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General Election (Ballot Papers)
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what administrative guidance is issued in respect of the opening of sealed containers in which the counterfoils of ballot papers are placed at a general election in the absence of a court order. [1014]
Mr. Hoon: Rule 55(1) of the Parliamentary Election Rules, embodies in the Representation of the People Act 1983, requires Returning Officers to send the sealed packets of counterfoils to the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery. Rule 56 provides that the sealed packets may be opened only on an order of this Honourable House or a Court, and that the order may prescribe the conditions under which the order is to be carried out.
WALES
Civil Service (Ethnic Minorities)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to increase the number of employees from ethnic minorities within his Department. [231]
Mr. Ron Davies: My Department has recently agreed to participate in the Windsor Fellowship Programme. In addition we have established an outreach programme to promote career opportunities and encourage applications from people from ethnic minorities.
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many civil servants at each grade within his Department were of Asian origin on 5 May. [230]
Mr. Davies: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
NHS Trusts (Contracts)
Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many NHS trusts failed to meet the 14 March 1997 deadline to agree contracts with their purchasers; and how many are now expected to go to arbitration. [779]
Mr. Win Griffiths: The objective for 1997-98 was for trusts and health authorities to agree contracts by 16 May 1997. Information about which organisations met the objective is not yet available. I will write to the hon. Member in due course and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Duchy Benevolent Fund
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list for each local authority area in Lancashire the number of applications received for assistance from the Duchy's benevolent fund and the number successful, listing the sums and receipts in each case for the most recent year for which figures are available. [642]
22 May 1997 : Column: 145
Dr. David Clark:
Figures for the year ending 31 March 1997 are as follows:
| Local authority area | Applications received | Successful applications | Total donated £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn | 6 | 3 | 1,087 |
| Blackpool | 8 | 4 | 1,900 |
| Burnley | 17 | 9 | 3,650 |
| Chorley | 5 | 2 | 500 |
| Fylde | 3 | 3 | 150 |
| Hyndburn | 4 | 4 | 950 |
| Lancaster | 12 | 6 | 575 |
| Pendle | 18 | 6 | 3,870 |
| Preston | 13 | 11 | 2,708 |
| Ribble Valley | 7 | 5 | 2,200 |
| Rossendale | 7 | 5 | 1,600 |
| South Ribble | 6 | 4 | 911 |
| West Lancashire | 3 | 2 | 100 |
| Wyre | 3 | 2 | 803 |
| County-wide | 5 | 2 | 1,836 |
| Total | 22,840 |
In addition major projects supported were:
| Local authority area | Total donated | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| Preston | 5,000 | Parish Prospect |
| Preston | 5,000 | St. Walburge's |
| Blackburn | 5,000 | Cathedral Tower |
| Blackburn | 5,000 | New Direction Training |
| Fylde | 5,000 | Youth Information and Advice Centre |
| Total | 25,000 |
The Duchy Benevolent Fund also makes grants to charities such as Invalids-At-Home who then make smaller grants to many individuals some of whom will live in Lancashire.
Civil Service (Ethnic Minorities)
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Chancellor or the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants of each grade in the Office of Public Service were of Asian origin, on 5 May. [724]
Mr. Kilfoyle: The total number of civil servants, by grade, in the Cabinet Office, the Office of Public Service and its executive agencies on that date were as follows:
22 May 1997 : Column: 146
Under the department's equal opportunities policy, all staff joining the department are invited to provide details of their ethnic background to enable effective monitoring of the policy. The information is provided by individuals on a voluntary basis.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proposals he has to increase the number of ethnic minority employees in the Office of Public Service. [725]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
The Cabinet Office (OPS) and its agencies is an equal opportunities employer. Applications from ethnic minorities are welcomed and monitored. Appointments are made on merit and in accordance with the principle of fair and open competition.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will list the name of the chairman of each quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation where Ministers are responsible for the appointment; [996]
(3) if he will list the name of each quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation to which Ministers or their representatives make appointments; [995]
(4) if he will list each quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation in Cumbria. [997]
Dr. David Clark:
Unfortunately, not all this information is held centrally. However, I refer my hon. Friend to the information now available on the Internet (www.open.gov.uk/pau/paupoint.htm) which sets out appointments made by Ministers to boards of executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and NHS bodies--approximately 8,500 appointments in total. Information on appointments to advisory NDPBs and other bodies is available from sponsoring departments and is often set out in departmental publications, such as departmental annual reports, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
The Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies 1996, also available in the House Libraries, lists all NDPBs and nationalised industries, together with certain public corporations and NHS bodies, and identifies those appointments made by The Queen and Her Ministers. This information however is not set out by region.
22 May 1997 : Column: 147
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the President of the Council how many Back-Bench hon. Members she consulted about changes to Prime Minister's Questions before the change was announced. [652]
Mrs. Ann Taylor:
There was no formal consultation, although Members on all sides of the House have placed their dissatisfaction with the old arrangements on record over several years.
(2) if he will list the name of each member of each quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisation in Cumbria, identifying the chairman separately; [998]
ENVIRONMENT AND THE REGIONS
Climate Change
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he plans to meet his Cabinet colleagues from the other European Union countries to discuss climate change and the fixing of targets for 2005. [637]
Mr. Prescott: Together with the Minister for the Environment, I plan to attend the EU Environment Council in Luxembourg on 19 and 20 June at which climate change, including appropriate reduction targets for developed countries for 2005, will be discussed.
Conference on Sustainable Development
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) when he plans to attend the conference on sustainable development in New York; [639]
- (2) what issues he plans to include in his speech to the conference on sustainable development in New York; [640]
(3) if he plans to accompany the Prime Minister to the special session of the UN in New York. [641]
Mr. Prescott: The Prime Minister and I will both be attending the UN General Assembly Special Session in June. The Prime Minister will address the General Assembly on 23 June. He will no doubt refer to the importance the Government attaches to the goal of sustainable development and to our priorities for pursuing that goal.
Housing (Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale)
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the percentage of (a) the local authority, (b) housing association, (c) the private sector and (d) the total housing stock in (i) Burnley, (ii) Pendle and (iii) Rossendale assessed as requiring major expenditure to bring it up to standard in each year since 1992. [698]
Mr. Raynsford:
As part of the annual Housing Investment Programme, local authorities in England are asked to provide estimates of the numbers of their own dwellings and dwelling in other tenures in their area which are unfit. The estimated proportions of unfit stock
22 May 1997 : Column: 148
on 1 April provided by Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale on their 1992 to 1996 HIP1 returns are set out below. The figures are not necessarily reported on a consistent basis because of differences in interpretation of the statutory definition of unfitness. Not all of these dwellings will require major expenditure to make them fit.
| Local authority | Housing association | Private sector | Total stock | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnley | ||||
| 1992 | 3 | (4)-- | 20 | 17 |
| 1993 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 16 |
| 1994 | (4)-- | 2 | 22 | 18 |
| 1995 | (4)-- | 0 | 22 | 18 |
| 1996 | (4)-- | 0 | 24 | 19 |
| Pendle | ||||
| 1992 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| 1993 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 6 |
| 1994 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
| 1995 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 15 |
| 1996 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 15 |
| Rossendale | ||||
| 1992 | (4)-- | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| 1993 | (4)-- | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| 1994 | 6 | not reported | 6 | not reported |
| 1995 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 27 |
| 1996 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 24 |
(4) Less than 0.5 per cent. but not zero.
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