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TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Oman
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the Export Credits Guarantee Department credit for Oman has been allocated to defence contracts in each of the last five years.
Mr. Needham : Of the guarantees issued by the Export Credit Guarantees Department in support of United Kingdom capital goods and projects exports to Oman over the last five years, the proportion in respect of exports of defence equipment was as follows :
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1988-89 |0.0
1989-90 |100.0
1990-91 |100.0
1991-92 |0.0
1992-93 |98.4
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ECGD's recently published 1992-93 annual report details the breakdown by sector, including defence, of the capital goods and project exports it has exported during each of the four years to 1992-93.Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many export credit guarantees have been provided to Oman in each of the last five years.
Mr. Needham : The Export Credits Guarantee Department has issued eight guarantees in the past five years in support of United Kingdom exports of capital goods and projects to Oman as follows :
|Number
----------------------
1988-89 |1
1989-90 |1
1990-91 |1
1991-92 |2
1992-93 |3
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total Export Credits Guarantee Department exposure outstanding with Oman.
Mr. Needham : At the close of its last financial year on 31 March 1993, the Export Credits Guarantee Department's exposure on Oman stood at £427.6 million.
Foreign Investment
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 9 February, Official Report, column 320, if he will provide the information concerning foreign investment in some other form.
Mr. Sainsbury : Information on stocks of foreign direct investment within the United Kingdom is regularly published in "Business Monitor MA4 Overseas Transactions", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Information on direct investment within OECD countries is published in "International Direct Investment Statistics Yearbook 1993", OECD, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Libya (Trade Figures)
Mr. Parry : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the trade figures between the United Kingdom and Libya over the last five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Needham : The trade figures between the United Kingdom and Libya for the past five years are shown in the table.
United Kingdom trade with
Libya-1989 to 1993
£ thousands
|Imports|Exports
--------------------------------
1989 |104,545|239,191
1990 |151,605|244,849
1991 |121,219|255,718
1992 |162,899|228,273
1993 |156,542|274,051
Source: UK Overseas Trade (
Business Monitor MA20).
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Textiles
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made on securing increased market access for the United Kingdom textile industry under the general agreement on tariffs and trade.
Mr. Heseltine : Valuable gains in market access have been achieved with the United States, the Philippines, Thailand and the Latin American countries. The improved access for wool cloth to the United States is particularly significant. The European Commission is continuing to negotiate with those countries which have made disappointing offers. I can confirm that my hon. Friend the Minister for Trade met the Indonesian ambassador to the United Kingdom on 14 February to express concern about Indonesia's offer. In addition, he wrote to the high commissioners for India and Pakistan on 18 February.
Biological Warfare
Mr. Redmond : To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what dates his Department withdrew commercial export licences from United Kingdom companies wishing to sell (a) bacillus anthracis, (b) clostridium botulinum, (c) brucella melitensis and (d) clostridium perfringens to Iraq.
Mr. Heseltine : Export licences for Iraq were revoked by DTI on 9 August 1990 when SI 1990 No. 1651 came into force. This implemented United Nations Security Council Resolution 661 of 6 August 1990. There is no record of any licence being issued for these agents in the period 1986- 1994.
Sizewell B
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the first fuel core was delivered to the Sizewell B reactor.
Mr. Eggar : I understand from Nuclear Electric plc that the first fuel elements were delivered to Sizewell B on 14 February 1994.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what contracts have been taken out with Lloyd's Register for the independent safety assessment of the commissioning of the Sizewell B nuclear plant.
Mr. Eggar : This is a matter for Nuclear Electric plc.
Export Controls
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with his German counterpart as to the compatibility of the policy on the international co-operation on export controls, announced in December, with the European Union policy on co-operation and harmonisation of trade regulations.
Mr. Needham : I can confirm that my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has had discussions with Herr Rexrodt, the German Federal Economics Minister, on the subject of the proposed EC dual-use regulation. There have also been regular bilateral contacts between British and German officials on the same subject.
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ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Women (Violent Offences)
37. Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Attorney-General what guidelines the Crown Prosecution Service operates in considering public interest in the prosecution of women for violent offences.
The Solicitor-General : The Crown Prosecution Service considers the personal circumstances of all potential defendants when deciding whether or not prosecutions are in the public interest.
Serious Fraud Office
38. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Attorney-General what representations he has received about the Serious Fraud Office.
The Attorney-General : Recent representations from Members of Parliament and members of the public have emphasised the importance of continuing to tackle serious fraud both firmly and effectively.
Bromley Council (Social Services Department)
39. Mr. Dowd : To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report, column 726, when the inquiry by the Metropolitan police concerning the alleged fraud within the social services department of Bromley council began ; and on what date the last police report was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Solicitor-General : The investigation began in January 1991. The Crown Prosecution Service received the most recent police report on 25 January 1994. It decided that the evidence was not sufficient to justify the institution of proceedings for corruption. The Metropolitan police are continuing inquiries into a separate allegation of dishonesty.
Matrix Churchill
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Attorney-General how many representations have been made to him about the opening statement made by the Cabinet Secretary to Lord Justice Scott's inquiry.
Public Appointments
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Attorney-General what percentage of public appointments made by his Department in 1993 were of women ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : I make no appointments to public bodies.
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Attorney-General what instructions he has given to the Director of Public Prosecutions concerning the prosecution of persons alleged to have assaulted police officers ; if he will instruct the Director to prosecute illegal immigrants charged with assault rather than relying on deportation ; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General : Where there is sufficient evidence the public interest normaly demands prosecution when the victim of an assault is a police officer.
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The Crown Prosecution Service last week issued guidance to all Crown prosecutors emphasising that illegal immigrants should not be dealt with by means of deportation when the gravity of the offence demands prosecution.Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Hicks : To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were considered by the Crown Prosecution Service for prosecution in the last 12- month period for which figures are available ; what number and percentage of cases were actually prosecuted ; what number and percentage of convictions were obtained for England and Wales ; and what are the corresponding figures for the Devon and Cornwall area.
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The Attorney-General : Figures for prosecutions in Devon and Cornwall are included in the total for CPS South West, and cannot be given separately. The latest period for which figures are available is the year ending December 1993.
Table A shows at column 1 the number of defendants whose case was completed by the CPS in magistrates' courts during 1993 ; at column 2 the number and proportion of prosecutions dropped ; at column 3 the number and proportion of bind overs ; at column 4 the number and proportion of prosecutions which could not proceed ; at column 5 the number and proportion of committal hearings ; at column 6 the number and proportion proceeding to a hearing ; at column 7 the number and proportion of hearings resulting in conviction ; and at column 8 the number and proportion of hearings resulting in dismissal :
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Table A: Magistrates' court
|Column 1 |Column 2 |Column 3 |Column 4 |Column 5 |Column 6 |Column 7 |Column 8
Completed |Prosecutions|Bind Overs |Prosecutions|Committal |Hearings |Convictions |Dismissals
|Cases |Dropped |could not |Hearings
|proceed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPS |1,362,277 |175,025 |23,920 |175,025 |103,299 |950,676 |935,044 |21,953
Total (per cent.) |- |(12.8) |(1.7) |(12.8) |(7.7) |(69.8) |(97.7) |(2.3)
CPS |69,968 |8,535 |610 |4,034 |5,099 |51,690 |51,087 |839
South West (per cent.) |- |(12.2) |(0.9) |(5.8) |7.3) |(73.9) |(98.4) |(1.6)
The number of completed cases at column 1 does not include cases referred to the CPS by the police for pre-charge advice, or non-criminal
proceedings.
Convictions at column 7 are inclusive of guilty pleas as well as convictions after trial. Both convictions and dismissals are inclusive of cases proceeding to a hearing after the defendant offered mixed pleas of guilty to some counts and not guilty to others : these defendants are counted twice.
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Table B shows at column 1 defendants whose case was completed by the CPS in the Crown court during 1993 ; at column 2 those proceeding to a hearing ; at column 3 those resulting in conviction, and at column 4 those resulting in acquittal :Column 543
Table B: Crown Court
|Column 1 |Column 2 |Column 3 |Column 4
|Completed |Hearings |Convictions |Acquittals
|cases
|Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPS total |95,600 |84,608 |(88.5) |78,156 |(90.1) |8,620 |(9.9)
CPS South West |5,647 |5,028 |(89.0) |4,762 |(92.1) |409 |(7.9)
Completed cases at column 1 do not include appeals or committals for sentence.
Hearings at column 2 do not include proceedings in which the defendant was bound over to keep the peace ; prosecutions dropped by the CPS before the jury was sworn ; or cases in which the prosecution could not proceed because the defendant had died, could not be traced, or was found unfit to plead.
Convictions are inclusive of guilty pleas. The figures for convictions and acquittals include cases proceeding to a hearing after the defendant offered a mix of guilty pleas to some counts on the indictment, and not guilty to others : these defendants are counted twice.
The national totals given comprise the 13 CPS areas, but do not include the specialised casework undertaken by the headquarters of the service.
Mr. Hicks : To ask the Attorney-General what guidance is given to the Crown Prosecution Service as to whether it should proceed with a prosecution ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 544
The Attorney-General : The criteria set out in the code for Crown prosecutors are that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction, and a prosecution is required in the public interest.
The charges should reflect the gravity of the defendant's conduct and will normally be the most serious revealed by the evidence.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Pitcairn
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what ecological considerations have been adduced by the Pitcairn islanders in expressing their preference for transferring from Britain's dependent territories to those of France.
Mr. Goodlad : The Pitcairn islanders have not expressed to us any wish to become a dependent territory of France or to change the nature of their existing relationship with the United Kingdom.
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EC Committee of the Regions
Mr. Jenkin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely annual cost of the new EC Committee of the Regions.
Mr. Goodlad : The Committee of the Regions has been allocated 12 mecu--£8.94 million--in the EC budget for this year.
EC Bodies
Mr. Jenkin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely annual cost of each of the new Community bodies that were formally established at the European Council meeting on 29 October.
Mr. Goodlad : We have the following information on estimated annual costs for those European Community bodies whose locations were determined at the European Council in Brussels on 29 October 1993 : European Environment Agency
The 1994 budget for the European Environment Agency has been fixed at at 8 million ecu.
European Training Foundation
The European Communities budget provides for expenditure of 5 million ecu for the European Training Foundation in 1994.
Office for Veterinary and Plant Health Inspection and Control No detailed work has yet been done on the projected budget for ths agency.
European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction The reserve chapter of the European Communities budget for 1994 includes provision of 4.8 million ecu for commitments and 4.64 million ecu for payments.
European Medicines Evaluation Agency
The budget for 1994 has been set at 7.5 million ecu (of which 0.7 million ecu is in the reserve chapter of the European Communities budget). The intention is that running costs will in due course be offset by fees so that within a relatively short period the Agency will be self-financing.
Agency for Health and Safety at Work
The appropriation requested by the European Commission in 1991, when the original proposal was made, was 6 million ecu for a full financial year. Discussions are still continuing on the remit for the agency, and a final assessment of costs cannot be made until agreement has been reached. No budgetary provision has been made for 1994, but the European Parliament voted 500,000 ecu to the existing European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions "to take over the tasks of the planned Health and Safety Agency" pending the setting up of the agency.
European Monetary Institute
The size of the European Monetary Institute's resources is a matter for the Council of the European Monetary Institute (ie the central bank governors of all the member states and their President) which has not yet reached a view on the question.
The Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (trade marks, designs and models)
The European Communities budget for 1994 includes provision for start-up costs of million ecu in its reserve chapter for this office. This may increase in subsequent years--in 1990 the European Commission, based on a study by consultants, estimated annual operating costs at 17 million ecu. The intention is that running costs will in due course be offset by fees so that within a relatively short period the office will be self-financing. European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP)
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CEDEFOP's budget for 1994 has been set at 11 million ecu. Translation CentreNo detailed work has yet been done on the projected budget for this centre although it is planned that it should be self-financing on the basis of charges for its services.
The European Council in Brussels on 29 October 1993 also determined the location of Europol, an intergovernmental organisation created under the third pillar of the Treaty on European Union. The total budget estimated for the European Drugs Unit (the first phase of Europol) for 1994 is 2.065 million ecu.
Libya
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of British nationals employed in Libya in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are no figures available of British nationals employed in Libya. However, between the years 1990-92 we estimate that there were 5,000 British nationals there.
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals were employed in Libya at the most recent date ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are no figures available for the number of British nationals employed in Libya. We estimate that there are 4,000 British nationals there.
Jamaica
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Jamaican nationals have applied for visas since 1 January ; what was the comparable figure for the same period of 1993 ; what is the current waiting time between application and interview ; if he will appoint additional staff to process applications ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : A total of 327 Jamaican nationals have applied in Kingston for entry clearance since 1 January. The corresponding figure for last year was 322. Applications to visit Britain are normally processed the same day. The one entry clearance officer in the British high commission in Kingston is assisted by a second such officer between 1 April and 30 September each year. The option to appoint additional staff, if required, to process applications is always under review.
Mr. Stephan Kock
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions and in what capacities Mr. Stephan Kock acted on behalf of Her Majesty's Government in relation to contracts arising out of overseas development since 1988.
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why Mr. Stephan Kock was appointed to act on behalf of the Joint Intelligence Committee in relation to the Pergau dam contract in Malaysia.
Mr. Waldegrave : I have been asked to reply.
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Mr. Kock is not, and never has been, an adviser to the Joint Intelligence Committee.Mr. Israr Ahmed
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 11 January, Official Report, column 43, concerning an application made by Israr Ahmed (Ref : IMM/CO 442) to the British High Commission in Islamabad to enter the United Kingdom, when the hon. Member for Bradford, West will receive the substantive reply.
Mr. Goodlad : I regret that the hon. Member has not yet received a substantive answer. I will ask my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State to let the hon. Member have one as soon as possible.
Immigration
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to ensure his Department instructs British overseas embassies and high commissions promptly to issue visas to those wishing to enter the United Kingdom in cases where appellate bodies uphold appeals or refuse to grant his Department leave to appeal to the immigration appeals tribunal ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : Entry clearance officers at posts overseas are under standing instructions to issue entry clearances as soon as possible when determinations favourable to the applicant are received via the Home Office.
Mr. Ahmed Zahir
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will instruct the British high commission in Islamabad to issue a visa to enter the United Kingdom to Mr. Ahmed Zahir (TH/1322/93) following the refusal of the immigration appeals tribunal to grant his Department leave to appeal on 3 December last ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : In the absence of any information about this case, I have asked the correspondence unit of the migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to let the hon. Member have a substantive reply in due course.
Somaliland
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking, at international level, to ensure that resources are available to provide programmes of work and support for disarming militias in Somaliland.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : As a permanent member of the Security Council the United Kingdom has ensured that all relevant UNSC resolutions have underlined the importance of disarming militias throughout Somalia. We have also ensured that UNSC resolutions urge member states to provide resources in support of UNOSOM's efforts throughout Somalia.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what way the United Nations supports the Egal Government in Somaliland.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are four senior UNOSOM staff in Hargeisa, comprising officer-in-charge, senior humanitarian officer, political officer and security co-ordinator. There are also local and international support staff.
UNOSOM is working to promote stability and rehabilitation within existing civic structures throughout Somalia including the north-west.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the 1993 budget of the United Nations operation in Somalia--UNOSOM--was spent in Somaliland ; and what proportion this was of UNOSOM's total expenditure in Somalia as a whole.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Total UNOSOM expenditure in 1993 was approximately $650 million, of which some 84 per cent. relates directly or indirectly to troop costs. The remainder covers the administrative support costs of the operation. Details regarding the proportion of this figure spent in north-west Somalia are not available.
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