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Column 323
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 22 June 1995
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Research Centres
Mr. Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the interdisciplinary research centres were last reviewed; and if he will make a statement. [29860]
Mr. Horam: A list of the interdisciplinary research centres is as shown, indicating when they were last reviewed. Reviews are conducted by the funding research councils, as part of each council's normal funding review programme and according to each council's normal monitoring and evaluation review processes.
Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IRCs) and Their Last Review
Funding |Last review
body |Title |Location |date
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBSRC |BBSRC IRC for |UCL |March 1995
| Biochemical
| Engineering
BBSRC |Centre for Genome |Edinburgh |October 1993
| Research
BBSRC |Oxford Centre for |Oxford |October 1992
| Molecular Sciences
| (Joint EPSRC/MRC)
BBSRC |Sussex Centre for |Sussex |July 1993
| Neuroscience
MRC |Research Centre in |Oxford |-
| Brain and Behaviour
MRC |Laboratory for |UCL |-
| Molecular Cell Biology
MRC |Centre for Mechanisms |Leicester |-
| of Human Toxicity
MRC |Cambridge Centre for |Cambridge |May 1994
| Protein Engineering
MRC |Institute of Molecular |Oxford |-
| Medicine
MRC |IRC in Brain Repair |Cambridge |-
NERC |Centre for Population |Imperial |April 1993
| Biology
EPSRC |Optoelectronics |Southampton |April 1994
EPSRC |Semi-conductor |Imperial/UCL/ |April 1994
| Materials | Oxford/Sheffield
EPSRC |Superconductivity |Cambridge |April 1995
EPSRC |Materials for High |Birmingham/Swansea |April 1994
| Performance
| Applications
EPSRC |Surface Science |Liverpool/Manchester |April 1993
EPSRC |Process Systems |Imperial/UCL |August 1993
| Engineering
EPSRC |Polymer Science and |Leeds/Bradford |March 1994
| Technology | /Durham
ESRC |Research Centre on |Essex |May 1993
| Micro Social Change in
| Britain
ESRC |Human Communication |Edinburgh/Glasgow |May 1993
| Research Centre
ESRC |Centre for Economic |LSE |February 1995
| Performance
Mr. Battle: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the interdisciplinary research centres in order of date of establishment; and what plans he has to review or extend them. [29861]
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Mr. Horam: The interdisciplinary research centres are as listed, in order of date of establishment, showing next planned review dates. These reviews, which are part of the research councils' normal evaluation and review processes, include consideration for extending funding.
Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IRCs) and their Next Planned
Review Dates
Funding |Date of |Next planned
body |Title |establishment |review date
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPSRC |Superconductivity |1987 |-
EPSRC |Surface Science |1988 |in progress
BBSRC |Oxford Centre for |1988 |1996-97
| Molecular Sciences (Joint
| EPSRC/MRC)
EPSRC |Semi-conductor Materials |1988 |October 1995
EPSRC |Polymer Science and |1989 |1996
| Technology
ESRC |Human Communication |1989 |September 1997
| Research Centre
ESRC |Research Centre on Micro |1989 |September 1997
| Social Change in Britain
EPSRC |Optoelectronics |1989 |1996
EPSRC |Process Systems |1989 |December 1995
| Engineering
EPSRC |Materials for High |1989 |1996
| Performance Applications
NERC |Centre for Population |1989 |April 1998
| Biology
MRC |Institute of Molecular |1989 |October 1995
| Medicine
BBSRC |Centre for Genome |1990 |1997
| Research
ESRC |Centre for Economic |1990 |September 1998
| Performance
MRC |Cambridge Centre for |1990 |1998-99
| Protein Engineering
BBSRC |Sussex Centre for |1991 |1997
| Neuroscience
EPSRC |Biomedical Materials |1991 |1996
MRC |Research Centre in Brain |1991 |March 1996
| and Behaviour
BBSRC |BBSRC IRC for |1991 |1999
| Biochemical Engineering
MRC |IRC in Brain Repair |1992 |1996-97
MRC |Laboratory for Molecular |1993 |1995-96
| Cell Biology
MRC |Centre for Mechanisms of |1993 |1997-98
| Human Toxicity
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Yugoslavia
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to resist the intervention of the European Union directly or indirectly in the military situation in the former Yugoslavia. [29946]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: The EU has no military role in the former Yugoslavia. Forces from EU member states are there under UN and not EU mandates.
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence he has to what proportion of atrocities in former Yugoslavia have been committed by each party. [29947]
Mr. Hogg: It is generally regarded, by the UN and other humanitarian organisations, that the Serbs have committed most of the atrocities. However, all parties have been responsible for acts of this kind. We
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condemn all human rights abuses and atrocities committed in the course of the conflict.Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent his policy in the former Yugoslavia has been influenced by religious considerations. [29951]
Obscene Publications
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the United Kingdom is meeting its obligations under the agreement and convention for the suppression of the circulation of obscene publications; and what steps he is taking to ensure future compliance. [30020]
Mr. Baldry: The 1910 agreement requires contracting states to designate an authority to co-ordinate information and communicate it, where appropriate, to the authorities in other countries. In the United Kingdom, the Home Secretary is the designated authority. The 1923 convention encourages signatories to introduce domestic and import legislation to curb the trade in obscene publications. The UK meets its main obligations under the convention through the provisions of the Obscene Publications Acts 1959 and 1964 and the Customs Consolidation Act 1876.
Child Abduction
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the work of his Department in the field of child abduction over the past year; and what work is planned in the year ahead. [30389]
Mr. Baldry: We provide support to families in 75 cases worldwide. We initiated an EU demarche urging a range of countries to sign up to the Hague and European conventions. We raised child abduction at the 50th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights and in an EU presidency statement to the Commission on Human Rights. We maintained our funding and commitment to Reunite, the national council for abducted children. We held two meetings with the all-party parliamentary group. We work closely with the Lord Chancellor's Department.
In the year ahead we shall continue to press foreign Governments to sign the conventions and to support the families of abducted children.
Nuclear Tests (France)
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts he is making (a) through the EU and (b) unilaterally to persuade the French Government not to test nuclear weapons in the Pacific; what representations he has received from (i) New Zealand, (ii) Australia, (iii) other Commonwealth countries o this issue; and if he will make a statement. [30175]
Mr. David Davis: We have received representations from a number of Commonwealth Governments, including those of Australia and New Zealand, expressing concern over the French decision to suspend their moratorium on nuclear testing. We understand that
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concern, but do not believe that a strictly limited programme of tests need affect the prospects for the early conclusion of a comprehensive test ban treaty, which remains our and the international community's main priority.Anti-personnel Land Mines
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to introduce controls on the production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines apart from the recent extension of the moratorium on the export of anti-personnel land mines from the Untied Kingdom. [31032]
Mr. David Davis: We have been working with the Untied States for some time on ideas for regulating the production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel land mines. I am pleased to announce that we and the United States have reached agreement on proposals for a land mine control programme. These will be discussed at an international meeting in Budapest, Hungary, on 29 and 30 June at which a number of European countries and others from key regions will be represented. Our aim is to reduce the dangers to civilians from anti-personnel land mines, by seeking international agreement to effective controls.
I shall place a summary of the proposed programme in the Library of the House.
Gibraltar
Mr. Booth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provision has been made to make payments to certain beneficiaries of the Gibraltar social insurance fund. [31078]
Mr. Baldry: Pending agreement with the Government of Gibraltar on distribution of the assets of the fund, provision has been made for further interim payments to the value of £2 million in the current financial year, following the full draw-down of payments made available to the fund in 1989. Provision for these payments has been made within class II, vote 5.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Child Abduction
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether he will make it his policy that the passports of wards of court and other children at risk of child abduction be endorsed with details of relevant court orders. [30393]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Consideration is currently being given by the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Home Office to the question of the endorsement of the passports of children at risk of child abduction. It is not possible at this stage to indicate the likely outcome of this process.
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the work of his Department in the field of child abduction over the past year; and what work is anticipated in the year ahead. [30387]
Mr. Taylor: The child abduction unit within my Department carries out work relating to the Hague
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convention on child abduction and the European custody convention. In 1994 the unit dealt with 323 new cases, an increase of 18 per cent. on those received in 1993. A further rise in work load is anticipated in the year ahead.District Judges
Mr. Alton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many days each of the full-time Liverpool district judges, formerly registrars, have been absent in each of the last 10 years for which the information is available. [28925]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.
Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. David Alton, dated 22 June 1995:
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of days each Liverpool district judge has been absent.
I should explain that each district judge is expected to sit between 215 and 220 days each year. This includes sitting at a court centre and other official business, such as training and conferences. The table provided in PQ 95/605 shows that in 1993 and 1994 the full-time district judges at Liverpool exceeded the number of days they are expected to sit each year. In these circumstances, it is therefore inappropriate to refer to absences.
Mr. Alton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what procedure should be followed by persons who wish the Lord Chancellor to be apprised of matters which are or may be relevant to the exercise of his powers to remove from office or otherwise discipline district judges; [28943]
(2) what powers the Lord Chancellor has to remove district judges from office or otherwise discipline them. [28940]
Mr. Taylor: Under the provisions of the County Courts Act 1984 the Lord Chancellor has power to remove a district judge from office on account of misbehaviour or on account of the district judge's inability to perform the duties of his or her office. The Lord Chancellor is unable to comment on, or intervene in, judicial decisions or the conduct of legal proceedings by a judge. The appropriate recourse in relation to such matters is through the appellate process provided by statute. Persons wishing to make a complaint about the conduct of any member of the judiciary should write to the Lord Chancellor.
Mr. Alton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which full-time Liverpool district judges, formerly registrars, have sat in the Liverpool district of the High Court and Liverpool county court in each of the last 10 years for which information is available. [28934]
Mr. Taylor: The question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executive of the Court Service is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.
Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. David Alton, dated 22 June 1995:
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The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has asked me to reply to the above Question about the district judges at Liverpool.The full-time district judges who have sat at Liverpool in the past ten years are as follows:
1985
Morris-Jones
Berkson
Wilkinson
Harrison
Harris
Richardson
1986
Morris-Jones
Berkson
Wilkinson
Gee
Harris
Richardson
Wolfson
1987
Morris-Jones
Berkson
Wilkinson
Gee
Harris
McCullagh
Richardson
Wolfson
1988
Morris-Jones
Berkson
Wilkinson
Gee
Harris
McCullagh
Richardson
Wolfson
1989
Grundy
Berkson
Wilkinson
Gee
Harris
McCullagh
Travers
Richardson
Wolfson
1990
Grundy
Berkson
Wilkinson
Gee
Harris
McCullagh
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TraversRichardson
Wolfson
1991
Grundy
Berkson
Wilkinson
Gee
Harris
Wolfson
Knopf
Richardson
McCullagh
Travers
Bennett
1992
Grundy
Berkson
Wilkinson
Gee
Harris
Wolfson
Knopf
Richardson
McCullagh
Travers
Bennett
1993
Grundy
Berkson
Wilkinson
Gee
Harris
Wolfson
Knopf
Richardson
McCullagh
Travers
Bennett
Johnson
1994
Grundy
Berkson
Wilkinson
Gee
Harris
Wolfson
Knopf
McCullagh
Travers
Bennett
Johnson
Frost
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