579
Written Answers
Written Answers to
Questions
Wednesday 24 February 1993
24 FEBRUARY 1993
Written Answers
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
High Court Judges
Mr. Ottaway: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he received a copy of the Kennedy working party report on High Court judges; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. Taylor: The report was received by the Lord Chancellor on 10 February 1993.
Legal Aid
Mr. John Morris: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether he will publish the advice given to the Lord Chancellor by the Legal Aid Advisory Committee on his proposed changes in legal aid.
Mr. John M. Taylor: The Legal Aid Advisory Committee has itself already made public its advice to the Lord Chancellor on the proposed eligibility changes and the Lord Chancellor's response to its advice. I have placed copies of the correspondence in the Library.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
European Communities (Amendment) Bill {
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the legal issues in connection with the European Communities (Amendment) Bill on which he has made public statements, indicating on which of them he sought advice from (a) his Department's lawyers, (b) Crown Law Officers and (c) European Court legal advisers.
Mr. Garel-Jones: We have taken legal advice from various sources during the passage of the European Communities (Amendment) Bill. It is neither customary nor appropriate for me to reveal these sources.
125. Mr. John Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether legal advice was sought before 20 January on the effects of amending the European Communities (Amendment) Bill.
Mr. Garel-Jones: Yes.
+IKI)
Whitehead Detention Camp, Hong Kong
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reported incidents there have been of (a) total number of crimes reported, (b) murders, (c) attempts to escape, (d) incidents of rape, (e) incidents of child sex abuse, (ƒ) drug abuse, (g) abortions and (h) suicides for each year at the Whitehead detention camp in Hong Kong.
Mr. Goodlad: The figures for 1991 and 1992 are as follows:
580
1991
(a) Total number of crimes reported
844
586
(b) Murder cases
(c) Escapes
419
263
(d) Rape cases reported
2
(e) Reports of sex abuse
0
(f) Arrests involving dangerous drugs
7
(g) Illegal abortions (h) Suicides
0
10
And two attempts.
Population of Whitehead Detention Centre
Number
1 January 1991
22,528 24,856
1 January 1992
Official Entertainment
PSD
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department during 1991-92 and 1992-93 to date.
Mr. Goodlad: The following was spent on entertain- ment by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Overseas Development Administration:
'To date.
1991-92 11992-93
Angola
£
5,700,606 3,943,940
AD(s)
118. Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support mandatory sanctions against UNITA, including the banning of all lethal and non-lethal supplies and all flights to and from UNITA-controlled areas of Angola.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd: Resolution 804, adopted by the United Nations Security Council on 29 January, urged members to cease the supply of lethal material to any Angolan party. We keep the situation under review, but do not believe that mandatory sanctions could be effectively applied against UNITA.
126. Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what efforts he is making to promote the ending of the current conflict in Angola through the implementation of the peace accords which were agreed with the Angolan Government on 31 May 1991.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd: The Government fully support United Nations efforts to promote dialogue between the Government of Angola and UNITA with a view to agreeing a ceasefire and full implementation of the Bicesse peace accords. With our EC partners, we have urged UNITA to agree a date for a further meeting with the Government of Angola to be held under United Nations auspices in Addis Ababa, and to agree to a truce in the besieged city of Huambo.
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