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Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn): The right honourable Member for Devizes has been reported as having instructed Conservative Party members not to run a Conservative Party campaign but to work through the "Say NO to Wales" campaign.
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: No public expenditure is being incurred.
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: As no public money is being made available to any campaign organisation in respect of the Welsh Assembly it would not be in the interests of democratic balance to pay money to any "Say No to a Welsh Assembly" organisation should one be established.
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: There are 87 public bodies in Wales at the moment, made up of 45 executive and advisory non-departmental public bodies, 36 NHS bodies and six Training and Enterprise Councils. The Government would take action by the time the Assembly is established to abolish nine of these bodies (five executive NDPBs, two special health authorities and two TECs) and an as yet undecided number of NHS trusts. The Assembly would be able to abolish most of the bodies that remain if it so wished: that would be a matter for it to decide. It is thus not possible to give an exact answer to the noble Lord's Question.
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Assembly's standing orders will be published. It will therefore be clear who is responsible for taking particular decisions, including those relating to matters of interest to the business community. In addition, the 60 members of the assembly will be based in Wales, whereas Welsh Office Ministers spend most of their time in London when Parliament is sitting. It will be for the Assembly, by means of its standing orders, to decide how it should regulate contacts between its members and professional lobbyists.
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Government believe that members of public bodies should be appointed and serve on the basis of individual merit.
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The letter of 21 July to Chief Executives from the Welsh Office made clear that non-executive members or directors of NHS bodies are free to engage in political activities provided that they express their views in a personal capacity. The letter of 2 July was sent out before the guidance to the NHS became available. But, as the letter makes no claim that its authors are writing on behalf of the bodies of which they are members, it would not in any event seem to be inconsistent with the guidance issued.
Lord Robertson of Oakridge asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: There is no legal definition of the term "paedophile". The Oxford English Dictionary offers the following definition: "a person with paedophilia, i.e. an abnormal especially sexual love of children". The main sexual offences against children are listed below:
(i) offences under the following provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 1956:
(iii) an offence under Section 54 of the Criminal Law Act 1977 (inciting a girl under 16 to have incestuous sexual intercourse)
(iv) an offence under Section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978 (indecent photographs of children)
(v) an offence under Section 170 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 (penalty for fraudulent evasion of duty etc) in relation to goods prohibited to be imported under Section 42 of the Customs Consolidation Act 1876 (prohibitions and restrictions); and
(vi) an offence under Section 160 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (possession of indecent photographs of children).
Baroness David asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Hours of education (defined as daytime education, vocational training courses, construction industry training courses and evening education) at these establishments were:
Baroness David asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The time inmates spent in education (defined as daytime education, vocational training courses, construction industry training courses and evening education) fell between 1995-96 and 1996-97 in 71 per cent. of prison establishments. Plans for educational provision made by individual establishments are not collated centrally, and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Baroness David asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The information requested about the average weekly number of hours spent in education per prisoner is detailed below:
Lord Holmpatrick asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Williams of Mostyn: No. Registered firearms dealers are exempt form the need to have authority where they possess, purchase, acquire, sell or transfer expanding ammunition in the ordinary course of their business. Section 5A(7) of the Firearms Act 1968 (as amended by Section 10 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997) refers.
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