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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 1 December 1999
NORTHERN IRELAND
Departmental Transport
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on civil servants' transport in each of the last two years. [98704]
Mr. Ingram: All travel undertaken by civil servants complies with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code (Home Civil Service) or the Northern Ireland Civil Service Staff Handbook.
Spend for the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments was £15.512 million in 1997-98 and £17.029 million in 1998-99.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what motor mileage allowance rates his Department offers to (a) ministers and (b) civil servants using their own vehicles for official business; and what has been the cost of each in each of the last five years. [98705]
Mr. Ingram:
When travelling on official business, Ministers may use a private car instead of an official car, and claim mileage allowance in the same circumstances and on the same terms as civil servants in the Department.
For the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments the information is as follows:
| Up to 4,000 miles | Over 4,000 miles | |
|---|---|---|
| Cars with engine capacity: | ||
| Up to 1,500 cc pence per mile | 35 | 20 (19)(1) |
| 1,501-2,000 cc pence per mile | 45 | 25 (23)(1) |
| over 2,000 cc pence per mile | 53 | 36 (32)(1) |
(1) Northern Ireland Office rate
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| (a) Ministers | 0 |
| (b) Civil servants | |
| 1994-95 | (2)10,084 |
| 1995-96 | (3)10,482 |
| 1996-97 | 10,760 |
| 1997-98 | 10,435 |
| 1998-99 | 10,909 |
(2) Includes a pro rata figure of £2.727 million for the Department of Agriculture based on records for 9 months, and excludes a figure for the Department of Finance and Personnel, who could provide information only at disproportionate cost.
(3) Includes an estimated figure of £829,971 for the Department of Economic Development.
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RUC (Sovereign Awards)
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many RUC Officers who have held the position of (a) Divisional Commander of Traffic Branch, (b) Head of Traffic Branch and (c) Head of Traffic Policy Branch since 1969 (i) have and (ii) have not been given Sovereign Awards. [100272]
Mr. Ingram: Since 1969, eight officers have held the position of Divisional Commander Traffic, six have received sovereign awards. Three officers have served as Head of Traffic Policy, one has received an award. Eleven Officers have been Head of Traffic Regions, two have received an award. It should be noted that not all of the officers received their sovereign awards while holding positions in Traffic Branch.
Mr. David Adams
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what cost was incurred by Strathclyde Police when investigating the treatment of Mr. David Adams in Castlereagh. [100110]
Mr. Ingram: The cost was £52,850.08.
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Judges
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Lord Chancellor received the report of Sir Len Peach on procedures for appointing judges; and when he proposes to publish it. [100299]
Jane Kennedy: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 29 November 1999, Official Report, column 63W.
Asylum and Immigration Appeals
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many asylum and immigration appeals were heard without the Home Office case being presented in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) 1999-2000 to date; and if he will make a statement. [100489]
Jane Kennedy: These statistics are not collected.
Public Trust Office
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to require the Public Trust Office to charge patients only for work actually carried out on that patient's behalf; and if he will make a statement. [100709]
Jane Kennedy:
The issue of fees and charges for the services provided by the Public Trust Office was one of a number of points considered by Ann Chant CB as part of her Quinquennial Review of the Agency. She recommended the abolition of the current system of cross-subsidy between the wealthier and less well-off clients. The Lord Chancellor wishes to explore all of the Review's recommendations in detail before deciding how best to proceed, and will be making a statement in February.
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Bishops
Mr. Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to his answer of 23 November 1999, Official Report, column 59W, on how many occasions since 1 May 1997, the Commissioners have been informed of instances where paid commitments involved time which would otherwise have been spent on episcopal responsibilities; and on how many of these occasions a sum was deducted from the stipend. [100505]
Mr. Stuart Bell: The Commissioners have not been informed of any instances where a Bishop has undertaken paid commitments involving time which would otherwise have been spent on episcopal responsibilities. Bishops are not required to inform the Commissioners of paid commitments undertaken during their own time.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Golf Courses
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many golf courses have been completed in the UK in each of the last 10 years; what proportion of those are courses offering open access to the public; what financial support was given to assist the provision of such facilities; and if he will make a statement. [99637]
Kate Hoey: Information on the number of golf courses which have been completed in the last 10 years is not held centrally.
However, since the National Lottery began in 1995, Sport England's Lottery fund has made 34 capital awards for golf totalling £8,232,056, contributing towards total project costs of £21,140,875. It is a condition of Lottery awards for sports facilities that they must have open access to the public.
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Ms Roseanna Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what his estimate is of the value of land and property (i) in Scotland, (ii) in England and (iii) in total within the responsibility of (a) the British Museum (including assets in course of construction), (b) the Wallace Collection and (c) the Horniman Public Museum and Public Park Trust; and what is the total value of other assets held by these bodies; [99830]
Mr. Chris Smith
[holding answer 26 November 1999]: All 29 sponsored bodies include in the notes to their annual accounts the estimated net book value of the fixed assets they hold which is broken down into separate categories, i.e. land and buildings, fixtures and fittings, motor vehicles, etc where applicable. The annual accounts for most of these bodies are laid before Parliament and the information is available in the Libraries of the House. There are three exceptions which are (i) the Crafts Council, (ii) the British Film Institute and (iii) the National Film and Television School.
The net book value of total assets held by these bodies is as follows:
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(2) what his estimate is of the value of land and property (a) in Scotland, (b) in England and (c) in total held by (i) the Imperial War Museum, (ii) the Museum of London, (iii) the Museum of Science and Industry, (iv) the National Gallery, (v) the National Maritime Museum, (vi) National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, (vii) the Science Museum, (viii) the National Portrait Gallery, (ix) the Natural History Museum, (x) the Museums and Galleries Commission, (xi) the Tate Gallery, (xii) the Victoria and Albert Museum, (xiii) the British Tourist Authority, (xiv) the English Tourist Board, (xv) the British Library, (xvi) the English Sports Council, (xvii) the UK Sports Council, (xviii) the Arts Council of England, (xix) the Crafts Council, (xx) the British Film Institute, (xxi) the National Film and Television School, (xxii) the Millennium Commission, (xxiii) the National Lotteries Charity Board, (xxiv) English Heritage, (xxv) the Royal Armouries and (xxvi) the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England; and what is the value of other assets held by these bodies. [99825]
| Freehold land and buildings | Long/short leasehold property | Other | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crafts Council (as at 31 March 1999) | 0 | 980,398 | 502,016 | 1,482,414 |
| British Film Institute (31 March 1999) | 20,800,000 | 22,887,000 | 1,664,000 | 45,351,000 |
| NFTS (as at 31 December 1998) | 2,954,977 | 0 | 6,083,311 | 9,043,288 |
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The only body which has assets held in Scotland is the National Lottery Charities Board to the value of £0.2 million.
All other assets are held by the bodies are in England with the exception of the following:
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(i) The British Tourist Authority which holds assets with a net book value of £314,000 overseas which comprises land and buildings of £25,000 and other assets of £289,000.
(ii) Sport England (formerly the English Sports Council) which holds land and buildings to the value of £3.1 million in Wales.
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