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22 May 2003 : Column 913W—continued
Mutual Defence Agreement
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits of UK personnel to the US under the auspices of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement occurred in 2002. [114684]
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Mr. Ingram: The number of visits by United Kingdom personnel, involving one or more individuals, to the United States in 2002 under the auspices of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement was 237.
Sandhurst Military Academy
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason officer cadets at Sandhurst Military Academy have been refused permission to play rugby league; and if he will make a statement. [115284]
Dr. Moonie: The Games and Sports Committee at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst was asked to consider the introduction of Rugby League at the Academy at its meeting on 15 May 2003. This committee meets three times a year and resources for the summer sports programme had already been allocated at its meeting in January 2003.
The committee reluctantly decided that, due to the number of sports activities already planned, the introduction of Rugby League this summer should be deferred. Currently there is neither the infrastructure, equipment, facilities nor back-up experience to support this venture at such short notice. The committee will revisit the matter again at its next meeting in September, and I am sure will give it careful consideration.
Terrorism
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's plans are for the future involvement of British forces in combating international terrorism in (a) the Far East, (b) the Middle East and (c) Europe. [114616]
Mr. Hoon: The United Kingdom is committed to the defeat of international terrorism and where appropriate, UK forces will be used to combat terrorism. The New Chapter to the Strategic Defence Review outlined our plans to enhance our capabilities to detect, deter, disrupt, coerce and, if necessary, destroy terrorist cells. This forms part of the Government's wider efforts to defeat terrorism through the use of a wide range of diplomatic, social, economic and legal tools.
PRIME MINISTER
Attorney-General
Mr. Cash: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions since 1973 on which the advice of the Attorney-General to Ministers was (a) published in full, (b) published in summary form and (c) reported orally to either House of Parliament. [115474]
The Prime Minister: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to publish advice from the Attorney-General.
Ministers of this Government are not accountable for what happened under previous Administrations. However, under this Government for example, as the hon. Member will be aware, the Attorney-General made a statement on 17 March setting out his views on the legality of the use of armed force against Iraq. The Attorney-General's advice was not disclosed.
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Convention on the Future of Europe
Mr. Cash: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr. Duncan Smith) of 14 May 2003, Official Report, column 306, what the basis is of his statement that the European Convention is necessary to make accession work. [115285]
The Prime Minister: The Convention on the Future of Europe is looking at how an enlarged EU can continue to function effectively and transparently. The Laeken Declaration, which mandated the Convention, tasks it to see
"how we can improve the efficiency of decision-making and the workings of the institutions in a Union of some thirty Member States" as well as simplify the Treaties and make the EU more accessible to its citizens. Reform of the EU's institutions and processes is necessary for an enlarged EU of 28 to work efficiently.
Iraq (Cultural Heritage)
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his reply to the letter from ICOMOS of 15 April. [115078]
The Prime Minister: I have asked my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who also received a copy of the letter about cultural heritage in Iraq to reply on my behalf. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library in due course.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working in close liaison with the British Museum, the Ministry of Defence, the FCO and UNESCO to assess how they might best be able to help secure and preserve these valuable sites for the benefit of future generations.
Laeken Declaration
Mr. Cash: To ask the Prime Minister what authority was given in the Laeken declaration to draft a constitutional treaty for Europe. [115286]
The Prime Minister: The European Council at Laeken concluded that
"in order to ensure that preparation for the forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference is as broadly-based and transparent as possible, the European Council has decided to convene a Convention".
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WORK AND PENSIONS
Bank Account Access
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 31 March 2003, Official Report, column 504W, on Bank Account Access, for what reasons the Pension Service Guide to Direct Payment does not include (a) the Bank of Ireland, (b) First Trust and (c) the Northern Bank in the list of banks which offer basic bank accounts with access to cash at the Post Office. [114160]
Malcolm Wicks: The Direct Payment information leaflet contains information on all of the banking options available to the customer.
The Northern Ireland Social Security Agency produce separate leaflets for customers in Northern Ireland. The Bank of Ireland, First Trust and Northern Bank are listed in the Northern Ireland edition of the leaflet as these banks offer basic bank accounts with post office access to customers in Northern Ireland.
New Deal
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his Answer of 19th December, refs 85985 and 87003, if he will list Government departments and agencies that did not employ New Deal participants during the period covered by his answer. [89906]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The following agencies reported no New Deal starts between 5 January 1998 and 1 July 2002.
- Royal Parks Agency
Central Science Laboratory
Pesticides Safety Directorate
Veterinary Laboratories Agency
Veterinary Medicines Directorate 1
Disability and Carers Service
Medical Devices Agency
Medicines Control Agency
NHS Estates
NHS Pensions Agency
Companies House
Employment Tribunals Service
National Weights and Measures Laboratory
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets
Office of Telecommunications
Postal Services Commission
Government Actuary's Department
UK Debt Management Office
Forensic Science Service
Public Guardianship Office
Public Record Office
Fire Service College
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre
Food Standards Agency 1
Meat Hygiene Service
CPS Inspectorate
Northern Ireland Court Service
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
National Savings
1 These agencies have had New Deal starts since 1 July 2002.
22 May 2003 : Column 917W
Information is not collected separately on the agencies of the Ministry of Defence, Inland Revenue and the Scottish Executive and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Although this is the current situation I have written to the Cabinet Office to ask that they expand their current monitoring process to collect this information in the future.
- Source:
- Cabinet Office
Adult Education
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department and its predecessors have spent on education and training in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [114471]
Maria Eagle: Data on expenditure on education and training spent by this Department and its predecessors are available only for the financial years shown in the following table. The figures for 1999–2000 and 2000–01 have been collated from data sources in the former Employment Service and Department of Social Security.
| Expenditure (£ million) | Percentage of running costs | |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 81.145 | 3.19 |
| 2000–01 | 90.034 | 3.68 |
| 2001–02 | 97.319 | 3.78 |
The figures include trainee and trainer costs, management and administration overheads, and spend on external training provided through Departmental contracts. Costs for accommodation where Departmental estate has been used are not included. In addition to formal training, people are developed by a variety of other means.
The Department is committed to the principles of Investors in People. It considers the effective investment in training and development essential to equipping its people with the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the Government's goals and deliver modern services.
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