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Engagements

Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 6 February. [13437]

The Prime Minister: This morning, I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Scott Inquiry

Mr. Robin Cook: To ask the Attorney-General if he will provide a breakdown of the spending by his Department on external advice in relation to the Scott inquiry, indicating how much has been spent on legal advice and from whom it was obtained. [14525]

The Attorney-General: The amount spent by my departments on external advice--all of it legal advice--in relation to giving evidence to the Scott inquiry and the preparation of the Government's response to the report is £56,526. Advice was obtained from Messrs Mishcon de Reya, solicitors, and from Jonathan Sumption QC, William Charles, Stephen Richards and Mark Howard of counsel.

Mr. Cook: To ask the Attorney-General 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. [14524]

The Attorney-General: Several officials in my departments have been involved in matters relating to the Scott inquiry from time to time as part of their normal duties, but with the following exception the direct salary cost is unquantifiable. Two press officers were seconded to my office for short periods in 1996, the salary cost of about £2,300 being met by their home department.

6 Feb 1997 : Column: 702

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

Funding (Multilateral Agencies)

Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list for each of the past five years the funding through discretionary spending to multilateral agencies provided by his Department; [14325]

(2) if he will list for each of the last five years the agencies which have received moneys from his Department's discretionary spending. [14326]

Dr. Liam Fox: The details are in the table. Full details of ODA expenditure over the past five years are contained in "British Aid Statistics", copies of which were sent to the Libraries of both Houses in January.

					£ million
Agency	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97(28)
UN Development Programme	30.10	31.24	28.21	26.03	26.00
UNICEF	9.54	9.51	12.77	13.60	8.50
UNIFEM	0.15	0.15	0.15	0.15	0.18
UN Population Fund	9.42	10.78	11.25	6.75	10.00
World Health Organisation	11.97	16.60	12.77	5.97	12.60
UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees	6.00	9.00	6.00	6.67	5.50
International Timber Trade Organisation	0.05	0.11	0.06	0.06	0.06
UN High Commissioner for Refugees	5.50	18.85	15.06	16.05	0.00
International research organisations	8.62	8.64	8.49	8.98	7.59
World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme	0.35	0.40	0.40	0.40	0.40
Total	81.71	105.27	95.16	84.65	70.83

(28) Estimated.

Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what the forecast level of discretionary expenditure to multilateral agencies was for 1997-98 before the Chancellor's financial statement of November 1996; [14329]

(2) what is the current forecast level of discretionary expenditure to multilateral agencies from his Department for 1997-98. [14335]

Dr. Fox: The planned level of discretionary expenditure for multilateral organisations in 1997-98 was £58.63 million. The current forecast for 1997-98 is £58.63 million.

TRANSPORT

Great Eastern Rail Services

Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what level of performance bond will be required of First Bus for the franchise for Great Eastern rail services. [14626]

6 Feb 1997 : Column: 703

Mr. Watts: The value of the performance bond which could be called in by the franchising director in the event of the need to terminate the Great Eastern franchise is £9.5 million.

Road Safety

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the reports received from the European Federal Road Safety Agency in respect of the prevention of accidents involving drivers under the influence of medicinal drugs; and if he will make a statement. [14484]

Mr. Bowis: I am aware of a report by a group chaired by Dr. De Gier which was published by the European Road Safety Federation on behalf of the European Commission. Many of its recommendations on medicinal drugs would require action at Community level or could not be implemented without extensive investigation or research.

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action his Department has taken to dissuade drivers from driving under the influence of (a) psychoactive and (b) other drugs; and if he will make a statement. [14516]

Mr. Bowis: A driver who drives while impaired by a drug is liable to conviction for the offence of "driving when under the influence of drink or drugs".

In addition, the "Highway Code" states: "You MUST NOT drive under the influence of drugs or medicines. When taking prescribed medicines, ask your doctor if it is safe to drive. When taking other medicines, ask the pharmacist".

We shall consider any further action in the light of findings from the three-year survey of road fatalities that we are currently undertaking.

Computer Crime

Mr. Derek Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips his Department has recorded in the last five years. [14557]

Mr. Bowis: The number of cases of computer hacking, fraud and theft, including theft of computer chips the Department of Transport has recorded in the last five years is 71.

Mr. Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions in each of the last five years computer systems have been illegally accessed by computer hackers in his Department. [14556]

Mr. Bowis: The following is the information:

1991-92: None
1992-93: None
1993-94: None
1994-95: One
1995-96: Two.

Driving Examiners

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts of employment introduced by the Driving Standards Agency in the last year restricted examiners to working one day per month; and what proportion this constitutes of the total. [14586]

6 Feb 1997 : Column: 704

Mr. Bowis: None. The 322 examiners recruited by the agency on fixed-period contracts are guaranteed a minimum of one day's work per month but they have generally been required to work for longer periods. Contract staff currently represent some 28 per cent. of the total driving examiner work force.

Fishing Boats (Safety)

Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the draft safety regulations for fishing boats under 12 m in length to be brought into force; in what form they will be brought before the House; what financial help will be made available for boat owners to enable them to comply with these regulations; and if he will make a statement. [13452]

Mr. Bowis [holding answer 30 January 1997]: I have asked the chief executive of the Marine Safety Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. George Foulkes, dated February 1997:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your Question about the proposed safety regulations for fishing vessels less than 12 metres in length.
Since I wrote to you on 3 December 1996, the draft Code of Safe Practice for Registered Fishing Vessels Less Than 12 Metres Length has been approved by the Code Steering Committee and has been endorsed by the Fishing Industry Safety Group.
It is hoped that public consultation on the draft Code and on its supporting legislation will take place within the next two months and that publication of the Code will follow shortly thereafter. Owners and skippers will have time to become familiar with the Code requirements and recommendations prior to its enforcement. It is expected that a Statutory Instrument to bring the Code into force will be presented to Parliament early in 1998.
With regard to financial help to vessel owners, grant aid is a question entirely for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and I understand that MAFF Ministers will be considering this matter in the light of responses to the consultation exercise and once responses to that exercise have been analysed.

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