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PRIME MINISTER
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister how many of his answers to parliamentary questions in the last 12 months have exceeded the advisory cost limit; and if he will make a statement. [19337]
The Prime Minister: Where the cost of answering a particular parliamentary question is estimated to exceed £450, it is the general practice for Departments to make clear that the question could be answered only by incurring disproportionate cost. Given the number of questions tabled, it would be unreasonable for my office to calculate the exact cost of answering every single parliamentary question.
Parliamentary Finances
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the reasons why he will not refer the subject of party finances to the committee chaired by Lord Nolan; and if he will make a statement. [19358]
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The Prime Minister:
The Home Affairs Select Committee has already considered the question of party funding.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Prime Minister what official engagements he undertook in Ayrshire on 28 February.[19405]
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will provide a breakdown by project of PFI schemes for which his office is responsible as identified in table 5.5 of the Red Book. [18928]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 6 March 1997]: For these purposes, my office is part of the Cabinet Office. In 1996, the Cabinet Office let one PFI project--the provision of the Government's metropolitan telephone service, involving capital expenditure of £1.25 million in each of the years covered by table 5.5 of the Red Book. The figures for this project have been included in the totals given in the Red Book, but were not given a separate entry in table 5.5 where figures are shown to the nearest £10 million.
Anti-personnel Land Mines
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many countries have (i) discontinued and (ii) stated their intention to discontinue the use of anti-personnel land mines by their own forces. [18725]
Mr. David Davis:
Comprehensive information on this is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, based on information
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supplied by the International Committee of the Red Cross, we believe that 24 countries have discontinued the use of anti-personnel land mines by their own forces and a further 29 countries, including the UK, have stated their intention to do so when certain conditions are met.
Mr. Kaufman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) the recent shelling of Tamil border villages in Vavuriya and Mannar districts by the Sri Lankan armed forces and (b) the flight of Tamil civilians from these areas; and if he will urge the Sri Lankan Government to cease the offensive and withdraw Sri Lankan forces from Tamil areas. [18868]
Dr. Liam Fox:
We have called on both sides to make every effort to avoid injuries to civilians during the current conflict. We understand that there were no civilian casualties during the Sri Lankan Government's most recent offensive. When I visited a camp for displaced Tamils in Northern Sri Lanka last year, I was granted uninhibited access to the inhabitants. The conditions were rudimentary but the inhabitants appeared clean, well fed and generally content. I was impressed by the valuable part British aid was playing in the Sri Lankan Government's continuing work to provide humanitarian supplies to those displaced by the conflict. We continue to support the Government's efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict.
Mr. Kaufman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will take steps to facilitate talks between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Government of Sri Lanka by establishing modalities for such talks.[18871]
Dr. Fox:
We have offered to facilitate talks, provided both sides agree. This offer remains on the table.
Mr. Kaufman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Sri Lankan President and Foreign Minister in regard to (a) the lifting of the restrictions presently placed on journalists travelling to the Tamil northern and eastern provinces, (b) the removal of the embargo on food and medicines on the Tamil people and (c) violations of the human rights of Tamil people by the army and security forces; and if he will consider the withdrawal of aid to the Government of Sri Lanka.[18869]
Dr. Fox:
We regularly take opportunities to urge the Sri Lankan Government to maintain their commitment to press freedom; to continue to provide humanitarian supplies to those displaced by the conflict; and to give the highest priority to human rights issues, ensuring that violators are prosecuted. The British aid programme to Sri Lanka is for the benefit of all communities. A significant proportion supports people affected by the civil conflict.
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Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Government expect to ratify the additional protocols to the Geneva conventions. [19219]
Mr. David Davis:
We intend to ratify the additional protocols as soon as we can.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who instructed the UK assistant consul at New York to request an invitation to the celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the passing of the MacBride principles in New York; if the assistant consul attended the function; and if he will make a statement. [17958]
Mr. Rifkind:
No-one instructed the consul--information, Northern Ireland--in New York to request an invitation. The consul attended the event in order to hear the views of the main speakers.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who instructed the UK consul in Seattle to write to members of the state legislature of Washington concerning the response of British companies if Washington state enacted legislation incorporating the MacBride principles; in how many US states the MacBride principles have been enacted; how many British companies have refused to invest because of the enactment of the MacBride principles; if he will list such companies and the relevant states; and if he will make a statement. [17957]
Mr. Rifkind:
It is the long-standing policy of the Government to oppose the enactment of US federal and state legislation based on the MacBride principles, because such legislation is (a) unnecessary--the requirements of the 1989 Fair Employment Act being much more stringent and precise--and (b) a potential deterrent to trade and investment with Northern Ireland. All Northern Ireland political parties represented at Westminster are opposed to MacBride legislation. Macbride principles have been enacted in 15 states. We are not aware that such legislation has yet affected the operations of British companies in the United States, but remain concerned at its potential to damage trade and investment in either direction.
Mr. George Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many tapes were recorded by each of the staff present in the emergency control room at HMP Whitemoor on the evening of 9 September 1994; and when each of these tapes were made available to (a) the police, (b) the Woodcock inquiry and (c) other investigative bodies. [16866]
Miss Widdecombe:
Three video recorders were in operation in the emergency control room at Her Majesty's prison Whitemoor on the evening of 9 September 1994. The Cambridgeshire constabulary took possession of the
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three video tapes from those recorders on 9 and 10 September in the course of their investigation of the escape. The Woodcock inquiry was given access to the video tapes at the outset of its work at Whitemoor and was subsequently provided with a copy of them. The video tapes have not been made available to any other investigative body.
Mr. George Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued on the methods of listening to telephone calls made on mobile and cordless telephones which are classified as interceptions under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 following the definition of the interception of a telephone call in the Court of Appeal in R v. Ahmed (29 March 1994) and the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords in R v. Effik (1994). [18949]
Mr. Howard:
My Department issued no such guidance in the light of those judgments.
Mr. Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protection exists for citizens in respect of listening to telephone calls made on mobile and cordless telephones by a method falling outside that covered by the Interception of Communications Act 1985; and what assessment he has made of the compatibility of such protection with the Government's obligations under the provisions of articles 8 and 13 of the European convention on human rights. [18950]
Mr. Howard:
Section 5 of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 makes it an offence to use wireless telegraphy intending to obtain information as to the contents, sender or addressee of any message or to disclose any such information except in certain specified circumstances.
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