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Police Pension Scheme
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account his Department took of the police pension scheme in the revenue and capital settlements for Welsh police forces in 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [14136]
Mr. Maclean: For 1997-98, on the basis of advice from the Government Actuary's Department, we have increased the allowance made for police pensions needs in the police funding formula. The pensions indicator will account for 12.9 per cent. of total formula funding in England and Wales. The total pensions indicator for Welsh forces will amount to around £43 million, before the application of additional rule 1.
Asylum Seekers (Rochester Prison)
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will name the asylum seekers who are currently on hunger strike at Her Majesty's prison Rochester and their countries of origin. [14231]
Mr. Kirkhope: The Government's normal practice is not to disclose the details of individual detainees.
Computer Crime
Mr. Derek Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers in his Department. [14564]
Mr. Howard: Over the past five years, there have been 16 recorded cases of hacking.
Mr. Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips, his Department has recorded in the past five years. [14565]
Mr. Howard: A total of 78 cases have been recorded over the past five years.
6 Feb 1997 : Column: 674
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975
Mr. Congdon: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements have been made to provide hon. Members with information about the amendments contained in the resolution tabled on Friday 31 January updating schedule 1 to the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975. [15117]
Mr. Bates: A detailed explanatory note on the resolution tabled on Friday 31 January is available from the Vote Office.
Public Appointments Unit
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the current annual budget of the public appointments unit. [14512]
Mr. Freeman: The public appointments unit's budget for 1996-97 is £215,000.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many names are currently held on the public appointments unit register; and what were the figures (a) one year, (b) two years and (c) five years ago. [14511]
Mr. Freeman: The information requested is as follows:
| Year (as at 1 February) | Number of names on the public appointments unit's register |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 5,285 |
| 1996 | 5,166 |
| 1995 | 5,245 |
| 1992 | 5,790 |
Computer Crime
Mr. Derek Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers in his Department. [14568]
6 Feb 1997 : Column: 675
Mr. Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips, his department has recorded in the last five years. [14569]
Mr. Bates: Over the last five years, there have been no cases of computer hacking or fraud in the Office of Public Service and its agencies. there have been 31 thefts of computers or computer chips as follows:
1992-93: 6
1993-94: 1
1994-95: 5
1995-96: 13
1996-97: 6.
Scott Inquiry
Mr. Robin Cook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will provide a breakdown of the spending by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office on external advice in relation to the Scott inquiry, indicating how much has been spent on legal advice and from whom it was obtained. [14535]
The Deputy Prime Minister: No payments have been made in relation to my private office or the Office of Public Service, for external advice, including legal advice, in relation to the Scott inquiry.
Mr. Cook: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what was the total cost of salaries since 1992 paid to persons in the Deputy Prime Minister's Office and the Office of Public Service employed on a part-time or full-time basis in any capacity relating to the Scott inquiry. [14534]
The Deputy Prime Minister: No full-time or part-time officials in my private office or the Office of Public Service were wholly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry. Some officials have inevitably been involved from time to time as part of their normal duties but the direct salary cost is unquantifiable.
ENVIRONMENT
Mine Water
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been sponsored by his Department into the use of reed beds for the biological treatment and decontamination of contaminated mine water. [13849]
Mr. Gummer: My Department has not sponsored any such projects. However, the Environment Agency, which is responsible for the monitoring and regulation of mine water discharges, is involved in two projects. First, it has set up a pilot project for the biological treatment, including reed beds, of mine water at the former Wheal Jane tin mine in Cornwall; secondly, it is collaborating with other parties on a wetland system to treat discharges into the River Pelenna, which is being partially funded by the EC LIFE programme. The data and experience obtained from these two projects will be valuable in the determination of treatment options for other sites.
6 Feb 1997 : Column: 676
Local Government Finance
Mr. Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the total external support including revenue support and non-domestic rates and (b) the allowable budget requirement for the London borough of Hounslow in (i) 1997-98, (ii) 1996-97 and (iii) 1995-96; and if he will indicate for each the changes between 1995-96 and 1996-97; and the changes between 1996-97 and 1997-98, in cash and percentage terms allowing for proper year-on-year, like-for-like comparisons, and allowing for the transfer of responsibility for care in the community from central Government to local authorities. [14271]
Sir Paul Beresford: The available information is as follows:
| Maximum budget allowed under capping criteria | Increase on adjusted budget for previous year(14) External support(15) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ million | £ million | Per cent. | £ million | |
| 1995-96 | 182.511 | 140.421 | ||
| 1996-97 | 190.948 | 5.406 | 2.91 | 146.096 |
| 1997-98 | 194.294(16) | 3.914 | 2.06 | 147.188 |
(14) For comparisons with the following year, the 1995-96 budget has been adjusted for community care special grant. The 1996-97 budget has been adjusted for the introduction of nursery vouchers, for community care special grant and for capital limits for residential accommodation charges grant.
(15) External support comprises revenue support grant and the redistributed amount from the non-domestic rates pool. No estimates of external support are available on a year-on-year, like-for-like basis for comparing 1995-96 with 1996-97. Adjusted figures for external support for 1996-97 were placed in the Library in my reply to the hon. Member for North-West Durham (Mrs. Armstrong) on 13 January 1997. The adjusted external support for 1996-97 for the London borough of Hounslow was shown as £145.5 million. This figure did not take into account any changes in the estimated aggregates of SSA reduction grant or police grants that would need to be made in order to bring the figure for 1996-97 on to a fully consistent basis.
(16) Provisional.
Equal Opportunities
Mr. Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people employed by his Department to provide advice on the application of equal opportunities; and at what cost in the last year for which figures are available. [14474]
Sir Paul Beresford: The number of staff is 5.35, at a cost of about £150,000.
Departmental Decisions (Judicial Review)
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many decisions by his Department were challenged through judicial review in Session 1995-96; and in how many cases (a) the Department's decision was upheld by the court, (b) the court found the applicant, (c) the Department submitted to the judgment and (d) the Department appealed successfully against the judicial review decision. [14371]
Sir Paul Beresford: Information is not held centrally in a form which would enable the Secretary of State to answer this question without incurring disproportionate cost.
6 Feb 1997 : Column: 677
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