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Nuclear Materials (Exports)

Mr. Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 11 December, Official Report, column 473, if he will list all countries to which nuclear materials, equipment or technology have been exported, under the exception clause of the nuclear suppliers group guidelines, in the last five years. [8283]

The Prime Minister: There have been no exports from the United Kingdom of nuclear materials or technology under the exception to the policy, agreed in April 1992.

Princess of Wales

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Prime Minister on whose initiative the meeting on 20 December with Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales was arranged. [8330]

The Prime Minister: I have meetings with the Princess of Wales at times arranged between us.

Civil Servants

Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the exchanges he has authorised between members of Her Majesty's Opposition and senior civil servants since 1 January. [8233]

The Prime Minister: As I made clear in my answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan) on 30 November 1995, Official Report, column 835, I will be content to authorise confidential exchanges between senior civil servants and Opposition spokesmen from January 1996. As yet, I have not been approached by the leader of the Opposition to authorise such exchanges.

Scott Inquiry

Mr. Wilson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will ask the Scott inquiry to investigate the letter written by the

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right hon. Member for South Thanet (Mr. Aitken) to Astra Ltd. on 8 March 1985. [7410]

The Prime Minister: It is for Sir Richard Scott to decide for himself what to investigate within his terms of reference.

Fouad Makhzoumi

Mr. Wilson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will ban future contact by his Department with Fouad Makhzoumi of FMS in relation to defence sales to Lebanon. [7411]

The Prime Minister: There are no plans to ban contact between officials from any Government Department and Mr. Fouad Makhzoumi.

Exchange Rate Mechanism

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will make a statement on the prospect for an exchange rate mechanism for those EEC members who do not join the single currency; [7552]

(2) what restraints were proposed by the advocates of monetary union at the Madrid summit on the freedom of action of those countries which do not join it. [7653]

The Prime Minister: The European Council agreed at Madrid that the Ecofin Council, together with, in their respective fields of competence, the Commission and the European Monetary Institute, will study the range of issues raised by the fact that some countries might not initially participate in the Euro area. In particular, the study should cover those issues related to monetary stability.

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister to what extent progress to monetary union requires Britain to rejoin the ERM (a) as a condition for fulfilling the preliminary stages of EMU before giving notice to join or otherwise and (b) as a condition of staying out; and if he will make a statement. [7712]

The Prime Minister: Protocol No. 11, annexed to the EC treaty, means that the United Kingdom shall not be obliged or committed to move to the third stage of economic union without a separate decision to do so by the Government and Parliament.

It will be for the Council, meeting as Heads of State or Government in 1998, to decide pursuant to the provisions of the EC treaty which member states fulfil the necessary conditions for the adoption of the single currency. It is not possible to say now precisely how the exchange rate criterion will be interpreted, given the changes in the way the ERM has operated since the treaty was agreed.

The Madrid European Council requested that the Ecofin Council, together with, in their respective fields of competence, the Commission and the European Monetary Institute, will study the range of issues raised by the fact that some countries might not initially participate in the Euro area. In particular, the study should cover those issues related to monetary stability.

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DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Executive Agencies

Dr. Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if answers sent to hon. Members in reply to parliamentary questions by the head of executive agencies in his Department are (a) seen, (b) approved and (c) amended by him before they are sent; and if he will identify such letters to which amendments by him have been made in 1994-95. [7823]

Mr. Willetts: Parliamentary questions are passed to the head of an executive agency for reply when the matter is one delegated to him or her under the agency framework document. The relevant Minister may see a copy of the reply before it is sent, but would not normally intervene in operational matters.

Ascertaining whether any letters since 1994-95 have been amended could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Running Costs

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what is the estimate of the cost of running his departmental office, and that of his predecessor, for each year since 1990-91 including an estimate for the current year, broken down into (a) telephone bills, (b) total staff costs, (c) press and communications, (d) entertainment, (e) alcoholic

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drinks, (f) non-alcoholic drinks, (g) stationery, (h) office refurbishment and (i) other. [6397]

The Deputy Prime Minister: Estimated costs for this financial year, July 1995 to March 1996 are given.

(a) Costs are not identified separately for the office.


(b) £320,000.


(c) Costs are not identified separately for the office.


(d) For working lunches and dinners, £6,200.


(e) Nil.


(f) £150.


(g) £6,500.


(h) I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 30 October, Official Report, column 6.


£60,000 (incudes cost of car and travel).

Public Opinion Surveys

Mr. Dobson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list all qualitative and quantitative research projects and surveys carried out for his Department and those parts of the Government for which he is responsible into aspects of public attitudes and opinions (a) in general and (b) in relation to specific policy proposals in each of the past three years to December 1995, indicating for each project or survey (i) the date on which the research was commissioned, (ii) the amount which his Department spent, (iii) who carried out the research, (iv) the number of people surveyed or taking part, (v) the location and time scale and (vi) which individuals and organisations have been given access to the findings. [5971]

Mr. Willetts: The information is as follows:

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	Date research commissioned	Amount department spent £ (excluding VAT)	Who carried out the research	Number of people surveyed	Location and timescale	Who has access to findings
Citizen's Charter Customer Survey	March 1993	75,000	ICM Research	3,097	GB 27 March-10 April 1993	Published August 1993
Complaints Task Force	May 1994	69,400	MORI	1,731	GB June-November 1994	Published June 1995
Charter Mark Nomination Scheme	March 1995	7,800	MORI	1,967	UK pre research: March 1995 post research: June 1995	Not published
Report Back Research	September 1995	8,775	NOP	264 (pre-stage) 531 (post stage)	Birmingham and Bristol pre research: September 1995 post research October 1995	Not published
Simplifying system for business start up	August 1995	137,907 including VAT	KMPG Management Consultants	60 small businesses and business intermediaries	parts of England and Wales August-September- October 1995	None so far--study not yet complete.

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Fox Hunting

Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to ban fox hunting and shooting of wild birds in the (a) Crewe survey, (b) South survey, (c) Needlewood estate, (d) Lancashire survey and (e) Yorkshire survey. [7042]

Mr. Freeman: I have no plans to ban fox hunting or the shooting of wild birds which are not a protected species on the Duchy estates mentioned.

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Set-aside Land

Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the amount of EU subsidy received by the Duchy from the set-aside scheme and common agricultural policy programmes in the last year for which figures are available. [7043]

Mr. Freeman: The Duchy has received no EU subsidy from the set-aside scheme and CAP programmes.

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Efficiency Gains

Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what efficiency gains have been achieved in the running of the Duchy over the past three years. [7047]

Mr. Freeman: Over the last three and a half years, from the period ending 29 September 1992 to 31 March 1995, the total costs on the Duchy of Lancaster's estates and investments account have fallen in real terms by 7 per cent., and the number of employees has been reduced from 50 to 47.

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