TAIGICAL MOWOTS
140
Additionally there were 29 administrative and technical support staff at Moscow and 62 at Paris.
2
Locally engaged staff figures for Moscow were 47 and
ris 109.
Embassy (Washington)
Mr. Peter Bruinvels asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will break down the figure of the £7.9 million cost of running the British embassy in Washington, giving separately the cost of staff salaries.
Mr. Whitney: Expenditure was as follows:
United Kingdom staff salaries and allowances
Other United Kingdom staff allowances
Locally-engaged staff emoluments
Travel
Accommodation
Transport
Communications
Miscellaneous
TOTAL
Hong Kong Delegation
£ million
2.3
0.3
2.2
0.4
1.6
0.1
0-7
0.3
7.9
Mr. Parry asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any public funds were made available to the delegation led by Dr. L. K. Ding on its recent visit to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Luce: No funds were made directly available, but the Hong Kong Government's London office incurred expenditure on entertaining Dr. Ding and gave him considerable assistance in making arrangements to meet people in London.
Mr. Parry asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from which funds the Unofficial Members of the Executive Council and Legislation Council Delegation from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom were paid; and what was the total cost.
Mr. Luce: The cost of the recent visit to London by Unofficial Members of the Hong Kong Executive and Legislative Councils (UMELCO) is to be met from the public funds appropriated each year by the Hong Kong Government for the expenses of the UMELCO office. The estimated cost is about HK$420,000 (£39,000).
South Africa
Mr. Parry asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he is satisfied with present relations between Her Majesty's Government and the Republic of South Africa.
Mr. Rifkind: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister was able to discuss our relations with South Africa with the South African Prime Minister on 2 June. There are important differences between our two countries, especially on apartheid and other problems of southern Africa. We shall continue to work to resolve these.
72
*
DEFENCE
Royal Ordnance Factories
42
Mr. Allen Adams asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps, in the event of the Government selling royal ordnance factories, to ensure that any pension schemes embarked on after the date of the sale match the existing schemes.
Mr. Pattie: The Government plan to incorporate the ROFS as a wholly owned Companies Act company; and are presently negotiating with the relevant trades unions a company pension scheme for transferring employees, the terms of which would be no less favourable than those of the principal Civil Service pension scheme. As has been made clear, in the event of the subsequent introduction of private capital, the terms and conditions of service of the company's employees, including their pension arrange- ments, would be unaffected.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Nicholas Winterton asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the employees in his Department are the holders of degrees or diplomas which were awarded by the Open University.
Mr. Pattie: Our records show that 333 MOD non- industrial employees hold degrees awarded by the Open University. As staff are not obliged to inform the Department of the attainment of awards, it is probable that this figure could be higher. The number holding diplomas is not known.
No comparable records are held for industrial staff.
Falkland Islands
Mr. Willie W. Hamilton asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will update the figures for the extra costs of the Falklands' operation given to the Defence Committee and referred to in paragraph 125 of its report, House of Commons Paper No. 154 of Session 1982-83 as £624 million in 1983-84, £684 million in 1984-85, and £552 million in 1985-86.
Mr. Stanley: The extra COSIS of the Falklands commitment are currently assessed as broadly in line with the supplementary provision for Falklands expenditure. made in the Defence budget as announced in the 1983 public expenditure White Paper (Cmnd. 8789-II, Page 4), which is the same as those figures quoted by the hon. Member.
Questions
Mr. Donald Stewart asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the subjects on which his Department is not willing to answer questions.
Mr. Heseltine: The subjects on which it is not the practice to provide information are as follows: details of arms transactions with other countries; operational matters; details of research and development; details concerning British training of, or assistance to, foreign forces either in this country or abroad; accident rates for individual military aircraft types; and certain equipment cost information, including details of individual procure-
ment contracts.
CATE 6.6.81
139
COL