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NORTHERN IRELAND
Parades and Marches
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the decision was made to allow the Portadown Orangemen to march down the Garvaghy Road; and what were the criteria used for that decision.[7480]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 10 July 1997]: The Chief Constable concluded on the night of Saturday 5 July that the parade should be permitted to proceed along its notified route on Sunday 6 July was made.
He based his decision on the criteria set out in the public order legislation, in order to preserve public safety, only after all efforts to find an accommodation agreeable to both the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition and the Orange Order had failed.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what decision her Department has taken with regard to the routing of Orange marches pending at (a) Bellaghy, (b) the Lower Ormeau Road and (c) Derry City. [7481]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 10 July 1997]: As my hon. Friend will be aware the Orange Order decided not to parade along the lower part of the Ormeau Road on the 12 July, and to switch their planned march from Derry to Limavady. The Orange Order in Bellaghy decided to shorten their morning parade and not to parade, as provisionally planned, through the village in the evening. Because of these most welcome and significant decisions
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by the Orange Order my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was not required to make any decisions on the parades in question.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many plastic bullets were fired in Northern Ireland on (a) 6 and (b) 7 July. [7482]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 10 July 1997]: Between 6 am on 6 July 1997 and 6 am on 7 July 1997, a total of 1,608 plastic baton rounds were fired by the security forces; and between 6 am on 7 July 1997 and 6 am on 8 July 1997, a total of 820 were fired.
Mr. Connarty:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what performance targets have been set for the Valuation and lands Agency for 1997-98. [10166]
Mr. Murphy:
For 1997-98 the following key performance targets have been set for the Agency:
Full details are set out in the Agency's Corporate and Business Plans, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Gorrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will encourage public bodies to commission tapestries for their buildings. [7922]
Mr. Fisher:
British crafts makers and artists are among the best in the world and their works can illuminate and enhance our built environment and public spaces. Tapestry is just one form of craftsmaking but can add obvious and immediate value to the experience of public buildings. I know that a splendid tapestry hangs in the
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office of my hon. Friend the Scottish Office Minister for Health and the Arts. A tapestry will enhance the entrance hall of the new British Library.
Tapestry is not the only medium for public art works: all of us can think of works that have impressed us, whether sculpture, ceramics, ironwork or electronic images. I consider them an excellent investment, in terms of quality of life, for those who commission and build with public money.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received urging him to make chess an olympic sport; and if he will make a statement. [8551]
Mr. Banks
[holding answer 16 July 1997]: I am not aware we have received any, but I do know how popular chess is and am pleased that my Department is able to provide support to the game in England through the British Chess Federation. I have received a number of representations from hon. Members and members of the public who are concerned that chess is not an activity recognised by the English Sports Council and the Lottery Sports Fund. I am sympathetic to the difficulties this creates, particularly in respect of providing access to additional sources of funding. The English Sports Council's recognition rules are kept under review and revised from time to time. The question of chess becoming an olympic sport is, however, a matter for the International Olympic Committee.
Ms Perham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, media and Sport how often since 1992 his Department has been responsible for employment advertisements which contained age restrictions upon those who could apply.[9505]
Mr. Tom Clarke:
Age restrictions are not specified in employment advertisements for this department.
Mr. Fearn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, media and Sport what proportion of the planned National Endowment for Science and the Arts will be funded by national lottery money; and from which other sources funding will be sought. [9170]
Mr. Fisher:
The Government has announced its intention to establish a National Endowment for Science and the Arts (NESTA) to be funded initially from the National Lottery. Our proposals for NESTA, including possible sources of funding in addition to the Lottery, will be set out in a white paper which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be publishing on 21 July.
Mr. Hawkins:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the persons who were not established civil servants on 2 May whose salaries are currently being paid by Government Departments, identifying those who
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previously assisted the campaigning activity of the Labour Party under the present Minister without Portfolio; and if he will list the current salaries and positions held by each of these persons. [5421]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 25 June 1997]: It would be impracticable to list all persons who were not established civil servants on 2 May, whose salaries are currently being paid by Government Departments, since this would include all civil servants recruited since this date. In respect of Special Advisers, I refer the hon. Member to the replies that I gave to the hon. Members for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) and for Worthing, West (Mr. Bottomley) on 2 June, Official Report, columns 97-99. In addition, my right hon. Friend, the Chief Whip, has now appointed two Special Advisers, Mr. Tom Greatrex and Mr. Kieran Simpson and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, has appointed Mr. Hilary Benn. All paid Special Advisers have at some stage in their careers been employed either by the Labour Party or by individual members of a Labour Shadow Cabinet except:
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Prime Minister when the Devolution White Paper will be published. [8465]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 14 July 1997]: The White Paper relating to Welsh Devolution will be published on 22 July, and the White Paper on Scottish Devolution will be published on 24 July.
Mr. Peter Bottomley:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 July, Official Report, column 44, if he will make a statement on (a) the recommendations relating to pension fund income contained in the documents cited and (b) the advice taken in respect of the review of corporation tax; and what statements his Department has made relating to the measures. [9116]
The Prime Minister:
Our manifesto and business manifesto made clear our intention to review the corporate tax system. The changes announced in the Budget are consistent with our manifesto objective to promote greater long-term investment. The Budget promotes greater economic stability and provides a boost to quality and long-term investment which should benefit pension funds and other investors.
In the run up to the Budget advice was provided to the Chancellor by his civil servants. He also received a large number of representations from individuals, businesses and representative bodies. The Budget measures on corporation tax were set out in the Budget statement on 2 July. The details were published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report.
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1. To complete 54,000 rating cases--equivalent to 33,600 work units.
2. To complete 30,000 client service cases--equivalent to 15,000 work units.
3. To have completed by 31 March 1998 an overview database of the public sector property estate in Northern Ireland.
4. To achieve a productivity for caseworking valuers of 342 work units.
5. TO achieve at least a 2.5 per cent. efficiency saving on the 1996-97 allocation in real terms.
6. To achieve a unit cost of casework no greater than the 1996-97 unit cost in real terms.
7. To achieve a standard in domestic rating valuations such that 88 per cent. of those determined on appeal are within plus or minus 10 per cent. of the initial assessment.
8. To achieve a standard in non-domestic rating valuations such that 80 per cent. of those determined on appeal are within plus or minus 10 per cent. of the initial assessment.
9. To complete 85 per cent. of domestic rating appeals within 6 months of receipt.
10. To complete 80 per cent. of non-domestic rating appeals within 6 months of receipt.
11. To complete 93 per cent. of a representative sample of client services casework within agreed time limits.
As regards the current salaries of Special Advisers, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) on 10 June, Official Report, column 390.
Huw Roberts
Norman Warner
Damian Welfare.
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