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Column 571
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 24 February 1993
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
High Court Judges
Mr. Ottaway : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he received a copy of the Kennedy working party report on High Court judges ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The report was received by the Lord Chancellor on 10 February 1993.
Legal Aid
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether he will publish the advice given to the Lord Chancellor by the Legal Aid Advisory Committee on his proposed changes in legal aid.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The Legal Aid Advisory Committee has itself already made public its advice to the Lord Chancellor on the proposed eligibility changes and the Lord Chancellor's response to its advice. I have placed copies of the correspondence in the Library.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
European Communities (Amendment) Bill
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the legal issues in connection with the European Communities (Amendment) Bill on which he has made public statements, indicating on which of them he sought advice from (a) his Department's lawyers, (b) Crown Law Officers and (c) European Court legal advisers.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We have taken legal advice from various sources during the passage of the European Communities (Amendment) Bill. It is neither customary nor appropriate for me to reveal these sources.
Mr. John Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether legal advice was sought before 20 January on the effects of amending the European Communities (Amendment) Bill.
Whitehead Detention Camp, Hong Kong
Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reported incidents there have been of (a) total number of crimes reported, (b) murders, (c) attempts to escape, (d) incidents of rape, (e) incidents of child sex abuse, (f) drug abuse, (g) abortions and (h) suicides for each year at the Whitehead detention camp in Hong Kong.
Mr. Goodlad : The figures for 1991 and 1992 are as follows :
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|1991|1992
-----------------------------------------------------
(a) Total number of crimes reported |844 |588
(b) Murder cases |4 |4
(c) Escapes |419 |263
(d) Rape cases reported |2 |2
(e) Reports of sex abuse |0 |0
(f) Arrests involving dangerous drugs |5 |7
(g) Illegal abortions |0 |0
(h) Suicides |<1>0|1
<1>And two attempts.
Population of Whitehead
Detention Centre
|Number
-----------------------------
1 January 1991 |22,528
1 January 1992 |24,856
Official Entertainment
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department during 1991-92 and 1992-93 to date.
Mr. Goodlad : The following was spent on entertainment by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Overseas Development Administration :
------------------------------- 1991-92 |5,700,606 <1>1992-93 |3,943,940 <1>To date.
Angola
Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support mandatory sanctions against UNITA, including the banning of all lethal and non-lethal supplies and all flights to and from UNITA-controlled areas of Angola.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Resolution 804, adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 29 January, urged members to cease the supply of lethal material to any Angolan party. We keep the situation under review, but do not believe that mandatory sanctions could be effectively applied against UNITA.
Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts he is making to promote the ending of the current conflict in Angola through the implementation of the peace accords which were agreed with the Angolan Government on 31 May 1991.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Government fully support United Nations efforts to promote dialogue between the Government of Angola and UNITA with a view to agreeing a ceasefire and full implementation of the Bicesse peace accords. With our EC partners, we have urged UNITA to agree a date for a further meeting with the Government of Angola to be held under United Nations auspices in Addis Ababa, and to agree to a truce in the besieged city of Huambo.
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Kenya
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the treatment of ethnic and political minorities in Kenya and (b) other aspects of the present human rights situation ; and what advice he has given to the Kenyan Government about the necessary human rights provisions in Kenya for the continued provision of aid.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have expressed concern at the highest levels over recent renewed outbreaks of ethnic clashes and have stressed the importance of the Kenyan Government providing security for all Kenyan citizens. My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has also raised concerns over Kenya's human rights performance, a key factor which Her Majesty's Government take into account when allocating aid.
South Africa
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning the European Community observer mission in South Africa.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The European Community observer mission in South Africa--ECOMSA--is making a valuable contribution to defusing violence and reducing tensions. ECOMSA, together with the Commonwealth team, has been particularly praised for its professionalism, and has rapidly built extensive relations with, for example, local political organisations, peace accord structures and the South African police. They have the advantage of comprising several senior serving police officers with experience in, for example, community policing.
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the terms of reference of the European Community observer mission in South Africa ; what is the period of the mandate of the mission ; what is the size of the mission ; what is the number of members from each EC member state ; and in which areas of South Africa it is operating.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The European Community observer mission in South Africa was deployed in accordance with the terms of Security Council resolution 772 to work in association with other international observer groups and the structures of the national peace accord as part of their efforts to reduce tension and end violence. The mission was initially deployed for six months, with effect from October 1992, and comprises 15 members contributed from member states as follows :
|Number
-----------------------------
United Kingdom |2
Denmark |2
France |1
Germany |2
Greece |1
Ireland |2
Netherlands |2
Portugal |1
EC Commission |2
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The EC observers are at present deployed with six members at the ECOMSA headquarters in Johannesberg, four members in Durban and two members in East London and Cape Town respectively.Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to extend the period of the mandate of the European Community observer mission in South Africa beyond the current expiry date.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : This is under consideration among the Twelve. A decision is expected shortly.
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements have been made for the European Community observer mission in South Africa to report to (a) the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, (b) the Council of Ministers, (c) the structures of European political co-operation, (d) the Commission of the European Communities, (e) the European Parliament and (f) the national parliaments of the member states of the European Community.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Regular reports are submitted to the presidency. These are made available for discussion as necessary by European Community Foreign Ministers. They are also circulated to all member states and can be drawn on to inform their parliaments as appropriate.
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recommendations the European Community observer mission in South Africa has made to (a) the presidency and (b) the Council of Ministers.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : To date, the reports of the European Community observer mission in South Africa have been factual commentaries on the situation and about action engaged in by team members.
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which dates the Council of Ministers has discussed the question of the European Community observer mission to South Africa since October 1992.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : This matter has not been discussed by the Council of Ministers since October 1992.
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what consideration the Council of Ministers has given to the possibility of expanding the European Community observer mission to South Africa and extending its mandate when agreement is reached on the calling of one person one vote elections.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : This question has not yet been considered by the Council of Ministers. Any election-monitoring mission would be different in nature, and would probably have to operate separately, from the current observer exercise.
Mr. Caborn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many United Kingdom citizens are currently attached to (a) the United Nations observer mission to South Africa, (b) the European Community observer mission to South Africa, (c) the Commonwealth observer group to South Africa and (d) the Goldstone commission.
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Mr. Lennox-Boyd : There are three United Kingdom citizens currently serving with the United Nations observer mission to South Africa, two with the European Community observer mission, one with the Commonwealth observer group to South Africa, and one with the Goldstone commission.
TRANSPORT
Suffolk Railways
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the money to be spent on (a) safety and (b) capital investment by regional railways in Suffolk in the next financial year.
Mr. Freeman : The disaggregation of expenditure at this level is a matter for British Rail. It is for BR to determine what safety-related expenditure is required in each area and how the available capital investment resources should be shared out.
Consultants
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to (a) Coopers and Lybrand management consultants, (b) Touche Ross management consultants, (c) Price Waterhouse management consultants, (d) Ernst and Young management consultants, (e) Chrichton Roberts Ltd., (f) KPMG management consultants and (g) Leopold Joseph management consultants, with the total cost of the contracts with each contractor, for (i) the past 12 months and (ii) 1991- 92.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The following contracts were awarded by the Department of Transport :
(i) The past-- 12 months :--
(a) Coopers Lybrand Management Consultants --
A Review of the Inspectorate's Performance Measures.
DVOIT Job Costing.
TRL's Temporary Finance Director.
Independent Assessment and Review of Sale of Marks --Market Testing Assignment.
Total cost £178,000.
b. Touche-Ross Management Consultants--
HQ Accommodation Study.
Preparation of an Operation Requirement for Design and Development of a Property Management Information System for PMT.
Preparation of an OR for a Property Management Information System. Total cost £143,000.
c. Price Waterhouse Management Consultants--
Advice on personnel arrangements.
Total cost £68,000.
d. Ernst and Young Management Consultants--
Development of Decision Framework to Assist DOT with European Standardisation.
Commission to Design, Develop and Implement a Payroll Modelling System.
HQ Accommodation Management Implementation Study.
IS/IT Scoping Study.
IS/IT Full Study.
Total cost £380,000.
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e. Chrichton Roberts Ltd.Total cost Nil.
f. KPMG Management Consultants--
Pilot Implementation of Project Management Software.
Implementation Study--Business Analysis--Extension to cover Local Authority Issues.
Advice on Networking Policy.
Network referencing Phase 1
Total cost £403,000.
g. Leopold Joseph Management Consultants--
Total cost Nil.
ii. 1991-92
a. Coopers Lybrand Management Consultants--
DVOIT Agency Implementation Support.
Study of EC Directive and Rail Liberalisation.
Total cost £591,000.
b. Touche-Ross Management Consultants--
Accommodation Management Information Study.
Property management information system for AOSD.
Total cost £105,000.
c. Price Waterhouse Management Consultants
Total cost Nil.
d. Ernst Young Management Consultants--
Study of the Options of a Payroll Modelling System for PMT. Preparation for the Design and Development of Payroll Modelling System.
Total cost £66,000.
e. Chrichton Roberts Ltd.
Total cost Nil.
f. KPMG Management Consultants--
Assisting in Developing a Management Accounting Model.
PMS DOT Implementation Study--Business Analysis.
Information Systems Strategy for the Vehicle Inspectorate. Total cost £205,000.
g. Leopold Joseph Management Consultants--
Total cost Nil.
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts for consultancies were awarded by his Department over (a) the last 12 months and (b) 1991-92.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The following consultancy contracts, including management consultancies, were awarded by the Department of Transport over :
(a) Last 12 months : 298 and (b) 1991-92 : 288.
In the case of both (a) and (b) the majority of contracts are in the general and research areas--management consultancy contracts are not a high proportion of the total numbers.
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