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Dairy Crest
Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assistance has been given to the Dairy Crest plants in Wales. [41869]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Since 1 July 1999, this is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales. Available records show no Welsh Office support to Dairy Crest plants prior to that date.
Stolen Equipment
Mr. Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2002, Official Report, column 706–07W, on stolen equipment, whether the laptop stolen from his Department was (a) new and unused and (b) used; and what was the nature of the data stored on it. [42652]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I understand that this theft, which dates from the period of the former Welsh Office, was of ancillary cabling equipment for a laptop rather than the laptop itself. There was thus no loss of data.
Departmental Functions
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the functions of his Department that have been (a) market tested and (b) outsourced in each of the last five years, specifying the (i) money saving and (ii) percentage saving in each case. [42990]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Executive functions previously a matter for the Welsh Office have in general transferred to the National Assembly for Wales and so the Wales Office has undertaken no market testing or outsourcing since it was established in July 1999.
Between April 1997 and June 1999 the former Welsh Office undertook these exercises:
- market testing of the valuation services being provided by the Valuation Office agency in 1996–97. This led to the award of a three-year contract to DTZ Debenham Tie Leung;
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outsourcing of the Highways Directorate's property management function in South Wales in 1997–98. This was achieved by a three-year contract with Messrs. Darlows estate agents of Newport outsourcing on an interim basis;
outsourcing on an interim basis the work previously undertaken by Government property lawyers following their demise in 1999. This work was undertaken by Bissmire Fudge and Bond Pearce.
Ministerial Visits (National Assembly)
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many visits (a) he and (b) the Under-Secretary of State for Wales have made to the National Assembly for Wales in each month since July 1999. [43226]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I visit the National Assembly virtually on a weekly basis for meetings with the First Minister, Assembly Ministers and other meetings. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary visits the Assembly on the same basis for meetings with Assembly Ministers and others.
PRIME MINISTER
Job Advertisements
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the job advertisements placed by his Department in the last 12 months specifying where the advertisements were placed and the cost in each case. [39066]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office. on 19 March.
Flexible Working
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister how many and what proportion of the staff of his office are (a) job sharing, (b) term working and (c) engaged in another form of flexible working. [42418]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on Monday 18 March, Official Report, column 74W.
Manpower
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister how many staff have been employed by his office in each of the last 10 years. [42465]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on Tuesday 19 March.
Special Advisers
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the number and expected cost to his office of special advisers in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03. [43277]
The Prime Minister: At 13 March, there are 27 special advisers in my office. On cost, I have already announced the introduction of a revised pay system for special
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advisers based on individual job evaluation. The process of evaluation is currently under way. The cost will be provided once the process is completed.
US Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the US Administration concerning the review of its policies on the use of nuclear weapons. [43809]
The Prime Minister: I discussed the US Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) with Vice President Dick Cheney, on his visit to London on 11 March. We welcome the in-depth review of deterrence and nuclear policy that the review represents and its main conclusion that the US can cut its operationally deployed strategic nuclear weapons by two-thirds to 1,700 to 2,200. We note US Administration comments that the NPR represents prudent conceptual thinking, not an operational plan, and that the US does not target any country on a day-to-day basis. We also welcome the US Administration's statements that there has been no change to US first strike policy.
Meetings
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Spanish Prime Minister; and if he will make a statement. [43868]
The Prime Minister: I talk to the Spanish Prime Minister frequently on a range of EU and foreign policy issues. Our most recent discussions were at the Barcelona European Council.
Gibraltar
Bob Spink: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit Gibraltar. [43934]
The Prime Minister: I have no immediate plans to do so.
Kyoto
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had on the issue of climate change and Kyoto with the Australian Prime Minister during the recent Commonwealth talks; and if he will make a statement on climate change negotiations, with particular reference to Kyoto. [44051]
The Prime Minister: The issue of climate change was discussed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting where the final communiqué stated "Head of Government expressed concern about the consequences of global warming and climate change, especially for the vulnerable small island states and other low-lying areas".
I firmly believe that the Kyoto Protocol remains the only workable basis to take forward international action to tackle climate change. We intend to ratify the Protocol in time for it to enter into force by the World Summit on Sustainable Development. A European Community decision to ratify Kyoto, which paved the way for the UK and the other EU member states to complete their own ratification procedures, was adopted on 4 March. On 7 March, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs made a statement to the House setting in motion the process of UK ratification of the Protocol,
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which will be completed on or shortly after 19 April. UK And EU ratification of the Kyoto Protocol will send an important message to the world that we are committed to the Protocol and to tackling climate change.
Overseas Acquisitions
Adam Price: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions since May 1997 he, or his office, have (a) assisted and (b) issued an official communication to welcome an overseas acquisition by an individual or company. [44484]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him and the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 610–11W.
Iraq
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the United States Administration on military action in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [42219]
The Prime Minister: I regularly discuss all aspects of Iraq policy with President Bush and the US Administration. My most recent discussions were with US Vice-President Cheney in London on 11 March. I will have another opportunity to do so during my visit to the US next month.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Prime Minister if it is his policy that a new and specific mandate from the United Nations Security Council is an essential condition of (a) any international offensive military action against Iraq and (b) the deployment of UK forces in action against Iraq. [44314]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 19 March 2002]: No decision has been taken to launch military action against Iraq, and so the question of whether authorisation is needed does not arise.
Government Loans
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Prime Minister when the Performance and Innovation Unit will publish its report on Modernising Government Loans. [37654]
The Prime Minister: The Performance and Innovation Unit's report "Lending Support—Modernising the Government's Use of Loans" is being published today. The key conclusions of the report are:
- (i) It sets out a new framework with criteria that will help consistent judgments to be made on when loans are more appropriate to use than alternatives such as grants;
- (ii) Most existing Government loans, and similar types of support, score well under these criteria;
- (iii) The framework has been demonstrated by applying it to a number of illustrative case studies, such as the example of a Government loan for unemployed people who wish to set up in self-employment;
- (iv) It announces a feasibility study looking into the longer-term opportunities offered by greater joining up of the administration of all forms of citizens' debts to Government and financial transactions more generally. This will report to Ministers who will decide whether or not to commission further work.
Copies of the report have been placed in the Vote Office and the Libraries.
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