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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Public Appointments
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the public appointments unit cost to run in 1993.
Mr. David Davis : The cost of running the public appointments unit in 1993-94 was £237,820.
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff are currently employed in the public appointments unit.
Mr. David Davis : Apart from the director and deputy director, who combine these roles with other duties in the OPSS, there are nine staff, two of whom work part-time.
Citizens Charter
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether all Government Departments are subject to the citizens charter.
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Mr. Waldegrave : Yes. The citizens charter applies to all public services and the regulated privatised utilities.
Civil Service College
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what key performance targets he has set for the Civil Service College executive agency for the current year.
Mr. David Davis : The key performance targets for the Civil Service College executive agency for 1994-95 are :
to breakeven in accrual accounting terms taking into account the Central Payment from the Cabinet Office (OPSS) ;
to earn £600,000 from consultancy work ;
to attract 7,800 students at Grade 7 or above ;
to attract 990 students from the private sector ;
to earn 80 per cent. of course evaluations in the two highest (of six) categories.
There is also a longer-term objective of obtaining a 10 per cent. increase in efficiency over the period 1991-92 to 1995-96.
Central Office of Information
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what targets have been set for the Central Office of Information in 1994-95.
Mr. David Davis : The Central Office of Information has five targets for the 1994-95 financial year. They are :
(i) to break even in current cost terms after recovering all costs, including interest on borrowings ;
(ii) to achieve a 2 per cent. reduction in unit cost of output in real terms, while maintaining suitable levels of quality ; (
(iii) to equal or better the proportion of work delivered in accordance with client specification during 1993-94 ;
(iv) to equal or better the proportion of work delivered on time during 1993-94 ; and
(v) to achieve an average score of 7.7 out of 10 for the new COI customer satisfaction index.
WALES
Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the legal fees incurred by the Cardiff Bay development corporation form part of its management running costs.
Mr. Redwood : Legal fees incurred are charged to the administrative running cost and programme budgets as appropriate.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by wave the start-up costs for each NHS trust hospital.
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Mr. Gwilym Jones : Prior to their operational dates, the contribution made available for the shadow running period of established NHS trusts was as follows :
1992 £104,000.
1993 £215,000 (South and East Wales Ambulance £300,000). 1994 £275,000.
Welsh Consumer Council
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales who is responsible for control of the spending in Wales of the Welsh Consumer Council.
Mr. Redwood : The President of the Board of Trade is responsible for the funding of the Welsh Consumer Council, through the Department of Trade and Industry's grant to the National Consumer Council. The control of the WCC's expenditure rests with the NCC and the council itself.
Environment Agency
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in regard to the future institutional arrangements for the Environment Agency in Wales.
Mr. Redwood : Discussions on the future institutional arrangements for the Environment Agency are taking place between the Ministers involved, and at official level, on a continuing basis.
Schools (Road Safety)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for each education authority in Wales and for Wales as a whole, the number of primary and of secondary schools operating road safety programmes in each of the last three years ; and what was the percentage of such schools as a proportion of the total number of primary and of secondary schools in each case.
Sir Wyn Roberts : This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to collect details of road safety education programmes in primary and secondary schools.
Sir Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend and I have no such plans at present.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many school children were (a) killed and (b) injured in road accidents in each of the last three years for which information is available in each district and county council area and in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is shown in the following table :
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Numbers of school children killed and injured in Wales 1991-1993<1>.
1991 1992 1993
|Killed |Injured|Killed |Injured|Killed |Injured
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |0 |42 |2 |59 |0 |50
Colwyn |0 |38 |0 |40 |0 |47
Delyn |1 |78 |0 |65 |0 |52
Glyndwr |0 |31 |2 |34 |0 |36
Rhuddlan |0 |52 |0 |68 |0 |46
Wrexham |2 |85 |0 |51 |4 |61
Clwyd |3 |326 |4 |317 |4 |292
Carmarthen |1 |37 |0 |47 |0 |39
Ceredigion |0 |43 |0 |42 |1 |42
Dinefwr |0 |22 |0 |25 |0 |24
Llanelli |1 |43 |1 |49 |0 |38
Preseli Pembrokeshire |0 |45 |0 |53 |0 |29
South Pembrokeshire |0 |42 |0 |35 |0 |96
Dyfed |2 |232 |1 |251 |1 |268
Blaenau Gwent |0 |51 |0 |42 |0 |31
Islwyn |0 |24 |0 |29 |0 |19
Monmouth |1 |48 |1 |33 |0 |37
Newport |2 |84 |0 |79 |0 |60
Torfaen |1 |62 |0 |47 |2 |29
Gwent |4 |269 |1 |230 |2 |176
Aberconwy |0 |35 |0 |39 |0 |37
Arfon |1 |43 |0 |32 |2 |121
Dwyfor |0 |21 |0 |12 |1 |17
Meirionydd |0 |29 |0 |43 |0 |32
Ynys Mon |1 |32 |0 |48 |0 |48
Gwynedd |2 |160 |0 |174 |3 |255
Cynon Valley |0 |25 |0 |35 |0 |37
Merthyr Tydfil |0 |34 |0 |46 |0 |35
Ogwr |0 |81 |1 |97 |1 |92
Rhondda |0 |61 |1 |70 |0 |64
Rhymney Valley |4 |65 |1 |54 |1 |74
Taff Ely |0 |69 |1 |68 |0 |68
Mid Glamorgan |4 |335 |4 |370 |2 |370
Brecknock |0 |31 |0 |33 |0 |22
Montgomeryshire |0 |42 |0 |25 |0 |31
Radnorshire |1 |10 |2 |17 |0 |7
Powys |1 |83 |2 |75 |0 |60
Cardiff |1 |227 |2 |192 |1 |187
Vale of Glamorgan |0 |70 |1 |56 |2 |69
South Glamorgan |1 |297 |3 |248 |3 |256
Lliw Valley |0 |40 |0 |51 |0 |42
Neath |0 |51 |1 |41 |0 |51
Port Talbot |0 |44 |0 |46 |0 |35
Swansea |0 |150 |1 |180 |0 |138
West Glamorgan |0 |285 |2 |318 |0 |266
Wales |17 |1,987 |17 |1,983 |15 |1,943
<1>The number of school children is defined as the number of school pupils
under the age of 17.
Welsh Development Agency
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, (1) pursuant to his oral statement of 7 July, Official Report, column 470, on what date he made the request to the Welsh Development Agency to set up an independent investigation into the Cynon valley land deal ; (2) what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency concerning the appointment of new accountants to succeed KPMG Peat Marwick in examining the agency land deal as described in his oral statement of 7 July, Official Report, column 465 ; whether
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his Department's secondee from the National Audit Office Wales regional office will continue with the inquiry team ; and if he will make a statement ;(3) what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency concerning (a) the completion of the KPMG Peat Marwick section of the investigation into the Cynon valley land deal, (b) the commencement of subsequent phases of the investigation and (c) the procedures to be used to select the company to be used to complete the investigation ;
(4) on what date the secondment of the secondee from the National Audit Office Wales regional office to his Department commenced ; for how long is the period of her secondment ; and if he will specify what the duties of the secondee are in relation to (a) the investigation into the
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Welsh Development Agency land assembly deal for the Tesco supermarket in the Cynon valley and (b) other matters contained in the job description pertaining to her secondment.Mr. Redwood : In March this year, I asked for this and other matters concerning the agency's involvement at Aberdare to be investigated. The arrangements for handling the investigation, are a matter for the agency.
There is currently no secondment from the National Audit Office to my Department. An internal auditor from my Department was seconded to KPMG Peat Marwick to assist with the investigation and she is now assisting Grant Thornton who have been appointed to continue and complete the work.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for strengthening the guidelines issued to the Welsh Development Agency debarring the agency from any act of discrimination in favour of one private company over another ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : The management statement issued to the agency requires the agency to act in a way which promotes high standards of probity, including the promotion of regularity, propriety and value for money. I see no need for further guidance.
Public Land Sales
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the current guidelines covering the sale of public land by tender.
Mr. Redwood : The most recent guidance to Government Departments and non-departmental public bodies on the disposal of land and buildings is set out in Chapter 32 of "Government Accounting" and HM Treasury's "Dear Accounting Officer" circulars 4/88 and 13/92. Guidance on the disposal of NHS land in Wales is contained in the NHS handbook of land transactions. Guidance to local authorities is provided in Welsh Office circular 19/93.
Development Boards
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his oral statement of 7 July, Official Report , column 463-65 , (1) what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency concerning the appointment of Chestertons as estate agents to advise on the agency's Cynon valley land deal (a) by open tender and (b) without tender ;
(2) what arrangements he is making for securing additional consultancy assistance to guide the process of transfer of Development Board for Rural Wales functions to local authorities.
Mr. Redwood : I myself have had none.
Welsh Health Common Services Authority
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress he has made in relation to the chairmanship of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority.
Mr. Redwood : The matter is still under consideration.
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Municipal Bus Companies
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines were applicable in respect of the consents required from his Department for the disposal of municipal bus companies, their garages, fleets and miscellaneous and financial assets to private companies as applicable in 1991, 1992 and 1993 ; and if he will list the occasions on which such consents were sought during each of those years and the date of each of the (a) applications and (b) approvals or otherwise.
Mr. Redwood : Comprehensive guidance was issued to appropriate local authorities in December 1988.
Only one request for consent to dispose of a municipal bus company has been received since 1991. That related to Cynon Valley Transport. The request was made on 15 October 1991. Consent was denied and the Council informed on 18 November 1991.
Public Bodies
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the occasions on which a direction has been given by his Department to any non-departmental public body in Wales varying its powers or giving consent to a request for such a variation for each of the last five years ; and what provision was made to attach a note describing such a direction to the annual accounts of (a) his Department and (b) the relevant non- departmental public body.
Mr. Redwood : No such direction has been issued in the last five years.
Health Promotion Authority for Wales
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultation he has had with the chairman of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales in relation to the publication of the district auditor's report of April 1994 on allegations of expenses irregularities by the previous chief executive of the authority.
Mr. Redwood : None. The publication of the report is a matter for the authority.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Indonesia
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the recent violent suppression of a peaceful demonstration in Jakarta and the suppression of three publications was raised at the meeting of the consultative group on Indonesia in Paris on 7 and 8 July ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Indonesian Government are well aware of the importance we attach to respect for human rights, including freedom of expression. We underlined our concern about the recent curtailment of press freedom to the Indonesian delegation in the margins of the July meeting of the consultative group for Indonesia. The revocation of publishing permits for these three publications is a retrograde step and disappointingly inconsistent with the greater spirit of openness which has prevailed in Indonesia in recent months.
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Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the remit of the United Nations Human Rights Commission's team in Indonesia.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The United Nations Human Rights Commission does not have a "team" in Indonesia. However, the special rapporteur on extra- judicial, summary or arbitrary executions has just visited Indonesia and East Timor at the invitation of the Indonesian Government, in compliance with the undertaking given to the Human Rights Commission in March 1994. The special rapporteur will report to the 51st session of the United Nations Commission.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Government of Indonesia regarding the recent issue of a warrant for the arrest of Adnan Nasution ; what information he has on Mr. Nasution's whereabouts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply my right hon. Friend the Minister of State gave to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 6 July at column 208.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to the Government of Indonesia regarding the banning of three publications on 21 June and the violent suppression of a peaceful demonstration in Jakarta on 23 June ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Indonesian Government are well aware of the importance we attach to respect for human rights, including freedom of expression. We underlined our concern about the recent curtailment of press freedom to the Indonesian delegation in the margins of the July meeting of the consultative group for Indonesia. The revocation of publishing permits for these three publications is a retrograde step and disappointingly inconsistent with the greater spirit of openness which has prevailed in Indonesia in recent months.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what input his Department had into the first interdepartmental export promotion committee on 5 July ; and if he will make a statement on the ways in which non-proliferation controls will be integrated into the export expansion strategy.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The ministerial conference on exports and trade development on Tuesday 5 July was the first meeting at ministerial level of the Whitehall Export Promotion Committee. The committee was set up in 1992 and is run by the FCO/DTI joint export promotion directorate. At present, both the chairman and secretary of the committee are members of the FCO.
The ministerial conference was chaired by the President of the Board of Trade. The Minister for Trade, spoke about DTI export promotion activity. My right hon. Friend the Minister responsible for commercial work within the FCO, gave a detailed presentation on the FCO's role in the jointly run FCO/DTI Overseas Trade Services and, in particular, on the range of commercial activity at FCO posts overseas.
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Non-proliferation issues were not discussed at the conference. But my right hon. Friend the Member for Wiltshire, North (Mr. Needham) is the DTI Minister responsible both for export controls and export promotion. The DTI has a continuing awareness programme to keep exporters informed of the United Kingdom's non-proliferation obligations. Goods of proliferation concern, which are included in the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994, may be exported from the United Kingdom only under the authority of a licence guaranteed by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to her replies to the hon. Member for Barrow, and Furness (Mr. Hutton) of 5 July, Official Report, column 138, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Australian resume paper and the draft treaty texts for a comprehensive nuclear test ban to which he refers.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : I have arranged for copies of the Australian paper to be placed in the Library of the House. It is not the intention of the two working groups to make their draft treaty texts available outside the comprehensive test ban talks. These texts will form the basis of negotiation in the next session.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his departmental paper NPRO 29 (93-94), dated 10 February 1994, on United Kingdom policy on weapon proliferation and control.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no record of a paper of this reference and date on this subject. I set out our policy on non-proliferation to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 6 July.
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria exist for eligibility of countries to join the nuclear suppliers group ; and what information he has on refusals to applicant countries to the nuclear suppliers group.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : An invitation to join the nuclear suppliers group is subject to consensus decision on a case-by-case basis by subscribing Governments. Criteria for membership of the NSG include commitment to non- proliferation including being party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty or equivalent regional arrangements ; adherence to the NSG guidelines ; potential to supply items controlled by the NSG ; and establishment of effective controls on the export of such items. The NSG has publicly appealed to all states to adhere to the NSG guidelines and apply controls to their exports of nuclear materials and equipment.
Caspian Sea
Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed the Caspian sea with the Russian Government ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I have not personally discussed the Caspian sea with the Government of the Russian Federation. I have nothing to add to my answer of 8 July to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington), at column 425 .
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Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of recent correspondence between Her Majesty's Government and the Russian Government on the subject of the status of the Caspian sea.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Copies of recent correspondence will be placed in the Library as soon as they are available.
Red Mercury
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to obtain from his Russian counterpart a copy of the memorandum signed by President Yeltsin authorising the Russian concern Promekologiya to produce and export red mercury ; and what discussions he or his Department officials have had with the Russian Foreign Ministry over the control on the proliferation of red mercury.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are approaching the Russian authorities to ascertain the authenticity of the memorandum. However, we have no evidence to suggest that a substance known as red mercury has any potential uses in nuclear weapons.
Korea
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of when the per capita income of Korea will be greater than the United Kingdom.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : According to IMF statistics, the per capita income in 1992 in south Korea was $6,747 and in the United Kingdom $18,370. In recent years, South Korea's economy has grown faster than our own. But forecasting comparative growth rates any distance into the future is an unprofitable business.
BBC Television Series
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what benefits accrued to his Department from the recent series of BBC television programmes on the work done by departmental civil servants and diplomats ; and what review of the impact of the television exposure of his Department's work has been conducted.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : No review has been conducted, but comments from a wide range of sources suggest that the series has done much to extend and improve public knowledge of the work of the FCO.
Macedonia
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the final decision of the European Court of Justice on the European Commission's action in respect of the Greek unilateral embargo on Macedonia.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Such cases can take up to two years to complete. We would expect a decision by the court towards the end of next year.
Somalia
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have occurred in the relationships between the United Nations
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Operation in Somalia and the administration in north-west Somalia ; and what effect these changes have had on the levels of resources and services in the area.Mr. Douglas Hogg : None that we are aware of.
Yugoslavia
Mr. Gunnell : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payment his Department has received from the United Nations for the deployment of British troops in the former Yugoslavia.
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