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Performance Targets
Mr. Trend : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what key performance targets he has set for Her Majesty's Stationery Office for the current year.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : The key performance targets for Her Majesty's Stationery Office for 1994 are :
(i) to achieve a current cost operating profit of £11.9 million before exceptional items ;
(ii) for print, to achieve 96 per cent. of all orders delivered to time, and 95 per cent. of all orders from the print storage and distribution warehouse to be delivered on time ;
(iii) for the publications centre to achieve dispatch times for customers' mail, EDI and telephone orders of 85 per cent. within four working days of receipt and 96 per cent. within five working days ; (
(iv) for business supplies to dispatch 99 per cent. of validated orders for stock catalogue items within two working days of receipt and for 96 per cent. of items to be dispatched first time from stock.
Civil Servants
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which permanent secretaries of Departments are not career civil servants : whether he will publish in the Official Report full details of their career outside and inside Whitehall ; and which of them have been engaged in political activities denied to First Division civil servants in their earlier capacities.
Mr. David Hunt : The following were recruited to the Civil Service at permanent secretary or second permanent secretary level. A. P. Budd--HM Treasury
Sir T. Burns--HM Treasury
Professor K. C. Calman--Department of Health
Professor D. E. N. Davies--Ministry of Defence
R. A. Langlands--Department of Health
Dr. M. K. McIntosh--Ministry of Defence
W. P. McLennan--Central Statistical Office
Mrs. B. J. L. Mills--Director of Public Prosecutions
Their careers and experience vary widely and are described in "Who's Who!" Before appointment inquiries are made to ensure that there are no obstacles to the recruitment of candidates to a non-political civil service. After appointment, they are expected to comply with the restrictions on political activities set out in the civil service management code and departmental staff handbooks.
Efficiency Unit Scrutiny
Mr. Brazier : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what topics have been covered in the Efficiency Unit's central scrutiny programme in the last financial year ; and which scrutiny reports can be made available to the general public.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes : Fifteen efficiency scrutinies or similar reviews have been undertaken by Departments in 1993-94 in association with the Prime Minister's adviser on effieicncy and the efficiency unit. The programme, including those which are not yet completed, is as follows :
Department/Title of |Report:
scrutiny
|publicly
|available
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Completed
Central Statistical Office
Structure and conduct of statistical inquiries to
business |Yes
Department of Employment
Management and administration of employment
services adjudication |No
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Research and analysis department and library and
records department |No
Security of information |No
Home Office
Inter-agency co-operation on illegal immigration |No
Inland revenue
Managing contracts |Yes
Department of Naational Savings
Scope for expanding facilities for investments in
national savings |No
(Executive summary and summary of recommendations available on
request)
Northern Ireland Office
|Under
Management and disposal of Government-owned land |consideration
Scottish Office
Management and control of non-departmental public |Under
bodies |consideration
Welsh Office
The sponsorship of non-departmental public bodies |No
(action plan recommendations available on request)
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Internal charging |Yes
Not completed
Department of the Environment
Liason officer functions
Multi-departmental Scrutinies
Management of the Government's civil estate |Yes
Public sector research establishments |Yes
|To be
|published
The Government's use of external consultants |shortly
Decisions on the publication of scrutiny reports are taken by the Ministers responsible for the scrutinies concerned. In a number of cases, where a scrutiny has been recently completed or is not yet complete, no decision on publication has been made.
Sexual Harassment
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his Department's policy on sexual harassment.
Mr. David Hunt : It is civil service-wide policy that Departments and agencies should provide, for all their staff, a working environment which is free from harassment and unfair discrimination. Departments and agencies should have in place procedures for handling complaints of harassment and unfair discrimination and make them known to all staff.
Advice to Departments and agencies has recently been reviewed and published by my Department. I have arranged for the hon. Member to receive a copy of "Good Practice for Equal Opportunities Staff Complaints Procedures : Advice for Departments and Agencies", copies of which are also being placed in the Libraries of the House.
Ministerial Conduct (Complaints)
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many complaints have been received from First Division Association civil servants since 1 January regarding the conduct of any Minister.
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Mr. David Hunt : Contrary to the report in The Independent on Sunday of 17 July, no formal complaints have been made by the First Division Association about the conduct of a Minister.
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Rwanda
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which foreign troops are now operating, or are promised for deployment in Rwanda.
Mr. Baldry : As of 30 June the following countries had troops operating in Rwanda : Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, France and Senegal. The following countries had military observers in place : Austria, Bangladesh, Canada, Congo, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Poland, Russian Federation, Senegal, Togo, Uruguay and Zimbabwe. Mali and Togo also had civilian police in Rwanda. We understand that Ethiopia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia have all offered additional troops.
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is known about the whereabouts of Rwanda's former Government ministers ; and what action is to be taken by the United Nations to locate them.
Mr. Baldry : We are not aware of the exact whereabouts of Rwanda's former Government Ministers. UNAMIR's mandate is to assist the humanitarian effort in Rwanda and help promote a political settlement.
Angola
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by the United Nations, European Union and the United Kingdom to the Government of Zaire about the support it gives to UNITA in Angola ; and what has been the response of the Government of Zaire.
Mr. Baldry : The chairman of the United Nations Angola sanctions committee has written to the Government of Zaire asking for a response to allegations that Zaire has breached United Nations sanctions against UNITA. The Government have not replied. We have therefore supported a proposal that the President of the Security Council call in the permanent representative of Zaire to explain his Government's lack of co-operation and to urge an immediate response to the allegations.
Nigeria
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on Nigeria ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Mr. Lennox-Boyd) to my hon. Friend the Member for South Dorset (Mr. Bruce) on 13 July at column 977.
Burundi
Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the conduct of the Parti Pour la Liberation du Peuple Hutu in Burundi in the run-up to the presidential elections on 12 July ; what representations he has received on the matter ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 512
Mr. Baldry : We have received no representations on the conduct of the Parti pour la Libe ration du Peuple Hutu in Burundi. The United Nations Secretary-General's special representative is in Burundi to assist the Government and the Organisation of African Unity in their efforts to restore democratic institutions, rebuild confidence and stabilise the situation. With the consent of all concerned, the presidential election has been postponed and is now to take place before 12 October.
Giles Chichester and Michael Rogers
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 17 June, Official Report, column 674, what contact Mr. Giles Chichester and Mr. Michael Rogers had with the United Nations mission in Geneva on 24 July 1993 ; and what information the United Kingdom mission had of their activities regarding SASEA and the issue of bonds by Warburgs.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Since the answer of my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to an earlier question on 17 June at columnn 674, the consulate-general in Geneva has confirmed that Mr. Michael Rogers telephoned the vice-consul on 26 July 1993 seeking advice on how he might arrange a private visit for Mr. Giles Chichester to the United Nations in Geneva. As is usual, the consulate-general was happy to assist. An exchange of faxes with the United Nations visits section set up the visit for 31 July 1993. Apart from a faxed message of thanks from Mr. Rogers after the visit had taken place, there has been no further contact with the consulate-general or any other United Kingdom office in Geneva on this matter.
Because of its private nature, we have no record of the substance of the visit by Mr. Chichester to the United Nations offices in Geneva in July 1993.
Furthermore, we have no knowledge of the activities of Messrs. Chichester and Rogers regarding SASEA and the issue of bonds by Warburgs.
United Nations Operations
Mr. George : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those United Nations operations to which British forces have been committed since 1964.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : United Kingdom forces have been committed to the following United Nations operations since 1964 :
UN advance mission in Cambodia, 1991-92 ;
UN transitional authority in Cambodia, 1992-93 ;
UN transitional assistance group, Namibia, 1989-90 ;
UN mission for the referendum in western Sahara, 1991-93 ; UN Iraq/Kuwait Observer Mission, 1991 to date ;
UN force in Cyprus, 1964 to date ;
UN protection force, former Yugoslavia, 1992 to date.
Figures refer to the years when United Kingdom forces were involved in the operations listed.
Hong Kong (Detention Centres)
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the Governor of Hong Kong prior to the raid by police and security forces on the Whitehead Vietnamese detention centre in Hong Kong ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 513
Mr. Baldry : The transfer of Vietnamese migrants between detention centres is a matter for the Hong Kong Government. We had no discussions with the Governor of Hong Kong prior to the operation in the Whitehead detention centre on 7 April.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recommendations are to be introduced by the Governor of Hong Kong in consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London as to the procedures that would be followed in any future disturbance at detention centres housing Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong.
Mr. Baldry : The Hong Kong Government accept the recommendations contained in the report of the honourable Andrew Li, CBE, QC, JP and Professor Todd, CBE, JP and intend to implement them fully.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place (a) in London or (b) in Hong Kong as to the role played by Mr. Alistair Asprey, following the report on the handling of the incidents that took place at the Whitehead detention centre for Vietnamese people in Hong Kong ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : The role played by Mr. Alistair Asprey in the operation which took place in the Whitehead detention centre in Hong Kong on 7 April is set out in the report of the independent inquiry into that operation. The part that he played has not been discussed by the British or Hong Kong Government following publication of the report.
East Timor
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of disturbances and possible abuses of human rights in East Timor ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : I refer the hon. Lady to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Mr. Lennox-Boyd) to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton) on 19 July at col. 133.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Indonesia concerning the police attack on the university of East Timor on 28 June and later incidents ; and if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy towards human rights in East Timor.
Mr. Baldry : The facts surrounding the recent events at the University of East Timor remain unclear. We have asked Her Majesty's embassy in Jakarta for a detailed report.
The Indonesian Government are well aware of the importance we attach to respect for human rights. With European Union partners, we expressed concern about reports of renewed clashes between the security forces and civilian demonstrators in a statement on 18 July.
Cyprus
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the decision by the European Court on exports from the Turkish-occupied sector of Cyprus to the European Union ; how this is to be implemented ; and what will be the main goods affected.
Column 514
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : In its judgment on 5 July, the European Court held that, under the Plant Health Directive and the EC/Cyprus association agreement, member states were precluded from accepting phytosanitary and origin certificates other than those issued by the Republic of Cyprus authorities. The United Kingdom has amended its practice to give effect to the ruling.
Most agricultural goods will be affected because they require phytosanitary certificates, and all goods will lose preferential access under the EC/Cyprus association agreement. The principal non-agricultural products affected are textiles.
Korean Peninsula
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation of the Korean peninsula.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : We hope that, following the death of Kim Il- sung, North Korea will soon be ready to resume the contacts which had been planned with South Korea and the United States. These offer an important chance to resolve the North Korean nuclear problem and reduce tension in the peninsula.
Rhino Horn
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with the Governor of Hong Kong on rhino horn stock piles and ivory sales.
Mr. Baldry : We keep in close touch with the Hong Kong Government on the international trade in endangered species. Controls over the trade are rigorously enforced in Hong Kong. The possession and sale of rhino horn is banned in Hong Kong. The domestic sale of ivory in Hong Kong does not infringe controls over trade in endangered species.
Governors' Residences (Staff)
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) butlers, (b) cooks and (c) domestic servants are employed at the Governors' residences in (i) Bermuda and (ii) Hong Kong ; and what is the annual cost of running each residence.
Mr. Baldry : The running costs of the Governors' residences in Bermuda and Hong Kong, and the employment of domestic servants, are the responsibility of the respective Governments. The FCO has no record of either.
Qazi Nawazish Khan
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Kingdom post in Islamabad has received an application for an appeal to be heard in the United Kingdom against the refusal to grant entry clearance to Qazi Nawazish Khan, Ref. IMM C1490 ; when the post expects to despatch an explanatory statement to Mr. Khan's representative in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : In the absence of any information in London about an application for Qazi Nawazish Khan, I have asked the high commission in Islamabad to let me
Column 515
have a report. I shall arrange for the hon. Member to receive a substantive reply from the migration and visa correspondence unit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as soon as possible.Embassies (Running Costs)
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total annual budget for running the British embassy in (a) Washington, (b) Paris, (c) Brussels, (d) Rome, (e) Tokyo, (f) Montreal, (g) New Dehli and (h) Moscow ; if he will give for each embassy the annual amount spent on entertaining and hospitality ; and how many (i) butlers and (ii) cooks and (iii) other domestic servants are employed at each embassy.
Mr. Baldry : The total cost of running these posts, and the cost of entertainment, in 1992-93, the latest year for which final expenditure figures are available, was as follows :
|Total |Entertainment
|running cost
Post |£ million |£ thousands
--------------------------------------------------------
Washington |13.8 |242
Paris |16.7 |359
Brussels |3.6 |50
Rome |7.1 |89
Tokyo |14.5 |293
Montreal |0.6 |21
New Delhi |6.3 |55
Moscow |5.1 |102
The numbers of domestic staff employed are :
Post |Butlers |Cook/ |Other
|cook help
---------------------------------------------------
Washington |1 |3 |16.0
Paris |1 |1 |15.0
Brussels |1 |1 |3.5
Rome |1 |2 |6.5
Tokyo |1 |3 |10.5
Montreal |- |- |1.5
New Delhi |- |3 |20.5
Moscow |- |3 |7.0
Colombia
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contacts and representations he has made to the Government of Colombia concerning the view of Amnesty International on human rights abuses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : We are in regular touch with the Colombian Government on human rights. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised the concern felt in this country when President-elect Samper called him on 19 July.
Turkey
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Turkey concerning the arrest and trial of parliamentary members of the Democratic party ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 516
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed the need for democratization and constitutional change with Prime Minister Ciller in Istanbul on 10 June. Her Majesty's ambassador in Ankara has made clear to the Turkish Government our strong concern about the action against Democratic party members of parliament.
Belize-Guatemala Road Link
Mr. Mans : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on developments with regard to the United Kingdom's 1991 aid pledge for a joint Belize-- Guatemala road link.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : We have decided to authorise the Belize element of Her Majesty's Government's pledge. Subject to satisfactory appraisal, the £7.5 million Belizean share of the pledge will be used to contribute to the financing of the southern highway project, which is the Belize Government's next infrastructure priority.
As relations between Belize and Guatemala develop, we hope to be able to proceed with the Guatermala element of the aid commitment.
European Union (Subsidiarity)
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the application of the principle of subsidiarity in the European Union.
Mr. Hurd : The number of new Commission proposals for principal legislation fell to 25 in the first five months of 1994. This confirms the continuing downward trend which resulted in a fall from 185 new proposals in 1990, to 75 in 1993.
The Commission has withdrawn 12 new proposals in line with their undertakings at the Edinburgh and Brussels European Councils. These include a number of proposals which threatened to be particularly difficult for the United Kingdom, such as the draft Directive on Liability of Service Supplies.
Twelve more proposals are to be amended on subsidiarity grounds. The Commission is also making greater use of white and green consultative papers, in order to take proper account of the effect of proposed legislation on those who would be affected by it. The Commission's work programme includes subsidiarity reviews of environmental, rights of residence, and pharmaceuticals legislation. In the customs area, a review has led to the replacement of 75 instruments with just two regulations.
We look forward to further evidence of progress in the Commission's detailed report to the Essen Council in December, and we are continuing our regular discussions of subsidiarity with our partners and with the Commission.
Westminster Foundation for Democracy
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the annual report of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : Copies of the foundation's annual report for 1993-94 were placed in the Libraries of the House today.
Column 517
In its second year, with funding of £2 million, the foundation supported 236 projects, compared with 140 last year. They ranged from the provision of transistors to Belgrade's independent TV station, Studio B, to funding a field worker to provide voter education in Soweto prior to the South African elections. The cost of individual projects ranged from £300 to £60,000 but most were in the range of £5,000 to £15,000.We welcome the diversity of the foundation's projects and its commitment to continuous improvement in the already high degree of its cost- effectiveness.
Foreign Affairs Council
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 18 and 19 July.
Mr. Hurd : I attended the Council.
There was an open debate on the German presidency's programme. My intervention centred on the EU's relations with central and eastern Europe and making common foreign and security policy more effective. The presidency and Commission briefed member states on follow-up to the White Paper.
The Council discussed the establishment of the Consultative Commission on racism and xenophobia, as agreed at the Corfu European Council. The United Kingdom will nominate its representatives by the end of July. The chairman of the consultative commission will be decided when all United Kingdom members have been appointed. The Council discussed a Commission paper on relations between the European Union and the countries of central and eastern Europe. Ministers approved a declaration urging the parties to accept the contact group plan for a negotiated settlement in Bosnia. The presidency reported on plans to inaugurate the EU administration of Mostar on 25 July. Ministers also discussed the situation in the Croatian Krajina and the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia. The Council had a general discussion on a number of issues likely to be discussed with the European Parliament in the autumn. The President of the Commission reported to the Council on the EU-Canada summit in Bonn on 6 July, and the EU-US summit in Berlin on 12 July.
The Council also discussed the outcome of the G7 summit in Naples. On the Mediterranean, the Commission briefed Ministers on the state of negotiations with Morocco, Tunisia and Israel on new partnership agreements. While those with Tunisia and Israel were making good progress, important differences with Morocco remained to be resolved. The Council agreed conclusions reaffirming the need to deepen EU-Mediterranean relations.
The Council approved negotiating mandates for interim agreements with Russia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and agreed certain changes to the negotiating mandate for a partnership and co-operation agreement with Moldova.
The Council agreed that South Africa should become a beneficiary under its generalised system of preferences, for a list of products to be determined by the end of this month. The Commission reported on its recent meetings with the
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