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Departmental Salaries
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff in his Department and each of its executive agencies earn a gross annual salary of £43,000 or more. [16297]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The number of staff in the Scottish Office and its executive agencies earning a gross annual salary of £43,000 or more at 1 January 1997 is shown in the following table.
| Department | Total |
|---|---|
| Scottish Office (core) | 220 |
| Executive agencies | 10 |
| Scottish Office (excluding SPS) | 230 |
| Scottish Prison Service | 11 |
Pupils
Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage and how many (a) primary school pupils and (b) secondary school pupils were in classes of over 30 in the latest census (i) in each local authority and (ii) in total; and what was the (1) actual and (2) percentage change in numbers against the previous year's census. [16296]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: Statistics on class size in primary schools are collected biennially. The available information is given in the table. Schools have been allocated to their current education authority. Information on individual class sizes in secondary schools is not collected centrally.
(4) Includes education authority, grant aided and self governing schools.
(5) Includes pupils in classes covering more than one stage.
(6) Percentage change based on small numbers should be treated with caution, as a small actual change could result in a large percentage change.
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United Nations Industrial Development Organisation
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to expand opportunities within the aid programme for British consultants in (a) fisheries and (b) other matters, following United Kingdom withdrawal from UNIDO. [16356]
Dr. Liam Fox: Wide-ranging opportunities for British consultants are already available under the British development programme. The ODA is actively developing a new strategy for strengthening its links with the private sector in a broad range of sectors.
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the decision to withdraw from UNIDO on (a) developing countries and (b) employment of British consultants by UNIDO. [16532]
Dr. Fox:
The impact of UK withdrawal from UNIDO will have little effect on developing countries. The Government believe that greater impact for developing
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countries can be achieved by the use of other channels for our resources. There is no restriction in UNIDO's statute on consultancies being awarded to non-member states.
Mr. Booth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if an aid settlement has yet been agreed for St. Helena. [16536]
Dr. Liam Fox:
I am pleased to advise that my right hon. and noble Friend, the Minister for Overseas Development has this month approved a £26 million development commitment to St. Helena covering the next three years. This significant allocation, which represents an increase over previous plans, is linked to an agreement between the St. Helena Government and Her Majesty's Government on a three-year country policy plan. This provides a detailed framework for the reform and development of the island's economy. It illustrates the Government's continuing commitment to ensuring economic development and proper governance of the UK dependent territories as a whole.
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Mr. Robert McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy when asked by hon. Members to provide comparative statistics between Northern Ireland and other parts of the United Kingdom, or the United Kingdom as a whole, to obtain the necessary figures from other Departments and to publish them. [15819]
Sir Patrick Mayhew:
No. It would not be appropriate to provide statistical information on subjects for which I am not responsible.
Mr. Robert McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many car parking spaces are provided (a) on the Stormont estate and (b) at Rosepark House (i) free of charge and (ii) for which charges are made; how many were provided five years ago; and if he will make a statement. [15817]
Mr. Moss:
There are some 2,461 parking spaces in the Stormont estate, including 240 at Netherleigh, and 235 at Rosepark house. The corresponding figures five years ago were 2,405, including 240 at Netherleigh, and 230. Charges are not made for the use of these spaces.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what monitoring takes place by his Department of the use of external consultants by non-departmental public bodies. [16753]
Sir John Wheeler:
The central Northern Ireland civil service guidance on employment of consultants is derived from the efficiency unit's 1994 report on "The
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Government's Use of External Consultants". Each Northern Ireland Department has, as required, drawn that guidance to the attention of its non-departmental public bodies. It is then for the Department concerned to settle the appropriate monitoring arrangements for NDPB's conduct in this area, taking account of the particular circumstances in which each NDPB operates.
Ms Mowlam:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the percentage change in the number of households assessed as being in priority need by the Housing Executive between 1986 and 1996.[16879]
Mr. Moss:
This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive whose chief executive has advised me that the category "priority need" was established in 1989 and that the information from that date is as follows:
| Year | Number in priority need |
|---|---|
| 1989-90 | 3,604 |
| 1995-96 | 5,166 |
| Change | 43 per cent. |
The total number of presenters increased by 61 per cent. from 6,675 in 1989-90 to 10,768 in 1995-96.
Ms Mowlam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many households have presented themselves as homeless to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in each of the last five years and the current year to date; and what percentage of those have been assessed as being (a) unintentionally homeless and (b) in priority need. [16880]
Mr. Moss:
This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the chief executive has advised me that the information is as follows:
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| Unintentionally homeless(7) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| col. a | col. b | col. c | col. d | col. e | col. f | col. g |
| Year | Presented as homeless | Intentionally homeless | Number | Percentage (d/b) | In priority need | Percentage (£/b) |
| 1996-97(8) | 8,168 | 606 | 7,562 | 92 | 3,430 | 42 |
| 1995-96 | 10,768 | 847 | 9,921 | 92 | 4,319 | 40.1 |
| 1994-95 | 10,068 | 848 | 9,220 | 91.6 | 4,014 | 39.9 |
| 1993-94 | 9,731 | 804 | 8,927 | 91.7 | 3,971 | 40.8 |
| 1992-93 | 10,099 | 1,054 | 9,045 | 89.6 | 4,061 | 40.2 |
| 1991-92 | 10,081 | 1,235 | 8,846 | 87.7 | 4,158 | 41.2 |
(7) Includes those in priority need.
(8) To 31 December 1996.
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