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Select Committees
Ms Corston: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what new guidance his Department has issued to civil servants giving evidence to, or appearing before, Select Committees. [15970]
Mr. Horam: Updated guidance on "Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees" was issued to Departments in December of last year. As announced by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House,
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14 December 1994, Official Report, column 712 , copies were sent to Chairmen of Select Committees and were also placed in the Library.Press Officers
Mr. Henderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many press officers there are in the Central Office of Information. [16553]
Special Advisers
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what facilities in terms of (a) access to telephones, (b) use of equipment, (c) use of offices, (d) access to ministerial meetings, (e) sight of correspondence, (f) attendance at interdepartmental meetings and (g) access to civil servants are available to specialist advisers in his Department. [15641]
Mr. David Hunt: Special advisers are members of the civil service, have the same conditions of service as civil servants and are subject to the same rules of conduct as other civil servants, with certain limited exceptions. They have all the facilities listed in the question to the extent necessary for the performance of their duties.
Deregulation
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will ensure that his ministerial management information system for establishing objectives for his Department, includes deregulation objectives (a) for him and (b) for each of the Ministers within his Department. [15574]
Mr. Horam: My right hon. Friend has no ministerial responsibility for regulation legislation.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what targets he has for withdrawing regulations within his Department. [15552]
Mr. Horam: The Departments for which my right hon. Friend is Minister are not responsible for regulation legislation.
Political Advisers
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names of those persons appointed as political advisers to his Department since May 1992. [15642]
Mr. David Hunt: The answer is:
|Date appointed
---------------------------------------------
Mr. D. Rutley |January 1994
Mr. M. McManus |July 1994
I have also been asked to list the political advisers in the Chief Whip's Office as follows:
|Date appointed
---------------------------------------------
Miss S McEwen |June 1992
Inquiry Lines
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which telephone inquiry line services have been set up by the Government Departments as a result of the citizens charter. [16307]
Mr. Horam: Many public service organisations have set up their own telephone inquiry lines to ensure that their customers can make easy contact with them. OPSS does not hold central records of all these lines, or whether they result directly from the charter programme, but Government helplines are known to exist in the following areas. Agriculture
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Helpline: 0645 335577. Local rates. 0900 1700 weekdays.
Customs and Excise
Customs and Excise Helpline: 071-202 4227. Standard rates. 0900 1700 weekdays.
Education
Department of Education: Inquiries 071-925 5555. Standard rates. 0900 1700 weekdays.
Employment
Dial a Job: 071-287 0100. Standard rates. 0900 1700 weekdays. Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Information Centre Helpline: 0742-892345. Standard rates. 0900 1700 weekdays.
HSE Autofax: 0742-892333. Standard rates. 24 hours a day. Redundancy Payments Service Customer
Service Unit Helpline: 0800-848489. Free. 0900 1700 weekdays. Work Permits Information Line: 071-273 5337. Standard rates. 0900 1700 weekdays.
Energy Efficiency
Energy Efficiency: 071-276 6200. Standard rates. 0900 1700 weekdays.
Energy Action Grants Agency (grants for improving energy efficiency): 0800- 181667. Free. 0830 1730 weekdays.
Building Research Establishment Saving Money on Heating: 0923 664664. Standard rates. 0900 1630 weekdays.
Environment
National Rivers Authority Emergency Hotline for Environmental Incidents: 0800-807060. Free. 24 hours a day.
Air Quality Information: 0800-556677. Free. 24 hours a day. Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign Travel Advice Unit: 071-270 4129. Standard rates. 0930 1600 weekdays.
Health
Health Information Service (Information about health, local NHS services, waiting times, common diseases, conditions and treatments): 0800-665544. Free. 1000 1700 weekdays.
Aids Helpline: 0800-567123. Free. 24 hours a day.
Home Office
General Inquiries: 071-273 4599. Standard rates. 24 hours a day. Nationality and Citizenship Inquiries: 051-236 4723. Standard rates. 0900 1600 weekdays.
Immigration Inquiries: 081-686 0688. Standard rates. 0900 1645 Mon-Thur. 0900 1630 Fri. 24 hour recorded information for visitors: 081-760 1600. Standard rates.
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Students: 081-760 1622. Standard rates.Work permit holders: 081-760 1644. Standard rates.
Au Pairs: 081-760 1666. Standard rates.
Home Office Publications Unit: 071-273 3072/2302. Standard rates. 0915 1700 weekdays.
Inland Revenue
Taxback Information Line: 0800-660800. Free. 24 hours a day. Post Office
Post Office Counters Helpline: 0345-223344. Local rates. 0815 1800 weekdays. 0830 1300 Saturday.
Social Security Freeline:
English: 0800-666555. Free. 0830 1630 weekdays.
Urdu: 0800-289188. Free. 0900 1600 weekdays.
Chinese: 0800-252451. Free. 0900 1630 weekdays.
Punjabi: 0800-521360. Free. 0830 1630 weekdays.
Welsh: 0800-289011. Free. 0900 1630 weekdays.
Language line: Details available from Benefits Agency local offices.
Family Credit Helpline: 0253-500050. Standard rates. 0730 1830 weekdays.
Benefit Inquiry Line for People with Disabilities: 0800-882200. Free. 0830 1830 weekdays. 0900 1300 Saturday.
Minicom: 0800-243355. Free.
Disability Living Allowance Customer Care Helpline: 0345-123456. Local rates. 0730 1830 weekdays.
Child Support Agency Inquiries: 0345-133133. Local rates. 0830 1800 weekdays.
Social Security Advice Line for Employers: 0800-393539. Free. 0900 1630 Mon -Thur. 0900 1600 Friday.
War Pensions Agency Helpline: 0253-858858. Standard rates. 0815 1715 Mon- Thur. 0815 1630 Friday.
Minicom: 0253-859999. Standard rates.
Trade and Industry
General Inquiries: 071-215 5000. Standard rates. 0830 1730 weekdays. Answerphone at other times.
Innovation: 0800-442001. Free. 0830 1730 weekdays. Answerphone at other times.
Business in Europe Hotline: 0272-444888. Standard rates. 24 hours a day.
DTI Services for Businesses: 0800-500200. Free. 24 hours a day. Transport
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Customer Inquiry Unit (Drivers): 0792- 772151. Standard rates. 0815 1630 weekdays. Customer Inquiry Unit (Vehicles): 0792-772134. Standard rates. 0815 1630 weekdays.
Cones Hotline: 0345-504030. Local rates. 24 hours a day. London Transport Travel Information: 071-222 1234. Standard rates. 24 hours a day.
The citizens charter unit has itself set up and run a number of telephone information lines which are directly related to the charter;
a) 0800 100101 sent out copies of guides to the citizens charter White Paper. Calls to this line were free. The service ran from 22 July 1991 until 16 March 1994.
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b) 0345 300130 provided information about how to obtain copies of the follow-up charters produced by Departments and agencies. Calls to this line were charged at a local rate. The service ran from 25 November 1992 until 16 March 1994.c) Charterline (0345 203040), a telephone information helpline service for local and national public services, was piloted in the east midlands from 19 May 1993 until 6 May 1994. Calls were charged at a local rate.
d) The citizens charter publications line on 0345 223242 was set up on 16 March 1994 to send out copies of the Guide to citizens charter White Papers; details of how to obtain the follow-up charters; the code of practice on access to government information; charter mark award scheme information; charter news; and complaints task force information. The service is still running; calls are charged at a local rate.
e) Public nomination lines for 1995 charter mark awards were set up on 13 March 1995. These include the following:
English: --0645 400 444
Gujerati:--0645 400 440
Urdu: --0645 400 441
Hindi:--0645 400 442
Punjabi: --10645 400 443
Bengali: --10645 400 445
Deaftext:--10645 400 447
These services will run until 31 May 1995. Calls are charged at the local rate.
f) Charter mark 1995 applicants helpline on 0171 270 6142 was set up on 14 March and will run until 14 July 1995. Calls are charged at normal rate.
EMPLOYMENT
Special Advisers
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what facilities in terms of (a) access to telephones, (b) use of equipment, (c) use of offices, (d) access to ministerial meetings, (e) sight of correspondence, (f) attendance at interdepartmental meetings and (g) access to civil servants are available to specialist advisers in his Department. [15630]
Miss Widdecombe: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Political Advisers
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the names of those persons appointed as political advisers to his Department since May 1992. [15631]
Miss Widdecombe: The answer is:
Michael McManus: Appointed 28 May 1993
Alison Broom: Appointed 21 July 1994
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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
UK Military Training Scheme
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from how many countries students received training during 1994 that was wholly or partially paid for from the United Kingdom military training assistance scheme; and if he will name those countries. [16176.]
Mr. David Davis: I have been asked to reply.
In the financial year 1993 94 students from 65 countries received training wholly or partially paid for from the United Kingdom military training scheme. The countries were Albania, Antigua, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Czech Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanaka, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad, Uganda, Ukraine, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 22 February, Official Report, column 210, regarding the nuclear
non-proliferation treaty review and extensions conference, if there are any indications that any participants do not share the UK aim of obtaining an indefinite and unconditional extension of the treaty. [15993]
Mr. David Davis: There is not yet a consensus of support for the indefinite and unconditional extension of the nuclear
non-proliferation treaty at the review and extension conference beginning in April.We are lobbying hard at ministerial and official levels to convince state parties that the indefinite and unconditional extension of the treaty would best serve their security interests.
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those countries that have not ratified the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. [16532]
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