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British Council
Mr. Spring:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the real terms change in the Government grant in aid to the British Council between 1979 and 1997. [11260]
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Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The real terms change in this Department's grant in aid to the British Council between 1978-79 and 1997-98 was an increase of 21 per cent. This does not take into account the grant in aid received by the British Council from the Department for International Development--formerly the Overseas Development Administration--during this period.
Mr. Fabricant:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the change in volume of EU legislation since 1990 as a result of application of the principle of subsidiarity. [11235]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The number of proposals for primary legislation has fallen from 61 in 1990 to 16 in the pipeline for 1997. It is clear that the principle of subsidiarity is now widely accepted, including by the Commission.
Mr. Faber:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he proposes to take to make known to (a) hon. Members and (b) others details of progress reports on the UN conventional arms register and the UN small arms panel which are expected to be available during the summer Adjournment. [11309]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The recommendations of the panel of experts on the UN register of conventional arms and the UN small arms panel are expected in August and will be presented to the UN Secretary-General in time for the 52nd UN General Assembly in September. We shall place a copy in the Libraries of the House as soon as they have been published.
We shall need to consider their recommendations of the panel carefully and will inform the House how we propose to take these forward.
Mr. Gerald Howarth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the change in spending in real terms on the BBC World Service between 1979 and 1997. [11161]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
Funding for the World Service has increased by approximately 50 per cent. in real terms since 1979.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his estimate of total departmental expenditure on computer-related current and capital work for (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97, (c) 1997-98, (d) 1998-99 and (e) 1999-00; and if he will make a statement. [11389]
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Mr. Tony Lloyd:
Estimates are given in the table. They include staff and related costs. Those for 1997-98 are based on present budgets. Figures for 1998-99 and 1999-00 are provisional.
| £ million | ||
|---|---|---|
| Financial year | Current | Capital |
| 1995-96 | (9)16.1 | (9)18.7 |
| 1996-97 | (9)14.8 | (9)11.2 |
| 1997-98 | (10)15.2 | (10)26.7 |
| 1998-99 | (10)15.8 | (10)14.5 |
| 1999-2000 | (10)16.4 | (10)15.6 |
| Total | (10)78.4 | (10)86.8 |
(9) Actual.
(10) Planned.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Parades and Marches
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provision she will make to ensure that residents whose streets have been blocked to enable church parades, are themselves able to attend their own churches. [8775]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 15 July 1997]: It is of course most regrettable if on any occasion those who wish to go to and from their chosen place of worship by their chosen route are unable to do so. It is for the Royal Ulster Constabulary to do its best to ensure that worshippers are able to get to and from their church unhindered. There are occasions, however, when the security situation in Northern Ireland causes disruption to these plans. When this happens, the RUC endeavours to keep these disruptions to the minimum necessary to meet the security requirement.
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many marches were applied for in (a) 1996 and (b) 1997 up to 12 July 1997 by (i) the Orange Institution, (ii) the Black Institution, (iii) the Apprentice Boys of Derry, (iv) the Ancient Order of Hibernians and (v) the Legion of Mary; and how many took place. [9976]
Mr. Ingram: The information is not readily available in the format requested and would incur disproportionate cost to provide. I can, however, give details of the number of marches held during that period which are described as either loyalist, nationalist or other:
| 1 January 1996 to 31 December 1996 | 1 January 1997 to 12 July 1997 | |
|---|---|---|
| Loyalist | 2,405 | 1,495 |
| Nationalist | 230 | 112 |
| Other | 527 | 248 |
The 1997 statistics may be subject to minor adjustment.
Mr. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications to march were received in (a) 1996 and (b) 1997 up to 12 July 1997 for the purposes
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of band parades; and how many were perceived to be (i) unionist/loyalist, (ii) nationalist/republican and (iii) neither. [9977]
Mr. Ingram:
The information is not readily available in the format requested and would incur disproportionate cost to provide.
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons no appointments were made following interviews for places on the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority; and when appointments will be made. [10297]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
The appointment process did not comply fully with the guidance within the code of practice for public appointments and the interviews are being rescheduled with the involvement of an independent panel member.
The Department of Agriculture hopes to fill the vacancies by early September 1997.
Mr. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on Government policy on the future of the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority. [10299]
Mr. Murphy:
The Government continue to regard the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority as the appropriate body to operate, maintain and develop the three fishery harbours at Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie. There are no plans to alter the statutory position of the authority.
Mr. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons representing fishing interests are represented on the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority. [10298]
Mr. Murphy:
There are two persons from the fishing community on the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority.
Mr. Robert McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the provisions of the proposed Crime and Disorder Bill will extend to Northern Ireland and if she will make a statement. [10274]
Mr. Ingram:
The Government are currently finalising the content of the Crime and Disorder Bill. An assessment is being made of the applicability of its provisions to Northern Ireland and the most appropriate legislative means of introducing those considered suitable.
I will ensure that hon. Members are informed when we have reached a considered view.
Mr. Robert McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the cases of judicial review taken against her Department in 1996, indicating the name of the plaintiff, the subject, if legal aid was granted and how much in each case, and the result of the review. [10276]
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Mr. Paul Murphy:
This information is not readily available in the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments as no central record is kept of applications for judicial reviews.
Mr. Robert McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will estimate (a) the number of mis-sold personal pensions in Northern Ireland and (b) the number of members in public sector schemes who took out such pensions; and what steps are being taken to ensure reinstatement for those who transferred out of public sector schemes. [10312]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
For the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments, the information is as follows:
(a) The numbers are not available.
In keeping with Government policy, Departments responsible for public service schemes have introduced, or are in the process of introducing, amendments which allow current employees who were victims of mis-selling to re-enter their occupational pension schemes. The amendments will also facilitate members' restoration to a financial position equivalent to what would have been the case if mis-selling had not occurred.
(b) The details requested are not held centrally, but the number of members who have opted out of public service occupational pension schemes is somewhere in the region of 2,000 to 2,500. It is not possible to be more specific nor is it possible to identify what proportion of this number switched or transferred out to personal pension providers.
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