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DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Scott Inquiry

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from Sir Richard Scott on communications between the secretary to his inquiry into military exports to Iraq and his civil service superiors in the course of that inquiry; what response he has made; and if he will make a statement. [29501]

The Deputy Prime Minister: None.

One-stop Government Shop

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to introduce a one-stop Government shop; and if they require the introduction of a combined smartcard/ID card. [29695]

20 May 1996 : Column: 16

The Deputy Prime Minister: There are no present plans to introduce a one-stop Government shop beyond the networks of Government offices in the regions and the business links nation-wide. A prototype of a computerised business start-up system is being demonstrated at selected business links around the UK at present. No decisions have been made on its future.

Performance Bonds

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his Department's policy on the use of performance bonds; in what circumstances they are used; what was the total sum paid by bond in each of the last five years; and if his Department requires bonds from businesses with fewer than (a) 100, (b) 50 and (c) 20 employees. [29417]

Mr. Willetts: The Office of Public Service and its agencies, HMSO and the Central Office of Information, follow the Treasury's central unit on procurement's guidance note No. 48 on "Bonds and Guarantees" which states that bonds are not always necessary and are no substitute for considered judgments about the risks of a particular contract and the capabilities and financial resources of the available contractor. These factors will vary for each contract independent of the size of the contractor. There have been no payments made by bond to the Department in any of the last five years.

Small Firms

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many firms with fewer than (a) 100, (b) 50, (c) 20 and (d) 10 employees were used by his Department in each of the last five years. [29445]

Mr. Willetts: The information is not held in the form requested.

Goods and Services

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much his Department paid to the private sector for goods and services in 1995-96. [29460]

Mr. Willetts: The information is not held in the form requested.

Civil Service Pensions

Dr. Marek: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to the answer from the right hon. and learned Member for Edinburgh, Pentlands (Mr. Rifkind) of 14 May, Official Report, column 384, what other groups of civil service pensions will not be (a) market tested and (b) privatised as regards their administration. [30160]

Mr. Willetts: The intention is to open up the administration of the principal civil service pension scheme and associated schemes to competition. Decisions on the timing of individual market tests will be for employing Departments and agencies to take.

20 May 1996 : Column: 17

Millennium Exhibition

Dr. John Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many times the ministerial group to co-ordinate the Government's participation in the millennium exhibition has met; what were its conclusions; and if he will make a statement. [30052]

The Deputy Prime Minister: "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" makes it clear that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet or Cabinet committees is not normally made public. The committee meets whenever necessary to oversee the Government's role in relation to the millennium festival and to take forward any necessary planning of the Government's involvement in this event.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Data Protection

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are his plans in respect of the United Kingdom derogations from Council of Europe recommendation No. R(87)15; and which other signatories to the convention have adopted the same derogations. [29692]

Mr. Kirkhope: The United Kingdom has reserved its rights to comply or not with principles 2.2 and 2.4 of the Council of Europe recommendation. There are no plans to lift these reservations.

The Republic of Ireland entered a general reservation to comply or not with the recommendation as a whole and Switzerland abstained.

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce secondary legislation to implement the data protection directive in the next Session of Parliament. [29700]

Mr. Sackville: We shall decide how to implement the data protection directive in the light of responses to the Government's consultation paper. This was issued on 22 March and responses have been invited by 19 July.

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will name each member of the Data Protection Tribunal and indicate the relevant professional qualification or experience which qualify him or her for appointment to the tribunal. [29698]

Mr. Sackville: A list of the current members of the Data Protection Tribunal, together with some brief biographical information, has been placed in the Library. The biographical information relates to the reason for appointment to the tribunal, and is not necessarily the current position of the person concerned.

Identity Cards

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Data Protection Registrar in respect of the benefits and risks of ID cards. [29690]

Mr. Sackville: We have received the Data Protection Registrar's booklet "Identity Cards--Putting you in the Picture" and also her formal response to the Government's Green Paper on identity cards.

20 May 1996 : Column: 18

Prisoners (Life Sentences)

Mr. Gunnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his timetable for informing all prisoners serving life sentences of the minimum sentence they will serve; and by when he expects that all such prisoners who have already served five years of their sentence will have been so informed. [28796]

Miss Widdecombe: Arrangements have been made, following the House of Lords judgment in Doody and others in June 1993, for newly sentenced murderers to be informed of their tariff within nine weeks of receipt of any representations they make to my right hon. and learned Friend about the tariff recommendations made by the judiciary. The judicial recommendations are disclosed to these prisoners as soon as possible after conviction.

A special exercise was completed in December 1994 to disclose previously undisclosed tariff information to some 2,400 convicted murderers still in prison in England and Wales. Representations have been received in about 390 of these cases and 127 have been reconsidered and tariffs set afresh. The rest will be reconsidered as quickly as possible, priority being given to those whose existing tariffs are nearest to expiry.

The disclosure exercise included about 80 prisoners for whom no exact tariff had been set but who were told that their tariffs would be at least 20 years. Subject to receipt of representations, we expect to complete the setting of tariffs in these cases within the next six months.

Coroners Court Service

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has had concerning the effectiveness of the coroners court service.[28800]

Mr. Sackville: Complaints about the conduct of coroners and suggestions concerning the inquest system are received from time to time from individuals and organisations.

WPC Yvonne Fletcher

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what questions relating to the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher were asked of people taken from the Libyan bureau to Sunningdale; and if he will make a statement on the answers received; [29292]

(2) pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 8 May, Official Report, column 212, if the bullets from the spent cartridge case coincided with the bullet found in the body of WPC Fletcher; [29298]

(3) pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 8 May, Official Report, column 212, how many shots were fired from the first floor window of the building. [29299]

Mr. Howard: The continuing investigation into the murder of WPC Fletcher is a matter for the police. The police could not give details which may form part of the evidence in future criminal proceedings without running the risk of prejudicing those proceedings.

20 May 1996 : Column: 19

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 8 May, Official Report, column 214, at what angle was the body of WPC Fletcher at the time of shooting. [29293]

Mr. Howard: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State on 8 May, Official Report, column 214, and to the pathologist's evidence which was put before a jury.

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 8 May, Official Report, column 213, what meetings or correspondence he has had with the parents of WPC Fletcher since the memorial service in Salisbury cathedral. [29294]

Mr. Howard: I have had no meetings or correspondence with the parents of WPC Fletcher.

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 8 May, Official Report, column 211, what report he has had from the Metropolitan police about why the video was not presented in evidence at the inquest. [29295]

Mr. Howard: The police are reviewing the contents of the Channel 4 "Dispatches" programme of 10 April, including giving specific consideration to this question. I have not yet had a report of their conclusions.

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 8 May, Official Report, column 211, what factors led him to describe Professor Bernard Knight, Surgeon Hugh Thomas and Lieutenant-Colonel George Styles as so-called experts. [29301]

Mr. Howard: I refer the hon. Member to the explanation given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State on 8 May, Official Report, column 211.

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 8 May, Official Report, column 211, what factors have made it impossible to charge anyone with the murder of WPC Fletcher. [29300]

Mr. Howard: The investigation of crime is a matter for the police. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State made clear to the House on 8 May, the police were unable to obtain enough evidence to sustain a prosecution without the full co-operation of those concerned in the Libyan people's bureau. Such co-operation was not forthcoming. None the less, the police were of the view that it was likely that the murder was committed by one of two people who were in the bureau. Both of them possessed diplomatic immunity and could not be prosecuted under English law even if the necessary evidence had been available.

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral statement of the Minister of State of 8 May, Official Report, column 209, if he will put in the Library the exchange of reports between the Libyan people's bureau and Tripoli, indicating the date on which this information was passed to the police. [29291]

20 May 1996 : Column: 20

Mr. Howard: It is not Government policy to comment on matters which relate to operations carried out by the Security and Intelligence Services or to confirm or deny that such operations have been carried out.

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