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NORTHERN IRELAND
Mrs. Rosemary Nelson
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reason the police did not contact the Committee on the Administration of Justice seeking originals of threats for forensic examination until some days after Mrs. Rosemary Nelson was killed [103821]
Mr. Ingram [holding answer 19 January 2000]: The investigation into the murder of Mrs. Nelson is being directed by Mr. Colin Port, the Deputy Chief Constable of Norfolk. While his investigation is in progress it is not appropriate to comment in detail on it. I understand from the Chief Constable that once the original threatening note to Mrs. Nelson was obtained it was immediately forwarded for independent forensic examination. That examination has not produced results which have, at this point, assisted the investigation
Surveillance Operation, Monaghan
Mr. McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received from (a) the Irish Government and (b) Sinn Fein Assembly Members with regard to an alleged incident of RUC officers crossing the border to mount a surveillance operation in Monaghan. [107583]
Mr. Ingram: We have received one request for information from the British Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat concerning an alleged border incursion by the RUC on 12 January. No representations have been received from Sinn Fein.
Police
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officers currently serve in (a) the Special Branch and (b) the Criminal Investigation Department of the RUC. [107819]
Mr. Ingram: At 1 February 2000, 684 officers were serving in the Special Branch and 809 in the Criminal Investigation Department of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to make the Chief Constable of the RUC responsible for assessing the security situation; how often he will be required to make this assessment; and in what form his findings will be made public. [107808]
Mr. Ingram: The Chief Constable has been and continues to be the Secretary of State's principal security adviser. The Chief Constable gives his assessment to the Secretary of State on a regular and confidential basis.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 20 December 1999, Official Report, column 410W, what communication he has received from bodies other than the US Congress about US-sponsored training and exchange programmes; and what response the RUC will make to fulfil conditions that will be imposed upon joint training and exchange programmes. [107822]
10 Feb 2000 : Column: 240W
Mr. Ingram:
I have received no communication from other bodies about US sponsored training and exchange programmes. The Royal Ulster Constabulary will make every effort to fulfil any conditions that may be imposed upon US joint training and exchange. It is the RUC's policy that officers are selected solely on the eligibility criteria applicable to any proposed training/exchange programme. In keeping with the Royal Ulster Constabulary equal opportunities policy, officers are selected purely on merit.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) oral and (b) written representations he has received from members of the House of Commons and the Northern Ireland Assembly on the subject of the Disqualifications Bill, indicating in each case the date on which representations were received; and if he will place all written representations in the Library. [107638]
Mr. Mandelson
[holding answer 31 January 2000]: Disqualification issues have been discussed with the Irish Government, the UUP, Sinn Fein and the SDLP. I have a large number of contacts with these and other parties at which disqualification and numerous other issues arise and I am unable to supply an exhaustive list of such.
On 20 December, prior to the introduction of the Disqualification Bill, I wrote to the Northern Ireland parties represented in the Commons and the Home Secretary wrote to the leaders of the Conservative and Liberal parties, notifying them of the Government's intentions with regard to the Disqualification Bill. No response, written or oral, has yet been received.
The only written representation I have received on the subject is a letter, dated 14 December 1999, from the right hon. Member for Upper Bann (Mr. Trimble). As a result of this and subsequent discussions the Bill was amended.
It is a matter for the right hon. Member for Upper Bann whether he wishes to publish this letter in the House Library.
Dr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals there are to amend the Northern Ireland Office Departmental Expenditure Limit and running costs limit for 1999-2000. [109974]
Mr. Ingram:
As the result of Devolution of the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for Northern Ireland shown in table 3.1 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis 1999-2000 has been split into two, one for the Northern Ireland Office £995,487,000 and the second for Northern Ireland Departments £4,856,247,000.
Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate for Class XV, Vote 1 the Northern Ireland Office Departmental Expenditure Limit for 1999-2000 will be increased by £29,790,000 from £995,487,000 to £1,025,277,000. The running costs limit will be increased by £7,783,000 from £193,523,000 to
10 Feb 2000 : Column: 241W
£201,306,000. The increase is the net effect of take-up of end year flexibility of £15,545,000 and an additional £5,868,000 for the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. Other changes to the DEL include £8,144,000 from Northern Ireland Departments and £233,000 from the Home Office.
The increase will be offset by a charge on the DEL Reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
Mr. Chaytor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library copies of the material supplied by BNFL to members of the Fukui Regional Assembly regarding the problems with their MOX fuel. [106714]
Mrs. Liddell
[holding answer 3 February 2000]: I understand that BNFL did not pass any information to the Fukui Regional Assembly.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many licences to export goods to Iran have been (a) granted and (b) refused, in the last 12 months; [108474]
Dr. Howells:
The entry in the relevant legislation under which the export of goods is controlled is known as their rating. The Export Control Organisation's computer databases have been interrogated. Between 1 January 1999 and 28 January 2000, 91 Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) and one Open Individual Export Licence (OIEL) were issued covering the export to consignees or end-users in Iran. During the period 18 applications for a SIEL and no applications for an OIEL were refused. Individual applications and licences may cover a range of goods with various ratings (and OIELs may also cover a range of countries). Where this is so, the licence is included in the table in the total for all of the relevant ratings.
(2) how many applications for licences to export goods to Iran have been rejected in the past 12 months on the grounds that there was an unacceptable risk that the goods might be diverted to a weapons of mass destruction programme. [108475]
| Rating | Number of SIELs issued covering goods with this rating | Number of SIEL applications refused covering goods with this rating |
|---|---|---|
| ML3 | 0 | 1 |
| ML13 | 1 | 0 |
10 Feb 2000 : Column: 242W
| Rating | Number of SIELs issued covering goods with this rating | Number of SIEL applications refused covering goods with this rating |
|---|---|---|
| IC008 | 1 | 0 |
| IC110 | 1 | 0 |
| IC229 | 1 | 0 |
| IC350 | 5 | 0 |
| 2B350 | 1 | 0 |
| 3A001 | 3 | 0 |
| 5A002 | 2 | 0 |
| 5D002 | 1 | 0 |
| 6A001 | 1 | 0 |
| 6A003 | 1 | 0 |
| 7A103 | 2 | 0 |
| 8A990 | 7 | 4 |
| 8D990 | 0 | 2 |
| 9A990 | 30 | 6 |
| 9A991 | 0 | 1 |
| 9E990 | 4 | 0 |
| End-use | 36 | 7 |
The one OIEL issued covered goods with the rating 5A002.
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