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United Nations Relief and Works Agency
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the future of UNRWA in the middle east peace process. [14554]
Mr. Hanley: We support UNRWA's valuable work the Palestinian refugees in the middle east and remain one of its largest donors. UNRWA has an important role to play in the context of a final settlement of the refugee issue.
Bosnia (War Criminals)
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what powers NATO troops in Bosnia have to arrest individuals suspected of war crimes. [14738]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor: The North Atlantic Council has authorised IFOR to detain any individuals indicted by the tribunal with whom it comes into contact in the execution of its assigned tasks, and to transfer them to the tribunal. However, it is not part of IFOR's mandate to search for these individuals.
EU Legislation
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which occasions in the last
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three years officials have vetoed draft EU legislation on the grounds that a fiche d'impact had not been correctly prepared. [13652]
Mr. David Davis:
The correct preparation of fiches d'impact is a very important part of our consideration of proposals for EC legislation. It is one of the factors taken into account when Ministers consider the United Kingdom's negotiating position on a particular proposal.
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the total cost to public funds of the United Kingdom's participation in the work of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice over the past three years for which figures are available. [14007]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor:
I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for Southend, East (Sir T. Taylor) by my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General on 30 October 1995, Official Report, column 12, and my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 7 November 1995, Official Report, column 697.
These provide costs to public funds relating to decisions of the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights over a two year period from October 1993 to October 1995. These costs include counsels' fees, costs and damages. Wider costs, if any, arising from a particular decision are a matter for the relevant departmental Minister.
The cost to public funds in respect of ECHR judgments for which figures are available including the remaining periods--February to October 1993 and October 1995 to February 1996--is £484,018.90.
On costs to pubic funds for European Court of Justice judgments, and European Court of Human Rights counsels' fees for the two periods above, I shall write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's Government intend to sign the protocols to the treaty of Rarotonga; and if he will make a statement. [14298]
Mr. David Davis:
We announced in October last year that we would sign the relevant protocols to the treaty of Rarotonga in the first half of 1996. A firm date has yet to be fixed. But preparations are in hand and we expect to sign in the near future.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the maximum number of warheads that the United States Government intend to deploy on each of their Trident D5 missiles to comply with the START II restrictions will affect the maximum number of warheads which the United Kingdom Government intend to deploy on each of their D5 missiles. [14291]
Mr. David Davis:
No.
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Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq in regard to the loss reported on 30 January by the International Atomic Energy Agency of a high technology furnace ordered by Iraq for use in a centrifuge uranium enrichment plant in 1990. [14855]
Mr. David Davis:
We are not aware of any report form the IAEA relating to the loss of a high technology furnace ordered by Iraq for use in a centrifuge uranium enrichment plant.
Mr. Alex Carlile:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list those magistrates courts that have been closed in each county in England and Wales since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [14275]
Mr. Jonathan Evans:
Decisions to close magistrates courts are made by the local magistrates courts committee. The Lord Chancellor is involved only when there is an appeal by a local authority against a proposed closure. Information on magistrates court closures where there has not been an appeal is not collected centrally.
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what recent assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness, (b) speed of delivery and (c) independence of the Solicitors Complaints Bureau; [13899]
Mr. Jonathan Evans:
None. These are matters for the Law Society, which has responsibility for maintaining standards of conduct among solicitors.
However, the Government have established the legal services ombudsman to provide an independent check on the complaints handling procedures of the General Council of the Bar and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers, as well as the SCB. Both in his reports in individual cases, and in his annual report to the Lord Chancellor, which is laid before Parliament, the ombudsman highlights areas of concern and makes recommendations to the professional bodies for improvements in their arrangements for investigating complaints.
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many cases the legal ombudsman has (a) accepted and (b) finalised in 1995; and what is the average time between (a) and (b). [13889]
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Mr. Jonathan Evans:
In 1995 the legal services ombudsman (a) accepted 1,436 cases for investigation and (b) finalised and issued reports in 1,041 cases. The average time between (a) and (b) in 1995 was six and a half months.
Mr. Stephen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals by port-of-entry applicants for asylum were determined; and how many of such appeals succeeded wholly or in part in the last two years for which figures are available. [14490]
Mr. Kirkhope:
Over half the 2,440 appeals determined by adjudicators in 1994 had been made by people who had applied for asylum at ports of entry. Table 8.3 of the Home Office statistical bulletin, issue 15/95, provides the available information on the outcomes of asylum appeals to adjudicators and the tribunal. A copy of this publication is available in the Library. Figures for 1995 are not yet available.
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all cases where spare computer capacity has been sold to other Departments since 1987, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14088]
Mr. Howard:
There are no records of spare computer capacity in my Department having been sold to other Departments since 1987.
Dr. Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of his Department's administrative manuals and internal guidance are now made public; and which remain private. [14031]
Mr. Howard:
The following manuals and guidance are now made public:
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(2) what assessment he has made of the balance between solicitors, officials and lay people on an adjudication committee of the Solicitors Complaints Bureau; and if he will make it his policy to increase the number of lay people. [13892]
Manuals and guidance issued by the United Kingdom Passport Agency.
The Immigration Service complaints handbook.
The Immigration and Nationality Department complaints staff instruction.
74 handouts issued to trainee immigration officers.
Home Office Criminal Statistics:
Volume I Counting Rules for Notifiable Offence.
Volume II Codes for classifying the offence.
Manual on achieving the transfer of data on court ppearances direct from the magistrates' courts computer systems to the Home Office.
Guidance for magistrates' court staff on how to produce accurate statistics for the Home Office from the ICL, EQUIS and UNISYS systems. Data interchange user guides for ICL, EQUIS and UNISYS systems.
Crown Court Statistics Data Interchange Guide.
The National Strategy for Police Information Systems.
Guidance setting out the circumstances in which requests for privileged access to closed records may be granted.
Fire Service College:
Safety Management Policy.
Environment Policy.
Quality Policy.
Training Performance Indicators.
Prison Service Standing Order 5--communications.
Instructions to Governors 82/94--Victim Helpline.
Procedures for Open Government.
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