Previous Section Home Page

Mr. Sackville: The Department and its executive agencies do not usually issue contracts of 51 weeks. The Department expects to use a small percentage of temporary staff to cover specific management needs. It is not possible to predict exactly how many people will be employed on this basis over the next three years but we do not expect the present level to change significantly.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued in respect of the recruitment and appointment on non- payment employees in (i) her Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by her Department.

Mr. Sackville: The Department and its agencies follow guidance on recruitment and appointment procedures set down in the civil service management code and the Department's own conditions of service manual.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the full terms of employment as specified to employees in her Department and all executive agencies for which she is responsible who are employed on a temporary contract of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration.

Mr. Sackville: The Department and its executive agencies do not usually issue contracts of 51 weeks. All temporary staff in the Department of Health and its executive agencies are employed on either a casual basis or on fixed-term appointments. Examples of their full terms of employment will be placed in the Library. These terms apply irrespective of whether the contract is for 51 weeks or less.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what positions in (i) her Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which her Department is responsible are filled by employees who are employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration.

Mr. Sackville: The Department and its executive agencies do not usually issue contracts of 51 weeks. The


Column 579

information requested for those employed on contracts for less than 51 weeks is shown in the table.


Fixed Term                         |Total DH        |Agencies<1>                      

Appointments and                                                                      

Casuals                                                                               

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unified Grade 7                    |5               |-                                

Senior Executive Officer           |1               |1                                

Executive Officer                  |8               |1                                

Administrative Officer             |46              |8                                

Administrative Assistant           |70              |14                               

Personal Secretary                 |4               |1                                

Typist                             |1               |1                                

Support Grade (2)                  |16              |5                                

Senior Medical Officers            |6               |6                                

Principal Pharamaceutical Officers |1               |-                                

Social Services Inspectors         |1               |-                                

Senior Scientific Officers         |1               |1                                

Assistant Scientific Officers      |5               |5                                

Scientific Officers                |7               |7                                

Nursing Officers                   |2               |-                                

Information Officers               |1               |-                                

Senior Assistant Statistician      |1               |-                                

Assistant Statistician             |5               |-                                

Regional Child Care Officer        |7               |7                                

Regional Child Care Officer (2)    |1               |1                                

Regional Child Care Officer (3)    |1               |1                                

Catering Manager (3)               |1               |1                                

Domestic                           |1               |1                                

Sandwich Course Student            |15              |-                                

Note:                                                                                 

<1>Includes the Youth Treatment Service Executive Unit and the Medical Devices Agency 

which was formed in October 1994.                                                     

Source:                                                                               

Departmental records.                                                                 

Pharmacies

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her policy on non-contract pharmacies in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Malone: This is one of a number of issues that relate to the operation of the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992, as amended, and which the Department is keeping under careful review. Changes to the regulations have not been ruled out but we want to listen to all sides of the arguments being put to us before reaching a final conclusion.

Patient Placements

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of (a) the average number of hours spent each week by a hospital doctor in searching for a placement for critically ill patients, and (b) the total number of hours spent by hospital doctors in the last year in searching for placements for critically ill patients.

Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally.

General Practices

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 3 February, Official Report , column 874 , what are the aggregate numbers of general practices in the fundholding and non- fundholding categories, the total numbers of general practitioners in each category on a full-time equivalent basis and the numbers of list patients covered, at each of the dates specified.


Column 580

Mr. Malone [holding answer 17 February 1995]: The available information will be placed in the Library.

Death Rates

Mr. Congdon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the death rates per 1,000 men aged 15 to 44 years for the average of three years from 1970 to 1972, 1980 to 1982 and 1990 to 1992, using mid-year population estimates for 1971, 1981, and 1991; if she will give figures (a) per district health authority with 95 per cent. confidence limits, (b) per regional health authority and (c) nationally; and if she will also show the above rates excluding suicide and accidents.

Mr. Sackville [holding answer 2 March 1995]: The available information will be placed in the Library. Information relating to 1970 to 1972 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Congdon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the age standardised death rates per 1,000 population for the average of the three years 1970 to 1972, 1989 to 1982 and 1990 to 1992, using mid-year population estimates for 1971, 1981 and 1991; and if she will give figures (a) per district health authority with 95 per cent. confidence limits, (b) for each regional health authority and (c) nationally.

Mr. Sackville [holding answer 2 March 1995]: The available information will be placed in the Library. Information relating to 1970 to 1972 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Nurses

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give for each year since 1981, on the same basis as tables A and C of Statistical Bulletin 19944/11, the total numbers of whole time equivalent qualified and unqualified nurses and midwives, the total numbers of learners and the total numbers of other nurses and midwives employed in (a) the hospital and community health services, (b) the family health services and (c) private hospitals, nursing homes and clinics, and also the total numbers of Project 2000 students in each year.

Mr. Malone [pursuant to his reply, 19 January 1995, c. 637 40]: I regret that my previous reply contained an error. The 1990 "FHS Practice Nurses" was given as 7,700 whereas the correct figure should be 7,740.

NHS Trusts

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list all the current (a) chairs and (b) non-executive directors of each trust board by region, indicating the gender and occupation of each individual.

Mr. Malone [holding answer 23 February 1995]: The latest information available centrally will be placed in the Library.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Treasury Solicitor's Department

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Attorney-General whether he has reached a decision on the question of agency status for the Treasury Solicitor's Department.


Column 581

The Attorney-General: I am satisfied that agency status will enable the Treasury Solicitor's department to operate with greater managerial freedom and with more clearly defined responsibilities, within an agreed framework of objectives, performance targets, and resources. The department will become an executive agency on 1 April 1996.

Temporary Contracts

Ms Harman: To ask the Attorney-General if he will publish the full terms of employment as specified to employees in his Department and all executive agencies for which he is responsible who are employed on a temporary contract of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks' duration.

The Attorney-General: Specimen letters setting out the terms of employment for all staff employed on a temporary contract by the Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Fraud Office and Treasury Solicitor's department accompany this answer and have been supplied to the hon. Member. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. The letter used by the Government Property Lawyers is the same as for the Treasury Solicitor's department.

Ms Harman: To ask the Attorney-General for the current year and each of the past five years, how many employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible who have been employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks' duration are re-employed in the same or similar position at a later date.

The Attorney-General: The number of employees in the Department and agencies for which I am responsible who have been employed on temporary contracts of 51 weeks or less and re-employed in the same or similar position at a later date over the past five years are:


I

             |Crown      |Serious    |Treasury   |Government             

             |Prosecution|Fraud      |Solicitor's|Property               

             |Service    |Office     |Department |Lawyers                

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Current year |19         |0          |1          |Nil                    

1994         |88         |3          |5          |Nil                    

1993         |85         |3          |5          |Nil                    

1992         |52         |4          |1          |Nil                    

1991         |46         |1          |2          |Nil                    

1990         |33         |0          |3          |Nil                    

Ms Harman: To ask the Attorney-General how many people he expects to employ in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which he is responsible, on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration in the next three years, in each case specifying the number of employees who had previously been employed in a similar position on the same contract.

The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service is unable to forecast the number of posts which will be filled by temporary staff in the CPS during the next three years.

The numbers of temporary staff estimated to be employed by the Serious Fraud Office, Treasury Solicitor's department and Government Property Lawyers in each of the next three years is as follows:


Column 582


                     |1995-96|1996-97|1997-98        

-----------------------------------------------------

Serious Fraud                                        

  Office             |31     |33     |35             

Treasury Solicitor's                                 

  Department         |7      |7      |7              

Government                                           

  Property Lawyers   |3      |3      |3              

All such employments are expected to be on contracts for less than 51 weeks. It is not possible to predict whether any such temporary staff will have previously been so employed.

Ms Harman: To ask the Attorney-General what positions in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies for which his Department is responsible are filled by employees who are employed on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration.

The Attorney-General: As at 28 February 1995, a total of 17 prosecutor posts were filled by employees on temporary contracts of (a) 51 weeks or (b) less than 51 weeks duration. Additionally, 224 administrative staff and 52 staff in other support grades were employed on similar terms.

The Serious Fraud Office at present employs 24 administrative staff and one accountant on temporary contracts of 51 weeks or less. The Treasury Solicitor's department at present employs eight lawyers, three litigation clerks, four administrative staff and one porter/handyman on temporary contracts of 51 weeks or less. The Government Property Lawyers at present employs three lawyers and eight administrative staff on temporary contracts of 51 weeks or less.

Ms Harman: To ask the Attorney-General what guidance has been issued in respect of the recruitment and appointment of non-permanent employees in (i) his Department and (ii) all executive agencies supervised by his Department.

The Attorney-General: The recruitment handbook for the Crown Prosecution Service defines the circumstances in which

casual--non-permanent--appointments are appropriate. This has been supplemented by further instructions circulated to all staff with responsibility for recruitment decisions.

The Serious Fraud Office, the Treasury Solicitor's department and the Government Property Lawyers follow the guidance set out in the civil service management code, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Staff Pay

Mr. Caborn: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, what are the rates of pay and other remunerations for all House of Commons porters, chefs, cleaners and security staff.

Mr. Beith: The full-time salaries, inclusive of the recruitment and retention allowance, of the grades employed by the Commission are as follows:


Column 583


                         |£                                

-----------------------------------------------------------

Porters<1>                                                 

Vote office porters      |9,390-9,547 pa                   

Kitchen porters          |9,547-10,736 pa                  

                                                           

Cleaners                                                   

Cleaners                 |9,390-9,547 pa                   

Cleaner in charge        |9,870-11,496 pa                  

                                                           

Chefs                                                      

Executive chef           |27,106-41,003 pa                 

Deputy executive chef    |21,789-27,586 pa                 

Senior sous chef         |14,965-18,611 pa                 

Sous chef            }                                     

Assistant sous chef  }   |13,449-16,677 pa                 

Chef in charge       }                                     

Section chef             |12,984-16,083 pa                 

Chef de Partie           |11,496-14,184 pa                 

Assistant chef de partie |10,206-11,696 pa                 

Full commis chef         |10,556 pa                        

3rd year commis chef     |10,206 pa                        

2nd year commis chef     |10,036 pa                        

1st year commis chef     |9,870 pa                         

<1>Part-time employees are paid pro-rata.                  

The security staff are employed by the Metropolitan police, and I have asked the Serjeant at Arms to write to the hon. Member with details of their rates of pay.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with his United States counterpart as to the capacity and intention of Saddam Hussein in respect of the rebuilding of weapons of mass destruction; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Davis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has regular contact with his United States and other counterparts about Iraqi compliance with UN Security Council resolutions.

We continue to support the work of the UN Special

Commission--UNSCOM--in its task of eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and setting up a monitoring regime to ensure that no regeneration of such weapons can take place.

Ambassador Ekeus will be presenting his next six-monthly report to the UN Security Council in April in which he will assess whether Iraq's past chemical, biological, ballistic and nuclear weapons have been fully accounted for and eliminated, whether Iraq's current capacity is understood, and whether the UNSCOM--IAEA monitoring and verification operation will be sufficient to detect such weapons in the future.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment as to the capacity and intention of the regime of Saddam Hussein to rebuild weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. David Davis: Iraq's record to date gives us good reason to believe that the regime will try to re-activate its programmes of weapons of mass destruction if allowed to do so. Hence our belief in the importance of full implementation of the UN Special Commission and


Column 584

International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring plans which place relevant industrial, academic and civil establishments under close supervision.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the leaders of Iraqi Kurdish groups or to Iraqi resistance groups that they should seek a dialogue with the regime of Saddam Hussein; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg: It is up to the Iraqi opposition themselves to decide whether to engage in dialogue with the regime of Saddam Hussein. We do not suggest that they do so; neither will we discourage them if that is their wish.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what reports he has received relating to the bombardment by forces loyal to Saddam Hussein of the town of Arbil in Northern Iraq with long-range artillery;

(2) what reports he has received indicating attacks by forces loyal to Saddam Husssein on areas of northern Iraq under the control of Kurdish and Iraqi resistance forces; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) on 13 March, Official Report, column 377. We have seen no clear evidence that Iraqi forces have recently mounted fresh offensive operations in northern Iraq. However, given the continued tension in the area, and the history of brutality by the Iraqi regime towards the Iraqi Kurds, we will continue to keep the situation under close review.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has reached as to whether the regime of Saddam Hussein still has access to stocks of anthrax bacteria.

Mr. Douglas Hogg: The Iraqi regime has access to anthrax bacteria which can be obtained from clinical and environmental samples within Iraq. The monitoring regime now being established by UNSCOM under the terms of UN Security Council resolution 687 aims to ensure that Iraq does not use such material for weapons purposes.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking or will take to guarantee the safe havens of northern Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg: Aircraft from the US, United Kingdom and France patrol a no-fly zone north of 36 deg north in support of Security Council resolution 688 which demands that Iraq ends its repression of its civilian population.

The purpose of the patrols is to monitor the movements of Iraqi troops close to the Kurdish areas of northern Iraq.

We continue to press Iraq to comply with all the demands in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolution.

Non-proliferation Treaty

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what change has taken place in Her Majesty's Government's policy on the question of the negative security assurance given to non-nuclear weapons states that are parties to the


Column 585

non-proliferation treaty, following the disbanding of the Warsaw Treaty Organisation; and if he will make a statement;

(2) if he will make a statement on the extent of the exception clause contained in the United Kingdom's negative security assurance.

Mr. David Davis: The United Kingdom's negative security assurance is extended to non-nuclear-weapon states parties to the non-proliferation treaty or other internationally binding commitments not to manufacture or acquire nuclear explosive devices. The assurance makes it clear that it does no apply in the case of an attack on the United Kingdom, its dependent territories, its armed forces or its allies by such a state in association or alliance with nuclear-weapon-state.

There has been no change to the assurance. The disbanding of the Warsaw pact does not obviate the need for the exception.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to seek to achieve a decision on the extension of the non-proliferation treaty solely on the basis of consensus of states parties at the extension conference.

Mr. David Davis: Our aim at the nuclear non-proliferation treaty review and extension conference is to achieve the indefinite and unconditional extension of the treaty. Under the terms of the treaty, this can be achieved by a simple majority of state parties.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to declare the exact number of nuclear weapons and warheads deployed by the United Kingdom when he or one of his ministerial colleagues attends the non-proliferation treaty extension conference in April; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. David Davis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark) by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 9 March 1995, Official Report , column 348 . We shall continue to follow this policy at the non-proliferation treaty review and extension conference.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what differences exist between the negative security assurance under the non-proliferation treaty provided by the United Kingdom and that provided by the United States of America.

Mr. David Davis: The United Kingdom's negative security assurance is given to

"non-nuclear weapon states which are parties to the treaty on the non- proliferation of nuclear weapons and to other internationally binding commitments not to manufacture or acquire nuclear explosive devices".

In the assurance Britain undertakes

"not to use nuclear weapons against such States except in the case of an attack on the United Kingdom, its dependent territories, its armed forces or its allies by such a State in association or alliance with a nuclear- weapon State".

The United States, in its negative security assurances, stated that it would

"not use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear-weapon state party to the NPT (non-proliferation treaty) or any comparable internationally binding commitment not to acquire nuclear explosive devices, except in the case of an attack on the United States, its territories or armed forces, or its allies, by such a State allied to a nuclear-weapon State or associated with a nuclear-weapon state in carrying out or sustaining the attack".


Column 586

Sudan

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is being taken by the British Government to curb human rights abuses in the Sudan.

Mr. Douglas Hogg: We regularly take action, bilaterally, in concert with EU partners, and at the United Nationals, to press the Sudanese Government to improve their appalling human rights record. Earlier this month we co-sponsored a resolution abut the human rights situation in Sudan at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.

Water and Sewerage

Mr. Nicholls: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the cost of his Department's expenditure on water and sewerage in (a) the current year and (b) each of the three previous years.

Mr. Goodlad: The cost of the FCO's expenditure in the United Kingdom on water and sewerage is as follows:


&

Year            |£                    

--------------------------------------

1994-95 to date |<1>62,048            

1993-94         |<1>101,648           

1992-93         |162,614              

1991-92         |132,808              

<1> Some accounts received by the FCO 

for 1993-94 and the current year are  

in dispute; when settled there will   

be some further costs to add.         

It is not possible without disproportionate cost to identify overseas expenditure on water and sewerage for the Department's overseas accommodation.

Nuclear Weapons

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of the other four acknowledged nuclear weapons states (a) publicly provides figures for the numbers of nuclear weapons and warheads it deploys and (b) measures its nuclear capability in terms of explosive power rather than warhead numbers.

Mr. David Davis: In May 1994, President Mitterand gave figures for the numbers of French operational nuclear weapons and warheads. The US Government have released information on the total explosive yield of the US nuclear weapon stockpile. Neither Russia nor China has, to our knowledge, made official statements on the size of its stockpiles.

East Timor

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will support any proposal at the UN Security Council to set up a human rights monitoring team in East Timor.

Mr. Goodlad: No such proposal is before the UN Security Council. The human rights situation in East Timor is kept under regular review by the UN Commission on Human Rights. At its recent session, the UN commission welcomed the Indonesian Government's undertaking to invite the High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit East Timor in 1995 and to continue to


Column 587

co-operate with the UN commission's special rapporteurs and working groups.

Barings

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much money has been lost by his Department and by the secret intelligence service arising out of developments at Barings.

Mr. Goodlad: There has been no financial loss by the FCO and the ODA arising out of developments at Barings. I do not intend to comment on detailed financial questions about the security and intelligence agencies.

China

Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which way representatives of Her Majesty's Government voted at the United Nations meeting held in New York on the motion condemning the abuse of human rights in China; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Douglas Hogg: The EU, with the support of a number of other countries, tabled a draft resolution on human rights in China at the 51st UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. The United Kingdom voted in favour of the resolution, which narrowly failed to pass. Prior to this, the UK voted against a Chinese motion proposing that no action be taken on the draft resolution.

Rwanda

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the international community will take to bring to justice those responsible for the massacre against the people of Tutsi origin in Rwanda in the parish of Shangi.

Mr. Douglas Hogg: UN Security Council resolution 955 of 8 November 1994 established an international criminal tribunal for Rwanda and investigators have begun work in the region. It will be for the prosecutor of the tribunal to decide who will be brought to trial. In addition, the United Nations development programme has developed plans to help rehabilitate the Rwandan judicial system.

Sudanese Refugees

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the main causes of the current influx of refugees from southern Sudan into Uganda.

Mr. Douglas Hogg: The conflict in southern Sudan continues to displace Sudanese civilians to Uganda and other neighbouring countries. At the beginning of 1995, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated the number of Sudanese refugees in Uganda at 300,000.


Next Section

  Home Page