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Reviews and Task Forces
Mr. Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of the Government reviews and task forces announced since 1 May 1997 have concluded their work; and which have yet to report. [72899]
Mr. Kilfoyle: I am sorry for the delay in replying to the hon. Member.
Responsibility for the establishment and management of task forces and reviews rests with individual Ministers. Detailed information about Task Forces and Reviews is not held centrally.
I have today placed in the Libraries of the House a list of those established since 1 May 1997 which have yet to report, together with anticipated report dates.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the leaked Select Committee documents that reached (a) him, (b) his Ministers, (c) his officials, (d) his advisers and (e) departmental parliamentary private secretaries during (i) 1997, (ii) 1998 and (iii) 1999. [77928]
Mr. Kilfoyle:
I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend's answer to the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr. Maclean) on 17 March 1999, Official Report, columns 709-10.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will provide a breakdown, in numerical and percentage terms, of the ethnic origin, at 1 March, of (a) his private office, (b) Government special advisers, (c) his Policy Unit and (d) staff in total. [78512]
31 Mar 1999 : Column: 711
Mr. Kilfoyle:
Information about the ethnic origin of civil servants is collected in Government Departments through voluntary, confidential questionnaires.
(a) As at 1 March there were 7 staff of ethnic minority origin in the Department's Private Office. This represents 24 per cent. of staff in the Department's private office.
(b) My answer to the question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, East (Mr. Livingstone), 22 February 1999, Official Report, column 39, refers to this matter.
| Department | Ethnic minority staff | % of staff with known ethnic origin |
|---|---|---|
| Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service | 40 | 7.3 |
| Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | 398 | 5.4 |
| Cabinet Office | 98 | 7.2 |
| Charity Commission | 71 | 12.8 |
| Crown Prosecution Service | 410 | 8.3 |
| Culture, Media and Sport | 33 | 9.9 |
| Customs and Excise | 1,485 | 6.8 |
| Defence | 1,312 | 2.0 |
| Education and Employment | 2,254 | 10.8 |
| Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) | 18 | 10.1 |
| Environment, Transport and the Regions | 857 | 7.0 |
| Export Credits Guarantee Department | 49 | 16.7 |
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office | 191 | 4.4 |
| Friendly Societies, Registry of | 36 | 26.9 |
| Government Actuary | (9)-- | 8.7 |
| Health | 595 | 13.7 |
| Health and Safety Executive | 178 | 5.0 |
| HM Prison Service | 1,095 | 3.2 |
| Home Office | 1,138 | 12.4 |
| Information, Central Office of | 25 | 9.3 |
| Inland Revenue | 3,278 | 6.0 |
| International Development | 68 | 8.7 |
| Intervention Board | 67 | 8.0 |
| Land Registry | 384 | 4.9 |
| Legal Secretariat | (9)-- | 25.0 |
| Lord Chancellor's Department | 933 | 9.5 |
| National Investment and Loans Office | 5 | 18.5 |
| National Savings | 26 | 0.6 |
| National Statistics, Office for | 168 | 5.7 |
| Northern Ireland Office | 18 | 20.9 |
| Office of Electricity Regulation | 26 | 11.4 |
| Office of Fair Trading | 66 | 25.0 |
| Office of Gas Supply | 14 | 13.9 |
| Office of the National Lottery | (9)-- | 16.0 |
| Office of the Rail Regulator | 9 | 7.4 |
| Ordnance Survey | 20 | 1.3 |
| Public Records Office | 11 | 12.1 |
| Royal Mint | (9)-- | 1.1 |
| Scottish Office | 14 | 0.4 |
| Other Scottish Departments | 18 | 0.4 |
| Security and Intelligence Services | 14 | 0.3 |
| Serious Fraud Office | 32 | 21.1 |
| Social Security | 5,107 | 6.5 |
| Trade and Industry | 880 | 11.9 |
| Treasury | 103 | 13.1 |
| Treasury Solicitors Department | 45 | 15.0 |
| Welsh Office (including OHCMI) | 14 | 0.7 |
| Total | 21,615 | 5.7 |
(9) less than 5 staff
Notes:
1. Number of non-industrial staff who responded to departmental surveys on ethnic origin
Source:
Cabinet Office: Mandate and Departmental returns
31 Mar 1999 : Column: 712
Advisory Committee Appointments
Mrs. Ann Winterton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his answer of 17 March 1999, Official Report, column 710, for what reasons current information on appointments to Government advisory committees is not held centrally; and if he will make it his policy that such information be held centrally in future. [79504]
Mr. Kilfoyle: There are over 36,000 appointments to non-departmental public bodies including advisory committees. These are the responsibility of the relevant sponsoring Minister and department. Departments post information on current appointments every six months to the Public Appointments Unit Internet Directory at (http://www.open.gov.uk/pau/paupoint.htm).
Lobbyists
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish a list, including names and dates, of all meetings that (a) he, (b) his officials, (c) his advisers and (d) his PPS have held during (i) 1997, (ii) 1998 and (iii) 1999 with people who work for political lobbying firms or for businesses that are members of the Public Relations Consultants Association. [79654]
Dr. Jack Cunningham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) on 9 March 1999, Official Report, column 168. Any meetings involving PPSs in an official or semi-official capacity are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Social Fund
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Northern Ireland Social Fund discretionary budget will be for 1999-2000. [79992]
Mr. McFall: I am pleased to announce that the Social Fund gross discretionary budget for 1999-2000 will be £42.82 million. £9.86 million will be allocated to grants; £32.86 million to loans and £0.1 million will be held as a contingency reserve. The new allocations represent an increase of £2.27 million over the gross budget set at April 1998.
This increase in the Social Fund budget will ensure that more people receive help and that the Fund continues to play an important role in targeting resources to those most in need. Details of the individual District budget allocations, together with a note explaining the basis on which they have been made, have been placed in the Library today.
Violent Incidents
Mr. William Ross:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if she will list for the week ended 20 March the number of violent incidents involving paramilitary groups which took place in Northern Ireland; and how many involved (i) Loyalist and (ii) Republican groups; [78928]
31 Mar 1999 : Column: 713
Mr. Ingram:
The number of security incidents during the period 14 March-20 March 1999 are as shown:
(2) if she will list for the week ended 20 March the number of (a) punishment beatings and (b) punishment shootings which took place in Northern Ireland; and how many in each category were committed by (i) Loyalist and (ii) Republican groups. [78929]
Deaths--2
Shooting incidents--2
Bombing incidents--2.
The number of casualties as a result of paramilitary- style attacks during the period are as follows:
| Loyalist | Republican | |
|---|---|---|
| Assaults | 2 | 0 |
| Shootings | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 |
Notes:
1. Figures may be subject to minor amendment.
2. The shooting and bombing incidents cannot as yet be attributed to a grouping.
Murders (Clear-up Rates)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information she has obtained on the clear-up rates for murders committed by Loyalists and Republicans since 1969. [79993]
Mr. Ingram:
From 1969, to March 24 1999, there have been 882 murders attributed to Loyalist groups. Murder charges have been brought in relation to 421 of these, a clear up rate of 49.5 per cent.
31 Mar 1999 : Column: 714
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