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SCOTLAND
Royal Prerogative
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what decisions have been made by her Department in the last year under authority from the royal prerogative. [63136]
Mrs. Liddell: Records are not kept of the individual occasions on which powers under the royal prerogative are exercised, nor would it be practicable to do so.
Departmental Property
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what property her Department (a) leases and (b) owns in (i) Edinburgh and (ii) London. [63121]
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Mrs. Liddell: My Department leases its office accommodation in Edinburgh and London.
Public Expenditure
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) of 14 May 2002, Official Report, column 573W, on public expenditure, what assumptions were used to allocate the cited increases to Scottish health spending due to the 2002 budget, relating to (a) the percentage of the population used for the application of the Barnett formula, (b) the comparability factor used, (c) the total additions to English health spending and (d) other factors included in the calculation. [63769]
Mrs. Liddell: The rules for calculating the Barnett consequentials for increases in English expenditure are as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy. The latest available population figures were used.
New Deal (Young People)
Mr. Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many young people have (a) participated in and (b) found jobs as a result of the New Deal in each constituency in Scotland; [61301]
- (2) how many young people have received full-time education, training or work experience with the voluntary sector or the Environment Taskforce as a result of the New Deal in each constituency in Scotland. [61302]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: I have been asked to reply.
Constituency results for the New Deal for Young People are contained in the Constituency Tables, which are available in the Library.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Cross-border Information Sharing
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 15 May 2002, Ref 55286, on cross-border information sharing on child sex offenders and child abusers, for what reason confidentiality will be maintained for the protocols being developed. [59230]
Jane Kennedy: Confidentiality is maintained because sex offenders and child abusers are often skilled at evading detection. Combating them is the priority and it is considered that to make public procedures, protocols and arrangements would have a detrimental effect on the ability to monitor and manage risk.
Age Discrimination
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have a policy of not considering applications for employment by persons over a particular age. [59455]
Jane Kennedy: There are no formal age restrictions for recruitment to the Northern Ireland Office. An upper age limit is not set but advertisements for posts in the Northern Ireland Office state that the normal retirement age, under existing pension arrangements, is 60.
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Entertainment Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of the Department's 2001 staff Christmas party; and how many people attended. [61656]
Jane Kennedy: The cost overall of the Northern Ireland Office's 2001 Christmas party was £682.50. The breakdown of this cost is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Catering | 352.50 |
| Band/disco | 260.00 |
| Bus hire | 70.00 |
Tickets were sold to staff at a cost of £8.00. Approximately 120 tickets were purchased. The sale of the tickets covered the overall cost of £682.50 and the surplus was donated to charity.
Terrorists
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will make a statement on his proposals to deal with the issue of on-the-run terrorists. [64216]
Jane Kennedy: The Government have committed themselves to taking steps to resolve this issue, which we believe is an important part of drawing a line under the past. We are still considering how best to discharge that commitment. Once that process is complete we will make an announcement.
Police Numbers
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many police officers there were in Northern Ireland on (a) 9 September 1999 and (b) 31 May 2002. [64089]
Jane Kennedy: The number of police officers in Northern Ireland on 9 September 1999 and 31 May 2002 were as follows:
| Regular | Full-time Reserve | Part-time Reserve | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1999 | 8,522 | 2,767 | 1,188 |
| 31 May 2002 | 6,947 | 2,070 | 994 |
PRIME MINISTER
Ethnic Minorities
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Prime Minister which Government Departments have a Sikh adviser to advise on matters relating to the Sikh community; and how they are selected. [63611]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 21 June 2002]: As part of the Government's commitment to diversity, a number of Departments employ diversity and equality advisers. These liaise with various communities on policy, operational and employment matters. Some of these, for example in the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Defence, focus specifically on issues relevant to the Sikh community. Comprehensive information on the numbers and specific remits of individual advisers is not held centrally.
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Selection for all permanent civil service posts is based upon merit.
Channel Islands
Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations he has received from elected representatives from the state of Jersey in respect of radioactive risks posed to the Channel Islands. [63854]
The Prime Minister: I have received one representation on this issue, which has been passed to the Lord Chancellor for reply in view of the Lord Chancellor's responsibility for relations with the Crown Dependencies.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his meeting with Prime Minister Aznar on 18 June. [64232]
The Prime Minister: I met the Prime Minister of Spain in London on 18 June as part of the regular EU presidency tour of capital cities before a European Council. It was a very positive discussion covering the main agenda items for the Seville European Council on 21 and 22 June, including: a set of proposals and timetable for asylum and immigration; Council reform matters; the importance of keeping to the proposed enlargement timetable; national government involvement in the Convention on the Future of Europe and how to maintain the Spanish presidency's good progress on European defence issues.
Special Advisers
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 27 February 2002, Official Report, column 1268W, on special advisers, whether the briefing material contains information relating to (a) the previous Conservative Government and (b) alternative policies held by opposition parties. [64233]
The Prime Minister: All briefing material is provided in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code, and the Special Adviser Code of Conduct.
Royal Prerogative
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions in the last 12 months when he has used powers granted by the Royal Prerogative. [63135]
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The Prime Minister: Records are not kept of the individual occasions on which powers under the Royal Prerogative are exercised nor could it be practicable to do so.
Kananaskis Summit
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer to the hon. Member for Watford of 19 June 2002, Official Report, column 268, what proposals he will be putting to the forthcoming G8 summit at Kananaskis that would increase access for exports from sub-Saharan Africa to OECD countries; and how much these measures would generate in terms of increased exports from sub-Saharan Africa in each year. [64367]
The Prime Minister: The G8 summit is taking place in Kananaskis tomorrow and Thursday. The UK has put forward proposals for Africa on trade as part of a larger package of commitments on conflict, education, health, development assistance and debt. G8 members are committed to the objective of duty-free and quota-free access for all products originating from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at the World Trade Organisation Doha Ministerial in November 2001. The UK sees it as imperative to move forward on integrating LDCs into the multilateral trading system and ensure they can harness the benefits of trade for poverty reduction. The forthcoming G8 summit in Kananaskis offers the opportunity to take forward these issues. The European Commission has estimated that developing country gains from a 50 per cent. cut in tariffs by both developed and developing countries would be in the order of $150 billion, around three times current aid flows.
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