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Aid wing computer consultancies                                           

                          |Consultancy                                    

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Rothesay Consulting       |IT Strategy Study                              

Matrix Logic              |Office Automation/Local                        

                          |Area Network                                   

Charlton Associates       |Training                                       

Charlton Associates       |Financial Analysis                             

O. C. Gardner and Co.     |Training                                       

BIS Information System    |Training                                       

HM Customs                |Asycuda                                        

S. P. D. Swan Consultants |Training                                       

Enever Systems            |System Analysis and                            

                          |Programme Support                              

Hewlett Packard           |Network Consultancy                            

Patent Systems            |Network Consultancy                            

Minch Consultants         |Network Consultancy                            

Matrix Logic              |Network Consultancy                            

J. Hinks                  |IT Efficiency Review                           

A. Brazier                |Monitoring and                                 

                          |Backstopping Computer                          

M. Radosevic              |Support for W.H.O.                             

D. Gostellow              |Stores System                                  

J. C. Shephard            |Maintenance Systems                            

Dr. Smyrrell              |Finite Element Analysis                        

M. Walmshley              |Training                                       

D. Filer                  |Data Management                                

J. Snell                  |Highway Computing and                          

  Assessment                                                              

Mr. Robertson             |Lesotho Government                             

                          |Computer Centre                                

Armaments

Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the increase in armaments of (a) China, (b) Japan, (c) the Korean peninsula and (d) Indochina over the past five years.

Mr. Goodlad : A number of countries in the Asia Pacific region are in the process of modernising their armed forces. As yet there is no significant increase in their power projection capabilities. Despite prospects for improved stability in Indo-China, potential troublespots remain in the Asia Pacific, not least North Korea.

Small Businesses

Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the achievements of (a) his policies and (b) his Department in helping small businesses over the last 12 months as against the previous 12 months ; and if he will publish the performance indicators by which his Department monitors those achievements and the statistical results of such monitoring.

Mr. Goodlad : We continue to place a high priority on helping small businesses, through improvements to the business climate, through deregulation and through specific programmes of support and assistance.

Small firms are given full opportunity to bid for business with the Department. It is also our policy to pay invoices on time. Business transacted by the Department with small firms in the United Kingdom has increased from £24.2 million in the financial year 1991-92 to £35.8 million in 1992-93. In 1992-93 26.9 per cent. of total expenditure on the purchase of goods and services was with small firms.

Israel

Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 July, Official Report, column 725, what approaches he has made to other members of the western European group in support of the admission of Israel.

Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have discussed Israel's membership of the Western European and Others Group on a number of occasions with our EC partners, to whom we have made our position clear.

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Column 572

Contracting Out

Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all those services or functions contracted out in his Department and agencies, since November 1991, in which the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 were not applied.

Mr. Goodlad : Since November 1991, the diplomatic wing of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has contracted out the adminstration of the diplomatic service world-wide all risks insurance scheme and some aspects of purchasing services for office supplies and machinery. In neither case were the regulations applied. The aid wing has not contracted out any activities during this period.

Overseas Land

Mr. Martlew : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all the land overseas which is owned by the Government for non-military purposes, giving the number of hectares ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Goodlad : The Foreign and Commonwealth Office owns freehold land at the 144 overseas diplomatic posts listed.

The total land area of the compounds, office sites and residence sites in the list is about 240 hectares. The land area of the staff houses listed is not readily available, but is estimated to be of the order of 40 hectares. The balance of the land occupied by diplomatic posts overseas is held on various leasehold or condominium terms. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office keeps the overseas estate under continuous review, and rationalises its land holdings and disposes of any surplus land where it is practicable, necessary and cost-effective to do so.

Abu Dhabi : compound

Addis Ababa : compound

Alexandria : compound

Algiers : residence

Amman : office, residence, one staff house

Amsterdam : office, residence

Ankara : compound

Asuncion : residence

Athens : office, residence, two staff houses

Atlanta : residence, one staff house

Auckland : residence, two staff houses

Baghdad : compound

Bahrain : compound

Bangkok : compound

Banjul : residence

Belgrade : office, one staff house

Belmopan : office, residence, three staff houses

Berlin : site

Berne : office

Bogota : residence

Bonn : office, residence, two staff houses

Bordeaux : residence

Boston : residence

Brasilia : compound, seven houses

Bridgetown, residence, four staff houses

Brisbane : residence, one staff house

Brussels : residence, 15 staff houses

Bucharest : office

Budapest : residence, one staff house

Buenos Aires : office, residence, two staff houses

Cairo : compound, five staff houses

Calcutta : compound

Cape Town : residence, eight staff houses

Caracas : residence

Casablanca : site

Castries : residence

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Column 573

Chicago : two staff houses

Cleveland : residence

Colombo : office, two staff houses

Copenhagen : residence, 13 staff houses

Dakar : compound, two staff houses

Damascus : site, residence

Dar es Salaam : residence, 28 staff houses

Doha : compound

Dubai : compound

Dublin : office, residence, 14 staff houses

Durban : residence

Edmonton : residence

Gaborone : office, residence, eight staff houses

Geneva : residence, three staff houses

Georgetown, office, two staff houses

Guatemala City : residence

The Hague : office, residence, 10 staff houses

Harare : residence, 13 staff houses

Helsinki : office, residence, four staff houses

Ho Chi Minh City : office, residence

Houston : residence, one staff house

Istanbul : compound site

Jerusalem : compound

Johannesburg : residence, nine staff houses

Kabul : compound

Kampala : 11 staff houses

Karachi : compound

Kathmandu : compound

Khartoum : office, residence

Kingston : compound, six staff houses

Kingstown : office, residence

Kinshasa : compound, residence

Kuala Lumpur : compound, residence, four staff houses

Kuwait : compound

La Paz : office, residence

Lille : residence

Lilongwe : office, residence, 22 staff houses

Lima : residence, one staff house

Lisbon : office, residence, three staff houses

Los Angeles : residence, one staff house

Luanda : compound

Lusaka : residence, 23 staff houses

Luxembourg : residence

Lyons : residence

Madras : compound

Madrid : office, residence, 18 staff houses

Manila : residence

Maputo : office, residence, two staff houses

Marseilles : residence

Maseru : compound, four staff houses

Mbabane : office, residence, six staff houses

Melbourne : residence, three staff houses

Mexico City : office, residence

Montevideo : office, residence

Montreal : residence, one staff house

Munich : residence

Muscat : compound, 13 staff houses

Nairobi : residence, 17 staff houses

Naples : office/residence

Nassau : residence, two staff houses

Nicosia : office, residence, three staff houses

Osaka : residence

Oslo : compound, two staff houses

Ottawa : office, residence, 20 staff houses

Palma : residence

Paris : offices, residences, 15 staff houses

Perth : residence, one staff house

Port Louis : office, residence, four staff houses

Port of Spain : residence, five staff houses

Port Vila : one staff house

Prague : compound

Pretoria : office, residence, 23 staff houses

Quito : sites, residence

Rabat : residence

Rangoon : office, compound, one staff house

Reykjavik : site, residence

Riga : compound

Rome : office, residence

St. George's : residence

St. John's : residence

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