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TREASURY

Deaths Abroad

Mr. Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many British people died each year abroad in each of the past 10 years. [153796]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Frank Field, dated 16 March 2001:

As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the number of deaths of British subjects abroad in each of the past ten years (153796).

This information is not available. Some deaths of British subjects abroad are registered at Consulates or High Commissions or by HM Forces. Returns of these events are made to the Registrar General for England and Wales. In other cases, deaths are registered in the country where they occurred, where that is a legal duty, and there is no legal obligation to notify Registration Services in England and Wales.

Correspondence

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter dated 7 February from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding his constituent Mr. R. Foreman. [154240]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I have already done so.

Public Service Agreements

Mr. Ian Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the technical notes underpinning the public service agreements will be published. [154635]

Mr. Andrew Smith: All main Departments have published technical notes on their websites. A link to all the sites can be found at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2000/psa/technote.html. I am placing a copy of all the technical notes in the Libraries of both Houses.

16 Mar 2001 : Column: 773W

SOCIAL SECURITY

Earnings Disregards

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will review the rates of earnings disregard for (a) Income Support and (b) Housing Benefit. [152953]

Mr. Bayley: The existing £15 a week higher earnings disregard in Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit will be increased to £20 a week from 9 April 2001.

Income Support

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2001, Official Report, column 168W, on Income Support, if he will estimate (a) the number of children in all families, (b) the number of lone parent families and (c) the number of children in lone parent families on Income Support for one year or more. [154231]

Mr. Bayley: As at November 2000 it is estimated that there were 1.67 million children living in households which had been in receipt of Income Support for one year or more, of which 1.26 million were children of lone parents. At this date it is estimated that there were 687,800 lone parent households which had been on Income Support for one year or more.

Correspondence

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he will reply to the letter dated 29 December 2000 from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding his constituent Mrs. M. Innes. [154239]

Angela Eagle: A reply has been issued today.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Sierra Leone (Select Committee Report)

Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what time and on what date the deputy head of the Foreign Office's news department first saw a version of the draft Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone supplied by the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross). [154128]

Mr. Robin Cook: The then Deputy Head of the FCO News Department answered this question two years ago in his evidence to the Committee on Standards and Privileges (Eighth Report of Session 1998-99).

The allegations recently published by Mr. Nicholas Jones contradict nothing that was said at the time. From my first answer on this issue, on 23 February 1999, Official Report, column 259W, I made it clear that we had responded to leaks by others to the press, that the FCO had received a copy of the final Report at 0800 on 9 February, and that subsequently the press were briefed orally on my initial reaction. There is therefore nothing to add to the evidence provided to the Standards and Privileges Committee or to my answers to Parliamentary Questions at the time.

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Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) at what time on what date (a) the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, (b) the head of the Foreign Office's news department and (c) the head of the Foreign Office's Africa department (Equatorial) were first briefed on the contents of the draft Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone supplied by the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross); [154129]

(2) what duties he was carrying out, and where, at 8 am on 9 February 1999; and where he took the telephone call from BBC journalist, Nicholas Jones, that morning; [154002]

(3) if (a) his special advisers and (b) John Williams spoke to the hon. Member for Dundee, West (Mr. Ross) concerning the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone in the week prior to 9 February 1999; [153998]

(4) when his office first prepared a briefing on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee report on Sierra Leone published on 9 February 1999; who was involved in writing the briefing; and if he will place a copy in the Library; [154027]

(5) what telephone conversations (a) he and (b) his Office had with journalists (i) before and (ii) after 10 am on 9 February 1999; [154000]

(6) if he saw a Foreign Office summary briefing on the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone before 8 am on 9 February 1999; [154028]

(7) from where and at what time he placed the telephone call on 9 February 1999 to the BBC journalist, Nick Jones, asking him to return his call; [154001]

(8) at what time on 9 February 1999 (a) he, (b) his special advisers, (c) the Permanent Secretary, (d) the head of the news department and (e) the deputy head of the news department received a copy of the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone; [153997]

(9) if lines for use for briefing the press regarding the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone were prepared before 8 am on 9 February 1999; [154025]

(10) if a draft press statement was prepared before 8 am on 9 February 1999 based on the content of the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone; [153999]

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he instructed the Foreign Office spokesman on his Department's response to The Guardian prior to its report of 12 March concerning his statements to Parliament relating to his Department's advance knowledge of Select Committee reports; [153957]

(2) at what time and on what date he spoke to Nicholas Jones about the Foreign Affairs Committee's Second report of Session 1998-99 on Sierra Leone. [153956]

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if a spokesman from his Department telephoned Mr. Nicholas Jones of the BBC shortly after 6.30 am on 9 February 1999 to discuss the Foreign Affairs Committee's Second report of Session 1998-99 on Sierra Leone; [153955]

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(2) at what time he telephoned Mr. Nicholas Jones of the BBC on 9 February 1999 to discuss the Foreign Affairs Committee's Second report of Session 1998-99 on Sierra Leone; [153958]

(3) when he first read the Foreign Affairs Committee's Second report of Session 1998-99 on Sierra Leone. [153968]

(4) when John Williams of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office first read the Foreign Affairs Committee's Second report of Session 1998-99 on Sierra Leone. [153959]

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the statements by the BBC's lobby correspondent concerning his use of a leaked draft of the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone. [154148]

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) to whom his officials spoke about the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone before 10 am on 9 February 1999; [153986]

(2) if he will publish a list of Ministers and officials who spoke to Mr. Nicholas Jones of the BBC before 10 am on 9 February 1999; [153990]

(3) on what date and at what time he first (a) received and (b) read a copy of the Foreign Affairs Committee report on Sierra Leone; [153988]

(4) to whom he spoke on the telephone between 6 am and 10 am on 9 February 1999; [153987]

(5) if he will publish a list of Ministers and officials who saw leaked documents relating to the Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry into Sierra Leone in 1998-99; [153991]

(6) how many copies of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee report on Sierra Leone were collected by his officials on 9 February 1999, at what time and from where. [153989]

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Mr. Robin Cook: I refer right hon. and hon. Members to my reply to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) on 16 March 2001, Official Report, column 773W.

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