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Written Answers
Monday, 28th February 2000.
WEU Membership
Lord Shore of Stepney asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will list separately the member states, the associated states and those that have observer status in the Western European Union (WEU); and whether they will indicate the main differences, in rights and obligations under the treaty, between the three categories of membership.[HL941]
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: I will write to the noble Lord separately with the information he has requested.
Government Computer Network: Protection
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the Government's servers and routers are adequately protected from a "pingstorm" attack.[HL997]
The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): The counter-measures in place have been carefully designed and are adequate.
Millennium Dome: Staffing
Lord Luke asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What was the cost of staffing the Millennium Dome on Millennium Eve and on New Year's Day.[HL1018]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The cost of the hosts employed at the Dome on Millennium Eve and New Year's Day were £87,711 and £215,138 respectively. Other staff of the New Millennium Experience Company worked on both days but did not receive any additional payment to their normal monthly salary which would have been paid in any case.
Lord Luke asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What was the cost of staffing the Millennium Dome site between 31 December 1999 and 31 January 2000.[HL1019]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The cost of staffing the Millennium Dome site between 31 December 1999 and 31 January 2000, inclusive, was approximately £6,410,912.
New Millennium Experience Company: Payments to Designers
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many designers awarded contracts by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) have received payments that were (a) greater than, (b) the same as, and (c) less than the sum specified under the terms of the contract.[HL1024]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Payments are being made in all cases according to contractual terms. Some invoices are the subject of normal issue resolution procedures.
New Millennium Experience Company: Overtime Payments
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the total sum that has been paid by the New Millennium Experience Company in overtime payments since the commencement of the Millennium Dome project.[HL1025]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The total sum paid by the New Millennium Experience Company in overtime since the start of the Millennium Experience Project (March 1997) is £677,418.
New Millennium Experience Company: Termination Payments
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the total sum that has been paid by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) in compensation since the commencement of the Millennium Dome project to contractors and designers whose employment or contract has been terminated by the NMEC.[HL1026]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: No termination payments have been made by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) to contractors or designers.
New Millennium Experience Company/Koch Hightex Dispute
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the legal dispute between the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) and Koch Hightex (the company involved in the roofing contract) has been resolved; and what have been the legal costs incurred to date by NMEC in connection with this dispute.[HL1053]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The dispute between the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) and Koch Hightex remains unresolved. NMEC's legal costs to date have been £170,000.
Millennium Dome Displays: Life Expectancy
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the life expectancy of the displays in each of the zones at the Millennium Dome.[HL1054]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The life expectancy of the displays in each zone varies both between and within different zones. The zone infrastructure, for example, conforms to building regulations and therefore meets the normal minimum 25 years' life expectancy. In respect of displays, exhibition equipment or installations within zones the design contracts specified that they should be operational for the entire duration of the Millennium Experience.
Millennium Dome: Living Island Zone
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- With respect to the Living Island zone at the Millennium Dome, on how many occasions during January were the machines available for public use out of action for a period of more than one operational day.[HL1056]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) is working to ensure that all initial teething problems encountered following the dome's opening in January are dealt with swiftly. The company has in place an ongoing programme to deliver improvements to the zones, including modifying the machines for public use to make them more robust. Although on some occasions the machines in the Living Island zone ("Hit the Target" and the Arcade games) were out of order for more than one operational day, NMEC's dedicated onsite maintenance team aims to repair out-of-action machines on an hour-by-hour basis as well as overnight.
Statutory Interpretation
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they consider that, in the light of the new procedure for the publication of updated notes on clauses (which provide an extrinsic source of statutory interpretation), the disadvantages of judicial recourse to parliamentary debates for the purpose of construing ambiguous legislation outweigh the benefits of the rule in Pepper v Hart [1993] AC 593.[HL1031]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The explanatory notes now provided alongside Bills and Acts are intended to assist the reader of legislation. In introducing them, the Government did not aim to create an "extrinsic source of statutory interpretation". If the notes are successful in the purpose of helping the reader, they may of course be read by judges as well as by others. The Government's view is that it is for the courts to decide what material they should take into account.
New Millennium Experience Company: Appointment of M. Gerbeau
Lord Luke asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish the response they receive from the chairman of the New Millennium Experience Company to their request for a written account of the circumstances surrounding the replacement by Pierre-Yves Gerbeau.[HL1076]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government have not requested such an account from the chairman of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). I understand however that the Millennium Commission, in approving the financial package offered to Miss Page, asked for further information. The commission's approval was required by virtue of the terms and conditions of its grant to NMEC.
10 Downing Street Website
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
- For what reason the search facility on the 10 Downing Street website is restricted to inquiries dating from 1 January 1999.[HL1120]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The 10 Downing Street website allows users to search for material contained in the whole of the website archive without any date restrictions. It also contains a second facility to allow searches within specific parts of the site and between specific dates. Until the process of ensuring that relevant material from the old site has been transferred to the new archive is finished, this second facility only allows dates after 1 January 1999 to be specified. Once the transfer is complete the specific search facility will be extended back to May 1997.
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Why their policy statement Our Information Age: the Government's Vision is no longer available at the 10 Downing Street website.[HL1121]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: This policy statement dates back to 1998 and is not currently contained in the site's archive. It should be added in due course as the archive is extended back to May 1997.
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they anticipate that hypertext mark-up language (HTML) links from departmental websites to the new 10 Downing Street website will be updated.[HL1122]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Links to the 10 Downing Street website's home page do not require updating since the address of the site remains the same. Where links existed to specific parts of the site, these will need updating. Departments are being asked to check their websites for any such links and to update them as necessary. All links should be updated shortly.
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