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Mr. Raja
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons Her Majesty's consulate in Du"sseldorf refused to see Mr. Raja, case number MP A363834/6, PO 24915/93, husband of Mrs. Carol Raja, of 145 High street, Linlithgow, when he applied for an interview.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 17 March 1994] : The consulate-general in Du"sseldorf has never refused to see Mr. Raja. He and his wife were interviewed in June and August 1993 respectively, after which his application was referred to the Home Office. The Home Office refused it in December 1993, but the relevant papers never reached the
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post, for reasons that we have been unable to establish. A further copy was sent to Du"sseldorf by fax on 15 March. Theconsulate-general wrote to Mr. Raja so to inform him, and enclosing an appeal form, the following day.
European Parliament, Strasbourg
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the cost of building the new European Parliament in Strasbourg ; and whether the United Kingdom supported the expenditure.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 28 March 1994] : A decision was taken at the Edinburgh European Council in December 1992 on the seat of the European Parliament and of other Community institutions. It is for the European Parliament itself to decide policy on buildings in the light of that decision.
UNITA
Dr. Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he intends to take to enforce the measures imposed under paragraph 19 of resolution 864 (1993) against UNITA.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : United Nations Security Council resolution 864, imposing sanctions against UNITA, was implemented in the United Kingdom under the United Nations Act 1946 by the Angola (United Nations Sanctions) Order 1993, SI 2355, which came into force on 1 October 1993. A copy is available in the Library of the House of Commons.
Dr. Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to expel UNITA's official representative in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The long tradition of free political expression in the United Kingdom means that anyone can set up a representative office here. So long as staff of the office comply with our laws--and I am not aware of any evidence that they have failed to do so--there is no basis in United Kingdom law for closing the office. This position is well understood by the Angolan Government.
Dr. Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will consult with his counterparts on the United Nations Security Council to enforce the sanctions against UNITA in Angola, Zaire, South Africa and in the various locations where UNITA enjoys the benefits of its material and financial assets.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Operative paragraph 22 of the United Nations Security Council resolution 864, imposing sanctions against UNITA, established a Committee of the Security Council consisting of all the members of the council to oversee and advise on the implementation of those sanctions. The United Kingdom is a member of this committee and has participated fully in its work.
Turkey
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been killed by Turkish security services during the past year ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Douglas Hogg : There are no reliable statistics. Our embassy in Ankara estimates, on the basis of press reports and other information, that some 1,370 alleged terrorists, 720 civilians, and 650 members of the security forces have been killed during the past year.
Iran
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to Iran regarding the number of dissidents abroad ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas-Hogg : We and our European partners frequently discuss this issue with the Iranian authorities.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Letterheaded Paper
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) of 23 March, Official Report, column 292, what payment his Department has received from the Conservative and Unionist party for the mistaken use of letterheaded paper.
Mr. Hurd : The cost of the three sheets of headed notepaper used was less than a penny. No further costs were incurred since all photocopying and distribution was done by Conservative central office. It would be disproportionate to seek any reimbursement to the FCO from Central Office.
Norway (Whaling)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what concessions were made to Norway in respect of whaling activities within the context of that country's terms of accession to the European Union ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad : As part of its terms of accession to the European Union, Norway agreed that its policy on whales will fully respect the European Community's existing legislation.
Commonwealth Institute
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further discussions are taking place between Government Departments on funding for the Commonwealth Institute after 1996.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : By long-standing convention, discussions of this nature between Departments are confidential.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what view the Government have formed about the quality of the work of (a) the Scottish Commonwealth Institute and (b) the regional centre of the Commonwealth Institute in Bradford.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The educational work of the Commonwealth Institute, Scotland and the institute's office in Bradford has been positive and useful.
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Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the management committee of the Scottish Commonwealth Institute is determined ; and what is its current membership.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Institute, Scotland, is determined by the board of the Commonwealth Institute, Scotland. Its membership is :
Sir Mark Russell KCMG-- Chairman
T. J. Barron, MA PhD
J. C. Horobin, BSc PhD
G. Paton, MA MEd FEIS FITD
Miss A. J. B. Sloan, MA
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the membership of the board of the Scottish Commonwealth Institute ; and what representation it has made to the Government about the future of the Commonwealth Institute in Scotland.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Membership of the board of the Commonwealth Institute, Scotland is as follows :
Chairman --Sir Mark Russell, KCMG
Members nominated by educational and local government bodies : E. T. Laing, BSc MSc
Association of Directors of Education
R. Paul, MA
Headteachers' Association of Scotland
J. W. Anderson, MA MEd
Headteachers' Association of Scotland
Miss M-R Caden, MA FEIS
Educational Institute of Scotland
G. M. Wilson, MA PhD
Joint Committee for Colleges of Education
Vacancy
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Councillor W. Speirs
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
N. E. Paine, BE(hons) MA FITD
Scottish Council for Educational Technology
Members co-opted by the Committee :
T. J. Barron, MA PhD
K. W. Borthwick, CBE DL JP
J. R. Carson, MA
J. C. Horobin, BSc PhD
M. E. Jogee, JP
G. Paton, MA MEd FEIS FITD
Sarah J. Sieley, BA MEd PhD
Miss A. J. B. Sloan, MA
Assessors
D. Broad
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
D. Campbell
Scottish Office Education Department
I. K. Gamble, HMI
Scottish Office Education Department
Representations have been made to the Government through the committee of the Commonwealth Institute, Scotland, and through the executive committee of the board of governors.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps Lord Armstrong took in reviewing the work of the Commonwealth Institute for his Department to visit (a) the Scottish Commonwealth Institute and (b) the Commonwealth Institute in Bradford and assess the work of staff.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : As an independent reviewer of the Commonwealth Institute, Lord Armstrong chose his own
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modus operandi. His views on the operation of the Commonwealth Institute, Scotland and of the Bradford office were formed from papers and interviews in London.South Africa
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what approach he has made to Chief Buthelezi to urge Inkatha to take part in the South African elections.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last met Chief Buthelezi on 6 September 1993. My right hon. Friend made it clear that we attach the utmost importance to the constructive participation of all major political figures in the peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa. My noble Friend Baroness Chalker of Wallasey spoke with Chief Buthelezi again in similar terms on 9 December 1993. Through our embassy in Pretoria we continue to keep in close touch with all South Africa's major leaders.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
D-day
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much Lowe Bell Communications is being paid for its work for the D-day anniversary.
Mr. Sproat : I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Redcar (Ms Mowlam) on 2 February at column 716.
Building Projects
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what major building projects valued at over £1 million are being or have been wholly or partly financed since 1992 in (a) Doncaster, (b) Barnsley, (c) Rotherham and (d) Wakefield by his Department ; and what was the cost of each project to his Department.
Mr. Sproat : My Department has not financed any major building projects in Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham or Wakefield.
Slave Trade (Museum)
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will consider the establishment of a national museum in Liverpool dedicated to the history of the slave trade.
Mr. Sproat : My Department does provide grant in aid to National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, which is opening a new permanent gallery in October called "Transatlantic Slavery : Against Human Dignity" with the help of funding from the Peter Moores Foundation. This gallery will address the history of the transatlantic slave trade.
Sport (Museum)
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what further consideration he has given to the creation of a national museum for sport to be situated on Merseyside.
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Mr. Sproat : I understand that Liverpool city council is carrying out a feasibility study on a possible museum of sport based on Merseyside. The backers of such a project would be responsible for taking it forward and for ensuring the necessary funds.
Disabled Employees
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many registered disabled people are employed in his Department ; and what percentage this is of the total.
Mr. Sproat : The information requested is contained in the annual disability report in the magazine "Independent" which was published on 18 March 1994. The publication of this magazine was announced in a written reply on 18 March at column 874 and copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
Museums and Galleries (Attendance)
Mr. Faulds : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will publish the attendance figures covering the financial year ended 31 March reported by the national museums and galleries in England for which he is responsible, broken down into individual institutions but including their outstations, with figures in each case of the percentage increase or decrease on the attendance figures for the financial year 1992-93.
Mr. Sproat : I refer to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member on 14 February at column 578.
Inheritance Tax
Mr. Faulds : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the objects and property accepted in satisfaction of inheritance tax during the financial year ended 31 March ; and if, in listing these, he will specify (a) the amount of tax satisfied in each case, (b) whether any offers of objects carried conditions as to destination, (c) the dates in each case of the recommendations received by him from the Museums and Galleries Commission for the acceptance of objects, (d) the total for the financial year of the tax this satisfied and (e) how much of this total was covered in the public accounts by means of resort to the reserve in accordance with Government policy as announced on 26 July 1985, Official Report, column 779.
Mr. Sproat: The Department will, before the end of this financial year, be announcing the acceptance of a further four items in lieu of tax. In the interest of completeness I will reply to the hon. Member on the day of that announcement.
Civil Servants
Ms Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage 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. Sproat [holding answer 28 March 1994] : The total number of full-time and part-time male and female staff in each grade within the Department of National Heritage, excluding its two executive agencies, the Historic Royal Palaces and the Royal Parks, are listed in the table :
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DNH staff as at 28 February 1994
Males Females
Grades |Full time|Part time|Totals |Full time|Part time|Totals
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1A |1 |- |1 |- |- |-
G3 |3 |- |3 |1 |- |1
G4 |1 |- |1 |- |- |-
G5 |12 |- |12 |4 |- |4
G6 |1 |- |1 |4 |- |4
G7 |33 |- |33 |7 |4 |11
SEO |8 |- |8 |7 |- |7
HEOD |2 |- |2 |2 |- |2
HSOD |1 |- |1 |- |- |-
AT |- |- |- |3 |- |3
HEO |29 |- |29 |16 |1 |17
EO |36 |- |36 |21 |- |21
AO |30 |- |30 |25 |- |25
AA |12 |2 |14 |15 |- |15
SPS |- |- |- |4 |- |4
PS |- |- |- |18 |- |18
Typist |- |- |- |6 |- |6
SGB1 |- |- |- |1 |- |1
SGB2 |3 |- |3 |7 |- |7
SIO |4 |- |4 |- |- |-
IO |3 |- |3 |1 |- |1
CUR E |- |- |- |2 |- |2
CUR G |3 |- |3 |- |- |-
Librarian |- |- |- |1 |- |1
Assistant Librarian |- |- |- |1 |- |1
Assistant Statistician |1 |- |1 |- |- |-
|_______ |_______ |_______ |_______ |_______ |_______
Totals |183 |2 |185 |146 |5 |151
Self-financing Regulatory Authorities
Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many self-financing regulatory authorities his Department has set up ; what was the annual
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running cost of each of the self-financing regulatory authorities in each of the last three years ; what is the current staffing establishment ; and what it was last year and two years ago.Mr. Sproat [holding answer 28 March 1994] : The information required is as follows :
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k
Name |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |Staff |Staff
|running |running |running |employed in|employed in
|cost |cost |cost |1991 |1993
|£ million |£ million |£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Broadcasting complaints commission |0.465 |0.457 |0.537 |8 |8
Independent television commission |21.43 |20.42 |<1>- |254 |239
The radio authority |2.28 |2.75 |<1>- |25 |27
Office of the national lottery |n/a |n/a |0.28 |n/a |12
<1>Not yet available.
WALES
Head Teachers, Clwyd
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advice he has given to Clwyd county council in respect of head teacher pay awards and consequential efficiency savings.
Sir Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education has consulted interested parties on his proposals for implementing the recommendations of the third report of the School Teachers' Review Body and on the first of two pay and conditions orders which would give effect to its recommendations. The review body's recommendations took account of evidence from the Government, the teacher unions, the employers, and Government provision for local authority spending in 1994-95. The review body also took the view that
"there is significant scope for efficiency savings".
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Decisions on the scope for such savings and the implementation of the pay award are matters for the employers.
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