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Chevening

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, columns 425-26, if he will list the members of the management board of the Chevening Trust; and if he will make a statement. [14650]

Mr. Rifkind: The board of trustees of the Chevening Trust is as follows:


Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, column 425-26, which organisations have held meetings and conferences at Chevening in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [14649]

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Mr. Rifkind: A list of meetings follows. This does not include the trustees' meetings or garden openings. I visit Chevening for about one weekend a month.


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Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, columns 425-26, if he will list the tax exemptions applicable to the Chevening Trust. [14651]

Mr. Rifkind: The Chevening Estate Act 1959 gives the full details of the tax exemptions applicable to the Chevening Trust. In brief, exemption is given from income tax, capital gains tax, capital transfer tax and development land tax.

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what use Chevening has been put in the days he has not been in residence; and if he will make a statement. [14647]

Mr. Rifkind: Chevening house and the pleasure gardens are the only parts of the estate used by the nominated person. The estate remains under the ownership of the trustees, and is managed by them. I have agreed with the trustees that the house may be used by them, when I am not in residence, for meetings of senior Government officials. All meetings are co-ordinated through the protocol department of the Foreign Office. The trustees allow the gardens to be opened for charitable purposes three or four times a year. In addition, the trustees hold some of their meetings in the house.

Computer Crime

Mr. Derek Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers in his Department. [14558]

Mr. Hanley: None as far as we are aware.

Mr. Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips, his Department has recorded in the last five years.[14559]

Mr. Hanley: We believe there have been no instances of computer hacking or fraud but 10 cases of theft of computer equipment.

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Mr. Ghafoor Ahmed

Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Mr. Ghafoor Ahmed who has applied to join his wife in the United Kingdom (Ref: IMM/B/6851) will be interviewed by the post in Islamabad; when a decision wil be taken on his application; and if he will make a statement. [14637]

Dr. Liam Fox: It is policy, on grounds of confidentiality, for Ministers not to comment publicly on individual applications for entry clearance. I will therefore write separately to the hon. Member.

Scott Inquiry

Mr. Robin Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs what was the total cost of salaries since 1992 paid to persons in his Department employed on a part-time or full-time basis in any capacity relating to the Scott inquiry. [14536]

Mr. Hanley: The direct salary cost of officials within this Department wholly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry since 1992 is approximately £241,500. Other officials were inevitably involved from time to time; their direct salary costs are unquantifiable.

WALES

Fuel Consumption

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the level of consumption of primary fuels and equivalents for energy use in Wales for each year since 1990. [13318]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: Information on energy consumption in Wales was published in table 5.18 of the "Digest of Welsh Statistics 1996" and tables 8.9 to 8.13 of Welsh Economic Trends, No. 16 1995. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Councils (Increased Functions)

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the extra duties given to councils since 1979. [13877]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: Over the period involved, local government has assumed additional responsibilities in areas such as community care and children's services and relinquished them in others, for example, further education. Also, and at their own initiative, local authorities have developed existing services and promoted new ones, particularly in areas such as leisure and recreation.

Hearing-impaired People (Employment)

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he plans to take to assist hearing-impaired people into work; and if he will make a statement. [14048]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The Employment Service, through its network of placing, assessment and counselling teams, provides a wide range of specialist services for people with health problems and disabilities, including those with impaired hearing. This includes supported employment

6 Feb 1997 : Column: 664

programmes and the access to work scheme, which are aimed at helping people with disabilities into jobs or training. In addition, disabled persons have priority in accessing employment and training programmes for which they are eligible and suitable.

Computer Crime

Mr. Derek Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hacker in his Department. [14548]

Mr. Hague: On no occasions to my knowledge.

Mr. Derek Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips, his Department has recorded in the last five years. [14549]

Mr. Hague: There have been no incidents of computer hacking, fraud or theft of computer chips to my knowledge. In separate incidents over the past five years, the Department has recorded the loss of a printer, a PC and three laptop systems, one of which was later recovered by the police.

Education Revenue Budget

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to meet the members of the councils of Wales to discuss the education revenue budget; and if he will make a statement. [14491]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: My right hon. Friend met Welsh local authority representatives, in the forum of the Welsh consultative council on local government finance, on 16 December to hear their views on his proposals for the 1997-98 Welsh local government revenue settlement.

My right hon. Friend's final decisions on the settlement were debated and approved by Parliament on 4 February. It will be for each local authority to decide how much of its total resources to allocate to individual services, including education, taking account of its statutory responsibilities and its perception of local needs and priorities.

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