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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 8 February 1993
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Judicial Appointments
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will publish the specification for the post for each category of judicial appointment, outlining the selection criteria.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The criteria employed by the Lord Chancellor are set out in the latest edition of the booklet "Judicial Appointments : the Lord Chancellor's Policies and Procedures", which was published in November 1990. A copy is available in the Library of the House.
Judiciary
Mr. Allen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals he has to reform the judiciary.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The Lord Chancellor has confidence in the judiciary in its present form. However, he is always ready to bring forward proposals for reform which he considers to be desirable in the public interest. For example, the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Bill [Lords], at present before this House, provides among other things for reduction of the retirement age of judges to 70.
Law Officers
Mr. Allen : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what requirements there are that (a) the Lord Chancellor, (b) the Attorney-General and (c) the Solicitor-General be legally qualified ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The Lord Chancellor must be a person able to discharge duties as the President of the Supreme Court of Judicature--that is, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Crown court--and also as the presiding chairman of the House of Lords in its judicial capacity and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. The Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General must be legally qualified in order that they may perform their general duties ; and are members of the Bar in order that they may represent the Crown in each of the Queen's courts in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland.
Barristers
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to make available to barristers who are unsuccessful in an application for silk the grounds on which he decided not to put their names forward.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Competition for appointment as Queen's counsel is intense. It is inevitable that many able
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applicants will be disappointed. However, it is always open to any unsuccessful applicant to see a senior official of the Lord Chancellor's Department to discuss his or her application and the view the Lord Chancellor took in that case. Each year a number of practitioners avail themselves of this facility.Court Lists
Mr. Dowd : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what instruction he has given to magistrates courts regarding the imposition of charges for court lists ; if he will list the level of such charges in all courts in England and Wales : and whether these are levied across the board or apply only to specific groups.
Mr. John M. Taylor : None ; however, in 1989 the Home Office advised magistrates courts that the news media should be asked to meet the costs of providing copies of court papers. The charges, and the circumstances in which they may be sought, will vary from court to court and details could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Legal Aid
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what number and proportion of cases granted legal aid in each of the past five years are those where the involvement of a solicitor could have been avoided because other agencies could have helped free of charge ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The information requested is not available. However, advice agencies are able to provide a high standard of advice on a wide range of matters, such as housing and employment difficulties, about which solicitors are also consulted.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Iran
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Iranian authorities to stop executions, with particular reference to cases where defendants claim that they have not had a fair trial.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Together with EC partners we made
representations to the Iranian authorities in May 1992 about the high number of executions in Iran and specifically the summary execution of a member of the Baha'i community. In October we made representations about the death sentences passed on two other Baha'is following summary trials and the right of defendants to a lawyer. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs also raised these latest cases with the Iranian Foreign Minister at the United Nations General Assembly in September. They are now being reviewed by the Iranian authorities. International concern at the high number of executions and the absence of guarantees of due legal process in Iran was highlighted in the resolution on human rights in Iran, which we and our EC partners co- sponsored, and which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 18 December.
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Council of Europe
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how Her Majesty's Government were represented at the fourth part of the forty-fourth ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 1 to 5 February.
Mr. Garel-Jones : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs attended the Parliamentary Session on 2 February, in his capacity as chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, to deliver the statutory report of that body and to answer questions from the parliamentarians. He took the opportunity to make a short statement in his national capacity.
Bosnia
Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the relative contributions of countries providing military support towards the United Nations humanitarian aid effort in Bosnia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The following troops have deployed to the United Nations protection force in Bosnia to offer protective support for convoys of humanitarian aid and released detainees :
|Number
-----------------------------
United Kingdom |2,500
France |1,800
Canada |1,200
Spain |750
Netherlands |580
Denmark |150
Belgium |120
Norway |35
Portugal |12
Council of Ministers
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals or decisions have been made for the presidency or secretariat of each Council of Ministers of the European Community to issue an official minute of each of their meetings, to include a reflection of the views expressed, the decisions reached and the record of votes cast.
Mr. Garel-Jones : The Council secretariat already issues press releases after each Council meeting providing brief details of the discussion and of any agreements reached. Following a decision by the Edinburgh European Council, the Council secretariat will include in this press release the record of the vote, including explanations of the vote where delegations request these, whenever a formal vote is taken in Council.
Yugoslavia
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement regarding his policy towards the renewal of the United Nations mandate in Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We consider renewal of the mandate of the United Nations protection force in Croatia
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to be crucial to the peace process and will pursue it in the Security Council when it falls due. Initial discussions are already under way.Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has regarding the numbers of displaced persons currently in Bosnia Herzegovina.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that there are some 740,000 displaced people in Bosnia Herzegovina ; of these 480,000 are in central Bosnia and western Herzegovina.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has regarding the prevalence of war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are appalled by the numerous allegations that violations of international humanitarian law have taken and continue to take place in the territory of former Yugoslavia. The United Nations Security Council has established a commission of experts to examine and analyse information on such breaches submitted by states.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many United Kingdom staff are employed in Her Majesty's embassies in (a) Zagreb and (b) Belgrade ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : On 8 February, there were seven United Kingdom- based staff at the British embassy in Zagreb and 28 United Kingdom-based staff at the British embassy in Belgrade.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has regarding the supply of arms and munitions to Serbian irregulars, militia and Chetniks currently operating in Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are aware of allegations in the media concerning the supply of arms to these groups. We have no specific information to corroborate these reports.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of current United Nations sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The economic effects of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro are becoming increasingly evident. In concert with our EC and other partners, we are offering assistance to the Danube's riparian states in order to prevent the recurrence of the recent breaches of the embargo. On 4 February, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe appointed an executive sanctions co-ordinator, who will be responsible for ensuring that sanctions are applied as rigorously as possible.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has of the number of people killed through artillery fire in the current conflict in Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are unable to provide definitive statistics about casualties caused by artillery fire in Croatia and Bosnia. Reports of numbers killed differ radically according to source.
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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Southern Africa
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the latest assessment by Her Majesty's Government of the capacity of the Governments of the south African region adequately to feed all their people.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The prospects are that this year's harvest will be much better than last year's, but it is still too early to make an accurate assessment.
Sierra Leone
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements exist within his Department to assess need for aid to Sierra Leone and monitor its use.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Officials of ODA's west and north Africa department, in conjunction with the diplomatic wing of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and with the high commission at Freetown, make regular assessments of economic and social conditions in Sierra Leone, and thus of the need for aid. British aid activities in that country are monitored by the high commission and by officials from the Overseas Development Administration.
Lithuania
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new applications he is considering for the use of the know-how fund in Lithuania.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The know-how fund is considering four new projects which will benefit the agriculture and energy sectors and small business creation. These are valued at approximately £366,000. Other smaller projects are also in the pipeline, but have not yet been costed.
UNESCO
Mr. Wells : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on Overseas Development Administration programmes in the first and second years of a return by the United Kingdom to UNESCO.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : No decision has been taken to rejoin UNESCO.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Research Councils
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of the total identifiable expenditure (a) of all and (b) of each of the research councils (i) has been spent in England and in Wales in each of the last five years and (ii) is intended to be spent in England and Wales in 1993-94.
Mr. Robert Jackson : In 1991-92 the research councils collectively spent approximately 72 per cent. of their grant
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in aid in England, and approximately 4 per cent. in Wales. The respective percentage figures for the individual Research Councils were as follows :
|Per cent.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Agricultural and Food Research Council |84 and 7
Economic and Social Research Council |81 and 2
Medical Research Council |82 and 1
Natural Environment Research Council |75 and 15
Science and Engineering Research Council |67 and 2
Figures for earlier and subsequent years are not available.
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what procedures are employed in the selection of members of (a) research councils, (b) the boards of research councils and (c) the funding committees of research councils ; and what independent mechanism within his Department exists to ensure the fairness of the process and the distribution of members among the various institutions active in each field of research ;
(2) what procedures are employed to ensure that membership of research councils, the boards of those councils and the funding committees of those councils does not give any undue advantage in the allocation of funds to institutions to which the members belong.
Mr. Robert Jackson : Members of the research councils are appointed after wide consultation with interested Departments and the councils themselves. The Government aim to secure an appropriate balance of academic and industrial expertise and experience.
The composition of their committees is a matter for the councils themselves, as is the allocation of funds to institutions. Each council operates a system of peer review, aimed at securing the highest scientific quality in competition for the funds available.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Red Hot Dutch"
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many complaints he has received from those members of the public who have paid for decoders which enable them to receive a satellite programme called "Red Hot Dutch".
Mr. Brooke : I have received some 450 letters from members of the public about the satellite television channel "Red Hot Dutch", now renamed "Red Hot Television". Most of those who have written appear not to be subscribers to the channel ; but it is not possible to be sure of that.
BBC Income
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what has been the total income of the BBC in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available ; and how much and what percentage of that income was derived from the licence fee in each of those years.
Mr. Brooke [holding answer 4 February 1993] : The information requested is set out in the table.
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|Net licence fee |Total income |Licence fee income
|income |as a percentage of
|total income
Year |£ million |£ million |Per cent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982-83 |683.2 |694.4 |98.39
1983-84 |702.0 |718.9 |97.65
1984-85 |723.1 |736.0 |98.25
1985-86 |922.9 |935.7 |98.63
1986-87 |960.7 |983.2 |97.71
1987-88 |1,019.6 |1,069.6 |95.33
1988-89 |1,080.1 |1,116.4 |96.75
1989-90 |1,171.5 |1,212.6 |96.61
1990-91 |1,274.6 |1,298.8 |98.14
1991-92 |1,393.6 |1,413.4 |98.53
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Crown Prosecution Service
35. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Attorney-General if he will outline the proposed restructuring of the Crown prosecution service.
The Attorney-General : I refer my hon. Friend to my earlier reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns).
37. Mr. Jacques Arnold : To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the policy relating to criminal prosecutions by the Crown prosecution service.
The Attorney-General : The Crown prosecution service applies the principles set out in the "Code for Crown Prosecutors". A copy of the code is in the Library.
Lambeth Council
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Attorney-General what consideration the Serious Fraud Office has given to the issues arising out of the recent report under section 5 of the Local Government Act 1988 on the conduct of some departments of Lambeth council.
The Attorney-General : The director of the Serious Fraud Office has been in contact with the Audit Commission in connection with this report and has asked the Metropolitan police to keep him informed of matters brought to their attention regarding Lambeth council so that he can decide what, if any, action by the Serious Fraud Office might be appropriate.
TRANSPORT
Disabled People (Public Transport)
12. Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with local authorities regarding access to public transport for the disabled.
Mr. Freeman : My Department is in close and regular touch with local authorities on a wide range of issues to improve services for the disabled including the introduction of low-floor buses, design standards for light rapid transit systems and accessible taxis.
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Coach Safety
13. Mrs. Anne Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has recently had with the European Commission on the subject of coach safety.
Mr. Freeman : My Department has regular communication with the European Commission on directives covering various aspects of vehicle safety, including those affecting coach safety.
Rail Privatisation
14. Mr. Madel : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support he has received from the United Kingdom freight industry for his proposals to privatise British Rail freight.
Mr. MacGregor : Our discussions suggest that the great majority of existing rail freight users support our proposals to privatise British Rail's freight businesses. Like us, they believe that they offer the best hope of providing a rail freight industry for the future which will be competitive and respond to customers' needs.
15. Mr. Charles Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the implications of his legislative proposals for British Rail upon the lines north and west of Inverness.
Mr. Freeman : As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State announced on Second Reading of the Railways Bill, ScotRail, which includes the services north and west of Inverness, will be one of the first groups of services to be prepared by BR for franchising.
18. Mr. Hawkins : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he intends to take to ensure that the present standards of safety currently held by British Rail are imposed upon new private sector operators.
Mr. Freeman : We have accepted all the Health and Safety Commission's recommendations for a safety regime which will ensure that high safety standards on the railways are maintained after privatisation. The recommendations have also been endorsed by the chairman of BR.
23. Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the future of rail services in south Wales after privatisation.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in this House on 2 February in the debate on the Second Reading of the Railways Bill.
27. Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the subsidy required to maintain the Southampton- Eastbourne railway service after the franchising of this route.
Mr. Freeman : I have made no such estimate. In the process of franchising British Rail passenger services, subsidy requirements will in future be market tested. It has not yet been decided whether this service would be franchised on its own or as part of a larger grouping.
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps will be taken to ensure that a privatised British Rail will cater adequately for disabled passengers.
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Mr. Freeman : Under our proposals for railway privatisation, all railway operators will be required by the terms of their operating licences to have regard to the needs of passengers with mobility handicaps. The regulator will be responsible for issuing and checking compliance with railway licences and he will have a specific statutory duty to look after the interests of disabled passengers.
Regional Airports
16. Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he intends to take to develop regional airports within the United Kingdom.
Mr. MacGregor : We believe that future development at regional airports is best undertaken in the private sector. That is why we are encouraging their privatisation. We are also providing more opportunities for air services from regional airports through our liberalisation policies.
Traffic Cameras
17. Mr. Duncan : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will extend the use of red light and speed cameras in London.
Mr. Norris : It is for the Metropolitan police and the City of London police to decide on the deployment of red light and speed cameras in their respective areas of London.
Jubilee Line
19. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest position on the plans to extend the Jubilee line.
Mr. MacGregor : Negotiations are continuing with the administrators of Olympia and York Canary Wharf on the terms of an agreement on which they are to contribute towards the cost of the Jubilee line extension. We have made provision for the construction of the extension subject to a satisfactory agreement being reached.
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make statement on the current outturn of expenditure on the Jubilee line development relative to budget.
Mr. Norris : Through London Underground Ltd., the Government have spent nearly £160 million preparing to build the Jubilee line extension. The latest approved estimate of the total cost of the extension is £1.5 billion at June 1990 prices--something over £1.8 billion cash.
Railway Closures
20. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he intends to keep in place the present procedures which must be undertaken before a railway is closed.
Mr. Freeman : The Railways Bill sets out new closure procedures no less rigorous than the present ones. The current arrangements will continue to apply to lines and stations which are not currently operated by British Rail.
Buses (Urban Areas)
21. Sir Anthony Durant : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he has taken to encourage the use of buses in urban areas.
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Mr. Freeman : I recently announced the allocation of over £15 million to local authorities in England for bus priority measures in 1993- 94. This represents a substantial increase on the sum originally budgeted for. Some £4 million was allocated in 1992-93 for similar schemes.
Bypasses
22. Mr. Page : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bypasses he plans to start building in the next financial year.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : We plan to start 19 new bypasses, 83 miles in length, in the next financial year.
In addition to these schemes, there are 22 other national schemes planned to start in England next year. Although not described as bypasses, most of these relieve one or more communities of through traffic.
My Department is also funding the construction of 24 local bypasses and relief roads through the transport supplementary grant and borrowing approvals announced in December.
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