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Mr. Gallie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what targets have been set for completing office business in the sheriff courts and supreme courts ; and what performance was secured in 1992-93.


Column 310

Mr. Lang : The targets set for completion of office business in the sheriff courts in 1992-93 are set out. These targets remain in force for 1993-94. The percentage figures following each target indicate the proportion of sheriff courts achieving the target figures or better in the course of the year. More detailed information on the performance of individual court offices will be made available to local court advisory committees. Similar targets are in force in the supreme courts and all of these were achieved in 1992-93.


Targets for sheriff clerk offices and performance 1992-93                       

                                                            |Per cent.          

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

To issue the first deliverance in all ordinary writs, or                        

  return to sender, within two working days of                                  

  receipt.                                                  |95                 

To issue the first deliverance in all summary cause                             

  actions-including small claims-or return to                                   

  sender, within three working days of receipt.             |94                 

To draft, in preparation for signature, all final ordinary                      

  decrees in absence-excluding divorce-within one                               

  working day of receipt of the minute craving                                  

  decree.                                                   |90                 

To draft, within seven days of receipt of the affidavits,                       

  in preparation for signature, all final decrees in                            

  undefended ordinary actions of divorce or return                              

  the affidavits to the sender.                             |87                 

To draft, in preparation for signature, all decrees in                          

  actions of divorce under the simplified procedure                             

  within one working day of expiry of the period of notice. |97                 

To issue extract decrees in all ordinary actions-                               

  excluding divorce-within three working days of the                            

  date of ordering or the expiry of the days of appeal                          

  -whichever is the later.                                  |84                 

To issue all summary cause/small claim extract decrees                          

  within one working day of the due date.                   |95                 

To issue extract decrees in all ordinary actions of                             

  divorce within one working day of the due date.           |84                 

To issue extract decrees of divorce under the simplified                        

  procedure within one working day of the due date.         |89                 

To issue the first deliverance in all petitions for                             

  sequestration/liquidation, or return to sender,                               

  within two working days of receipt.                       |90                 

To prepare for signature the first deliverance in all                           

  adoption petitions within one working day of a                                

  correct petition being received.                          |90                 

To scrutinise and accept or reject commissary petitions                         

  and inventories within two working days of receipt.       |93                 

To issue confirmation within three working days of                              

  acceptance of inventory.                                  |90                 

To conduct small estate interviews within seven days                            

  from the time an interview is requested.                  |98                 

To process juror claims for payment, or return to                               

  sender, within two working days of receipt.               |98                 

To process postal fines-other than unidentified                                 

  payments-on day of receipt.                               |99                 

To issue warning letters, means enquiry citations,                              

  warrants, extracts, etc., and transfer fines within                           

  seven days of the trawl.                                  |96                 

To remit all non-Exchequer receipts to entitled parties                         

  within 14 days from the end of the last accountancy                           

  period.                                                   |96                 

To effect a card reconciliation of all outstanding                              

  financial penalties on a monthly basis.                   |96                 

To reply to letter pleas within one working day of the                          

  court.                                                    |99                 

To order social enquiry and other reports within one                            

  working day of the court.                                 |99                 

To complete probation, community service,                                       

  compensation and fines supervision orders within                              

  two working days of the court.                            |99                 

To issue juror citations in the first instance at least 21                      

  days prior to a jury sitting/trial.                       |99                 

To reply to all letter inquiries except those which                             

  require extensive investigation within two working                            

  days of receipt.                                          |93                 

Mr. Gallie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what objectives for reducing court waiting periods have been established ; what targets have been set for 1993-94 in respect of court waiting periods for the supreme and sheriff courts ; and if he will give details of the performance of the supreme courts and each of the sheriff courts in 1992- 93.

Mr. Lang : The programming of court business is a matter for the judiciary. Acting in co-operation with the judiciary in the supreme and sheriff courts, the Government seek to provide the resources which will allow speedy access to justice. Having regard to the time required by parties to have their cases properly prepared, the following objectives have been adopted :

the Lord President of the Court of Session has accepted the recommendations of a committee chaired by Lord Maxwell relating to the reduction of waiting periods in the supreme courts : the target is to reduce waiting periods to the recommended levels and, subject to any acceleration in the rate of increase in court work, maintain waiting periods at that level : for certain categories of hearing, additional targets involving much reduced waiting periods, have been set ;

sheriffs principal have agreed to overall targets of reducing waiting periods for summary criminal trials in the sheriff courts to 12 weeks or less by the end of 1993-94 and to hold them at that level thereafter ; and to maintain waiting periods at 12 weeks or less for civil cases in the sheriff courts.

The main targets for waiting periods for 1993-94 are set down--"waiting period" is the period between a trial or proof being requested or an appeal being received and the date assigned expressed in weeks. The same targets applied in 1992-93 and national performance for that year is noted in the second column.


                                  |Target             |1992-93 performance                    

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

Criminal Appeal Business                                                                      

Summary prosecutions:                                                                         

Notes of Appeal against Sentence                                                              

  and Stated cases (accused in                                                                

  custody)                        |4                  |4                                      

                                                                                              

Court of Session                                                                              

(a)  Ordinary proofs              |24                 |20                                     

(b)  Defended Consistorial proofs |17                 |17                                     

                                                                                              

Sheriff Courts (national average)                                                             

(a)  Civil proofs/debates         |12                 |11.6                                   

(b)  Summary Criminal Trials      |12                 |14.8                                   

In 1992-93, waiting periods of 12 weeks or less were achieved for civil debates/proofs in 84 per cent. of sheriff courts.

Waiting periods of 12 weeks or less were achieved for summary criminal business in 72 per cent. of sheriff courts.

Performance of individual sheriff courts at 31 March 1993 is set out in the table :


                 |Court           |Civil proofs                     

                                                                    

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

Falkirk          |15              |17                               

Kirkcaldy        |15              |12                               

Dingwall         |14              |14                               

Hamilton         |14              |15                               

Airdrie          |14              |17                               

Stirling         |14              |11                               

Glasgow          |13              |22                               

Dumbarton        |13              |10                               

Dumfries         |12              |12                               

Fort William     |12              |14                               

Arbroath         |12              |12                               

Stonehaven       |12              |16                               

Wick             |12              |12                               

Dornoch          |12              |12                               

Stornoway        |12              |12                               

Cupar            |11              |12                               

Kirkcudbright    |11              |10                               

Stranraer        |11              |11                               

Rothesay         |11              |10                               

Aberdeen         |11              |12                               

Peterhead        |11              |11                               

Kilmarnock       |11              |10                               

Linlithgow       |11              |15                               

Peebles          |10              |11                               

Dunoon           |10              |12                               

Inverness        |10              |11                               

Tain             |10              |10                               

Lanark           |10              |12                               

Oban             |10              |9                                

Campbeltown      |10              |6                                

Selkirk          |10              |9                                

Edinburgh        |9               |8                                

Alloa            |9               |13                               

Dunfermlin       |9               |15                               

Jedburgh         |9               |9                                

Banff            |9               |10                               

Perth            |9               |12                               

Duns             |9               |9                                

Portree          |8               |8                                

Lochmaddy        |8               |12                               

Greenock         |8               |12                               

Elgin            |8               |8                                

Dundee           |8               |12                               

Forfar           |8               |6                                

Haddington       |8               |19                               

Kirkwall         |8               |8                                

Ayr              |7               |12                               

Lerwick          |6               |6                                

Paisley          |6               |14                               

In addition, the sheriffs principal have agreed that sheriff court programmes should be designed to ensure that the number of trials adjourned due to lack of court time should not exceed 5 per cent of the total number set down, a target met in 87 per cent of sheriff courts.


Column 313

Council Tax

Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the entitlement of a disabled person to reduction of council tax.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 July 1993] : There are several provisions designed to ensure that the council tax payable in respect of a disabled person's sole or main residence is not higher than it would be if the house was not that person's residence. These operate whether or not the disabled person is liable for payment of the council tax.

Any fixtures designed to make a house suitable for a person who is physically disabled must be ignored in the valuation of a house if they would tend to add to its value.

Many people with disabilities require extra space in the form of a second kitchen or bathroom, an extra room of another type or wheelchair circulation space. These features might tend to increase the valuation of a house and hence its council tax bill. To avoid this, a disabled person's home with any of these features is taxed as if it was in the valuation band below that shown in the valuation list. As houses in band A already carry the minimum bill, their occupants are not facing any increase due to someone's disability and no reduction falls to be made in their case.

Islands Shipping Services

Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Robertson) of 26 May, Official Report, column 589, if he will list the consultants which his Department has invited to tender for the studies into the financial assistance which he provides for lifeline shipping services and the organisation and structure of Caledonian MacBrayne ; if he will require them to declare any actual or potential conflict of interest and to give a commitment not to use for any other purpose the information gleaned during the course of the study ; if he will publish the terms of reference of the study ; and if he will publish the report.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 19 July 1993] : The consultants who have been invited to tender for the review of shipping subsidies and study of options for the future organisation and structure of Caledonian MacBrayne are as follows :

Ash Consulting Group

Coopers and Lybrand

KPMG Management Consulting

Noble and Company Ltd.

PA Cambridge Economic Consultants Ltd.

Price Waterhouse

Quayle Munro Ltd.

Touche Ross and Co.

The consultants will be required to declare any actual or potential conflict of interest and due consideration will be given to this issue in deciding which consultants should be appointed to undertake the studies. The consultants will be bound by standard Scottish Office conditions of contract for consultancy services which require that confidential and commercially sensitive information


Column 314

obtained by reason of the contract shall not be disclosed for any other purpose. When the contract for this assignment is awarded, I shall arrange to place in the Library a copy of the terms of reference for the studies. The studies will necessarily involve examination of confidential and commerially sensitive information which it would not be appropriate to publish. However, the Scottish Office will discuss with the consultants the extent to which it would be possible to publish the findings and conclusions of the studies without breaching commercial confidentiality.

EDUCATION

General Studies

Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his policy with respect to supporting general studies as a full A-level with equal status to other subjects as regards university requirements ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Boswell : Admission requirements are a matter for individual higher education institutions.

School Meals

Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research has been undertaken by his Department into the reintroduction of required standards for school meals.

Mr. Forth : The Department has not undertaken any research in this area.

Discretionary Student Grants

Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Batley and Spen (Mrs. Peacock), Official Report of 13 July, column 822, if he will publish the figures held by his Department regarding discretionary grants ; and if he will list the spending at 1992 prices on discretionary grant awards by each local education authority in the last five years for which figures are available, indicating the political control of each authority.

Mr. Boswell : Details of the numbers of and spending on discretionary awards by local education authorities are published in the Department's regular statistical bulletins, copies of which are in the Library. Information on expenditure on discretionary awards by each local education authority in England and Wales, at 1991-92 prices, for years between 1986-87 and 1990-91--the latest year for which a breakdown is available--is included in the table. Information for the academic year 1988 -89 is not readily available and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. Details of the political control of each authority during that period can be found in the relevant volumes of the "Municipal Year Book", copies of which are in the Library.


Expenditure on discretionary awards (£000) in 1991-92 constant       

prices                                                               

                        |1986-87 |1987-88 |1988-90 |1990-91          

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

City of London          |-       |-       |-       |219.6            

Camden (1)              |-       |-       |-       |n/a              

Greenwich               |-       |-       |-       |377.2            

Hackney                 |-       |-       |-       |1,244.0          

Hammersmith and Fulham  |-       |-       |-       |3,246.0          

Islington               |-       |-       |-       |80.8             

Kensington and Chelsea  |-       |-       |-       |483.1            

Lambeth                 |-       |-       |-       |1,050.3          

Lewisham                |-       |-       |-       |862.0            

Southwark               |-       |-       |-       |756.3            

Tower Hamlets           |-       |-       |-       |918.3            

Wandsworth              |-       |-       |-       |3,921.5          

City of Westminster     |-       |-       |-       |280.2            

ILEA/LRB [2]            |27,192.8|28,991.6|20,129.3|8,871.6          

Barking                 |672.9   |527.7   |835.7   |286.1            

Barnet                  |1,017.4 |771.5   |522.7   |530.6            

Bexley                  |563.3   |433.7   |352.1   |424.1            

Brent                   |5,145.3 |4,447.8 |919.8   |886.4            

Bromley                 |814.1   |920.6   |983.8   |980.3            

Croydon                 |719.0   |773.8   |732.8   |746.2            

Ealing                  |1,284.5 |1,451.7 |1,876.4 |1,331.8          

Enfield                 |510.4   |588.8   |292.2   |566.8            

Haringey                |1,084.3 |937.6   |702.1   |112.9            

Harrow                  |428.0   |340.2   |393.9   |398.5            

Havering                |438.7   |604.5   |494.1   |668.5            

Hillingdon              |780.9   |613.4   |671.4   |349.7            

Hounslow                |464.5   |467.6   |490.1   |373.1            

Kingston-upon-Thames    |332.1   |268.8   |276.4   |464.9            

Merton                  |393.5   |308.5   |463.0   |519.7            

Newham                  |887.7   |891.6   |1.123.6 |845.4            

Redbridge               |469.0   |449.6   |486.7   |988.1            

Richmond-upon-Thames    |606.1   |515.7   |567.5   |658.6            

Sutton                  |308.6   |341.7   |341.6   |371.6            

Waltham Forest          |875.3   |1,128.2 |1,205.2 |970.3            

Birmingham              |1,754.5 |1,707.5 |1,907.5 |2.889.4          

Coventry                |799.7   |896.5   |794.0   |780.1            

Dudley                  |473.3   |643.2   |744.1   |717.9            

Sandwell                |1,039.7 |1,019.8 |1,076.8 |957.8            

Solihull                |309.2   |283.9   |305.9   |379.8            

Walsall                 |1,173.5 |1,261.2 |1,169.9 |1,715.7          

Wolverhampton           |247.9   |277.5   |273.5   |297.8            

Knowsley                |1,657.5 |1,729.7 |1.103.6 |1,257.8          

Liverpool               |2,999.2 |3,261.1 |6,787.0 |6,427.4          

St Helens               |858.9   |795.7   |814.4   |757.5            

Sefton                  |662.8   |599.8   |791.6   |1,290.4          

Wirral                  |1,644.9 |1,682.4 |1.908.1 |1,823.0          

Bolton                  |1,389.4 |1,368.7 |1,193.7 |1,473.9          

Bury                    |1,106.4 |1,239.6 |1,048.1 |1,047.9          

Manchester              |2,941.4 |2,991.8 |2,233.6 |2,156.1          

Oldham                  |668.2   |688.5   |1,329.5 |862.1            

Rochdale                |659.5   |566.6   |626.9   |876.2            

Salford                 |895.2   |830.7   |793.6   |815.6            

Stockport               |977.4   |986.6   |1,032.5 |813.8            

Tameside                |554.6   |511.6   |406.4   |496.0            

Trafford                |682.4   |779.4   |813.0   |0.0              

Wigan                   |1,519.1 |1,281.9 |964.1   |725.8            

Barnsley                |882.2   |1,100.8 |1,343.4 |1,479.5          

Doncaster               |781.2   |785.7   |766.0   |927.5            

Rotherham               |834.3   |974.2   |855.6   |816.6            

Sheffield               |3,170.7 |3,041.8 |2,880.3 |2,563.4          

Bradford                |2,435.6 |3,008.4 |1,865.6 |2,071.4          

Calderdale              |444.8   |612.8   |667.6   |584.2            

Kirklees                |2,408.9 |2,592.1 |2,920.5 |3,149.8          

Leeds                   |2,113.2 |2,723.8 |2,661.8 |2668.1           

Wakefield               |1,136.7 |1,348.0 |1,305.0 |1,318.8          

Gateshead               |391.3   |407.4   |607.9   |767.8            

Newcastle-upon-Tyne     |946.8   |848.8   |915.8   |1,078.4          

North Tyneside          |1,178.8 |1,320.1 |1,241.0 |994.1            

South Tyneside          |362.1   |449.0   |540.8   |503.1            

Sunderland<1>           |1,846.5 |1,584.4 |0.0     |n/a              

Isles of Scilly         |105.2   |112.4   |91.3    |0.0              

Avon<1>                 |4,418.1 |4,321.4 |3,089.6 |n/a              

Bedfordshire            |1,787.4 |2,525.8 |1,525.0 |1,295.5          

Berkshire<1>            |1,474.7 |1,752.4 |1,441.2 |n/a              

Buckinghamshire         |1,198.1 |1,290.2 |1,288.9 |1,340.7          

Cambridgeshire          |1,417.4 |1,540.4 |1,813.7 |1,892.3          

Cheshire                |5,228.9 |5,210.2 |5,442.3 |8,112.1          

Cleveland               |2,053.1 |2,012.5 |2,021.2 |2,284.8          

Cornwall                |1,913.7 |1,723.5 |2,444.1 |2,638.8          

Cumbria                 |3,083.6 |3,038.5 |2,744.3 |4,140.9          

Derbyshire              |3,796.4 |3,407.1 |3,888.7 |5,109.2          

Devon                   |5,378.4 |5,640.1 |5,463.2 |5,481.5          

Dorset                  |2,408.4 |2,500.8 |2,847.1 |3,666.0          

Durham                  |1,224.8 |1,038.6 |1,492.6 |2,006.0          

East Sussex             |1,811.6 |1,783.3 |1,027.6 |1,387.7          

Essex                   |7,106.1 |8,467.7 |6,692.7 |6,789.0          

Gloucestershire         |3,385.5 |2,985.8 |3,058.5 |3,017.1          

Hampshire               |11,848.1|11,201.1|6,428.9 |6,899.6          

Hereford and Worchester |1,475.5 |1,326.4 |1,447.0 |1,553.6          

Hertfordshire           |2,486.9 |2,780.6 |4,508.6 |3,639.8          

Humberside              |4,494.7 |4,585.6 |5,212.0 |5,691.6          

Isle of Wight           |551.1   |541.6   |562.5   |391.5            

Kent                    |7,217.3 |6,877.8 |5,743.4 |6,185.6          

Lancashire              |7,343.6 |7,012.0 |9,899.8 |10,415.7         

Leicestershire          |4,976.2 |5,382.2 |5,484.3 |6,177.1          

Lincolnshire            |2,178.4 |1,971.3 |1,600.7 |1894.8           

Norfolk                 |2,426.6 |2,443.2 |2,612.1 |3,073.6          

North Yorkshire         |6,182.0 |6,466.4 |5,826.1 |9,248.6          

Northamptonshire        |1,710.7 |1,264.9 |1,133.9 |1,712.0          

Northumberland          |1,851.0 |1,804.9 |2,233.0 |2,407.3          

Nottinghamshire         |4,016.3 |4,023.2 |4,509.4 |3,213.4          

Oxfordshire             |1,519.5 |1,260.1 |1,241.5 |1,339.1          

Shropshire              |1,751.8 |1,795.2 |1,689.0 |1,835.8          

Somerset                |1,328.3 |1,555.5 |1,907.3 |1,819.5          

Staffordshire           |2,220.0 |2,758.4 |1,856.4 |1,870.9          

Suffolk                 |2,673.1 |2,527.5 |2,588.8 |3,263.7          

Surrey                  |2,254.4 |2,220.1 |2,076.3 |2,094.4          

Warwickshire            |1,192.0 |1,858.3 |1,049.6 |1,212.7          

West Sussex             |1,161.8 |1,055.8 |1,256.6 |1,514.2          

Wiltshire               |2,129.1 |1,947.2 |1,898.1 |1,882.5          

Clywd                   |1,693.2 |1,671.4 |2,041.1 |2,078.6          

Dyfed                   |1,928.3 |1,744.5 |2,206.6 |2,608.0          

Gwent                   |2,780.0 |2,975.0 |982.9   |882.2            

Gwynedd                 |1,266.9 |1,127.1 |919.7   |1,130.4          

Mid-Glamorgan           |584.9   |479.3   |1,833.4 |1,578.7          

Powys                   |786.6   |757.8   |904.4   |1,010.5          

South Glamorgan         |1,540.6 |1,502.0 |1,399.0 |1,608.5          

West Glamorgan          |1,058.4 |1010.3  |978.9   |1,108.4          

<1>LEAs unable to provide appropriate information.                   

PRIME MINISTER

Bermuda

Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Bermuda Government about bringing the law on consensual sexual relations between adult men in private into line with the legislative position in Britain.

The Prime Minister : This is primarily a matter for the Government of Bermuda. Neverth general election to be held before May 1994.


Column 318

Ministerial Advisers

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 18 November, Official Report, column 216, if he will publish the current list of special advisers attached to Ministers stating the Minister they work for, the date of their appointment and the name of their previous employer before their initial appointment as a special adviser attached to a Minister.

The Prime Minister [holding answer 20 July 1993] : There are currently 41 special advisers attached to Ministers. The names of the advisers, the Ministers they work for, the date of the appointment and the name of their previous employer before their initial appointment as a special adviser is as follows :


Column 317


Name                                        |Minister(s) served                         |Date of appointment                        |Previous employer                                                                      

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

K. Adams                                    |Secretary of State for the Environment     |28 May 1993                                |Rt. Hon. John Gummer                                                                   

P. Barnes                                   |Secretary of State for Social Security     |3 May 1993                                 |Boston Consulting Group                                                                

C. Blunt                                    |Secretary of State for Defence             |15 February 1993                           |PI Political Consultants                                                               

Sir R. Braithwaite*                         |Prime Minister                             |1 June 1992                                |Foreign and Commonwealth Office                                                        

T. Burke*                                   |Secretary of State for the Environment     |10 April 1992                              |Green Alliance                                                                         

J. Caine                                    |Secretary of State for Northern Ireland    |17 June 1992                               |Conservative Central Office                                                            

D. Cameron                                  |Jointly to the three Ministers of State and|21 June 1993                               |Conservative Central Office                                                            

                                            |  the Under Secretary of State in the                                                                                                                                          

                                            |  Home Office                                                                                                                                                                  

Dr. E. Cottrell                             |Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and    |27 May 1993                                |Conservative Central Office                                                            

                                            |  Food                                                                                                                                                                         

Dr. W. Eltis*                               |President of the Board of Trade            |1 January 1993                             |National Economic Development Office                                                   

Sir C. Foster*                              |Secretary of State for Transport           |1 June 1992                                |Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte                                                           

M. Fraser                                   |Minister of State for Overseas             |10 April 1992                              |Conservative Central Office                                                            

                                            |  Development                                                                                                                                                                  

C. Grantham                                 |Secretary of State for Education           |11 April 1992                              |Westminster Briefing                                                                   

J. Gray                                     |Jointly to the Ministers for Local         |27 May 1993                                |GNI Ltd.                                                                               

                                            |  Government and Inner Cities;                                                                                                                                                 

                                            |  Environment and Countryside; and                                                                                                                                             

                                            |  Housing and Planning                                                                                                                                                         

D. Green                                    |Prime Minister                             |1 June 1992                                |Business Television                                                                    

Professor P. Hall*                          |Secretary of State for Environment         |27 May 1993                                |University of California                                                               

Mrs. S. Hogg                                |Prime Minister                             |10 April 1992                              |Daily and Sunday Telegraph                                                             

Ms S. Hole                                  |Chief Whip                                 |13 April 1992                              |Lord Rothschild                                                                        

A. Kemp*                                    |President of the Board of Trade            |28 May 1992                                |CDP Nexus Ltd.                                                                         

Mrs. T. Keswick                             |Chancellor of the Exchequer                |28 May 1993                                |Cluff Investments and Trading                                                          

Mrs. E. Laing                               |Secretary of State for Transport           |13 April 1992                              |Shopping Hours Reform Council                                                          

K. Leggett*                                 |Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and    |21 June 1993                               |National Farmers Union                                                                 

                                            |  Food                                                                                                                                                                         

D. Loehnis                                  |Secretary of State for National Heritage   |7 November 1992                            |Sunday Telegraph                                                                       

G. Mackay                                   |Secretary of State for Scotland            |8 May 1992                                 |Pieda plc                                                                              

M. MacLay                                   |Secretary of State for Foreign and         |19 July 1993                               |The European                                                                           

                                            |  Commonwealth Affairs                                                                                                                                                         

R. Marsh                                    |Secretary of State for Health              |21 April 1992                              |Conservative Central Office                                                            

Ms S. McEwen                                |Chief Whip (House of Lords)                |29 June 1992                               |Namara Cowan Ltd.                                                                      

M. McManus                                  |Secretary of State for Employment          |28 May 1993                                |Conservative Central Office                                                            

Dr. J. Nicholson*                           |Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster       |1 September 1992                           |John Nicholson Associates Ltd.                                                         

Sir I. Pearce*                              |Secretary of State for Transport           |16 June 1992                               |Richard Ellis and English Estates                                                      

Lord Poole                                  |Prime Minister                             |13 May 1992                                |James Capel                                                                            

Mrs. K. Ramsay                              |Prime Minister                             |2 June 1992                                |Conservative Central Office                                                            

P. Rock                                     |Home Secretary                             |28 May 1993                                |Conservative Central Office                                                            

A. Rosling                                  |Prime Minister                             |10 April 1992                              |Hanson plc                                                                             

D. Ruffley                                  |Financial Secretary                        |28 May 1993                                |Clifford Chance                                                                        

R. Salmon*                                  |Secretary of State for Transport           |18 January 1993                            |Cuff & Co. Ltd. and Fund Holdings Ltd.                                                 

I. Stewart                                  |Lord President                             |27 April 1992                              |Conservative Central Office                                                            

Lady Strathnaver                            |President of the Board of Trade            |21 April 1992                              |Haymarket Publishing Services Ltd.                                                     

J. Swift*                                   |Secretary of State for Transport           |18 January 1993                            |Barrister                                                                              

N. True                                     |Prime Minister                             |10 April 1992                              |Public Policy Unit                                                                     

I. Wilton                                   |Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster       |27 April 1992                              |Conservative Central Office                                                            

A. Young                                    |Secretary of State for Scotland            |8 May 1992                                 |-                                                                                      

* Special advisers fall into two categories, political and those with specialised expertise relevant to their appropriate Secretary of State. The latter are indicated by an asterisk.                                      

Engagements

Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

The Prime Minister : This morning, I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

Olympic Bid

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister how many times (1) he has met the leaders of Manchester city council to discuss the bid to stage the Olympic games ;


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(2) how much financial support the Government have committed to the Manchester bid to stage the Olympics ; and how much money has so far been paid over.

The Prime Minister : I have met the leader of Manchester city council with other members of the bid committee three times to discuss the British Olympic bid ; I launched the formal bid document with the committee at Downing street on 17 February ; and I have met them informally on a number of other occasions.

Up to £75 million has been made available by the Government for the bid itself and for the construction of key facilities. Of that, some £22 million has been spent to date. If the bid is successful, the Government will ensure that all the necessary facilities are built by a mixture of private and public finances and that the funding necessary to stage and organise the games is provided.


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Meetings

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister when he last met (a) Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi and (b) the Pakistan high commissioner to the Court of St James.

The Prime Minister : I last met Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi on 25 July 1989 when I was Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. I last met the Pakistan high commissioner on 29 March this year.

Yugoslavia

Mr. Wareing : To ask the Prime Minister what pressures Her Majesty's Government are putting on the Government of

Bosnia-Herzegovina to attend and fully co-operate with the peace talks in Geneva ; and if he will make a statement.

The Prime Minister : We are encouraging the Bosnian presidency to engage in direct negotiations with the other parties under the auspices of Lord Owen and Mr. Stoltenberg. We have repeatedly made clear that a lasting and equitable peace can be achieved only by a negotiated settlement freely agreed by all three parties. We will not accept a territorial solution for Bosnia dictated by the Serbs and Croats at the expense of the Bosnian Muslims.

Wild Birds

Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Prime Minister (1) what plans he has to discuss the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds at the forthcoming United Kingdom/French summit ; and if he will make representations to the French Government over the fulfilment of the directive's protection for migratory birds from netting, shooting and trapping ;

(2) what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister of France concerning the requirements under the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds to control the hunting and shooting of wild birds.

The Prime Minister : I am not aware of any proposals by the French Government for the admendment to the birds directive. Nor do I expect the matter to be raised at the meeting between Heads of State currently planned. There have been discussions by EC Environment Ministers on proposals by the Commission to amend annex III of the directive, but no agreement has yet been reached.

Security Service

Mr. Allason : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the directive circulated to former members of the security service regarding the biographer of the late Sir Dick White.

The Prime Minister : There is no authorised biographer of Sir Dick White. Although the Government have recently taken a number of significant steps towards greater openness for the security and intelligence services, they continue to attach the highest importance to maintaining the principle that members and former members of those services are under a lifelong duty of confidence to the Crown in relation to information deriving from their employment.


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NORTHERN IRELAND

Tourism

Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the developments that have so far been completed under the terms of the EC tourism operational programme ; what proportion of those projects were funded by (a) Her Majesty's Government and (b) from EC sources ; how many developments are yet to be completed ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Atkins : Those projects assisted under the tourism operational programme for Northern Ireland 1990-93 which have been completed by 30 June 1993 are listed. Her Majesty's Government did not fund the projects which were assisted by the European regional development fund.

Capital Development

Dunluce centre, Portrush

The Navan centre, County Armagh

The Tower museum, Londonderry

18th century gaol block, Downpatrick

Ballance house phase II, Glenavy

Lough Neagh discovery centre

Palace stables, Armagh

Sinton's mill, Blackwater town

Ulster and American streets, Ulster American folk park, Omagh Ulster history park visitor centre, Omagh

Ballycastle seafront development

Benone tourism complex phase III

Banbridge gateway tourist information centre

Lislap cottage restoration, Gortin

Round lake, Fivemiletown

Sixmilewater caravan park, Antrim

Corn mill, Castleward

Warrenpoint promenade, stage I, phase II

International youth hostel, Londonderry

Queen Mary's hostel, Belfast

Glenada house, Newcastle

Benone III, environmental improvements

Margy bridge, Ballycastle

Ardclennis activity centre, Co Fermanagh

Bannview squash club, Craigavon

Belleek and district development trust cruising project Belleekci pottery enhancement of visitor centre

Portrush parascending project

Lockside cruises, Co Fermanagh

Lusty Beg island cruiser, Co Fermanagh

Raspberry Hill health farm

Rosskit slipway facilities, Co Fermanagh

Down Royal racecourse visitor facilities

Bushtown House hotel, leisure/conference facilities

Glenavon House hotel, leisure/conference facilities

Lough Erne yacht club

Lough Beg leisure facilities, Co Londonderry

Non Capital Developments : Studies

Ballycastle marina

Ballyleidy golf project

Ballyronan tourism project development

Belfast City centre hotel, Laganside

Belfast science centre

Bessbrook tramway

Coalisland canal

Coalisland heritage development

Colebrook development

Disabled access to tourist accommodation

Down Royal racecourse

Equestrian development

Glens of Antrim

Sustainable tourism

Lecale/Down area

Lough Neagh

Newry/Portadown canal

Roe Valley development

South Armagh tourism development


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