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LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Documents

Sue Doughty: To ask the Leader of the House what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage of documents and the use of shredders; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months. [206739]

Mr. Woolas: The Privy Council Office (PCO) provides the administrative support for the Leader of the House. PCO continues to implement well established policies
 
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and procedures for the review and disposal of files in accordance with the Public Records Act. Documents which are no longer required are destroyed by shredding or other means. This policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

E-mails

Sue Doughty: To ask the Leader of the House what his Department's policy is in relation to the storage and deletion of e-mails; and whether this policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months. [206738]

Mr. Woolas: The Privy Council Office (PCO) provides the administrative support for the Leader of the House. PCO's policy is to save e-mails which form part of the official record for as long as business needs require. E-mails are then stored in accordance with record management procedures. Further e-mail guidance is available at the National Archive website, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronic records/advice/pdf/managingemails.pdf.

E-mails which are no longer required for business reasons are deleted. This policy has been reviewed in the past 12 months.

Special Advisers

Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Leader of the House on how many occasions between 31 March 2002 and 31 March 2003 his special advisers travelled abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [207183]

Mr. Hain: None.

WALES

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what ministerial visits are planned for each Minister in his Department in the next six months; and if he will make a statement. [199885]

Mr. Hain: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy in the Library of the House of Commons.

Public Bodies (Abolition)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list National Assembly for Wales sponsored public bodies that may be abolished by (a) decision of the Assembly, (b) primary legislation in the United Kingdom Parliament and (c) revocation of the Royal Charter. [204228]

Mr. Hain: The information is as follows:

(a) The bodies listed in Schedule 4 Part 1 of the Government of Wales Act 1998 together with bodies created since devolution by the Assembly under its own powers may be abolished by decision of the Assembly.

(b) All Assembly sponsored public bodies, including those covered by (a) above and (c) below, may be abolished by primary legislation in the UK Parliament. In the case of bodies set up by Royal Charter, the legislation would provide for its revocation.

(c) All bodies set up by Royal Charter may be abolished by revocation of that charter.

 
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Working Time Regulations

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials working in ministerial private offices in the Department have worked more than a 48 hour week at any time in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those had signed a waiver under working time regulations; and what percentage these figures represented of the total in each case. [204148]

Mr. Hain: The Working Time Regulations provide workers with the protection of a limit of an average of 48 hours a week working time. This is not an absolute cap of 48 hours in any one week. This average is normally calculated over a 17-week reference period, although this can be longer in certain situations (26 weeks) and can be extended by agreement (up to 52 weeks). Workers may choose to work more than 48 hours per week over this reference period by signing an opt-out agreement, but employers cannot force a worker to sign an opt-out, and workers cannot be subjected to detriment for refusing to sign an opt-out.

The Wales Office has a duty to ensure the health and safety of its staff. No member of staff has worked in excess of the working time regulation (an average of 48 hours a week over a 17-week period).

One member of private office staff has voluntarily opted out of this regulation.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Alvis plc

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date his Department was informed of the decision by Alvis Plc to conclude a consultancy agreement with Global Select. [205691]

Mr. Rammell: The allegations relating to the sale of military equipment to the Indonesians in 1995–96 reported this month in The Guardian newspaper are currently being investigated in the UK and Indonesia. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has to date found no record of being informed of specific agents for the contracts between Alvis and Global Select.

Bhutan

Mr. Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on insurgency in Bhutan. [205394]

Mr. Alexander: There is no recent history of indigenous insurgency in Bhutan. There was unrest in the late 1980s and early 1990s which resulted in violent clashes between Bhutanese security forces and supporters of the largely ethnic Nepali Bhutan People's Party. Up to 100,000 Bhutanese of Nepali origin fled the country and now live in refugee camps in Nepal.

In December 2003, the Bhutanese army launched a successful campaign against Indian insurgents who were operating out of Bhutan against India.
 
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China

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the detention of Yu Jie, Liu Xiaobo and Zhang Zuhua for human rights in China. [205892]

Mr. Rammell: Yu Jie, Liu Xiaobo and Zhang Zuhua were detained on Monday 13 December in Beijing, and were released the following day.

HMG takes human rights problems in China very seriously. We continue to talk to the Chinese Government about these, including through our bilateral Human Rights Dialogue, the last round of which was held in Beijing on 22 November.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of China with respect to the detention without charge of Pastor Zhang Rongliang; and if he will make a statement. [206234]

Mr. Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 20 December (Official Report, column 1397W).

Christmas Cards

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of postage was for official departmental Christmas cards in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004. [205190]

Mr. Straw: In 2003 and 2004, the cost of postage for official departmental Christmas cards sent out by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers was £232.37 and £94.50 respectively.

In respect of the rest of the FCO, including its overseas Posts, to provide this information could be provided only disproportionate cost.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many departmental staff have responsibility for preparing Christmas cards; [205194]

(2) how many hours of staff time were taken up in preparation of Christmas cards in 2004. [205198]

Mr. Straw: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many official Christmas cards were sent out by his Department in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004. [205201]

Mr. Straw: Approximately 2,000 cards were sent out by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers in 2003; and fewer than 1,000 in 2004.

In respect of the rest of the FCO, including its overseas posts, this information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of purchasing official departmental Christmas cards in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004. [205204]

 
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Mr. Straw: In 2003 and 2004, the cost of official departmental Christmas cards sent out by Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers was £1,553 and £1,268 respectively.

In respect of the rest of the FCO including its overseas posts, this information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of official departmental Christmas cards included a contribution to charity in their cost; and which charities benefited from such a contribution. [205208]

Mr. Straw: All official Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Christmas cards include a contribution to charity.

In 2003 over £15,000 (the profit generated from the sale of official FCO cards) was donated to the FCO Welfare Fund and the Diplomatic Families Association Emergency and Welfare Fund. Figures are not yet available for 2004.

UNICEF also benefited from my own specially-printed Christmas cards (£218.50 in 2003 and £207 in 2004).

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