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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 24 May 1995
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Contracting Out
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for each piece of work subject to a bidding process under the auspices of (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which his Department is responsible (i) where work was contracted out and who the successful bidders were and (ii) which contracts were won by 1995 96. [25552]
Mr. Goodlad: The information requested in respect of the work subject to a bidding process in (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (b) its agency, Wilton Park, and (c) the Overseas Development Administration is shown in the table. To date there have been no bids for work in 1995 96.
|Contract won by:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FCO
1993-94
Travel services |Thomas Cook
1994-95
Unclassified mails |In-house bid
Home security service |Security Facilities Executive
Reprographics |In-house bid
Wilton Park
1994-95
Cleaning services |Coastline Cleaning Company
ODA
1993-94
Facilities management, Victoria street |In-house bid
Facilities management, Abercrombie house |In-house bid
1994-95
Information systems services |In-house bid
Payroll services |<1>Defence Accounts Agency
<1>Notification of award made 1994-95, contract to commence in 1995-96.
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what work has been contracted out (a) by his Department and (b) by agencies for which his Department is responsible in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what are the projected figures for 1995 96. [25550]
Mr. Goodlad: Work contracted out in (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (b) its agency, Wilton Park and (c) the Overseas Development Administration is shown in the table.
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In 1995 96, an exercise to decide on the future ownership of the Natural Resources Institute will also be completed.FCO |Wilton Park |ODA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1993-94 Travel services 1994-95 Home security service |Cleaning services
The following services will be investigated in 1995 96 with a view to possible contracting out:
|Service
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Travel accounts unit |Payroll services
Pensions |Daytime security
|Messenger services for travel implant
Note:
Additional candidates for contracting out are currently under consideration.
Retirements and Redundancies
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the annual cost to his Department of staff leaving under redundancy/early retirement schemes to incorporate (a) added years lump sum payments, (b) redundancy payments, (c) pension payments, including enhancements and (d) any other special arrangements for (i) 1993 94 (ii) 1994 95,(iii) projected for 1995 96 and (iv) projected for1996 97. [25664]
Mr. Goodlad: The costs to the Department of early retirement and redundancies are borne form the Department's running costs provision.
A detailed breakdown of the various cost could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The total costs borne on the Department's running costs in 1993 94 and 1994 95 were £3,777,329 and £6,017,362 respectively. For 1995 96, the amount is estimated at £3,598,324. The figures cover both the diplomatic wing and the Overseas Development Administration. Projections for 1996 97 will be determined during the coming public expenditure survey.
Armenia
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received of attacks and violence against Pentecostal and other evangelical Christians, and members of the Baha'i and Hare Krishna communities in Armenia; and if he will make a statement. [25593]
Mr. Goodlad: We have received no reports of such incidents.
Staff
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes there have been in the number of staff in employment by grade in (a) his office and (b) each agency for which his office is responsible (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what are the projected figures for 1995 96. [25624]
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Mr. Goodlad: The numbers of permanent staff employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office diplomatic wing and its executive agency and the Overseas Development Administration in 1993 94, projected out-turn for 1994 95, and plans for 1995 96 are published in my Department's annual report, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. No projections broken down by grade are available.
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff of (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and (b) agencies for which the FCO is responsible, were employed on a casual or short-term basis in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what are the projected figures for 1995 96. [25480]
Mr. Goodlad: I refer the hon. Member to reply that I gave on 22 May, Official Report, column 381.
Consultancy Expenditure
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the level of expenditure on consultancy by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which his Department is responsible for (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what are the projected figures for 1995 96. [25551]
Mr. Goodlad: The table shows the level of expenditure on consultancy by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Diplomatic and Aid Wings for 1993 94 and 1994 95 and projected figures for 1995 96 including the aid wing's agency, the Natural Resources Institute. Figures for the aid wing exclude expenditure under the aid programme.
£ millions
|1995-96
|1993-94 |1994-95 |Projected
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Diplomatic wing |14.2 |12.4 |16
Aid wing |0.7 |0.5 |0.8
Natural Resources Institute |0.02 |0.04 |0.05
British Prisoners Overseas
Mr. Ottoway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on appeals for clemency on behalf of British nationals who are sentenced to death overseas. [26110]
Mr. Baldry: An appeal for clemency is a request to foreign authorities to exercise such leniency as they can under their own legal and constitutional system.
We do not automatically appeal for clemency on behalf of British nationals sentenced to death overseas. Appeals for clemency are considered case by case, normally once the domestic legal process has been exhausted.
We take a number of factors into account in deciding whether to appeal for clemency, including considering whether the sentence complies with established international standards on the application of the death penalty. For example:
--Is the sentence disproportionate to the crime?
--Are there grounds to believe there has been a denial or miscarriage of justice?
--Is an appeal for clemency by the prisoner allowed locally? We also take into consideration whether the accused is a dual national, any humanitarian grounds for concern, and the likely effect of an appeal for clemency.
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An appeal for clemency on behalf of a British national is in principle a bilateral matter between ourselves and the state concerned. Where a bilateral appeal has been rejected, we may consider asking our EU partners to join us in supporting an appeal.Falklands Islands (Oil)
Mr. Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what agreement British Gas has reached with Her Majesty's Government on obtaining exclusive rights to explore for oil off the Falkland Islands. [26584]
Mr. David Davis: No special agreements have been entered into between any company and either the British or the Falkland Islands Governments. The Falkland Islands Government are responsible for awarding licences to explore for hydrocarbons off the islands. They intend to seek expressions of interest in licences from all companies wishing to be involved in oil exploration.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Mr. Jonathan Carrington Miller
Ms Estelle Morris: To ask the Attorney-General if he will review the sentence given to Mr. Jonathan Carrington Miller at Hereford Crown court in May. [24793]
The Attorney-General: I am unable to review the sentence in this case as the offences for which the sentence was imposed fall outside the scope of my powers under the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
WALES
Public Bodies
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what date his Department has set by which all Welsh executive non-departmental public bodies must (a) establish and (b) publish registers of members' interests; [25387]
(2) if it is his policy to ensure that all Welsh executive non-departmental public bodies publish registers of members' interests; and what steps he has taken to instigate their publication [25388]
Mr. Redwood: I refer the hon. Member to the replyI gave him on 16 May, Official Report , column 131 .I expect all Welsh executive non- departmental public bodies to establish a register within the current year.
Disabled Parking
Mr. Roy Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines he issues to ensure that spaces allocated in public car parks for the disabled are left executively for them; and what measures he is taking to ensure that those guidelines are complied with. [25761]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Designated bays can be provided on the highway or in off-street car parks under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. These are enforceable by law.
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Guidelines for the provision and enforcement of spaces for the disabled are contained in traffic advisory leaflet 5/95 issued by the Department of Transport. Copies of the leaflet are available in the Library of the House.In privately owned and operated car parks, it is for individual operators to take whatever steps they consider necessary to see that reserved spaces are not misused.
Further Education Funding Council
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to announce the new membership of the Further Education Funding Council for Wales; and if he will make a statement. [26433]
Mr. Richards: The following have accepted invitations to be members of the Further Education Funding Council for Wales: Mr. Richard Webster, Chairman
Mr. Stephen Dunster
Mr. Shaun Dyke
Mr. Osborn Jones
Mrs. Caroline Lewis
Mr. Idris Price
Mr. Ken Thomas
Mr. Grant Walshe
Mr. Trevor Wilmore
Mr. Dunster, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Walshe have been reappointed for two years from 6 May 1995, and the other members appointed for three years from the same date.
Professor John Andrews continues as chief executive and member until 5 May 1997.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Lord President of the Council what is the procedure for obtaining parliamentary answers in the House of Commons from the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor-General for Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [24077]
Mr. Newton: Parliamentary questions relating to matters which fall within the responsibility of the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General for Scotland are addressed to the Secretary of State for Scotland and answered by a Scottish Office Minister.
LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Child Care
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Lord President of the Council what are the child care or nursery facilities within his Department; and what is the breakdown in their use (a) by grade and (b) by gender. [15233]
Mr. Newton: Privy Council Office staff are able to use the Westminster holiday play scheme, which is organised by the Office of Public Service and Science. So far, no staff have made use of this facility.
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TREASURY
Treasury Reserve
Miss Lestor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all the occasions when the Treasury reserve was used in 1994 95; how much was drawn; and which Departments or Ministries were involved. [25734]
Mr. Aitken: Provisional outturn figures for public expenditure for 1994 95 will be published as described in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Southport (Mr. Banks) on 23 May. The information published will include revised plans and provisional outturn by Department, and the difference between these constitutes the net claim on the reserve. Because these are net figures which include offsets for underspending, it is not possible to break them down into individual claims.
Miss Lestor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the occasions in the last five years when the Overseas Development Administration has had to draw on Treasury reserves. [25735]
Mr. Aitken: The ODA has drawn on the reserve 22 times in the past five years. The claims were agreed in the usual way on the occasions listed:
1990 91 Main Estimates
1990 91 Summer Estimates
1991 92 Winter Supplementary
1991 92 Main Estimates
1991 92 winter Supplementary
1991 92 Spring Supplementary
1992 93 Winter Supplementary
1993 94 Spring Supplementary
1994 95 Main Estimates
1994 95 Winter Supplementary
1994 95 Spring Supplementary
1995 96 Main Estimates
Staff
Ms Hodge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what changes there have been in the numbers of staff employed by (a) the Treasury and (b) agencies for which the Treasury is responsible, listing the changes in the number of staff agency by agency in (i) 1993 94 and(ii) 1994 95; and what changes are projected for1995 96; [25063]
(2) how many posts were lost in (a) the Treasury and (b) agencies for which the Treasury is responsible, listing total posts lost agency by agency in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and how many posts are proposed to be lost in 1995 96;
(3) what changes there have been in the number of staff in employment by grade in (a) the Treasury and (b) each agency for which the Treasury is responsible in (i) 1993 94 and (ii) 1994 95; and what are the projected figures for 1995 96; [25628]
(4) how many staff of (a) the Treasury and (b) agencies for which the Treasury is responsible were employedon a casual or short-term basis in (i) 1993 94 and(ii) 1994 95; and what are the projected figures for1995 96. [25417]
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The numbers of permanent and casual staff employed by the Treasury in 1993 94, projected outturn for 1994 95 and plans for 1995 96 are
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published in the Departmental report of the Chancellor's smaller Departments, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Projections by grade are not available. The Treasury does not have any executive agencies.Bank of England Inflation Report
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to instigate an inquiry into the disclosure of the Bank of England's inflation report conclusions before the release time of 11.30 am on11 May.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 23 May 1995]: The bank's inflation report was published at 11.30 am on Thursday 11 May. I have no reason to believe that any unauthorised person had access to the report or its conclusions prior to that time.
HEALTH
City and East London FHSA
Mr. Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date she received the section 20(3) report referred to in the City and East London family health services authority 1994 management letter. [23944]
Mr. Malone: On 2 February 1995.
Mr. Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the (a) chairmen and (b) members of the City and East London family health services authority since 1 January 1990; and what were their terms of office. [25558]
Mr. Malone: The City and East London family health services authority was established on 17 September 1990. Those who have served as chairmen since then are:
Ms Jacqui Lait from 17 September 1990 to 31 October 1991; Mr. Norman Warner from 1 November 1991 to 31 August 1994; and Mr. Peter Holwell from 1 September 1994. Mr. Holwell's term of office is due to expire on 31 March 1996.
The appointment of non-executive members to City and East London FHSA is a matter for North Thames regional health authority, the hon. Member may wish to contact Sir William Staveley, the chairman, for details.
Skin Cancer
Mr. Congdon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information campaigns her Department is funding to increase understanding and awareness of the dangers of exposure to the sun; [24578]
(2) what work her Department has undertaken in the past year to raise awareness of the dangers to the skin of exposure to sunlight; [24579]
(3) what steps her Department is taking to ensure that children are protected from exposure to the sun during the summer months; and if she will make a statement. [25477]
Mr. Sackville: Skin cancer is a serious public health problem--and one that is largely preventable. In pursuit of "The Health of the Nation" strategy to halt the year on year increase in the incidence of skin cancer, the
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Department is collaborating with a number of organisations on a range of initiatives and "health alliances" aimed at tackling skin cancer. These include:surveys on behaviour and attitudes to sun exposure in order to refine targeting of action;
research projects on the nature of skin cancer to help provide a better understanding of prevention and treatment strategies; the issue of comprehensive guidance to the NHS on local skin cancer prevention strategies;
public information initiatives, such as ultraviolet radiation levels on Television weather forecasts; a Freephone Helpline, and a factsheet on UVR from the National Radiological Protection Board; the launch of a "sun know- how" programme of skin cancer prevention initiatives by the Health Education Authority involving more than 1,000 local organisations;
the issue earlier this month of "Sun Awareness and Protection Guidelines for Schools" to encourage the implementation of prudent sun protection policies in schools;
most recently, the launch of a poster from the Cancer Research Campaign and the Department aimed specifically at primary health care teams giving prevention and early diagnosis advice.
In addition, the Health Education Authority is participating in a Sun Awareness Week starting on 5 June, when a number of mainly local events will be mounted.
The Department will continue to work actively with others to reduce the rising incidence of skin cancer over the next decade and beyond.
Immunisation
Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of adverse reaction among children to immunisation have been reported by the medical profession to her Department in each of the last five years. [24564]
Mr. Sackville: The number of reports of adverse reactions to all vaccines in children reported to the Medicines Control Agency is shown in the table, with the total number of immunisations given to children as part of the childhood vaccine programme:
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