The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1990-1997

1993Prime Minister (1990-1997)

PMQT Written Answers – 27 May 1993

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Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 27th May 1993.

PRIME MINISTER:

 

Ministers (Cash Payments)

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Prime Minister if Departments in their capacity as employers notify the Inland Revenue when cash payments are made to Ministers to relieve financial pressures which affect their performance as Ministers.

The Prime Minister : I know of no such payments.

 

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Richard Shepherd : To ask the Prime Minister what considerations underlie the policies of Her Majesty’s Government with respect to giving substantive answers to parliamentary questions seeking details of the names, occupations and remuneration of Members of (a) health boards in Scotland and (b) district health authorities in England.

The Prime Minister : Non-executive health board members in Scotland are appointed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and information on them is therefore held centrally and given in response to parliamentary questions. Non-executive members of district health authorities in England, however, are appointed by regional health authorities and not district health authorities in England are appointed by their respective board or authority. Information on them, therefore, is not currently available centrally.

The level of remuneration for health authority members in England, and for health board members in Scotland, is set centrally and this information is always provided in response to parliamentary questions.

 

Merlin Reactor

Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister which Government Department is responsible for overseeing the decommissioning of the Merlin reactor at Aldermaston.

The Prime Minister : The nuclear installations inspectorate, which is now part of the Health and Safety Executive, was responsible for overseeing the decommissioning.

 

Kashmir

Mr. Madden : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 15 March, Official Report, column 33, what information has been received through the high commission in New Delhi from the Indian Government about Shabir Shah and Yasin Malik; and if he will make a statement.

The Prime Minister : On 26 May, our high commission in New Delhi received a lengthy aide memoire from the Indian Home Ministry. This stated that both Shabir Shah and Yasin Malik are in custody in Jammu where they are awaiting trial. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will be writing to the hon. Gentleman with details.

 

School Visits

Mr. Tipping : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the local authority maintained schools, grant-maintained schools and city technology colleges that he has visited since taking his present office.

The Prime Minister : I have visited a number of local authority maintained schools, grant-maintained schools and city technology colleges.

 

Jubilee Line

Mr. Bowis : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a further statement about the Government’s commitment to making a contribution to the Jubilee line extension.

The Prime Minister : The Government, and I personally, remain committed to the Jubilee line extension as a major addition to the infrastructure of docklands and of London’s transport. We have earmarked public funds for the line. As soon as negotiations with the companies involved in the financing of Canary Wharf have been concluded satisfactorily my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport will authorise the start of construction and the first tranche of those funds will be made available. The line will then be built within an estimated 53 months. The draft funding agreement specifies that swingeing penalty payments will come into force if the line is not completed seven months after that.