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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Judges (Directorships)
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what steps are taken (a) at the time of their appointment and (b) subsequently, to ensure that his Department is informed of company directorships held by judges. [14379]
- (2) how many full-time judges at each level within the judiciary hold company directorships; and what guidance his Department issues to judges about the circumstances in which a conflict of interest arising from such a position might arise. [14369]
Mr. Streeter:
Full-time judges are advised before appointment that they should not hold commercial directorships during their service on the Bench, although some forms of non-commercial directorships may be acceptable. Subject to these general principles, each case is dealt with on its individual circumstances.
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Kenya
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for each of the last five years for which figures are available (a) projects in Kenya which received aid and (b) the total amount of aid to Kenya; and if he will make a statement. [15226]
Dr. Liam Fox: The gross public expenditure to Kenya over the last five years has amounted to £166,493,000 broken down as follows:
| £ millions | |
|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 38,351 |
| 1992-93 | 37,514 |
| 1993-94 | 31,231 |
| 1994-95 | 30,214 |
| 1995-96 | 29,183 |
Major sectors of involvement have been, and continue to be, health and population, education, renewable natural resources, roads and small enterprise development.
Over the last two years, there has been major expenditure--over £1 million--on each of the following projects:
Dr. Fox:
We are giving no direct assistance to Kenya to combat the effects of the water hyacinth in Lake Victoria. Assistance is, however, being provided by other donors, including the World bank and the European Union.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department is giving to Kenya to combat the effects of the water hyacinth in Lake Victoria; and if he will make a statement. [15228]
Primary education in-service project: £2.3 million
Moi university library: £2 million
Supplies project for HIV-AIDS prevention: £1.6 million
Essential drugs provision: £1.5 million
Emergency supply of essential drugs: £1.5 million
Molo-Litein roads upgrading: £1.5 million
K-Rep's Juhudi credit small scale:
Enterprise project: £1.5 million
Protected areas wildlife project: £1.4 million
Family planning services: £1.4 million
Contraceptive supply: £1.2 million
Tick-borne diseases research project: £1 million.
Members' Tea Room (No Smoking Areas)
Dr. Godman:
To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee (1) if he will consult hon. Members about the location of designated no smoking areas in the Members' Tea Room; and if he will make a statement; [15174]
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Sir Colin Shepherd:
The Catering Committee keeps under constant review the policy regarding smoking in all Refreshment Department outlets, including, of course, in the Tea Room. In each of the last three years, hon. Members have had the opportunity to respond to the Refreshment Department's customer questionnaire, which welcomes comments on smoking policy. The results of the last survey were considered by the Committee at its meeting on 22 January. The Committee was encouraged by the fact that, based on the responses to the specific questions on smoking, the existing arrangements appear to have the support of a majority of respondents. Hon. Members may also make their views known throughout the year by using the comments books available in all outlets, which I read frequently.
(2) what consultation took place with hon. Members concerning the designation of no smoking areas in the Members' Tea Room; and if he will make a statement. [15175]
Illegal Drug Use (Questions)
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy as to when questions on statistics on illegal drug use are to be answered by (a) his Department, (b) the Department of Health, (c) the Home Office, (d) the Leader of the House and (e) other Departments. [14653]
Mrs. Angela Knight [holding answer 6 February 1997]: Ministerial responsibility varies according to the information sought and the availability of data, as follows:
- (a) The Office for National Statistics collects and publishes information on all deaths registered in England and Wales and codes cause of death.
(b) The Department of Health deals with medical and health aspects of drug misuse, and compiles information on drug addicts in index form. Data are available on the age and sex of the addict, drug used, injecting behaviour and agency type, at regional health authority level, and at district health authority level. They are published on an annual basis.
- (c) The Home Office collects and publishes information on persons notified as being addicted to opiates and cocaine and all drug-related deaths, as well as data on drug offences and drug seizures made by the police and by HM Customs and Excise. The Home Office also compiles data on drugs and criminal justice. They include details of offenders by age, sex, offence, drug involved, police force area, disposal and sentence, and are available by United Kingdom police force area. Data on drugs offenders have been collected centrally since 1967. Statistics on seizures are based on returns received directly from Customs and Excise and the police.
(d) HM Customs and Excise also collates information on types and weights of drugs seized at frontiers. The Department for Education and Employment's principal role is to disseminate advice and guidance on drug education and prevention to schools, youth workers, and teachers in further and higher education. It also supports many local groups and funds the training of teachers and community workers who are engaged in tackling the problems of drug abuse and has published several documents accordingly.
(e) Co-ordination of the Government's drug strategy is the responsibility of the Lord President.
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Parliamentary Questions (Cost)
Mr. Alton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidelines exist for determining whether providing the answer to a parliamentary question would involve disproportionate cost; what steps are taken to ensure that officials do not avoid undertaking work on researching information for Ministers by wrongly claiming that the research would involve disproportionate cost; and what sanctions (a) have been and (b) could be imposed on officials in such circumstances. [15431]
Mrs. Angela Knight: Treasury Ministers aim to answer written parliamentary questions as fully as possible and in accordance with guidance on disproportionate cost. Ministers may decline to answer, in whole or in part, a written parliamentary question where the marginal cost of preparing the answer is likely to exceed the current advisory limit of £450. The decision to use this cost threshold rests with Ministers, who may decide that questions should be answered irrespective of cost.
I am not aware of any instances where officials have sought to make improper use of the threshold. If officials were to do so, this would be an internal matter for the Department concerned.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of people aged under 25 years are (a) in full-time employment, (b) in part-time
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employment, (c) in full-time education and (d) on Government-supported training schemes in (i) Yorkshire and Humberside and (ii) England, as at spring 1996. [14305]
Mrs. Angela Knight:
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the chief executive of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Dr. M. P. G. Pepper to Mr. Hugh Bayley, dated 12 February 1997:
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The Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked the Director of the Office for National Statistics to reply to your recent Question on the proportion of people aged under 25 in employment, education and training in Yorkshire and Humberside and in England. The Director has asked me to reply in his absence.
In answering your Question, I have incorporated two improvements when compared with the Answer on 24 July 1996 in the Official Report column 547, and for this reason I am providing comparable data for 1991 through to 1996.
First: the information on numbers in employment, education and training relate to persons aged 16-24 and are expressed as a proportion of the corresponding age group rather than all persons aged under 25.
Secondly: the number in employment include some persons who are in full-time education. Separate details are given for those in full-time education with and without jobs.
The Answer in the attached tables is derived from the Labour Force Survey. However, participation in Government supported training schemes is known to be under-recorded in the Labour Force Survey compared with administrative sources. The employee figures in the tables therefore include a number who should otherwise be shown as on such schemes.
Note:
(3) Excludes Government-supported training and employment programmes.
(4) Included in employment estimates.
Source:
Labour Force Survey.
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Notes:
(5) Excludes Government-supported training and employment programmes.
(6) Included in employment estimates.
Source:
Labour Force Survey.
12 Feb 1997 : Column: 195
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