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Laos
Mr. Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance was given by Her Majesty's Government to the Laotian Government for clearance of unexploded bombs in each of the last three years. [2971]
Clare Short:
We have not provided any bilateral support to the Laotian Government for the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO). However, we have contributed over £543,000 in 1995-96 through United Nations and British NGO programmes for UXO clearance and community awareness activities in Xieng Khouang
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province and capacity building for the newly formed Lao National UXO Programme. In 1996-97 we gave a further £148,000 to Xieng Khouang project.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the casualty rates arising from unexploded bombs in Laos; and if he will make a statement. [2970]
Clare Short:
No official data are currently available on casualty rates from unexploded ordnance in Laos.
Economic and Monetary Union
19. Mr. Cash: To ask the Prime Minister if he will put the protocol on the third stage of economic and monetary union and the issue of the single currency on the agenda of the intergovernmental conference at Amsterdam. [1425]
The Prime Minister: Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is not on the IGC agenda. The Government has no intention of reopening the protocol which protects our right to choose whether or not to join the third stage of EMU.
Trustees
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Prime Minister if he will arrange for (a) Lord Nolan's Committee on standards in Public Life and (b) the political and public honours scrutineers to be advised by the trustees of the funds that provided help in opposition to him and to other ministers, of the sources of those funds. [1706]
The Prime Minister: The Leader of the Opposition's Office Fund was set up in accordance with guidelines discussed and agreed with Sir Gordon Downey.
The fund was set up as a blind trust to prevent me being aware of the sources of the contributions to it. But the practice established in Opposition whereby the Chief Whip consults the trustees of the fund when he is preparing the information needed by the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee, will continue. If an individual recommended for such an honour has been a contributor to the Leader of the Opposition's Office Fund, that information will be made available to the PHSC.
G7 Economic Summit, Denver
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what matters with regards to the environment he plans to raise at the G7 meeting in Denver. [2874]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 10 June 1997]: I shall be pressing for strong action on climate change, where the Government has already given a firm lead to the rest of the world through our commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 20 per cent. by 2010. I shall also be looking for practical measures to reduce pollution, help sustain our oceans, and supporting a new convention on the world's forests.
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Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Prime Minister which political appointees since 1 May have been given executive authority over civil servants. [2852]
The Prime Minister:
Two. Alastair Campbell as my Press Secretary, and Jonathan Powell as my Chief of Staff. On the terms of their appointments, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Mr. Fallon) on 2 June, Official Report, column 96.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Prime Minister for what reasons the responsibilities of the previous Deputy Prime Minister in respect of the implementation and presentation of Government policy have been allocated to the Minister without Portfolio. [2836]
The Prime Minister
[holding reply Tuesday 10 June]: I cannot answer for the last Government's arrangements. As regards the role of the Minister without Portfolio, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Worthing, West (Mr. Bottomley) on 3 June, Official Report, column 134.
Departmental Documents
Mr. Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage and how many documents in 1996 he estimates were (a) passed on to the Public Record Office intact, (b) passed on to the Public Record Office in censored form, (c) retained by his Department in full, (d) retained by his Department in part, (e) destroyed, (f) otherwise disposed of, and (g) otherwise unaccounted for. [2507]
Dr. David Clark: No document falls due for transfer to the Public Record Office until it is 30 years old. The suitability of a document for selection for permanent preservation under the terms of the Public Records Act 1958 will be reviewed during that period. The Act does not require statistics to be kept in the form requested. To do so would incur disproportionate cost. However, in order to comply with their duties under the Act, departments are obliged to make arrangements for the safekeeping of their records, with a view to their possible selection and possible transfer to the Pubic Record Office and eventual release to the public. The general arrangements for extended closure or retention of public records are set out in Chapter 9 of the White Paper on Open Government of July 1993 (Cmnd. 2290).
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Regional Aid
Mr. Alan Williams:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals she has to transfer to Wales and Scotland (a) powers to award or remove assisted area status and (b) powers to vary the system of selective regional aid; and if she will make a statement. [2935]
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Mrs. Roche:
The Government's proposals on the powers to be exercised by the new Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament in respect of regional assistance will be set out in White Papers to be published before the House rises for the Summer recess.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the public financial liability for the long-term management of radioactive wastes, including plutonium, arising from the current and historical operations of British Energy. [1782]
Mr. Battle:
British Energy is responsible for meeting all the liabilities associated with its assets. There is no public liability for British Energy's current or historical operations. These liabilities will be financed by British Energy out of its own earnings and cashflow or through a segregated fund. The recently concluded contract for future AGR supplies potentially involves BNFL taking on liability for some of the waste arising from AGR reprocessing although the terms and value of the contract fully reflect this option.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment her Department has made of Professor Carlo Rubbia's proposals for a prototype 10 megawatt nuclear waste burning reactor. [2245]
Mr. Battle:
The Department is aware of the proposals of Professor Carlo Rubbia for the development of a nuclear waste burning reactor, generally known as an energy amplifier. The Euratom Scientific and Technical Committee, which has members from all the member states of the EU, has reported to the European Commission on the proposals, and the report will be published shortly. The conclusions, with which my Department concurs, are that it is unrealistic, on the grounds of both cost and technical risk, to pursue the whole system at once, but that there are several aspects which may merit further work at this stage.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to use MOX fuel in United Kingdom reactors. [1799]
Mr. Battle:
A decision to use MOX fuel in United Kingdom reactors is a matter for the operators, concerned, British Energy, subject to meeting the necessary regulatory requirements.
Mr. Stunell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will bring forward proposals to repeal section 18(3)(a) of the Electricity Act 1989; and if she will make a statement. [2931]
Mr. Battle:
I have no current plans to repeal section 18(3)(a) of the Electricity Act 1989 which allows Public Electricity Suppliers to levy standing charges. I will, however, continue to examine ways to reduce fuel poverty.
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Mr. Mullin:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assistance her Department is proposing to provide to the Governments of (i) Jamaica, (ii) Trinidad Tobago and (iii) Belize over the next three years; and what assistance in each case is currently provided. [3042]
Mrs. Roche:
My Department provides advice and assistance to British companies interested in trade and investment in Jamaica, Trinidad Tobago and Belize. We do not provide assistance to the governments of those countries, nor do we have any plans to do so.
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