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(a) The Rt. Hon. Alastair Goodlad (Minister in charge of GHF) (
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(b) No salaries are paid(c) No fixed term
(d) Sir Ewen Fergusson, GCMG, GCVO
Major John Surtees, OBE, MC
Mr. Sebastian Payne
Mr. Anthony Hanson
Mr. Mark Savage
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds or obtains relating to individuals who have been appointed, or may be considered for appointment, to paid or unpaid posts for which a Minister has to approve the person or shortlist for the appointment, in particular relating to active involvement in (a) extreme left-wing organisations, (b) extreme right-wing organisations and (c) involvement in any of the political parties represented in the House of Commons.
Mr. Goodlad : Information on the political activities of candidates for appointments to public bodies is obtained from a variety of sources depending on the body in question. In many cases, the political activities of the appointee are not relevant.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures his Department has to prevent the possible appointment of individuals with extreme political views to posts for which a Minister has to approve the person or shortlist for the appointment.
Mr. Goodlad : Appointees to public bodies are considered on the basis of their experience and background in relation to the appointment in question. Political views are considered when membership of a political party is relevant to the appointment.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the organisations and individuals who have been asked, since June 1992, to submit names of individuals to be considered for appointments to paid and unpaid posts for which a Minister has to approve the person or shortlist for the appointment.
Mr. Goodlad : Names of individuals to be considered for appointments to public bodies are, depending on circumstances, submitted from a variety of sources including other Government Departments and, as appropriate, the body to which the appointments is to be made.
Zaire
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about Sudanese Government forces being assembled in Zaire ; and what representations he has made to the Government of Zaire about this.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have made no such representations. A Zairean Government communique of 4 March strongly denied the presence of Sudanese Government troops in Zaire.
North Korea
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has had about the adequacy of the inspections of the
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International Atomic Energy Agency in North Korea ; and what access the Korean authorities gave the team to the seven agreed nuclear sites.Mr. Douglas Hogg : The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency has stated that IAEA inspections carried out between 3 and 14 March did not permit the agency to conclude that nuclear material had not been diverted for military use in North Korea since February 1993. Agency inspectors were not allowed to proceed with a full inspection at one of North Korea's seven declared nuclear facilities.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether North Korea now has diverted sufficient plutonium to make at least one nuclear weapon.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The director general of the IAEA told his board of governors on 21 March that as a result of inspections carried out between 3 and 14 March, the agency could not conclude that nuclear material had not been diverted for military use in North Korea since February 1993. In addition, North Korea has not granted the IAEA access to two undeclared sites, inspection of which would help to clarify whether there had been diversion of material prior to that date. The Security Council is currently considering the matter.
Occupied Territories
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in providing Palestinians with international protection in the occupied territories.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Kingdom co-sponsored United Nations Security Council resolution 904 which calls for measures to be taken to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilians throughout the occupied territories, including a temporary foreign or international presence. The nature of such a presence is the subject of negotiations between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the degree of commitment of Israel and the PLO to early elections in the occupied territories.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Israel and the PLO are committed by the declaration of principles signed on 13 September 1993 to the goal of holding elections not later than nine months after the entry into force of the declaration. The declaration entered into force on 13 October 1993.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance he is giving to the establishment of a Palestinian police force in the occupied territories.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We will train senior officers of the Palestinian police in the United Kingdom later this year. We are also providing full riot protection equipment for 200 members of the Palestinian police.
Western Sahara
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made towards holding a referendum in the Western Sahara.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Nations Secretary-General submitted his latest report on 10 March. The report is being considered by the Security Council.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of the United Nations mission in the Western Sahara on the participation by Morrocans in a referendum in the Western Sahara.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Nations Indentification Commission is trying to establish the identification of all those eligible to vote in the referendum on the Western Sahara and to register them.
Sudan
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which United Nations employees are currently held by the Sudanese People's Liberation Army in Sudan ; and what representations he has made about this.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We know of no United Nations employees being held by the SPLA. The United Nations announced on 6 March the release of United Nations staff detained on 24 February by the SPLA in violation of Operation Lifeline Sudan principles.
East Timor
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the numbers of people who have died violently in East Timor since the Indonesian takeover.
Mr. Goodlad : There is no reliable source for such information.
Israel
Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the United States of America to discontinue all military aid to Israel until further Israeli settling in the Palestinian areas ceases and there are adequate safeguards to the Palestinians from existing settlers.
Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the United States of America to press Israel to dismantle all settlements in Palestinian territory.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We have kept in close touch with the Americans on this issue. We regularly make demarches to the Israelis urging them to cease the construction of settlements which is illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Entry Clearance Officers
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 16 March, Official Report, column 699, what is his definition of a man year.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : A man year is the amount of time spent per year by a person doing entry clearance officer work. It is based on a standard formula which takes
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account of time not available because of public holidays, leave, sickness, etcetera. It includes also the time of staff on temporary duty, such as summer seasonal relief.Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answers of 16 March, Official Report, columns 699-700, if he will make a statement on the reasons for entry clearance officers at posts overseas being instructed to reply direct to letters from solicitors in the United Kingdom, but not to reply direct to letters received from hon. Members.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : As I explained in my letter of 7 July 1993 to hon. Members, the migration and visa correspondence unit was established specifically to handle MPs' inquiries about entry clearance matters ; and to ensure
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more effective and efficient handling of such inquiries which had previously been subject to the risk of delay or of overseas mail going astray. MPs' representations are thus accorded priority at all times. Resource constraints preclude letters from others, such as solicitors, being given the same level of service.Civil Servants
Ms Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each civil service grade in his Department the number of (a) male and (b) female, (i) full-time and (ii) part-time employees.
Mr. Goodlad : The latest figures available are :
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Number of men Number of women
employed employed
|full-time|part-time|full-time|part-time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open structure
Grade 2 |1 |- |- |-
Grade 3 |3 |- |1 |-
Grade 4 |1 |- |- |-
Grade 5 |56 |- |9 |2
Grade 6 |94 |- |8 |-
Grade 7 |291 |9 |55 |3
Occupational groups
Senior Executive Officer |72 |1 |21 |2
Higher Executive Officer (D) |3 |- |- |-
Higher Executive Officer |162 |1 |79 |9
Executive Officer |242 |1 |170 |32
Administrative Officer |289 |2 |397 |40
Administrative Assistant |66 |- |50 |3
Senior Economic Assistant |2 |- |- |-
Economic Assistant |1 |- |- |-
Senior Information Officer |5 |- |6 |-
Information Officer |11 |- |20 |-
Assistant Information Officer |5 |- |5 |-
Senior Librarian |- |- |3 |-
Librarian |- |- |6 |-
Assistant Librarian |5 |- |13 |-
Museum Curatorial Grade D |- |- |2 |-
Museum Curatorial Grade E |- |- |1 |-
Museum Curatorial Grade F |2 |- |- |-
Senior P and T Officer |43 |- |2 |-
Higher P and T Officer |48 |- |1 |-
P and T Officer |19 |- |- |-
Technical Grade 1 |8 |- |- |-
Higher Mapping and Charting Officer |1 |- |- |-
Mapping and Charting Officer |1 |- |- |-
Mapping and Charting Technical Grade 1 |- |- |1 |-
Typing Manager |- |- |9 |1
Personal Secretary |- |- |139 |13
Typist |1 |- |71 |12
Senior Scientific Officer |64 |- |17 |-
Higher Scientific Officer |39 |- |23 |-
Scientific Officer |22 |- |12 |1
Assistant Scientific Officer |9 |- |13 |-
Catering Manager 1 |1 |- |- |-
Catering Manager 2 |1 |- |- |-
Catering Manager 3 |2 |- |1 |-
Higher Photographic Officer |1 |- |- |-
Photographic Officer |1 |- |- |-
Higher Graphics Officer |- |- |1 |-
Graphics Officer |- |- |- |1
Dep Reg Vet Officer |2 |- |- |-
Agricultural Officer 1 |18 |- |1 |-
Agricultural Officer 2 |5 |- |- |-
P & GS Grade B |3 |- |- |-
P & GS grade C |5 |- |- |-
P & GS Grade D |9 |- |- |-
P & GS Grade E |11 |- |- |-
Stores Officer Grade B |1 |- |- |-
Stores Officer Grade C |1 |- |1 |-
Stores Officer Grade D |5 |- |- |-
Support Manager 1 |4 |- |- |-
Support Manager 2 |3 |- |6 |-
Support Manager 3 |25 |- |20 |-
Support Grade Band 1 |142 |- |78 |3
Support Grade Band 2 |147 |1 |123 |-
Senior TTO |18 |- |- |-
Higher TTO |69 |- |- |-
TTO |101 |- |1 |-
Assistant TTO |91 |- |4 |-
Communications Officer IV |- |- |1 |-
Industrial grades |32 |4 |12 |18
Departmental Groups
Senior Grade |130 |- |5 |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 4 |257 |- |11 |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 5 |371 |1 |52 |8
Diplomatic Service Grade 6 |228 |1 |32 |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 7M |330 |- |90 |7
Diplomatic Service Grade 7D |75 |- |36 |1
Diplomatic Service Grade 8 |48 |- |9 |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 9 |388 |- |391 |10
Diplomatic Service Grade 10 |261 |1 |184 |1
Legal Adviser |1 |- |- |-
Second Legal Adviser |1 |- |- |-
Deputy Legal Adviser |2 |- |- |-
Legal Counsellor |4 |- |2 |-
Senior Assistant Legal Adviser |6 |- |3 |-
Assistant Legal Adviser |2 |- |2 |-
Research Counsellor |3 |- |- |-
Senior Principal Research Officer |10 |- |4 |-
Principal Research Officer |14 |2 |12 |1
Senior Research Officer |23 |- |8 |1
Research Officer |1 |- |- |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 8C |14 |- |- |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 9C |7 |- |- |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 5T |1 |- |- |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 6T |1 |- |- |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 7T |20 |- |- |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 8T |44 |- |1 |-
Diplomatic Service Grade 9T |15 |- |- |-
Secretary 1 |- |- |105 |1
Secretary 2 |1 |- |435 |9
Secretary 3 |1 |- |6 |-
Chief Overseas Security Officer |41 |- |- |-
Overseas Security Officer |144 |- |2 |-
Nurse |- |- |4 |-
Doctor |4 |- |1 |-
Senior Lecturer |3 |- |7 |-
Senior Field Investigating Officer |1 |- |- |-
Field Investigating Officer 2 |13 |- |3 |-
Translator 1 |1 |- |- |-
Translator 2 |1 |- |3 |3
Translator 3 |1 |- |1 |-
Chief Cypher Superintendent |3 |- |- |-
Cypher Superintendent |12 |- |- |-
Cypher Supervisor |31 |- |- |-
Telecommunications and Cypher Officer |97 |- |6 |-
Operator Technician |1 |- |- |-
Queen's Messenger |27 |- |- |-
Queen's Messenger Escort |4 |- |- |-
Marsh Arabs
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information is available to Her Majesty's Government about the reason for the burning of settlements in the marshes where the Tigris meets the Euphrates.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The destruction of settlements in the marshes of southern Iraq may be related to marsh
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drainage construction projects, counter- insurgency operations or harassment of Shia Arabs by the authorities in Baghdad. United States, United Kingdom and French aircraft deployed to patrol the southern no-fly zone continue to monitor the situation closely. Iraq's motives are unlikely to be clear until the United Nations monitors are allowed access to the area, as required by the United Nations resolutions. But judging from Saddam's past record of brutality towards his own people, the wide-scale burning of settlements is likely to be part of an aggressive campaign against those who live in the marshes.Column 545
Mr. Van den Broek
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge Mr. Van den Broek to refrain from commenting on issues which are the province of member states.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : No. Mr. Van den Broek is entitled to express his personal opinions.
Paul Goodall
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that Abdul Hadi Al Gahtani who is in jail in Zemica, Bosnia is brought to trial over his alleged participation in the murder of Paul Goodall.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We remain in close touch with the Bosnian authorities about their continuing investigations into the murder of Paul Goodall. They are fully aware of our concerns that the murderer is identified and brought to justice.
Nauru
Mrs. Gillan : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to reply to the Australian request of August 1993 for a contribution to the Australian settlement of the Nauru rehabilitation claim.
Mr. Goodlad : The United Kingdom Government has made an ex gratia payment to Australia of A$12 million in respect of the
Australia/Nauru settlement agreement of 10 August 1993. In return Australia has agreed not to pursue any further claims against the United Kingdom on this matter. The British Government have accepted no liability with respect to any claims made by Nauru or Australia.
SCOTLAND
Sporting Estates
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made, on a per acre basis, of the yield to the Scottish economy from sporting estates.
Sir Hector Monro : My right hon. Friend does not collect this information.
Salmon
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons were employed in the salmon netting industry ; and how many salmon netting stations were operative, in (i) 1979 and (ii) at the most recent available date.
Sir Hector Monro : Statistics are produced on salmon and sea trout netting effort but not on employment in the Scottish salmon netting industry nor on the number of salmon netting stations. The available statistics are included in the "Statistical Bulletin on Scottish Salmon and Sea Trout Catches".
Deer Forests and Grouse Moors
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his latest estimate of the acreage of Scotland under (a) deer forest and (b) grouse moors.
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Sir Hector Monro : My right hon. Friend does not collect this information.
Isle of Man
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met Ministers of the Isle of Man to discuss transport links, promotion of the common Celtic heritage and other matters of mutual interest.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. Friend has had no meetings with Ministers of the Isle of Man.
Sheep Scab
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what plans he has to make it a requirement to notify the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department of an outbreak of sheep scab ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what information he has about the incidence of sheep scab in Scotland.
Sir Hector Monro : I have seen a number of reports recently about sheep scab outbreaks in Scottish flocks. However, this is a disease which can be controlled readily by individual farmers who are well aware of the preventive measures and procedures needed to deal with it. Most of the detailed measures on the control of sheep scab were removed in July 1992 and the Government have already announced that they will complete this process. We have no other plans to require the notification of sheep scab.
Prisoners
Mr. Gunnell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the total number of prisoners in custody in Scotland on the first day of each month from May 1992 until the latest month for which figures are available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 24 March 1994] : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Scottish Prison Service under its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. John Gunnell, dated 24 March 1994 :
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about the total number of prisoners in custody in Scotland on the first day of each month from May 1992 until the latest month for which figures are available.
The table below gives that information to date.
|1992 |1993 |1994
----------------------------------
January |- |5,157|5,080
February |- |5,490|5,372
March |- |5,886|5,561
April |- |5,893|-
May |5,276|5,739|-
June |5,361|5,879|-
July |5,406|5,853|-
August |5,184|5,835|-
September |5,348|5,916|-
October |5,376|5,214|-
November |5,337|5,253|-
December |5,387|5,340|-
Mr. Gunnell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the total numbers of prisoners in custody in
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Scotland on (a) 1 June 1979, (b) 1 June 1983, (c) 1 June 1987 and (d) 1 April 1992 and on the latest date for which figures are available.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 24 March 1994] : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Scottish Prison Service under its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. John Gunnell, dated 24 March 1994 :
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about the total number of prisoners in custody in Scotland on 1 June 1979, I June 1983, 1 June 1987, 1 April 1992 and on the latest date for which figures are available.
Information relating to the numbers in custody on the first of each month is not available for 1979, 1983 or 1987. In 1979 the average daily population (based on the full calendar year) was 4,585. In 1983 and 1987 the average daily population for the month of June in each year was 5,116 and 5,407 respectively. On 1 April 1992 the population was 5,348 and on 18 March 1994, the latest date for which figures are available, the population was 5,498.
Dougarie Estate
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the reasons for the decision not to prosecute in the case arising from the shooting of a short-eared owl on Dougarie estate, Isle of Arran.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : It is not the policy of the Crown to give details of the reasons for decisions taken in individual cases. My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate is, however, aware of the circumstances of this case and is satisfied that the procurator fiscal's decision not to proceed to trial was a proper one in the circumstances as then known to him.
Mr. Gunnell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the total numbers of prison spaces in Scotland on (a) 1 June 1979, (b) 1 June 1983, (c) 1 June 1987 and (d) 1 April 1992 and on the latest date for which figures are available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 24 March 1994] : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Scottish Prison Service under its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. John Gunnell, dated 24 March 1994 :
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about prison places in Scotland.
During any year a number of cells are unavailable for use for a variety of reasons, including redecoration or damage repair work, refurbishment (including in some cases, to provide night sanitation) or for other policy reasons (eg being retained in the event of an emergency). Information on cells in use is not available for the earlier of the years you requested. However the design capacity of the estate was as follows :
|1979 |1983 |1987
-----------------------------------------------------------
Design capacity (as at end of each
calendar year)
|5,279|5,318|5,691
At the beginning of April 1992, the design capacity was 5,692 with 5,103 spaces available for use. The latest position (as at Friday 18 March 1994) is that the design capacity is 5,736, with a total of 5, 167 spaces available for use.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Prison Improvement Programmes
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison improvement programmes have been cancelled over the past 12 months ; if he will list the prisons in England and Wales where this has happened ; and what are the reasons for such cancellations.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Ian Dunbar to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 28 March 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about whether any building improvement programmes have been cancelled within the past twelve months.
Two schemes have been cancelled during the last twelve months at Brixton and Stocken on value for money grounds. An alternative solution is currently being considered for Brixton.
Car Boot Sales
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received from (a) hon. Members, (b) members of the general public and (c) chambers of trade and other trade organisations requesting tighter controls and regulation of car boot sales.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Since April 1992, representations have been received from 11 hon. Members and from 11 members of the public. No representations have been received from chambers of trade and other trade organisations.
Prisoners (Police Cells)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are currently being held in police stations in south Yorkshire.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 28 March 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of prisoners currently held in police stations in South Yorkshire.
On the night of 22 March 1994, the latest date for which full information is available, there were 55 prisoners in police stations in the South Yorkshire area.
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