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Diamond Project
Ms Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will define those staff positions at the Daresbury Laboratory which will have a key role in the design and construction of the Diamond project. [102718]
Ms Hewitt: It is not possible to define staff positions at the Daresbury Laboratory who will have a key role in the design and construction of the synchrotron facility. The project is a partnership involving the Wellcome Trust and the French Government and the deployment of staff has not been agreed. We recognise the expertise of the CCLRC staff and they will be involved in all stages of the project as appropriate.
Ms Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which staff grades at the (a) Daresbury Laboratory and (b) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory have been directly involved in the design of the Diamond project. [102717]
Ms Hewitt: It is not practical to break down the effort by staff grades at the laboratories. The majority (greater than 99 per cent.) of the staff involved to date in the Diamond project are mobile grades based at the Daresbury Laboratory.
ADVOCATE-GENERAL
Starrs Case
26. Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Advocate- General what estimate she has made of the additional costs expected for the legal system in Scotland as a result of the decision in the Starrs case. [101244]
The Advocate-General for Scotland: I have not made an estimate of these costs, as the matter does not fall within my responsibility. Administration of justice in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive.
Temporary Sheriffs
28. Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Advocate-General when she last met the Scottish Executive's Law Officers to discuss the implications of the European Court on human rights judgment relating to temporary sheriffs. [101246]
The Advocate-General for Scotland:
The Question of temporary sheriffs has not been the subject of a judgment by the European Court of Human Rights. It has been the
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subject of a judgment by the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland. The matter is sub judice and it would not be appropriate to comment further.
29. Ms Squire:
To ask the Advocate-General if she will make a statement on her functions and responsibilities relating to devolution issues under the Scotland Act 1998. [101247]
The Advocate-General for Scotland:
Under the Scotland Act devolution issues are defined in Schedule 6. They relate to questions about the competence of Acts of the Scottish Parliament or things done by the Scottish Executive. For example they may be about compatibility with the Scotland Act itself, or with European Community Law or rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.
I have powers to bring or defend proceedings raising devolution issues in the Scottish Courts or the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. If other people raise devolution issues in court proceedings in Scotland they must give notice to the Advocate-General.
The Advocate-General also, like the Lord Advocate and the Attorney-General, has the right to refer Bills of the Scottish Parliament, before they are finally enacted, to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council so that they can decide whether a Bill or any provision of it is competent. The main provisions are set out in Section 32, 33 and 34 of the Scotland Act 1998.
30. Mr. Browne:
To ask the Advocate-General on how many occasions devolution issues have been raised with her since her appointment; and what matters were covered. [101248]
The Advocate-General for Scotland:
I have received over 200 notices of devolution issues. All have concerned alleged incompatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights.
31. Mr. Swinney:
To ask the Advocate-General what role she has had in assessing the legal implications of moves by the Scottish Parliament to abolish tuition fees in relation to the position of non-Scottish domiciled students. [101249]
The Advocate-General for Scotland:
There is a long standing convention, followed by successive Governments, that neither the substance of Law Officers' advice, nor the fact that they have been consulted is disclosed outside Government. I see no reason for departure from that Convention on this occasion.
32. Dr. Godman:
To ask the Advocate-General what recent discussions she has had with the Lord Advocate concerning matters relating to the implementation in Scotland of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. [101250]
The Advocate-General for Scotland:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have given to the question by my hon. Friend the Member for Inverness, East, Nairn and Lochaber (Mr. Stewart), Official Report, column 138.
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52. Mr. Pike:
To ask the President of the Council what assessment she has made of the experiment of the House sitting in Westminster Hall. [101271]
Mrs. Beckett:
The experiment began on 30 November, and it is too early to make a firm assessment. However, debates in Westminster Hall have been as lively and well attended as those in the Chamber, and the new forum already appears to offer Members increased opportunities for debate. The Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons has agreed to
54. Mr. Drew:
To ask the President of the Council if she will make a statement on the modernisation of the procedures of the House which have been introduced since 1997. [101273]
57. Dr. Tony Wright:
To ask the President of the Council if she will make a statement on her plans to implement the recommendations of the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons. [101276]
Mrs. Beckett:
Forty-seven of the 54 recommendations of the Modernisation Committee directed at Government have already been implemented. The House has adopted a range of measures to improve the scrutiny of legislation; Thursday sittings have been brought forward; the scrutiny of European business has been reformed and sittings in Westminster Hall have begun.
59. Judy Mallaber:
To ask the President of the Council what further plans she has for modernising the legislative process. [101278]
Mrs. Beckett:
As the Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons recommended, the Government are using a variety of procedures for legislation. We have had the first carryover of a public Bill and the use of a Special Standing Committee for the Asylum and Immigration Bill, we have published six Bills in draft and set up ad hoc Committees of this House and ad hoc joint Committees to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny.
55. Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the President of the Council if she will take steps to establish a Select Committee on Iraq. [101274]
Mr. Tipping:
We have no plans to do so. The Foreign Affairs Committee is already able to conduct inquiries into this.
56. Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans the Commission has to develop a workplace nursery in the Palace of Westminster. [101275]
Mr. Kirkwood:
None.
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The principal recommendations of the Administration Committee which commissioned the 1998 Childcare Facilities Survey of the House, have all been implemented. These include the running of a highly popular voucher scheme (£7 per day for a child under five) and advice to Members that they can use the Office Cost Allowance to help their employees with the costs of child care.
58. Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the President of the Council what arrangements she has made for the functioning of Government over the millennium holiday period. [101277]
Mr. Tipping:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Dr. Ladyman), Official Report, columns 148-49.
60. Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the President of the Council what plans she has to establish a system of parliamentary debate on the exercise of executive functions by the Privy Council. [101279]
Mr. Tipping:
There are no plans to introduce such a system.
61. Dr. George Turner:
To ask the President of the Council what assessment she has made of the impact of the United Kingdom's public information programme on the millennium bug. [101280]
Mr. Tipping:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Riverside (Mrs. Ellman), Official Report, column 147.
"evaluate the experiment as a whole before the end of the session"
as well as keeping a "watching brief" on proceedings.
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