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North Atlantic Assembly

Mr. Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the United Kingdom delegation to the North Atlantic Assembly. [12280]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: The following will represent the United Kingdom at the North Atlantic Assembly:



















Departmental Payroll

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list each of the functions relating to the payroll for which his Department is responsible, indicating the management systems purchased, all subcontractors involved in the work, co-operative arrangements with other departments and the costs of the systems and processes in the last year for which figures are available. [10730]

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Mr. Tony Lloyd: This Department is responsible for the assessment of staff pay, the preparation of input, the evaluation of output and the reconciliation of the pay account.

No management system has been purchased and there is no subcontractor involved.

The calculation of pay is carried out on our behalf by GCHQ Cheltenham.

The total cost of the in-house part of the whole operation is currently £1,160,000 per annum. This includes direct staff costs plus the cost of accommodation. The pay calculation running costs are borne by GCHQ, this Department having contributed to the original set-up costs.

Kenya

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications of the moral and ethical principles of his foreign policy for relations with Kenya. [11292]

Mr. Tony Lloyd: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave him on 2 June, Official Report, column 81. We will treat respect for human rights as an important element in determining our overall relationship with Kenya. I underlined to the Kenyan Government and opposition the importance we attach to free and fair elections when I visited the country from 25 to 28 June. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development made clear on 16 July, Official Report, column 195, we will take account of further developments in this respect in deciding on future development assistance to Kenya. We have condemned the recent violence in Kenya and continue to urge all concerned to agree through peaceful dialogue on how the necessary conditions for free and fair elections can be established.

Defence Equipment (Export Licences)

Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many export licences for defence equipment were issued between 1 May and 22 July. [10651]

Mrs. Roche: From 1 May up to and including 22 July 1997, 1,701 export licences were issued for the export of military, security and paramilitary goods and arms, ammunition and related material, controlled under part III of schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994; 1,673 were standard individual export licences, and 28 were open individual export licences.

PRIME MINISTER

Policy Unit

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the commercial and other external interests of the members of his policy unit. [10399]

The Prime Minister: No. As with all other civil servants, the members of my policy unit are not required to publish their private interests. However they are required to ensure that there is no conflict between their private interests and their public duties.

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"Questions of Procedure for Ministers"

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister how many revisions have been made to "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" since May 1992; what paragraphs were revised and in what way; what factors underlay each revision; and on what dates each revision was announced to Parliament. [10406]

The Prime Minister: Three amendments to "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" have been made since May 1992. The first revised paragraphs 118 to 123 and was announced to the House on 21 July 1994, Official Report, column 551. The second, which revised paragraph 1 was amended after debate on the then Government's response to the first report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life Cm2931 and announced on 2 November 1995, Official Report, column 456. The most recent amendment was again to paragraph 1 and was set out in the then Government's response to the second report from the Public Service Committee on ministerial accountability and responsibility, HC 67, published 5 November 1996, the publication of which was announced to the House on 7 November 1996 Official Report, column 594. The background to the changes was set out in the statements to the House at the time and, in the case of the latter change, the Government response to the Public Service Select Committee report.

Mr. Ashton: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has issued a new edition of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" to his ministerial colleagues. [12268]

The Prime Minister: I have issued to ministerial colleagues a successor document to "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" called the "Ministerial Code--a Code of Conduct and Guidance on Procedures for Ministers". I expect all Ministers to work within the letter and spirit of this code, in order to uphold the highest standards of honesty and propriety which the British people fairly expect of those in public life. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

I have also issued to my ministerial colleagues, "Guidance on the work of the Government Information Service"--a document which brings together in one place the guidance on the entire range of the Government information service's work. Copies of this have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arms Sales

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those Departments with responsibility for arms sales indicating the particular responsibilities in each case.[10518]

The Prime Minister: The Departments most involved in matters related to defence exports are the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and HM Customs and Excise. The Defence Export Services Organisation, in the MOD, provides British defence exporters with the strongest possible Government support, within the framework of our defence, security and foreign policies. Licences to export controlled goods are issued by the President of the Board of Trade. All relevant individual licence applications are circulated by DTI to other Government Departments with an interest. These will normally include the FCO, MOD and Department for

31 Jul 1997 : Column: 490

International Development. The DTI is also the sponsoring Department for the defence industry itself. It works closely with industry on the whole range of issues relating to its effectiveness. The FCO plays an active role in promoting British industry overseas and advises on the foreign policy implications of defence exports. Finally, HM Customs and Excise are responsible for the enforcement of export controls.

Sovereign (Documents)

Mr. Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will reduce the 100-year embargo on the release of documents relating to the sovereign and the sovereign's family.[10613]

The Prime Minister [holding answer 25 July 1997]: There is currently no statutory embargo on the release of public records relating to the royal family. The forthcoming White Paper on freedom of information will address the issue of public access to all types of Government records.

Departmental Payroll

Mr. Todd: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list each of the functions relating to the payroll for which his Department is responsible, indicating the management systems purchased, all sub-contractors involved in the work, co-operative arrangements with other Departments and the costs of the systems and processes in the last year for which figures are available. [10734]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Official Report, 29 July 1997, columns 140-41.

Open Government

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 July, Official Report, column 44, if he will consider opening the other papers in the classmark CAB171 at the Public Record Office. [10954]

The Prime Minister: I shall consider this and let the hon. Member know the outcome once all the material has been reviewed.

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