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Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the President of the Board of Trade which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base, and which (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [20091]
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Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 12 March 1996]: None of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department has a statutory base except the Industrial Development Advisory Board. The answers to the other questions are as follows:-
- (a) none except the Council for Science and Technology and the Advisory Committee on Arbitration Law who may sometimes publish their advice to Government;
(b) none except the British Overseas Trade Board, the Industrial Development Advisory Board, the Regional Development Advisory Boards and the Advisory Committee on Coal Research;
(c) none except the British Overseas Trade Board, the Industrial Development Advisory Board and the Regional Development Advisory Boards.
Dr. Wright: To ask the President of the Board of Trade which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [20108]
Mr. John M. Taylor [holding answer 12 March 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 December 1994, Official Report, columns 912-13.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Scott Inquiry
Sir David Madel: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total cost to public funds of the Scott inquiry for arms for Iraq. [18653]
Mr. Freeman: The total cost to date of Sir Richard Scott's inquiry is assessed as £6,344,000.
This figure includes the direct salary, legal and other estimated costs of the inquiry itself; the direct salary cost of officials wholly employed on matters relating to the inquiry--but not the cost of officials who have worked on inquiry-related matters from time to time as part of their normal duties, which is unquantifiable; the cost of providing external legal services for witnesses to the inquiry, and the value of legal services charged by the Treasury Solicitor's Department--some legal advice has been provided by Government lawyers as part of their normal duties, which is also unquantifiable and therefore not included.
Deregulation
Mr. Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what have been the costs incurred for each draft deregulation order in respect of (a) printing, (b) consultation and (c) drafting and amending orders. [18652]
Mr. Freeman: The information requested is not held centrally. Such costs as there are will be primarily incurred by the lead Department, which is responsible for consulting on the proposed changes and then for drafting, amending and printing the order.
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Mr. McNamara: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what discussions he held with and what notice he gave to (a) Commonwealth members and (b) the Republic of Ireland of his intention to introduce amendments to the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order; and if the ban on employment will apply to the children of Commonwealth and Republic of Ireland citizens who are currently in posts but without British nationality; [20403]
- (2) what estimate he has made of (a) the number of Commonwealth citizens and (b) Republic of Ireland citizens currently employed in the civil service. [20404]
Mr. Freeman: The amendments which I announced on 1 March, Official Report column 771, and which take effect from 1 June are made, for the home civil service under the Minister's powers in the Civil Service Order in Council 1995, and, in Northern Ireland, under the Civil
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Service (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. The amendments are not to the European Communities (Employment in the Civil Service) Order.
No discussions about the changes were held with Commonwealth Governments or with the Republic of Ireland. They were notified of the changes by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the day before the announcement was made.