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Housing Benefit
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his policy on the payment of housing benefit to banks and building societies to meet the costs of housing association loans. [31982]
Mr. Roger Evans: I have been asked to reply.
Housing benefit may be paid by a local authority directly to a claimant's landlord in order to protect public funds. Regulations also provide local authorities with discretion to determine the appropriate method of payment which may result in payments being made directly into a bank or building society account. It is for landlords to decide how they wish to use these funds, which may include the repayment of a loan.
Local authorities do not pay housing benefit to banks or building societies to meet housing association loans. It is available to help tenants meet their reasonable rent liability.
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Dr. Michael Clark:
To ask the Prime Minister what proportion of those recommended for honours were civil servants, members of the armed forces and Government employees (a) in each of the two years prior to the changes of 1993 and (b) in each year thereafter. [33051]
The Prime Minister:
Figures for civil servants are not available separately. The proportions of state servants 1 awarded honours in the new year and birthday lists of around 1,000 names each, are listed. The number of military awards 2 shows the number of awards in the defence services lists, which are purely military, issued at the same time following recommendations to the Queen by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence:
| Year | Percentage of state servants(1) | Number of military awards(2) |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 19 | 533 |
| 1992 | 19 | 527 |
| 1993 | 18 | 475 |
| 1994 | 17 | 424 |
| 1995 | 16 | 320 |
| 1996 | 17 | 315 |
(1) Figures are for state servants which include not only civil servants in headquarters, professional and local posts, but also those giving wider state service, for example in the museums and galleries field; to both Houses of Parliament; and as circuit judges.
(2) The numbers of military awards include members of the regular and reserve forces but exclude special lists for awards in a designated theatre (during the period from 1991 these have included Northern Ireland and the Gulf). Between 1994 and 1996, 56 meritorious awards were taken from the honours lists and were published separately in operational lists.
Since March 1993, any automatic recognition to staff in particular posts has ceased. Awards for state servants are selected on merit, reflecting service beyond what might normally be expected.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Health and Safety
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what was the cost in each of the past five years of (a) sick pay and (b) compensation paid to employees of his Department or their families, or members of the public, as a result of (i) minor, (ii) major and (iii) fatal injuries related to the work of his Department, detailing incidents involving information technology and those involving expenditure of more than £5,000; [33482]
- (2) what was the cost in each of the past five years of rectifying working conditions that were the responsibility of his Department and its agencies, to bring them up to acceptable health and safety standards, detailing incidents involving information technology and those involving expenditure of more than £5,000. [33483]
Mr. Hanley: The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in each of the past five years health and safety problems in his Department and its agencies have been reported via internal monitoring; and on how many occasions the Health and Safety Commission has become involved. [33480]
Mr. Hanley: Comprehensive figures are not available. Problems reported in the last three years by FCO and ODA staff working in the UK were as follows:
1993: 27
1994: 146
1995: 161
The Health and Safety Commission has not become involved with any problems.
Mr. McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) minor, (b) major and (c) fatal injuries have been suffered by staff in his Department and its agencies in work-related incidents in each of the past five years, showing in each year how many were related to information technology and giving details of all incidents involving fatalities. [33481]
Mr. Hanley:
Comprehensive figures for reported accidents suffered by FCO and ODA staff working in the UK are available for only the last three years. Details are as follows:
| 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | 131 | 131 | 101 |
| Major | 19 | 11 | 12 |
| Fatalities | -- | -- | -- |
Information technology related accidents are included in these statistics, but are not separately identifiable.
Gibraltar
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the average time taken for vehicle crossings from (a) Gibraltar to Spain and (b) Spain to Gibraltar in each of the last eight weeks for which figures are available. [33242]
Mr. David Davis: Average delays are:
- (a) Gibraltar to Spain
17-23 April: 90-180 minutes
24-30 April: 90-120 minutes
1-7 May: 90-12 minutes
8-14 May: 45-90 minutes
15-21 May: 45-120 minutes
22-28 May: 60-180 minutes
29 May--4 June: 80-180
5-11 June: 10-20
(b) Spain to Gibraltar
17-23 April: 20-30 minutes
24-30 April: 45-60 minutes
1-7 May: 10-45 minutes
8-14 May: 10-60 minutes
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15-21 May: 0-60 minutes
22-28 May: 0-60 minutes
29 May--4 June: 0-30 minutes
5-11 June: 10-40 minutes
Mr. Davis: We have raised with the European Commission our strong concerns about these delays.
Nuclear Materials
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his Department's policy concerning a nuclear fissile material cut-off convention; and what assessment he has made of the impact of such a convention on international security. [33189]
Mr. David Davis: We supported the mandate agreed at the conference on disarmament in Geneva in March 1995 for an ad hoc committee to begin work on a treaty banning the future production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices--fissile material cut-off treaty, FMCT.
Such a ban could be a significant contribution to non-proliferation and international security, provided that it enjoyed wide support including from those countries which have not yet signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. We therefore continue to urge all members of the conference on disarmament to support an early start to negotiations to conclude a satisfactory and universally applicable FMCT.
Visas (Russia)
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications for the issue of visas to Russian citizens to visit the United Kingdom were received by (i) the British embassy in Moscow and (ii) the consulate in St. Petersburg. [33436]
Mr. Hanley: The number of UK visit visa applications received from Russian citizens by our posts in Moscow and St. Petersburg in 1995 were.
1995
Moscow: 95,474
St. Petersburg: 18,019
Total: 113,493
Haiti
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has taken part in about the future of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti. [33538]
Sir Nicholas Bonsor: The United Kingdom mission in New York has participated fully in Security Council discussions on the future of the UN mission in Haiti.
Judicial Review
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many decisions by his Department were challenged by way of judicial review in
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each Session since 1991-92; and if he will list in how many cases (a) the Department's decision was upheld by the court, (b) the court found for the applicant, (c) the Department submitted to the judgment and (d) the Department appealed successfully against the judicial review decision. [33565]
Mr. Hanley: This information is not held centrally. So far as I have been able to ascertain, six applications for judicial review have been decided in the period in question, in two of which the applicants were successful. The Department did not appeal in either case.
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in each Session since 1991-92 legislation has been introduced into Parliament by his Department, with the purpose of (a) removing the effects of a judicial review decision or (b) implementing a judicial review decision; and if he will list the relevant legislative provisions. [33586]
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