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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Russia
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the Russian Government concerning help with, and advice on, the welfare and protection of street children. [99523]
Clare Short: I have had no direct discussion with the Russian government on street children.
My Department is developing a project, expected to start early next year, which will directly benefit homeless and vulnerable children in Ekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk oblast. Throughout the design process, DFID officials have maintained close contact with the Russian regional and municipal authorities, who support the proposed work.
Hurricane Lenny
Mr. Gunnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports she has received of the effects of Hurricane Lenny in the Bahamas. [99205]
Clare Short: The effects of Hurricane Lenny in the Bahamas were limited to heavy rainfall. There have been no reports of significant damage.
PRIME MINISTER
National Insurance
Mr. Field: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the reforms that have been made to national insurance as mentioned in the Gracious Speech. [99412]
The Prime Minister: Following recommendations in the Taylor Report on "The Modernisation of Britain's Tax and Benefits System", the Government have introduced the most far-reaching restructuring of the National Insurance System for 20 years. Measures announced in the last two Budgets have been designed to improve work incentives, encourage job creation and build a fairer and simpler National Insurance System.
Ministerial Visits
Mr. Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the official visits to China since 1 May 1997, specifying for each occasion (i) the (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) numbers of officials who attended, (ii) the matters discussed and conclusions reached and (iii) the cost of the visit. [99130]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 23 November 1999]: Under the terms of the "Ministerial Code", any member of the Cabinet who wishes to be absent from the United Kingdom for any reason, except for visits to European countries on official business, or visits to member countries for NATO business requires my written approval. Other Ministers who propose to be absent from the country must seek the approval of the Ministerial Head of the Department concerned. A list of visits overseas by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during the period May 1997 to March 1999 was placed in the Library of the House on 17 June 1999. Since then two Cabinet Ministers, the Secretary of State for Trade and
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Industry and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport have visited China at an estimated cost of £34,000. This includes the cost of travel and accommodation for a Private Secretary accompanying each Minister and in the case of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, a Special Adviser. Both visits were made in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code".
Detailed information on visits overseas by Junior Ministers is not collected centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Prime Minister what has been the total salary bill, including on-costs, of special advisers employed at 10 Downing street for each year since 1 May 1997. [99137]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 23 November 1999]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Mr. Hawkins) on 21 January 1998, Official Report, columns 567W-68W and to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mr. Sayeed) on 15 June 1998, Official Report, columns 5W-6W and that my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office gave to the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 11 November 1999, Official Report, column 828W.
Mr. Brady:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to provide guidance to Government ministers regarding the purchase of private health insurance policies. [99309]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 23 November 1999]: No. The purchase of insurance policies by individual Ministers in a private capacity is a personal matter.
Sir John Stanley:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the State Visits to the United Kingdom that have been made since May 1997 and the dates of each visit. [98655]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 23 November 1999]: The following State Visits to the United Kingdom have been made since 1 May 1997:
| Visitor | Date |
|---|---|
| President of Brazil | 2-5 December 1997 |
| Emperor of Japan | 26-29 May 1998 |
| President of Germany | 1-4 December 1998 |
| President of Hungary | 22-25 June 1999 |
| President of the People's Republic of China | 19-22 October 1999 |
Tibet
Mr. Wilkinson:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish in the Official Report the reply he gave to the letter from Amnesty International, the Free Tibet Campaign and Mr. Wei Jingsheng of 21 October, requesting an official statement from Her Majesty's Government on human rights and Tibet. [99435]
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The Prime Minister
[holding answer 24 November 1999]: My Office's reply to the letter of 21 October from Amnesty International and others said that I discussed human rights with the Chinese President during our meeting and lunch on 21 October. It added that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office would brief Amnesty International and other non-governmental organisations concerned on the human rights aspect of the State Visit and the next steps in our human rights dialogue with the Chinese. The briefing took place on 9 November.
Mr. Peter Bottomley:
To ask the Prime Minister what consultation the Lord Chancellor had with him about the newspaper reports that officials in the House of Lords were asked by him to make untrue statements; and what advice he gave to the Lord Chancellor. [100186]
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Prime Minister what is the budget of the Social Exclusion Unit for the current financial year and for each future year for which a budget has been set for it. [99588]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 25 November 1999]: The Social Exclusion Unit's running costs budget for 1999-2000 is £1,846,334. The Unit's budget for 2000-01 and subsequent financial years has not been agreed and will depend partly on the outcome of the current review of the Unit's future which will be announced before the end of this year.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the title of each report published to date by the Social Exclusion Unit, stating the cost implications of the recommendations made in each report. [99644]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 25 November 1999]: To date the Social Exclusion Unit has published the following reports:
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the title, purpose and work programme of all policy action teams led (a) by the Social Exclusion Unit and (b) by departments with Social Exclusion Unit involvement, indicating in each case (i) the date when they were set up and (ii) the date when their work is due for completion. [99587]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 25 November 1999]: The remit and timetable for each of the 18 Policy Action Teams is set out in the Social Exclusion Unit's report "Bringing Britain Together: a national strategy for neighbourhood renewal" [CM 4045]. Copies are available
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in the Libraries of the House. All 18 Teams started work in autumn 1998. The following six Teams have published reports:
Copies of all the published reports are available in the Libraries of the House.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Prime Minister how many staff were employed in the Social Exclusion Unit in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999; and what plans he has for staffing levels in 2000 to 2002. [99643]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 25 November 1999]: By the end of 1997 The Social Exclusion Unit had 12 members of staff. On 30 June 1998 the Unit had 21 members of staff and on 30 June 1999 the Unit had 35 members of staff. The Unit's staffing for 2000-01 and subsequent financial years has not been agreed and will depend partly on the conclusions of the current review of the Unit's future which will be announced before the end of this year.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Prime Minister what the current work programme is of the Social Exclusion unit, including (a) the titles of all reports in preparation, (b) their expected publication dates and (c) any further subjects due to be examined by the unit during the period 2000 to 2002. [99645]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 25 November 1999]: The current work programme of the Social Exclusion Unit includes support to the Policy Action Teams which the Unit itself leads and liaison with those led by other Departments, the preparation of a National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal and oversight of the implementation of previous reports.
"School Exclusion and Truancy" (published May 1998);
Each report contains information on the cost implications of its recommendations
"Rough Sleeping" (published July 1998);
"Neighbourhood Renewal" (published September 1998);
"Teenage Pregnancy" (published June 1999);
"Bridging the Gap: New Opportunities for 16-18 Year Olds Not in Education, Employment or Training" (published July 1999).
Business;
The others will follow over the next few months.
Housing Management;
Unpopular Housing;
Community Self-Help;
Arts and Sport;
Financial Services.
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