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Postal Services Commission
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria will be used to appoint members of the Postal Services Commission. [104180]
Mr. Alan Johnson: The criteria for members of the Postal Services Commission are set out in the advertisements for those posts and the information for candidates sent to those expressing an interest. Copies of these are being placed in the Library of the House.
Ilisu Dam
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations Her Majesty's Government have received in relation to the proposed Ilisu Dam from (a) Syria, (b) Iraq and (c) other Middle Eastern countries. [104071]
Mr. Caborn: Syria raised the issue with our Embassy in Damascus in March 1999. They have also raised it on one occasion with British Trade International and most recently (on 23 December) when the Syrian Ambassador called on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
There have been no representations from Iraq.
The League of Arab States has also informally raised the issue by telephone with the Export Credits Guarantee Department.
Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his
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Department's policy towards oil and gas companies which hold fallow fields in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. [103112]
Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 20 December 1999]: The Department's Oil and Gas policy is to encourage exploration and development on the UKCS whilst allowing licence groups the option of which discoveries are brought to development. They are encouraged to relinquish any acreage considered unprospective or non-commercial. A review of fallow blocks and discoveries is currently under way.
The Oil and Gas Industry Task Force has established LIFT (Licence Information for Trading), an on-line information service which allows licensees to advertise licences and assets for sale, trade or form-in. LIFT will encourage more asset trading, by enabling companies to realise their value in a cost-effective way.
Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many research contracts have been let by his Department since May 1997; what is the value of each contract; and in each case whether the contract included (a) a departmental veto over publication of the research results, (b) departmental control over the date of publication of the research results and (c) a requirement that the final research results incorporate departmental amendments. [100155]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 6 December 1999]: The information for the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments is contained in a table, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. This covers the period up to the date of devolution.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at what time on 27 April 1997 the location of the fatal attack on Robert Hamill in Portadown was cordoned off by Royal Ulster Constabulary officers. [101856]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 8 December 1999]: The RUC have advised that the scene was cordoned off at 07.27 hours on 27 April 1997.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at what times on 27 April 1997 the Royal Ulster Constabulary officers who were present at the scene of the fatal attack on Robert Hamill in Portadown signed written statements regarding the incident. [101857]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 8 December 1999]: The RUC have advised that the actual times at which police officers signed written statements regarding the fatal attack on Robert Hamill are not recorded. However, they have confirmed that all statements were made during the morning of 27 April.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make available to the Irish
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judicial investigation into the 1976 murder of Seamus Ludlow (a) the interview notes made by the RUC relating to men arrested but not charged in 1999 and (b) case papers prepared for the DPP. [101872]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 15 December 1999]: To date there has been no request for such information. Should one be received it will be considered in accordance with procedures, regulations and legal constraints.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patrols were carried out in the last month for which figures are available, broken down by (a) police division and (b) corresponding district council constituency areas, indicating which of those patrols were accompanied by a military presence. [101878]
Mr. Ingram
[holding answer 15 December 1999]: The following table shows the number of RUC patrols accompanied by the armed forces during the month of November 1999. It is not possible to provide the total number of RUC patrols or to relate these to district council areas.
| Division | Number of accompanied patrols |
|---|---|
| A | 0 |
| B | 0 |
| D | 0 |
| E | 0 |
| G | 20 |
| H | 402 |
| J | 102 |
| K | 157 |
| L | 383 |
| N | 6 |
| O | 5 |
| P | 22 |
Employment Statistics
Mrs. Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what figures he can require from local authorities about the composition of their work forces in terms of (a) standard age groups, (b) ethnic origins and (c) gender. [104012]
Mr. Mandelson: Responsibility for this subject has been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and is therefore no longer a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Patten Commission
Mr. Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the Patten Commission's report on policing in Northern Ireland. [103958]
Mr. Ingram:
On 9 September 1999 the Patten Commission issued their report and the Secretary of State announced that the Government accepted their findings in principle. A copy of this statement has been placed in the Library of the House. As required by the Belfast Agreement, the Government consulted with various parties. Although the formal period of consultation ended on 30 November 1999, decisions have not yet been made
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on the proposals. It is the Secretary of State's intention that an announcement on Government decisions taken in light of the consultation process, and the next steps, will be made in due course.
Mr. Beggs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the role played by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Kosovo and Bosnia. [103725]
Mr. Ingram:
In accordance with the provisions of Section 8 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, the Royal Ulster Constabulary have seven officers serving with the United Nations International Police Task Force in Bosnia where they are monitoring the performance of the Bosnian police service. Sixty RUC officers are also with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo where they are undertaking an executive policing role pending a new Kosovan police service being trained and ready to take over law enforcement there.
Mr. Crausby:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he is taking to increase the productivity and reduce the running costs of his Department. [103853]
Mr. Mandelson:
My Department is fully committed to seeking efficiency savings and living within agreed budgets. It is determined to achieve efficiencies in all areas of activity and reductions in support services where possible. A comprehensive review of running costs was completed during 1999 and its recommendations for savings, mainly in support services, are being assessed and implemented. More generally, efficiency plans are an integral plan of annual plans for all parts of the Department.
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