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Mr. Howard : The number of press officers, including the director of information, is :
Year |Numbers ------------------------ 1983 |15.75 1984 |15.25 1985 |14.00 1986 |17.25 1987 |18.00 1988 |19.50 1989 |22.00 1990 |21.00 1991 |20.00 1992 |19.00 1993 |16.00
Special Advisers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names and job descriptions of each special ministerial adviser employed in his Department showing any particular outputs for which each adviser is responsible.
Mr. Howard [holding answer 16 December 1993] : The special advisers employed by the Home Office are Mr. Patrick Rock and Mr. David Cameron. They provide advice on a range of departmental matters.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made to ensure that special advisers to Ministers in his Department do not have access to the kind of information, and are not involved in the type of business, that would be likely to create suspicion of impropriety in relation to subsequent employment.
Mr. Howard [holding answer 16 December 1993] : Care is taken to ensure that special advisers do not have access to kinds of information likely to create suspicions of impropriety.
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ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Visas
Mr. Madden : To ask the Attorney-General what arrangements he will make to allow any country placed on the provisional list of countries whose nationals will require from 1996 visas to visit the EC to appeal against the inclusion on the visa list.
Mr. Charles Wardle : I have been asked to reply.
There is no provision in article 100c of the treaty of Rome for appeals of this kind.
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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Departmental Offices (Heating Bills)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list, by location the annual fuel heating bills for each of his Department's offices for the last four years, and for this year to date.
Mr. David Davis : The breakdown by location for the Cabinet Office and its agencies is as follows :
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|1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |<6>1993-94
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
London
12 Downing Street |1,182 |996 |946 |925 |<1>n.a.
24 Whitehall |5,850 |4,928 |4,680 |2,887 |<2>2,243
36 Whitehall |4,608 |3,882 |3,686 |3,606 |<2>2,801
70 Whitehall |8,253 |10,245 |9,683 |9,496 |<2>7,391
Government Offices, Great George Street |10,871 |12,134 |11,437 |11,181 |<2>8,698
11 Belgrave Road |5,250 |2,120 |6,000 |7,534 |3,230
Hepburn House |n.a. |3,889 |7,290 |3,444 |4,356
53 Parliament Street<3> |n.a. |6,336 |9,888 |7,153 |6,600
Riverwalk House<3> |82,004 |115,819 |133,585 |106,408 |47,193
Murray House<4> |- |- |- |- |-
Albany House<4> |- |n.a. |n.a. |- |-
Ascot
Sunningdale Park<5> |n.a. |n.a. |52,500 |62,502 |27,763
Basingstoke
Alencon Link |n.a. |14,240 |17,747 |11,863 |11,407
Chessington
Government Buildings, Leatherhead Road |31,117 |27,037 |25,897 |23,354 |14,924
Edinburgh
Hill Street |n.a. |3,705 |3,141 |3,620 |3,365
Norwich
Gildengate House<3> |27,278 |36,455 |35,360 |36,195 |12,080
Birmingham
Cumberland House<4> |- |- |- |- |-
Cardiff
Hayes House<4> |- |- |- |- |-
Durham
Elvet House<4> |- |- |- |- |-
Manchester
Boulton House<4> |- |- |- |- |-
<1>For the current year heat meters have been installed and charges have yet to be levied.
<2>Based on estimated annual charge.
<3>Includes lighting costs.
<4>Heating forms part of an overall charge and is not separately identifiable.
<5>Includes usage of gas for catering.
<6>To date.
Bowbelle-Marchioness Report
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many copies of the marine accident investigation branch report into the Bowbelle-Marchioness collision were printed by Her Majesty's Stationery Office ; how many copies are still in stock ; how many have been used for official or parliamentary purposes ; and how many sold at the named price.
Mr. David Davis : HMSO printed 1,842 copies of the marine accident investigation branch report into the
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Bowbelle-Marchioness collision and 920 are still in stock. The Department of Transport received 320 copies for official purposes and 23 copies were purchased by other Government Departments. A total of 579 copies have been sold to date, either on wholesale terms or at the named price.Quangos
359. Mr. Meale : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979
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have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.Mr. David Davis : The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible for making appointments to the following non-departmental public bodies :
The Civil Service Appeal Board ;
Agricultural and Food Research Council ;
Economic and Social Research Council ;
Medical Research Council ;
Natural Environment Research Council ; and the Science and Engineering Research Council.
The Earl of Selborne was chairman of the Agricultural and Food Research Council from 1 January 1975 to 31 December 1989. His annual salary in the last year of his appointment was £10,065.
Baroness Perry of Southwark was a member of the Economic and Social Research Council from 1 August 1988 to 31 July 1991. She received an annual honorarium, which in the last year of her appointment was £4, 340.
The right hon. the Lord Shepherd of Spalding was chairman of the Medical Research Council--MRC--from 1 August 1977 to 31 July 1982. He received an annual honorarium, which in the last year of his appointment was £2,675.
The right hon. Lord Jellicoe was chairman of the MRC from 1 August 1982 to 31 July 1990. He received an annual honorarium, which in the last year of his appointment was £5,030.
Lord Cranbrook was a member of the Natural Environment Research Council-- NERC--from 1 October 1982 to 31 July 1988. He received an annual honorarium, which in the last year of his appointment was £3, 410.
Lord Chorley of Kendal has been a member of the NERC since 1 August 1988. His term is due to expire on 31 July 1994. He receives an annual honorarium of £4,730.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.
Mr. David Davis : The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible for making appointments to the following non-departmental public bodies :
The Civil Service Appeal Board ;
Agricultural and Food Research Council ;
Economic and Social Research Council ;
Medical Research Council ;
Natural Environment Research Council ; and the
Science and Engineering Research Council.
James Provan, MEP for North East Scotland from 1979 to 1989, has been a member of the Agricultural and Food Research Council since 1 August 1990. His appointment expires on 31 March 1994. He receives an annual honorarium of £4,730.
Mr. Meale : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations,
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excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.Mr. David Davis : The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible for making appointments to the following non-departmental public bodies :
The Civil Service Appeal Board ;
Agricultural and Food Research Council ;
Economic and Social Research Council ;
Medical Research Council ;
Natural Environment Research Council ; and the
Science and Engineering Research Council.
Sir David Crouch, formerly Member of Parliament for Canterbury between 1966 and 1987, was an unpaid member of the Medical Research Council from 1 August 1983 to 31 July 1987.
Scott Inquiry
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the Iraq document to which he referred in his evidence to the Scott inquiry.
Mr. Waldegrave : No. The Iraq note, along with many other highly classified documents, has been made available to the inquiry being conducted by Lord Justice Scott, who will in due course decide what is published in his report.
Documents (Marginal Notes)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make it his policy to instruct all civil servants to ensure that marginal notes made on interdepartmental memoranda or other documents distributed for comment between Government Departments and executive agencies reporting to Government Departments always make comment directly on to the said documents and do not use detachable notes.
Mr. David Davis : There are no plans to issue such instructions.
DEFENCE
Belize
16. Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the memorandum of understanding with the Government of Belize.
Mr. Hanley : We have advised the Belize Government that existing arrangements set out in memoranda of understanding, concerning the technical aspects of the British military presence in Belize need to be brought up to date to reflect the evolution of our military garrison into a jungle training team. The details of these arrangements are confidential between Governments.
British Troops (Germany)
17. Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has for bringing home British troops from Germany.
Mr. Hanley : The current strength of the Army in Germany is about 33,000. On current plans this will fall to some 24,700 by April 1995.
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Defence Budget
18. Sir Michael Neubert : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage proportion of defence expenditure will now, following the Chancellor's Budget statement, be assigned respectively to the Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force in 1994-95.
Mr. Rifkind : Details of planned expenditure by each top level budget holder, together with provision for sea, land and air systems equipment will be contained in the 1994-95 Supply Estimates.
Bosnia
19. Sir Anthony Durant : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the volume of aid delivered by British troops in Bosnia in 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : In 1993 British troops in Bosnia escorted humanitarian aid convoys carrying a total of 77,739 tonnes of aid. In addition, the RAF humanitarian airlift into Sarajevo delivered a total of 10, 354 tonnes of aid, and there have been over 1,000 such flights.
Economies
20. Mr. Dykes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the extent to which his Department has achieved all possible economies and reductions in unnecessary expenditures in respect of administrative and other running costs.
Mr. Hanley : Since the launch of the Department's efficiency programme in 1988-89 the MOD has consistently met the challenging targets it has been set, making improvements worth some £1.8 billion a year by 31 March 1993. We will continue to search for ways of reducing to a minimum the administrative and other costs of supporting our front line forces. To this end, we have set in hand the defence costs study, known as "Front Line First", to look into all aspects of defence support.
Mountain and Sea Rescue
21. Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions over the past 12 months MOD personnel or equipment have been used in mountain or sea rescue operations.
Mr. Hanley : Between 1 November 1992 and 31 October 1993 United Kingdom military search and rescue helicopter flights and mountain rescue teams were called out on 2,049 occasions. A total of 724 of these callouts involved rescue operations.
Small Arms Ammunition
22. Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of long-term procurement needs in connection with small arms ammunition.
Mr. Aitken : My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, announced the award of a long term contract to Royal Ordnance in the Defence debate on 19 October last year at column 176. This contract covers over 90 per cent. by value of our small arms ammunition requirements in the period up to 1998.
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European Fighter Aircraft
23. Mr. Page : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the European fighter aircraft.
Mr. Aitken : Eurofighter 2000 will be the cornerstone of the RAF's future capability. The manufacturers are now forecasting first flight for April this year. This delay is disappointing but there is no evidence of any major design problem and it should not be of any great significance in overall programme terms. We and our collaborative partners plan to take a decision on a commitment to production in 1995, which will still allow production aircraft for the RAF to be delivered in 2000.
Yugoslavia
24. Dr. Spink : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are currently serving in the former Yugoslavia.
Mr. Hanley : There are at present approximately 2,330 British troops in Bosnia. In addition to those on the ground, Royal Navy ships and RAF squadrons are providing support to United Nations operations, including the humanitarian airlift into Sarajevo.
Procurement Executive
25. Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the total estimated costs, including new computer systems, of moving the Procurement Executive to Abbey Wood, near Bristol, and report on current progress of the project.
Mr. Aitken : The estimated works cost of the new Procurement Executive headquarters at Abbey Wood, North Bristol, inclusive of site acquisition, construction, fitting out, professional works management and VAT is £255 million at current prices with an additional £90 million for the non-works elements of the move. No decision has yet been taken on the future information technology system for the site. The construction programme is proceeding within budget and to the planned timescale.
Cyprus
26. Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the United Nations presence in Cyprus.
Mr. Hanley : The United Nations force in Cyprus--UNFICYP--currently totals some 1,300 personnel from the United Kingdom, Argentina and Austria. The United Kingdom contingent of over 400 personnel comprises a contribution to the headquarters staff, two companies of a roulement regiment in the infantry role and various support elements, including a flight of Army Air Corps helicopters.
NATO
27. Mr. Duncan Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what issues he expects to be discussed at the NATO summit concerning the relationship between the European members of the Alliance and north America ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be making a statement concerning the issues discussed
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at the NATO summit. The summit will undoubtedly reaffirm the continuing importance of the relationship between the European and North American members of the Alliance.28. Mr. Jim Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met his Hungarian counterpart to discuss the possible enlargement of NATO.
Mr. Hanley : My right hon. and learned Friend has not had the opportunity to have discussions with the Hungarian Minister of Defence. However, I met Dr. Fur in Budapest on 13 October, when Hungary's relationship with NATO was amongst the topics discussed.
29. Mr. Lidington : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the strengthening of links between NATO and the new democracies of eastern Europe.
Mr. Hanley : My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be making a statement concerning the decisions taken at the NATO summit, including on the need to strengthen the links between NATO and the new democracies of eastern Europe.
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to argue for the introduction of sanctions for breaches of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty or withdrawal from the treaty.
Mr. Hanley : The United Kingdom's policy on the non-proliferation treaty is to work towards its unconditional and indefinite extension in 1995. Questions of the imposition of mandatory United Nations sanctions are for the Security Council to decide in accordance with the United Nations charter, on a case by case basis.
Defence Establishments (Closure)
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the extent to which Whitley Council agreed provisions have been observed in connection with the downgrading or closure of defence establishments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Great importance is attached to Whitley Council procedures and, bearing in mind that proposals covering some 1,000 establishments have been put to the trades unions over the past two and half years, we have a good record on consultation.
Hydrographic Office
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has had on the risks to the Hydrographic Office's operational capability if companies receiving contracted-out work go out of business ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Other than in discussions between staff and management, no such representations have been received.
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets for financial savings he envisages as a result of introducing market testing procedures into the Hydrographic Office.
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Mr. Aitken : The agency's market testing programme is at the feasibility stage ; it is too early to predict the level of savings which may arise.
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has had regarding the future of long-term planning at the Hydrographic Office if market-tested functions go to tender every three years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : No such representations have been received other than in discussions between management and staff. Long term planning will continue to be the responsibility of the HO management board, and will be necessary in the context of its role as an integrated Government agency and the national centre of hydrographic expertise.
Porton Down
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the nature of the nerve agent which was transported to Porton Down, referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) of 19 July, Official Report, column 81 ; and why this nerve agent was being transported ;
(2) what was the specific nature of the trials which were observed and participated in by the four US Army liaison officers stationed at Porton Down from 1963 to 1973 ; and which chemical and biological agents were involved in these trials ;
(3) in which year Porton Down stopped research on pyrroles ; how many of each species of small animals were used ; and when the United States of America was first informed of this research through the technical co- operation programme ;
(4) when Porton Down first researched into Q fever ;
(5) what was the nature of the information on binary chemical weapons passed between the United States of America and Britain to assist Britain in its evaluation of the potential hazards of binaries, referred to in his his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton of 20 July, Official Report, column 170 ; when this information was passed ; and under which defence agreement this information was passed ;
(6) what tests and studies the chemical and biological establishment at Porton Down has carried out on the viral disease yellow fever ; when these experiments took place ; whether the experiments involved animals or service volunteers ; what were the conclusions of these studies and tests ; and under which defence agreement these results were exchanged with the United States of America ;
(7) on what dates quantities of VX were transferred from Nancekuke to Porton Down ; how the quantities were transported ; what safety precautions were taken ; which safety authorities and local councils were warned before the transfer ; and what was the nature of each of the trials in which the transferred VX was used ;
(8) how many scientific papers co-authored by scientists from Porton Down and their counterparts in the Australian military have been published since 1963 ; what were the dates of these papers ; and in which scientific journal they were published ;
(9) what was the nature of the chemical agent transferred from Britain to Canada in the early 1970s mentioned in his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton of 20 July, Official Report, column 173 ; what was the
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