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PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 25 April. [19504]
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 25 April 1995. [19506]
The Prime Minister: This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Downing Street Admissions
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Prime Minister(1) how many individuals accompanying delegations of hon. Members were refused admission to Downing street on 19 April; and on what grounds they were refused entry; [20364]
(2) what dress restrictions govern admission of individuals to Downing street; [20365]
(3) when the decision was taken to restrict delegations to 10 Downing street to six people; who took it; and if he will list all restrictions applying to hon. Members. [20363]
The Prime Minister: Three members of the public were refused entry to Downing street on 19 April because they were dressed as foxes. Since 1980s, if petitioners have wished to wear costume, it has been the practice to restrict admission to those wearing national dress or working uniforms. This is to maintain the dignity of the street and its surroundings. Delegations are normally restricted to six people in order to ensure the staff in the street can cope during busy periods.
There are no written restrictions on access to the street by hon. Members, but entry must remain at the discretion of the police on duty.
VE Day Commemorations
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister if he will state which of the VE commemorations Her Majesty the Queen will be participating in the United Kingdom and overseas as (i) Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, (ii) head of all those countries of which she is Head of State, (iii) Head of the Commonwealth and (iv) on which combination of (i) to (iii) above; and if he will make a statement. [20856]
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The Prime Minister: Her Majesty the Queen, who is Head of the Commonwealth, will be participating in the VE day commemorations in the United Kingdom as Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Her Majesty will not participate in VE day commemorations outside the United Kingdom.
Governor-Generals
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister on whose advice governor- generals make visits in their capacity as representatives of Her Majesty the Queen to overseas countries; and if he will make a statement. [20860]
The Prime Minister: Governor-generals make official visits to overseas countries in their capacity as representative of Her Majesty the Queen on the advice of her Ministers in the realm concerned.
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister if the governor-generals of the countries of which Her Majesty is Head of State are deemed for the purpose of the VE commemorations to be Head of State in their own right; and if he will make a statement. [20855]
The Prime Minister: The only governor-general of Her Majesty's other realms who is expected to attend the VE day commemorations in London on 6 and 7 May is the Governor-General of Jamaica. He will attend in his capacity as Her Majesty's representative in Jamaica on behalf of the people of that country.
Her Majesty the Queen
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if a state visit made by an overseas Head of State to Britain is a visit to (a) Her Majesty the Queen as Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, (b) Great Britain hosted by Her Majesty the Queen, (c) Her Majesty the Queen as Head of State of all those countries of which she is Head of State, (d) Her Majesty the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth or (e) in a combination of the above. [20857]
(2) if on the occasion of the state visit of (a) the President of Zimbabwe in May 1994 and (b) the King and Queen of Norway in July 1994, the Queen received these guests in her capacity as (i) Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, (ii) Head of State of all those countries of which she is Head of State, (iii) as Head of the Commonwealth on (iv) or which combination of (i) to (iii) above; and if he will make a statement. [20858]
The Prime Minister: State visitors to the United Kingdom are invited by Her Majesty the Queen, who is Head of the Commonwealth, as Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on behalf of the nation as a whole following consultation with her Ministers in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister (1) by what method and which Heads of government the Queen is advised before and during an official visit to republics where she is making the visit as Head of State and not merely as the Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [20861]
(2) on the occasion of the visit by Her Majesty the Queen to Russia in October 1994 and South Africa in March 1995, if the Queen was received in her capacity as (i) Head of State of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
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(ii) Head of State of all those countries of which she is Head of State, (iii) as Head of the Commonwealth, or(iv) on which combination of (i) to (iii) above; and if he will make a statement. [20859]The Prime Minister: Her Majesty the Queen makes official visits overseas in her capacity as Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the advice of her Ministers in the United Kingdom unless the visit is to one of Her Majesty's other realms. In those latter cases, her visit is as Head of State of the realm concerned, and is made on the advice of her Ministers in that realm.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
Rwanda
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the factors which have led to World Food Programme trucks not reaching their targets in Rwanda; and what international action is being taken to allow them to progress to camps for Rwandan refugees in Zaire. [20251]
Mr. Baldry: The rapid response from the UK and other donors to a recent World Food Programme--United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees appeal means that supplies are now assured until October. However, Rwanda's landlocked position has made it difficult to gauge the amount needed in the supply pipeline so as to ensure a continuous flow of food at the required level to people in need. On the question of access to camps in Zaire, we are in close touch with the WFP to see if we can help find a solution to the closing of the border. In the meantime, WFP is actively exploring alternative routes.
Botswana
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action is being taken by Her Majesty's Government and by the international community to alleviate drought in Botswana. [20252]
Mr. Baldry: No formal appeal for assistance has been made by the Government of Botswana, but we have had discussions on the drought with them, and other donors, and are ready to consider a request for assistance. There is unlikely to be a need for food aid as Botswana, in a non-drought year, already imports some 90 per cent. of its food requirements. It is therefore likely that any UK assistance will focus on technical and logistical support for food distribution to vulnerable communities.
Kenya
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in what ways the Government of Kenya (a) meet and (b) do not meet the yardstick of good governance for the receipt of bilateral or multilateral aid. [19909]
Mr. Baldry: Kenya's governance has improved significantly over recent years, which have seen the restoration of multi-party politics, serious discussion of
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issues of substance in Parliament and a much freer press. But concerns remain on a number of issues, including the status of the Government of Kenya--United Nations Development Programme displaced persons programme, the frustration by some officials of legitimate political activity, the arrests of opposition MPs, and corruption. The continuation of our substantial aid programme at current levels will depend on further progress on these and other governance issues.India
Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance he is giving to India to raise environmental standards of coal-fired power stations.
Mr. Baldry: We are helping the Indian authorities to improve environmental auditing and dry ash disposal. In collaboration with the World bank, we have also funded work on environmental management of coal- fired power stations in Singrauli; and are contributing to a programme in Orissa which includes renovation of existing thermal generation and construction of new capacity to current environmental standards. Other projects are under consideration.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Business Link Outlets
Mr. Wilson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many civil servants from his Department have been seconded to, or are otherwise employed within, business link outlets. [18110]
Mr. Page: Thirty-nine civil servants have been co-located in business link outlets as at 31 March 1995. Annexe A gives a regional breakdown by Government office of staff co-locations to business links.
Government office |Number of staff for: |co-located ------------------------------------------------------------- East Midlands |8 London |0 South East |1 Yorkshire and Humberside |4 South West |1 East |2 North West |6 West Midlands |13 North East |2 Merseyside |2
Franchising
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to protect franchisees from false claims by franchisers. [20029]
Mr. Page: Franchising in the United Kingdom is subject to the general law of contract and other general laws applying to commercial relationships. There are no current plans to introduce specific legislation for franchise agreements.
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many actions were taken by his Department, against franchisers, for false claims in 1994. [20030]
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Mr. Page: This information is not held in the form requested. The Department records only action taken under the Companies Act 1948 and 1985. These figures are not broken down by type of business.
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much of his Department's grant was made available to the franchise centre. [20031]
Mr. Page: The franchise centre received £10,000 regional selective assistance in 1993 to aid the establishment of 6.5 permanent jobs.
Manufacturing Company Wages
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the average percentage increase in real wages since 1979 of chairs of the top 500 United Kingdom manufacturing companies. [20558]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The Government do not compile statistics of the type requested by the hon. Member.
Murvi Motorcaravans
Mr. Steen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to complete his investigations into the matters raised by the hon. Member for South Hams in his
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letters to him of 4 April and 13 April regarding the refusal of his office in Plymouth to award a regional selective assistance grant to Murvi Motorcaravans. [20590]Mr. Page: My investigations into this case are complete and I replied to my hon. Friend on 24 April 1995.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Allowances
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Attorney-General if he will list for each agency and the central Department for which he is responsible (a) the total amount of removal costs and associated expenses reimbursed to officials who were required to relocate as part of their employment, (b) the amount of each of the highest three claims that were concluded and settled and (c) the average amount of each claim in each of the last three years. [19666]
The Attorney-General: The information for the Departments and agency for which I am responsible--Crown Prosecution Service, Treasury Solicitor's Department, Government Property Lawyers agency, Serious Fraud Office and the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers--is given in the table.
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1992-93 £ 1993-94 £ 1994-95 £
|(a) |(b) |(c) |(a) |(b) |(c) |(a) |(b) |(c)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPS |353,492|n/a |14,140 |499,405|26,468 |18,496 |444,531|20,418 |12,348
|23,433 |15,985
|22,406 |15,752
T. SOL. |26,237 |8,418 |4,373 |4,318 |2,931 |1,439 |4,448 |3,033 |2,224
|6,313 |1,367 |1,415
|5,860 |20 |-
GPL<1> |- |- |- |19,878 |nil |29,391 |9,513 |29,391 |nil
SFO |26,245 |2,214 |7,184 |27,001 |26,219 |13,501 |22,792 |6,151 |11,396
|- |28,733 |-
|- |-
LSLO |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
<1> Government Property Lawyers was established on 1 April 1993.
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the total amount paid by his central Department and each agency for which he is responsible in subsistence allowances for travel (a) within the United Kingdom and (b) outside the United Kingdom in each of the last three years. [19548]
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The Attorney-General: The information for the Departments and agency for which I am responsible--the Crown Prosecution Service, Treasury Solicitor's Department, Government Property Lawyers agency, Serious Fraud Office and the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers--is given in the table.
1992-93 £ 1993-94 £ 1994-95 £
|(a) |(b) |(a) |(b) |(a) |(b)
--------------------------------------------------------
CPS<1> 894,140 788,055 1,072,030
T.SOL. |10,217|9,893 |4,066 |864 |2,969 |10,637
GPL<2> |- |- |4,155 |NIL |3,566 |NIL
SFO |38,255|14,639|71,812|22,133|62,920|19,302
LSLO Included inT.S938 abo1,417 1,030 1,526
<1> Aggregate for (a) and (b).
<2> Government Property Lawyers was established on 1
April 1993.
Overtime
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Attorney-General if he will list for each agency and the central Department for which he is responsible (a) the total hours of overtime worked for which payment has been made, (b) the total amount paid in overtime and (c) the total time in days and its monetary equivalent lost through sickness in each of the last three years. [19668]
The Attorney-General: The information for the Departments and agency for which I am responsible--Crown Prosecution Service, Treasury Solicitor's Department, Government Property Lawyers agency,
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Serious Fraud Office and the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers--is given in the tables.
Sickness<1>
|1992 days|1993 days
----------------------------------------
CPS |48,213.00|53,495.00
T.SOL. |2,965.83 |3,098.94
GPL<2> |- |868.00
SFO |842.42 |1,609.90
LSLO |18.75 |56.55
<1> Figures provided by the
Occupational Health Service agency.
Figures for 1994 are not yet available.
No records are available which give
figures for a monetary equivalent.
<2> Government Property Lawyers was
established on 1 April 1993.
P
Overtime
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95
|(a) hours|(b) £ |(a) hours|(b) £ |(a) hours|(b) £
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPS |n/a |587,268 |n/a |685,179 |n/a |523,439
T.SOL. |2,589.0 |24,025 |3,027.5 |30,220 |1,701.5 |18,190
GPL<1> |- |- |313.0 |2,873 |286.0 |2,555
SFO |5,236.0 |42,872 |6,711.0 |55,748 |5,795.0 |55,188
LSLO |1,781.5 |14,426 |1,943.5 |17,279 |1,435.25 |12,990
<1> Government Property Lawyers was established on 1 April 1993.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Iran
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what specific recent representations have been made to Iran regarding its nuclear programme. [20362]
Mr. David Davies: We have made no specific representations to Iran regarding its nuclear programme, but we have made public our concerns at reports that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made it clear in his evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 18 January that the US assessment indicating that Iran could possess a nuclear explosive device within seven to 15 years gave serious cause for concern.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements Her Majesty's Government intend to make to permit international safeguards inspectors to verify the United Kingdom's cessation of production of fissile material for explosive uses. [20384]
Mr. David Davis: The announcement that the UK has ceased production of fissile material for explosive purposes was made to show our commitment to the negotiation of a treaty banning such productions. We anticipate that negotiations will begin in June at the conference on disarmament in Geneva. We intend that the treaty should include appropriate verification arrangements.
Russia (Nuclear Safeguards)
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to fulfil the commitment made by the European Union
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Energy Commissioner on the nuclear safeguards conference in St. Petersburg on 10 April that the European Union would assist the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States in developing a regional safeguards system; and whether he raised this matter, in regard to its relevance to combating illicit trafficking in nuclear materials, with his Russian counterpart at the nuclearnon-proliferation treaty conference in New York.
Mr. David Davis: The UK--through the DTI, British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. and the AEA--has been closely involved in international programmes of safeguards collaboration with nuclear authorities and facility operators in both Russia and Kazakhstan. UK efforts initially focused on the provision of training seminars covering a wide range of safeguards issues. Direct collaboration between UK and Russian and Kazakh operators on facility specific safeguards systems is now being developed as a result of these seminars. The Russian Foreign Minister was not in New York at the time of the Foreign Secretary's visit.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in establishing Organisation on Security and Co-operation in Europe monitors of the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute following the decision of the Budapest summit last November; what is the United Kingdom's contribution to it; and if he will make a statement. [20474]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: The Budapest summit of the OSCE in December 1994 decided that an agreement between the parties on the cessation of hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would be a necessary precondition for the deployment of a multi-national peacekeeping operation. Although a ceasefire has now been in place for almost a year, no agreement has yet been reached. The OSCE Minsk group is actively engaged, with our full support, in efforts to promote an agreement.
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We have offered to send a team of signallers to a monitoring mission, if required. We are providing personnel for the high-level planning group which is working in Vienna on a possible peacekeeping operation.Azerbaijan
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Azerbaijan; and what plans he has to visit the country in the near future. [20472]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We enjoy excellent relations with Azerbaijan. Bilateral trade is increasing rapidly. We have provided substantial humanitarian aid and we have a programme of technical assistance through the know-how fund.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs does not at present have plans to visit Azerbaijan.
Non-proliferation Treaty Conference
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech to the non-proliferation treaty conference in New York on 18 April. [20382]
Mr. David Davis: A copy has been placed in the Library.
Smoking
Mr. Peter Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what facilities are provided and arrangements made for the well-being and comfort of staff who (a) smoke and (b) do not wish to be affected by smoking at (i) the work-station and (ii) rest, recreation and refreshment facilities at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles street, London.
Mr. Goodlad: There are designated smoking areas, and smoking is permitted in single-occupancy offices.
Smoking is not permitted in shared offices, or at meetings, or in other common areas apart from designated smoking areas.
In general, rest, recreation and refreshment facilities either have smoking and no-smoking areas or do not permit any smoking.
Leader of the Opposition (Briefing)
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the extent of the briefing Foreign Office officials or Ministers provided to the right hon. Member for Sedgefield(Mr. Blair) for this trip to Washington in 1986. [20610]
Mr. Baldry: We have no record of any such briefing.
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what briefing the United Kingdom ambassador to the United States of America provided to press during the right hon. Member for Sedgefield's visit to Washington in 1986 as to whether the visit was official. [20581]
Georgia
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a
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statement on relations with Georgia; and what plans he has to visit the country in the near future. [20471]Mr. Douglas Hogg: We enjoy excellent relations with Georgia. A British embassy will open in Tbilisi later this year; Georgia intends to open an embassy in the UK soon. Head of State Eduard Shevardnadze visited the UK as a guest of Government in February. We have provided substantial humanitarian aid, and are developing a programme of technical assistance through the know-how fund.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs does not at present have plans to visit Georgia.
Armenia
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Armenia; and what plans he has to visit the country in the near future. [20473]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We enjoy excellent relations with Armenia. A British embassy will open in Yerevan later this year. We have provided substantial humanitarian aid for Armenia, and are developing a programme of technical assistance through the know-how fund. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs does not at present have plans to visit Armenia.
Unitary Tax Campaign
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's ambassador attended all the official meetings held by the three hon. Members in Washington DC in May 1986 as part of the unitary tax campaign; and what was the purpose of such attendance. [20611]
Mr. Baldry: A visit by parliamentary supporteurs of the unitary tax campaign took place on 19 and 20 June 1986. We no longer have records of which, if any, of the delegation's official meetings the ambassador attended.
European Union Legislation
Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he is considering for changing the system of comitologyin EU decision making; and if he will make a statement. [20245]
Mr. David Davis: None. Comitology was re-examined as recently as last year. In December, the Council, Commission and European Parliament agreed to a limited EP role in comitology measures stemming from co- decision legislations. It was agreed that the European Parliament should be able to give an opinion on the few measures of general application which are proposed under the Commission's delegated powers in co-decision legislation, when, following a negative opinion, these measures are referred by the relevant comitology committee back to the Council for decision.
Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) annual reports, (b) annual
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accounts, (c) the minutes of meetings, (d) the agendas of meetings and (e) registers of members' interests; and whether in each case this is (i) under a statutory requirement or (ii) voluntary. [20497]Mr. Goodlad: The answer for non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the FCO, including the Overseas Development Administration, is shown in the table:
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Publishes
|Annual Reports |Annual Accounts|Minutes |Agendas |Registers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Council |Yes (statutory)|Yes (statutory)|No |No |<1>No
British-Russia Centre |Yes (statutory)|Yes (statutory)|No |No |No
British Association for
Central and Eastern Europe |Yes (statutory)|Yes (statutory)|No |No |No
Commonwealth Institutes
in London and Edinburgh |Yes (voluntary)|Yes (voluntary)|No |No |No
Great Britain-China Centre |Yes (voluntary)|Yes (statutory)|No |No |No
Marshall Aid Commemoration
Commission |Yes (statutory)|Yes (statutory)|No |No |No
Westminster Foundation
for Democracy |Yes (statutory)|Yes (statutory)|<1>No |<1>No |No
Commonwealth Scholarship
Commission |Yes (statutory)|Yes (statutory)|No |No |No
Crown Agents Holding and
Realisation Board |Yes (statutory)|Yes (statutory)|No |No |No
<1> Available for inspection on request.
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government,(e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [20657]
Mr. Goodlad: The answer for non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the FCO, including the Overseas Development Administration, is shown in the table.
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Subject to:
|Investigation by|Scrutiny |Statutory
|Parliamentary |by Audit |Scrutiny |Provisions for |Performance |Provisions under
|Commissioner |Commission |by HAO |open government |Indicators |citizens charter
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
British Council |Yes |No |Yes |No |Yes |Yes
Britain-Russia Centre |Yes |No |Yes |No |Yes |Yes
British Association for
Central and Eastern Europe |No |No |Yes |No |No |No
Commonwealth Institutes
in London and Edinburgh |No |No |Yes |No |Yes |Yes
Great Britain-China Centre |Yes |No |Yes |No |Yes |Yes
Marshall Aid Commemoration
Commission |No |No |Yes |No |No |Yes
Westminster Foundation
for Democracy |No |No |Yes |No |No |No
Commonwealth Scholarship
Commission |No |No |Yes |No |No |No
Crown Agent's Holding
and Realisation Board |No |No |Yes |No |No |No
Tibet
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed Tibet with the Government of the People's Republic of China; and if he will make a statement on the issues which were discussed. [20798]
Mr. Goodlad: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised Tibet with the Chinese Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Qian Qichen in New York on 18 April during discussions on a broad range of bilateral and international issues.
Ambassadors' Pay
Mr. Sykes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the pay of the most senior ambassadors.
Mr. Hurd: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told the House on 9 February, Official Report , columns
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345-47 , that parallel arrangements to those established for the pay of permanent secretaries would be made for the most senior ambassadors--that is, those with a rank equivalent to permanent secretary.A remuneration committee has now been established to advise me on the pay of those ambassadors. The full terms of reference are given. Although the final decisions on the pay of individual ambassadors will be for me to take, I would expect normally to accept the recommendations of the committee.
As in the case of the remuneration committee dealing with permanent secretaries' pay, there will be five members of the committee, three from the private sector, the head of the diplomatic service and the chief clerk of the diplomatic service. The recommendations made to me will be those of the three private sector members and the terms of reference provide that the chairman be drawn from their number.
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