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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Sri Lanka
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Sri Lanka.
Mr. Baldry: I am planning to visit Sri Lanka from 15 to 16 November.
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Liberia
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding problems there are for the ECOMOG forces in Liberia; and how the United Nations intends to deal with this.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We have no information on the funding position of those states which have contributed troops to the ECOMOG peacekeeping effort. The UN trust fund for Liberia was set up in 1993, partly to help support troops of participating ECOMOG countries. So far, only three countries, including the United Kingdom, have contributed to the fund.
Middle East
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the result of the study tour organised by Her Majesty's Government of middle east countries related to British expertise in waste water, referred to in his letter of 16 September; and what proposals he has to help Libya, Iran and Iraq.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: As presaged in my letter of 16 September, a group of middle eastern water specialists visited the United Kingdom from 17 to 21 October to take part in a study tour of British waste water facilities. They visited a wide range of facilities in this country.
The tour was arranged as a United Kingdom contribution to the work of the multilateral water working group, one of the five groups on the multilateral track of the peace process.
Libya, Iran and Iraq are not members of the multilateral water working group. None of their Governments have sought our help.
India
Mr. Parry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current situation in Kashmir, Sind, Karachi and the Punjab.
Mr. Baldry: Clashes continue in Kashmir between militant groups and the Indian security forces. The law and order situation in Sind, and particularly in Karachi, remains unsettled. We are encouraged by the growing return to stability in Punjab.
Pakistan
Mr. Parry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on the latest situation regarding the question of the violation of human rights in Pakistan.
(2) what representations Her Majesty's Government have made to Pakistan concerning the violation of human rights; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry: We regularly raise our concerns about human rights with the Pakistani Government.
Falkland Islands
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total cost of all assistance provided to the Falkland Islands in each of the past 10 years.
Mr. Goodlad: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the House on 20 April 1993 by my hon. Friend
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the Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Sir M. Lennox-Boyd), which listed such expenditure from 1983. The following figures bring that reply up to date:Gross public expenditure on aid to the Falklands
(£000s)
1992 93 58
1993 94 12 (provisional)
Additional assistance was provided by the diplomatic wing as follows:
Assistant under-secretary's programme budget
(£000s)
1992 93 5
1993 94 7
FCO scholarship awards scheme
(£000s)
1993 94 14
I have nothing to add to the statement made on 20 April 1993 about costs relating to the defence of the islands.
Iraq
Dr. John Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for trade with Iraq have been (a) put to the United Nations sanctions committee for consideration by the Government, (b) which companies tendered these applications, (c) how many applications have been granted and (d) which companies succeeded in the applications.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: In the interests of commercial confidentiality, we do not disclose details about export licences that have been issued. Given constant changes in procedures for submitting applications to the Iraq sanctions committee throughout the lifetime of the regime, the other information requested could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for United Kingdom policy of the statement by the Russian foreign Minister concerning the lifting of sanctions against Iraq.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: Despite the efforts of the Russian Foreign Minister, Iraq has still not recognised the sovereignty of Kuwait or the Iraq-Kuwait border as demarcated by the United Nations. There can be no question of lifting sanctions until Iraq complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions.
Gough Island
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to establish Gough island in the Tristan da Cunha group as a world heritage site.
Mr. Goodlad: We have applied for Gough island's nomination for inclusion in the list of world heritage sites under the world heritage convention. An application was
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lodged with the world heritage committee of UNESCO in Paris on 12 October 1994.Lockerbie
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet Libyan officials in Cairo about Lockerbie.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no such plans.
Nigeria
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if there have recently been sales of British tanks to Nigeria.
Mr. Baldry: Yes. Details about the export of tanks can be found in the UK return to the UN register of conventional arms, a copy of which has been placed in the Libraries of the House. However, in December 1993 we and our European Union partners announced a series of measures against the Nigerian military Government, including restrictions on new export licence applications for defence equipment. Since that time, no new export licences have been granted for the supply of lethal equipment to the Nigerian armed forces.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
CERN
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to decide on the United Kingdom's future contribution to CERN; what estimates he has made as to how much it will be; what will be the cost for the other countries involved; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: The United Kingdom's contribution to CERN is fixed by an agreed formula based on member states' GNP. The United Kingdom contribution for the 1994 is about £60.5 million. The contributions of all member states for 1994 are shown in the following table. The budgetary process for 1995 is underway and in the current CERN draft budget the United Kingdom's contribution is estimated to be of the order of £64 million.
Membership of CERN remains a high priority for the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, which pays the United Kingdom's contribution. The full programme of work at CERN complements domestic particle physics research in the United Kingdom.
Research Councils (Redundancies)
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the current expenditure for each of the research councils on past redundancies.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: In the financial year 1993 94 the research councils then in existence incurred the following costs associated with redundancies (including early retirements and restructuring):
|£ million
-------------------------------------------------------------
Agricultural and Food Research Council |5.76
Economic and Social Research Council |0.02
Medical Research Council |4.00
Natural Environment Research Council |2.60
Science and Engineering Research Council |2.30
Total |£14.68
These figures include both payments in respect of departures in 1993 94 and ongoing payments in respect of earlier departures. On 1 April 1994 the research council system was reorganised. The Agricultural and Food Research Council and the Science and Engineering Research Council ceased to exist and three new research councils came into being--the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council. The total expenditure by the research councils in 1994 95 on redundancies, as defined herein is currently estimated at around £16 million.
Public Appointments
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give a breakdown of people currently holding public appointments in terms of (a) age, (b) sex, (c) race and (d) the region in which they live.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: This information is not held centrally.
Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of public appointments made by his Department were held by women at the most recent date for which figures are available.
Mr. Robert G. Hughes: At 1 September, 28 per cent. of appointments to public bodies were held by women. Further details are available in "Public Bodies 1993", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Statistics about the number of public appointments held by women at 1 September 1994 are still being collected, and will be published at the end of the year.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Public Opinion Surveys
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list each public opinion survey commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies since 1 October 1992, showing for each the subject, objectives, total costs, the period in which it was conducted and the organisation from which it was commissioned.
Sir John Wheeler: The information has been placed in the Library.
Clock Adjustment
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many man hours were taken up by adjusting the clocks throughout his Department.
Sir John Wheeler: No record is kept of such estimates.
Prosecution Costs
Rev. Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost of the arrest,
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prosecution and appeal for Neil Latimer, Noel Bell, Jim Hegen and Winston Allen since 1983; and how much money it has cost the state to pursue this matter.Sir Patrick Mayhew: This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Post
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on postage, and how many items have been posted by his Department, in each of the last five years.
Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 27 October 1994]: The amount spent on postage by the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments in the last five years is:
|£
------------------------------
1989-90 |4,231,360
1990-91 |4,884,984
1991-92 |6,059,985
1992-93 |6,387,424
1993-94 |6,889,320
The Northern Ireland Office can provide information only for 1993 94. Computerised records are not held for the previous years and many of the manual records have been fire damaged.
No statistics are available on the number of items posted.
Public Appointments
Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of public appointments made by his Department were held by women at the most recent date for which figures are available.
Sir John Wheeler: The Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies 1993", copies of which are available in the Library, gives a figure of 30 per cent. of public appointments in Northern Ireland being held by women. The 1994 figures are still being collected and will be announced in due course.
Irish Language
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what new proposals he has to promote and support the Irish language.
Sir John Wheeler: A draft order will shortly be laid before Parliament which will include a power to enable district councils to erect street names in a second language other than English. In practice, the second language is most likely to be Irish.
Classical Swine Fever
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of classical swine fever occurred in each year since 1985.
Mr. Ancram: There have been no cases of classical swine fever recorded in Northern Ireland since 1985.
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LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Members' Interests
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will recommend the addition of a new requirement from hon. Members to register the amounts paid to them from all sources for parliamentary work in the Register of Members' Interests.
Mr. Newton: This is a matter for the Select Committee on Members' Interests. The hon. Member can, if he wishes, make a formal proposal to the Committee.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Charging Practice
Mr. Mark Robinson: To ask the Attorney-General what steps have been taken this year to improve charging practice.
The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service and the police have together set up a charging standards group to develop joint guidance to assist police officers when instituting criminal proceedings to select the most appropriate charge.
Prosecution of Summary Offences
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Attorney-General what steps he is taking to review the costs of, and time taken for, preparation of prosecution cases for summary offences.
The Attorney-General: The police and Crown Prosecution Service are participating in a pilot study in six police forces on the production of abbreviated files.
Crown Prosecution Service
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Attorney-General what proposals he has for allowing barristers employed by the Crown Prosecution Service to have rights of audience to act for it.
The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service is pursuing its application to the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee for rights of audience in the higher courts. The decision is a matter for the Lord Chancellor and the designated judges.
Brendan Smyth
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Attorney-General on what dates and to what extent representations were made to the Irish Attorney-General about the delay in responding to the RUC's warrant for the extradition of Brendan Smyth; what reasons were offered; and if he will make a statement.
The Attorney-General: I understand that the Minister for Justice answered a question on this case in the Dail on 25 October 1994. Officials of my Department regularly communicate with the Irish Attorney-General's Office about cases where a request for extradition to the United Kingdom has been made. This case figured in such contacts before it became apparent, in November 1993, that there was a
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prospect of Brendan Smyth coming voluntarily to Northern Ireland to face trial.Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Attorney-General how long it took to effect the extradition of Brendan Smyth from the Irish Republic following the consideration of the RUC's request in the appropriate Irish court.
The Attorney-General: On 29 April 1993, the RUC delivered to the Garda warrants for the arrest of Brendan Smyth and a request for his extradition. Extradition proceedings were not instituted in the Irish courts before he came to Northern Ireland of his own volition, appearing in court there on 21 January 1994.
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Attorney-General how long the Attorney- General of the Irish Republic took to initiate the appropriate judicial and courts process in response to the RUC's extradition warrant for Brendan Smyth.
The Attorney-General: The hon. Member is referred to my previous answers.
EDUCATION
Cornish Language
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans she has to increase resources that are available to promote the teaching of the Cornish language.
Mr. Robin Squire: My right hon. Friend does not make resources available specifically for this purpose. Schools are, of course, free to provide teaching in the Cornish language from within their general resources, if there is demand.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many copies of the videotape promoting opt-out schools have been made; and at what cost;
(2) what were the production costs of the videotape promoting opt-out schools;
(3) how many copies of the videotape promoting opt-out schools have been distributed; to whom; and at what cost.
Mr. Robin Squire: The videotape, "Our Children, Our Choice", provides factual information on grant-maintained status through the experience of four schools. The production costs were some £48,000, and 10,000 copies have been made at a further cost of £16,000. Between June and September this year about 3,500 copies were distributed, including 500 which were sent to grant-maintained headteachers and governors. The remainder are being made available at the Department's "Going GM" conferences or in response to requests from schools and the public. The videotape frequently forms part of a larger order for publications about grant-maintained status and it is therefore not possible to identify specific distribution costs.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications have so far been considered by her Department from schools seeking grant-maintained status; how many such applications are currently under consideration; and what is the normal
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length of time taken for the processing of such applications.Mr. Robin Squire: A total of 1,125 schools have so far applied for grant-maintained status. Of these applications, 28 are currently being considered by the Department.
Applications are processed, on average, within about two months of the end of the statutory period for submission of objections. That average time would be shorter but for the minority of difficult cases requiring prolonged consideration, for example where the local education authority has published conflicting proposals affecting the school.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which Department or office provides the inspectors who visit schools at her behest when considering applications for grant-maintained status; how long on average it takes inspectors to provide a report on their visit; how many such reports in total are currently awaited by her Department; and what steps she is taking to ensure the speedy and efficient delivery of such reports in the future.
Mr. Robin Squire: Schools applying for grant-maintained status are visited by inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education. No record is kept of the average time it takes for inspectors to provide a report of their visit but reports are normally provided speedily. Where the period following the publication of proposals includes school holidays during which the school cannot be visited, the process inevitably takes longer. Eleven reports on applications for grant-maintained status are currently awaited by the Department. Both Ofsted and the Department keep their procedures under continuous review to ensure that they are as efficient as possible.
Chinese Students
Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 24 October, Official Report , column 416, if she will make it her policy to increase the funding available to Chinese students.
Mr. Boswell: The answer that I gave on 24 October should have said that Chinese students will receive a total of £3.174 million funding in financial year 1994 95 under the overseas research students awards scheme funded through the Higher Education Funding Council for England, as well as £1.136 million funding from FCO, ODA and British Council scholarship schemes for overseas students during the same period. However, it is not possible to identify how much of this funding will benefit students who wish to study English with the aim of becoming translators. The ORSAS awards are available on a competitive basis to students of outstanding merit and no account is taken of nationality. We do not intend to increase the amount of funding to students from any particular nation. Decisions on any increases in other schemes would be taken by FCO, ODA and the British Council.
Teachers
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what recent representations she has received from teaching unions about the difficulties faced by their members when subjected to unsubstantiated
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allegations of physical or sexual abuse of pupils; and if she will make a statement;(2) what steps are taken by her Department to protect teachers against the effect of false allegations of physical and sexual abuse upon pupils;
(3) how many complaints were made in the latest year for which figures are available alleging physical or sexual abuse of pupils by teachers; how many of those complaints are expected to lead to criminal charges being laid; and what plans she has to review guidelines in this area;
(4) what compensation is made available to teachers who are unable to continue their careers following unsubstantiated, false and malicious allegations of physical or sexual abuse by pupils; and what plans she has to review policy in this area.
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