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Civil Justice Review (Press Conference)

Mr. Chope: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department for what reasons the Lord Chancellor briefed selected journalists on 6 June about the terms of his review of civil justice and legal aid reforms. [3294]

Mr. Hoon: As the review of civil justice and legal aid was the first major announcement made by the Lord Chancellor since his appointment, the Lord Chancellor decided that it was an appropriate opportunity for him to explain the terms of the review to the legal correspondents in person, and to answer their questions.

Mr. Chope: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department who selected the journalists who were invited to the press conference which the Lord Chancellor held on 6 June about the terms of his review of civil justice and legal aid reforms. [3292]

Mr. Hoon: The Lord Chancellor.

Mr. Chope: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the journalists who were invited to the press conference which the Lord Chancellor held on 6 June about the terms of his review of civil justice and legal aid reforms. [3290]

Mr. Hoon: The following journalists were invited to the Lord Chancellor's briefing on 6 June: Frances Gibb of The Times, Clare Dyer of the Guardian, Terry Shaw of the Daily Telegraph, Patricia Wynn-Davies of the Independent, Robert Rice of the Financial Times, Joshua Rozenberg of BBC Television News, Jane Peel of BBC Radio News and Marcel Berlins of BBC Radio 4's "Law in Action" programme.

Mr. Chope: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the journalists who attended the press conference which the Lord Chancellor held on 6 June about the terms of his review of civil justice and legal aid reforms. [3291]

Mr. Hoon: The journalists who attended the Lord Chancellor's press briefing were Frances Gibb of The Times, Clare Dyer of the Guardian, Terry Shaw of the Daily Telegraph, Patricia Wynn-Davies of the Independent, Robert Rice of the Financial Times, Joshua Rozenberg of BBC Television News, Jane Peel of BBC Radio News, and Marcel Berlins of BBC Radio 4's "Law in Action" programme.

12 Jun 1997 : Column: 550

Radioactive Waste Disposal (Document)

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 2 June, Official Report column 11, if he will place in the Library (a) a list of the titles of the 42 files on disposal of radioactive waste at the Hurd Deep and (b) a copy of the untitled document to which he makes exceptional reference. [2643]

Mr. Hoon: I am placing in the Library a list of the titles and dates of the 42 files referred to.

In drawing up the list it has become clear that there are three further files, beyond the one referred to in my Answer of 2 June (WA 11) that are not open to inspection because they are not yet 30 years old, and I apologise to the hon. Member for inadvertently misleading him on this point. The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has already applied to the Lord Chancellor for all four items to be opened immediately, and they will be available in the Public Record Office after an Instrument under section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958 has been signed.

The Public Record Office has no power under that Act to make closed records, or copies of them, generally available before an Instrument opening the records has been signed.

List of records transferred to the public record office by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority relating to the disposal of radioactive waste at the Hurd DeepAB 6: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and predecessors: Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, Correspondence and papers

Piece number	Date	Title
153	1946-1952	Radioactive Waste Disposal: General Policy
164	1946-1947	Effluent
237	1946-1948	Effluent Working Party: General Correspondence
381	1947-1954	Radioactive Waste Disposal at Sea
437	1948-1953	Disposal of Radioactivity at Sea
604	1949-1955	Arrangements for Radioactive Waste Disposal at Sea
607	1949-1950	Effluent Disposal
741	1950-1953	Disposal of Radioactive Waste other than at Sea
1045	1952-1958	Disposal of Radioactivity at Sea
1499	1954-1959	Disposal of Radioactive Effluent
1732	1955-1959	Radioactive Waste Effluent:General
1733	1955-1959	Radioactive Waste Disposal:General
1734	1955-1957	Radioactive Waste Disposal:Disposal at Sea
2087	1958-1962	Disposal of Radioactive Waste at Sea
2247	1960-1961	Annual Sea Disposal: 1960-1961
2248	1959	Annual Sea Dumping: 1959
2249	1958	Annual Sea Dumping: 1958
2250	1959	Annual Sea Dumping: 1959
2251	1961	Annual Sea Dumping: 1961
2452	1960-1968	Radioactive Effluent: Correspondence
2575	1961-1962	Annual Sea Disposal Operation

12 Jun 1997 : Column: 551

AB 12: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and Predecessors: Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell: Committees, correspondence and papers

Piece number	Date	Title
43	1947-1948	Effluent Disposal Working Party: Agenda and Minutes
207	1954-1956	Project Health Committee: Agenda, Minutes and Papers
227	1955	Effluent Sub-committee: Minutes
354	1957	High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor: Clean-up committee: Minutes and Papers
507	1961-1966	Health Committee: Agenda, Minutes and Papers Volume 2

AB 15: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and Predecessors: Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell: Reports and memoranda

Piece number	Date	Title
6565	1963	Prediction and Measurement of Doses during Sea Disposal Operations in 1961
6723	1964	Report of the Working Party on Containers for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste at Sea

AB 16: Ministry of Supply and United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority: Atomic Energy Division and London office: Files

Piece number	Date	Title
1653	1955-1958	Disposal of Radioactive Waste by Sea Dumping
1654	1959-1963	Disposal of Radioactive Waste by Sea Dumping
3532	1960-1966	Sea Dumping: Indemnity to and Charges by Admiralty

AB 45: London office: Health and safety: Correspondence and papers

Piece number	Date	Title
39	1963-1964	Disposal of Radioactive Waste by Sea Dumping

AB 54: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority: Energy Research Establishment Harwell: Health and safety, correspondence and papers

Piece number	Date	Title
2	1962-1963	Annual Sea Disposal Operation
3	1962-1964	Annual Sea Disposal Operation
15	1962-1964	Waste Disposal at Sea
16	1960-1962	Liaison with France: Waste Disposal at Sea
17	1962-1969	Liaison with France: Waste Disposal at Sea
26	1964-1969	European Nuclear Energy Agency: Collaboration on Sea Dumping of Radioactive Waste
27	1962-1965	Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Conditions for Authorisation of Disposal of Radioactive Waste at Sea, and Contracts with Commercial Firms
28	1963-1964	Annual Sea Disposal Operation
29	1964-1973	Sea Dumping: Background Papers
31	1963-1964	Sea Dumping of Radioactive Wastes

12 Jun 1997 : Column: 552

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Education Expenditure

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of GDP was spent on education in (a) 1979-80, (b) 1983-84, (c) 1987-88 and (d) 1992-93; what is planned to be spent in 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [3035]

Mr. Byers: The information requested is as follows:

	Percentage of GDP spent on education (UK)
1979-80	5.1
1983-84	5.2
1987-88	4.8
1992-93	5.2

ted expenditure on education in 1997-98 will amount to some £38 billion but accurate figures cannot be calculated until outturn information is available. In 1996-97 the proportion spent on education is estimated to be 4.9 per cent.

Mr. Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the impact of his improvement targets on the percentage of GDP to be spent on education over the planning period; and if he will make a statement. [3032]

Mr. Byers: The Government are committed over the course of the Parliament to raising the proportion of national income spent on education as it decreases the proportion spent on the costs of economic and social failure.

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