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21 Nov 1997 : Column: 321

Written Answers to Questions

Friday 21 November 1997

HOME DEPARTMENT

"Corpus Juris"

Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the document "Corpus Juris" produced by Directorate General XX at the European Commission seminar at San Sebastian; and if he will make a statement. [16980]

Mr. Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 28 October 1997, Official Report, column 778.

In this, I explained that the document in question is a discussion paper with no formal status. We disagree with many of its recommendations which are incompatible with the legal traditions of this country. For any of them to have effect, they would need to be proposed formally and agreed unanimously in the Council. An English translation of the document has been placed in the Library.

NORTHERN IRELAND

RUC

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions and for what purpose the RUC hosted visits by German police officers in November and December 1996. [13077]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 6 November 1997]: The RUC hosted no visits by German police officers in November and December 1996.

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions and for what purpose RUC officers travelled to Germany in November and December 1996. [13076]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 6 November 1997]: During November and December 1996 police officers visited Germany on a number of occasions for both training and operational reasons.

Belfast Incidents

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if she has received a report on the conduct of British soldiers (a) in Ardoyne on 2 September, (b) on 20 September at the Old Park barracks and (c) in North Belfast on 3 October; [15899]

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Mr. Ingram [holding answer 18 November 1997]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had a report of the incidents referred to by my hon. Friend. If he can furnish further details she will look into the matter.

Ian Magill Case

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost to public funds of salary payments made, since his suspension, to the employee of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra recently convicted of paedophile offences. [16718]

Mr. Worthington: Mr. Magill has been paid £42,554.24 from September 1995 to October 1997.

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate was made of the cost of an award by an industrial tribunal in the event of Ian Magill making a successful claim against the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum for unfair dismissal. [16719]

Mr. Worthington: No estimate was made of the cost of an award by an industrial tribunal.

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what factors led Ulster Folk and Transport Museum to employ Ian Magill after his first conviction on paedophile charges. [16720]

Mr. Worthington: Following Mr. Magill's conviction in 1991, the Board of Trustees of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum obtained legal advice about whether or not Mr. Magill could be dismissed. Counsel's opinion and that of the Museum's solicitors was that the Museum would have difficulty in establishing a fair dismissal.

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps her Department is taking to recover the salary paid to Ian Magill since his suspension; and if she will assess the advantages of restricting his pensionable service to the date of that suspension. [16721]

Mr. Worthington: This is entirely a matter for the Museum's senior management and Board of Trustees. They are seeking legal advice.

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the legal advice obtained in the Ian Magill case. [16722]

Mr. Worthington: No assessment has been made as this is entirely a matter for the Museum's senior management and Board of Trustees.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Museums and Galleries

Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the level of grant-in-aid subsidy was per visitor for (a) national museums and galleries on Merseyside, (b) the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester and (c) Tyne and Wear museums, in each year since 1994. [16191]

Mr. Fisher: The details requested are listed in the table. The figures are not strictly comparable. For the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside (NMGM)

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and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester (MSIM) the grant figures shown represent grant in aid provided by the then Department of National Heritage. Neither the NMGM nor the MSIM receive core revenue funding from their respective local authorities. In the case of the Tyne and Wear Museums Service (TWMS) the

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figures represent only the grant provided by the Museums and Galleries Commission. The figures exclude revenue support to the Service's museums provided by the five metropolitan district councils in the former Tyne and Wear Metropolitan County Council area which make up the bulk of the public funding to the TWMS.

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Government grant £000 Visitors Grant per visitor
1994-951995-961996-971994-951995-961996-971994-951995-961996-97
NMGM16,41113,27513,1231,344,9591,221,4281,207,93712.2010.8710.86
MSIM2,3182,3632,310286,510261,597334,8528.099.036.90
TWMS1,0201,0151,0151,047,612929,1281,048,7310.971.090.97

These figures are not comparable, since the basis on which these museums/museums services are funded are different.

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DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Lords Lieutenant

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Lords and Deputy Lords Lieutenant come from the ethnic minorities; and if he will make a statement. [15167]

Dr. David Clark: Although Lords Lieutenant are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, Deputy Lieutenants are recommended for appointment by Lords Lieutenant. The information sought will take time to complete. I will write to my hon. Friend when it is available and place a copy in the Library.

Access Business Group

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what dates the Access Business Group has met; and how often it plans to meet in future. [17182]

Mr. Kilfoyle: The group met on 23 July and 6 October and will meet again on 25 November. It is expected to continue to meet at intervals of approximately two months as its programme of work requires.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the aims and objectives of the Access Business Group. [17184]

Mr. Kilfoyle: The objective of the Access Business Group is to help to make central and local government's regulatory advice and service more transparent, accessible and helpful. The Group aims to minimise bureaucracy and red tape by coordinating and modernising a wide range of regulatory advice, forms and guidance for business into a simpler, more unified service.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who are the members of the Access Business Group; and how they were appointed. [17183]

Mr. Kilfoyle: I announced its membership on 23 July 1997, Official Report 1997 column 583. Councillor John Ryan was nominated by the Local Government Association to assist the group's work on local government regulatory advice and service. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster invited Teresa Graham to join the group in her capacity as vice chair of the Better Regulation Task Force where she is responsible for advising the government on regulatory issues. The remaining members of the group are the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, my hon. Friend the Member for

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Wallasey (Angela Eagle), and the Minister for Small Firms, Trade and Industry in the Department of Trade and Industry.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what remuneration is provided to which members of the Access Business Group. [17185]

Mr. Peter Kilfoyle: None.

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