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Lisburn Institute of Further and Higher Education
Mr. Donaldson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what account she took of (a) the
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population and (b) the industrial needs of the Borough of Lisburn in making her decision on the allocation of places to Lisburn Institute of Further and Higher Education. [92951]
Mr. McFall:
As a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review, an additional 600 full-time higher education places were secured in the further education sector over the next two years. These places have been allocated to six areas of skills needs identified as being important for the development of the regional economy. The six vocational areas are computing, construction, electronics, hospitality and catering, manufacturing engineering and software engineering.
Colleges of further and higher education were invited to submit bids for the additional places to the Department of Education. Bids were assessed against five common criteria so that places could be awarded on the basis of a college's ability to deliver high quality, relevant provision in the specified vocational areas. The five criteria were: expertise and experience of teaching staff, links with industry; resources; senior management commitment; and track record in provision of higher education. The population of the council area in which a college is situated was not taken into consideration.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the members of the Northern Ireland Assembly are being paid. [92573]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
Yes. The Assembly, which is currently in recess, is being paid under the New Northern Ireland Assembly (Salaries and Allowances) Order 1999 which was made under the Northern Ireland (Elections) Act 1998.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons are thought by the RUC to have been involved in the murder of Adam Lambert on 9 November 1987; how many persons were arrested in connection with this murder; how many were (a) charged and (b) convicted; and what sentences were given. [93090]
Mr. Ingram:
Police arrested eight suspects in connection with the murder, two were charged (one was withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions) and one person was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to which office in the Northern Ireland Civil Service the Special Advisers to the former Deputy First Minister (Designate) have been transferred; what staff have been retained in the Department of the former First Minister (Designate); and if she will make a statement. [92940]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
Following the resignation of the hon. Member for Newry and Armagh (Mr. Mallon) as Deputy First Minister (Designate) the appointments of his Special Advisers were automatically terminated under the
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terms of their contracts. However, the future arrangements for the Office of the Deputy First Minister (Designate) are currently under consideration.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the oral answer of 1 July 1999, Official Report, columns 419-20, which is the lead ministerial department on Her Majesty's Government's policy on coral reef degradation. [89963]
The Prime Minister:
As is the case for a range of cross-cutting issues, there is no single Government Department responsible for coral reef degradation. Departments lead on the aspects for which they are directly responsible, consulting other Departments where necessary. For example:
Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Prime Minister when he last invoked the Luxembourg Compromise. [91495]
The Prime Minister:
The Luxembourg Compromise has been invoked twice by the United Kingdom--once in July 1978 and once in May 1982.
This Government's positive and constructive approach to Europe has meant that we can achieve successful outcomes for the United Kingdom, for example, most recently in the lifting of the beef ban.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Prime Minister how many individuals his office has recruited under the New Deal for Young People. [91885]
The Prime Minister:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office to my hon. Friend the Member for
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Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) on 25 May 1999, Official Report, column 116. One placement has been in my Office and I am delighted to say that the person is now in unsubsidised employment. Subject to the necessary security clearances, I intend to take additional New Dealers in the future.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those occasions when he has met Ambassadors for British Business. [91875]
The Prime Minister:
The Ambassadors for British Business initiative was launched by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary in November 1997. It aims to harness the expertise of leading figures in Britain's private sector to promote British strengths abroad, for example by making speeches to overseas audiences in the course of travel on their company business.
In the course of my duties, I am delighted to have met over half of the 31 business people who participate in this scheme. The Ambassadors do an excellent job in promoting British business at no cost to the taxpayer.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Prime Minister what is the (a) purpose and (b) audience of internal histories; and what procedures determine the selection of (i) topics and (ii) authors. [91850]
The Prime Minister:
The purpose of internal histories is to provide factual, accurate and authoritative background information for members of departments on particular topics; planning and decision making; to evaluate the effectiveness of policy and to point out possible lessons for the future. The target audience for internal histories is primarily relevant departmental staff.
These histories are not written for publication but as public records they are considered under the Public Records Acts for release to the Public Record Office. As has been the practice under successive administrations, it is a matter for Departments whether they wish to conduct an internal history and topics are usually commissioned by senior staff in departments in response, for example, to a need for analyses of major developments or operations or to provide factual reports on particular events. Authors are usually drawn from officers from the department with relevant experience or from within their historical branches.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those foreign Governments, indicating the serving head of Government, who have received letters of protest from Her Majesty's Government regarding human rights abuses since 1970. [91869]
The Prime Minister:
We frequently raise human rights concerns with other Governments. While occasionally we do this in writing, we more regularly do so through bilateral representations by Ministers and officials or with EU partners. For example, we have made such representations regarding China, Burma, Colombia and Belarus. However, there is no operational need to keep the type of list requested and one is therefore not available.
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Ministers have made written representations for example to the Malaysian Government, the Ugandan Government, the Indonesian Government and the Government of Zimbabwe.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Prime Minister how long the meeting was with KLA officials on 18 May which he attended; and if he will list the participants. [91871]
The Prime Minister:
Details of participants were given in my earlier answer of 21 June 1999, Official Report, column 313. In line with normal practice appropriate officials accompanied me at the meeting which lasted just over half an hour.
The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions is concerned with coral reefs within the context of biological diversity and the marine environment;
The Department for International Development deal with matters relating to coral reefs as they affect economic development in overseas coastal communities;
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responsible for particular issues concerning coral reefs in British overseas territories; and
The management of fisheries and deposits in the sea are largely devolved matters. Insofar as these areas may impact on coral reefs, responsibility within the UK is shared by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department, the National Assembly for Wales Agriculture Department and the Departments of Agriculture and the Environment for Northern Ireland.
Where particular issues involve the interests of a number of Departments, the ENV Committee provides a forum for Ministerial and official discussion of these issues. It is well known that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions takes a strong personal interest in the issue of coral reef degradation and ensures that it is accorded due attention within Government.
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