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Advice from Business
Mr. Redwood: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action she has taken to ensure that Ministers in her Department receive advice from business. [8974]
Mr. Battle: Ministers and officials are in regular contact with business people representing all sectors and sizes of firms from across the country. In addition to consulting business and other interested parties from time to time on specific policy proposals, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has initiated a more formal process of consultation with business on policies and priorities to improve competitiveness.
This initiative--Competitiveness UK--will include establishing an Advisory Group of prominent business people to advise the President on all aspects of competitiveness; holding a Business Summit on 23 July to establish common ground on a range of areas for further discussion; and creating a number of Working Parties drawn mainly from business to advise on specific aspects of competitiveness. This will help inform the development of policies for a White Paper on Competitiveness to be published next year.
Arms Export Licences
Mr. Forth: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will give for the Review of Criteria for Assessing conventional Arms Export Licences (a) the expected completion date and (b) the cost of conducting the review.[8235]
Mr. Tony Lloyd: I have been asked to reply.
The review of criteria used in considering licence applications to export conventional arms is being taken forward as a matter of urgency. We expect to complete the review in the next few weeks. It is being conducted by officials in the relevant Government departments as part of their regular duties. The cost of the review could be calculated only at disproportionate cost.
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Amsterdam Treaty
Mr. Leigh: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the representations he has received concerning the possible infringement of religious liberties under new article 6a of the proposed treaty of Amsterdam. [8789]
The Prime Minister: I have received a number of representations. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, who lead on European matters, have also received a number of representations on this matter.
Computers (50th Anniversary)
Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Prime Minister what plans the Government have to commemorate the 50th anniversary on 21 June 1998 of the first running of a stored program on a computer at Manchester. [8285]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 15 July 1997]: The Government recognises the significance of this anniversary. The original stored-program computer, known as The Baby, was created at Manchester's Computer Science Department, and ran the first computer program on 21 June 1948. The Government welcomes an initiative of the computer conservation specialist group of the British Computer Society, to build a replica of the original machine, to mark the event. The replica is being built at Manchester University, with sponsorship from ICL.
Ethnic Minorities
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many and what percentage of employees in his Policy Unit are (a) of Asian origin and (b) of Afro-Caribbean origin. [8970]
The Prime Minister: One Afro-Caribbean.
Lockerbie
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 July, Official Report, column 43, and the answer of 11 July, Official Report, column 626, if he will transfer responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing investigation to the Metropolitan police. [9023]
The Prime Minister: Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary have from the outset conducted the Lockerbie Criminal Investigation. There is no reason to depart from that. The investigation relates to the mass murder of 270 people committed in Scotland. My noble and learned Friend, the Lord Advocate has responsibility for ensuring that crimes in Scotland are properly investigated and Section 12 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 authorises him to issue instructions to any Chief Constable with regard to reporting offences alleged to have been committed in his area. The transfer of this inquiry to the Metropolitan police would remove that power from the Lord Advocate in this case and would impede the proper investigation of it.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 July, Official Report, column 43, what steps he proposes to bring to a conclusion the Lockerbie issue. [9024]
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The Prime Minister:
As I told my hon. Friend on 18 June, Official Report, column 509, we will try every avenue to make progress in this matter, but the onus is on Libya to comply with the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
Departmental Budgets
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what new plans he has to introduce cuts and savings in his Department as a result of the effect on his Department's budgets for 1997-98 and 1998-99 of the upward revisions to the GDP deflators in the Budget on 2 July; and if he will make a statement. [8306]
Mr. Chris Smith [holding answer 14 July 1997]: All Departments are considering the case for reallocating spending within their Departmental ceilings as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Mr. Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if, following the recent Budget, he will give his estimate of the total real level of his Department's budget, in 1995-96 prices, in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99; if he will estimate what such figures were for (1) 1997-98 and (2) 1998-99 following the November 1996 Budget on the basis of the estimates of the GDP deflator contained in that Budget; and if he will make a statement. [8305]
Mr. Smith [holding answer 14 July 1997]: The figures requested for my Department's spending plans within the Control Total are as follows: £875,285,000, £884,375,000, £883,977,000 and £899,727,000.
Stationery
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on stationery provision in respect of paper items in each of the last five years. [8869]
Mr. Tom Clarke: My Department was created in April 1992 by transferring certain areas of responsibility from six Departments. The 1992-93 figures are not available as the costs were partly met by these Departments. Expenditure for the last four years was:
1993-94: £12,519.74
1994-95: £23,480.20
1995-96: £25,127.51
1996-97: £27,630.39.
Television Licences
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people received a television licence at the £5 discount price (a) at the latest date for which data are available, (b) 12 months before that date and (c) 24 months before that date; and in each case what was the total cost of the scheme calculated against a colour licence. [9013]
Mr. Fisher: I understand from the BBC that the information is as follows:
- March 1997--650,000 people; cost £54.9 million; colour licence fee--£89.50
17 Jul 1997 : Column: 260
- March 1996--641,100 people; cost £52.2 million; colour licence fee--£86.50
- March 1995--678,800 people; cost £54 million; colour licence fee--£84.50.
National Lottery
Mr. Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to publish his White Paper on his proposals for the national lottery. [9826]
Mr. Chris Smith: The White Paper will be published on 21 July.
Tourism
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to review the role of those of his Department's bodies with responsibility for tourist (a) promotion, (b) registration and (c) accommodation standards; and if he will make a statement. [7900]
Mr. Tom Clarke: As "Breaking New Ground" made clear, we shall conduct a thorough review before putting forward any proposals for change. The timing and scope of this are currently under consideration.
Press Releases
Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spends on biking press releases to (a) hon. Members and (b) other individuals or groups, each time his Department issues a press release; how many such press releases were issued by his Department (i) in the period 1 May to 1 July and (ii) in the period 1 January to 1 March; and if he will review his Department's use of couriers to deliver press releases and investigate the possibility of using fax or e-mail. [8816]
Mr. Tom Clarke: My Department does not bike press releases either to hon. Members or other recipients each time it issues a press release.
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