| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Kashmir
Mr. Parry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of current relations between India and Pakistan concerning Kashmir; and if he will make a statement. [12462]
Mr. Hanley: We remain concerned that the issue of Kashmir damages relations between India and Pakistan. We continue to urge both parties to show restraint and resolve their differences through peaceful negotiation. We are disappointed that the talks between India and Pakistan in Islamabad in January 1994 have yet to be continued.
Pakistan
Mr. Parry:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of the 24 January, Official Report, column 227, how many people have been killed in Karachi and Sindh between 1 January and the latest available date. [12485]
6 Feb 1996 : Column: 101
Mr. Hanley:
The official Pakistani police figures for killings in Sindh and Karachi from 1 January, up to and including 30 January, are:
Mr. Fatchett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Government of Pakistan about child bonded labour in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [13368]
Sindh (including Karachi): 178
Karachi: 86
Mr. Hanley: We regularly express our concerns to the Government of Pakistan about child and bonded labour. We welcome recent steps they have taken to improve the situation, such as widening access to schooling and the establishment of rehabilitation centres. However, we recognise that much remains to be done.
China
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he raised the cases of (a) Wei Jingsheng, (b) Tong Yi and (c) Dai Xuezhong during his visit to China; and if he will make a statement. [13220]
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 5 February 1996]: My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary raised our concerns about a range of human rights issues during his recent visit to Peking. In particular, he mentioned the case of Mr. Wei Jingsheng and urged his early release. He also asked for a response to the list of individual cases handed over during Foreign Minister Qian's visit to the UK in October 1995; Tong Yi was included in that list.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Members' Pay
Mr. Tracy: To ask the Lord President of the Council what plans he has to review the arrangements for the pay of hon. Members and Ministers. [14237]
Mr. Newton: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has today written to Sir Michael Perry, the chairman of the Senior Salaries Review Body, in the following terms: "As you know, changes in the structure of civil servants' pay mean that new arrangements need to be found for determining Members' pay from 1997 onwards.
I would be grateful if you and your colleagues on the Senior Salaries Review Body, under your standing terms of reference, undertake a comprehensive review, with the following remit.
'The Senior Salaries Review Body is asked to undertake a comprehensive review of the level and structure of Parliamentary pay and allowances and to make recommendations for the future. The review should cover each of the following terms:
(i) the salary of Members of the House of Commons;
(ii) the salaries of Ministers and other office-holders;
(iii) all allowances, comprising the Office Costs Allowance, Motor Mileage Allowance, Additional Cost Allowance and the London Supplement;
(iv) the severance pay and pension arrangements for MPs and Ministers;
6 Feb 1996 : Column: 102
(v) the rates of Peers' expenses allowances and the Secretarial Allowance for Ministers and other paid office-holders in the House of Lords; and
(iv) a linkage to provide the basis for annual uprating in future years without the need for Parliamentary decision.'
I realise that such a review will be time consuming and needs to be fitted in with your other work. Nonetheless, I would be grateful if it could be completed in time for you to make recommendations, if at all possible, by the end of June."
ENVIRONMENT
Land (Yorkshire and Humberside)
Dr. Hampson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much land in Leeds, and Yorkshire and Humberside is currently recorded on the land registers; and how much has been sold since the inception of the land registers (a) in total and (b) on his direction. [10423]
Sir Paul Beresford: Since October 1989 local authorities and certain other public bodies have been required to compile and maintain registers of unused and underused land in their ownership. Local authorities have been asked to submit annually to the Department aggregated information from their registers.
| Land recorded on land register at 31 March 1994 | Land sold between October 1989 and 31 March 1994 | |
|---|---|---|
| Hectare | Hectare | |
| Leeds | 241.1 | 250 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside (including Leeds) | 2,799.1 | 1,030.3 |
Gritting Lorries
Mr. Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority gritting lorries there were in (a) 1992, (b) 1993, (c) 1994 and (d) 1995; and if he will make a statement. [13168]
Sir Paul Beresford: This information is not held centrally.
Sewerage Pipes
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the sewerage undertakers which have decided to exclude plastic as an approved material for waste-water pipework; [13186]
- (2) when he last met the representatives of (a) the pipe making industry, (b) the British Standards Institution and (c) the European Commission to discuss the specification for sewerage pipes. [13185]
Mr. Clappison:
The specification for sewerage pipes is a matter for the sewerage undertakers.
6 Feb 1996 : Column: 103
Mr. Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what talks he has had with his EU counterparts regarding the disintegration of Antarctic ice shelves. [13271]
Mr. Clappison:
British Antarctic Survey scientists, reporting recently in the scientific journal Nature, Vol. 379, about the disintegration of Antarctic ice shelves, were unable to determine whether this was a result of global climate change due to greenhouse gases or part of a long-term natural oscillation.
The Council of Environment Ministers at their last meeting in December noted that the recent findings of the intergovernmental panel on climate change concerning the threat of damage from climate change underline the necessity for urgent action at the widest possible level. If the disintegration of Antarctic ice shelves should prove to be due to greenhouse gas warming, the Council would need to consider what further action to take.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he has given the National Rivers Authority on the review of extant abstraction licences which may affect sites designated as special protection areas under the birds directive or as candidate special areas of conservation under the habitats directive. [13666]
Mr. Clappison:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms Ruddock) on 23 January 1996, Official Report, column 198.
Mr. Janner:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many jobs have been advertised in each grade in his Department during the last three months for which records are available; and how many people have applied for each such job. [13832]
Sir Paul Beresford:
The Department of the Environment, central, has advertised the following permanent administrative and specialist jobs during the last three months:
| Type of Posts | Number applied |
|---|---|
| Senior planning officer x 2 | 62 |
| Senior professional and technological officer x 3 | 97 |
| Administrative officer, Hemel Hempstead x 1 | 26 |
My Department is currently advertising for two assistant librarians.
Water Companies (Profits)
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the formula used by the water industry regulator to determine how much profit is given as returns to shareholders. [13909]
6 Feb 1996 : Column: 104
Mr. Clappison:
The price cap system of economic regulation of the water industry places a limit on prices, rather than controlling profits or dividends. The regulator monitors the dividends paid by the regulated businesses to their group companies. It is for the group companies to decide on the level of dividends paid to shareholders.
Mr. Pickthall:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what response he has made to the Countryside Commission's call of 15 January for a review of planning policy guidance 22 in relation to the location of wind turbines; [13702]
Sir Paul Beresford:
My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Construction, Planning and Energy Efficiency has met and written to the chairman of the Countryside Commission explaining how the contents of PPG22 already deal with the environmental concerns raised by the commission in relation to wind turbines.
(2) what representations his Department has received about the proposed location of 16 wind turbines on Gunson Height in Furness, Cumbria. [13703]
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |