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Income Support Mortgage Interest Scheme
Mr. Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans she has to change the way that standard interest rate used in the income support mortgage interest scheme is calculated. [14184]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
We have no current plans to change the existing arrangements for calculating the standard interest rate.
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Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if she will list the suppliers to her Department who are owed outstanding amounts, indicating the amounts and the due date on which the account should have been settled. [13540]
Mr. Field:
All Departments are required to pay all their bills within agreed contract terms, or 30 days from receipt of the goods or service or a valid invoice, whichever is later, where no such terms exist. Such detailed information on payment performance for the current financial year could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Treasury will shortly be publishing a league table of departmental payment performance for 1996-97.
Computers (Century Date Change)
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Prime Minster what proposals he has to address the century date change problem relating to computer systems during the British presidency of the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [13151]
The Prime Minister: The Government have launched Action 2000, a new initiative to provide UK businesses with the help that they need to tackle the century date change problem.
We intend to raise with colleagues in Europe the need for all Governments to address this issue urgently.
Ministers (Conflict of Interest)
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the responsibility of the President of the Board of Trade for ensuring that her Ministers do not see papers or attend meetings which may cause them to have a conflict of interest. [12463]
The Prime Minister: In accordance with the ministerial code, all Ministers have an individual responsibility for ensuring that they do not see papers or attend meetings which may cause them to have a conflict of interest
WPC Yvonne Fletcher
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Adjournment debate of 23 July, Official Report, columns 994-1022, if following the meeting between Assistant Commissioner David Veness and the hon. Member for Linlithgow in Scotland Yard on 10 July, concerning the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, he will reconsider Her Majesty's Government's policy towards UN sanctions against Libya. [12539]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, North (Mr. Henderson) the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on 30 June, Official Report, column 38.
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Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Adjournment debate of 23 July, Official Report, columns 994-1022, if he will set out what steps Her Majesty's Government have taken to consider circumstances which have come to light since the fatal accident inquiry on the destruction of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie; and the application of UN sanctions against Libya. [12538]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: Any new information is scrutinised carefully. The Lockerbie investigation remains open and its work is kept under constant review. The Lord Advocate has stated that he is satisfied, on the information available to him, that there is no reason not to proceed with the petitions against the Libyans accused of the Lockerbie bombing. Until Libya complies with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, sanctions should be maintained.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he or his Ministers had with the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham) prior to the tabling of the question by the hon. Member for answer by the Prime Minister on 31 July; and what was the purpose of such discussion. [12735]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: As far as I am aware, none.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham) of 31 July, Official Report, column 495, and the answer by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 21 July, Official Report, column 442, what was the basis of the calculation in the answer of 31 July. [12736]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: The average cost of answering a written parliamentary question is £107.
The average cost was multiplied by the number of questions the hon. Member had tabled, 295, to give an estimated total cost of £30,000 since the beginning of May.
The cost detailed on 21 July, Official Report, column 442, applies to direct staff costs only.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the (a) official entertainment functions and (b) conferences which have been held at Chequers since May. [12919]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: Since the general election, my family and I have used Chequers in a variety of ways, both official and private, consistent with the wishes of the donor, Lord Lee, and the Chequers Estate Acts.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Prime Minister what are the terms of reference of the social exclusion unit; how many full-time equivalent staff it will have; and what estimate he has made of its annual running cost. [12825]
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The Prime Minister
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: The full membership of the unit and its precise terms of reference will be announced shortly. Its budget is currently being determined, but will be funded from within existing resources.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Prime Minister what is Her Majesty's Government's definition of social exclusion.[12827]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: Social exclusion can be broadly defined as covering those people who do not have the means, material and otherwise, to participate in social, economic, political and cultural life.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Prime Minister how he will assess whether social exclusion has decreased as a result of the work of the social exclusion unit. [12826]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: The social exclusion unit will have clear public terms of reference, against which its work can be judged.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of people experiencing social exclusion at present; and what are the principal causes of that social exclusion. [12828]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 27 October 1997]: One of the social exclusion unit's key tasks will be to draw together information on the key indicators of social exclusion and improve understanding of its causes.
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Prime Minister what has been the cost to public funds of official secretarial support to unpaid advisers; and from what source these sums are met. [12524]
The Prime Minister:
Unpaid special advisers may have access to departmental typing facilities. In practice, only one unpaid adviser currently has requested access to typing facilities and this is being provided from a shared resource with other special advisers. It is not possible to distinguish the precise cost to departmental resources of this support to the unpaid adviser.
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 22 July, Official Report, columns 556-57, if Ministers with unpaid advisers have procured a list of private concerns for each relevant adviser and a list of issues on which conflict with those concerns may arise. [12520]
The Prime Minister:
Yes. Ministers and their unpaid advisers are required before any appointment is confirmed to ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and of their private interests.
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Prime Minister if the notification of the Prime Minister prior to appointments of unpaid advisers constitutes approval by the Prime Minister of each appointment. [12521]
The Prime Minister:
Before agreeing to the appointment of an unpaid adviser, the appointing Minister has to satisfy me that the appointment is necessary, and
30 Oct 1997 : Column: 860
that arrangements have been put in place to ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and any of their private interests.
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Prime Minister (1) if unpaid advisers have been or may be subject to positive vetting; and who pays for the vetting; [12522]
The Prime Minister:
It is for the appointing Minister to determine the papers to which an unpaid adviser may have access. If this involves access to classified papers, then the adviser will be subject to appropriate vetting clearance, the cost of which will be met from the relevant departmental budget.
(2) if a ministerial instruction is needed in each case before an unpaid adviser may see classified papers; and if unpaid advisers who have not been positively vetted are permitted to see papers normally seen only by officials and advisers who have been positively vetted. [12523]
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