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Advertising
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Prime Minister what has been the expenditure of his (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies on newspaper advertising by title for each year since 1990-91; and what estimate he has made for 1995-96 based on expenditure to date and existing plans. [6572]
Civil Servants (Contact with Opposition)
Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister what preliminary contacts he has had with the Leader of the Opposition regarding official contact between Members of Her Majesty's Opposition and civil servants from 1 January 1996 onwards. [6554]
The Prime Minister: I have nothing to add to the reply that my right hon. Friend, the First Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister, gave to the hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan) on 30 November, Official Report, column 835.
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 843
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Prime Minister how many officials he employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in his Department in each of the last three years to answer letters sent to him from hon. Members; and what was the estimated overall cost of replying to them in each of the last three years. [5624]
The Prime Minister:
For these purposes my office is part of the Cabinet Office, Office of Public Service. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given today by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service.
Committee and Conference Rooms
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee when he expects the Committee to conclude its review of the use of Committee and Conference Rooms; and if he will make a statement. [6651]
Mr. Michael J. Martin: I am pleased to announce that at its meeting on 28 November, after having consulted Madam Speaker about our proposals, the Administration Committee concluded its review of the use of Committee and Conference Rooms.
The Committee endorsed the ruling that the rooms should be booked by Members only for
18 Dec 1995 : Column: 844
We endorsed the current practice for Rooms to be booked for the purposes of launching pamphlets or reports of a political, or party political, kind.
We believed that it would be appropriate also for Rooms to be used to launch any book written by an hon. Member, or by a former hon. Member who is now a Member of the House of Lords, and that the sale of books at such a launch should be permitted.
We also agreed that hon. Members may book Rooms to launch books written by Strangers, provided that it falls within headings (i) or (vi) above or any of the categories below:
We also agreed that Sub-Committees of official party groups, that is, the 1922 Committee, the parliamentary Labour party and the parliamentary Liberal Democratic party, should be accorded precedence in booking the rooms over all-party groups, parliamentary groups and individual Members.
These new regulations will come into effect upon the return of the House from the Christmas recess.
Following a recent incident, I would like to remind hon. Members that whenever they have booked a Room for a meeting with constituents or other guests, it is the hon. Member's responsibility to remain in the Room at all times. If an hon. Member does have to leave the meeting for a Division in the House or in a Standing Committee, he or she should return to the Room immediately their vote has been recorded. It is also incumbent on hon. Members to ensure that their meetings finish on time, so as not to inconvenience any other hon. Member who may have booked the Room for a succeeding meeting, and that once the meeting has concluded, all guests are escorted off the premises or left in the charge of another hon. Member or the relevant House authority, for example, in the Strangers' Gallery.
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Sir Russell Johnston:
To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the United Nations 50th anniversary to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall. [6983]
Mr. Michael J. Martin:
I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from Monday 5 February to Friday 9 February 1996.
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Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Chairman of the Finance and Services Committee what estimate he has made of the average hourly cost of the House of Commons on a sitting day. [5435]
Mr. Paul Channon:
It is not practical to allocate the majority of House costs as between sitting and non-sitting days. The outturn for the financial year ended 31 March 1995 for the Works and the Administration votes, that is, excluding Members' pay and allowances, was £102,256,000. There were 158 sitting days in that year. Further information is given in the Commission's annual report.
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18 Dec 1995 : Column: 847
6. Mr. Austin Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when she proposes to privatise the BBC's transmission facilities. [4640]
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
The BBC is handling the arrangements for the sale of its transmission services. It expects to complete the sale in about a year.
13. Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations she has received regarding disparity of regional distribution of national lottery funds. [4647]
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
The lottery distributors are looking to ensure that there is a fair regional distribution of funds. They have been making awards for only nine months. I shall consider the regional spread of awards after one full year of distribution and consider if any changes are necessary to ensure balance.
The House will be interested to hear that today's 128 awards are being made in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mr. Foulkes:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations have been received concerning a review of aspects of the national lottery. [4649]
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
I have received a number of representations about reviewing the national lottery.
Mr. Harry Greenway:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans she has to change the National Lottery Act 1993; and if she will make a statement. [4636]
Mr. Sproat:
The number of people playing and the money being raised for the good causes has exceeded everybody's expectations. I have no plans to change the National Lottery Act. The national lottery is working well.
Mr. Alan Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when (a) officials and (b) Ministers were first informed of the use of GTec's private jet by the director general of the national lottery; what guidance was given to the director, and when, on acceptable levels of hospitality; and if she will make a statement. [6334]
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
My Department became aware of the actual flights taken in the week before the Public Accounts Committee hearing on Monday 11 December. In August 1994, in discussing the director general's proposed US trip, officials of my Department advised that the director general would need to ensure that all due propriety was observed and that the cost of flights and accommodation should be borne by the Office of the National Lottery and not their hosts. Oflot is a non-ministerial Department and therefore responsible for implementing its own hospitality and travel arrangements taking into account the principles and rules set out in the civil service management code. Oflot is under no obligation to clear with, or inform my Department about its detailed arrangements.
The Committee believed that it would be helpful for the House to have a clearer definition of a "parliamentary subject", and agreed that it should mean a matter of current or possible future concern to the House, which falls into one or more of the following categories:
"private meetings or conferences in connection with a Parliamentary subject".
(i) Matters intended to increase the awareness of, interest in, or promote discussion of Parliament, its history, institutions and procedures, or the constitution of the United Kingdom;
(ii) Matters relating to the effect, or possible effect, of extant or proposed legislation (including Private Bills and Private Members' Bills);
(iii) Subjects under investigation by a Select Committee of the House;
(iv) Local issues, especially those involving more than one constituency, or which could not more easily or readily be dealt with in a Member's regular advice surgery;
(v) Meetings with recognised charities, when the sponsoring Member is a trustee, governor, parliamentary advisor or other officer of that charity
(vi) Matters to raise interest in, or to encourage or facilitate movement towards, the establishment of parliamentary democracies in other countries;
(vii) Matters which are affecting, or could affect, the safety, well-being or interests of UK citizens or organisations at home or abroad, or those of EU, commonwealth or foreign nationals resident, or organisations operating, in the UK;
(viii) Matters in which the UK is, or may become, involved on a political, economic or military level, and relationships between the UK and any other country or countries;
(ix) Meetings with representatives (elected or otherwise) from EU, commonwealth or foreign Parliaments or Governments, or from the European Parliament, the European Commission, or international organisations, eg UN or NATO;
(x) Meetings with representatives of the Secretaries' and Assistants' Council, the Whitley Committee Trade Union Side, recognised Trade Unions or staff associations;
The Committee believed that the main criterion for approving use of Committee or Conference Rooms is that meetings should be connected in some way with the parliamentary duties of the Member who books the room. Rooms should not be used for purposes unrelated to the House, such as entertainment or the launch of any commercial or financial product.
(xi) Any other meeting approved by the Speaker.
We do not, however, believe that it would be appropriate to permit the sale of books written by Strangers at launches held on House premises.
(a) Histories of the Palace of Westminster, the House of Commons or any of its Departments;
(b) Anthologies of Members' speeches and extracts from their diaries;
(c) Biographies of former Members of either House;
(d) Biographies of former servants of the House (eg Erskine May, Hansard or Bellamy);
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