PMQT Written Answers – 18 April 1994

April 18, 1994February 22, 2021 admin 1994

Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 18th April 1994.

PRIME MINISTER:

Allivane

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what papers or communications are retained at 10 Downing Street in regard to the role of Allivane in providing shells and other military equipment to Iraq and Iran.

The Prime Minister : Copies of correspondence received by my office since November 1990, and to which I or my office have replied, have been retained, as is customary. No records exist prior to April 1989.

Advisers

Mr. McMaster : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the name and Department of each special adviser employed in the service of himself, members of the Cabinet, Ministers of State, and Parliamentary Under- Secretaries of State; if he will give their educational and vocational qualification, salaries and duties; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hutton : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, Official Report, columns 30-31, if he will identify those political advisers who are not employed on civil service grades of pay, the Departments in which they work and the salaries that they receive.

The Prime Minister : There are currently 38 special advisers attached to Ministers. Details of their names and Departments are as follows :

Name |Department

—————————————————————————————————————

Adams |Environment
Allen |Trade and Industry
Barnes |Social Security
Blunt |Defence
Burke |Environment
Caine |Northern Ireland Office
Cameron |Home Office

Dr. E. Cottrell |Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Dr. W. Eltis |Trade and Industry

Fraser |Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Gray |Environment
Grantham |Education
Green |Prime Minister’s Office

Mrs. S. Hogg |Prime Minister’s Office

Ms S. Hole |Chief Whip’s Office

Kemp |Trade and Industry

Mrs. T. Keswick |Treasury

Mrs. E. Laing |Transport

Loehnis |National Heritage
MacKay |Scottish Office
MacLay |Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Marsh |Health

Ms S. McEwen |House of Lords

McManus |Employment
Moman |Privy Council Office

Dr. J. Nicholson |Office of Public Service and Science

O’Connor |Environment

Sir I. Pearce |Transport

Lord Poole |Prime Minister’s Office

Ms K. Ramsay |Prime Minister’s Office

Rock |Home Office
Ruffley |Treasury
Rutley |Office of Public Service and Science

Lady Strathnaver |Trade and Industry

True |Prime Minister’s Office

Miss A. Warburton |Prime Minister’s Office

Williams |Welsh Office
Young |Scottish Office

The duties of special advisers are a matter for the appointing Minister. Details of their qualifications are not held centrally. Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers’ salary spine of 30 points, ranging from £19,121 to £59,957. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this. Of the 38 advisers currently employed, six are paid outside the normal salary spine–three political and three experts. One other, expert adviser, is paid on a civil service scale.

Mr. Hutton : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 12 April, Official Report, column 31, if he will specify the salaries paid to political advisers in each Department since 1988, expressed in 1993-94 prices.

The Prime Minister : The salaries of individual advisers are confidential. Information available on the number of advisers in each department in each year since 1988 and the number of advisers on each point of the pay spine in each year since 1988 is in the tables. The salary figures shown against each point in the spine are those current since August 1992.

Table 1

Department Number of Advisers

————————————————————————————————————————————–

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food:

|1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1

Cabinet Office (including Prime Ministers Office, Chief Whips Office, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s Office)

|9 |10 |10 |7 |9 |8 |9

Ministry of Defence

|1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1

Department of Education

|1 |1 |1 |2 |2 |1 |1

Department of Employment

|1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1

Department of the Environment

|2 |2 |3 |7 |6 |2 |4

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

|2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2

Department of Health <1>

|3 |3 |1 |3 |3 |1 |1

Home Office

|1 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2

House of Lords

|- |- |- |- |- |1 |1

Department of National Heritage

|- |- |- |- |- |1 |1

Northern Ireland Office

|- |- |- |- |1 |1 |1

Scottish Office

|1 |1 |2 |1 |2 |2 |2

Department of Social Security <1>

|- |- |1 |1 |1 |1 |1

Department of Trade and Industry

|2 |2 |1 |2 |2 |1 |4

Department of Transport

|1 |1 |2 |1 |1 |1 |2

Her Majesty’s Treasury

|3 |3 |3 |3 |4 |2 |2

Department of Energy

|1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |- |-

Privy Council Office

|1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |- |1

The Lord Privy’s Seals Office

|- |- |- |- |1 |- |-

Welsh Office

|- |- |- |- |- |- |1

<1> Formerly DHSS

Table 2

Number paid this amount

———————————————————————————————————————————-

30 (pp) |59,957 |- |- |1 |- | |1 |1

29 (pp) |57,650 |- |- |- |1 |1 |- |-

28 |55,433 |1 |2 |1 |2 |1 |4 |5

27 |54,136 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1 |- |-

26 |52,845 |- |1 |- |- |- |1 |1

25 |51,193 |- |- |- |1 |1 |- |1

24 |49,541 |2 |1 |3 |1 |1 |1 |4

23 |47,284 |- |1 |3 |2 |4 |1 |1

22 |45,527 |1 |2 |1 |1 |- |1 |1

21 |43,778 |3 |2 |2 |2 |1 |1 |4

20 |41,947 |1 |1 |2 |2 |1 |- |-

19 |40,100 |1 |2 |1 |1 |2 |- |1

18 |38,254 |1 |4 |2 |1 |3 |1 |-

17 |36,415 |1 |1 |- |- |- |- |-

16 |34,222 |1 |1 |- |- |- |- |-

15 |32,827 |3 |2 |- |3 |2 |1 |1

14 |31,718 |2 |- |- |- |1 |1 |1

13 |30,613 |- |- |- |1 |- |1 |1

12 |29,453 |- |- |- |1 |1 |- |-

11 |28,394 |1 |- |2 |1 |- |1 |1

10 |27,523 |- |- |- |- |- |1 |1

9 |26,303 |- |- |- |1 |- |1 |1

8 |25,374 |- |1 |1 |- |1 |2 |2

7 |24,548 |- |- |2 |2 |2 |- |-

6 |23,734 |- |- |- |- |1 |1 |-

5 |22,902 |2 |1 |2 |3 |5 |2 |3

4 |21,683 |- |1 |- |1 |1 |- |-

3 |20,941 |- |- |1 |- |- |- |-

2 |20,308 |1 |1 |- |- |- |1 |1

1 |19,121 |1 |- |1 |1 |3 |- |-

<1> Three special advisers were not paid on the normal salary spine points.

<2> Two special advisers were not paid on the normal salary spine points and five others were either on secondment or unpaid.

<3> Two special advisers were not paid on the normal salary spine point and five others were either on secondment, unpaid or on a part-time daily rate.

<4> Two special advisers were not paid on the normal salary spine points and four others were either on secondment, unpaid or on a part-time daily rate.

Belize

Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Prime Minister what response he has made to representations from the Government of Belize following the decision of the Greek presidency to eject Belize from observer status at the recent EC meeting in Athens with the San Jose Ten; and if he will make a statement.

The Prime Minister : We have protested to the presidency and made clear to others our dissatisfaction at the mishandling of arrangements regarding Belizean attendance at the San Jose meeting. We shall continue to make clear, both to partners and in the region, that Belize as a stable, responsible democracy deserves inclusion in the San Jose process.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. McMaster : To ask the Prime Minister how many parliamentary questions to his Department have not been answered because of disproportionate costs or because the information requested was not held centrally over the last five years; how many could be answered now due to computerisation and/or more effective operational systems; and if he will list each such question along with the name and constituency of the hon. Member who tabled it.

The Prime Minister : I have answered more than 2,000 questions, of which under 2 per cent. from a number of different hon. Members have not been answered because of disproportionate costs or because the information requested was not held centrally. As computer and operational systems continue to improve, doubtless there will be increased potential for this percentage to decline.

Scott Inquiry

Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library all correspondence between the Cabinet Secretary and Lord Justice Scott further to his letter of 17 March 1993.

The Prime Minister : The Cabinet Secretary has not had further correspondence with Lord Justice Scott concerning the issues raised in the former’s letter of 17 March 1993.

Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Prime Minister whether all papers promised by Ministers or departmental officials to the Scott inquiry, pursuant to oral evidence by Ministers or officials have now been delivered to Lord Justice Scott.

The Prime Minister : Following recent hearings certain material remains to be provided to Lord Justice Scott, but will be sent as soon as possible. Further hearings will take place in May and the provision of material to Lord Justice Scott will continue for some time.

European Union (Qualified Majority Voting)

Mr. Spearing : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant his oral statement of 29 March, Official Report, columns 797-99 if he will state the treaty or other basis on which the Court of Justice of the European Community would be able to rule that, assuming accession to the Community of all applicant states–any decision reached by at least 68 votes–the Commission would be required to take any necessary initiatives stating the date and place when the document giving the basis for such a ruling was agreed.

The Prime Minister : The obligation, in the Council decision on qualified majority voting, on the Commission and the presidency to take any initiative necessary to reach a solution adopted by at least 68 votes is justifiable in the European Court of Justice. The text of the Council decision has already been deposited in the Library of the House.

Mr. Spearing : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement of 29 March, Official Report, columns 797-98, concerning extension of a proposal blocking minority of 27 votes in an enlarged European Community Council of Ministers, if he will state, precisely, the nature of the qualifications now agreed, where they are available in written form, and published, and by whom they are authenticated.

The Prime Minister : The text of the Council decision on qualified majority voting has already been deposited in the Library of the House.

Labour-controlled Local Authorities

Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South (Mr. Donohoe) of 12 April, Official Report, column 17, if he will list the Labour-controlled local authorities he referred to where there is corruption.

The Prime Minister : District auditors’ reports and the outcome of criminal proceedings have revealed instances of malpractice and corruption in a number of Labour councils.

Civil Servants

Mr. Hutton : To ask the Prime Minister how many permanent secretaries, deputy secretaries and under secretaries left the civil service and subsequently took up appointments in the private sector since 1979 ; what was the average interval between leaving the service and taking up appointment in the private sector; and if he will make a statement.

The Prime Minister [holding answer 12 April 1994] : Precise numbers could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, examination of a substantial sample of applications for approval to take appointments by civil servants in grades 1, 1A, 2 and 3 since 1984 shows an average interval of 3.4 months between leaving the service and proposed date of taking up a first private sector appointment. Not all appointments are necessarily taken up. Applications to take up second and subsequent appointments after leaving are not included in the average.

Disabled People

Mr. McMaster : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the need for comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation for disabled people.

The Prime Minister [holding answer 15 April 1994] : On a number of occasions, I have not only made clear my support for the principle of seeking to eliminate discrimination against people with disabilities, but also my reservations on the detailed practicalities of the present approach to comprehensive legislation. None the less, I shall of course want to see and consider the results of the deliberations of the Standing Committee on the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill.