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Shire Authorities (Expenditure)
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the percentage of total spending devoted to education for each shire authority; and how much extra each would have to spend in order to spend as much on education as the present highest one for the latest year for which figures are available. [89286]
Ms Estelle Morris: Information for the financial year 1999-2000 is in the process of preparation and is expected to be completed shortly. I will write to the hon. Member when the figures he requests are available, and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library.
DEFENCE
Territorial Army
Mrs. Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on administrative support to the Territorial Army following the recent reforms. [89847]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
Following the announcement made by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on the restructuring of the TA in November 1998
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detailed work has been carried out to establish the level of administrative support required by the reformed TA. As it is our intention to make the TA more relevant, more usable and more fully integrated into the regular armed forces, we have concluded that the level of administrative support needs to be tailored to the readiness of the unit involved. Accordingly, the overall level of administrative support staff is being reduced broadly in line with the reduction in TA personnel and some units will receive an increased level of support. Altogether this will mean that there will be a net loss of some 600 civilian jobs nationally. MOD Trades Unions have been fully consulted about the implications for civilian staff and have raised a number of concerns, which are being addressed. My officials will now be working closely with the Trades Unions to ensure that the process of implementing the new TA structure is handled as sensitively as possible.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total stock of depleted uranium weaponry held by the UK. [88889]
Mr. George Robertson:
I am withholding the detailed information under exemption 1a of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information relating to defence, security and international relations. Depleted uranium- based ammunition is used because it offers better performance than other alternatives and, therefore, gives our Armed Forces greater operational capability.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many depleted uranium weapons are held by British forces based in Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo. [88963]
Mr. George Robertson:
I am withholding this information under exemption 1 of the Code of Practice to Government Information relating to defence, security and international relations.
Mr. Cotter:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate how much depleted uranium was dropped on (a) Kosovo and (b) Serbia in the course of recent NATO action. [89067]
Mr. George Robertson:
The UK did not use depleted uranium (DU) ammunition during the air campaign over Kosovo and Serbia. The United States is the only member of the Alliance to have said that it used DU ammunition. I am not in a position to estimate the amount used.
CPS/Police Collaboration
30. Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Attorney-General what progress he has made on improving collaboration between the Crown Prosecution Service and area police forces in order to reduce delays before cases are brought to court. [87909]
The Attorney-General:
Measures designed to bring cases to court within a few days of charge, including provisions in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the location of CPS staff at police stations, have been tested at six pilot sites. Initial indications are that the pilots have worked well and, subject to a satisfactory evaluation, the measures will be implemented in the rest of England and
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Wales in November 1999. Moreover, most CPS Areas and police forces now operate fast-tracking arrangements for a range of casework. Fast-tracking has greatly reduced the time from charge to first appearance, from four or five weeks to a matter of days.
31. Mr. Gapes:
To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to his answer of 20 May 1999, Official Report, column 433, on prosecutions for racial hatred, how many referrals were made to him by the Director of Public Prosecutions for consideration as to whether to prosecute for incitement to racial hatred in each year since 1995. [87910]
The Solicitor-General:
Since 1995 the Director of Public Prosecutions has referred 36 cases which involved allegations of offences under Part III of the Public Order Act 1986 to my office. In 31 cases consent to prosecution was given, in three cases consent was not granted; and the Director withdrew the application for consent in the remaining two cases.
32. Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the implementation of the restructuring of the Crown Prosecution Service areas. [87911]
The Attorney-General:
The new structure of 42 Crown Prosecution Service Areas was implemented in April 1999 when the newly appointed 42 Chief Crown Prosecutors took up their posts. On 28 June 1999, I provided the final Government response to the recommendations contained in Sir Iain Glidewell's report on the CPS. Sixty-four of the 75 recommendations have now been accepted, accepted in part or in principle, or implemented. Only two recommendations have been rejected. Work continues on the implementation of what is a substantial initiative within the criminal justice system.
33. Dr. Stoate:
To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on his responsibilities in relation to charities. [87912]
The Solicitor-General:
The Attorney-General's responsibilities in relation to charities are historic and wide-ranging. The Attorney-General's function is to represent the Crown as parens patriae and so to act as protector, both of charity in general and of particular charities. It falls to the Attorney-General to institute legal proceedings to protect a charity and to represent the charitable interest. The Attorney-General is a necessary party to any litigation in which the objects of a charity need to be separately represented, for example, where the interest of the Trustees do not coincide with the objects of the charity.
In addition, the Attorney-General has the power to authorise ex gratia payments from charitable funds on moral grounds where such payments might otherwise amount to breaches of trust and he has power, by derogation from the Sovereign, to give directions under the Sign Manual as to the re-distribution of uncertain charitable gifts under wills.
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Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Attorney-General in how many cases he has sought leave to appeal against sentences on grounds of alleged leniency. [87906]
The Attorney-General:
Since 1 May 1997 in England and Wales 197 individual references have been lodged with the Court of Appeal. 81.6 per cent. of the references heard have resulted in an increased sentence.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the (a) US and (b) Lithuanian authorities in connection with allegations of war crimes by Mr. Aloyzas Balsys; and if he will make a statement. [88329]
Mr. Boateng:
I am arranging for the relevant records to be examined, and will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the European Communities working groups which met over the last 12 months with a representative from his Department in attendance; if he will list the number of times each met; if he will indicate the nature of the Government's representation; and if he will make a statement. [88476]
Kate Hoey:
The information requested for the period since 1 July 1998 is given in the table. Attendance from the Home Office was usually by one or two officials of around grade 7 level, with members of the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union and officials of other Government Departments as necessary.
| Working group | Number of meetings |
|---|---|
| Visa Working Group | 10 |
| Working Party on Economic Questions (Data Protection) | 7 |
| Regulators Group (Building and Construction Materials)(2) | 4 |
| Standing Committee on Construction (Construction Products Directive)(2) | 3 |
| Article 10 (Precursor Chemicals) Committee | 3 |
| Working Group on Posting of Third-Country National Workers(3) | 3 |
| Asylum Working Group(3) | 1 |
| Expulsions Working Group(3) | 1 |
| Migration Working Group(3) | 1 |
| Eurodac Working Group(3) | 1 |
| Contact Committee on Money Laundering | 1 |
| DGXV officials group on transfer of information at the European Parliamentary elections 1999 | 1 |
(2) Since the coming into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May
(3) Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions DETR lead Department
In addition, several Working Groups convened under the auspices of Title VI of the Treaty on European Union met on a number of occasions during the period in question.
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