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Scott Inquiry
Mr. Robin Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [14527]
Mr. Howard [holding answer 6 February 1997]: No money has been sent by my Department on external advice in relation to Sir Richard Scott's inquiry.
Mr. Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [14526]
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Mr. Howard [holding answer 6 February 1997]: No officials in my Department are, or have been, wholly employed on matters relating to the Scott inquiry. Some officials have been involved on an occasional basis as part of their normal duties, but the direct salary cost is unquantifiable.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Arts Council
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what has been the cumulative change in the Arts Council of England grant in aid for each year since 1993-94. [13209]
Mr. Sproat: The Arts Council of England has received grant in aid to fund its operating costs and grant programmes as follows:
| £ million | ||
|---|---|---|
| Grant in aid | Cumulative change | |
| 1993-94 | (1)189.15 | nil |
| 1994-95 | 185.99 | -3.16 |
| 1995-96 | 191.13 | +1.98 |
| 1996-97 | 186.13 | -3.02 |
| 1997-98 | 186.10 | -3.05 |
(1) The Arts Council of England came into being in April 1994. The sum shown for 1993-94 is an estimate of that attributable to England from the grant in aid to the Arts Council of Great Britain.
Sports Clubs
Mr. Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what consultations she has had with the Department of the Environment concerning the planning implications for playing fields and sports clubs arising from the recent judgment against Thames Ditton lawn tennis club; [12820]
- (2) what discussions she has had with (a) the Lawn Tennis Association, (b) the Central Council of Physical Recreation, (c) the National Playing Fields Association and (d) the Sports Council about the implications of the recent judgment against Thames Ditton lawn tennis club; and if she will make a statement; [12815]
(3) if she will investigate the implications for sports clubs of the recent judgment against Thames Ditton lawn tennis club; [12816]
(4) what assessment her Department has made of the implications of the recent judgment against Thames Ditton lawn tennis club; [12817]
(5) what steps she intends to take to remedy the problems for sports clubs relating to the recent judgment against Thames Ditton lawn tennis club. [12818]
Mr. Sproat: I have looked very carefully indeed at the problems experienced by the Thames Ditton lawn tennis club. My Department has had lengthy discussions with both the Sports Council and with the Department of the Environment, about the recent judgments against an application for a renewal of its lease. I have also examined the possibility of listing the club, which has not proved to be justifiable.
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While I understand that many people are concerned about the decision to demolish the site, the land is privately owned, and the Government cannot intervene in the disposal of an individual's private property in these circumstances.
I would encourage the club to continue to discuss with the English Sports Council how best to secure its long term future.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of people engaged in the jobseeker's allowance scheme in the constituency of Alyn and Deeside; and if he will make a statement. [14052]
Mr. Roger Evans: The administration of the jobseeker's allowance is a matter for Peter Mathison and Leigh Lewis, the chief executives of the Benefits and Employment Service Agencies. Mr. Mathison will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Barry Jones, dated 6 February 1997:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking, what is his estimate of the number of people engaged in the Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) scheme in the constituency of Alyn and Deeside; and if he will make a statement.
I have assumed your question refers to the number of staff employed in the delivery of JSA. The information is not available in the format requested. The delivery of JSA is undertaken jointly by the Benefits Agency (BA) and the Employment Services (ES) Agency.
There are 27 ES members of staff employed in your constituency, based at Shotton and Mold Jobcentres.
Staffing data for BA is only available by BA Districts and not by Parliamentary Constituencies. The BA District of Wrexham and North Wales Coast has offices at Colwyn Bay, Deeside, Rhyl and Wrexham. Currently there is a total of 50 BA staff employed in the delivery of JSA within these sites and in the corresponding ES sites at Colwyn Bay, Flint, Holywell, Llandudno, Llandudno-Conwy, Llandudno-Llanrwst, Mold, Rhyl, Rhyl-Denbigh, Rhyl-Prestatyn, Shotton and Wrexham, Wrexham-Cefn Mawr, Wrexham- Llangollen. These figures are provisional and subject to amendment.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Benefits Agency Offices
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many Benefits Agency offices there are currently in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.[14603]
Mr. Roger Evans: This is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Ms Harriet Harman, dated 6 February 1997:
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Figures are provisional and subject to change.
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many Benefits Agency (BA) offices there are currently in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales.
The information requested is shown in the table below:
Country Number
England 688
Scotland 116
Wales 91
Total 895
These figures include BA Central Services and other locations which do not deal directly with benefit payments. There is no public service at 109 of these sites.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Income Support
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the percentage of the population currently dependent on income support. [14821]
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is set out in the table.
| Number | Proportion of the population (GB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficiaries | 9,809,000 | 17.2 per cent. |
Notes:
1. Beneficiaries includes claimants, their partners and any dependants.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.
3. Decimals are rounded to one decimal place.
4. Sample size 5 per cent.
Source:
1. Income support statistics quarterly inquiry February 1996.
2. Office for National Statistics mid-term estimates of the population 1995.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Singapore Summit
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 225, if he will make a statement on the policy towards Burma that the Government will advance at the EU-ASEAN summit in Singapore. [14598]
Mr. Hanley: Together with our EU partners, we shall be explaining to ASEAN representatives our concerns at recent events in Burma. We also hope to discuss ways of encouraging democratic reform and respect for human rights in Burma, as urged in the UN General Assembly resolution on Burma, which was adopted by consensus on 12 December 1996.
Equal Opportunities
Mr. Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people are 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. [14480]
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Mr. Hanley: In this Department, the responsibility for the provision of advice on equal opportunities is shared between seven individuals.
The total estimated cost to this Department, including the Overseas Development Administration, for the current financial year is £51,659.
Mr. Syed Zahoorul
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will call for a report concerning the arrest of Mr. Syed Zahoorul on 22 January in Srinagar by the border security force. [14818]
Dr. Liam Fox: I have asked our high commission in New Delhi to look into the alleged arrest of Mr. Syed Zahoorul, and to report the findings. I will write to the hon. Member thereafter.
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