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Saville Inquiry
Mr. Prior: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the cost to date of the Saville Inquiry; and if he will make a statement. [117700]
Mr. Ingram: The total costs incurred by The Bloody Sunday Inquiry up to 31 March 2000 are £19,244,028.
Train Chassis Corrosion
Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the cost of re-welding train chassis operated by Translink in each of the last three years. [117866]
Mr. Ingram: Translink have informed the Department of Regional Development that they spent £615,706 on rewelding train carriage bogies in 1998-99 but nothing in 1997-98 or 1999-2000.
Chief Electoral Officer
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his reasons are for barring Irish citizens from submitting applications for the post of Chief Electoral Officer. [117255]
Mr. George Howarth [holding answer 10 April 2000]: The post of Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is a Crown Appointment. It was considered appropriate to reserve the post for UK nationals because it discharges sensitive functions of fundamental importance to public life in Northern Ireland, including overseeing the conduct of elections.
PRIME MINISTER
Rented Housing (London)
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister what policies are being taken forward by Her Majesty's Government to increase the supply of affordable rented housing in inner London. [117461]
The Prime Minister: The Government are acutely aware of the difficulties many Londoners face in securing good quality housing at a price they can afford. That is why we are giving local authorities and registered social landlords in London an additional £1.3 billion of resources for investment in housing between 1997-98 and 2001-02. London boroughs have received £400 million of these extra resources already.
The Housing Green Paper which was announced last week by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister sets out our aims to ensure a sufficient supply of high
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quality affordable housing is provided where it is needed, including a new Starter Home Initiative. Londoners will be among those who benefit from our proposals.
Ministerial Code
Mr. Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the compatibility between paragraphs 126 and 128 of the Ministerial Code and the use by himself, his family, persons within his employ and Ministers within his Government since 1 May 1997 of properties overseas owned by the hon. Member for Coventry, North-West (Mr. Robinson). [116101]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 27 March 2000]: It is for individual Ministers to determine their actions in accordance with the Ministerial Code. I am not aware of any breach of the Code in relation to these properties.
Serbia
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his letter to the hon. Member for Linlithgow of 4 April, relating to military action against Serbia. [118398]
The Prime Minister: I have done so today.
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister what recent reports he has received relating to the type and extent of bomb damage in Serbia in connection with the use of uranium armament; and if he will make a statement. [117522]
The Prime Minister: The UN Environment Programme published a report in October 1999, which noted, inter alia, that many environmental problems in the FRY
- do not result from the recent war, but from years of environmental neglect.
Following that report, the United Nations asked NATO for information about use of depleted uranium (DU) during the Kosovo conflict. The NATO Secretary-General has responded, confirming that DU was used in operations against armoured equipment, mainly in Western Kosovo.
Kashmir
Mr. Michael J. Foster: To ask the Prime Minister what steps he is taking towards finding a permanent and peaceful solution to the situation in Kashmir. [118505]
The Prime Minister: We continue to urge both India and Pakistan to return to bilateral dialogue to find a just and lasting solution acceptable to the people of Kashmir.
Cancer Services
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Prime Minister what progress has been made in improving cancer care services since he hosted the Cancer Summit in May 1999. [118323]
The Prime Minister: Improving cancer services is one of our top priorities for the National Health Service. For the first time we have a single Minister with responsibility both for cancer prevention and treatment. We have also appointed Professor Mike Richards as the new National Cancer Director to spearhead the drive for fairer, faster cancer services and to ensure the implementation of tough
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new standards of care. A broad programme of work has been put in place to ensure prompt access to cancer diagnosis and treatment and to improve the quality of our cancer services.
We are committed to modernising cancer services and have invested an extra £70 million since 1997 for breast, colo-rectal, lung and outpatient cancer services. £80 million has been made available to cut waiting times, and we are investing £100 million in cancer equipment, with the New Opportunities Fund allocating a further £93 million to this area.
We have introduced a new two-week outpatient standard waiting time for all urgent cancer referrals. This has been in place for breast cancer patients since April 1999 and over 56,000 women have benefited from this standard. This high standard of care will be extended to all those with suspected cancer requiring urgent investigation by the end of this year.
To help improve the quality of cancer services we have published evidence-based guidance on improving outcomes for breast, colo-rectal, lung and gynaecological cancers. Guidance on stomach cancers will be available in the spring, and over the next two years the National Institute for Clinical Excellence will commission further guidance on a range of other cancers.
Personal Envoys
Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will list the people he has asked to convey messages to foreign Governments, whom he has not described as his personal envoys; on what dates those messages were taken; and to which Governments those messages were sent; [118287]
- (2) how many personal envoys he has appointed; on what dates those personal envoys were appointed; to which Governments those personal envoys have made representations; and when. [118282]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 11 April 2000]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker) on 6 April 2000, Official Report, column 574W.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Prime Minister when (a) Lord Ahmed and (b) Lord Paul were appointed as Prime Ministerial envoys; and what public notification was issued at the time. [118429]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 11 April 2000]: Lord Ahmed and Lord Paul have not been appointed as Prime Ministerial envoys.
Engagements
Sir Peter Tapsell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 12 April. [118370]
The Prime Minister: This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House I will have further such meetings later today.
Security and Intelligence Service Commissioners
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements have been made to appoint a Commissioner
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under section 8 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994 following the expiration of Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's appointment on 15 December 1999; and if he will make a statement. [119150]
The Prime Minister: Lord Justice Stuart-Smith has accepted an extension of his appointment as Intelligence Services Commissioner until 31 March 2000 to enable him to complete his Annual Report for 1999. He recently completed that term. I thank Lord Justice Stuart-Smith for the contribution he made during his five years as Intelligence Services Commissioner.
Lord Justice Simon Brown, formerly President of the Intelligence Service Tribunal, has accepted an appointment as the Intelligence Service Commissioner for a period of three years from 1 April 2000.
Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements have been made to appoint a Commissioner under section 4 of the Security Service Act 1989 following the expiration of Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's appointment on 13 December 1999; and if he will make a statement. [119148]
The Prime Minister: Lord Justice Stuart-Smith accepted an extension of his appointment as Security Service Commissioner until 31 March 2000 to enable him to complete his Annual Report for 1999. He recently completed that term. I thank Lord Justice Stuart-Smith for the contribution he made during the ten years he spent as Security Service Commissioner.
Lord Justice Simon Brown, formerly President of the Intelligence Service Tribunal, has accepted an appointment as the Security Service Commissioner for a period of three years from 1 April 2000.
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