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Warrants of Possession
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many warrants of possession were issued in respect of residential properties in (a) Great Britain and (b) each county court, in each year since 1990 to date. [127206]
Jane Kennedy: The Lord Chancellor's Department is responsible for the courts in England and Wales. The number of warrants of possession issued on residential properties in each year since 1990 is as follows:
| Year | Number of warrants issued |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 106,980 |
| 1991 | 133,101 |
| 1992 | 124,209 |
| 1993 | 124,271 |
| 1994 | 115,577 |
| 1995 | 117,301 |
| 1996 | 111,473 |
| 1997 | 115,646 |
| 1998 | 129,961 |
| 1999 | 136,718 |
A table, setting out, for each county court, the number of warrants of possession issued on residential properties in each year since 1990, will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
PRIME MINISTER
Performance and Innovation Unit
Mr. Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the topics which have been considered by the Performance and Innovation Unit since its inception. [126501]
23 Jun 2000 : Column: 327W
The Prime Minister [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The PIU has published the following project reports:
- Encryption and Law Enforcement (May 1999);
- e-commerce@its.best.uk (September 1999);
- Rural Economies (December 1999);
- Wiring it up: Whitehall's Management of Cross-cutting Policies and Services (January 2000);
- Adding it up: Improving Analysis and Modelling in Central Government (January 2000);
- Reaching Out: The role of Central Government at Regional and Local Level (February 2000);
- Winning the Generation Game: Improving Opportunities for People aged 50-65 in Work and Community Activity (April 2000);
- Recovering the Proceeds of Crime (June 2000).
The following projects have been announced, but have not yet published their reports:
- The future of the Post Office Network;
- Trade, Social, Health and Environmental Objectives on the Global Stage;
- Electronic Delivery of Government Services; and
- Effective Leadership in Delivering Public Services.
Ministerial Residences
Mr. Baker: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 5 June 2000, Official Report, column 50W, if he will list in respect of council tax liabilities for each residence (a) which Ministers have council tax paid for them from Government funds and (b) which Ministers declare these properties to be their (i) main and (ii) secondary residence. [126467]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The Deputy Prime Minister, the Chancellor, the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Education and Employment have the council tax on their official residences paid for by their Departments, as their primary residences are elsewhere.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and myself declare our official residences as our main residences.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Prime Minister how many times he met President Clinton outside the UK and the United States of America between 1 May 1997 and 1 July 1998; and what were the (a) dates, (b) locations and (c) purpose of each meeting. [127129]
The Prime Minister: On 26-27 May 1997 I attended the NATO/Russia summit in Paris at which President Clinton was also present, although no formal meeting took place.
Neill Committee's
Mr. Baker: To ask the Prime Minister for what reason he has not yet responded to the Neill Committee's Sixth report into Standards in Public Life. [127093]
23 Jun 2000 : Column: 328W
The Prime Minister [holding answer 21 June 2000]: The Government response to the report has not been delayed. The report deals with serious issues across a wide range of subjects, some with constitutional implications. The Government intend to respond to Parliament by the summer recess.
Official Spokesmen
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the role of his Official Spokesman in relation to party political activities. [127428]
The Prime Minister: Alastair Campbell is the Government's Chief Press Secretary. He does this on my behalf and on the Government's behalf. He is bound by the Model Contract for Special Advisers and his role is entirely in accordance with that contract.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Prime Minister if he plans changes to the (a) contract and (b) salary of his Chief Press Spokesman. [127429]
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Prime Minister what changes have been made to the duties and responsibilities of his Chief Press Secretary. [127421]
Strategic Communications Unit
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Prime Minister to whom the Strategic Communications Unit is answerable. [127423]
The Prime Minister: The Strategic Communications Unit is managed by the Chief Press Secretary and is answerable to me.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if the Strategic Communications Unit has the power to veto announcements from Government Departments; [127424]
- (2) if he will make a statement on the work of the Strategic Communications Unit; and what plans he has to review its work. [127422]
The Prime Minister: The background to the decision to establish the Strategic Communications Unit was set out in my answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett), on 14 January 1998, Official Report, columns 233-34W. Since its inception, the Strategic Communications Unit has provided general advice to me and is responsible for the co-ordination of announcements across government. It has also worked on specific projects such as preparing the Government's Annual Reports and is responsible for the No.10 website.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Prime Minister what safeguards have been put in place to ensure that the Strategic Communications Unit is not engaged in party political activities. [127427]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his hon. Friend the Member for Worthing, West (Mr. Bottomley) on 15 June 2000, Official Report, column 701W.
23 Jun 2000 : Column: 329W
Prisoners of War
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will have another meeting with the Royal British Legion over compensation for former prisoners of war held by the Japanese; [127626]
- (2) if the final decision to pay compensation to former prisoners of war held by the Japanese will be made by him; [127629]
(3) which Departments are involved in considering whether compensation should be paid to former prisoners of war held by the Japanese; [127628]
(4) when he will make a decision concerning compensation to former prisoners of war who were held by the Japanese. [127627]
The Prime Minister: No further meetings with the Royal British Legion are anticipated at this stage, as a decision is expected shortly. The final decision will be taken in consultation with colleagues in the Departments listed in the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence to the hon. Member for Winchester (Mr. Oaten) on 13 June 2000, Official Report, column 568W.
SCOTLAND
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many parliamentary questions were tabled to his Department between the 19 October 1999 and the 20 April 2000 which requested information, pursuant to his previous answers. [127443]
Dr. Reid: Six, of which three were from the right hon. Member.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
University Admissions
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils on assisted places at independent schools have obtained places at (a) Oxford University, (b) Cambridge University, (c) universities which are members of the Russell Group and (d) other universities, in each year for the last five years; and, in each case, what proportion this number represented of all pupils obtaining places at those institutions. [125303]
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 9 June 2000]: The information requested on pupils on assisted places is not centrally available.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of candidates obtaining places at (a) Oxford University, (b) Cambridge University and (c) universities which are members of the Russell Group came from (i) grant-maintained and former grant-maintained schools and (ii) grammar schools in each of the last five years. [125304]
23 Jun 2000 : Column: 330W
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 9 June 2000]: The available information is given in the following table, based on students gaining places on full-time and sandwich undergraduate courses through UCAS. Because of a change in classification of school types in UCAS statistics in 1998, comparative figures for Grant-Maintained schools and grammar schools are not available for earlier years.
| Percentage | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of entry | |||
| Institution/school type(6) | 1998 | 1999 | |
| Oxford | |||
| Grant Maintained | 14.2 | 14.7 | |
| Grammar schools | 5.5 | 5.8 | |
| Others | 80.3 | 79.5 | |
| Total known | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| (Numbers incl. not known) | 3,044 | 2,964 | |
| Cambridge | |||
| Grant Maintained | 14.8 | 15.1 | |
| Grammar schools | 6.9 | 7.6 | |
| Others | 78.2 | 77.3 | |
| Total known | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| (Numbers incl. not known) | 2,982 | 2,985 | |
| Russell Group(7) (excluding Oxford and Cambridge) | |||
| Grant Maintained | 12.7 | 13.1 | |
| Grammar schools | 5.2 | 5.1 | |
| Others | 82.0 | 81.8 | |
| Total known | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| (Numbers incl. not known) | 49,974 | 52,618 | |
| All institutions | |||
| Grant Maintained | 9.8 | 10.2 | |
| Grammar schools | 4.7 | 4.7 | |
| Others | 85.5 | 85.1 | |
| Total known | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| (Numbers incl. not known) | 298,220 | 303,065 | |
(6) Classification of school type as designated at the conclusion of the acceptance cycle.
(7) Russell Group institutions comprise the universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, King's College, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton and Warwick together with Imperial College, London School of Economics and University College London.
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