |758
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1991
Country |Received |Upheld |Refused |Withdrawn
-------------------------------------------------------------
India |1,911 |347 |976 |338
Bangladesh |454 |75 |446 |91
Pakistan |2,108 |268 |920 |209
Ghana |288 |39 |146 |31
Nigeria |1,460 |70 |580 |63
Jamaica |177 |44 |177 |51
EEC |- |- |10 |1
Other |3,275 |331 |1,503 |357
|--- |--- |--- |---
Total |9,673 |1,174 |4,758 |1,141
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1992
January-September
Country |Received |Upheld |Refused |Withdrawn
-------------------------------------------------------------
India |1,135 |377 |1,275 |231
Bangladesh |430 |76 |382 |65
Pakistan |1,513 |326 |1,282 |225
Ghana |425 |42 |137 |39
Nigeria |1,260 |125 |882 |65
Jamaica |104 |59 |258 |30
EEC |0 |0 |1 |0
Other |2,461 |369 |2,001 |264
|--- |--- |--- |---
Total |7,328 |1,374 |4,217 |919
Mr. Madden : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many appeals, in all categories of entry clearance to the United Kingdom, are, to date, outstanding ; what is the average delay, between appeal applications being lodged and appeals being heard at each appellate centre in the United Kingdom ; how many adjudicators are in place currently ; and what proportion of each adjudicators' work load at present is taken up considering appeals against refusal to grant visit visas.
Mr. John M. Taylor : As of 30 October 1992 there were 23,047 appeals outstanding. The average time between an appeal being lodged and it being heard is 16 months. This includes an average period of nine months for the parties to prepare their case and indicate readiness for the appeal to be heard. Cases where parties have so indicated are now being listed for full hearing on the following dates at the appellate centres :
Thanet house 17 May 1993
Harmondsworth 1 May 1993
Birmingham 14 January 1993
Manchester 1 April 1993
Leeds 1 February 1993
Glasgow 1 March 1993
Hearings can sometimes be brought forward if the appellant so requests and an earlier date becomes available. Steps are being taken to shorten the time taken, wherever possible, for a case to come before an adjudicator for example, by increasing hearing room availability and increased administrative efficiency.
Cases where no hearing is required are currently being determined on the papers within six to eight weeks of the parties indicating they are ready for the case to be dealt with by the adjudicator. There are 19 full-time adjudicators and 78 part-time adjudicators in post. It is not possible to calculate what proportion of the adjudicators' time is taken considering appeals against refusal to grant visit visas.
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Legal Aid
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what studies he made, before deciding to remove or reduce the rights of people in particular income groups to receive legal aid, into the ability of people within those income groups to pay the contributions which are now to be required of them.
Mr. John M. Taylor : In the light of the Government's priorities for public expenditure and the rapid growth in the cost of legal aid, the Lord Chancellor and I have considered carefully what can be afforded and have taken measures which will ensure that the resources available are directed to those whose need is greatest.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many people will have their rights to legal aid removed or reduced as a result of the measures he announced on 12 November.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Although such estimates are necessarily subject to many assumptions, we estimate that around 2 per cent. of households will no longer be eligible for legal aid as a result of measures taken to align legal aid allowances with income support levels. Around 14 per cent. of households who now receive legal aid free of contribution will be required to contribute. In addition, about 8 per cent. of households who fall out of eligibility in the current year because their income has risen above the upper income limit will not be restored to eligibility as a result of the decision not to uprate the upper limit in April of next year.
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what analysis he has made of the reasons for the increase in spending on legal aid ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The reasons for the increase in legal aid expenditure are complex. There are two basic components involved. First, the number of people assisted
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under the various parts of the legal aid scheme isincreasing--around 3 million acts of assistance were paid for in 1991-92 as compared with around 2 million in 1985-86. Secondly, the unit cost of each act of assistance is increasing at a higher rate than inflation.
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether he will make a statement on the error which the Benefits Agency committed in assessing applications for civil legal aid between 1 October 1991 and 30 March 1992 ; and what compensation he proposes to pay legal aid practitioners for their costs incurred in checking whether their clients meet the criteria for reassessment set out in the Benefits Agency letter of 2 November.
Mr. John M. Taylor : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Wallsend (Mr. Byers) on Tuesday 17 November, Official Report, columns 103-4.
Justiciary (Ethnic Origin)
Mr. Boateng : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many members of the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on the appointment of magistrates for each of the commission areas in England and Wales are of Afro-Caribbean or Asian origin.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The number of members of the Lord Chancellor's advisory committees who are of Afro-Caribbean or Asian racial origin are as follows :
Commission area |Asian |Afro Caribbean ---------------------------------------------------------------- Cleveland |1 |- East Sussex |1 |- Inner London |1 |1 Isle of Wight |- |1 Leicestershire |- |2 Middlesex |1 |1 Nottinghamshire |- |1 Oxfordshire |- |1 Staffordshire |1 |- Tyne and Wear |- |1 West Midlands |4 |- West Yorkshire |4 |-
No other advisory committees presently have members of Afro-Caribbean or Asian racial origin.
Mr. Boateng : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many justices of the peace, for each of the commission areas in England and Wales are of Afro-Caribbean or Asian origin.
Mr. John M. Taylor : This information is not recorded centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, but of 2,017 appointments made in 1991, a total of 97 were from the ethnic minorities. That is a total higher than the proportion of ethnic minorities in the age group from which magistrates are normally appointed.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Timber
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the International Tropical Timber Organisation
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concerning (a) the implementation of its Target 2000 campaign for a sustainable timber trade and (b) the level of imports and exports of tropical timber.Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We fully support the objectives of Target 2000. We are proposing to fellow members of the International Tropical Timber Organisation in the context of the current renegotiation of the international tropical timber agreement, that its resources and methods of operation be improved to enable it to promote the objectives of Target 2000 as effectively as possible. The ITTO's priority objective should be the promotion of sustainable forest management at national level and hence sustainable trade.
Overseas Aid
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence he has of United Kingdom or multilateral overseas aid money being improperly appropriated by Government or other officials in Kenya, Somalia, Zaire or Namibia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have no evidence of improper appropriation of aid funds provided by the United Kingdom or multilateral organisations. We have rigorous safeguards in order to minimise the risk that our aid resources are misused. These include competitive tendering wherever possible, and direct payment to contractors. Purchasing agents have to be British and approved by us ; payment is made direct to the supplier. There is an extensive system of financial control, reporting and audit, backed up by physical monitoring on the ground to help ensure that aid is achieving the intended purpose.
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the percentage of overseas aid provided by Her Majesty's Government which reaches its intended recipients and of the percentage which is sold on the black market.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Overseas Development Administration has systems and controls, second to none, for seeking to ensure that British aid is used for the purpose intended. We have a well-established system of financial reporting, physical monitoring and audit, including visits to projects by British officials, to ensure that our aid is achieving the intended benefits on the ground. If there were any evidence of corruption related to a British aid-funded contract, we would investigate vigorously and, if proven, withdraw from it.
World Bank
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications of the World bank report "Effective Implementation : Key to Development Input" for the Government's financial support for the World bank and for the role played by the United Kingdom executive director of the World bank.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The report on effective implementation of projects financed by the World bank recommends a number of changes in policy, priorities and procedures. The president of the bank has welcomed the report and has
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proposed an immediate start on the measures necessary to strengthen its performance. The report is now being considered by executive directors.The report itself makes no recommendations on funding, nor on the role of executive directors. Our support for the 10th replenishment of the International Development Association, will help provide the basis for implementing the report's findings. Our executive director will continue to play an important and active role.
Rain Forests
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the influence that the destruction of tropical rain forests in developing countries has had on the Government's policy towards the third world debt crisis.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The links between international debt and deforestation are complex. The pressures which cause deforestation exist independently of the size of a country's debt. Nevertheless, for wider economic and developmental reasons, Britain has led the way in promoting debt relief measures, particularly for the poorest. Twelve low-income, highly indebted countries have benefited from substantial reductions in their official debt as a result of the Prime Minister's Trinidad terms initiative. The terms currently reduce eligible payments due to Governments by as much as 50 per cent. We continue, however, to press for even more generous debt relief to be made available to those countries that need it. For middle income countries, which owe their debt largely to banks, we are providing support for commercial debt reduction through the Brady plan. This international agreement allows International Monetary Fund and World bank to devote some of their lending resources to
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facilitate voluntary debt reduction agreements between banks and debtors. Brazil, for instance, has been able to agree in principle a deal which will effectively reduce its £29 billion debt to banks by around a third.Commonwealth Development Corporation
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Treasury minute on the first to 11th reports from the Committee of Public Accounts 1992-93, paragraph 161, what proposals he has to change the auditing arrangements of the Commonwealth Development Corporation.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have no plans to change the auditing arrangements for the Commonwealth Development Corporation. Under the provisions of the CDC Act 1978, as amended in 1982 and 1986, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is responsible for appointing external auditors and for laying the CDC's annual report and accounts before Parliament. In addition, the CDC is subject to scrutiny by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
Aid and Trade Projects
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list each aid and trade provision project since 1989, with the companies and the sums of money involved.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 16 November 1992] : Aid agreements involving aid and trade provision funds have been concluded with Governments of developing countries since 1989 for projects for which the following companies are lead United Kingdom contractors.
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|c|ATP agreements concluded during 1989|c|
Country |Project |Lead United Kingdom |Amount (£ million)
|company
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Egypt |Maghara Coal Mine |Babcocks |0.080
India |URI Hydro Electric Power Station |Boving and Co. |17.146
Indonesia |Cigarding Port Extension |Tarmac International Special Projects|13.266
Indonesia |Radio Studios |David Whittle Associates |0.378
Indonesia |Satellite Remote Sensing |Technology Applied Systems |0.028
Indonesia |Scattered Diesels |GEC Diesels |5.891
Kenya |Mombasa South Coast Link Road |Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners |0.350
Kenya |Digital Micro Wave System |Telectron Systems |4.214
Morocco |Nador Steel Works Study |W. S. Atkins |0.133
Pakistan |Karachi Water II |Portals Water Treatment |6.629
Philipines |Gas Turbines Power Station |JBE |13.125
Red Sea |Regional Hydrocarbon Study |Robertson Research International |0.187
Swaziland |Fire Equipment |Carmichael Fire and Bulk |0.123
Thailand |Diesel Multiple Units |BREL |4.487
Thailand |Railway Signalling |Transmark |0.773
Tunisia |Railway Equipment |Balfour Beatty |0.500
Tunisia |Yarn and Fibre Plant |Extrusion Systems Ltd. |0.337
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|c|ATP agreements concluded during 1990|c|
Country |Project |Lead United Kingdom |Amount (£ million)
|company
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Botswana |Flight Information Region |Siemens Plessey Radar |2.938
China |Beijing Subway |Balfour Beatty (Metrotec) |9.987
China |Danyang Aluminium Plant |Davy McKee (Poole) Ltd. |3.532
Colombia |San Andres Power Station |Hawker Siddeley Power Engineering |3.430
Cyprus |Limassol Water Treatment Plant |Water Engineering |1.470
Indonesia |Citayam/Cibinong Railway |Foster Wheeler World Services |20.105
Indonesia |Cigading/Serpong Railway Rehabilitation |Davy/British Railway International |24.690
Indonesia |Radio Communication System for the Ministry of Forestry|Philips Radio Communication Systems |34.111
Indonesia |Radio Studio Rehabilitation |Audix Ltd. |5.040
Indonesia |Shortwave Radio Transmitters |Marconi |26.911
Indonesia |Aircraft Simulator Consultancy |CAA |0.050
Kenya |Moi University Consultancy |Cambridge Education Consultants |0.034
Kenya |Distribution Transformers |N. I. Transformers |0.688
Kenya |Rural Telecommunications Equipment |Telectron Systems |4.363
Morocco |Gas Turbines |JBE |7.276
Morocco |Diesel Electric Locos |British Electrical |6.107
Malaysia |Connaught Bridge |NEI Parsons |23.485
Malaysia |Medamit 2 Hydro Electric |Sir William Halcrow and Partners |0.244
Malaysia |Nucleus Hospitals |John Laing International |13.159
Philippines |Small Island Electrification - Phase I |Dale Electric |2.065
Tunisia |Dump Trucks |Terex Equipment |0.949
Zimbabwe |Fire Fighting Vehicles |Carmichael Fire |3.264
Zimbabwe |Harare Airport Radar |Siemens Plessey Radar |1.462
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|c|ATP agreements concluded during 1991|c|
Country |Project |Lead United Kingdom |Amount (£ million)
|company
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
China |Shanghai Telephone Equipment 520 |GPT International |1.595
China |Duck Processing Units |APV Baker |1.942
China |Cotton Textile Machinery |Platt Saco Lowell (UK) |1.065
China |Flour and Feed Mills |Robinson Milling Systems |2.333
China |Yue Yang Power Station Training |GEC Alsthom Turbine Generators |0.450
China |Xinjiang Ethylene Plant |Snamprogetti |47.179
Ghana |Fifth Power Project |Hawker Siddeley Power Engineering |7.280
Ghana |Kotoka International Airport |Plessey Airports |10.180
Indonesia |Western Universities Equipment |Philip Harris International/Gallenkamp |13.671
Indonesia |Airport Security System |International Aeradio |10.455
Indonesia |Jambi Power Station |Mirrlees Blackstone (STPT) |5.345
Indonesia |Flight Simulator |Aeronautical Systems Designers |4.659
Indonesia |Steel Bridging II |Mabey & Johnson |3.669
Indonesia |Cikampek/Padalarang Toll Road |Cementation |1.700
Indonesia |Automotive Sector study |de Montfort Management |0.489
Malaysia |Double Tracking |Transmark |0.798
Malaysia |Pergau Hydroelectric Project |Balfour Beatty Cementation |234.000
Malaysia |Nucleus Hospitals II |John Laing International |5.442
Philippines |Small Islands Electricity - Phases 2 & 3|Dale Electric International |4.902
Turkey |Equipment for State Universities |TQ International |23.363
Zimbabwe |Airfield Crash Tenders |Carmichael Fire |2.479
Zimbabwe |Harare International Airport |Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick Partners |0.325
Zimbabwe |Supply of AWD Bedford Trucks |AWD (Export) |16.116
Zimbabwe |Supply of ERF Trucks |ERF |8.575
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|c|ATP agreements concluded during 1992 to date|c|
Country |Project |Lead United Kingdom |Amount (£ million)
|company
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
China |Urumqi PTA |Foster Wheeler Energy |39.000
China |Dalian Steam and Power |Gibson Wells Engineering |2.336
China |Twist Steel Wire |Marshall Richards Barcro |1.085
China |Fushun Heat and Power |Gibson Wells Engineering |13.172
China |Urumqi PX |Babcock Contractors |13.045
Ghana |Oil and Gas Storage Depots |Motherwell Bridge Projects |1.793
Indonesia |Western Universities Training Centre |Sunderland Engineering Education Services|2.214
Malaysia |Sibu Airport |John Laing International |1.933
Republic of Yemen |Tractor Implements and Spares |Massey Ferguson UK |4.650
Republic of Yemen |Mechanisation Study |Not yet appointed |0.497
Tunisia |Sewage Treatment Water Training |Lagoon Technology International |0.053
Zimbabwe |AWD Trucks Delivery |AWD Export |0.840
Somalia
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide a table showing how much of the assistance which was given by the United Kingdom to Somalia in each of the last 10 years
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went to the northern region known as the Republic of Somaliland, giving the figure and percentage of the total given (a) in humanitarian aid, whether by cash grant or in kind, (b) in development aid, whether by cash grant or in kind, (c) loans and (d) in any other form in each year.Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 24 November 1992] : I refer the hon. Member to my answer to his question of
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Monday 23 November, at column 453, which gave a financial summary of our assistance to Somalia for each of the past 10 years. Aid is given to the country as a whole and statistics showing expenditure by region are not readily available.Albania
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response his Department made to the International Committee of the Red Cross appeal in July for food aid for targeted groups in need in Albania ; whether that response was made bilaterally or through the EC ; what total response was made by the EC ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 20 November 1992] : We are aware of the appeal that was made in September and are in touch with the British Red Cross about it. It is sending a delegation to Albania next week to assess how the United Kingdom can best respond to the appeal and we expect it to submit a proposal on its return. We have already provided £1.3 million of bilateral humanitarian assistance to Albania. The bulk of our contribution is through the EC which has already this year provided 80 mecu of food aid direct to the Albanian Government, and agreed a further tranche of 40 mecu in October.
Aid Budget
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the aid budget is spent in dollars and ecus ; and what effect there has been on the purchasing power of the overseas aid budget since the recent devaluation of sterling.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 20 November 1992] : In 1992- 93 it is estimated that £73 million, 4 per cent., of the provision for overseas aid for developing countries will be paid in US dollars and that £375 million, 20 per cent., will be paid in ecu. Given that exchange rates move up as well as down during the course of a year, it is not yet possible to predict what impact recent changes in the value of sterling will have on the purchasing power of the aid programme for developing countries.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the overseas aid budget in both percentage and cash terms is spent through multilateral organisations ; how much, in both percentage and cash terms, is provided in non-sterling currencies ; which currencies are used ; and what is the impact on the aid budget in terms of additional sterling resources required to finance these commitments since the devaluation of sterling since the United Kingdom left the exchange rate mechanism.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 19 November 1992] : In 1992- 93 it is estimated that £829 million, 44 per cent. of the provision for overseas aid for developing countries, will be spent through multilateral organisations. Approximately £462 million, 25 per cent. of the aid programme for developing countries, is paid in the following non -sterling currencies : the ecu and, in smaller amounts, the currencies of Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Botswana, eastern Caribbean, Fiji, France, Germany, Japan, Jordan, Netherlands, Solomon Islands, South Africa, United States and Vanuatu. Given that
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exchange rates move up as well as down during the course of a year, it is not yet possible to say what impact recent changes in the value of sterling will have.FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Albania
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what diplomatic contacts there have been in recent weeks with Albania ; and if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's current relations with Albania.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The British charge d'affaires in Tirana is in daily contact with the Albanian authorities. Her Majesty's ambassador at Rome, who is concurrently accredited to Tirana, also visited Albania recently and met President Berisha on 23 November. They discussed among other issues the United Kingdom's and Albania's close interest in political developments in the former Yugoslavia. Our relations with Albania are developing rapidly and are now very good.
Visa Appeals
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his estimate of the total cost to his Department, over each of the past three years, of work associated with appeals by those appealing against refusal to grant visas to visit the United Kingdom ; how many explanatory statements have been prepared over this period by British posts overseas ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Information on costs is not available in the form requested.
The number of explanatory statements prepared by British posts overseas in the last three years is as follows :
|Settlement |Non-settlement|Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989 |4,330 |7,303 |11,633
1990 |4,970 |12,445 |17,415
1991 |4,162 |12,349 |16,511
|------- |------- |-------
Totals |13,462 |32,097 |45,559
Special Operations Executive
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to release the records of the wartime Special Operations Executive.
Mr. Hurd : As part of the initiative which I announced on 14 May to review records withheld for more than 30 years, work has started on reviewing the SOE archives.
A large proportion of the original records of SOE were destroyed, both by SOE itself at the end of the war, and in a fire at the Baker street headquarters in late 1945. The remaining archives are substantial and complex and the complete review will take some time. However, a first batch should be released in the second half of 1993.
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President de Klerk
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions were held with President de Klerk during his visit to the United Kingdom on 14 and 15 November.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 20 November 1992] : The Prime Minister had a full discussion with President de Klerk. Their talks covered both the reform process in South Africa, and regional matters.
Malawi
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will now take to secure the release of Mrs. Vera Chirwa currently held in prison in Malawi ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Since the death of Orton Chirwa on 20 October, we have again urged the Malawian Government to release Vera Chirwa on humanitarian grounds. We shall continue to take every opportunity to press for her release.
South African Arms Sales
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he received the letter from Mr. Abdul S. Minty, director of the World Campaign Against Military and Nuclear Collaboration with South Africa, concerning Mr. Mark Thatcher and the sale of South African arms to Saudi Arabia ; and if he will publish his reply.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : A letter from Mr. Minty dated 3 June 1992 was received in the office of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on that day. The reply, from an official, dated 25 June, stated :
"The United Kingdom adheres to UN Security Council resolutions 558 and 591 concerning, inter alia, the import of South African-produced arms. We take seriously allegations of British involvement in any contravention of these resolutions."
In the case the hon. Member raises, we have no knowledge as to whether South African-produced arms were purchased by customers in third countries. But we shall investigate any alleged British involvement if it is established that such arms were imported in breach of the above resolutions.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what position was adopted by Britain's representative on the United Nations 421 Arms Embargo Committee of the Security Council's consideration of the report concerning Mr. Mark Thatcher and the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : There has been no substantive discussion within the committee to date, although the chairman has undertaken to seek information on the report from the relevant parties. But if the committee were to establish that arms have been imported in breach of United Nations Security Council resolution 558, we would of course be prepared to investigate any allegations of British involvement.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations
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he has received from the Government of the United States of America concerning the activities of Mr. Mark Thatcher on arms deals involving South Africa ; and what action he took in response.Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are not aware of any such representations.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Yugoslavia
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the criteria for granting entry visas to those from former Yugoslavia ; and what criteria he has agreed with the International Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for selecting those suitable for entry.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Visas will be granted to those nationals of the former Yugoslavia requiring visas where they meet the requirement of the immigration rules. Visas will also be granted where the applicant meets the definition of a refugee under the terms of the 1951 convention or has been displaced from his home by the civil war in the former Yugoslavia and, because of close links with the United Kingdom, including close family ties, the United Kingdom is the most appropriate country of refuge for that person. In addition, visas will be granted to those people and their dependants whom the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross judge to be in need of evacuation, and whom the United Kingdom has agreed to receive. We understand that initially the international organisations would wish to evacuate detainees from the existing detention camps in Bosnia.
Operation Container
Mr. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he now expects Operation Container to end in Greater Manchester.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Every effort is being made to bring down the number of prisoners in police cells. Provided that the prison population remains at or below its current level, I would expect the bulk of the police cells problem in Greater Manchester to end early next year. However, until Manchester prison becomes fully operational in June 1944, a rise in the prison population could lead to further calls on police cells.
Prison Education Service
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of qualified teachers employed at each of the London prisons on 18 November.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Full and part-time salaried teachers employed in prisons have relevant qualifications. The numbers employed on 18 November in the following prisons were :
|Number
---------------------------------------------------
Her Majesty's Prison Belmarsh |6
Her Majesty's Prison Brixton |5
Her Majesty's Prison Holloway |9
Her Majesty's Prison Pentonville |6
Her Majesty's Prison Wandsworth |6
Her Majesty's Prison Wormwood Scrubs |3
In addition to salaried staff, sessionally paid teachers are employed whose numbers vary according to the number and range of classes provided at each establishment.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the funding for each of the last five years for education services in prisons in England and Wales.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Total expenditure on education services in prisons in England and Wales in the past five years was as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1987-88 |16.9
1988-89 |19.5
1989-90 |22.9
1990-91 |25.5
1991-92 |29.5
Indictable Offences
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of the number of indictable offences by age for the period 1987 to date.
Mr. Jack : The data available relates to the number of "known" offenders, that is, persons found guilty or cautioned. Information on indictable offences by age for the period 1987 to 1991 is included in table 6 of the Home Office statistical bulletin 30/92--"Cautions, court proceedings and sentencing, England and Wales, 1991", issued on 28 October 1992. A copy of the bulletin is in the Library. The 1991 data are provisional.
Firearms
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes involving the use of replica firearms have been committed in each police authority area in Wales in each of the last five years.
Mr. Jack : Figures for offences involving imitation firearms are set out in the table. These figures include replica firearms and all other types of imitation firearms including toys.
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