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(a) Diplomatic Wing
Two contracts awarded in 1988-89
(i) Management of Finance IT Systems
12 months duration ; value £513,000
(ii) Administrative and executive work on Russian Fund Claims 18 months duration ; value £3 million
One contract awarded in 1989-90
Maintenance of Finance IT Systems
4 years duration, to March 1993 ; value £758,000
No contracts awarded in 1990-91 and 1991-92
One contract awarded in 1992-93
Baselining Posts' Overseas Accounts System
6 months duration ; value £71,000
(b) Aid Wing
Five contracts awarded in 1989-90
(i) Budget and Official Development Studies, Ghana
21 weeks duration ; value £159,000
(ii) Dead Sea Chemical, Economic and Financial Appraisal, Jordan 18 months duration ; value £246,000
(iii) Customs and Excise Programme Improvement Study, Kenya 13 weeks duration ; value £34,000
(iv) Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, Phase II, Lesotho 54 months duration ; value £525,000
(v) Trade Investment Programme, Indonesia
100 weeks duration ; value £137,000
Two contracts awarded in 1990-91
(i) Word Processing Equipment, UK
4 weeks duration ; value £10,000
(ii) Institutional Review, Attorney General's Office, Zambia 3 months duration ; value £71,000
One contract awarded in 1991-92
Organisation and Business Review, Agrobanka, Czechoslovakia 2 months duration ; value £39,000
Three contracts awarded in 1992-93
(i) Traffic Costing System, Kenya Railways
3 months duration ; value £60,000
(ii) Department of Statutory Bodies, Malawi
20 months duration ; value £250,000
(iii) Review of Pensions, Tanzania Railways
12 months duration ; value £83,000
UNESCO
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his estimate of the gross and net costs of rejoining UNESCO.
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Mr. Lennox-Boyd : At current rates of exchange, we estimate that our UNESCO assessed contribution for the remainder of 1993 would be about £5.8 million and that our advance payment to the organisation's working capital fund would be about £610,000.
We estimate our assessed contribution in 1994 would be about £10.6 million and the advance to working capital fund almost £200,000. There would also be additional costs as a consequence of staff increases in London and Paris. We estimate these could amount to £250,000 a year. It is not possible to estimate any compensating financial benefits resulting from United Kingdom membership.
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to announce a decision on rejoining UNESCO.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are keeping under close review a possible resumption of our UNESCO membership, but are not able to say when a decision might be taken.
North Korea
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 19 March, Official Report, column 432, what decisions were taken at the meetings of 17 and 18 March, respectively, to which he refers ; what further developments, in regard to North Korea's withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty, have taken place since the meetings in Vienna ; and if he will place in the Library a copy of Her Majesty's Government's recent communication with North Korea on the non-proliferation treaty.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The non-proliferation treaty co-depositaries continue to co-ordinate closely their response to North Korea's announcement. On 18 March, the International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors adopted a resolution approving the efforts of the secretariat to implement the request for inspections ; reaffirming the board's confidence in the director general ; confirming that North Korea's safeguards agreement remains in force and requesting the director general to report to a further meeting on 31 March. We have not been in direct communication with North Korea, other than receiving notification of the North Korean intention.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals Her Majesty's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency put forward to the special session of the IAEA board of governors in Vienna called to evaluate the decision of North Korea to withdraw from the nuclear
non-proliferation treaty and to prohibit IAEA nuclear safeguards inspectors' access to certain nuclear facilities in North Korea.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 19 March 1993] : At the IAEA board of governors meeting on 18 March, the British representative gave firm support to the resolution subsequently adopted by the board, which approved the efforts of the secretariat to implement the request for inspections ; reaffirmed the board's confidence in the Director General ; confirmed that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's safeguards agreement remains in force ; and requested the director general to report to a further meeting on 31 March.
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Market Testing
Mr. Batiste : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which professional services within his Department have been subjected to market testing within the last 12 months and with what result ; and which will be subjected to market testing within the next 12 months.
Mr. Goodlad : The market testing programmes of the diplomatic and aid wings of the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices for the 12 months to September 1993 were published on pages 61 and 63 of Command 2101 on 25 November 1992. Both wings are still considering their market testing plans for the following 12 months.
Cambodia
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the massacre on 10 March by the Khmer Rouge near Siem Reap in Cambodia and about what steps are being taken to apprehend the culprits.
Mr. Goodlad : According to the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia, UNTAC, at approximately 8.30 pm on 10 March, a group of about 18 armed men entered the village of Chong Kneas in Siem Reap province killing 35 ethnic Vietnamese and wounding a further 24. It seems almost certain that the Khmer Rouge were responsible. The UNTAC special prosecutor has issued a warrant for the arrest of the alleged leader of the attack, Loeng Daru.
Belize
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Belize on the future maintenance of a British military presence in Belize.
Mr. Garel-Jones : We are in close touch with the Government of Belize on a wide range of issues. As with all our overseas defence commitments, the British military presence in Belize is kept under review.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for how long Her Majesty's Government are committed to maintaining a garrison in Belize ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Garel-Jones : At the time of independence it was agreed that the garrison in Belize would remain for an appropriate period. That remains the case. As with all our overseas defence commitments, the British military presence in Belize is kept under review.
United Arab Emirates
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the British ambassador to the United Arab Emirates last met (a) the Head of State, (b) the Foreign Minister and (c) the Minister of the Interior or his equivalent.
Mr. Garel-Jones : Her Majesty's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates last met the President, Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, and the Foreign Minister, Mr. Rashid Abdullah al Na'imi, on 23 March. He last met the Minister of the Interior, Lt. General Mohammed Saeed al Badi, on 14 February.
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WALES
Economic Base
12. Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he is taking to diversify and strengthen the economic base in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : There has been a tremendous transformation in the Welsh economy since 1979. More than 800 new factories have opened and manufacturing output has increased by 25.4 per cent. Productivity per employee has increased from £8,677 to £30,698.
Patient Treatments
13. Mr. Sweeney : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many in-patients and day patients have been treated in Wales in the last 12 months.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : In the year to June 1992, NHS Wales treated 482, 789 in-patients and 138,216 day cases, excluding those in psychiatric specialties.
Coal Industry
14. Mr. Hanson : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the coal industry in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : The findings of the Government's coal review were published in a White Paper on 25 March.
Structural Funding
15. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met representatives of local authorities in Wales to discuss the availability of structural funding in the Principality.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales chaired a meeting of the Welsh Consultative Council on Local Government Finance on 12 January at which European regional development fund funding was discussed. Welsh Office officials are in regular contact with local authorities about structural fund matters.
North Coast Main Line
16. Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning services on the north Wales coast main railway line.
Sir Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend and I have received a number of representations over the last year.
Redundancies
17. Mr. Ray Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of redundancies declared in Wales since 1 March.
Mr. David Hunt : The information is not available.
European Regional Fund
18. Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the European Commission concerning additional resources for Wales from the European regional fund.
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Mr. David Hunt : I met Commissioner Millan on15 March to discuss this and other issues.
Source Wales
19. Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will list the future initiatives he intends to take under the Source Wales programme.
Mr. David Hunt : Source Wales has been managed and developed by the Welsh Development Agency since April 1992. Future activities will include a programme to identify companies' capabilities set against world class practice ; assisting the development of innovation as a standard practice ; and setting up a further six supplier clubs which will bring together groups of suppliers for development purposes.
Democracy
20. Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new proposals he has to improve the quality of democracy in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : My proposals for the reorganisation of local government will create accountable unitary authorities responsive to the needs of local people.
Valleys Initiative
21. Mr. Jonathan Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how he intends to build on the valleys initiative programme.
Mr. David Hunt : I recently announced my intention to launch a further five-year programme for the valleys. I will be giving further details shortly.
Inward Investment
22. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about inward investment in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : Wales continues to attract high levels of inward investment--206 projects were recorded in 1992, an all-time record.
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Local Government Legislation
23. Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to introduce local government legislation.
Mr. David Hunt : As soon as the parliamentary timetable allows.
Disability
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the current financial allocation from special central funding directly towards care for disabled people in the community in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : A total of £2.565 million was made available in 1992-93 to support the development of more flexible forms of community care for elderly people and people with physical or sensory disabilities. This grant scheme will continue in 1993-94 and applications from social services authorities are currently arriving for consideration.
A total of £27.5 million is being transferred from social security resources to local authorities in 1993-94, together with a supplementary sum of £8.4 million to support the general implementation of the community care reforms. A further £1.614 million has been allocated to social services authorities in recognition of their additional responsibilities arising from the new independent living fund arrangements for the support of disabled people in the community.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many houses specifically designed for disabled people have been built in each housing authority area in Wales in each year since 1986.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information is given in the table.
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New dwellings completed for the disabled, by district
|1986|1987|1988|1989|1990|1991|1992
--------------------------------------------------------------
Aberconwy |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |28 |15
Alyn and Deeside |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Arfon |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Blaenau Gwent |0 |40 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Brecknock |0 |2 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Cardiff |28 |5 |6 |34 |0 |0 |0
Carmarthen |0 |23 |43 |10 |0 |0 |0
Ceredigion |2 |1 |15 |0 |6 |4 |0
Colwyn |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |11 |0
Cynon Valley |0 |34 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Delyn |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Dinefwr |1 |0 |1 |0 |0 |0 |0
Dwyfor |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Glyndwr |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Islwyn |19 |35 |0 |4 |0 |0 |0
Llanelli |0 |0 |0 |2 |0 |0 |0
Lliw Valley |0 |2 |0 |6 |31 |30 |55
Meirionnydd |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Merthyr Tydfil |0 |6 |11 |0 |0 |0 |0
Monmouth |0 |0 |21 |3 |15 |37 |0
Montgomeryshire |23 |4 |0 |4 |2 |1 |0
Neath |0 |36 |34 |0 |0 |0 |0
Newport |0 |0 |0 |10 |21 |0 |0
Ogwr |0 |0 |0 |0 |4 |1 |13
Port Talbot (Afan) |0 |27 |0 |0 |0 |0 |32
Preseli Pembrokeshire |0 |33 |0 |0 |0 |8 |8
Radnorshire |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Rhondda |0 |4 |0 |0 |1 |0 |1
Rhuddlan |0 |0 |0 |5 |0 |0 |0
Rhymney Valley |1 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
South Pembrokeshire |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Swansea |0 |10 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Taff-Ely |0 |6 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Torfaen |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Vale of Glamorgan |1 |10 |1 |0 |2 |1 |0
Wrexham Maelor |11 |0 |20 |12 |19 |0 |0
Ynys Mon |0 |0 |2 |0 |0 |25 |0
Source: Local authority returns.
Hepatitis B
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients were found to be positive for hepatitis B antigen following screening as a result of being treated by the surgeon in Wrexham.
Dr. Gwilym Jones : Two hundred patients were identified as being at possible risk of infection. Of the 170 patients who have been tested to date, four hepatitis B positive cases are thought to be connected with surgical treatment at Wrexham Maelor hospital.
Down's Syndrome
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what special facilities are available in primary and secondary schools for Down's syndrome children in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Local education authorities and school governing bodies have responsibilities to ensure that appropriate provision is made for children with special educational needs, including those with Down's syndrome. Provision will depend on the needs of the individual child.
The Education Bill proposes a duty on schools to develop and publish policies for the provision they make for all their children with special educational needs and to report annually to parents on the implementation of those policies.
Regional Assistance
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total amount of regional assistance funds to industry allocated through his Department since 1986-87.
Mr. David Hunt : Since 1986-87 my Department has paid £584.8 million of regional assistance to industry in Wales.
Council Tax
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the amount of council tax transitional relief granted to each local authority in Wales ; and what is the amount of transitional relief as a percentage of the total amount of transitional relief granted in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : There is no council tax transitional relief scheme for Wales.
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Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the names of the schools which have (a) achieved grant-maintained status, (b) been given permission to go ahead and (c) been refused permission to go ahead ; and if he will express each category as a percentage of the total number of non-private schools in Wales.
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