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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Draft Legislation
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made ofthe proposal to allow the private sector to draft legislation. [18751]
Mr. David Hunt: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 23 February 1995, Official Record, column 298 , and to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 14 March 1995, Official Report , columns 463-65 .
Administrative Staff
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many new posts were vacant at administrative assistant and administrative officer level in each quarter between September 1993 and April 1995 available for internal appointment. [20589]
Mr. Horam: Individual Departments and agencies are responsible for filling their own posts at administrative assistant and administrative officer level. Within my Department, no posts at administrative assistant or administrative officer level for which staff have been sought have remained vacant for any significant period of time.
Conflicts of Interest
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how and where declarations of possible conflicts of interest involving special advisers and civil servants formally are recorded. [20403]
Mr. David Hunt: Civil Servants, including special advisers, must declare conflicts of interest to their Department or agency and comply with any subsequent instructions regarding the retention, disposal or management of such interests.
Special Advisers
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the standard terms and conditions for appointment for special advisers. [20477]
Mr. David Hunt: I am placing a copy of a model appointment letter for special advisers in the Library.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Torture Equipment
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what joint international action he is proposing to curb the production of torture equipment; [20294] (2) what discussions he has had with his European and United States colleagues to curb the British manufacture of torture equipment; [20295]
(3) what discussions officials and Ministers have had to curb the manufacture of torture equipment with colleagues at the United Nations and the European Union. [20297]
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Mr. David Davis: There have been no discussions on curbing the manufacture of torture equipment.
Officials at the European Union working group on conventional arms transfers have recently held preliminary exchanges on information on export control practices covering these kinds of weapons. These discussions are on -going.
A wide variety of innocuous equipment could conceivably be misused for torture, including goods which it is not practical to control. Prohibited weapons are controlled under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968, as amended. They cannot be manufactured, possessed or sold without the authority of the Secretary of State for the Home Department.
Departmental Annual Report
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what measures the Department takes to assess the cost and staff implications of compiling material for the departmental annual report; [20193]
(2) how much staff time, and at what estimated cost, was put into compiling the departmental annual report; and what were the figures for each year for which figures are available since 1990. [20192]
Mr. Goodlad: None. All Government Departments are required to present departmental reports to Parliament. The report therefore forms part of the normal FCO--diplomatic wing and ODA--work load. Accordingly, no separate assessment of the costs and staff implications of compilation is prepared.
Kashmir
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed Kashmir with the Pakistan Government; and if he will make a statement on the issues which were discussed. [19948]
Mr. Baldry: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed Kashmir most recently with the Pakistani Government during his visit to Pakistan in January this year. The main topics of discussion were the prospects for elections in Kashmir and violence in Kashmir. I also discussed Kashmir during my visit to Pakistan last month.
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed Kashmir with the Indian Government; and what issues were discussed. [19949]
Mr. Baldry: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs discussed Kashmir most recently with the Indian Government during his visit to India in January this year. The main topics of discussion were the prospects for elections in Kashmir and human rights issues.
Liberia
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UNOMIL military observers there were in Liberia in October 1994; how many there are now; and for what reasons the number changed. [19914]
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Mr. Douglas Hogg: There were 98 UNOMIL military observers in Liberia on 31 October 1994 and 77 as at 31 March 1995.
In October 1994, the UN Secretary-General recommended that the number of UNOMIL military observers should be reduced because the worsening security situation and ECOMOG's inability to provide the necessary protection for the observers meant that UNOMIL was unable to carry out many of its mandated activities.
Expatriate Civil Servants (Hong Kong)
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is able to provide figures on the cost of arrangements for expatriate civil servants currently based in Hong Kong on the resumption of sovereignty by China. [20210]
Mr. Goodlad: Members of Her Majesty's Overseas civil service who worked in Britain's dependent territories received compensation and pension protection when British sovereignty over these territories came to an end. We intend to provide Hong Kong HMOCS with compensation, and a scheme to give members and former members of HMOCS some protection against a decline in the value of their pensions. The proposed compensation scheme would cost about £40 million at 1992 prices.
Slovakia
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the subjects discussed and outcomes reached during his visit to Slovakia. [20250]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs had valuable discussions with President Kovac, Prime Minister Meciar and Foreign Minister Schenk. These covered bilateral relations, Slovakia's political and economic Development and its relations with the EU and NATO. He expressed strong support for the consolidation of the new Slovak democracy and for Slovakia's movement towards full membership of the EU and NATO. He agreed with Prime Minister Meciar to take further steps to strengthen bilateral co-operation.
Human Rights (Iraq)
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations about human rights in northern Iraq he made to the deputy Prime Minister of Turkey during his visit to London. [19907]
Mr. David Davis: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey for talks and lunch when he visited London on 6 April. He took the opportunity to repeat our call for the early withdrawal of Turkish troops from northern Iraq. He reminded Mr. Cetin of the need to honour the Turkish commitment not to harm non-combatants in the region or disrupt relief activities.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will suspend all military deliveries and subsidies to Turkey in light of its recent actions against the Kurdish population in northern Iraq. [20323]
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Mr. David Davis: Turkey is a NATO ally with legitimate defence requirements. Proposed United Kingdom arms sales to Turkey are subject to stringent licensing procedures. We do not grant licences for the sale of equipment which we believe is likely to be used for internal repression.
Human Rights Violations
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received from embassies and other sources as to the use of British-made equipment for human rights violations. [20293]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We do not issue licences for the export of equipment likely to be used for internal repression. When considering applications for licences we pay particular attention to human rights in the countries concerned. We take account of all relevant information received from our embassies and other sources.
Military Personnel Costs
Mr. Michael Jopling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the costs of posting military personnel to embassies and high commissions falls on his Department; and what is the total cost. [19959]
Mr. Goodlad: The FCO normally meets the following costs of service attache s and their UK-based support staff who serve at our diplomatic missions overseas:
residential accommodation, furniture and maintenance;
office accommodation, furniture and maintenance;
office utilities;
office telephone, fax and secure communications.
This expenditure is not recorded separately but included with that for all other diplomatic service staff. It would therefore be possible to identify it only by incurring disproportionate cost. Other costs of service attache s, including pay, fall to the Ministry of Defence.
Executive Agencies
Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give the number and location of Natural Resources Institute and Wilton Park offices closed and the number of jobs lost or transferred as a result of agency work transferring from Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom over the past five years; and if he will list the number and location of offices opened and jobs gained in Scotland as the result of agency work transferring to Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom over the same period. [20301]
Mr. Baldry: No Natural Resources Institute or Wilton Park offices have been opened or closed, and no jobs have been lost, transferred or gained over this period as a result of the transfer of agency work from or to Scotland.
Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Russia is meeting its obligations under the conventional forces in Europe treaty in the Caucasus; and if he will make a statement. [20475]
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Mr. Douglas Hogg: The conventional armed forces in Europe treaty was signed in 1990 and establishes numerical limits for different types of military equipment in different regions of Europe. These limits are to be achieved by this November. We are working with our NATO allies and with Russia to ensure that this target is met.
Transport Costs
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff from his Department based overseas rely upon (a) bicycles, (b) horses or other equines, (c) private cars or (d) other means for local transport; at what estimated cost in each case; and if he will make a statement. [18760]
Mr. Goodlad: The FCO and ODA have some 2,600 UK-based and 7,100 locally engaged staff serving overseas. Information about the mode and cost of local transport is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Immigration
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications have been made to the United Kingdom post in Islamabad in the last three years, to date, by applicants from Mirpur for (a) visits to and (b) settlement in the United Kingdom; and how much time on average entry clearance officers in Islamabad have allocated to interview applicants applying for (c) visits to and (d) settlement in the United Kingdom. [19986]
Mr. Baldry: As Islamabad does not record visa applications by locality the information requested in parts (a) and (b) of the question could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The proportion of ECOs' time allocated to settlement and non-settlement interviewing is subject to fluctuations but, on average, the respective proportions are 30 per cent. and 40 per cent. The remaining 30 per cent. is spent on related work-- writing explanatory statements, making local enquiries and so on.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of improved standards of customer service applicants from Mirpur in Pakistan for visas to the United Kingdom post in Islamabad for (a) visits to and (b) settlement in the United Kingdom from establishing temporary facilities for checking application forms and documentation by entry clearance officers being available for parts of each year in Mirpur; what enquiries have been made of the Government of Azad Kashmir about the availability of suitable offices; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry: I have asked the high commission at Islamabad for details and shall arrange for the hon. Member to receive a substantive reply from the migration and visa correspondence unit as soon as possible.
Antarctic Treaty Secretariat
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what bilateral talks have been held with Argentina concerning the location of the Antarctic treaty secretariat. [20235]
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Mr. David Davis: The location of the Antarctic treaty secretariat has been raised periodically during the course of UK-Argentine bilateral meetings on other matters.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent representations he has received from other countries concerning the location of the Antarctic treaty secretariat; what form these took; and what meetings have been held; [20234]
(2) what discussions have been held with other signatory states to the Antarctic treaty concerning the location of the secretariat authorised by the treaty. [20236]
Mr. David Davis: The Argentines regularly promote their candidacy of Buenos Aires for the location for the Antarctic treaty secretariat. Several of the Antarctic treaty parties have raised the issue during bilateral talks on Antarctic issues. Specific aide memoires were delivered to the FCO by representatives of Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United States in December and January on this subject.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Meat Inspections
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many inspectors his Department employs to visit meat wholesalers; how many visits each inspector makes; and how many visits each supplier expects a year; [19486]
(2) if meat wholesalers are notified in advance of visits by his Department's meat inspectors; [19487]
(3) if he will list the number and types of incidents in meat wholesalers detected by his Department's inspectors for the last year for which figures are available. [19489]
Mrs. Browning: The Agriculture Departments are responsible for licensing fresh meat premises--abattoirs, cutting plants and some cold stores, all of which could be considered wholesalers--under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995. Visits for licensing purposes are carried out by officers of the State Veterinary Service. At end 1994, there were 1,580 licensed premises in Great Britain and SVS time spent on visits to meat plants is estimated at 58 man years in 1994 95. Some SVS visits to licensed premises are unannounced. The purpose of SVS licensing visits is to monitor standards and to advise on remedial action where deficiencies are identified. Information on SVS assessments of hygiene standards was given in my reply to the hon. Member for Worcester (Mr. Luff) on 1 March 1995, Official Report , columns 626 28 , and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland's reply to the hon. Member for Ayr (Mr. Gallie) on 14 March 1995, Official Report , columns 480 82 .
On 1 April 1995, responsibility for meat inspection and hygiene enforcement in Great Britain transferred from local authorities to the Meat Hygiene Service, an executive agency of the Department. The MHS currently employs 817 meat hygiene inspectors and 42 official veterinary surgeons, and also obtains vet services and relief cover for meat inspection through contract. MHS personnel are present in abattoirs on a daily basis and make regular visits to cutting premises and cold stores.
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Premises are notified in advance of the overall level of supervision to be expected but will not always know the precise timing of the visits.Until this month, day-to-day hygiene enforcement in fresh meat premises was the responsibility of local authority environmental health departments, and the Department does not hold records of incidents detected by their inspectors.
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what investigations his Department's inspectors carry out on the accuracy of date labelling by wholesale meat suppliers to supermarkets. [19488]
Mrs. Browning: Date-marking requirements apply to pre-packed foodstuffs which are ready for sale to the ultimate consumer or a catering establishment. Enforcement of these requirements is the responsibility of local authorities. Inspectors from local authorities will check on compliance with date-marking requirements as part of their routine duties.
Bovine Offal
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 21 March, Official Report , column 156 , which industrial organisations and individuals made representations to the Government regarding the collection and disposal of specified bovine offal prior to their consideration of the need to require specified bovine offal to be stained with a specified dye and for changes to be made concerning collection and disposal of offal. [19568]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 16 April 1995]: In the course of discussions on aspects of the controls on specified bovine offals, representations were made to the Department on a confidential basis by individuals and bodies from various sides of the industry with a direct concern in this issue.
In line with the Department's policy on openness, responses to the public consultations on these new controls were sought on the basis that they would be made publicly available unless respondents clearly indicated a wish to be excluded from the arrangements. The results of the consultation letters are in the House Library and copies of the responses are available in the MAFF library at Whitehall place.
Sheep Exports
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many sheep were exported to Spain between 1 October 1993 and 30 September 1994; how many of these had an export certificate (a) for slaughter and (b) for further fattening; where the sheep exported to Spain with an export certificate for further fattening were slaughtered; and under what conditions. [19701]
Mrs. Browning: During the period, export health certification was issued for 28,423 sheep for further fattening, and for 630 sheep for slaughter. Bi-lateral arrangements with the Spanish veterinary authorities aim to ensure, by a system of spot-checks, that transport arrangements are satisfactory and that the sheep for further fattening reach their declared final destinations. We have no information on the places of slaughter for sheep exported for further fattening.
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Milk Marque
Mr. McAvoy: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide figures arising from the survey commissioned from the Office of Fair Trading on the impact of the establishment of Milk Marque on 1 November 1994, on the provision of milk to the marketplace and its impact on the consumer in terms of (a) prices, (b) quantity and (c) delivery, including the likely impact on doorstep delivery; and if he will make a statement. [19453]
Mr. Jack: The Office of Fair Trading has not commissioned a survey on the impact of the establishment of Milk Marque.
Advisers
Ms Eagle: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many advisers his Department employs broken down to show (a) political advisers and (b) economic advisers; at what grade and salary they are employed; and what are their minimum working hours in each case. [19429]
Mr. Jack: The Department currently employs one political adviser whose salary and conditions of work have been negotiated individually in relation to previous work and earnings and are confidential. Economic advice is obtained from career civil servants, who may be employed on a variety of working patterns. The numbers by grade in full-time equivalents are:
|Number
----------------------------------
Grade 3 |1
Grade 4 |1
Grade 5 |3
Grade 6 |1
Grade 7 |8
Assistant Economist |13
Common Fisheries Policies
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if it is within the remit of the common fisheries policy review group to question the principle of equal access to a common resource. [19546]
Mr. Jack: I shall want the review group to look at any constructive and realistic proposals for improving the common fisheries policy.
Bovine Somatotropin
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to lift the moratorium on bovine somatotropin at the end of 1995; and if he will make a statement. [19499]
Mrs. Browning: At its meeting in December 1994, the Council of Agriculture Ministers decided, by a qualified majority, to extend the moratorium on bovine somatotropin until 31 December 1999. Although the UK voted against that decision, as it was without scientific justification, it applies in all member states. It is for the Council of Agriculture Ministers to consider any change to that decision. I am not aware that it has any plans to reconsider the subject.
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Swine Vesicular Disease
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of swine vesicular disease were reported in each year since 1985. [19727]
Mrs. Browning: The last case of swine vesicular disease in England was in 1982.
Organophosphorous Sheep Dips
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration he is going to pay in compensation for individuals harmfully affected by the use of organophosphorus sheep dips; and if he will make a statement on compensation claims in respect of his policy on harmful effects of organophosphorus dips. [19787]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 21 April 1995]: The question of compensation for those who claim to be affected by exposure to organophosphorous sheep dips is a matter between the individuals and pharmaceutical companies concerned.
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further controls his Ministry plans on the use of organophosphorous sheep dips; and what steps his Ministry is taking to enforce the present regulations. [19788]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 21 April 1995]: I have no plans for further controls on the use of organophosphorous sheep dips at this stage. It is important to give the new certificate of competence arrangements, which only came into full effect on 1 April 1995, sufficient time before coming to any judgment over their effectiveness. The arrangements will continue to be kept under review, and I will be taking stock of the position at the end of the year. If they are not found to be working properly, then changes will be considered in the light of any further advice the Veterinary Products Committee might offer. Enforcement of the controls on sales of organophosphorous sheep dips is carried out by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, and on their use by the Health and Safety Executive under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1998.
Common Agricultural Policy
Dr. Strang: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will set out his reasons for excluding from the common agricultural policy review group a representative of consumer interests. [19615]
Mr. Waldegrave: In deciding upon whom to invite to become members of the CAP policy group, I chose people who would make their contributions according to their own individual ideas rather than as representatives of particular organisations or sectors. I am always concerned to have a consumer view on the CAP, and have already made this the main agenda item for my next meeting with consumer organisations on 13 June.
Artificial Insemination
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to encourage the use of separated sperm to reduce the number of surplus male calves; and if he will make a statement. [19817]
Mrs. Browning: Recent research has shown that the use of separated sperm is feasible but that at present it is
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not economic for the technique to be used for commercial insemination purposes.HOME DEPARTMENT
Danny Aloysius Riley
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what reasons were given by the governor of Durham prison for not sending Danny Aloysius Riley to Wakefield magistrates court; and if he will make a statement; [17131]
(2) if he will investigate the circumstances in which his Department was unable to establish in which prison Danny Aloysius Riley was being held when he was due to appear at Wakefield magistrates court; [17135]
(3) on what grounds a prison governor can decline to send a prisoner awaiting trial to court; and if he will make a statement. [17134]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Mr. Derek Lewis to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 24 April 1995:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the grounds on which a prison governor can decline to send a prisoner awaiting trial to court, the reasons given by the governor of Durham prison for not sending Danny Aloysius Riley to Wakefield Magistrates' Court and the circumstances in which the Department was unable to establish in which prison Danny Aloysius Riley was being held when he was due to appear at Wakefield Magistrates' Court. The prisoner you refer to is Danny Aloysius Reilly.
Where there is a warrant or court order addressed to the governor of a prison requiring him to produce a prisoner, such a warrant must be obeyed unless alternative arrangements have been made with the court. This is usually in cases where the prisoner is ill or, where there are serious difficulties in meeting the production date, perhaps because of distance or staff availability.
In the case to which you refer, a production order was received at Durham prison on 13 March 1995 to produce Mr. Reilly at Wakefield Magistrates' Court on 23 March. The governor considered that it would cause staffing difficulties with security implications at Durham prison to produce Mr. Reilly on that date. The matter was therefore discussed with the court on 17 March and the court agreed to reschedule the hearing for 20 April. Arrangements have been made to transfer Mr. Reilly to Leeds for production on that date.
The prisoner referred to was charged and convicted under the name of Reilly and his name is recorded as such on his prison records. On 23 March, Durham prison contacted with a query from the Yorkshire Post about a Mr. Aloysius Riley. A check was carried out using the spelling Riley. No Aloysius Riley could be found. As it was known that the prisoner being traced was serving a life sentence, it was suggested that enquiries be directed to Frankland prison, which as a dispersal prison, holds a large number of prisoners serving life sentences. Enquiries at Frankland proved fruitless and Durham prison was contacted again about half and hour later. This time the records were checked using the spelling Reilly and Mr. Danny Aloysius Reilly was identified.
There was no question of the Prison Service being unable to trace Mr. Reilly but rather a need to establish the full and correct name.
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