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Zimbabwe

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action his Department intends to take to help ensure that the forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe are fair and open. [180964]

Hilary Benn: The Government of Zimbabwe have informally announced that the next parliamentary elections will be held in March 2005. Responsibility for ensuring that those elections are fair and open rests with the Government of Zimbabwe. Following the 2002 presidential election, international election observers, including the Commonwealth Election Observer Group, the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum on Norms and Standards for Elections and other bilateral observer missions, concluded that the legal framework for preparing and conducting elections in Zimbabwe was not conducive to conducting a free and open election.

The Zimbabwe state press earlier this week reported ZANU(PF) proposals for changes in the procedures for Zimbabwean elections. It is too early to say if these proposals will be enacted, and if so, what difference they will make. But it is important to note that the freedom and fairness of elections is a function not only of voting and counting procedures, but also of whether they take place in a climate which permits democratic debate, with a functioning independent media and civil society, and freedom from violence and intimidation.
 
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The UK Government are prepared to work with all parties in Zimbabwe, UN agencies and other donors to help establish a satisfactory electoral framework. This would require all concerned; including the Government of Zimbabwe, to demonstrate a commitment to internationally accepted electoral procedures and standards of democratic debate. So far, the Government of Zimbabwe have not demonstrated this commitment.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Respite Care

9. Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with Home First Community Trust regarding (a) the Twilight nursing service and (b) respite facilities for adults with learning difficulties in (i) Larne, (ii) Carrickfergus and (iii) Newtownabbey; and if he will make a statement. [180490]

Angela Smith: No discussions have taken place with Home First Community Trust.

Following an evaluation of the Twilight Nursing service in 2002, it was decided to expand and modernise the service. The new service will operate across the Trust area 9 am to 11 pm, and will have additional resources to care for a wider range of patients. An additional £270,000 has been provided to develop the service. Respite care is provided in a number of facilities in Antrim, Larne, Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey and Belfast to which people in the East Antrim area have access. The Trust is also in discussion with Positive Futures to expand home-based family respite provision in the area. A meeting with parents to discuss respite provision is planned for 1 July.

12 July Celebrations

10. David Burnside : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will attend, as a guest of the hon. Member for South Antrim, the 12 July celebrations of the battle of the Boyne in Ballymoney, County Antrim. [180491]

Mr. Paul Murphy: I have no plans to do so.

Undergraduates

11. Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the reasons for Northern Ireland being a net exporter of undergraduate students; and if he will make a statement. [180492]

Mr. Gardiner: In 2002–03, full-time NI domiciled undergraduate students who migrated to GB outnumbered inward migrants by a ratio of around four to one. There are a number of factors affecting student migration for higher education, across the United Kingdom and beyond. These include the cap, which Government imposes as a cost control mechanism, on full-time undergraduate places in NI. At this point it is
 
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not possible to determine the relative impact of each of these factors on out-migration and in-migration to Northern Ireland.

My Department is researching inter-regional flows of HE students, including the extent to which those students that leave NI do so to secure a place at the institution of their choice.

Sinn Fein

12. Mr. Robathan : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment the Government have made of the fitness of Sinn Fein (a) to hold office in the Northern Ireland Executive and (b) to enjoy the benefits of House of Commons membership in the light of the Independent Monitoring Commission's findings on Sinn Fein's responsibility for continuing terrorist activity and paramilitary involvement. [180493]

Mr. Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced to the House on 20 April the steps he proposed to take in the light of the IMC's first report. The Commission made no recommendation on the points mentioned. But we are clear that devolved government in Northern Ireland can operate in future only if it is free from association with paramilitary activity.

Civil Servants (Industrial Action)

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has made to (a) the European Commission and (b) the Governments of other member states for special consideration to be given to hauliers and other business drivers from Northern Ireland who have been unable (i) to obtain an MOT certificate and (ii) to tax their vehicles as a result of the current industrial action of civil servants. [180800]

Angela Smith: The certificates of temporary exemption that are now being issued for goods vehicles exempt owners and operators from the requirement to have their vehicles tested for a three-month period from the date of issue. The certificates do not alter their responsibility to maintain their vehicles in a roadworthy condition. The Department for Transport, which has overall responsibility for vehicle licensing in the UK, has written to the European Commission to make them aware of the current difficulties in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current backlog of cases awaiting a hearing or determination of (a) an industrial and (b) an employment tribunal in Northern Ireland is. [180813]

Mr. Gardiner: The latest figures available are for 31 March 2004 and at that time there were 1,124 complaints awaiting the attention of the Fair Employment Tribunal and 16,170 complaints awaiting determination by the Industrial Tribunals.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of each category of driving test has been cancelled in Northern Ireland because of industrial action by the Civil Service. [180939]

 
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Angela Smith: At 24 June 2004 the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency had cancelled 5,791 practical driving tests since continuous industrial action started on 17 May. The table provides a breakdown by driving test category.

Driving test category	Number of cancellations
Car plus light goods vehicle	5,186
Motorcycle	195
Large goods vehicle	343
Passenger-carrying vehicle/omnibus	62
Car plus trailer	5
Total	5,791

Civil Service Recruitment

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many posts have been advertised by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in each of the last five years; how many of the reserved posts which fall within the remit of (a) the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commissioners and (b) the Great Britain Civil Service Commissioners, broken down by grade. [180166]

Mr. Pearson: Details of posts advertised in each of the last five years, broken down by grade and categorisation are in the table. All the posts fall within the remit of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commissioners and, with the exception of one post*, all were categorised as reserved.

	Posts advertised	Appointments
1999	SCS	1
2000	SCS	1
2001	SCS	1
	SCS	2
	Grade A	6
	Grade Bl	8
2002	Grade A	1
	Grade A*	1
	Grade B1	0
	Grade A	8
	Grade Bl	12
2003	Grade B1	9
2004	SCS	1
	Grade B1	Competition on-going
	Grade A	Competition on-going
	Grade A	Competition on-going
	Grade B	Competition on-going
	Grade B1	Competition on-going

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