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ADVOCATE-GENERAL
International Criminal Court
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Advocate-General for Scotland what advice she has given on the development of the proposed International Criminal Court. [149841]
The Advocate-General: This Government have strongly supported the establishment of an International Criminal Court. I cannot, however, give the information requested. By long-standing convention, followed by successive Governments, neither the existence nor content of Law Officers' advice is normally disclosed outside Government. There seems no reason to depart from the convention on this occasion.
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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Policy and Strategy Units
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when his planning department was established; which of its reports are placed in the public domain; how many departmental or non- departmental special advisers participate in its work; how many regular (a) non-departmental and (b) departmental staff participate in its work; and how many of these work for the department on a full-time basis. [150371]
Mr. Lock: The Lord Chancellor's Department has carried out a planning function in some form for many years. Since 1998 the planning branch has been a discrete unit within the Department's Finance Division. Prior to that it was part of a separate Planning and Communications Division. The planning branch writes the Department's annual departmental report, which is published by the Stationery Office and placed on the Department's website. In spring 2001 it will produce the departmental business plan.
No departmental or non-departmental advisers participate in this work. There are no non-departmental staff involved in this work. The planning branch consists of five full-time departmental staff and one part-timer.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the Special Adviser working for the Lord Chancellor will relinquish his post when the next general election is called. [149313]
Mr. Lock: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2001, Official Report, column 130W.
Correspondence
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when her Department expects (a) to reply to letters of 27 October 2000, 13 November 2000 and 12 December 2000 from Beeney and Co., Reigate, on behalf of Mrs. Nicola Morrison, a constituent, and (b) to achieve enforcement of the maintenance order given under case no. 1988-D-257 in Australia under the terms of the Maintenance Orders (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act 1972. [150201]
Jane Kennedy: The Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders section of the Department forwarded the letters of 27 October 2000, 13 November 2000 and 12 December 2000 from Messrs. Beeney and Co. to the Australian authorities asking for news of the case, in the usual manner. Unfortunately, notification of this was not given to Beeney and Co. The Department has now acknowledged receipt of the correspondence.
It is for the Australian authorities to decide how to enforce this maintenance order in Australia.
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PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL
Bermuda
Mr. Reed: To ask the President of the Council what representations she has received from the Government of Bermuda about proposed constitutional changes; and if she will make a statement. [149996]
Mr. Battle: I have been asked to reply.
In December 2000, HMG received a list of proposed constitutional changes from the Government of Bermuda, through the Governor's Office. These, and suggestions for amendments to the constitution from other sources, are under consideration. HMG takes their responsibility to the people of Bermuda seriously and will not agree to changes to the constitution without due deliberation.
People's Peerages
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Council if she will list the ethnic backgrounds of applicants for a people's peerage. [150918]
Mrs. Beckett: I understand that the information requested is as follows:
- Indian origin--4 per cent.
- Pakistan origin--2 per cent.
- Bangladeshi--less than 1 per cent.
- East African--less than 1 per cent.
- Chinese--less than 1 per cent.
- Other Asian--1 per cent.
- Caribbean--1 per cent.
- African--1 per cent.
- Other Black origin--less than 1 per cent.
- White--85 per cent.
- Other ethnic origin--2 per cent.
- Not Specified--1 per cent.
Crown Appointments
Mr. Beith: To ask the President of the Council, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2001, Official Report, column 332W, to the hon. Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) if, in the discussion with the Shrievalty Association, she will seek arrangements to ensure (a) that in the cases of nominations for High Sheriff of persons who have been politically active, those nominations do not arise predominantly from any one political party and (b) that those nominated are not required to have sufficient means to meet the expenses of the office from their own resources. [149564]
Mrs. Beckett: The Shrievalty is a non-political office, and any person nominated who has been politically active is required to refrain from local or national political activity during his or her year as Sheriff. Provision is made for funding statutory functions performed through Under-Sheriffs and for certain other functions. There are no plans to fund further the non-statutory activities of
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Sheriffs from public resources. The extent to which Sheriffs wish to incur personal expenditure on additional activities is a matter for individual decision.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the Special Advisers working for him will relinquish their posts when the next general election is called. [149321]
Mr. Chris Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2001, Official Report, column 130W.
Millennium Dome
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if Millennium Commission funds may be used to pay compensation for costs incurred in bidding for the dome site in the event of the failure of negotiations. [149342]
Janet Anderson [holding answer 7 February 2001]: The Millennium Commission, as providers of grant from the national lottery to the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC), has not underwritten bidders costs in relation to the competition for the sale of the dome. The rules of that competition makes no provision for meeting the costs of unsuccessful bidders.
Departmental Grants (Vale of Clwyd)
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants his Department has made to organisations in the Vale of Clwyd since the general election. [149786]
Kate Hoey [holding answer 9 February 2001]: This Department has made no grants to organisations in the Vale of Clwyd since the general election. However, according to the information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the national lottery awards database, there have been 101 national lottery awards to the Vale Clwyd, totalling £6,607,271, since 1 May 1997. I have placed copies of a table showing the details of these awards in the Libraries of both Houses.
Tourism
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what incentives the Government make available to farmers to encourage tourism in the English countryside. [150131]
Janet Anderson: The England rural development programme's rural enterprise scheme will help farmers and others to develop tourism and craft initiatives in order to assist in the development of more sustainable, diversified and enterprising rural economies and communities. Rural England will receive, in total, around £152 million of rural enterprise scheme funding from April 2001 to the end of 2006. The programme's agri-environment measures also help to promote tourism by encouraging farmers to conserve and enhance the
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intrinsic attractiveness of English landscapes. Similar funding arrangements exist for areas classified as objective 1 for European structural funds support.
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what incentives are provided to local residents in rural tourist resorts to encourage them to promote tourism in their town; and to whom these incentives are targeted. [150093]
Janet Anderson: A range of funding bodies and sources is available to assist rural communities and the rural economy, including in relation to tourism. The regional development agencies support a broad range of projects generated by local partnerships and voluntary groups to address regeneration through the single regeneration budget, the capital investment fund and their rural development programme. Support is also available from the Countryside Agency and the European structural funds. The EU LEADER+ programme will complement these mainstream programmes by piloting integrated bottom-up rural development strategies developed and implemented by local community action groups. The programme aims to help rural communities to help themselves in developing a sustainable rural economy, which may include sustainable tourism based on local distinctiveness. Rural England will receive around £32 million of LEADER+ funding from 2001 to the end of 2006.
Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was spent by tourists visiting rural areas of north-west England in (a) 1998, (b) 1999 and (c) 2000. [150133]
Janet Anderson: Spending by domestic and overseas tourists visiting the two regional tourist board areas in north-west England was as follows:
| 1998 | 1999 | |
|---|---|---|
| North West Tourist Board | 1,393 | 1,595 |
| Cumbria Tourist Board | 429 | 600 |
Separate figures for rural areas are not kept, but the North West Tourist Board estimates that approximately 56 per cent. of spend was in rural areas, while the Cumbria Tourist Board estimates that approximately 79 per cent. of spend was in rural areas.
Figures for 2000 are not yet available.
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