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British Council Staff
Miss Emma Nicholson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff
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are employed at each British Council office; what changes have taken place in staffing levels since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [14471]
Mr. Hanley:
The British Council currently employs 1,173 staff in the UK--excluding the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges, CBEVE--and 4,985 staff overseas in 229 offices in 109 countries. The number of staff employed in each overseas office is not immediately available. I will, however, write to the hon. Lady giving the detailed figures.
Since 1990, the number of British Council staff working in the UK--excluding the CBEVE--has been reduced by 30 per cent. from 1,687 to 1,173. Over the same period, the number of British Council staff working overseas has increased by 13 per cent. from 4,390 to 4,985.
These changes reflect the fact that the council is now operating in 109 countries compared with 90 in 1990 and has over the same period implemented radical efficiency measures to reduce the number of its headquarters support staff.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on pensions in Gibraltar. [15753]
Mr. David Davis:
We remain in close touch with the Gibraltar Government on the question of pensions. Discussions are continuing.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for primary and secondary legislation passed since 5 April 1995 which measures were subject to a compliance cost assessment; and what was the compliance cost in each instance. [13640]
Mr. Hanley
[holding answer 7 February 1996]: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 14 February, Official Report, column 578.
Mr. Peter Bottomley:
To ask the Lord President of the Council which grades, appointments and other positions are covered by the Senior Salaries Review Body; and what are the three lowest salaries and the appointments to which they apply. [14626]
Mr. Newton:
The Senior Salaries Review Body advises the Prime Minister on the remuneration of holders of judicial office, senior civil servants and senior officers of the armed forces. It can also be invited, from time to time, to advise on the pay, pensions and allowances of Members of Parliament and Ministers.
For the SSRB's three main remit groups, the lowest salaries and the appointments to which they apply are as follows. The salaries are those which will be payable from 1 April 1996.
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Mr. Rowlands:
To ask the Lord President of the Council how many oral statements have been made by the Secretary of State for Wales in each Session since May 1992 and what was the total length of time taken in making these statements and replying to questions. [1709]
Mr. Newton
[pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1995, c. 27]: I regret that the information given was inaccurate and should have read:
£38,000
Entry point to Senior Civil Service (minimum of pay band 1).
£65,655
Two star officers (Rear Admiral, Major General, Air Vice-Marshall).
£62,018
Judiciary Group 7 (Chairmen, Independent Tribunal Service; Chairmen, Industrial Tribunals (England and Wales, and Scotland); Chairmen, Value Added Tax Tribunals; District Judges; District Judges of the Principal Registry of the Family Division; District Judges (Northern Ireland); Immigration Adjudicators; Masters and Registrars of the Supreme Court, Masters of the Supreme Court (Northern Ireland); Metropolitan Magistrates; President, Pensions Appeal Tribunals; Provincial Stipendiary Magistrates; Resident Magistrates (Northern Ireland); Vice President of the Value Added Tax Tribunals (England and Wales); Special Commissioners of Income Tax).
1 Excluding salary leads for individual posts.
| Number of statements made | |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | (3)6 |
| 1993-94 | 2 |
| 1994-95 | 1 |
(3) 28 October 1992, 14 December 1992, 1 March 1993, 1 April 1993, 14 June 1993, 19 October 1993.
The total length of time taken in making the statements and in replying to questions was six hours 20 minutes. I have written to the hon. Member expressing my apologies for the error.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Spare Computer Capacity
Mr. Miller: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 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. [14073]
Mr. Boswell: The management of MAFF's IT is in many cases the responsibility of local units. Consequently, not all records of any such transactions would be held centrally. There is insufficient time to gather the information requested from anywhere other than central records.
MAFF did charge for computer capacity in respect of the processing of grants and subsidies payments for the Department of Agriculture, Northern Ireland. The computer processing component of the total charge was approximately £50,000 per annum, and the contract came to an end in July 1994.
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Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many empty buildings his Department currently owns; what is the cost of insuring and securing these buildings; how many were designed as residential properties; and what was the total amount spent by his Department on empty property taxes in each of the last five years. [14573]
Mr. Boswell:
The Ministry owns or leases 45 empty buildings. Most of these are surplus storage depots in the process of being sold. However, five were designed as, and still are, residential properties, but these are either due for disposal or awaiting new tenants.
The Ministry does not insure its buildings; as a general rule the Government carry their own insurance risk.
The Ministry does not pay uniform business rates to local authorities. Instead contributions in lieu of rates--CILOR--are paid to the Inland Revenue's Crown property unit. The amounts paid in the last three years in respect of empty properties are set out below.
Mr. Heppell:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the MV Caroline was used for the purposes of feeding, watering and resting live animals, and declared as such on respective journey plans during the period 18 January to 25 October 1995, for the purposes of the Welfare of Animals During Transport Order 1994. [14455]
Mr. Heppell:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to recover the costs awarded in favour of the Ministry in the case between the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Live Sheep Traders Ltd., Live Sheep Traders (Ireland) Ltd. and Roger Ernest Mills. [14634]
Mrs. Browning:
This matter was referred to a taxing master of the Supreme Court for adjudication. The Ministry is now seeking to recover the costs awarded.
Mr. Tony Banks:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many deaths of animals and birds have occurred at the animal quarantine station at Heathrow airport for each year since 1989. [8777]
Mrs. Browning
[holding answer 19 January 1996]: The animal quarantine station at Heathrow airport--AQS--has informed me that the number of deaths of mammals and birds, including those dead on arrival, at the AQS is in the table.
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The 1991-92 and 1993-94 CILOR payments, any reduced community charge/council tax on empty dwellings and the costs of securing empty property could be identified only at disproportionate cost.
1993-94: £7,403
1994-95: £57,208
1995-96: £53,194
| Birds | Mammals | |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1,483 | 0 |
| 1990 | 906 | 5 |
| 1991 | 528 | 22 |
| 1992 | 723 | 43 |
| 1993 | 861 | 31 |
| 1994 | 286 | 5 |
| 1995 | 407 | 29 |
Upland Areas (Support Grants)
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what have been the total sums paid in support grants to upland areas in each of the last three years. [13012]
Mr. Boswell [holding answer 1 February 1996]: The total of support grants paid to upland areas are not separately recorded. However, the total of direct subsidies paid to livestock producers in the less favoured areas in the United Kingdom is estimated at around £550 million in 1993 and in 1994 and about £600 million in 1995. These estimates cover only payments under the sheep annual premium scheme, suckler cow premium scheme, beef special premium scheme and hill livestock compensatory allowances scheme.
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