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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
British Consulate, Skopje
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about the handling of visa applications at the British Consulate in Skopje; and if he will make a statement. [86841]
Mr. Hoon: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has given a commitment that the Embassy will begin issuing visas as soon as it is practicable for it to do so. We are looking at options for larger premises, to enable us to provide a full visa service. As regards the processing in Skopje of applications from Kosovar refugees, I refer the hon. Member to the statement in the House on 5 May 1999 by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, Official Report, columns 443-44, in which he outlined the arrangements being made under UNHCR auspices.
My noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean will be replying separately to the hon. Member's letter of 8 June about a specific case in which he has an interest.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many parliamentary questions have been tabled to his Department for written answer on a named day since 15 April; and what percentage of them received a substantive response on that day. [87319]
Mr. Tony Lloyd: Between 15 April and 22 June, 107 parliamentary questions have been tabled to the Department for written answer on a named day; 66 per cent. received a substantive reply on that day.
Stability Pact
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 18 June 1999, Official Report, column 255, relating to the publication of the Stability Pact for South East Europe, on which treaty article it is based; if it requires further European Union legislation for its operation; and what is the basis of the term pact being introduced into the affairs of the European Union and Community. [88682]
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
The EU agreed a Common Position on 17 May, the legal basis of which is article 15 of the Treaty on European Union, setting out the general objectives for the Stability Pact initiative. The Stability Pact for South East Europe, approved by the participants' Foreign Ministers on 10 June, is not itself a legal instrument of the European Union, although the European Union will play the leading role within the initiative. In the light of this, there may be a requirement for a Joint Action to meet future operational costs. There is no generic basis for the use within the EU of the term pact.
1 Jul 1999 : Column: 241
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the Government's current arrangements for monitoring fishing in the marine area around Gough Island which forms part of the Wildlife Reserve; and what arrangements he makes for the conservation according to World Heritage Values. [87488]
Mr. Tony Lloyd
[holding answer 29 June 1999]: A fisheries patrol vessel, based on the island of Tristan Da Cunha, was provided to Tristan Da Cunha by the British Government in 1996. It is based on the island of Tristan Da Cunha and does not have the range to patrol Gough Island coastal waters. The only vessels that monitor fishing in the area around Gough Island are those of the Tristan lobster fishing concessionaire, Premier Fishing. All Premier Fishing vessels carry a Tristanian Government observer when fishing in the waters of the Tristan Da Cunha group. Each observer is also a designated conservation officer under the terms of the Tristan Da Cunha Conservation Ordinance 1976.
Gough Island was declared a World Heritage Site in 1995. The area covered by this designation includes the island itself and the marine area out to three nautical miles. Gough Island has a strict Wildlife Management Plan in place. An Environmental Inspector is annually appointed and sent to the Island to ensure that the Plan is being adhered to, and to make recommendations for improvements to it.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates during the past 12 months a fisheries patrol vessel has been operating within three nautical miles of Gough Island for the purpose of monitoring fisheries; and what reports it has furnished to HMG. [87489]
Mr. Tony Lloyd
[holding answer 29 June 1999]: No fisheries patrol vessel has operated within three nautical miles of Gough Island for the purpose of monitoring fisheries in the past twelve months.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will require the United States Government to pay commercial rates for any use of Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island for civil charter flights. [88635]
Mr. Tony Lloyd
[holding answer 29 June 1999]: We currently have no plans to charge the United States for the use of Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island.
Mr. Truswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals against decisions of the War Pensions Agency have been (a) submitted and (b) successful in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [88223]
1 Jul 1999 : Column: 242
Mr. Bayley:
Information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
| Year | Assessment | Entitlement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of appeals lodged | |||
| 1995-96 | 4,920 | 3,064 | |
| 1996-97 | 5,282 | 3,883 | |
| 1997-98 | 4,694 | 3,336 | |
| 1998-99 | 1,440 | 1,189 | |
| Successful appeals cleared by pensions appeal tribunals (1) | |||
| 1995-96 | 722 | 1,388 | |
| 1996-97 | 947 | 1,997 | |
| 1997-98 | 1,251 | 1,373 | |
| 1998-99 | 983 | 1,179 | |
(1) The second part of the table relates solely to successful claims cleared by the Pensions Appeals Tribunals. Due to the time taken to process appeals, they are not necessarily decided in the same year as that in which they are lodged. Figures of appeals lodged and decided in a particular year do not therefore necessarily relate to the same appeal.
Note:
War Pensions appeals fall into 2 broad categories:
Entitlement--Those where the issue is whether the claimed disablement or death is related to service in HM Forces.
Assessment--Those where the issue is the degree of disablement which is due to service. The higher the degree of disablement, the higher the rate of war disablement pensions awarded.
Incapacity Benefit (ME)
Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will arrange for figures to be provided in future for the numbers of people who suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis as a separate category when collecting statistics on benefits. [88594]
Mr. Bayley: Although individual diagnosis codes are available, they are not shown in the quarterly publication. There are in the region of a thousand different codes, therefore only "group headings" are shown. There are no plans to include individual codes within the quarterly publication.
The latest figures held show that at 30 November 1998 there were 16,000 claimants of Incapacity Benefit where the diagnosis was shown as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis falls into the group Diseases of the Nervous System (G00-G99) category.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the cost to Housing Benefit relating to (a) Local Authority rents, (b) Housing Association rents and (c) private sector rents for the last year for which statistics are available. [88819]
1 Jul 1999 : Column: 243
Notes:
1. The figure is taken from a 5 per cent. scan of the benefit computer system, and excludes a small number of cases held clerically.
2. Diagnosis codes are taken from the International Classification of Diseases, tenth edition.
| £ million, cash | |
|---|---|
| Local Authority tenants | 5,493 |
| Registered Social Landlord tenants (previously Housing Association tenants) | 2,211 |
| Private Rented Sector tenants | 3,480 |
| Total Housing Benefit | 11,184 |
Note:
'Rents' have been interpreted as referring to 'tenants'
Source:
1997-98 Housing Benefit Subsidy claim forms from Local Authorities, together with information from the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System one per cent. samples for May 1997 and May 1998. The figures vary slightly from those in the Departmental Report because more recent Local Authorities' data have been incorporated in these figures.
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