Written Answers of 1 December 1993

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  GATT
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the current proposals on the Multilateral Trade Organisation being negotiated at the GATT talks.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Yes.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the Government's position on the current proposals for the Multilateral Trade Organisation being discussed at the general agreement on tariffs and trade talks.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The Government support the establishment of the proposed Multilateral Trade Organisation (MTO). This is intended to provide a vehicle for the effective implementation of the results of the Uruguay round, and an institutional framework for the conduct of future trade negotiations. The Government have consistently endorsed the idea that the round should be a single package, with participants required to accept the results of the negotiations in their entirety. The proposed MTO agreement will be the means to implement the total package.

  Belize
  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guarantee has been provided to the Government of Belize that Britain will safeguard Belize's territorial integrity in the event of external aggression.

  Mr. Goodlad
  We have made it clear to the Belize Government that we are fully prepared to play our part in any consultations leading to an appropriate response should the security of Belize be threatened in the future.

  Arms Embargo
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries which are subject to a United Kingdom arms embargo(a) as part of or (b) independently of (i) United Nations or (ii) EC policy.

  Mr. Goodlad
  We observe arms embargoes imposed by the United Nations on the following countries: Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Liberia, Haiti, South Africa and the former Republic of Yugoslavia. We also observe arms embargoes imposed by the European Union on China, Syria, Burma and Zaire and by the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe on Armenia and Azerbaijan. In addition, as a matter of declared national policy we refuse to supply arms to Argentina, Iran and Israel.
  530
  We consider applications for the export of arms to other countries on a case-by-case basis. We refuse applications for exports which in our view would not be consistent with our established criteria, including the common criteria for arms transfers agreed with EU partners at Luxembourg in 1991 and at Lisbon in 1992 and the guidelines agreed by the permanent five in London in 1991.

  Security (Visits)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will list by year and by date for the last 10 years and for the current year to date the occasions when a Minister from his Department has visited(a) the headquarters of MI6 and (b) GCHQ, Cheltenham; and what were the subjects discussed on each occasion;

  (2) when he next expects to make a visit to (a) the headquarters of MI6 and (b) GCHQ, Cheltenham.

  Mr. Hurd
  Contacts with the agencies are close and frequent and Ministers visit periodically. I do not propose to provide full details of dates or subjects discussed or to give advance notice of such visits. I last visited the headquarters of GCHQ on 25 January 1991 and of SIS on 1 July 1993. The most recent FCO ministerial visit to GCHQ was by my right hon. and noble Friend the Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 28 September 1993 and to SIS by my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on 21 October 1993.

  Bomb-proofing
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the cost, by location, of bomb-proofing the Department's premises.

  Mr. Goodlad
  On security grounds, I do not propose to give this information.

  Israel
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the arms embargo against Israel was defined; what items it included; and if he will set out the precise terms and date of each change in his policy on applying the embargo since 1982.

  Mr. Goodlad
  We announced in June 1982, following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, that we would withhold approval of licences for the export to Israel of all British military equipment until further notice. In 1983 it was decided to allow the export of electronic and other small non-lethal components, provided that they did not form part of equipment due to be put into immediate service with the Israeli forces in Lebanon.

  Entry Clearance Applications
  Mr. Ottaway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been made to the list of posts abroad designated to accept entry clearance applications.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  There are three significant changes to the list. Since 17 November the consulate-general in St. Petersburg has provided an entry clearance service, for
  531
  the present to residents of its consular district only. In early December, the embassy in Tallinn will accept applications from residents in Estonia. In Cameroon we have centralised our visa operation in Yaounde; Douala no longer accepts applications.

  I am placing copies of the revised list in the Library of the House.

  Coastal Pollution
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the United Kingdom is to contribute to the cost of sewage treatment and other anti-beach pollution measures in other European Union member states; what contribution it is to receive from the EU towards the cost of similar measures in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  I have been asked to reply.

  The cohesion fund assists the poorest member states to improve their transport and environment infrastructure including sewerage systems. We contribute only 5 per cent. of the cohesion fund, substantially less than France, Germany or Spain. We benefit from the EC structural funds and expect to receive about £10 billion from 1994–99. Investments in sewerage improvements can be supported by these funds.

  Civil and Political Rights
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list policy and legislative changes which have been introduced by successive British Governments to comply with the international covenant on civil and political rights since it came into force on 23 March 1976; whether the Government intend to allow citizens of the United Kingdom to petition the United Nations Human Rights Committee by ratifying the optional protocol to the international covenant on civil and political rights; and what are the reasons for his decision.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I have been asked to reply.

  Comprehensive accounts of the action taken by successive Governments to comply with the international covenant on civil and political rights (ICCPR) are provided in the periodic reports which are submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Committee every five years, copies of which are in the Library.

  The United Kingdom has accepted the right of individual petition under the European convention on human rights since 1966. The Government do not believe that becoming a party to the optional protocol to the ICCPR would enhance the protection of human rights in the United Kingdom.

  Nigeria
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes Her Majesty's Government have made in its policy regarding arms and military sales to Nigeria following the recent military coup.

  Mr. Goodlad
  All aspects of our policy towards Nigeria are currently under review. We shall announce the outcome shortly.
  532
  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Chad.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Our relations with Chad are cordial, but not substantial. United Kingdom exports to Chad in 1992 were £1·36 million. There is no bilateral aid programme, but we contribute to European Community aid programmes, which amount to over 10 million ECU this year. Diplomatic relations are covered by Her Majesty's Ambassador in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on a non-resident basis.

  South Africa
  Mr. George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Britain's role in the monitoring of elections in South Africa in 1994; and in what ways the Government are contributing to a fair and democratic transition in that country.

  Mr. Goodlad
  We intend to play a full part in helping to ensure that the South African elections are free and fair. We are discussing with the European Community, Commonwealth and United Nations the best ways in which to assist. The precise details of South Africa's election monitoring needs are unlikely to become clear until the Independent Election Commission has been established. This is expected shortly.

  Our entire aid programme which is currently over E11·5 million a year plus a similar sum as a share of EC aid, is designed to support the transition to a democratic and non-racial society in South Africa.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Stonemasonry and Woodcarving
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to encourage the use of British stonemasons and woodcarvers in the restoration of Windsor castle.

  Mr. Brooke
  Management of the restoration of Windsor castle is the responsibility of the Royal household and so, therefore, is the selection of craftsmen. However, there is no reason to suppose that the craftsmen used will not be British.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will seek to provide funds to the National Trust, the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Heritages and the Churches to recruit and train apprentices in stonemasonary and woodcarving and to employ them subsequently.

  Mr. Brooke
  I have no plans to provide specific funding on the lines proposed. English Heritage has recently established its own training centre for conservation skills at Fort Brockhurst, Hampshire. My Department also part-funds the conference on training in architectural conservation (COTAC), which aims to ensure that formal training and practical experience in conservation skills is available to all sectors of the construction industry, and works through a national network of training institutions to achieve this. Funding for such activities in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friends.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Chief Justices' Clerks
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations the Lord Chancellor has received concerning the appointment of chief justices' clerks.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  One hundred and twenty responses were received to a consultation paper on the role of chief justices' clerks, issued in February 1993. In addition, 10 magistrates and other interested persons have made written representations directly to the Lord Chancellor or his Department on the subject of chief justices' clerks, and 62 hon. Members have received representations which have been conveyed to me on behalf of the Lord Chancellor.

  The Lord Chancellor attended the annual general meeting of the Magistrates' Association on 9 October where he discussed various aspects of the White Paper. He also received written representations from the association following this meeting.

  Crown Courts
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list, for the last 12 months and by individual Crown court,(a) the occasions of scheduled individual sittings of separate courts within a Crown court complex that have been unable to sit due to the absence of a judge or recorder, (b) the specific reason for each cancellation (c) the date of the maximum number of cancellations occurring on any single day and (d) the estimated cost to public funds on that day.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The information requested is unavailable and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Sittings of the House
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Lord President of the Council when he expects to put proposals before the House to implement the report of the Select Committees on Sittings of the House.

  Mr. Newton
  As I indicated in the debate on the Address on 25 November, I am continuing to seek agreement on a balanced package of measures that can be brought before the House.

TRANSPORT

  West Coast Main Line
  Mr. Day
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the modernisation of the west coast main line infrastructure.

  Mr. MacGregor
  My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Budget statement that the Government have decided that the modernisation of the west main line will be taken forward as a privately managed and financed investment as part of the private 534
  finance initiative. The investment made by the private sector will be additional to the investment which Railtrack will be able to fund under the public expenditure plans announced in the Budget.

  Principles for using private sector management and finance have been agreed between the Department of Transport and Railtrack following a study carried out by Hambros Bank Ltd. Under these:

  Railtrack will be responsible for project definition and will draw up performance standards for the line in association with the private sector. Railtrack will be inviting expressions of interest in the next few days.

  Once the new performance standards have been set, a competition will be held in late 1994 to select a private sector consortium to modernise the line and to maintain it for a defined period. The responsibility for project management and design will also rest with the successful consortium.

  The successful consortium will be remunerated by service payments from Railtrack during the contract period. These payments will be subject to penalties and bonuses linked to the performance of the consortium in meeting the new performance standards and the consequential impact this will have on revenue losses and gains on the line.

  The new standards will stipulate minimum performance criteria. Where commercially justified, the InterCity west coast franchisee (and, possibly, other train operators) will be able to contract for linespeed and other improvements in exchange for increased access payments.

  To facilitate this the InterCity west coast franchise will be let at the earliest practicable date.

  The principles have been devised to transfer risks out of the public sector to those who can control them best. The risk that the infrastructure fails to perform to specification will be transferred to the private sector consortium. That consortium will also bear revenue risk insofar as it is affected by the performance of the infrastructure. The bulk of the remainder of the revenue risk will be transferred to the train operating companies and the providers of private sector funds.

  This approach will bring together private and public sector expertise to modernise the line in a way which will ensure that its full potential is realised without the capital cost coming out of public funds.

  M11 Link
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost to his Department in respect of the demonstration on 6 November opposing the M11 link at George Green, Wanstead; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  Cost will arise directly from the destruction of a fence and damage to other works and from the need to reinstate them and prevent recurrence of the damage. Indirectly costs will arise from delay to the contractor's programme. The works have yet to be reinstated. No claims have been received from the contractor, and so the amount of cost which may be borne by the Department is unknown. We intend to make further progress with the work as soon as possible.
  535
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the advantages he expects to arise from the M11 link at George Green, Wanstead; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  The link road will relieve existing unsuitable roads of through traffic between the M11/North Circular road at Redbridge and the A102(M) Eastway approach to Blackwall tunnel at Hackney Marsh. The amenities of George Green, Wanstead, will be improved by the removal of this traffic from adjacent local roads and maintained by the provision of a tunnel for the link road. Some disruption is, however, unavoidable while the tunnel is constructed by the cut-and-cover method. The works have begun on site and are programmed to take four years to complete.

  Railway Stations (Violence)
  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents of violent crime and sexual assault were recorded at British Rail stations in each year since 1990; what were the figures for Network SouthEast; and how many of these incidents occurred when a station was unstaffed.

  Mr. Freeman
  The tables show the recorded incidents of violent crime and sexual assault at British Rail stations since 1990. Figures for incidents occurring at unstaffed stations are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  All British Rail stations

  1990

  1991

  1992

  11993

  Crimes of violence

  1,630

  1,584

  1,586

  1,212

  Sexual offences (excluding indecent exposure)

  556

  474

  437

  352

  1 January to September 1993.

  Network SouthEast

  1990

  1991

  1992

  11993

  Crimes of violence

  n/a

  713

  692

  502

  Sexual offences (excluding indecent exposure)

  n/a

  269

  219

  205

  1 January to September 1993.

  n/a—not available

  Rail Privatisation
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated net cost to public funds of railway privatisation.

  Mr. Freeman
  It is impossible to estimate the net effect of privatisation at this stage because the process will take some years to complete. Nevertheless, for any given level of public funding key factors such as investment and quality of service are expected to improve as a result of greater efficiency from increasing private sector management and competition.

  Concessionary Travel Schemes
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the local authority areas by political control which operate concessionary travel schemes for pensioners.
  536
  Mr. Freeman
  According to a survey of local authorities done by the Department of Transport in 1992, there were concessionary fare schemes for pensioners in 96 per cent. of districts in Great Britain, some operated by district councils and some by county councils or passenger transport executives. In London the scheme is funded by the boroughs.

  It is therefore less cumbersome to list the small number of local authorities that had no schemes for pensioners. These were: Caradon, Carrick, Eden, Hambleton, Kennet, Kerrier, North Cornwall, Orkney Islands, Penwith, Rhuddlan, Salisbury, Scarborough, South Holland, Stratford-on-Avon, West Somerset, Woodspring.

  Of the 16 authorities listed, most of those in England and Wales not covered by a scheme were rural areas served by little public transport. Some of those authorities do support voluntary organisations which provide community transport or social car schemes. In Scotland, Orkney Island Council does not provide a formal concessionary fare scheme, but a subsidy is provided for inter-island air and sea travel.

  Vehicle Excise Duty
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications were received annually for exemption from vehicle excise duty on the ground of disability, from 1988 to 1992 inclusive; and how many of these were(a) successful and (b) unsuccessful.

  Mr. Key
  The Benefits Agency deals with applications for certificates of entitlement for exemption from vehicle excise duty (VED), because exemption is linked to certain Benefits Agency allowances, chiefly the higher rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance. In 1988, 320,000 people received exemption from VED on the grounds of disability, in 1989 350,000, in 1990 375,000, in 1991 420,000,and in 1992 465,000. No figures for unsuccessful applications for exemption certificates are available.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total cost of exemptions from vehicle excise duty in 1992.

  Mr. Key
  In 1992, 465,000 people were issued with exempt vehicle excise duty (VED) discs on the grounds of disability. The value of those discs was £57 million. 425,000 other vehicles (such as emergency vehicles) were also exempt from VED in 1992. Had they been required to pay VED, the revenue raised would have been at least £47 million.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he will take to compensate disabled persons, following the abolition of exemption from vehicle excise duty for persons with mobility problems.

  Mr. Key
  There are no plans to introduce compensation. The Government introduced provisions to ensure that those disabled people benefiting from the exemption at the time of its repeal on 13 October 1993 (approximately 20,000) will continue to benefit from the exemption for as long as their disability remains. The repeal does not affect entitlement to exemption from vehicle excise duty granted under the war pensioners mobility supplement or the higher rate mobility component of DLA. Some 400,000 people currently benefit from exemption through this route.

  M20 Widening
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what penalties have been incurred by Balfour Beatty, the contractors, for the widening of the M20 at Maidstone, for late completion of the contract; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what assessment he has made of whether the reasons so far published for delays in completion of the M20 widening contract around Maidstone are complete; and if he will carry out an investigation into them.

  Mr. Key
  The contract contains provisions for payment of liquidated damages if the contractor overruns the final contract completion date, This will be determined by the engineer to the contract when all the relevant facts of this complex issue are known to him and have been fully assessed. It is too early to say what penalties will be imposed.

  Goods Vehicles (Mirrors)
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what improvements to large goods vehicles' mirrors he plans to reduce the risk of accident to cyclists and others caused by left turning lorries' blind spot.

  Mr. Key
  None. The Government have already amended national regulations to require close proximity mirrors on goods vehicles weighing over 12 tonnes and first used from 1 October 1988. These mirrors are specifically designed to provide the drivers of such lorries with improved vision to the side of their vehicles and make them more aware of cyclists and other road users.

  Tachographs
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the types of vehicle required to have tachographs; what information such equipment records; and what is the penalty for operating such vehicles with the equipment disconnected or non operational.

  Mr. Key
  EC regulations require the fitment of tachographs to most heavy goods vehicles over 3½ tonnes, to domestic passenger carrying vehicles with more than 17 seats unless on regular scheduled services and to vehicles with 10 or more seats on international journeys within the European Community.

  The tachograph records the driver's activities (driving, rest and periods of other work) as well as vehicle speed and time. The resultant records allow retrospective checking by enforcement authorities. The maximum penalties for producing a false tachograph chart by tampering with the device are, on summary indictment, a fine of £5,000 and, on conviction on indictment, two years imprisonment. Convictions may be taken into account by Licensing Authorities in deciding whether to grant or renew an operator's licence or an HGV/PCV driver's licence.

  Heavy Goods Vehicles
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require all heavy goods vehicles to display the name, address and telephone number of the user of the vehicle for each journey; and if he will apply the same requirements to hired vehicles.

  Mr. Key
  I do not propose to extend the requirements already laid down in the goods vehicle operator licensing 538
  provisions. These apply to users of heavy goods vehicles, including hired vehicles, over 3·5 tonnes and require that a vehicle specified on an operator licence display a disc showing the name of the licensed operator, a trading name if applicable, the registration number of the vehicle and the type of licence held by the operator.

  A361
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1)if he will review his Department's policy regarding 60 mph repeater speed limit signs on the A361 north Devon link road;

  (2) if he will review the overtaking arrangements on the A361 north Devon link road;

  (3) if he will make a statement about the upgrading of parts or all of the A361 north Devon link road to dual carriageway;

  (4) if he will review the lighting arrangements at, and layout of, junctions on the A361 north Devon link road;

  (5) if he will arrange for an official from his Department to visit north Devon and meet representatives of the local county, district and parish councils, and other concerned parties, to discuss safety of the A361 north Devon link road.

  Mr. Key
  A number of accident reduction measures have already been implemented. Officials of the Department's South West regional office have arranged urgent discussions with our agent authority, Devon county council, and the police on possible further measures. This will include consideration of some of the suggestions put forward by the hon. Member.

  I will write to the hon. Member as soon as I have the outcome of the discussions.

  Great Western Network
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations have been made to him about the successors to 125 diesel locomotives for operating the InterCity service of the Great Western network; and if he will make a statement on the implications of the Railways Act 1993 for this particular service.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have received a number of representations about replacing the fleet of 125 diesel locomotives currently in use on the Great Western main line with electric traction. There are no plans to electrify the line at present, but this does not rule it out as an option when the existing diesel fleet reaches the end of its economic life.

  Under the franchising proposals in the Railways Act, services on the Great Western main line will be among the first to be transferred to private sector operators. To this end, British Rail will begin shadow running from next April.

  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many speed restrictions apply to the Great Western railway network west of Reading; what stretches of line they apply to; whether they are caused by deficiencies in track maintenance; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  This information is not held by the Department. These are operational matters for British Rail.

  London Underground
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding London Underground has received over the past 10 years; what assessment he has made of the amount of money which will need to be invested in the underground to bring its services to a reasonable standard; and what assessment he has made of whether safety work on the Underground is being delayed because of lack of investment.

  Mr. Norris
  The Government do not fund London Underground Ltd. (LUL) directly, but makes an annual grant to LUL's parent body, London Transport (LT). London Transport's grant settlement for the three years from 1994–95 was announced on 30 November, and it is currently in the process of allocating this settlement between its subsidiaries. Decisions on the need for and the timing of investment projects are for LUL to make, but safety remains a key priority, and there is no question of it being jeopardised. The amounts LUL has spent on investment over the last 10 years are shown in the table.

  LUL investment 1984–85—1993–94

  £ million 1993–94 prices

  Year

  LUL (CORE)

  JLE

  Crossrail

  Total

  1984–85

  188

  0

  0

  188

  1985–86

  206

  0

  0

  206

  1986–87

  253

  0

  0

  253

  1987–88

  298

  0

  0

  298

  1988–89

  269

  0

  0

  269

  1989–90

  376

  0

  0

  376

  1990–91

  470

  45

  6

  521

  Pay

  Non-pay

  Accommodation

  Administrative capital

  £ million

  £ million

  £ million

  £ million

  Construction programme division OUs

  18·255

  2·567

  3·712

  0·392

  Network management and maintenance OUs

  16·588

  3·822

  4·290

  0·380

  London regional office

  6·756

  0·333

  1·648

  0·052

  HQ directorates

  23·492

  3·971

  6·064

  11·800

  1 The administrative capital figure for HQ directorates includes the IT budget of El·5 million which is held centrally for use throughout highways safety and traffic command.

  Budgets for individual operating units (OUs) are not now monitored centrally as the directors in charge of the construction programme divisions, network management divisions, London regional office and HQ directorates have discretion to switch funds between OUs in the interests of efficient administration. The figures shown vary during the course of the year as directors switch funding into or out of other budgets.

  Railtrack
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the reports produced by Coopers and Lybrand and other consultants on access charging prices for Railtrack.

  Mr. Freeman
  No. The reports contain commercially confidential information.
  540

  Year

  LUL (CORE)

  JLE

  Crossrail

  Total

  1991–92

  317

  64

  13

  394

  1992–93

  649

  65

  27

  741

  1 1993–94

  465

  200

  50

  715

  Source of figures (for all years up to 1992–93)—LT annual reports.

  1 Latest forecast figures.

  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Northern line on the London Underground is due to be modernised.

  Mr. Norris
  Decisions on the implementation of capital investment projects, such as the modernisation of the Northern line, are for London Transport and London Underground Ltd. to make. However, I understand that the Northern line is the next line due to be modernised after the Central line, which is on schedule for completion in 1995.

  Departmental Costs
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the current year's contribution to site costs and overheads at each operating unit of(a) the construction programme, (b) the network management and maintenance units, (c) the London regional office and (d) the headquarters directorates of his Department.

  Mr. Norris
  The figures below relate to the highways safety and traffic command of the Department of Transport, excluding the traffic area offices. The current pay, non-pay, accommodation and administrative capital budgets are:

  Trains (WC Facilities)
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the chairman of British Rail about its finance and the running of trains without WC facilities; and what provisions of the passengers charter apply to these facilities.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answer 30 November 1993]: The provision and cleaning of toilet facilities on trains is an operational matter for the board. Although the passengers charter does not refer specifically to this aspect of service, the provision of clean toilets on longer distance services is an important aspect of BR's commitment to provide a high quality of service. For this reason, BR regularly monitors customer satisfaction with this aspect of its service.

ENVIRONMENT

  Local Government Reorganisation
  Mr. Hutton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to issue new guidance to the Local Government Commission for its work on reorganising the structure of local government in England.
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  Mr. Curry
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State issued revised policy guidance to the Local Government Commission on 2 November. We published revised procedure guidance on 22 November and directed the commission to begin on 13 December all its remaining shire reviews, including that of Cumbria.

  Copies of both sets of guidance have been placed in the House Library.

  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the cost to local authorities in England of preparing for local government reforms.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have made no such estimate.

  Eco-Labelling
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board.

  Mr. Yeo
  The United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board awarded the first European Community ecolabels to a British manufacturer, Hoover Ltd, for three washing machines in its New Wave Range on 25 November.

  The board, which has recently been strengthened by the appointment of two environmental experts, continues to play a leading role within Europe in the development of ecolabelling.

  Contaminated Land
  Dame Jill Knight
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he intends taking to help the construction industry counter the problems posed by the present regulations on contaminated land.

  Mr. Baldry
  There are no regulations. The Government are reviewing policy and contributing about £1·5 million a year towards research into decontamination and building on contaminated land.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to improve energy efficiency standards in buildings.

  Mr. Yeo
  In recent years the budget for my Department's Energy Efficiency Office (EEO) has substantially increased, and for 1994–95 will be over £100 million, over 17 times the real level of expenditure in 1979–80. Much of this will relate to buildings.

  THORP
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will convene a full and independent public inquiry into the commissioning of the thermal oxide reprocessing plant; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  Responses to the consultation are still being assessed. When they have all been carefully considered, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and I will decide whether to afford a hearing or inquiry and, if we decide not to do so, will take final decisions on the authorisations.

  Solent
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the criteria that will be used for the classification of the Solent in respect of estuarine status for use under the urban waste water treatment directive.

  Mr. Yeo
  The two different bases used for defining the outer limits of estuaries in the United Kingdom were set out in draft guidance to accompany draft implementing regulations for the directive. Both drafts were issued for public consultation in April of this year.

  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he expects a change in the classification of the Solent for the purposes of water quality.

  Mr. Yeo
  I shall be announcing my decision on the classification of the Solent for the purposes of the UWWTD in due course.

  Right to Buy
  Mr. Mark Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further steps he is taking to help council tenants to buy their houses.

  Sir George Young
  We introduced our new rent to mortgage scheme on 11 October. This will extend new opportunity of home ownership to council tenants who are financially secure, but cannot quite afford to buy their homes outright. My right hon. Friend also announced yesterday a £30 million boost to the cash incentive scheme, which helps council tenants to buy their own home in the private sector. Similar grants are also available to housing association tenants.

  Sir Donald Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes have been sold under right-to-buy legislation.

  Sir George Young
  In England, a total of 1·17 million homes have been sold under the right to buy. The figure for Great Britain as a whole is almost 1·5 million.

  Council Tax
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 local councils which charged the highest rate of council tax this year.

  Mr. Baldry
  The 10 local councils in England with the highest headline band C council taxes are:

  Authority

  £

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  704

  Greenwich

  696

  Manchester

  656

  Haringey

  646

  Liverpool

  645

  Harlow

  644

  Camden

  638

  North Tynside

  628

  Salford

  628

  Derwentside

  626

  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals against council tax
  543
  valuation there have been since the original council tax valuations took place, (a) in total (b) by local authority and (c) by standard region; and what was the average cost of processing those appeals in the financial year in which they occurred.

  Mr. Curry
  I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave her on 25 November, at columns 190–205.

  Standard Spending Assessments
  Mr. Illsley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce changes to, and the level of, standard spending assessments.

  Mr. Curry
  My right hon. Friend will make a statement to the House shortly on the provisional revenue support grant settlement for 1994–95, including details of proposals for standard spending assessments.

  Local Government (Suffolk)
  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to what extent he is taking into account local opinion in determining the future of local government in Suffolk.

  Mr. Curry
  The Local Government Commission will begin its review of local government in Suffolk on 13 December. The commission must take into consideration all relevant representations made to it. We shall take local views fully into account when considering the commission's recommendations.

  Hazardous Waste
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek powers to strengthen the regulations for the importation of hazardous waste.

  Mr. Yeo
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is considering the need for additional provisions to implement the EC Waste Shipments Regulation.

  Council House Sales
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities have sold off all of their council housing stock.

  Sir George Young
  The following 23 councils have transferred all or most of their housing stock to housing associations:

  Breckland DC

  Broadland DC

  London Borough of Bromley

  Chiltern DC

  Christchurch BC

  East Cambridgeshire DC

  East Dorset DC

  Hambleton DC

  Medina BC

  Mid Sussex DC

  Newbury DC

  North Bedfordshire DC

  Rochester upon Medway City C

  Ryedale DC

  Sevenoaks DC

  South Buckinghamshire DC

  South Wight BC

  Suffolk Coastal DC

  Surrey Heath BC

  544

  Swale BC

  Tonbridge and Mailing BC

  Tunbridge Wells BC

  West Dorset DC

  A further eight councils on the 1993–94 disposals programme have won tenant support for transfer and are expected to submit applications for permission to transfer by March next year.

  I am also pleased that the public expenditure provision for housing announced yesterday will enable the programme to be expanded in future. Fourteen authorities have applied for inclusion in next year's programme and I hope to announce the successful applicants in the next couple of weeks.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the number of homeless families in the west midlands.

  Sir George Young
  In the 12 months ending June 1993 the number of households for which local authorities in the west midlands accepted responsibility for securing permanent accommodation under the provisions of part III of the Housing Act 1985 was 17,570. This is some 300 (1·7 per cent.) less than the number accepted in the previous year ending June 1992.

  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the total number of households(a) applying and (b) accepted by each of the London boroughs as homeless under the provisions of part III of the Housing Act 1985 in each year from 1979; and how many homeless households were accommodated in (i) bed and breakfast hotels and (ii) other temporary accommodation at the end of each of those years.

  Sir George Young
  I have today placed in the Library a table giving the numbers of households which each local authority in England reported as having accepted responsibility to secure permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985 in the years 1979 to 1992.

  Information on applications, for 1991 and 1992 only (this was not collected prior to 1991), and the numbers of households in the various types of temporary accommodation at the end of the year reported by London boroughs can be found in the following editions of "Local Housing Statistics: England and Wales".

  Year

  Table number

  Edition number

  1979

  14

  54

  1980

  13

  62

  1981

  7

  63

  1982

  9

  66

  1983

  12

  70

  1984

  12

  74

  1985

  9(b)

  78

  1986

  9(b)

  82

  1987

  9(b)

  86

  1988

  9(b)

  90

  1989

  9(b)

  94

  1990

  9(b)

  98

  1991

  9(b)

  102

  1992

  8(b)

  106

  Copies of all these publications are in the Library.

  Social Security Spending
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what contribution he is making to the Government's review of social security spending.

  Mr. Gummer
  Ministers and officials in the Departments of the Environment and of Social Security are in regular contact about issues of mutual interest. A formal working group has been established to discuss matters relating to housing and benefits policy.

  Local Government (North Yorkshire)
  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has given to the Local Government Commission about the review of local government in North Yorkshire.

  Mr. Baldry
  The review of local government in Humberside, Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire is being conducted in accordance with the original policy and procedure guidance which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State issued to the commission in July 1992. Copies are in the Library of the House.

  Construction Industry
  Mr. Ward
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has taken within his Department to support his sponsorship of the construction industry.

  Mr. Baldry
  A new construction sponsorship directorate has been set up within the Department of the Environment with the aim of helping all sectors of the United Kingdom construction industry to succeed in their domestic, European and world markets. It is the advocate within Government and the European Union for the industry.

  Derelict Land Grants
  Mr. Purchase
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next intends to meet the Association of Metropolitan Authorities to discuss derelict land grants.

  Sir George Young
  I have no immediate plans to meet the AMA but if it has specific concerns about derelict land grants, I am happy to take note of them.

  Responsibility for the derelict land grant programme will pass next spring to English Partnerships, about which the AMA has been fully consulted.

  Conservation Areas (Protection of Premises)
  Mr. John Townend
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the use of powers of local authorities to restrict traders' rights to protect their premises in conservation areas.

  Mr. Curry
  Installation of shutters or other security devices which would materially affect the external appearance of a commercial building in a conservation area requires planning permission. In considering applications for planning permission, local planning authorities—or on appeal the Secretary of State—must take into account appropriate local plan policies and other material considerations. In the case of applications relating to a546
  building in a conservation area, security considerations have to be balanced against the statutory requirement to have special regard to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the area.

  My Department's draft circular "Planning and Crime Prevention", currently subject to public consultation, encourages planning authorities to adopt a sympathetic approach where the security of listed buildings and buildings in conservation areas is concerned and to explore with applicants the scope for a mutually acceptable solution to their requirements. A copy of the draft circular is available in the Library.

  Local Government Commission
  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next plans to meet Sir John Banham to discuss the progress of the Local Government Commission.

  Mr. Gummer
  I am next scheduled to meet Sir John Banham on Tuesday 18 January.

  Concessionary Fares (London)
  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the provision made in calculating standard spending assessments and grant distribution to London authorities to reflect expenditure on concessionary fare schemes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  As part of the review of standard spending assessments for 1994–95 we have considered carefully the case for including specific provision for spending on concessionary fares in London. My right hon. Friend will announce his proposals for SSAs shortly.

  Bury Metro
  Mr. Sumberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received in relation to the calculation of the standard spending assessment for Bury Metro; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  We have received representations from the metropolitan borough of Bury on a number of standard spending assessment issues and on the assessment for education in particular. My right hon. Friend will announce his proposals for SSAs for 1994–95 shortly.

  Private Rented Sector
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to boost the private rented sector.

  Sir George Young
  We have already taken action to boost the private rented sector by introducing deregulation measures in the Housing Act 1988 to encourage landlords to bring their property on to the market. Landlords are now able to let property under assured and assured shorthold tenancies and charge market rents.

  Specific initiatives launched last year include the rent-a-room scheme, under which householders no longer have to pay tax on rent from a lodger in their home if the gross amount of the rent is no more than £3,250, the flats-over-shops scheme, under which £25 million is being

  547
  made available through local authorities over three years to bring flats over shops back into residential use, and, the housing associations as managing agents scheme, which allows housing associations to act as an intermediary between potential private landlords and tenants in order to encourage more empty property to be let.

  Rents
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the average rent for(a) council tenancies, (b) housing association assured tenancies, (c) housing association fair rent tenancies and (d) other regulated tenancies in each of the London boroughs in each appropriate year since 1979; and if he will express the increases as an index, taking 1979 as 100, to compare with the increase in (i) average earnings and (ii) the retail prices index over the same period.

  Sir George Young
  I have placed today in the Library tables showing for each London borough(a) the average local authority weekly unrebated rent, (b) the mean housing association annual registered fair rent, and (c) the mean annual registered fair rent for private tenancies, for each financial year from 1988–89 to 1992–93. The rents are also expressed as an index with 1988–89 equal to 100. The tables include a comparison between average rent indices for Greater London, male earnings, and retail prices. The information for London boroughs could be provided for the years before 1988–89 only at disproportionate cost.

  Reliable information on average rents for housing association assured tenancies is not held centrally.

  Information on local authority rents for Greater London from 1979 to 1989 is available in the publication "Housing and Construction Statistics 1979–89". Information on rents for housing association fair rent and other regulated tenancies for the same period can be found in the publication "Statistical Note for Rent Officers: Statistics of Rent Registrations by Rent Registration Area and Rent Assessment Committee Determinations by Panel Area".

  From 1990, information on registered fair rents can be found in the publication "Rent Officer Statistics". Information on new lettings by registered housing associations can be found in the National Federation of Housing Associations quarterly bulletin; and information on rents for the whole housing association stock can be found in the report "Housing Associations in 1992" published by the Housing Corporation.

  Copies of all these publications are available in the Library.

  Planning Applications
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will undertake a review of the fees structure relating to planning applications for agricultural buildings to bring the fees charged more closely into line with the overall cost of each project.

  Mr. Curry
  No. The purpose of planning application fees is to cover local authorities' costs in determining planning applications. They are not related to project costs. There is no evidence that the fees payable in respect of agricultural buildings are too high.

  Trans-European Route Network (Wing Bypass)
  Mr. Walden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether the public inquiry into the Wing bypass will now be reopened;

  (2) what information was given to the public inquiry into the Wing bypass regarding the full implications of the TERN decision for the route;

  (3) what assessment he has made regarding the adequacy of the information about the adoption of the A418 as a trans-European route by TERN that was made available to the public in the course of consultations about this route.

  Mr. Baldry
  We are currently considering the inspector's report on the planning applications by Buckinghamshire county council for the Wing bypass. Those applications were called in by the Secretary of State for his own determination and a public local inquiry held. A post-inquiry statement on behalf of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild has been received, which raises, inter alia, the proposed inclusion of the Wing bypass as a route within the Trans-European Route Network (TERN). We have referred that statement to the parties involved with the inquiry into the Wing bypass to give them an opportunity to comment.

  We have no proposals to reopen the inquiry into the Wing bypass at the present time. We will consider, in the light of the comments received on the statement made on behalf of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, both whether the status of the Wing bypass within TERN is material, and, if so, whether we have sufficient information on it to reach a conclusion.

  Valuation Tribunals
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list by valuation tribunal the targets set for(a) 1990–91, (b) 1991–92 and (c) 1992–93; and whether they were short of or exceeded their targets;

  (2) if he will list by valuation tribunal the targets set for 1994–95;

  (3) if he will list by valuation tribunal the targets set for 1993–94; and whether they are currently (a) on target, (b) below target or (c) above their target.

  Mr. Baldry
  Valuation tribunals are independent judicial bodies. The president of each tribunal has the statutory responsibility for making the necessary arrangements for the hearing of appeals or their disposal by written representations. There is no requirement on tribunals to seek to decide specified numbers of cases within given periods, and the numbers actually decided depend on a range of factors, many of which are outside presidents' control. My Department now discusses each year with national representatives of the tribunal service and with the Valuation Office Agency the number of cases in each major category which could realistically be expected to be settled nationally over the coming year, and the resources that would be required to bring this about. Indicative figures are issued to each tribunal office to show the rate of progress locally that would be consistent with these national expectations, and staff complements for each office are determined in the light of these. The figures do not, however, have the status of formal targets. This process has not yet been completed for 1994–95.

  For 1992–93, the first year of this procedure, the number of non-domestic rating appeals resolved nationally by the

  549
  Valuation Office Agency and the tribunal service in England was 336,900, compared with an expected 290,000. Progress in 1993–94 has been encouraging to date.

  Housing
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of the housing investment programme bids his Department has authorised in respect of each local authority in England over the last three years in relation to their bid; and what is the cash figure in each case.

  Sir George Young
  A table setting out information on housing investment programme (HIP) bids, allocations, and allocations expressed as a percentage of bids, for each authority in England over the last three years, has been placed in the Library of the House.

  The levels of local authorities' bids for housing investment programme resources reflect, in part, the competition for these resources and therefore often exceed the amount of resources likely to be available.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information his Department has on(a) the homeless figure, (b) the general waiting list figures and (c) the sheltered housing waiting list figures for each local authority in England over the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir George Young
  I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Greenwich (Mr. Raynsford) earlier today for the numbers of households reported by individual local authorities in England as accepted for permanent rehousing under the homeless provisions of the Housing Act 1985.

  Capital receipts from the sale of council dwellings in London (excluding lending for council house purchase)

  £ thousand

  Local authority

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  Barking and Dagenham

  41,176

  29,829

  12,251

  10,062

  6,298

  Barnet

  21,183

  16,156

  8,934

  6,122

  4,153

  Bexley

  10,313

  8,866

  4,931

  3,203

  3,705

  Brent

  7,868

  17,699

  19,991

  7,437

  6,024

  Bromley

  28,091

  14,778

  6,556

  7,491

  110,805

  Camden

  0

  0

  31

  13,293

  n/a

  City of London

  2,599

  2,492

  872

  615

  410

  Croydon

  27,012

  18,405

  8,726

  16,250

  5,249

  Ealing

  17,150

  21,958

  16,746

  12,270

  9,032

  Enfield

  31,648

  26,928

  13,222

  8,419

  5,011

  Greenwich

  22,951

  31,780

  15,500

  10,007

  8,487

  Hackney

  9,349

  28,210

  0

  14,917

  7,900

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  15,838

  10,681

  13,706

  6,357

  3,670

  Haringey

  19,816

  26,695

  16,715

  10,070

  6,913

  Harrow

  11,876

  7,396

  4,471

  4,272

  3,562

  Havering

  17,136

  15,366

  6,971

  3,565

  3,926

  Hillingdon

  23,116

  16,440

  14,279

  9,783

  13,393

  Hounslow

  16,869

  20,164

  19,981

  0

  8,194

  Islington

  24,239

  0

  29,546

  15,934

  11,384

  Kensington and Chelsea

  6,369

  8,012

  7,208

  4,419

  3,545

  Kingston upon Thames

  6,196

  7,247

  3,650

  3,153

  2,310

  Lambeth

  12,774

  13,956

  30,247

  20,376

  10,656

  Lewisham

  21,312

  40,300

  25,563

  12,887

  10,437

  Merton

  16,124

  15,705

  8,091

  4,969

  4,130

  Newham

  20,850

  24,694

  17,414

  8,506

  4,745

  Redbridge

  6,930

  12,272

  9,364

  3,999

  3,357

  Richmond upon Thames

  12,516

  8,729

  5,230

  5,171

  3,395

  Southwark

  31,354

  37,644

  0

  12,706

  8,801

  Sutton

  13,164

  9,266

  6,297

  4,170

  3,029

  Tower Hamlets

  25,536

  54,597

  ,496

  12,783

  12,002

  Waltham Forest

  13,801

  17,002

  7,706

  5,195

  3,659

  550
  Information on the numbers of households on council housing waiting lists on 1 April are collected on the annual housing investment programme (HIP1) return. Figures for each authority in England for the years 1991 to 1993 can be found in the "HIP1 All Items Print" for these years, copies of which are in the Library—column B5 gives the overall size of the waiting list and column B6B gives the numbers of households requiring specialised dwellings.

  Capital Receipts
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the value of the capital receipts accumulated by each local authority in England(a) for the last three years and (b) the total of such resources available in each local authority for use if such use were to be permitted.

  Mr. Baldry
  I have arranged for information on the value of usable capital receipts held by each local authority at 31 March in each of the last three years to be placed in the Library of the House. Local authorities may use all of these receipts.

  Local authorities are not required separately to identify the reserved part of capital receipts from other amounts set aside as provision for credit liabilities (PCL). No separate figures are available for the unapplied balance of PCL which has originated from set aside capital receipts.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the capital receipts income for each of the London borough councils from the sale of council housing in each of the last five years.

  Sir George Young
  The information requested, as reported by each of the London borough councils, is as follows. The figures exclude the element of lending by he local authorities for council house purchase.
  551

  Local authority

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  Wandsworth

  63,531

  70,671

  36,457

  24,874

  21,375

  Westminster

  41,973

  60,771

  19,178

  14,376

  11,531

  Home Insulation
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to increase home insulation schemes.

  Mr. Yeo
  I am delighted to announce that my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor was able to announce on 30 November an extra £35 million per year for the home energy efficiency scheme. This will be targeted on pensioners and disabled people and will provide grants for more than 200,000 extra households per year throughout the United Kingdom, bringing the total number of households receiving grants to almost half a million a year.

  Local Authorities (Debt)
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those local authorities in England and Wales which are debt-free for the purposes of the capital control system.

  Mr. Baldry
  Information received from local authorities indicates that the English authorities listed below were debt-free for capital control purposes at 30 September 1993. Information from Welsh authorities is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Barking and Dagenham

  Bedford

  Bracknell

  Breckland

  Broadland

  City of London

  Chiltern

  Christchurch

  Corby

  Devon and Cornwall Police Authority

  Dorset CC

  East Cambridgeshire

  Lincolnshire CC

  Medina

  Mid Sussex

  Newbury

  Ryedale

  Sevenoaks

  South Bucks

  South Wight

  St Edmundsbury

  Suffolk Coastal

  Swale

  Tunbridge Wells

  West Sussex CC

  Local Government Review
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the findings of MORI polls carried out during the Local Government Commission's public consultation exercise on proposals for the reorganisation of local government in Avon, Gloucestershire and Somerset; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  This is a matter for the Local Government Commission. However, I understand that it will be publishing the results of the MORI polls in Avon, Gloucestershire and Somerset shortly.
  552
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the Local Government Commission's final recommendations for Avon, Gloucestershire and Somerset, following the public consultation exercise carried out earlier this year; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Local Government Commission is currently drawing up its final recommendations to my right hon. Friend on local government structure in Avon, Gloucestershire and Somerset. It is due to complete this final report by 23 January 1994.

  Smokeless Coal
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what date the United Kingdom will conform to the EC conditions on the use of domestic smokeless coal; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  There are no EC conditions on the use of domestic smokeless coal.

  Sewage Works, Braunston
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will a statement on the proposals to erect a multi-screen cinema on the old sewage works at Braunston, Leicestershire; and if he will call in the proposals.

  Mr. Baldry
  These proposals form an application for planning consent for reserved matters made to Blaby district council. The council resolved to grant outline planning permission in 1991, subject to the completion of a planning agreement covering highway works. An acceptable use of the land has therefore been established and the circumstances do not justify the unusual step of calling in this application.

  Local Government Finance
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average unrebated rate-community charge-council tax in(a) local authority and (b) housing association tenancies in each year since 1978 at current prices, at constant April 1993 prices, and using an index with 1978=100.

  Mr. Curry
  This answer can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Construction Products Directive
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is calling to enforce the construction products directive.

  Mr. Baldry
  The directive was implemented by the Construction Products Regulations in December 1991. In Great Britain enforcement of the legislation is the responsibility of trading standards officers and in Northern Ireland of environmental health officers. Provision for the additional costs falling on local authorities has been made
  553
  in the appropriate local authority spending assessments since 1991–92. The Department is working with the European Commission and other member states to complete the technical development of the directive as soon as possible.

  Notting Hill Housing Trust
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to improve the administration of the Notting Hill housing trust; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir George Young
  The statutory responsibility for the regulation of registered housing associations rests with the Housing Corporation, which monitors associations' performance to ensure they are effectively managed. If my hon. Friend has specific concerns about the management of an individual association, it would be appropriate for these to be referred to the Housing Corporation to consider.

  County Hall, London
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to pass the proceeds from the sale of county hall and other ex-GLC property and assets to the London boroughs; how much money is expected to be involved; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  The distribution of such proceeds is a matter not for my right hon. Friend but for the London residuary body. The riverside building has been sold to the Shirayama Corporation, but the residuary body is still seeking to dispose of the remaining buildings on the county hall site. Certain moneys are to be distributed by 31 December 1993 to the City of London and the London boroughs under the terms of an order which my right hon. Friend has laid before Parliament. The total sum involved will become clear when the distribution is made.

  Carbon Dioxide
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to strengthen the Department's building regulations advisory committee with a technical and commercial expert in thermal insulation to keep under close specialist review carbon dioxide emissions.

  Mr. Baldry
  None. Expertise on thermal insulation matters was increased earlier this year with the appointment to the committee of Professor Pat O'Sullivan of University College, London.

  Drainage Boards
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration his Department is giving in respect of the council tax valuation category for internal drainage boards in respect of intensive livestock units; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  I have been asked to reply.

  Following representations from the National Farmers Union and the British Poultry Federation, the Ministry issued a consultation paper on 15 October seeking views from a range of interested parties on proposals to abate the drainage rates payable by certain intensive livestock and glasshouse enterprises. Responses were requested by
  554
  22 November and a decision as to whether to proceed with the proposals will be made shortly in the light of those responses.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration his Department is giving in respect of the council tax valuation category for internal drainage boards to changing intensive livestock units from paying the internal drainage boards' valuation rate to a business rate; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  I have been asked to reply. The Government has no plans to do this.

  City Pride
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many additional resources will be made available for city pride.

  Mr. Baldry
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) on Thursday 25 November at column 187.

  Bathing Water Quality
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will announce the results of this year's bathing water quality monitoring; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  The monitoring carried out during the 1993 season shows that 80 per cent. of the 457 identified bathing waters in the United Kingdom met the mandatory coliform bacteria standards of the EC bathing water directive. This compares with 79 per cent. in 1992 and 76 per cent. in 1991.

  Rain influences results, but in spite of poor weather in many places during the bathing season this year overall compliance has improved.

  This slow but steady increase is a satisfying indication that the works being undertaken to improve bathing water quality are having the desired effect. Some waters which invariably failed in previous seasons are now up to standard.

  The main results for the United Kingdom are summarised with details for English and Welsh bathing waters. This information will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses today and will be supplemented by a report with more detailed results in due course.

  Bathing waters survey 1993 results for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (Compliance with Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC): Coliform Standards)

  Pass

  Fail

  Total

  1993

  1992

  1993

  1992

  1993

  1992

  England and Wales

  NRA Regions

  Northumbrian1

  25

  20

  9

  14

  34

  34

  Yorkshire1

  21

  20

  1

  2

  22

  22

  Anglian

  28

  31

  5

  2

  33

  33

  Thames

  3

  3

  0

  0

  3

  3

  Southern

  58

  51

  9

  16

  67

  67

  Wessex1

  35

  36

  7

  3

  42

  39

  South West1

  107

  117

  26

  17

  133

  134

  North West

  13

  I1

  20

  22

  33

  33

  Welsh

  42

  39

  9

  12

  51

  51

  Total

  332

  328

  86

  88

  418

  416

  555

  Pass

  Fail

  Total

  1993

  1992

  1993

  1992

  1993

  1992

  Scotland

  18

  15

  5

  8

  23

  23

  Northern Ireland

  15

  15

  1

  1

  16

  16

  Grand Total

  365

  358

  92

  97

  457

  455

  1 Northumbrian and Yorkshire, and South West and Wessex NRA regions have amalgamated, but results are recorded separately here for the purposes of comparison.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Heavy Electrical Products
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what further action he intends to take to improve exports of heavy electrical products.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  Substantial new measures to help exporters have already been introduced this year. ECGD support has been extended and premia reduced. The Overseas Projects Board has set up a number of sectoral working groups, including one on power, to help improve the United Kingdom's share of major products overseas. The Department is already supporting exporters of heavy electrical products through its export services. Sixty additional staff have been assigned to export promotion and 100 export promoters are being seconded from the private sector. There are no plans to introduce further help, but, as always, we would be happy to consider any requests from the industry for such help.

  Insolvency
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many complaints the Insolvency Service agency received about its work in 1991, 1992 and so far in 1993.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The Insolvency Service's chief executive has received four complaints following introduction by the agency in February 1993 of a formal procedure under this Government's citizens charter initiative. The agency does not keep any other record specifically relating to complaints, but receives a range of correspondence relating to official receivers and insolvency practitioners. This correspondence should be considered in the context of the 8,368 companies wound up compulsorily and 22,632 individuals entering bankruptcy in 1991, 9,734 liquidations and 32,106 bankruptcies in 1992, and 7,004 liquidations and 26,627 bankruptcies to 31 October 1993.

  Mr. Peter Joyce, the agency's chief executive, answered letters about the administration of insolvencies which did
  556
  not arise out of the published standard but sometimes contained criticism of the service, totalling 26 in 1991, 85 in 1992 and 49 to 31 October 1993.

  In addition, I and my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade have responded to letters from hon. Members concerning specific insolvencies totalling 399 in 1991, 355 in 1992 and 314 to 31 October 1993. Officials have answered on our behalf 207 letters in 1992 and 147 to 31 October 1993. Information on how many of these letters contained criticism of the service could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  No central record is kept of complaints made direct to official receivers.

  Colliery Equipment
  Ms Walley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will give details of all machinery and equipment currently earmarked for removal from Silverdale colliery, North Staffordshire, to the Nottinghamshire coalfield; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will list the machinery and equipment at Silverdale colliery on 20 November.

  Mr. Eggar
  The deployment of machinery and equipment is a matter for British Coal.

  Postage Stamps
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to the future use of royal emblems on postage stamps; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  I understand that the Post Office has no plans to change the present arrangements.

  Bomb-proofing
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the cost, by location, of bomb-proofing the Department's premises.

  Mr. Eggar
  On security grounds, I do not propose to give this information.

  Ships
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether launch aid support is available in respect of the construction of novel ship designs or ship engines.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  No. Launch aid is available, under the Civil Aviation Act 1982, to assist specifically the design, development and production of civil aircraft.

  Post Boxes
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what reasons underline the absence of the royal cipher from the new Post Office postal boxes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  I understand from the Post Office that all cast iron post boxes installed by Royal Mail continue to bear the royal cipher or Scottish crown. Royal Mail has, however, introduced a range of polypropylene boxes without these emblems. These boxes are installed in street locations to assist postal delivery staff and are not normally intended to have any public posting function. On occasions, however, these boxes have been installed on a temporary trial basis to assess particular posting needs. Where it is subsequently decided to introduce a permanent facility a cast iron box is installed.

  Government Car Service
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the annual cost to the Department of the car service for Ministers; and how many vehicles are involved.

  Mr. Eggar
  The annual cost of the car service for Ministers is about £380,000, including VAT, for seven cars.

  British Gas
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to respond to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission inquiry into British Gas; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade is currently considering the representations which he has received as part of the consultation process on the MMC's report on gas. He recognises the need to avoid delay; but it is also important not to take precipitate decisions on the important matters raised by the report.

  Electricity
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received regarding proposals to harmonise electrical plugs and sockets throughout the European Community; and what response he has made to the Commission regarding such proposals.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  Several trade associations and other bodies have expressed their respective points of view on the harmonisation work currently being carried out by CENELEC. My Department has commissioned an independent analysis of the costs and benefits for the United Kingdom, and the results of this study will be published in the new year; written evidence has also been submitted by the Department to the Trade and Industry Committee. We have assured the European Commission that the United Kingdom will continue to participate actively in the work of the various technical committees and working groups that have been established by CENELEC.

  Concessionary Coal
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those individuals and organisations who replied to his consultative document on concessionary coal; and if he will place copies of their submissions in the Library.

  Mr. Eggar
  The following have submitted views on the Government's consultation paper on the concessionary fuel entitlements of past and present British Coal employees and their dependants following privatisation of the corporation:

  British Association of Colliery Managers

  British Coal Retired Staff Association (Cannock and District)

  British Coal Retired Staff Association (North Staffordshire District)

  Bruce Lindsay Coal Ltd

  R J Budge (Mining) Limited

  The Chamber of Coal Traders Limited

  Currell, Lewis & Martin Limited

  Federation of Small Mines of Great Britain

  D J Freeman—Solicitors

  Legal and Venture Joint Ventures Limited

  The Miller Group Limited

  National Association of Colliery Overmen Deputies and Shotfirers

  The National Association of Licensed Opencast Operators

  National Union of Mineworkers

  National Union of Mineworkers (COSA)—The Ex-COSA Section—Region 3

  Pascoe Fuels Limited

  Ryan Mining Limited

  Small Mines Association of Wales

  Southampton Institute of Higher Education—Law Research Centre

  Union of Democratic Mineworkers

  Union of Democratic Mineworkers (Nottinghamshire Section)

  I have also received a number of responses from individuals.

  It is a matter for the organisations and individuals concerned whether they wish their correspondence to be made public.

  British Coal (Pension Funds)
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those individuals and organisations who replied to his consultive document on the future of British Coal's pension funds; and if he will place copies of their submissions in the Library.

  Mr. Eggar
  The following have submitted views on the Government's consultation paper on British Coal pensions following privatisation of the corporation:

  British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme Committee of Management

  Mineworkers' Pension Scheme Committee of Management British Coal Corporation

  British Association of Colliery Management

  GMB/APEX Partnership

  National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers (NACODS)

  National Union of Mineworkers

  National Union of Mineworkers (COSA)

  National Union of Mineworkers (COSA)—The Ex-COSA Section—Region 3

  Federation of Small Mines of Great Britain

  Small Mines Association (South Wales)

  British Coal Retired Staff Association (North Staffordshire District)

  British Coal Retired Staff Association (Cannock and District)

  I have also received some 1,400 responses from individuals.
  559
  It is a matter for the organisations and individuals concerned whether they wish their correspondence to be made public.

  Offshore Installations
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what proposals he has to modify the Petroleum Act 1987; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will list the offshore installations and pipeline networks which have been dismantled and removed in the past six years and those scheduled to be demolished and withdrawn from the United Kingdom continental shelf; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) how many programmes involving the abandonment of (a) offshore installations and (b) submarine pipeline networks he has approved over the past five years; if he will outline the maintenance and inspection regulations concerning such abandoned structures and pipelines; what advice is given to commercial fishermen associations and other users of the maritime environment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade and his predecessor the Secretary of State for Energy have approved the following abandonment programmes for offshore installations and pipelines:

  Year

  Facilities

  1988

  Piper Alpha

  1991

  Crawford

  1992

  Argyll, Duncan & Innes Blair

  1993

  Angus

  Forbes

  Part of Staffa—Ninian pipeline

  In each case, except Piper Alpha and the Blair pipeline, the abandonment programme provided for complete removal of the facilities.

  Maintenance and inspection requirements are decided on a case by case basis in the light of the circumstances of each abandonment proposal and after consultation with other Government Departments. In each case, the President of the Board of Trade has required consultations to be carried out with interested parties, including representatives of fishermen's organisations, and that the results of the consultations be reported in the abandonment programme. My officials meet representatives of fishermen's organisations at regular intervals for discussions on a range of subjects, including abandonment.

  I have no proposals at present to modify the Petroleum Act 1987.

  Nuclear Industry
  Sir John Hannam
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the current status of the terms of reference for the pending review of the nuclear industry; and what consultations are taking place.

  Mr. Eggar
  Options for the scope and format of the nuclear review are under consideration within Government. I cannot prejudge the terms of reference. It remains the Government's intention to make a further announcement as soon as possible.

  Energy Demand
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the disaggregated breakdown of energy demand by sector and region; and if he will indicate the current energy supply availability in Wales by fuel type.

  Mr. Eggar
  Figures for energy demand are not available in the detail requested. Energy consumption by final user for the United Kingdom in 1992 was:

  Billion therms

  Industry

  15·0

  Transport

  19·5

  Domestic

  17·4

  Other final users

  8·2

  Total final users

  60·2

  Source: Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics.

  The latest available figures for energy supply in Wales are as follows:

  Million tonnes

  Coal (available for home consumption, 1992)

  8·3

  Petroleum (inland deliveries, 1991)

  4·0

  Terrawatt hours

  Gas (total available 1991)

  31·8

  Electricity (net supplied, 1992)

  18·3

  Sources: Digest of Welsh Statistics, 1993 and Welsh Economic Trends, 1993.

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to require fuel and power companies to use the interest accrued on VAT payments collected from customers for energy conservation within customers' properties.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 30 November 1993]: Both the Director General of Gas Supply and the Director General of Electricity Supply have a duty to promote energy efficiency. This is primarily a matter for the Energy Efficiency Office.

  Fireworks
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to keep a record of the countries which export fireworks to Britain; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I have been asked to reply.

  I am replying as the Minister with responsibility for controls on importation of fireworks. The Health and Safety Executive already keeps records of countries which export fireworks to Britain and will continue to do so.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Budget Council
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) of 19 November,Official Report, columns 4–6,

  561
  what were the voting figures on (a) the revised expenditure ceilings for 1994 and (b) the letter of amendment to the draft supplementary and amending budget for 1993 recorded in the meeting of the European Community's Budget Council held on 15 November; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Cope
  The Council agreed unanimously to the adjustment of the expenditure ceilings for 1994 which had been determined in the context of the new inter-institutional agreement.

  The presidency concluded that the necessary majority existed to establish the letter of amendment to the draft supplementary and amending budget for 1993; and no formal vote was therefore taken.

  Financial Services Act 1986
  Mr. French
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what have been the practical benefits to the private investor of the Financial Services Act 1986 and the regulatory regime which it created.

  Mr. Nelson
  The implementation of the Act in 1988 has brought significant benefits for the private investor. For example, firms carrying on investment business must be properly authorised. The regulators have taken action against firms not complying with their rules of conduct. A sizeable number have been found unfit to deal with private investors and prevented from doing so. A further example is the establishment of the investors compensation scheme, from which some 5,000 private investors have benefited to date.

  State Pension
  Mr. French
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of national average earnings the basic state pension will be in(a) 2000, (b) 2010, (c) 2020, (d) 2030, (e) 2040 and (f) 2050 if earnings rise faster than prices by (i) 1·5 per cent. and (ii) 2·5 per cent.

  Mr. Portillo
  The information is in the table.

  Year

  1·5 per cent. real earnings growth

  2·5 per cent. real earnings growth

  1993

  17·7

  17·7

  2000

  16·0

  14·9

  2010

  13·7

  11·6

  Net privatisation proceeds

  £ billion

  1979–80

  1980–81

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Amersham International

  —

  —

  0·1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Associated British Ports

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  BAA

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·5

  0·7

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  British Aerospace

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  British Airways

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·4

  0·4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  British Gas

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2·6

  1·8

  1·8

  0·8

  0·5

  —

  0·4

  —

  British Petroleum

  0·3

  —

  —

  —

  0·5

  —

  —

  —

  0·9

  3·0

  1·4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  British Steel

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1·1

  1·3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  British Telecommunications

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1·4

  1·3

  1·4

  0·3

  0·3

  0·1

  0·1

  1·8

  3·7

  —

  Britoil

  —

  —

  —

  0·3

  0·3

  —

  0·4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Cable and Wireless

  —

  —

  0·2

  —

  0·3

  —

  0·6

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Electricity (England and Wales)

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3·1

  3·4

  1·5

  —

  Electricity (Northern Ireland)

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·4

  —

  Electricity (Scotland)

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1·1

  1·0

  —

  Enterprise Oil

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  GPFC

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  562

  Year

  1·5 per cent. real earnings growth

  2·5 per cent. real earnings growth

  2020

  11·8

  9·1

  2030

  10·2

  7·1

  2040

  8·8

  5·6

  2050

  7·6

  4·3

  Notes: The baseline for the calculation is April 1993. The basic retirement pension was uprated to £56·10 per week on 1 April 1993. National average earnings in April 1993 were £316·90 (Source: the Department of Employment's new earnings survey).

  National Debt
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the national debt of each EC country, Japan and the United States of America in local currency; what proportion such debt is of gross national product; and whether such debt for each country includes public sector pension liabilities where those pension liabilities are not provided by private sector funds.

  Mr. Nelson
  Data on Government debt in local currencies are available in the IMF's Government finance statistics yearbook and on gross national product in he OECD's national accounts, copies of which are available in the House Library. Contingent liabilities arising from public sector pensions are not included in the Government debt figures in the IMF's Government finance statistics yearbook.

  Privatisation
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are(a) the total receipts from the privatisation of Government assets for each year since 1979, (b) the percentage shares of total Government income this represents for each year and (c) the total sums raised by each separate sale.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The table shows the privatisation proceeds received by the Government for each year since 1979–80 and their scale relative to general Government receipts. Privatisations and secondary sales of shares with net proceeds of less than £50 million in any year have not been shown individually.
  563

  1979–80

  1980–81

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  NTL

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·1

  —

  —

  National Seed Development Organisation

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Rolls-Royce

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1·0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Rover Group

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Royal Ordnance

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Water Companies

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·5

  1·5

  1·5

  —

  —

  Miscellaneous1

  0·1

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0

  0·1

  0·1

  0·1

  -0·1

  0·1

  -0·1

  0·1

  0

  1.·2

  —

  TOTAL

  0·4

  0·2

  0·5

  0·5

  1·1

  2·0

  2·7

  4·5

  5·1

  7·1

  4·2

  5·3

  7·9

  8·2

  25·5

  Relative to GGR (per cent.)

  0·5

  0·2

  0·4

  0·4

  0·9

  1·4

  1·8

  2·8

  2·9

  3·7

  2·0

  2·5

  3·6

  3·7

  22·4

  1 Includes, in any year, sales with net proceeds of less than £50 million, expenses which could not be netted off the associated sale because they arose in a financial year in which there were no proceeds from that sale and (in 1992–93) the proceeds of the Treasury's auction of privatised companies' debt.

  2 March FSBR forecast.

  Tax Avoidance
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has as to the annual extent of tax avoidance; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  No reliable estimate can be made, but it remains the Government's policy to ensure that opportunities for tax avoidance are minimised. My right hon. and learned Friend's Budget contains a number of anti-avoidance measures which will increase revenue by £1·8 billion over three years.

  VAT
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if VAT on fuel bills will be inclusive, or exclusive, of any standing charge levied; what arrangements are available to Her Majesty's Government to vary positive rates of VAT downwards; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Cope
  Standing charges are regarded as part of the payment for the supply of fuel and power and will therefore be subject to the VAT changes introduced by section 42 of the Finance Act 1993.

  Only those goods and services specified in a list annexed to EC directive 92/77/EEC can be moved from the standard rate of VAT to a reduced VAT rate. The reduced rate cannot be lower than 5 per cent. and there are no provisions for the introduction of zero rates of VAT.

  Bomb-proofing
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost, by location, of bomb-proofing the Department's premises.

  Sir John Cope
  On security grounds, I do not propose to give this information.

  First-time Home Buyers
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to give increased support to first-time buyers.

  Mr. Nelson
  Housing is now more affordable than for a number of years, due to lower interest rates and house prices. The Government's taxation and expenditure plans are set out fully in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report".

  Income Tax
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax a married man on an income of(a) £900,000 per annum and (b) £15,000 per annum would have been required to pay in each of the last 10 years assuming no additional tax allowances.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information is in the table.

  Tax liability for a married man with total income1of

  Year

  £900,000 £

  £15,000 £

  1983–84

  531,668

  3,662

  1984–85

  531,067

  3,554

  1985–86

  530,502

  3,464

  1986–87

  529,910

  3,290

  1987–88

  529,381

  3,025

  1988–89

  355,467

  2,726

  1989–90

  355,145

  2,656

  1990–91

  355,005

  2,569

  1991–92

  354,439

  2,496

  1992–93

  354,279

  2,359

  1993–94

  354,254

  2,334

  1 Assuming all income is earned and that the only allowances and reliefs available are the married man's allowance for years up to 1989–90 and the personal allowance and married couple's allowance for subsequent years.

PRIME MINISTER

  Kashmir
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister of Pakistan on the policy the Pakistan Government intend to follow regarding Kashmir.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 30 November 1993]: I discussed Kashmir with Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Cyprus in October. I reaffirmed the United Kingdom Government's view that the issue of Kashmir can be resolved only by bilateral negotiation between Pakistan and India. I therefore welcome the joint announcement by the Indian and Pakistani Governments that they will be conducting bilateral talks at senior official level in January.

EDUCATION

  School Curriculum and Assessment Authority
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will give the names of those who currently advise his Department about the national curriculum and associated matters, and in each case the body they represent;

  (2) how many people drawn from the primary school sector of education are on his Department's advisory team; and what percentage they represent.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The School Curriculum and Assessment Authority has the main responsibility for advising my right hon. Friend on the national curriculum and associated matters. The authority was established on 1 October under the chairmanship of Sir Ron Dearing. Its 14 members, announced on 14 September, are:

  Mr. Roy Blatchford—Headmaster, Bicester Community College, Oxfordshire (an LEA maintained secondary school).

  Mr. John Burn—Principal, Emmanuel College, Gateshead (Tyneside City Technology College).

  Mrs. Judith Conway—Teacher, Christ Church School, Chorleywood, Hertfordshire (a self-governing GM primary school).

  Mr. Paul Dick—Headmaster, Kennet School, Thatcham, Berkshire (an LEA maintained secondary school).

  Mrs. Heather Du Quesnay—Director of Education, Hertfordshire County Council.

  Dr. Philip Evans—Headmaster, Bedford School (an independent 7–18 school).

  Mrs. Yvonne Hargreaves-Pizer—Headteacher, Hague Primary School, Tower Hamlets, London (an LEA maintained school).

  Mr. Graham Mackenzie—Group Chief Executive, UES Holdings Limited

  Dr. John Marks—Open University Tutor in Physics and History and Philosophy of Science, and Director of the Educational Research Trust

  Professor Leonard Marsh—Principal, Bishop Grosseteste College, Lincoln

  Professor Anthony O' Hear—Professor of Philosophy, University of Bradford

  Mr. David Quarmby—Joint Managing Director, J. Sainsbury plc.

  Mrs. Shahwar Sadeque—Director of Art of Intelligence (a computer software company), Governor of the BBC, and former researcher and school teacher

  Mr. Martyn Worrall—Headmaster, Hawksworth Hall School, Leeds (an independent special school owned by the Spastics Society).

  The members were selected on the basis of their individual expertise and experience and not as representatives of any particular body.

  Three of the authority's seven teachers are involved in primary education and much of Professor Marsh's professional work has been concerned with the primary sector.

  Bomb-proofing
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what has been the cost, by location, of bomb-proofing the Department's premises.

  Mr. Boswell
  On security grounds, I do not propose to give this information.

  Standard Numbers
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list for the last 12 months, and by local education authority, the number of occasions where he has(a) declined and (b) approved an application in respect of standard numbers.
  566
  Mr. Robin Squire
  Over the last 12 months my right hon. Friend approved 636 requests from local education authorities for changes in school standard numbers. In 171 of these cases the order implementing the change modified the original proposals. Over the same period my right hon. Friend declined to approve a change on 76 occasions. The figures by local education authority are as follows:

  Application for change

  Local education authority

  Approved

  Refused

  Modified

  City

  —

  —

  —

  Camden

  1

  —

  —

  Greenwich

  —

  —

  —

  Hackney

  —

  —

  —

  Hammersmith

  1

  1

  —

  Islington

  —

  —

  —

  Kensington and Chelsea

  —

  —

  —

  Lambeth

  2

  2

  —

  Lewisham

  1

  —

  —

  Southwark

  —

  —

  —

  Tower Hamlets

  —

  —

  —

  Wandsworth

  —

  —

  1

  Westminster

  1

  —

  1

  Barking

  —

  —

  —

  Barnet

  —

  —

  —

  Bexley

  —

  —

  —

  Brent

  2

  —

  —

  Bromley

  1

  —

  —

  Croydon

  2

  —

  5

  Ealing

  3

  —

  —

  Enfield

  1

  —

  —

  Haringey

  7

  2

  —

  Harrow

  —

  8

  —

  Havering

  2

  —

  —

  Hillingdon

  —

  —

  —

  Hounslow

  3

  8

  1

  Kingston upon Thames

  —

  —

  —

  Merton

  1

  —

  —

  Newham

  —

  —

  —

  Redbridge

  1

  —

  —

  Richmond upon Thames

  —

  —

  —

  Sutton

  —

  —

  1

  Waltham Forest

  —

  —

  —

  Birmingham

  —

  —

  2

  Coventry

  9

  7

  1

  Dudley

  —

  3

  2

  Sandwell

  3

  3

  3

  Solihull

  —

  —

  —

  Walsall

  3

  —

  —

  Wolverhampton

  —

  —

  4

  Knowsley

  —

  —

  —

  Liverpool

  —

  —

  —

  St. Helens

  —

  —

  1

  Sefton

  4

  —

  —

  Wirral

  2

  4

  1

  Bolton

  —

  —

  —

  Bury

  3

  1

  —

  Manchester

  1

  —

  —

  Oldham

  —

  —

  —

  Rochdale

  —

  —

  —

  Salford

  2

  —

  —

  Stockport

  2

  —

  —

  Thameside

  —

  —

  —

  Trafford

  —

  —

  —

  Wigan

  —

  —

  —

  Barnsley

  3

  —

  —

  Doncaster

  —

  —

  —

  Rotherham

  —

  —

  —

  Sheffield

  —

  —

  1

  Bradford

  3

  —

  3

  Calderdale

  7

  1

  2

  Kirklees

  15

  —

  1

  Leeds

  2

  —

  —

  Wakefield

  —

  —

  1

  Gateshead

  1

  —

  —

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  3

  1

  1

  North Tyneside

  —

  —

  —

  South Tyneside

  —

  —

  —

  567

  Application for change

  Local education authority

  Approved

  Refused

  Modified

  Sunderland

  —

  1

  —

  Isles of Scilly

  —

  —

  —

  Avon

  54

  13

  11

  Bedfordshire

  6

  —

  1

  Berkshire

  29

  —

  5

  Buckinghamshire

  5

  —

  —

  Cambridgeshire

  1

  —

  —

  Cheshire

  3

  —

  1

  Cleveland

  1

  —

  —

  Cornwall

  2

  —

  1

  Cumbria

  7

  1

  1

  Derbyshire

  4

  1

  —

  Devon

  6

  —

  —

  Dorset

  2

  —

  8

  Durham

  —

  —

  —

  East Sussex

  —

  —

  1

  Essex

  4

  3

  17

  Gloucestershire

  1

  —

  —

  Hampshire

  12

  1

  10

  Hereford and Worcester

  2

  —

  —

  Hertfordshire

  8

  —

  2

  Humberside

  6

  5

  3

  Isle of Wight

  —

  —

  —

  Kent

  36

  1

  35

  Lancashire

  29

  1

  13

  Leicestershire

  7

  —

  —

  Lincolnshire

  7

  1

  —

  Norfolk

  2

  —

  —

  North Yorkshire

  30

  1

  2

  Northamptonshire

  10

  —

  4

  Northumberland

  1

  1

  1

  Nottinghamshire

  5

  —

  2

  Oxfordshire

  50

  2

  2

  Shropshire

  4

  —

  —

  Somerset

  —

  —

  2

  Staffordshire

  5

  —

  1

  Suffolk

  5

  —

  1

  Surrey

  —

  —

  —

  Warwickshire

  6

  —

  2

  West Sussex

  7

  —

  6

  Wiltshire

  16

  3

  7

  Total

  465

  76

  171

  Car Crime
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what response his Department has made to the proposals by the National Crime Prevention Organisation for an educational initiative to cut car crime.

  Mr. Forth
  The National Crime Prevention Organisation has not made any specific proposals to my right hon. Friend for an educational initiative to cut car crime.

  Musical Instruments (VAT)
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ensure that sixth form college students receive an entitlement to a refund on value added tax on musical instruments comparable to that applicable to sixth formers in schools; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  Sixth formers in schools have no such entitlement. Under a special scheme, local authorities are eligible for VAT refunds. Such refunds may be claimed where local education authorities buy musical instruments from retailers. Sixth form colleges and FE ceges are not similarly eligible, but the Government take account of
  568
  VAT costs in determining funding for this sector; the supply of goods and services incidental to the supply of education by such colleges is, however, exempt from VAT.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  India (Dam)
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he took before deciding to fund the upgrading of the Hirakud hydro-electric dam at Orissa in India formally to appraise and meet the needs of the families displaced by the original dam.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The appraisal mission took account of the arrangements made for resettlement of people displaced by the original dam in the late 1940s and early 1950s, which are well documented. The upgrading project will not have any significant social impact for these resettled groups or any other groups, and no appropriate action was identifed in respect of the people affected by the original scheme. ODA considers that the needs of this group are best addressed through projects targeting poor and tribal people in Orissa more generally, such as the Orissa health and family welfare project which we are financing.

  Brazil
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which organisations in Brazil the Government have worked to help Brazilian street children.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The Overseas Development Administration, through its joint funding scheme, currently supports projects for Brazilian street children with the National Movement of Street Boys and Girls, and the Brazilian Centre for Poor Girls and Adolescents. This assistance has been channelled through the British NGOs childhope, Womankind, CAFOD, Oxfam and Christian Aid. In addition, funds have been made available from the British ambassador's small projects fund to support the Sao Martinho shelter for street children in Rio de Janeiro.

  Cambodia
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funds the Government have currently committed to(a) Cambodia mines action centre and (b) any other grouping for de-mining in Cambodia; and what further funds will be made available.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The Government have committed $200,000 to the Cambodia Mines Action Centre. Since October 1991 the Government have also provided nearly £500,000 to other de-mining operations in Cambodia, including the Halo Trust, a British non-governmental organisation. We hope that agreement on longer-term international support will be reached by early 1994.

  Eastern Europe
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name the companies with whom the Government are working in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to aid these countries in their development.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The know-how fund, Britain's programme of bilateral technical assistance to central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, is working with numerous partners.

  A list has been placed in the Library. It will be updated regularly.

  Indonesia
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much aid has been given to Indonesia to date in 1993–94; and what form the aid has taken.

  Mr. Goodlad
  We expect to spend about £24 million in the full year 1993–94. This will be mainly technical co-operation and financial aid as part of aid and trade provision allocations. Our funds are spent mainly on projects that promote educational development, forestry conservation, energy efficiency and improved public administration and help with provision of infrastructure in the transport and other sectors.

  St. Helena
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects a decision to be made upon which recommendations of the report, "Heritage in St. Helena", will be implemented; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  This report was commissioned by the St. Helena Heritage Society and the Government of St. Helena, not by Her Majesty's Government, and decisions on the report are for them. We understand that some recommendations have already been implemented, whilst the others are under active consideration.

  Evaluation Reports
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the evaluation report on the pilot phase of the global environment facility commissioned by the World bank, United Nations environment programme and the United Nations development programme;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the findings of the independent evaluation of the pilot phase of the global environment facility commissioned by the World bank, United Nations environment programme and the United Nations development programme;

  (3) who were the members of the independent panel of experts that was formed by the World bank, United Nations environment programme and the United Nations development programme to evaluate the pilot phase of the global environment facility.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The independent evaluation of the global environment facility (GEF) was carried out by three teams and a co-ordinator, Mr. Haven North, under the direction of 570
  the evaluation managers of the World bank, the United Nations development programme, and the United Nations environment programme, and with the guidance of an independent panel of experts, whose members were Ms Monique Barbut, Mr. Rudolf Hoegger, the Hon. Mathias B. Keah, Dr. Ashok Khosla, Mr. Jean Quesnel and Ms Erna Witoelar.

  The report focuses on institutional issues, and is intended to inform the meeting of GEF participants in Cartagena from 6-10 December to discuss the restructuring of the GEF. It is a well-written report which contains many important recommendations. I have placed a copy of the report in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Aid and Trade Provision
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the outside evaluators used to study the effectiveness of particular aspects of the United Kingdom's aid programme in the last three years.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The ODA's evaluation department's reports are available and are listed in our "Catalogue of Evaluation Studies", an updated copy of which will shortly be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Each report lists the outside evaluators used.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criticism he has received over the past three years from outside evaluators used to study the overall effectiveness of the United Kingdom aid programme; and what was the action taken.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The ODA's evaluation department undertakes its regular evaluation programme on a project-by-project basis, by sector or theme, rather than attempting to study overall effectiveness. Specific action taken in response to recent reports includes the preparation of a guidance paper on forestry projects in response to the findings of six forestry evaluations; and the convening of a seminar by the Aga Khan Foundation on Promoting Quality Education in the Third World as a result of a joint evaluation of the schools improvement programme which had been co-funded by ODA.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was paid in each of the last two years to outside evaluators of the United Kingdom's aid programme.

  Mr. Goodlad
  In 1991–92 and 1992–93, the ODA's evaluation department paid £333,944 and £511,404 respectively to external evaluators.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which 20 companies have been the leading indirect beneficiaries of spending within the aid and trade provision since its inception in 1978; and what percentage of total ATP spending each has attracted.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The 20 leading main contractors gaining business under the aid and trade provision since its inception in 1978 are as follows:
  571

  Company

  Percentage of total ATP commitments since 1978

  1 Balfour Beatty

  120·95

  2 GEC

  7·64

  3 Davy

  5·89

  4 Biwater

  4·02

  5 Amec International

  4·02

  6 Foster Wheeler

  3·69

  7 Snamprogetti

  3·23

  8 Northern Engineering Industries

  3·16

  9 John Brown Engineering

  2·56

  10 Siemens-Plessey

  2·36

  11 Phillips Radio

  2·33

  12 Marconi

  1·84

  13 Babcock

  1·76

  14 TecQuipment International

  1·59

  15 Coppee UK

  1·50

  16 John Laing

  1·50

  17 STC

  1·25

  18 Boving

  1·17

  19 AWD

  1·16

  20 Communication Supplies Ltd.

  1·05

  1 76 per cent. of Balfour Beatty's share (i.e. 16·01 per cent. to total ATP commitments since 1978) are accounted for by a joint venture with Cementation Ltd.

  Much work under these contractors is carried out by numerous subcontractors. Information on the allocation of total ATP spending by subcontractor would be disproportionately time consuming to collect centrally.

  Global Environment Facility
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding is given to the global environment facility per annum by the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The United Kingdom has committed £40·3 million to the global environment facility (GEF). Of this, we contributed £4·4 million in financial year 1991–92 and £5·4 million in financial year 1992–93 as requested by the GEF. Our contributions in 1993–94 onwards will continue to depend on the requirements of the GEF for the year in question.

  Know-how funds
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in full the current disbursements under the know-how funds.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Disbursements for 1992–93 were as follows:

  £

  Albania

  40,000

  Bulgaria

  1,921,000

  Estonia

  359,000

  Former Czechoslovakia

  7,093,000

  GDR

  2,000

  Hungary

  5,741,000

  Kazakhstan

  136,000

  Latvia

  350,000

  Lithuania

  471,000

  Poland

  10,553,000

  Romania

  3,041,000

  Eastern Europe and Pan Baltic regional

  2,803,000

  Azerbaijan

  81,000

  Belarus

  26,000

  Georgia

  26,000

  572

  £

  Russian Federation

  11,201,000

  Ukraine

  3,093,000

  Uzbekistan

  267,000

  Former Yugoslavia

  45,000

  The public expenditure provision for know-how fund countries for 1993–4 is approximately £53 million, of which approximately £23 million has been spent to date.

  World Bank Information
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance was given to the United Kingdom executive director of the World bank in respect of the vote on expanding access to World bank information; and how he voted.

  Mr. Goodlad
  [holding answer 29 November 1993]: We welcome the measures approved by the World bank's board of executive directors in August to increase substantially the information which the bank makes publicly available. We consider that this will help to promote a more participatory approach and thus strengthen the developmental effectiveness of bank-funded operations, as well as enhancing public awareness and understanding of the bank's role.

  It is not our practice to reveal instructions to our executive director nor to disclose what position he takes in board discussions, the proceedings of which remain confidential.

HEALTH

  Local Authority Services
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list, for each local authority for each year since 1988, in homes for elderly, elderly mentally infirm and younger physically handicapped people the number of(a) wardens and deputies, (b) other care staff and care assistants and (c) other staff;

  (2) if she will list for each local authority, for each year since 1988, (a) the number of organisers and assistant organisers in the home help service and (b) the number of home helps;

  (3) if she will list by local authority the number of social work assistants for each year since 1988;

  (4) if she will list by local authority for each year since 1989, for day centres for mentally ill, elderly and physically handicapped people the number of (a) officers in charge, deputies, leaders and assistants, (b) instructors and (c) other staff;

  (5) if she will list by local authority the number of trainee social workers for each year since 1988.

  Mr. Bowis
  For the numbers of whole time equivalent staff directly employed by local authority social services departments in the categories requested, I refer the hon. Member to "Local Authority Social Services Statistics: Staff of Local Authority Social Services Departments", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Hospital Psychiatric Services
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for hospital psychiatric services the number of beds available and patient activity per 1,000 population for 1992–93.

  Mr. Bowls
  In the year ending 31 March 1993, there was an average of 47,294 beds available for use in wards caring for mentally ill patients, providing 1·0 beds per thousand population. The number of patients treated as ordinary admissions and day cases in these wards during 1992–93 was 234,000 representing 4·8 patients per thousand population. These figures are exclusive of beds available in other residential facilities.

  Community Nurses
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for 1992–93 for home community nursing services the number of first contacts by all community nurses by(a) the age group and (b) the number of whole-time equivalent community nurses.

  Mr. Sackville
  We expect the information requested for the number of first contacts by all community nurses by age group for 1992–93 to be available in April 1994. The data on the number of whole time equivalent community nurses will be available in the summer of 1994.

  Zemaphyte
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether zemaphyte may be privately prescribed to NHS patients.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  "Zemaphyte" Chinese herbal eczema remedy was added to the list of drugs and other substances which cannot be prescribed on national health service prescription from 1 November 1993. Zemaphyte may be prescribed on a private prescription by a general practitioner. The costs of dispensing a private prescription would have to be met by the patient.

  Children's Homes
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each local authority for each year since 1987 for community homes for children and young persons in care the number of(a) child care staff, (b) teachers and instructors and (c) other staff.

  Mr. Bowis
  I have arranged for information on community homes for children and young persons in care for 1988 to be placed in the Library.

  Occupational Health Service
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which regional health authorities and district health authorities, and which district general hospitals and NHS trusts, have their own occupational health service for their own staff.

  (2) how many NHS staff, and what percentage of NHS staff, in each region, have access to an occupational health service.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available centrally.

  Cryptosporidium
  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to receive the conclusions of the research to establish the infective dose of cryptosporidium.

  Mr. Sackville
  Studies in animals referred to in my reply to my hon. Friend on 2 July at columns 647-48, have now been completed. They have failed to establish the infective dose of cryptosporidium. Further studies are being carried out in the United States of America but will take at least two years to produce any results.

  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice and guidance her Department gives to medical officers and environmental health officers regarding the issue of notices to water suppliers requiring them to advise customers to boil drinking water which contains low levels of cryptosporidium oocyst contamination.

  Mr. Sackville
  Advice to boil water is given to protect public health. This is the responsibility of district health authorities and is issued by their consultants in communicable disease control.

  Accident and Emergency Departments
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments are contained within NHS hospitals in England.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is not available in the form requested. Data are collected for national health service trusts and directly managed hospitals with accident and emergency departments. An NHS trust comprising two or more hospitals, each with its own accident and emergency service, is recorded as having one accident and emergency department.

  On this basis, in 1991–92, there were a total of 238 NHS trusts and directly managed hospitals with accident and emergency departments.

  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments in NHS hospitals in England have been closed in the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is not available centrally.

  Workplace Health
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the membership, and what are the terms of reference, of the task force established to examine activity on health promotion in the workplace.

  Mr. Sackville
  The task force's membership was as follows:

  Mr. T. M. Hogg (Chairman)—Director of Production Control for Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd.

  Mr. T. Astill—Group Director, National Pharmaceutical Association.

  Dr. M. Baxendine—Director of Medical Services, United Biscuits.

  Dr. P. Davies—Health and Safety Executive.

  Mr. J. Cridland—Director, Environmental Affairs, CBI.

  Miss S. Dymott—Head of Occupational Health Nursing Services, Esso.

  Ms S. Gooch—Chair of National Standing Committee on Health and Social Policy, Royal College of Nursing.

  575

  Ms J. Greenoak—Director, Health Education Authority.

  Dr. D. Miller—Consultant Occupational Physician.

  Dr. M. O'Brien—President of Faculty of Public Health Medicine.

  Mrs. R. Pengelly—Federation of Small Businesses.

  Ms I. Sharp—Director, National Forum for Coronary Heart Disease Prevention.

  Ms S. Veale—Assistant Secretary, Equality and Social Policy TUC

  Dr. D. Wright—Chief Medical Officer, British Petroleum plc and

  Dean of the Faculty of Occupational Health Medicine.

  The Departments of Health and Employment were represented. Dr. R. Smith, chairman of the Wellness Forum, participated as an observer.

  The task force's terms of reference were:
  "To review and assess past and current workplace activity and to advise on the development of health promotion in the workplace covering the five key areas of 'The Health of the Nation' White Paper, including health promotion campaigns and materials which can be used in the workplace, to provide regular reports to the Wider Health Working Group, including good practice, gaps in provision, and matters requiring attention."

  The task force reported to the wider health working group in September, and copies of its report are available in the library. As recommended, a small steering group is being convened to take forward further work in this area.

  District Health Authorities
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list in rank order the district health authorities which are currently running at(a) a deficit and (b) a surplus.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information requested is collected only by regional health authorities. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairmen of the regional health authorities for details.

  Hospital Parking
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she intends to issue to hospitals on charging(a) visitors and patients and (b) staff, for parking within hospital grounds.

  Mr. Sackville
  The question of charging for parking within hospitals grounds is for local determination in the light of local circumstances. We have no plans to issue guidance.

  Royal Sussex County Hospital
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish details of the review which enabled the Brighton health commissioners to determine a zero growth rate in health care demands for the Royal Sussex county hospital when redevelopment is completed.

  Mr. Sackville
  The allocation of funds to East Sussex health authority is a matter for South East Thames regional health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Peter Barker, chairman of the regional health authority for details.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide current staffing figures for the Brighton Health Care NHS trust and projected staffing figures at the Royal Sussex County hospital when reconstruction is complete.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Brighton health care national health service trust currently employs approximately 4,500 staff. Future employment plans at the trust is a matter for the board, the chairman of which is Mr. John Spiers.
  576
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what part the planned expansion of the Nuffield Sussex trust hospital has played in the revision of bed space demands at the Royal Sussex county hospital.

  Mr. Sackville
  The planned provision of health services from the Royal Sussex county hospital is a matter for Brighton health care national health service trust and East Sussex health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. John Spiers, chairman of the trust for details.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide details of the present pattern of bed usage within the Brighton health care NHS trust and the proposed pattern of use when the reconstruction of the Royal Sussex county hospital is complete.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  Dental Charges
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total amount raised from all charges on NHS dental services.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  In 1992–93 patient charge income from the general dental services was £394·8 million, net of refunds to patients. Information is not available centrally on the small amount of income raised by the limited range of patient charges applicable in the community and hospital dental services.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much would be raised if the amount paid for a course of NHS dental treatment by a patient not exempt from charges was raised from 80 per cent. of the cost of treatment to(a) 85 per cent., (b) 90 per cent., (c) 95 per cent. and (d) 100 per cent.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Each additional 5 per cent. increase in the rate of the proportional charge would raise between £20 million and £25 million. This estimate is made on the assumption that there is no change in the demand for or supply of dental treatment under the general dental services.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what would be the total annual saving to the Exchequer of removing the exemption for pregnant women and nursing mothers from dental examination and treatment charges.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Some £23 million in 1992–93.

  Abortions
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women having terminations of pregnancies in non-NHS hospitals were charged for the procedure in the last year for which figures are available; and what was the average charge levied.

  Mr. Sackville
  Of the total 179,522 abortions in 1991, 84,442—47 per cent—were carried out under the national health service, either directly in NHS hospitals or under arrangements between certain NHS authorities and the private sector. A total of 95,080 were performed on a private fee paying basis.

  Information on fees charged by private clinics is supplied to the Department on an in confidence basis. The hon. Member may wish to approach individual approved places direct about the level of their fees.

  Prescriptions
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give for each year since 1988 the change in numbers of items prescribed resulting from changes to the limited list.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The total number of prescriptions dispensed in each of the years from 1988 is shown in the table. It is not possible to isolate the effect of the selected list scheme from the other factors which have an influence on the number of national health service prescriptions dispensed each year.

  Number of prescriptions—England

  Year

  Number (million)

  1988

  375·5

  1989

  383·5

  1990

  394·8

  11991

  413·9

  21991

  406·5

  1992

  425·1

  1 1988 to 1991 (a) are based on fees. They cover prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors and personal administration.

  2 1991 (b) to 1992 data are from the new prescription cost analysis system based on items and have the same coverage as above.

  Health Service Reform
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role was played by the Royal College of Nursing and other royal colleges in establishing the clinical standards advisory group; and what assessment he has made of the contribution of this group to the debate on health service reform.

  Mr. Sackville
  The medical and nursing royal colleges were consulted on and fully supported the establishment of the clinical standards advisory group—CSAG—in 1991. All of the group's appointed members are nominated by the medical and nursing royal colleges in the manner prescribed by the CSAG Regulations (1991 No. 578). The group's first reports, on access to and availability of specialist services published in July, copies of which are available in the Library, made a positive and constructive contribution to discussions on how best to maintain and raise standards of clinical care for national health service patients. The group has just submitted its second report, on services for people with diabetes, which the United Kingdom Health Ministers will consider carefully and publish with their response early next year.

  Child Prostitution
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what are the latest estimated figures of her Department for the numbers of children involved in child prostitution;

  (2) what measures are being taken by her Department to deal with the problems of child prostitution.

  Mr. Bowis
  My Department does not have central figures to estimate the numbers of children involved in child prostitution. I understand that my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department collects figures on the number of children cautioned or proceeded against for soliciting offences.578
  Local authorities social services have a duty under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 to investigate where they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child in their area is suffering from or is likely to suffer significant harm and this would include information received suggesting a child may need protection from child prostitution. The Government's guidance, "Working Together", emphasises that the investigative process should involve gathering information from other key professionals and liaising with other investigating agencies such as the police. Any action taken to protect the child should be taken in collaboration with all the other agencies involved.

  Royal Free Hospital
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to make a decision about the future of the renal transplant unit at the Royal Free hospital.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Government are taking the important advice of the specialty reviews into account in their review of hospital services in London.

  The issues are complex but it is our intention to make some initial announcements shortly.

  Surgery Costs
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost of NHS procedures for(a) total hip replacement, (b) total knee replacement, (c) coronary artery bypass grafting, (d) mitral-aortic valve replacement, (e) hernia repair, (f) stripping of varicose veins, (g) hysterectomy, (h) tonsillectomy, (i) cataract extraction and lens implant, (j) knee replacement, (k) heart transplant, (l) heart/lung transplant and (m) surgery for an enlarged prostate.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information available is shown in the table. All estimates of average cost are at 1991–92 prices and inclusive of an allowance for capital charges. Estimates are not available for total knee replacement, stripping of varicose veins, knee replacement, heart/lung transplant and surgery for an enlarged prostate.

  NHS procedure

  Estimated average cost in £s (1991–92 prices)

  Total hip replacement

  3,810

  Coronary artery bypass grafting

  5,870

  Heart valve replacement

  8,800

  Inguinal hernia

  1,140

  Hysterectomy

  2,050

  Tonsillectomy

  590

  Cataract extraction

  1,230

  Heart transplant

  26,400

  General Practitioners
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners in England received gross payments in excess of £200,000 in each year since 1991–92.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available centrally.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether travel expenses for employees of national health service trusts, incurred through attending training sessions, should be paid by the employing trust.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This is a matter for the employing trust.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the total accumulated receipts of the NHS trusts that have achieved a 6 per cent. return on assets.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  National health service trusts do not have accumulated receipts. They do, however, have accumulated reserves which represent the surpluses retained in the trusts after interest and dividends. The total net accumulated income and expenditure reserves of all NHS trusts at 31 March 1993 was £134,510,000.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what connections the outgoing chairman of the Royal Cornwall hospital trust had with any political party;

  (2) what are the party political affiliations of chairs of trusts and regional health authorities and district health authorities at present.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  We do not seek details on political affiliation. People are appointed for their personal qualities, and for the skills they bring to the leadership and strategic direction of the national health service.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to dismiss the chairman and chief executives of(a) health authorities and (b) NHS trusts whose authorities fail regularly to meet the standards of the patients charter.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  None.

  We expect the corporate governance task force to set out new definitions of the functions of chairmen and non-executive directors and it will be against these definitions that their performance will be judged. The performance of chief executives of national health service authorities and trusts is a matter for the chairman and non-executive directors working together.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the salary of the chairman of the Royal Cornwall hospital trust.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The remuneration of the chairman of the Royal Cornwall hospital trust is £19,285 per year.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the grounds for not renewing the contract from 30 November of the chairman of the Royal Cornwall hospital trust; when he was informed that his contract would not be renewed; and on what basis he was appointed as chairman of the trust two years ago.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The chairman of the Royal Cornwall hospital trust was appointed for a two year term of office which expired on 30 November 1993.

  In considering whether to offer a further term, we sought advice from the national health service management executive outpost director and the regional health authority chairman. We decided, after very careful consideration of a variety of factors which govern these matters, that a change in the leadership of the trust was necessary.
  580
  I wrote to the chairman of the Royal Cornwall hospital trust on 5 November informing him of my decision.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the current official listed business addresses of each(a) NHS hospital trust and (b) general practitioner fund holding practice within (i) the Trent regional health authority and (ii) Yorkshire regional health authority.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  A list of addresses of national health service trusts in Trent and Yorkshire regions will be placed in the Library. The information on general practitioner fundholding practices is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Michael Carlisle and Sir Bryan Askew, the chairmen of the Trent and Yorkshire regional health authorities for details.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ask all existing chairmen and non-executive directors of health authorities and NHS trusts if they would be willing to continue in office without payment other than loss of earnings and expenses.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  No.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons were given for the chief executive of the Royal Cornwall hospital trust leaving in February 1992.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This is a matter for the board chairman and non-executive directors of the Royal Cornwall hospital trust. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. John Williams, vice chairman of the trust and acting chairman, for details.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to issue advice to NHS trusts to prevent trusts seeking contracts by offering faster treatment for patients covered by these contracts.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Guidance has already been issued jointly by the Department and the Joint Consultants Committee which clearly states that provider units should not offer contracts to one purchaser which would disadvantage the patients of another purchaser.

  West Midlands Regional Health Authority
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if Sir James Ackers(a) resigned, (b) was asked to resign or (c) was dismissed from the chairmanship of West Midlands regional health authority;

  (2) what were her reasons for paying Sir James Ackers £10,000 under paragraph 9(3) of schedule 5 to the National Health Service Act 1977.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Sir James Ackers resigned from the position of chairman of West Midlands regional health authority on 8 January 1993.

  The decision to offer a compensation payment took account of the fact that Sir James Ackers resigned from the position of chairman of the West Midlands regional health authority 18 months before his term of office was due to expire; and that in his 10 years of service considerable progress was made, particularly in carrying out many major hospital developments; waiting lists had fallen dramatically and a record number of patients had been treated.

  Ambulances
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients were recorded as dead on arrival by each ambulance trust in each of the last five years;

  (2) how many patients were recorded as dead on arrival by ambulance by region in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  Bomb-proofing
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the cost, by location, of bomb-proofing the Department's premises.

  Mr. Sackville
  On security grounds, I do not propose to give this information.

  Referrals
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to hold centrally records in respect of(a) regional health authorities and (b) district health authorities on the number of extra-contractual referrals that they have refused; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  There are no plans to collect this information centrally.

  Cancer
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of male and female adult cancer patients have been included in clinical treatment trials in the NHS in the last available year;

  (2) if she will give the percentage of male and female child cancer patients who have been included in clinical treatment trials in the NHS in the last available year.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  Coronary Care
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were turned away from coronary care units, in the last recorded year, through lack of space.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally. Any hospital that takes acute admissions will have coronary care facilities, and if a patient needing those facilities cannot be accommodated in a coronary care unit for any reason they will normally be accommodated in an acute medical ward where they will receive the same treatment and care as they would in a coronary care unit.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many coronary care unit beds there were in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not routinely collected centrally. Figures based on the latest information available indicated that in 1991 there were at least 879 coronary care beds and 356 high dependency beds in England.

  GPs (Night Visits)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current fee payable to a general practitioner when making a night visit between the hours of 10 pm and 8 am.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The higher night visit fee, payable where a visit is made by the patient's own general practitioner, a GP from the patient's practice, or by a GP from a small rota of not more than 10 GPs, is £46·65; the lower night visit fee, payable for all other visits, is £15·55.

  Smoking
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the effect on the level of cigarette consumption of the price of cigarettes.

  Mr. Sackville
  Increases in price have been shown to decrease consumption, though by a proportionately smaller amount. A 10 per cent. increase in price, for example, would be expected to lead to a reduction in consumption in the range of 3 per cent. to 6 per cent.

  General Practitioner Fundholders
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has given to regions concerning their plans for the funding allocations for general practitioner fundholders.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Guidance on setting general practitioner fundholder budgets is given in EL(93)93, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with North West Thames regional health authority over its proposed adjustment to the funding allocation for fundholding general practitioners; and if he will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  All regional health authorities set general practitioner fund-holder budgets within the framework set out in EL(93)93, which requires them to take account of significant local factors. Copies of EL(93)93 are available in the Library.

  Private Ambulance Operators
  Mr. Ian Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to issue a code of practice for private ambulance operators.

  Mr. Sackville
  A code of practice for private ambulance operators has been published today. Copies will be placed in the Library. The code sets out minimum standards in a range of important operational areas including staff selection and training, vehicles, equipment and telecommunications. It will provide valuable guidance for purchasers in judging the quality of potential providers against the high standards set by national health service ambulance services, as well as giving private providers clear indicators of the standard of service acceptable to the national health service.

  National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990
  Sir Michael Grylls
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will establish a task force of senior civil servants to consider the workings of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  No.

  Hospital Patients
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost per day for each patient in(a) health authority-run hospitals and (b) national health service trust hospitals; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The cost per day for each patient in directy managed units and national health service trust hospitals in 1991–92 was £149·87 and £168·89 respectively. The figures are based on patients using a bed and include day cases. Direct comparisons are not meaningful since a large proportion of first wave trust hospitals were acute units whose costs would be greater than directly managed units with long-stay facilities.

  Pensioners
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost to public funds of each person of pensionable age cared for in(a) a NHS hospital, (b) a registered nursing home and (c) a registered residential care home; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  Information relating to the costs of hospital care is not available by age group. Information concerning financial support for residents who entered registered nursing and residential care homes prior to April 1993 is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security. No information is as yet available centrally on the situation since April 1993 under the new community care arrangements.

  Asthma (Pollution)
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the Government's assessment of the relationship between air pollution and asthma.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Department is advised on the effects on health of air pollutants by two independent expert committees, the Advisory Group on the Medical Aspects of Air Pollution Episodes—MAAPE—and the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants—COMEAP. Asthma is an ill-understood disease. The role of the interactions of genetic and environmental factors, such as exposure to vehicle exhaust emissions and allergens, in triggering off asthma attacks remains unclear. Earlier this year, therefore, a sub-group of COMEAP was established, specifically to advise on the link between exposure to air pollutants and asthma. The first meeting of this sub-group took place in June. A report of its findings will be published and placed in the Library.

  Hypothermia
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths were recorded with a reference to hypothermia in each year since 1985.
  584
  Mr. Sackville
  The information is shown in the table.

  Number of deaths with hypothermia as the underlying cause of death and with any mention of hypothermia on the death certificate, England and Wales, 1985–1992

  Underlying cause

  Mentions

  1985

  440

  827

  1986

  437

  837

  1987

  269

  559

  1988

  194

  440

  1989

  166

  372

  1990

  152

  368

  1991

  249

  534

  1992

  149

  362

  Note:

  Neonatal deaths for 1986 to 1992 are included in the mentions but not in the underlying cause of death (neonatal deaths were not given an underlying cause of death from 1 January 1986 onwards).

  Unemployment
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies she has undertaken to establish the impact of unemployment on health.

  Mr. Sackville
  Details of recent research are included in the Office of Health Economics briefing number 29 published in July 1993, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Suicides
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of adult suicides in 1992; and how many of these were unemployed.

  Mr. Sackville
  Information on the number of people who have committed suicide and who were unemployed is not available centrally. At death registration informants are asked for last occupation rather than employment status of the deceased.

  The table shows adult suicide deaths—ICD1 E950-E959—by sex for England and Wales for 1992.

  Data for 1992 are provisional.

  1992

  18+

  Males

  3,026

  Females

  895

  1 International Classification of Disease code ninth revision.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Agricultural Products
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of places on the Codex Alimentarius Commission are currently occupied by representatives of commercial companies operating businesses related to the supply, processing and sale of agricultural products and derivatives; and what measures are proposed to limit the influence of companies operating businesses related to the supply, processing and sales of agricultural products and derivatives on the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

  Mr. Soames
  The Codex Alimentarius is an inter-governmental body and thus the decisions reached
  585
  are those reached by Governments. Generally speaking, official representation at meetings is thus by Government officials. There are, however, no rules on the composition of delegations from countries. Normally trade and consumer representatives are present at Codex meetings either as advisers in national delegations, at the invitation of the Government concerned, or as observers representing international trade or consumer organisations that have been recognised by Codex.

  I see no need to limit the influence of trade, or consumer representation on matters considered at Codex meetings.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures are proposed to ensure an increased representation by independent consumer, environment and public health representatives at full meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission; and if she will list those matters which are currently directly determined by(a) the Government of the United Kingdom and (b) the official institutions of the European Union which will no longer be determined by these institutions under the terms of the sanitary and hypto-sanitary measures in the current draft of the GATT agreement.

  Mr. Soames
  Representation at Codex meetings by independent consumer, environment and public health representatives is already possible, at their own expense, and I know of no measures intended to increase this.

  The GATT agreement will bring with it a subsidiary agreement—the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement—whereby the standards agreed by Codex will be regarded as the international norm in cases of trade disputes that come forward for adjudication under GATT dispute settlement procedures. Nevertheless, individual countries, and the European Union, would still be free to set their own standards. In the event of a trade dispute, countries imposing more rigorous standards would have to demonstrate that they were justified scientifically.

  Association of Drainage Authorities
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether her Department's officials who attended the annual conference of the Association of Drainage Authorities on 10 November will pass on the information they gained to the Department of the Environment; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  There is no need to do so as the matters raised at the annual conference come within the responsibilities of my right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Sewage Sludge
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the current designated disposal sites for sewage sludge dumping off the Yorkshire coast; how often these sites are reviewed; and if a map showing these sites can be(a) placed in the Library and (b) sent to the hon. Member.

  Mr. Jack
  The designated site off the Yorkshire coast for the dumping of sewage sludge is some 12 miles east of Spurn Head in an area bounded by the co-ordinates:

  53°

  35·00' N

  0°

  30·00' E

  53°

  35·00' N

  0°

  35·00' E

  53°

  30·00' N

  0°

  35·35' E

  53°

  30·00' N

  0°

  30·00' E

  586
  The site is located in deep water and its suitability for sewage sludge disposal is kept under continuous review in the light of the results of the regular monitoring programme. The monitoring results are published in the Ministry's aquatic environment monitoring report series. In March 1990 the Government announced that the disposal of sewage sludge at sea would cease at the end of 1998.

  I have arranged for a chart showing the location of the disposal site to be placed in the Library and for a copy of this chart and the fourth report of the Marine Pollution Monitoring Management Group's Co-ordinating Group on Monitoring of Sewage Sludge Disposal Sites to be sent to the hon. Member.

  Bomb Proofing
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the cost, by location, of bomb-proofing the Department's premises.

  Mr. Jack
  On security grounds, I do not propose to give this information.

  Overseas Visits
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many visits abroad she has made during 1993; and what was(a) the cost to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.

  Mr. Jack
  During 1993, the Minister and her predecessor made a total of 19 visits abroad. Their total travel and hotel costs amount to £24,758. Eleven visits were to EC Councils of Ministers; the remaining eight were in support of bilateral relations and trade promotion.

  Cattle Imports
  Sir Ivan Lawrence
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action she is taking to ensure the maintenance of the highest health controls on the importation of cattle from abroad; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  The Ministry is taking a number of measures designed to help prevent the introduction and spread of disease by imported cattle:

  we have instigated 24-hour periods of blanket surveillance at all south and east coast ports which cover exports as well as imports;

  we are targeting consignments where there is a particular animal health disease risk with up to 100 per cent. checks;

  we gave stepped up checks at points of destination to between 50 and 60 per cent. on average.

  Where concerns have been greatest the following measures have been taken:

  following imports earlier this year of warbled cattle from France we have introduced a 100 per cent. check on all imported cattle from France. Diseased animals will be re-exported at the owner's expense;

  following imports last year of foot and mouth disease sero-positive cattle from eastern Europe, the European Community has not instituted a pre-export testing requirement on all cattle originating from eastern Europe; as an additional safeguard we are conducting 100 per cent. testing of all cattle imported from these countries;
  587
  it is possible but not yet proven that the recent outbreak of brucellosis in Wales was associated with an imported animal. Our investigations are continuing. In the meantime, we are stepping up our checking at destination on cattle from France and the Netherlands.

  We are taking other steps which should cut down the risk of importing diseases in the future.

  we raise with the member states concerned and the Commission disease problems on each occasion they arise. We also monitor very closely the Commission's role in enforcing proper implementation of Community animal health rules in other member states;

  we are urging the Community to harmonise standards of veterinary certification based on the principles drawn up by the Federation of Veterinarians in Europe and in particular that vets should certify only where they have personal knowledge of the relevant facts.

  Dumping at Sea
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further steps she envisages to tackle nuclear waste dumping at sea arising out of the London convention meeting in November of the International Maritime Organisation; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  The consultative meeting of the London convention held on 8-12 November agreed to introduce a ban on the disposal of radioactive waste at sea. The United Kingdom abstained from the vote. We are currently considering the implications of the convention's decision on this matter, but we have no immediate plans to carry out sea dumping of radioactive waste.

  Animal Feedingstuffs
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements she has for obtaining independent expert advice on the safety of animal feedingstuffs.

  Mr. Soames
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and I have been giving further thought to the present arrangements following the recommendation last year from the expert group on animal feedingstuffs for a standing advisory committee to have an overview of feedingstuffs safety issues.

  Existing committees—the spongiform encephalopathy advisory committee, the advisory committee on the microbiological safety of food, and the veterinary products committee—are clearly well equipped to advise on major aspects of the subject. Beyond this, however, there is a need, identified by the expert group, to consider new developments concerning feed materials, manufacturing processes and feeding practices insofar as these might pose risks for human and animal health.

  We have concluded that the best way of ensuring that new developments in these fields are properly assessed will be for the responsible Departments to hold regular reviews to identify any matters that may require an independent appraisal and then to obtain whatever specialist advice is needed to evaluate the specific isue. Flexible arrangements on these lines will bring the most relevant expertise to bear in the least burdensome way.

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has received on the subject of the hill livestock compensatory allowance scheme; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  My right hon. Friend met representatives of the National Farmers Union, the National Farmers Union of Scotland and the Ulster Farmers Union on 26 October to discuss economic conditions in the hills and uplands. Ministry officials have also had meetings with these bodies, the Farmers Union of Wales and the Country Landowners Association. In addition, my right hon. Friend and I have had correspondence with a number of hon. Members representing hill farming constituencies.

  Scrapie
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what published scientific information is available concerning natural scrapie in Suffolk sheep.

  Mr. Soames
  I shall write to the hon. Member with a list of the information.

  Offals
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why specified offals excluded from the food chain in 1989 did not include bone marrow, liver and kidney.

  Mr. Soames
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave him on 1 November at column 34.

  Forestry Commission Land
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list, for each separate piece of land currently owned or leased by the Forestry Commission in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire(a) its name and (b) its area in hectares; and whether she will place a map in the Library which names and identifies each of these pieces of land.

  Mr. Jack
  The Forestry Commission manages the following areas of land in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire:

  County

  Area (hectares)

  Derbyshire

  3,339

  Leicestershire

  669

  Lincolnshire

  5,627

  Northamptonshire

  4,090

  I have made arrangements for a map showing the location of the individual areas to be placed in the Library as soon as possible.

  The more detailed information requested on the individual areas is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Sheep Dips
  Mr. Fry
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fishiers and Food what is the most recent advise she has received from the Veterinary Products Committee on the continued use of organophosphorous sheep dips.
  589
  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The VPC has carefully and thoroughly examined all issues surrounding the use of OP dips. It has found that there is no evidence to support either a ban or suspension on the use of OP dips when used correctly. Nevertheless the Government and the VPC have to treat with the utmost seriousness any suggestion of potential harm to human health. We are therefore taking clear and positive steps, in a carefully planned and organised way, to restrict their availability. A useful analogy to our approach is that used with regard to pesticides.

  The Veterinary Products Committee gave further considertion to the future licensing of organophosphorous sheep dip products at its meeting on 21 October 1993 and confirmed its report at its meeting on 25 November.

  Organophosphorous sheep dips are highly effective weapons in our fight to ensure that the United Kingdom's 40 million sheep are properly protected from harmful disease, and I welcome the Veterinary Products Committee's clear advice following their meetings that the marketing of these dips can continue. Over the last eight years, there have been 529 cases of reported human ill health associated with sheep dip exposure. The Committee found that in the majority of cases where information was available the full recommended protective clothing had not been worn or properly used.

  The number of reported adverse reactions must be seen in the context of over a million occasions when flocks—involving hundreds of millions of sheep—were dipped during that eight-year period. I am disappointed that, notwithstanding the publicity drive we have carried out since the Committee's report in April, many sheep dippers are still failing to take the necessary precaustions. The Committee has therefore recommended the introduction of a new certificate of competence, which would mean in future that only dippers who hold such certificates would be allowed to buy these dips.

  The Government fully support this proposal. We have already begun discussions with the National Proficiency Test Council and the Agricultural Training Board about arrangements to bring in a statutory certification scheme before the next dipping season. We will be consulting interested parties shortly about plans to require dippers wishing to buy OP sheep dips to have enrolled for the NPTC certificate by 1 April 1994, and to have obtained certificates by 1 April 1995. Meanwhile, the training that would be required to obtain a certificate will be available on a voluntary basis at NPTC—approved courses from early January 1994 onwards.

  I have also agreed with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health that a panel of medical and scientific experts should be set up, as a sub-committee of the Veterinary Products Committee, to address the question of co-ordinating research into reports of long term health effects aising from exposure. Terms of reference and composition of the panel are currently being drawn up, and a further announcement giving full details will be made shortly.

  The Government will also be undertaking a review to ensure that sheep dips are disposed of safely.

  I am very grateful to Professor Armour for the care and depth with which he and his Committee has considered the issues and all the information put to it, and for its clear advice.

  The report setting out the Veterinary Products Committee's recommendations to the Licensing Authority
  590
  (Agriculture and Health Ministers), and the measures through which the Government intend to implement them, is today beikng placed in the Library of the House.

  Intervention Board
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total number of employees, by grade, in the Intervention Board executive agency; how many at each grade are women; what steps the Intervention Board Executive Agency has taken to implement the programme for action to achieve equality of opportunity for women in the civil service, announced by the Minister for the Civil Service in 1992; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the action plan drawn up by the Intervention Board for implementing the programme in that agency.

  Mrs. Shephard
  Responsibility for this matter is delegated to the Intervention Board executive agency and I have asked the chief executive to reply to the hon. Gentleman direct.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total number of employees, by grade, in the Intervention Board executive agency; how many at each grade are of ethnic minority origin; what steps the Intervention Board executive agency has taken to implement the programme for action to achieve equality of opportunity for people of ethnic minority origin, announced by the Minister for the Civil Service on 22 May 1990; and if she will place in the Library a copy of the action plan drawn up by the intervention board for implementing the programme in that agency.

  Mrs. Shephard
  Responsibility for this matter is delegated to the Intervention Board executive agency and I have asked the chief executive to reply to the hon. Gentleman direct.

  Letter from G. Stapleton to Mr. Frank Field, dated 1 December 1993:
  The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to the Parliamentary Questions on the Equal Opportunities Programmes for Action which appeared under your name on the Notice of Questions given on 23 November. The information you requested is set out below and in the enclosed annexes, together with explanations of the general background.

  Women in the Civil Service
  Enclosed at Annex I is a list of the total number of employees in the Agency, by grade, showing separately the number of women in each grade. Following the introduction of the Programme for Action in 1992 the Agency drew up its Action Plan, a copy of which is at Annex II. We are fully committed to equal opportunities with the aim of implementing those recommendations within the Programme for Action which are Applicable to the agency.
  The Intervention Board has a policy on flexible working patterns which includes staff who work part-time but only during school term time, as well as the more usual part-time arrangements which apply throughout the year. Currently about 15% of the staff of the Agency are part-time employees. There are also some examples of job sharing within the Agency and the arrangements are being examined to identify other posts to which this flexibility could apply. Career breaks are granted to staff in appropriate circumstances to meet their domestic commitments and proposals have been put to our Trade Union Side to formalise this scheme. The Agency has agreed to take the lead on Child Care on the co-ordinating body for Civil Service departments and agencies within the Reading area and is liaising with the Thames Valley Training and Enterprise Council in order to provide a child

  591
  care information service. For the 1993 summer holiday, places were offered for the children of staff on a local play scheme. Opportunities for the provision of future schemes is being examined.
  Recruitment and promotion boards wherever possible include at least one woman member and the Agency's Equal Opportunities Policy is publicised to job applicants and staff. Sexual Harassment Contact Officers have received specialist training and are available to counsel staff. The Agency's training strategy takes account of the needs of women and includes courses directed specifically towards women. In-house training courses have also been re-organised on a flexible basis to suit the needs of part-time members of staff.
  It is encouraging to see that the proportion of women in the management grades has steadily increased in recent years; at Executive Officer level women now represent just under 50% of the grade total; at Higher Executive Officer level women account for just under 40%; and at Senior Executive Officer level just over 20%. If this trend continues, as we are confident it will with the assistance of our Equal Opportunities Policy, it augurs well for the achievement of the Agency's aims. However, more needs to be done and the Agency team dealing with Equal Opportunities Policy is being strengthened.

  Ethnic Minority Issues in the Civil Service
  Attached at Annex III is a list containing the total number of employees by grade with an estimation of those of ethnic minority origin. The details given in Annex III were obtained from an exercise undertaken solely for the purpose of this reply. However, dicussions have been under way over the last 2-3 months with the local Trades Union Side on the details of an ethnic monitoring survey of all staff in the Agency. This survey will be underpinned by a Code of Practice governing access to the data and its confidentiality.
  Since the Programme for Action for People of Ethnic Minority Origin was announced in 1990 steps have been taken to ensure that all staff are aware of the Agency's commitment to equality of opportunity. Managers in particular are made aware of the requirement to operate equal opportunities in such matters as staff reporting and promotion, and of their responsibilities to develop all staff. All training avoids the use of racial stereotypes. Once the Code of Practice has been agreed and the questionnaires issued and returned we will be able to monitor more closely the effectiveness of the Agency's commitment to the Programme of Action including the publication of its Action Plan on race which is currently under preparation.
  Since the publication of the Programme for Action the Agency has not had any grievance raised concerning discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race and has aimed to ensure that all personnel policies seek to prevent discrimination on these grounds. The publication of the Agency's Departmental Action Plan will help to reinforce these policies and we are confident that they will improve the Ethnic Minority representation more widely throughout the Agency's management grades. The strengthening of the Agency's Equal Opportunities team will enable the Agency to press ahead with the implementation of the Departmental Action Plan.

  Annex I

  Total number of employees within the agency as at 31 October 1993 indicating number of women by grade

  Grade

  Grade Total1

  Number of women by grade1

  3

  1

  —

  5

  5

  —

  6

  4

  —

  7

  21

  1

  SEO

  48

  10

  HEO

  116

  45

  EO

  207

  100

  AO

  453

  302

  AA

  112

  71

  SGB1

  9

  6

  SGB2

  26

  12

  SUTLX

  1

  1

  SPTLX

  5

  3

  CTM

  1

  1

  TM

  2

  2

  592

  Grade

  Grade Total1

  Number of women by grade1

  TYP

  22

  22

  PS

  14

  14

  ADAS1

  1

  —

  ADAS2

  1

  —

  Total

  1,049

  590

  1 Includes permanent and casual employees.

  ANNEX II

  Intervention Board—Executive Agency:

  1993 Departmental Action Plan for Women

  Introduction

  1. The Intervention Board is a medium size Agency, firmly committed to a strong, sound policy of equal opportunity for women, covering current staff, potential recruits and future employees.

  2. The Agency's basic aim is to operate the Common Agricultural Policy Guarantee Section within the United Kingdom, as efficiently and effectively as possible in accordance with policies laid down by Agriculture Ministers.

  3. The Agency has no responsibility for public appointments and the activities, other than direct appointment of staff, do not offer the opportunity of influencing women's issues. The activities set out in this plan therefore relate solely to the employment of women by the Agency and their career development.

  Issues for Women

  4. The Agency's approach is based on central guide-lines issued by the Cabinet Office's (OPSS) 'A Programme for Action to Achieve Equality of Opportunity for Women in the Civil Service', (first introduced in 1984 and revised in 1992).

  5. The Agency has reviewed its progress in meeting aims of the 1984 programme and has now set out challenging but achievable targets for future years in line with the methodology suggested by the Opportunity 2000 Campaign which is supported by the OPSS and the revised directions issued in March 1992. The Agency, as with other smaller Government bodies, belongs to the Opportunity 2000 Campaign by virtue of the Cabinet Office "umbrella" subscription.

  6. There is already a well established framework of existing procedures in the Agency, which is being strengthened to demonstrate the Agency's commitment to equal opportunities for women on merit.

  7. Monitoring and, where appropriate, procedures will be strengthened which will:

  (a) seek to attract a greater number of women job applicants;

  (b) ensure that recruiting procedures do not discriminate against women;

  (c) encourage women to enhance their career prospects through appropriate training;

  (d) ensure that all women employees are given opportunities to develop their job and career prospects;

  (e) monitor the annual staff reporting and performance pay awards to ensure that equal opportunity practices are followed for women;

  (f) ensure that there is no discrimination against women at the Agency's promotion boards;

  (g) run pro-active policies to retain women staff and to encourage their return after career breaks.

  8. The Agency has established within the framework of these main commitments, individual targets to achieve further progress for the Agency's women staff. Some of the targets are short term to be achieved within 6 to 12 months, others intermediate within 2 to 5 years, and the balance within 5 to 8 years.

  9. The Agency is headed by a Chief Executive at Grade 3. There is currently a balance of women in posts up to and including Executive Officer level which represents the national average of women in the economically active proportion of the population. Although there is no woman officer above Grade 7 level, we have already enhanced the numbers in our middle management grades and intend to improve the balance by grade profile in future years subject to individuals' merit.

  593

  10. The computer Personnel Project, currently being developed, will, when in place, enhance monitoring and the availability of statistics on a gender basis.

  11. The Agency has for several years, pioneered and operated schemes for part time working including permanent term time only posts, with varied and flexible working patterns, including job sharing. These have enabled women staff to return to work despite family commitments as well as new staff to be attracted to its employ.

  12. Some women in the Agency have already taken advantage of the 'Women Only' training courses run by the Civil Service College, and the Industrial Society.

  13. A policy statement and complaints procedure for Sexual Harassment, was published in February 1990 and is currently being updated. A female Sexual Harassment Officer for women is already in place and a male counterpart will be appointed shortly.

  14. Wherever possible internal promotion and external recruitment boards have suitably qualified women represented.

  Priorities for action

  15. Although the Agency has a very good record as an employer of women, it considers that there is still more to achieve, in particular, in their representation at middle and senior management grades. Its intentions to meet this and other commitments are set out in the following priorities to be met by 31 March 1993:

  (a) to endorse the equal opportunities statement in all recruitment advertisements;

  (b) to set up more effect gender monitoring on recruitment;

  (c) to improve gender monitoring statistics on training (and career progression);

  16. The following have been identified as priorities to be met by 30 June 1993:

  (a) to agree a training strategy for women to enhance their career prospects;

  (b) to decide on a possible biennial conference for women in the Agency;

  (c) to agree procedures for monitoring Staff Reporting overall assessments by gender;

  (d) to implement a Career Break Scheme;

  (e) to take a decision on whether child care facilities can be provided.

  17. The Agency has continuing commitments:

  (a) to review separate internal training schemes for part-time and term-time staff where appropriate and to enhance the availability generally of all training in the Agency for these staff;

  (b) to promote, where appropriate, "positive action" training for women only on both internal and external courses;

  (c) to establish career progression statistics by gender;

  (d) to keep under consideration with its line managers all posts that may prove suitable for varied work patterns;

  (e) to ensure that its "in house" magazines encourage articles and features from women.

  Review and publication of results

  18. Progress toward the set targets on equal opportunities will be continuously monitored, and existing procedures will be reviewed and updated. The staff will be notified by means of Office Notices.

  21 December 1992.

  Annex III

  Total number of employees within the agency as at 31 October 1993 with estimated number of ethnic minority staff by grade

  Grade

  Grade total1

  Estimated number of ethnic minority staffby grade1

  3

  1

  —

  5

  5

  —

  6

  4

  —

  7

  21

  —

  SEO

  48

  —

  HEO

  116

  1

  EO

  207

  6

  AO

  453

  43

  594

  Grade

  Grade total1

  Estimated number of ethnic minority staff by grade1

  AA

  112

  14

  SGB1

  9

  1

  SGB2

  26

  1

  SUTLX

  1

  —

  SPTLX

  5

  —

  CTM

  1

  —

  TM

  2

  —

  TYP

  22

  2

  PS

  14

  1

  ADASI

  1

  —

  ADAS2

  1

  —

  ——

  ——

  Total

  1,049

  69

  1Includes both permanent and casual employees.

  Bananas
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what consultation she has had with the chairman of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce in relation to the issuing of banana import licences in the present year; and if she will make a statement;

  (2) what consultation she has had with representatives of the banana importing trade in relation to potential conflict of interest between the functions of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce in issuing licences for import of bananas and the position of the chairman of the board being also chairman and chief executive of Fyffes.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 26 November 1993]: When the EC banana regime was established, arrangements were put in place to avoid the possibility of any conflict of interest arising from the chairman of the Intervention Board also being chairman and chief executive of Fyffes. The chairman is not, in any case, involved in the day-to-day running of the agency. The board's officials have issued licences to import bananas into the European Community in the present year entirely in accordance with the provisions of Council Regulation 404/93 and Commission Regulations 1442/93 and 1443/93 with this in mind, my right hon. Friend has had no need for consultations with the chairman of the board, nor with representatives of the banana importing trade on this matter.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Disability Allowances
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was his original estimate of the number of people who would be in employment as a result of the disability working allowance once the scheme was fully operational; what is the current figure; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  The original estimate that about 50,000 people might be entitled to DWA was based on surveys of disabled people carried out by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. The current case load is 3,176. New
  595
  benefits can, of course, be expected to take a period of years to become established and so the original estimate has not been revised.

  Ms Hoey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what special rules for the terminally ill still apply for claimants of disability living allowance.

  Mr. Scott
  Special arrangements ensure that people with a limited life expectancy of six months or less are awarded the highest rate of the care component of disability living allowance, or the higher rate of attendance allowance, whether or not they have care needs, and without having to serve a qualifying period. Such claims are handled under special administrative procedures to ensure a speedy response.

  It is also possible for a third party to make a claim on behalf of the terminally ill person, with or without that person's knowledge.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons over the age of 65 years claim both mobility component disability living allowance and care component disability living allowance or mobility component disability living allowance and attendance allowance.

  Mr. Scott
  The information requested is not available because the age of the claimant is not recorded unless the claim is successful.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many persons over the age of 65 years are in receipt of attendance allowance or disability living allowance care component;

  (2) how many persons over the age of 80 years are in receipt of attendance allowance or disability living allowance care component;

  (3) how many persons over 65 years receive mobility component disability living allowance.

  Mr. Scott
  We estimate that on 31 March 1993 there were 929,000 people over the age of 65 getting the care component of disability living allowance or attendance allowance; of these, 507,000 were over 80 years of age. We also estimate that 228,000 people over the age of 65 were getting the mobility component of disability living allowance.

  Note: For attendance allowance the source to determine age is a 1 per cent. sample used to adjust and apportion the AA pay load by age. For disability living allowance the source is a 5 per cent. sample.

  State Earnings-related Pensions Scheme
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the future of SERPS.

  Mr. Hague
  The Government are committed to ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to make provision for their retirement in addition to the basic state pension. SERPs is one of several options available to people. Some 10 million people are contracted out of SERPs through occupational pension schemes; and an additional 5 million people have chosen to contract out of SERPs through personal pensions. The Government want to encourage personal responsibility in the provision of pensions, and we are considering ways of ensuring that personal pensions remains attractive across the age range.
  596
  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many individuals who contracted out of SERPs during the last year for which figures are available had earnings whch when expressed as a fraction of national average earnings were(a) less than 50 per cent., (b) 50 to 99 per cent., (c) 100 to 149 per cent. and (d) 150 per cent. or more.

  Mr. Hague
  The information is not available in the form requested. Information on the earnings of members of contracted out occupational schemes expressed as a percentage of national average earnings, as at the end of 1991–92, is shown in the table. Such information as is available on the earnings of individuals contracted out of SERPs by virtue of appropriate personal pensions is contained in "Social Security Statistics 1993", a copy of which is in the Library.

  Earnings band

  Number of employees in contracted-out employment (000s)

  Less than 50 per cent. of national average earnings

  360

  Between 50 and 99 per cent. of national average earnings

  2,620

  Between 100 and 149 per cent. of national average earnings

  3,270

  Over 150 per cent. of national average earnings

  3,110

  Notes:

  1. Data derived from Inland Revenue statistics. It relates to the whole of the United Kingdom.

  2. The figures are based on an analysis of a 1 per cent. sample of all end-of-year PAYE returns submitted to the Inland Revenue by employers. Each relates to a single employment.

  3. The definition of national average earnings for this purpose is calculated from the sample using the amount of pay and an estimate of the length of employment covered by each return, and includes both part-time and full-time employment.

  Cold Weather Payments
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security where is the weather station whose recordings trigger payments to the residents of Balmoral and Braemar; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  A list of all weather stations and the post-coded areas which they cover is contained in the social fund cold weather payments general regulations, copies of which are in the Library.

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the Child Support Agency will instigate a system of credits so that cross-subsidies from parents are taken fully into account; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The formula which the Child Support Agency uses to assess maintenance contains a protected income provision which takes account of the fact that a parent is supporting stepchildren, and of whether or not maintenance is paid for those children.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what current review the Child Support Agency is undertaking in respect of maintenance payments in clean-break divorces where arrangements have been made by courts; and if he will make a statement.
  597
  Mr. Burt
  Any review of child support policy is a matter for Ministers, not the Child Support Agency. As with any new policy, the improved arrangements for child maintenance are being carefully monitored. If, in the light of experience, the system can be made even better, changes will be considered.

  Unemployment Benefit
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has for changing the 21-hour rule; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The 21-hour rule enables unemployed claimants in receipt of income support to follow part-time education and training courses while continuing their search for work. We have no plans to change this rule.

  Absent Fathers
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women have been asked to date to name an absent father at benefit offices in the Doncaster area; how many have demurred; how many have had their benefit deducted as a penalty; and if he will show in his answer from what benefit the deduction was made.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from R. Hepplewhite to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 30 November 1993:
  I have been asked to reply to your Question to the Secretary of State asking how many women have been asked to name an absent father at benefit offices in the Doncaster area; how many have demurred; how many have had their benefit deducted as a penalty; and the benefit from which deductions were made.
  Between 5 April and 31 October 1993, 137 parents with care of children were interviewed in connection with their applications for child maintenance in the Doncaster area; 4 declined without good cause to co-operate with the Agency in arranging maintenance. As yet no Reduced Benefit Directions have been implemented in the area.

  Fuel Bills
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what help he is proposing to give householders in need in order to meet their fuel bills; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Gainsborough and Horncastle (Mr. Leigh) on 30 November 1993.

  Rent Allowances
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the latest figures for the cost of rent allowances in respect of private tenancies.

  Mr. Burt
  The estimated expenditure on rent allowances for 1993–94 is £3,254 million.

  Notes: The source of this information is the 1993 departmental report, published in February 1993. A copy of the report is in the Library.

  Funeral Grants
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to review the inequalities between men and women in the provision of funeral grants.

  Mr. Scott
  There is no such inequality.

  Income Support
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his current estimate of eligible persons in(a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland who do not claim income support; what means are being used to improve the take-up rate; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  Take-up figures for income support are not available on a regional or local basis. Estimates for the take-up of income-related benefits for Great Britain were published in January 1993 in "Income Related Benefit Estimates of Take-up for 1989" and showed that 87 per cent. of available income support was being received by 75 per cent. of those eligible to claim it.

  Social security legislation puts the onus of claiming benefit on individuals who may decide, for various reasons, not to take up benefit entitlement. The Department's role is to ensure that people are in a position to make informed choices.

  In this respect, the Benefits Agency are responsible for a wide range of initiatives to increase awareness of entitlement: Exhibitions talks, liaison with citizens advice bureaux, operation of multilingual freelines, participation in local radio phone-ins and now the one-stop initiative.

  Payment Recovery
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what studies are available to indicate the effect DSS recovery procedures may have on legal settlements of compensation and associated civil actions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  I am not aware of any such studies.

  Housing Benefit
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current estimate of eligible households in(a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland which do not take up housing benefit; what means are used in order to improve the take-up rate; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  Take up figures for housing benefit are not available on a regional basis. Estimates of the take up of income related benefits for Great Britain were published in "Income Related Benefit Estimates of Take-up in 1989" in January this year, a copy of which is in the Library. These figures show that 91 per cent. of available housing benefit was being received by 83 per cent. of those eligible to claim.

  Information on housing benefit is available at all benefit agency and unemployment benefit offices, though as responsibility for the administration of housing benefit lies with individual local authorities they are in the best position to undertake local publicity and initiatives to improve local take-up.

WALES

  Overseas Visits
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many visits abroad he has made during 1993; and what was(a) the cost to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.

  Mr. Redwood
  The previous Secretary of State undertook a visit to Brussels on 1-2 April 1993 for the purpose of inward investment and to attend EC meetings. The total cost of the visit was £983·20. My right hon. Friend also visited Stuttgart on 8-9 May 1993. The purpose of the visit was to perform the opening ceremony of the Wales at Stuttgart Arts Festival and participate. The total cost to the Department was £908·80.

  In September 1993 I undertook an inward investment mission to Hong Kong, Japan and North America. The final cost is expected to be below £30,000 and comes from the WDA budget.

  Felinheli Bypass
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement giving details of the causes of the delay in opening the Felinheli bypass in Gwynedd; what is the additional cost to the Welsh Office arising out of this delay; how much of those costs will be recouped; and what is the new scheduled date for opening the road.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The contract completion date for the Felinheli bypass is July 1994. The contractor is, however, intending to open the bypass before the end of the contract period but accidental damage to the new bridge over the bypass during the movement of heavy earth moving plant has frustrated his attempt to open it before the end of the year. He still expects to open the bypass early next spring, several months ahead of its contract completion date.

  All the repair costs will be borne by the contractor.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what accumulated reserves were held in total and by each TEC in Wales on 1 April 1992 and on 1 April 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The reserves held by each TEC are set out in their annual reports and accounts as at 29 March 1992 and 28 March 1993 and copies of these are held in the Library of the House.

  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many learning for work places and what budget have been allocated to each TEC in Wales; how many people are currently on learning for work in each area; what monitoring information is collected about learning for work participants and the subsequent destinations they will be entering; how he plans to evaluate the programme; and if he will make a statement about its extension beyond 1994.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The number of learning for work places contracted with TECs in Wales and the number of participants on the programme as at 29 October are set out in the table. Information about the allocation of budgets by the Welsh Office to individual TECs is commercial in confidence. However, the total budget available for learning for work in Wales is £3·887 million.
  600
  Information is being collected about starts, participants and qualifications, and take up by gender and disability.

  Destinations of leavers will be obtained through follow-up questionnaires. The programme will be evaluated in the costs and benefits compared to other programmes.

  The learning for work programme is scheduled to run until August 1994 and its future beyond that date is currently being considered.

  Learning for Work—Wales Position at 29 October 1993

  TEC name

  Contracted places 1993–94

  Starts

  Gwent

  304

  73

  Mid Glamorgan

  384

  65

  North East Wales

  152

  64

  North East Wales

  235

  16

  Powys

  44

  0

  South Glamorgan

  380

  36

  West Wales

  423

  105

  Wales Total

  1,850

  359

  Moated Sites
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list for the last 10 years the archaeological moated grange sites that have been demolished;

  (2) if he will list the archaeological moated grange sites that are due to be lost because of planning permission approval being granted.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments Executive Agency under its chief executive, John Carr. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from E. A. J. Carr to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 1 December 1993:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your two recent Parliamentary Questions about the loss of moated grange sites in Wales.
  In my letter of 30 November in answer to your earlier questions about the identification and protection of moated sites generally in Wales I referred to recent Planning Policy Guidance issued by the Department on Archaeology and Planning. The Guidance gives advice on the handling of archaeological matters in the planning process. In particular it emphasises that the desirability of preserving an ancient monument and its setting is a material consideration in determining planning applications whether that monument is scheduled or unscheduled. Advice to local authorities in Wales who for the most part do not have in-house archaeological staff is available from the Welsh Archaeological Trusts who, as you know, maintain the Sites and Monuments Record. Against this policy background it is for local authorities themselves to determine planning applications for development of sites of archaeological interest. Cadw does not keep details of planning permission granted by Welsh local authorities which affect such sites.
  Where development is planned on a site scheduled as an ancient monument consent needs to be submitted to the Secretary of State. This is in addition to any application for planning permission. As I mentioned in my earlier letter Cadw's records of consent do not identify the monument by type but we are not aware of consent being granted for the demolition of any scheduled moated site in Wales in the past 10 years.

  Urban Energy Management
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what role councils in Wales play in the United Kingdom urban energy management network.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Cardiff city council represents Wales on the seven-city strong urban energy management network.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what involvement training and enterprise councils in Wales have had in assessing the skill base in Wales for implementation of an energy efficiency programme in(a) industry, (b) commercial and (c) domestic sectors in Wales.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The TECs were commissioned by the WDA under the auspices of the Welsh energy project to add specific questions on training needs relating to energy and environmental issues, in the industrial and commercial sectors, as part of the 1992 Welsh labour market information survey.

  Investors in People Award
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many employers in each TEC area in Wales have been given the investors in people award; how many have made a commitment to meeting the standard; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  As at 31 October 1993, 33 employers in Wales have been awarded investor-in-people status, and 213 have made a commitment to meeting the investors standard. The table sets out the breakdown by TEC.

  Investors in people Wales at 31 October 1993

  TEC

  Awarded investor status

  Commitment made

  South Glamorgan

  6

  37

  Mid Glamorgan

  6

  35

  Gwent

  7

  26

  West Wales

  6

  56

  Powys

  1

  8

  North West Wales

  5

  24

  North East Wales

  2

  27

  Energy Technology Development Projects
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what collaborative energy technology development projects co-sponsored by the European Commission are currently under way in Wales.

  Mr. Redwood
  European programmes in the more efficient use of energy are actively promoted in Wales. An annual seminar is held specifically for this purpose.

  There are currently nine projects funded by European programmes in Wales, a list of which will be placed in the Library of the House.

  Valleys Programme
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he intends to take to rectify the structural problems identified in the Hausner Associates report on the 602
  programme for the valleys prepared for his Department, in regard to the decline in manufacturing employment and creation of long-term jobs in the valleys.

  Mr. Redwood
  Victor Hausner's evaluation of the first programme for the valleys—1988 to 1993—has informed the development of the latest five-year programme.

  Two of the programme's aims specifically tackle unemployment by focusing on creating more, better quality jobs, and improving training, education, and transport so that local people can benefit.

DEFENCE

  Imported Artillery Systems
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what purpose the 14 larger calibre artillery systems shown in the United Nations arms register were imported from France; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  The United Nations conventional arms register refers to 14 large-calibre artillery systems. These are 14 self-propelled launcher loaders (SPLLs) for the multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). MLRS is an international collaborative project and under the workshare arrangements for the project some SPLLs are finally assembled by Aerospatiale in France before delivery to the partner nations. The 14 SPLLs in question were delivered in 1992 from Aerospatiale to the British Army of the Rhine as part of the United Kingdom's total requirement for MLRS launchers.

  Animal Research
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what species of animals are currently used by his Department or on its behalf for the purposes of research and experimentation.

  Mr. Aitken
  The species of animals currently used by the Department for purposes of research and experimentation are rats; mice; guinea pigs; rabbits; sheep; goats; pigs; miniature pigs; marmosets; and rhesus monkeys.

  All experiments involving the use of animals fully meet the spirit and letter of the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

  AS90 Ammunition
  Sir Nicholas Bonsor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the nature of the fault in the round due to be fired from the AS90 at the demonstration on 16 November; what was the country of manufacture of the round; why 155 mm artillery shells of foreign manufacture are in service with the Royal Artillery; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  The failure to fire by an AS90 howitzer in the opening moments of the otherwise very impressive demonstration of this new equipment on 16 November was caused by a defective primer which failed to ignite the propelling charge. This is a rare event and initial indications are that it may have been due to incomplete filling of the primer, which was manufactured in Germany. Other elements of the round in question were manufactured in the United Kingdom. 155 mm ammunition currently in
  603
  use was procured initially for the FH70 gun under the terms of the tri-national MOU with Germany and Italy which governed this project.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made since the opening of the Scott inquiry in the criteria adopted by his Department in deciding whether to give substantive replies to parliamentary questions seeking details of arms or military equipment exports from the United Kingdom.

  Date 1993

  Destination

  Purpose

  Approximate cost£

  January

  5th to 9th

  Far East (Hong Kong)

  To visit British Forces and have official talks.

  141,048

  25th to 26th

  Belgium (Mons)

  Visit NATO Military Headquarters.

  1,685

  February

  15th to 16th

  Norway

  To visit British Forces and have official talks.

  4,462

  25th to 26th

  Gibraltar

  To visit British Forces and to have official talks.

  4,793

  March

  22nd to 24th

  Falkland Islands

  To visit British Forces.

  1,813

  29th

  Belgium (Brussels)

  NATO Ministerial meeting.

  3,358

  April

  20th to 23rd

  United States of America (Washington)

  To represent Her Majesty's Government at opening of Holocaust Museum, and to have bilateral talks.

  9,269

  May

  16th to 21st

  Far East (Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore)

  Bilaterals.

  45,145

  25th

  Belgium (Brussels)

  NATO Ministerial Meeting.

  1,238

  June/July

  No visits abroad

  August

  2nd to 4th

  Bosnia/Croatia, Italy

  To visit British Forces in Bosnia and Croatia, and for bilateral talks in Croatia and Italy.

  22,000

  September

  19th to 24th

  CIS (Russia and Ukraine)

  Bilaterals.

  67,761

  October

  20th to 21st

  Germany (Travemunde)

  NATO Ministerial meeting.

  10,711

  22nd

  Germany (Bielefeld)

  To visit British Forces.

  23rd to 24th

  Germany (Bonn)

  To participate in Bertelsmann Forum.

  24th to 26th

  France

  Bilateral.

  November

  21st to 22nd

  Austria (Vienna)

  Bilateral.

  6,257

  25th

  Germany (Bonn)

  Anglo-German Summit.

  1,071

  Note: Figures are based on the cost of the Royal Air Force and civil flights involved. Where RAF flights were used (in all cases except the visit to the United States of America in April and the vast majority of the Far East visit in May) the costs also include the flight costs of accompanying officials. Accommodation normally provided by Her Majesty's Ambassador or High Commissioner, other Government representative, or by host.

  Infantry
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what will be British infantry strength in 1994 and 1995.

  Mr. Hanley
  The total trained strength of British infantry is expected to be about 29,000 on 1 April 1994 and between 26,000 and 27,000 on 1 April 1995.
  604
  Mr. Aitken
  None. The present criteria are of long standing and have been maintained by successive Governments.

  Overseas Visits
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits abroad he has made during 1993; and what was(a) the cost to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.

  Mr. Hanley
  The Secretary of State for Defence has made 14 overseas visits in 1993. The cost and purpose of each visit was as follows:

  Royal Clarence Yard
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take immediate steps to contain the infestation of dry rot in several buildings at Royal Clarence yard, Gosport.

  Mr. Hanley
  Treatment of the dry rot found in three buildings at Royal Clarence yard is being considered in the context of our future plans for the establishment.
  605
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what are his plans for disposing of the Royal Clarence yard, Gosport; and what is the proposed timing of the disposal;

  (2) if he will dispose of the four residential properties at the entrance to Royal Clarence yard, Gosport.

  Mr. Hanley
  We are examining the scope and feasibility of releasing some or all of Royal Clarence yard and hope to announce a decision shortly.

  Regent's Park Barracks
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list to-date the organisations and individuals who have written to his Department opposing the erecting of a multi-storey car park at the Regent's Park barracks; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Since notification of our intention to proceed I have received letters from six organisations and individuals about provision of a garage facility at Regent's Park barracks, including representations from Camden council, the Crown Estate, the Georgian Group, a local residents' association, a firm of solicitors and a local resident.

  Convoy (Doncaster)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cargo being carried by the convoy of three military lorries which travelled along the A638 road into Doncaster town, South Yorkshire at approximately 12·30 hours on 27 October; where the convoy originated; what was its final destination; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Without details of vehicle types, registration numbers, and so on, it is not possible positively to identify the vehicles concerned. On the day and about the time in question, however, two Army Landrovers and a four-ton lorry were travelling on the A630 where it merges with the A638 in Doncaster. The vehicles had been collected from Grantham and were proceeding to 219 Transport Squadron (V) at Scarborough barracks in Doncaster. They were not carrying any cargo.

  Headquarters Fire
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report written by the London Fire and Civil Defence Authority into the serious fire that took place whilst construction work was being carried out in the basement of his Department's Whitehall headquarters in 1985.

  Mr. Hanley
  Yes, a copy of the London Fire Brigade letter dated 3 May 1985 will be placed in the Library.

  Clyde Submarine Base
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the annual running costs of the Clyde submarine base, Faslane.

  Mr. Hanley
  The annual operation costs for 1993–94 are estimated to be £85,600,000.

  RAF Land
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated land sale value of each of the RAF stations involved in the review of pilot flying training.

  Mr. Hanley
  The estimated value of the individual sites on the defence estate is commercial in confidence.

  Departmental Land
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much land, by acreage, his Department owns in each of the counties of England.

  Mr. Hanley
  The land owned in acres by the Ministry of Defence in each of the counties of England is set out in the table.

  Acres

  Avon

  408

  Bedfordshire

  3,249

  Berkshire

  4,722

  Buckinghamshire

  1,601

  Cambridgeshire

  6,902

  Cheshire

  1,006

  Cleveland

  119

  Cornwall

  6,731

  Cumbria

  19,830

  Derbyshire

  277

  Devon

  7,391

  Dorset

  12,177

  Durham

  415

  East Sussex

  633

  Essex

  39,356

  Gloucestershire

  3,674

  Greater London

  3,030

  Greater Manchester

  1,110

  Hampshire

  31,417

  Hereford and Worcester

  2,076

  Hertfordshire

  227

  Humberside

  2,587

  Isle of Wight

  12

  Kent

  13,660

  Lancashire

  1,549

  Leicestershire

  2,587

  Lincolnshire

  14,893

  Merseyside

  489

  Norfolk

  26,870

  North Yorkshire

  31,778

  Northamptonshire

  2,160

  Northumberland

  57,061

  Nottinghamshire

  2,095

  Oxfordshire

  8,970

  Shropshire

  4,436

  Somerset

  1,994

  South Yorkshire

  1,001

  Staffordshire

  2,908

  Suffolk

  8,495

  Surrey

  11,550

  Tyne and Wear

  25

  Warwickshire

  4,030

  West Midlands

  82

  West Sussex

  1,819

  West Yorkshire

  15

  Wiltshire

  102,143

  Figures are at 1 April 1993, the latest date for which records are available, and relate to freehold landholdings, including foreshore, for which deeds were held. Acquisitions or disposals which may have been completed but where deeds had not been transferred by 1 April 1993 are not included.

  Maralinga
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the ex gratia payment towards the clean-up of the Maralinga site will be made; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  On 14 July 1993 the United Kingdom Government agreed in principle to make an ex gratia payment to the Federal Government of Australia as a contribution to cost of the further clean-up of the Maralinga site. Final arrangements for making this payment are close to completion and I hope to be able to make an announcement shortly.

  Search and Rescue (Chivenor)
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to authorise the continuation of the Wessex helicopter search and rescue service at RAF Chivenor in the event of any decision being made not to transfer the Sea Kings to Chivenor from April 1994.

  Mr. Hanley
  I will write to the hon. Member.

  Lesbians and Gay Man
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he proposes to introduce the new regulations dealing with lesbians and gay men in the armed forces; and if he will set out the regulations currently in force.

  Mr. Hanley
  New regulations reflecting the policy announced in June 1992 that homosexual activity of a kind that is legal in civilian law should not constitute an offence under the service law cannot be introduced until the law has been amended. This will be done as soon as the legislative programme allows. The new policy is, however, being followed by the armed forces and new tri-service guidelines on handling cases of homosexuality are currently being drawn up.

  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the benefits payable(a) to lesbians and gay men who have been dismissed from the services because of their homosexuality and (b) to men and women administratively discharged.

  Mr. Hanley
  The level of financial benefits payable to all personnel who are administratively discharged from the armed forces depends on their length of service and the circumstances of each case. Where misconduct or unsatisfactory behaviour has occurred, the individual's rate of pension could be affected. If personnel do not qualify for an immediate pension there is no difference in the level of their preserved pension and gratuity. If they have completed sufficient service for them to qualify for an immediate pension they receive a lower rate of pension and, therefore, of gratuity as this is three times the first year's pension. To qualify for an immediate pension, however, they would have had to complete a minimum of 16 years' reckonable service if officers or 22 years' reckonable service if non-commissioned personnel. Individuals discharged as a result of homosexuality would normally receive the full extent of benefits to which they are entitled based on their length of service.

  Able Seaman Brett Burnell
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review the case of Able Seaman Brett Burnell; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  The Royal Navy has a well established statutory complaints procedure of which Able Seaman Burnell was fully appraised prior to his discharge. Should he wish to do so he may seek redress through these channels.

  Armed Forces (Protective Clothing)
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the flak jackets issued to United Kingdom forces serving in the former Yugoslavia in protecting against sniper fire;

  (2) what plans he has to issue United Kingdom forces serving in the former Yugoslavia with bullet-proof vests;

  (3) what factors have been taken into account in deciding not to issue United Kingdom forces in the former Yugoslavia with bullet-proof vests.

  Mr. Hanley
  All United Kingdom personnel serving on the ground in Bosnia are equipped with lightweight combat body armour (CBA), which provides protection against shrapnel and would normally be worn in battle. Contoured ceramic chest plates are also available for use in theatre. These can be fitted to the CBA to cover the heart area, back and front, and will stop high velocity bullets. They are designed to provide maximum protection with minimum degradation of the wearer's effectiveness. The decision to issue and to wear the plates is a matter for the judgment of the local commanders, who have not identified any requirement for protection over and above that which is available in theatre.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what would be the cost of issuing bullet-proof vests to United Kingdom forces serving in the former Yugoslavia.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for defence what is the cost of an individual set of body armour used by British service personnel in the former Yugoslavia.

  Mr. Hanley
  The cost of the combat body armour, including ceramic plates, issued to United Kingdom forces serving in the former Yugoslavia is £156 per set, including VAT.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the operational locations where United Kingdom forces have been issued with bullet-proof vests.

  Mr. Hanley
  Body armour is issued as a matter of course for any form of operational duty where the risk warrants it wherever that might be. Records of issue, however, are not kept.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many national contingents serving with UNPROFOR in the former Yugoslavia have issued their forces with bullet-proof vests.

  Mr. Hanley
  All contingents in UNPROFOR serving in Bosnia issue some form of body protection, either individually or on a pool basis for certain duties.
  609
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the relevant merits of the body armour worn by(a) British service personnel and (b) Dutch service personnel deployed in the former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  All body armour issued to British troops has been researched, developed and trialled extensively against specific military requirements. This applies to the combat body armour (CBA) issued to personnel in the former Yugoslavia, which specifically protects the wearer from fragments produced by exploding munitions, which is considered to be the main threat, and, with the ceramic plates inserted, also protects against high velocity bullets. Dutch personnel are currently using a heavyweight British commercial body armour providing a high degree of protection against high velocity bullets, which is double the wieght of the CBA issued to British troops and considerably reduces mobility.

  Defence Equipment Programme
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the defence equipment programme in the light of the Chancellor's Budget statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  The Government will continue to ensure that the armed forces are properly equipped to carry out their tasks effectively. I am, therefore, pleased to announce decisions on a number of important equipments.

  The way ahead on ordering new tanks for the Army has been decided. Having examined a range of options, we have concluded that the most cost-effective way forward would be to buy more Challenger 2 rather than upgrade Challenger 1. Accordingly, subject to the negotiation of satisfactory contractual terms, we intend to place a further order with Vickers Defence Systems for up to 259 more Challenger 2 tanks, together with the associated support and training package. As part of these negotiations, we will ask the company to quote for production bands below this quantity so that we can consider possible options for varying the order. The contractual negotiations will be conducted under the Department's "No Acceptable Price No Contract"—or NAPNOC procedures—in order to secure the best value for money. I would expect to be able to place a contract next year.

  A decision has also been taken on the way forward on support helicopters. The main need is for additional large helicopters with good load-carrying capacity and a rear loading ramp. Only two types can meet this Medium Support Helicopter requirement: The Westland Group plc EH101 utility and the Boeing Helicopters Chinook. Some large loads could only be carried by Chinook, which is a reliable and capacious aircraft, proven in RAF service, but for other tasks advantages would be offered by the operational flexibility of a mixed fleet containing the modern, sophisticated and agile EH101.

  We therefore intend to enter NAPNOC negotiations with Westland and Boeing to determine the lowest prices available and other details of EH101 utility and Chinook helicopters respectively. On the basis of this information, we will decide what helicopters to buy. Value for money is the key and the prices determined through the parallel NAPNOC process will be crucial to decisions on the way forward.
  610
  Finally, the 1993 Statement on the Defence Estimates stated that our plans for the Royal Navy include building up to a fleet of 25 highly capable mine countermeasures vessels of the Hunt and Sandown classes. In this context I am delighted to be able to announce that we are now in a position to invite tenders for a further batch of Sandown class single role minehunters.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Overseas Visits
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many visits abroad he has made during 1993; and what was(a) the cost to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  During 1993 I made five visits abroad which incurred costs borne on public funds. The costs of each visit, including those of officials travelling with me, were as follows:

  Destination

  Cost £

  Purpose

  Carnegie, Canada

  2,240

  Meeting of Science Ministers

  Luxembourg

  1,905

  European Research Council meeting

  Geneva

  1,748

  Visit to European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN)

  Hong Kong/Japan

  16,597

  Ministerial visit covering science and technology issues

  Washington, United States of America

  12,109

  Discussions on public service reforms with the Vice-President

  County of Lancashire
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what evidence he has submitted to the Local Government Commission relating to the future of the county of Lancashire; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  I have not submitted any evidence to the Local Government Commission relating to the future of the county of Lancashire. The County Palatine of Lancaster has been in existence for more than 640 years, and I hope it will continue for at least as long again.

  Charter Line (East Midlands)
  Mr. Garrett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will set out the cost of the Charterline he has established in the east midlands, the number of calls made on it daily and the number of staff engaged in running it.

  Mr. David Davis
  The cost of setting up the Charterline pilot study was £880,000. The cost of the software system design was £109,000, and planning, project management and evaluation costs were £195,000. These are all one-off rather than on-going costs. At current levels of usage, it would not be necessary to purchase additional equipment to extend Charterline nationally. Operational costs to 3 November 1993 were £340,400. Significant economies of scale could be achieved if Charterline were to be rolled out on a national basis.
  611
  Charterline has, to date, received over 4,700 calls. IBM, which runs the Charterline service on behalf of the citizens charter unit, has nine trained staff available to answer Charterline calls, of whom three are awaiting calls at any one time.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Local Authorities (Loans)
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total value of loans taken out by each of the 26 councils at the date of their last local government audit.

  Mr. Atkins
  The information is as follows:

  £

  Antrim borough council

  2,752,818

  Ards borough council

  11,533,625

  Armagh district council

  2,687,827

  Ballymena borough council

  4,210,135

  Ballymoney borough council

  1,655,186

  Banbridge district council

  3,310,372

  Belfast city council

  33,297,440

  Carrickfergus borough council

  1,964,634

  Castlereagh borough council

  5,824,542

  Coleraine borough council

  2,818,547

  Cookstown district council

  299,519

  Craigavon borough council

  7,956,487

  Derry city council

  6,992,348

  Down district council

  5,151,730

  Dungannon district council

  1,326,877

  Fermanagh district council

  811,196

  Larne borough council

  1,844,631

  Limavady borough council

  1,542,266

  Lisburn borough council

  2,089,520

  Magherafelt district council

  1,114,525

  Moyle district council

  1,206,883

  Newry and Mourne district council

  8,917,191

  Newtownabbey district council

  7,536,600

  North Down borough council

  12,362,913

  Omagh district council

  4,680,833

  Strabane district council

  3,596,743

  TOTAL

  137,485,388

  Amounts Paid (Salary and Expenses)

  Members

  June 1989—March 1990

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  April 1993 to Date

  £

  £

  £

  £

  £

  A. Current Members

  The Duke of Abercorn (Chairman)

  18,277

  19,724

  19,996

  26,696

  16,288

  Mr. F. Cobain

  3,733

  5,600

  5,600

  7,940

  4,680

  Mr. B. Feeney

  4,479

  5,600

  5,600

  8,049

  4,680

  Mr. J. Fitzpatrick

  4,479

  5,600

  5,600

  8,049

  4,680

  Mrs. M. Spence

  4,479

  5,600

  5,600

  8,049

  4,680

  Mr. G. Irwin

  —

  5,133

  5,600

  7,965

  4,680

  Mr. R. Empey

  —

  —

  —

  5,455

  4,680

  Mr. E. Airey

  —

  —

  —

  5,455

  4,680

  Mrs. L. Blakeston-Houston

  —

  —

  —

  4,366

  4,680

  Mr. J. Jaworski

  —

  —

  —

  —

  880

  B. Former Members

  Mr. J. McGuckian (Deputy Chairman)

  7,904

  9,163

  8,710

  4,006

  —

  Mr. J. Carson

  4,479

  5,600

  5,600

  2,593

  —

  Dr. B. Henderson

  4,479

  5,600

  5,600

  2,593

  —

  Mr. D. Moreland

  4,479

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Prosperity
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in what working party his Department participates jointly with representatives of the Irish Republic to examine ways and means of promoting greater prosperity in both parts of Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ancram
  The major forum for such discussions is the Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Conference whose objectives include working together for peace, stability and prosperity throughout the island of Ireland by promoting reconciliation, respect for human rights, co-operation against terrorism, and the development of economic, social and cultural co-operation.

  Other forums include

  (a) the Anglo-Irish Secretariat;

  (b) A steering group which oversees the upgrading of the Belfast to Dublin rail link involving officials of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications, Republic of Ireland;

  (c) A joint steering committee on cross-border rural development in which the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland participates; and

  (d) A joint working party set up to deliver the Northern Ireland/Ireland Interreg programme involving officials from the Department of Finance and Personnel, Department of Education for Northern Ireland, Department of Economic Development, Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland.

  Development Agencies
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the development agencies together with their directors; and how much has been paid to each director, including expenses, in each of the past five years, and this year to-date.

  Mr. Aitkins
  Laganside corporation has functions similar to those of urban development corporations in Great Britain. Payments to members over the past five years were as follows:

  Student Nurses
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the estimated total cost per annum of training nurses from the Republic of Ireland in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Ancram
  At 31 October 1993 there were 263 nurse students from the Republic of Ireland attending colleges in Northern Ireland. It is estimated that the total cost of training these students in 1993–94 will be approximately £1·9 million.

  Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders
  Mr. Maginnis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the amount of Government financial support paid to the Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders in each of the last five years.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The Northern Ireland Office has paid the following direct grant aid to the Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders in each of the last five years.

  £

  1988–89

  197,764

  1989–90

  211,881

  1990–91

  219,500

  1991–92

  286,828

  1992–93

  302,000

  The Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders also contracts with other Northern Ireland Departments to provide progammes for a range of client groups within the criteria set by those departments. Information on the amounts involved is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Victim Support
  Mr. Maginnis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the amount of Government financial support paid to Victim Support Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The following sums were paid to Victim Support Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

  £

  1988–89

  33,000

  1989–90

  40,580

  1990–91

  44,000

  1991–92

  93,000

  1992–93

  167,000

  Bomb-proofing
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the cost, by location, of bomb-proofing the Department's premises.

  Sir John Wheeler
  On security grounds, I do not propose to give this information.

EMPLOYMENT

  Claimants
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were interviewed at each stage and how many of those who claimed unemployment benefit—including continuing to claim cases—had their claim disallowed following availability, actively seeking work or refusing suitable employment action taken at(a) the new claims stage, (b) 13 week interviews, (c) restart interviews and (d) other counselling interviews for 1992–93 and 1993–94 for each region and for Great Britain as a whole; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Mr. M. Fogden to Ms Clare Short, dated 1 December 1993:
  As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question about how many people were interviewed at each stage and how many of those who claimed unemployment benefit (including continuing to claim cases) had their claim disallowed following availability, actively seeking work or refusing suitable employment action taken at (a) the new claims stage, (b) 13 week interviews, (c) Restart interviews and (d) other counselling interviews for 1992–93 and 1993–94 for each region and for Great Britain as a whole; and if he will make a statement. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
  This information is not available in the precise form which you request it. However, the attached tables show, for each region, the numbers of interviews conducted at each stage of unemployment together with the total number of disallowances by Adjudication Officers on each eligibility condition. We have no information available that tells us the stage of unemployment at which the disallowances occurred.
  Also, the Employment Service has changed it's performance monitoring at national level for 1993–94 and the numbers of interviews for this year cannot be given in exactly the same format as the previous year.
  Table 1 contains information for the 1992–93 operational year. Table 2 shows information to June 1993—these are the latest published figures for Adjudication Officer's decisions.
  I hope this is helpful.
  As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
  615

  Table 1—1992–93

  Interviews

  Disallowances by adjudication officer

  New Claims

  13 week

  Restart

  Other

  Availability

  Restricted Availability

  Actively Seeking Employment

  Refusal of Employment

  Northern

  233,739

  43,146

  172,212

  24,639

  1,506

  239

  132

  17

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  407,439

  65,186

  209,592

  43,694

  5,249

  826

  413

  22

  East Midlands and Eastern

  443,838

  44,606

  252,469

  36,894

  4,042

  500

  46

  24

  London and South East

  1,412,962

  238,039

  854,311

  83,414

  18,787

  6,589

  483

  81

  South West

  378,761

  45,923

  200,833

  32,488

  3,708

  660

  149

  17

  Office for Wales

  217,596

  40,200

  148,542

  32,011

  1,676

  371

  78

  5

  West Midlands

  407,148

  50,369

  258,437

  36,254

  3,976

  458

  132

  8

  North West

  567,287

  121,882

  441,163

  77,417

  5,526

  2,089

  853

  63

  Office for Scotland

  447,337

  81,559

  280,722

  27,858

  3,211

  521

  253

  15

  NATIONAL TOTAL

  4,516,107

  730,910

  2,818,181

  394,569

  47,681

  12,253

  2,539

  252

  Table 2—1993–94 (to June)

  Interviews

  Decisions by adjudication officer

  New claims

  Restart

  Other

  Availability

  Restricted availability

  Actively seeking employment

  Refusal of employment

  Northern

  54,302

  43,546

  12,065

  362

  55

  44

  1

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  87,060

  64,264

  31,306

  1,077

  278

  112

  12

  East Midlands and Eastern

  94,252

  71,221

  15,007

  845

  187

  44

  11

  London and South East

  302,130

  258,318

  24,240

  3,265

  1,443

  141

  9

  South West

  78,703

  62,601

  12,122

  577

  115

  43

  7

  Office for Wales

  49,972

  42,182

  13,328

  304

  73

  22

  3

  West Midlands

  82,554

  71,986

  12,776

  696

  146

  30

  8

  North West

  123,178

  116,063

  43,502

  1,086

  451

  253

  16

  Office for Scotland

  101,287

  72,889

  21,036

  593

  94

  89

  6

  National Total

  973,438

  803,070

  185,382

  8,805

  2,842

  778

  73

  Employment Service
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress the employment service has made in meeting the targets outlined in the 1993–94 agency agreement; and if he will list for each quarter the(a) total unemployed job placings and variance from targets, (b) long-term unemployed job placings and variance from target, (c) people with disabilities job placings and variance from target, (d) inner-city job placings and variance from target, (e) number of claims not pursued following initial contact and variance from target, (f)

  Employment Service performance against target July to September 1993

  Annual performance targets

  Quarter 1

  Quarter 2

  Cumulative

  Target levels

  (a) Total placings of unemployed people into jobs

  394,000

  465,000

  859,000

  1·47 million

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  (b) Long-term claimants placed into jobs as a percentage of total unemployed placings

  28·6

  27·6

  28·0

  27·0

  (c) People with disabilities placed into jobs as a percentage of total unemployed placings

  3·2

  3·3

  3·2

  3·0

  (d) Unemployed people in inner cities placed into jobs as a percentage of total unemployed placings

  34·1

  35·0

  34·6

  35·0

  (e) Benefit claims not pursued following initial contact with ES (as percentage of initial enquiries)

  8·4

  8·5

  8·5

  9·0

  (g) People signing off as a result of action by fraud officer

  18,000

  18,500

  36,500

  63,000

  Restart Courses
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people have been referred to restart courses by employment service counsellors since April for each region and for Great
  616
  number of claimants moved from unemployment benefit to another benefit and variance from target and (g) number of people who withdrew their claim to benefit after contact with fraud investigators and variance from target.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Employment Service is making progress against its targets for 1993–94, meeting or exceeding almost all at the mid-year stage. It placed 859,000 eople in the first two quarters, against an annual target of 1·470 million. This represents 130,000 more placings than at the same stage last year. The Employment Service does not have a target for the number of claimants moved from unemployment benefit to another benefit. The performance is shown in the table.

  Britain as a whole; how many of them were unemployed for over two years; how many attended and completed the course; what were the outcomes of the participants; how many had benefit penalties imposed for not attending or failing to complete their attendance at the restart course; and if he will make a statement.
  617
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Mr. M. Fogden to Ms Clare Short, dated 1 December 1993:
  As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to him about Restart Courses. These are matters which fall within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
  As you will know from our previous correspondence, Restart Courses are short courses aimed at helping people who are having the most difficulty returning to work. They are not an alternative

  Restart Course Attenders unemployed for 2 years or more April 1993-September 1993

  Northern

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  East Midlands and Eastern

  London and South East

  South West

  Wales

  West Midlands

  North West

  Scotland

  Total

  1. Referrals to Restart Courses1

  6,305

  11,558

  10,367

  32,604

  9,104

  5,892

  10,779

  19,274

  10,503

  116,386

  2. Starters

  3,755

  6,559

  5,589

  16,877

  5,152

  3,034

  6,486

  10,048

  5,024

  62,524

  3. Total completers

  3,451

  5,877

  5,103

  15,594

  4,614

  2,750

  5,737

  9,286

  4,499

  56,911

  Completers who had agreed to follow up:

  Jobs

  788

  1,776

  1,753

  3,173

  1,084

  719

  1,641

  2,718

  2,618

  16,270

  Training For Work

  443

  836

  870

  2,552

  831

  425

  1,523

  1,675

  643

  9,798

  Jobclub

  323

  441

  634

  2,032

  542

  394

  479

  795

  336

  5,976

  Other employment, training and related opportunities

  2,456

  3,970,

  3,761

  10,533

  3,215

  1,846

  2,323

  5,564

  2,696

  36,364

  4.Total number of people with an outcome to follow up2

  2,979

  5,204

  4,685

  14,029

  4,179

  2,495

  5,184

  8,500

  4,107

  51,362

  5.Number of decisions received from the Benefits Agency3

  328

  582

  387

  703

  276

  203

  202

  1,361

  1,094

  5,136

  1This figure includes people who fail to attend the course they are booked for who are rebooked for another event.

  2Some people will be referred to more than one option at the end of the course.

  3Since April 1993, the Benefits Agency has combined the number of reductions for non attendance/non completion of Restart Courses with the number of reductions for non attendance/non completion of Jobplan Workshops. Therefore we can only supply the number of decisions that have been made. This figure includes cases where no reduction is made. About 87 per cent. of all decisions lead to a reduction of up to 40 per cent. of personal Income Support.

  All Restart Course Attenders April 1993-September 1993

  Northern

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  East Midlands and Eastern

  London and South East

  South West

  Wales

  West Midlands

  North West

  Scotland

  Total

  1. Referrals to Restart Courses1

  6,678

  12,707

  11,521

  37,201

  10,890

  6,787

  12,644

  20,929

  11,333

  130,690

  2. Starters

  4,012

  7,291

  6,312

  19,382

  6,135

  3,491

  7,583

  10,917

  5,484

  70,607

  3. Total completers

  3,691

  6,618

  5,779

  17,633

  5,474

  3,151

  6,693

  10,045

  4,891

  63,975

  Completers who had agreed to follow up:

  Jobs

  864

  1,989

  1,985

  3,705

  1,310

  851

  1,973

  2,984

  2,829

  18,490

  Training For Work

  469

  914

  974

  2,964

  972

  500

  1,810

  1,829

  693

  11,125

  Jobclub

  343

  490

  730

  2,184

  696

  474

  603

  849

  382

  6,751

  Other employment, training and related opportunities

  2,601

  4,371

  4,328

  12,271

  3,786

  2,184

  2,825

  6,118

  2,999

  41,483

  4.Total number of people with an outcome to follow up2

  3,193

  5,784

  5,291

  16,170

  4,976

  2,866

  6,106

  9,196

  4,464

  58,046

  1This figure includes people who fail to attend the course they are booked for who are rebooked for another event.

  2 Some people will be referred to more than one option at the end of the course.

  Counselling
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people have been referred to jobplan workshops by employment service
  618
  to regular job search or other employment or ttraining programmes. Essentially they provide people with the opportunity to explore all the options open to them and give them confidence to take the next step back to work.
  People who have been unemployed for two years or more who refuse or fail to take up a place on an Employment Department employment or training programme at their Restart interview, are asked to attend a Restart Course.
  As your question has raised a number of specific points, I am setting out the information you have asked for in the two tables attached—one deals with all Restart Course attenders, the other just those covered by the requirement to attend.
  I hope this is helpful.
  As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

  counsellors since April for each region and for Great Britain as a whole; how many of them were unemployed for over one year; how many attended and completed the workshop; what were the outcomes of the participants;
  619
  how many had benefit penalties imposed for not attending or failing to complete their attendance at the jobplan workshop; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Ms Clare Short, dated 1 December 1993:
  As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to him about Jobplan Workshops. These are matters which fall within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
  Jobplan is a new programme which aims to help people who have been unemployed for a year or more to compete successfully for jobs and opportunities. About 80 per cent. of the people who first become unemployed leave the unemployment register within a year. For those who remain unemployed, confidence and the intensity of jobsearch can decrease. They may believe that there are very few positive options open to them. It is therefore important that at this stage people take a fresh look at their

  All Jobplan Attenders April 1993-October 1993

  Northern

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  East Midlands and Eastern

  Lonon and south East

  South west

  Wales

  West Midlands

  North West

  Scotland

  Total

  1. Referrals to Jobplan1

  13,098

  21,320

  22,965

  118,264

  21,981

  10,499

  24,148

  32,755

  26,517

  291,547

  2. Starters

  8,121

  12,168

  13,045

  66,691

  13,344

  5,901

  14,112

  17,372

  14,092

  164,846

  3. Total completers

  7,556

  11,170

  11,972

  61,291

  12,208

  5,343

  12,810

  15,971

  12,694

  151,015

  Completers who agreed to follow up:

  Jobs

  2,319

  3,355

  3,906

  19,244

  3,884

  1,742

  3,446

  4,951

  4,318

  47,165

  Training For Work

  2,472

  3,364

  3,206

  17,101

  4,455

  1,397

  4,699

  4,892

  3,840

  45,426

  Jobclub

  843

  1,646

  1,795

  11,339

  1,691

  896

  2,075

  1,797

  1,759

  23,841

  Other employment, training and related opportunities

  2,993

  5,748

  4,781

  30,977

  5,356

  2,734

  5,201

  8,355

  5,214

  72,359

  4. Total number of people with an outcome to follow up2

  6,787

  10,481

  11,083

  57,521

  11,443

  4,851

  12,059

  15,042

  11,487

  140,754

  5. Number of decisions received from the Benefits Agency3

  491

  1,112

  867

  4,040

  661

  396

  585

  2,024

  2,527

  12,703

  1 This figure includes people who fail to attend the workshop they are booked for who are rebooked for another event. All people referred to Jobplan have been unemployed over 1 year except a small number (1,582) from areas affected by colliery closures where special dispensation exists.

  2 Some people will be referred to more than one option at the end of the workshop.

  3The Benefits Agency have combined the number of reductions for non attendance/non completion of Jobplan with the number of reductions for non attendance/non completion of Restart Courses. Therefore we can only supply the number of decisions that have been made. About 87 per cent. of all decisions lead to a reduction of up to 40 per cent. of personal Income Support.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the amount of overpayment made by his Department to training and enterprise councils in each year for which information is available; how much has been recovered; how many TECs are still holding money which has been overpaid; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Information currently available shows that the Department identified overpayments amounting to £3,407,887.71 and £8,807,118.79 made to the 75 training and enterprise councils (TECs) in England in 1990–91 and 1991–92 respectively.

  Of these overpayments Treasury agreement has been given to write off £231,054 and a further £11,513,773 has
  620
  situation and have the chance to review their strengths and skills and set themselves new clear, achievable job goals that take advantage of the range of help available.
  This can be achieved on Jobplan, through in-depth guidance interviews with one of the leaders, access to computer assisted guidance programs and tests of attainment. During the week participants will draw up a comprehensive action plan which will map out the steps that they need to take to find work. For many people this will involve further help such as Training for Work or a place on a Jobclub.
  People who have been unemployed for a year will be asked to attend a Jobplan workshop unless they prefer to take up a place on another Employment Department programme. People who fail to attend each day of the workshop may, under the Income Support (General) 1990 Regulation 21A, amended in March this year, lose a proportion of their personal entitlement to Income Support. When making this amendment, Ministers consulted the Social Security Advisory Committee who accepted that it was reasonable to ask people unemployed for some time to go on an event such as this.
  I have set out the information you have asked for in the table attached.
  I hope that this is helpful.
  As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

  been recovered. In consultation with legal advisors the Department is vigorously pursuing recovery of the remaining balance from the three TECs which still hold overpayment monies.

  In 1992–93 information currently available shows overpayments amounting to £6,586,421·73 were made to 51 TECs. Action is in hand to ensure that the overpayments are recovered by the end of December 1993.

  No information is held centrally with regard to overpayments in 1993–94, but regional staff have been instructed to ensure that any overpayments are recovered as they are identified.

  The Department is committed to ensuring that sound systems of financial control are in place in all TECs and in all training providers and to recovering any overpayments that may be made as they are identified.

  Liverpool
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Liverpool.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Last Friday, I visited TWG Packaging, where I was given a presentation on the company's achievements. I then met members of the Merseyside Manufacturing Challenge Group who made a presentation on the work of the group and their vision for the long-term economic regeneration of Merseyside.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Animal Procedures Committee
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department will accept the recommendations made by the Animal Procedures Committee in its annual report 1992.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The document is a report on the activities of the committee including matters upon which it has made recommendations in the course of 1992. The committee recommended the extension of the controls of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 Octopus vulgaris and made recommendations in respect of nine applications for project licences under section 5 of the Act. Its recommendations were accepted.

  Section 11 Funding
  Ms Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total estimated saving to the Treasury from the proposed cuts in section 11 funding.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Departmental expenditure plans are reviewed annually and details of planned provision are set out in Home Office annual reports. Reductions in future financial provision for section 11 grant were made in the context of the 1992 public expenditure survey. The following table shows planned provisions for section 11 grant in the 1991 and 1992 public expenditure surveys, as published in the annual reports of 1992 and 1993 respectively.

  £ million

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  Annual Report 1992

  130

  136

  139

  —

  Annual Report 1993

  —

  131

  111

  97

  Year-on-year differences in expenditure plans reflect a range of factors such as changed assumptions as to inflation.

  Life Sentences
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) men and (b) women held in prisons in England and Wales were serving a life sentence as of 19 November.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
  622
  Letter from Mr. Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 30 November 1993:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the population of life sentence prisoners in Prison Service establishments.
  The latest available information is for 30 September 1993 and shows that there were 3,086 prisoners in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales serving life sentences, of whom 2,980 were men and 106 were women.

  Clothing (Fire Safety)
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were killed or injured as a result of clothing catching fire(a) nationally and (b) in the London borough of Lewisham in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Information for the United Kingdom is shown in the table. It shows casualties where clothing being worn was the first item to catch fire. 'The statistics cannot identify fires starting elsewhere spreading to clothing. Data are not separately available for Lewisham.

  Deaths and injuries of children aged under 11, where clothing on a person was the first material to catch fire, in fires attended by local authority fire brigades, United Kingdom

  Year

  Fire related deaths

  Fire related injuries

  1981

  4

  18

  1982

  1

  10

  1983

  0

  14

  1984

  0

  11

  1985

  0

  7

  1986

  2

  14

  1987

  0

  10

  1988

  4

  11

  1989

  0

  8

  1990

  0

  8

  1991

  0

  8

  19921

  1

  10

  1Provisional.

  Source: Home Office Fire Statistics, based on reports from local authority fire brigades.

  Wormwood Scrubs
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each of the projects now under development at Wormwood Scrubs prison, London, the cost of each project and if funding for each project has been approved and granted.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from: Mr. Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 30 November 1993:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the current development work at Wormwood Scrubs prison.
  The major phase of redevelopment work currently being carried out at the prison is due to be completed by the end of April 1994. This will create a secure corridor to connect the four existing accommodation wings and provide additional accommodation for 146 prisoners. A new kitchen, gymnasium, medical centre, workshops and reception and discharge unit are also being provided. The estimated capital cost is £43·7 million.

  623
  In later phases of the redevelopment it is proposed to complete the modernisation of the four existing accommodation wings, which will include upgrading security and 24 hour access to sanitation in those cells which do not have it at present. A final decision is still to be made about the timing and phasing of this work.

  Prison Building
  Ms Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total amount of money to be allocated for the prison building programme.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Mr. Derek Lewis to Ms Mildred Gordon, dated 30 November 1993:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the money to be allocated to the prison building programme.
  Over the next three years a total of £620.3 million will be assigned to the prison building programme, as follows:

  £ million

  1994–95

  1995–96

  1996–97

  251·4

  223·1

  145·8

  The overall total includes nearly £43 million for the completion of the current prison building programme and the purchase of sites and infrastructure work for the programme of building six new prisons to which the Home Secretary referred on 6 October.
  The remaining £577 million will be spent on providing additional accommodation, repairs and modernising facilities in existing prisons.

  Child Prostitution
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department undertakes into the problem of child prostitution.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Home Office has not conducted or funded research into child prostitution.

  Prison Service
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the bonus payment paid to the Director General of the Prison Service since his appointment.

  Mr. Howard
  £8,280, in respect of the period 6 January 1993 to 31 March 1993.

  Segregation Units and Prison Statistics
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the number of(a) men and (b) women held in segregation units in prisons in England and Wales on 19 November;

  (2) what was the number of (a) men and (b) women held on rule 43 in prisons in England and Wales on 22 November.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
  624
  Letter from Mr. Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 30 November 1993:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about the number of men and women in Prison establishments segregated from association under Rule 43 and the number held in segregation units.

  The table below shows the number of inmates held on Prison Rule 43 and Young Offender Institution Rule 46 on 22 November.

  Rule 43 & 46 (own Protection

  Rule 43 & 46 (good order and discipline)

  Men

  1,251

  267

  Women

  19

  14

  Total

  1,270

  281

  The above table does not include inmates held in vulnerable prisoner units. Information on numbers held in segregation units is not collected centrally.

  Deportations
  Ms Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women have been deported from Britain in each of the last five years after breakdown of their marriage.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The information requested is not available as wives are not separately identified in the
  deportation statisics.

  Fraudulent Leaflets
  Ms Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward legislation to outlaw the production of fraudulent leaflets purporting to come from a rival political party.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  My right hon. and learned Friend sympathises with the hon. Member's concerns. The Government have, however, no present plans to introduce such legislation, the technical feasibility of which is not beyond doubt.

  Muderers (Prison Sentences)
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will detail the average amount of time spent in prison by those who were sentenced for murder and have since been released.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Mr. Derek Lewis to Mr. Frank Field, dated 30 November 1993:

  Muderers (Prison Sentences)

    AVERAGE SENTENCE LENGTH FOR MURDER
    The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the average time served by inmates sentenced for murder and who have since been released.
    I attached a copy of a table showing the numbers of life sentence prisoners released from 1981–1991. This information is published annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales" (Table 8·5 of the latest volume, for 1991, Cm 2157), a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library.

  Prisons
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new money is to be made available and how much for building new prison establishments in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Mr. Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 30 November 1993:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the funding for the construction of new prison establishments.
  On 2 September 1993 the Home Secretary announced that the design, construction, management and potential financing of future new prisons would be contracted out to the private sector. It is intended that both the construction and operation of the six new prisons planned will be funded in this way. It is too early to indicate the cost of these prisons which will be assessed on the basis of value for money obtained for the complete financial package comprising both capital and operating costs. Outline proposals and expressions of interest in the first two prisons have recently been invited. It is expected that almost all of the expenditure will fall outside the period covered by the 1993 Public Expenditure Survey (that is, beyond 1996–97).
  Doncaster prison which is due to open next year is the last of the current programme of 21 new prisons to be built.

  Temazepam
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has now considered the recommendations of the Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs for measures to reduce Temazepam misuse.

  Mr. Maclean
  I am considering the report of the advisory council in consultation with other Government Departments and I hope to reach a decision shortly.

  Domestic Fires
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic fires occurred in(a) 1963 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available; what were the casualty figures in each year; and what proposals he has to reduce these.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The information required is given in the table.

  Fire certification arrangements under the Fire Precautions Act 1971 are not possible in single dwellings. The Government therefore continue to seek reductions in casualties from fires in such dwellings through effective initiatives in publicity and education.

  Domestic fires and casualties from domestic fires attended by local authority fire brigades in the United Kingdom

  Year

  Domestic fires

  Casualties (includes fire brigade)

  Fatal

  Non-fatal

  1963

  37,600

  656

  2,652

  11992

  64,500

  576

  11,219

  11992 figures are provisional.

  Source: Home Office Fire Statistics, based on reports from local authority fire brigades.

  Criminal and Motoring Cases
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) criminal and (b) motoring cases were brought to trial at Redbridge magistrates court and Snaresbrook Crown court for each quarter of 1991, 1992 and 1993 to date.

  Mr. Maclean
  Information for 1991 and 1992, which is provisional, is given in the table. Information for 1993 is not yet available.

  Number of defendants prosecuted at Redbridge magistrates' court and the number of defendants tried at Snaresbrook Crown Court for "criminal"1 and "motoring"2 cases by quarter 1991 and 1992*

  Year/ Quarter

  Redbridge PSD

  Snaresbrook CC

  1Criminal

  2Motoring

  1Criminal

  2Motoring

  1991

  Ql

  925

  1,066

  1,020

  4

  Q2

  906

  1,103

  1,064

  4

  Q3

  956

  1,189

  1,074

  4

  Q4

  901

  1,365

  935

  3

  1992

  Ql

  1,116

  1,101

  1,101

  5

  Q2

  1,002

  1,223

  916

  4

  Q3

  1,014

  1,051

  894

  4

  Q4

  31,000

  1,330

  724

  1

  1Indictable and summary non motoring offences.

  1Summary motoring offences.

  3Improvements in the data collection methods used by the Metropolitan police district (MPD) have led to an increase from this quarter in the number recorded as proceeded against in magistrate courts for indictable and summary non-motoring offences of about a third in the MPD area as a whole.

  Special Constables
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what actions he intends to take to improve the training for special constables; and what further action he will take before recruiting.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Chief constables are responsible for the recruitment and training of special constables in their force area.

  The central planning and training unit has developed a number of standard training packages as a resource for training special constables. National special constable training packages covering induction and basic training are now in use in the majority of forces in England and Wales, and a new development training package is being introduced in a number of police forces.

  Suspects' Rights
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure of his Department on promoting the rights of suspects under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 since the coming into force of the Act and for each subsequent year.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The approximate expenditure incurred in distributing to police forces new or revised versions of the codes of practice required under section 66 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and notices to detained persons required under paragraph 3·2 of code C was as follows:
  627

  £

  1985

  33,700

  1986

  2,000

  1988

  14,600

  1991

  138,300

  1992

  1—

  1 No expenditure.

  Police Resources, London
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on existing police resources covering the Greater London area; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  My right hon. and learned Friend meets the Commissioner from time to time to discuss matters of common concern, including resource matters.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits abroad he has made during 1993; and what was(a) the cost of each visit to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.

  Mr. Howard
  I have not made any official visits abroad since becoming Home Secretary.

  Details of visits made by my predecessor during 1993, and the associated travel and subsistence costs, including those of a private secretary, are as follows:

  Purpose

  Cost

  £

  Official visit to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

  12,504

  European Conference on Uncontrolled Migration, Budapest

  2,430

  Ad Hoc Immigration/TREVI Ministerial Meeting, Copenhagen

  1,784

  Fire Inspections
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has had from local authorities to the Government's proposal to end local authority fire inspections of bed-sitters and multi-tenant flats.

  Sir George Young
  I have been asked to reply.

  Local housing authorities have a statutory duty under the Housing (Means of Escape from Fire in Houses in Multiple Occupation) Order 1981 to require that houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) with at least three storeys (excluding basements) and with a combined floor area of over 500 square metres are provided with adequate means of escape from fire.

  Housing authorities have discretionary powers to inspect smaller HMOs under section 395 of the Housing Act 1985.

  We have no plans to remove these powers.

SCOTLAND

  Forestry Commission
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans the Government have to privatise the landholdings of the Forestry Commission.
  628
  Sir Hector Monro
  Forestry Ministers have asked the forestry review group to review options for the ownership and management of Forestry Commission woodlands, and to make proposals for changes which would improve the effectiveness of the delivery of the Government's forestry policy objectives, having regard to the Government's other economic and environmental policies.

  Once they have received and considered the advice of the review group, they will decide what further action, if any, should be taken.

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by generic and specific name the trees and shrubs, indigenous or otherwise, which are most commonly grown by the Forestry Commission; if he will show the density of each species as a percentage of land use; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The species most commonly grown by the Forestry Commission are listed in the table, together with the percentage of the total area of the commission's productive woodland which each occupies.

  Species

  Percentage of Total Area

  Conifers

  Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce)

  48·0

  Picea contorta (Lodgepole pine)

  11·6

  Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine)

  9·5

  Larix kaempferi (Japanese larch)

  5·3

  Picea abies (Norway spruce)

  5·0

  Pinus nigra var maritima (Corsican pine)

  4·2

  Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir)

  2·7

  Larix eurolepis (Hybrid larch)

  1·5

  Larix decidua (European larch)

  0·7

  Tsuga heterophylla (Western hemlock)

  0·7

  All other conifers

  1·4

  Total Conifers

  90·6

  Broadleaves

  Quercus spp (Oak)

  3·1

  Fagus sylvatica (Beech)

  2·6

  Betula spp (Birch)

  2·0

  Fraxinus excelsior (Ash)

  0·5

  Acer pseudoplatanus (Sycamore)

  0·3

  Castanea sativa (Sweet Chestnut)

  0·3

  All other broadleaves

  0·6

  Total Broadleaves

  9·4

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has of the number of trees on Forestry Commission land in(a) Nottinghamshire, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales.

  Sir Hector Monro
  A broad estimate is given in the table.

  Number of Trees (Millions)

  Nottinghamshire

  7

  England

  300

  Scotland

  800

  Wales

  200

  Training
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many trainees were recruited to employment training and the successor training for work programme in each local enterprise company area in(a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) between 1 April and 1 October.

  Mr. Lang
  In Scotland the responsibility for the monitoring of recruitment to employment training and its successor training for work rests with Scottish Enterprise and with Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I have therefore asked the chairmen of these bodies to write to the hon. Member.

  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what sum of money was spent by each local enterprise company on employment training and its successor programme, training for work, in(a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93, (c) between 1 April to 30 September, actual and (d) 1993–94, estimated outturn.

  Mr. Lang
  In Scotland the responsibility for the monitoring of local enterprise company expenditure on employment training and its successor training for work rests with Scottish Enterprise and with Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I have therefore asked the chairmen of these bodies to write to the hon. Member.

  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what analysis has been made in each local enterprise company area of the leaver destination of trainees on employment training or its successor programme, training for work; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  In Scotland the responsibility for analysis of leaver desinations of trainees on employment training and its successor training for work rests with Scottish Enterprise and with Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I have therefore asked the chairmen of these bodies to write to the hon. Member.

  Nursery Education
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has regarding the percentage of(a) three-year-old children and (b) four-year-old children who attend nursery school in each local education authority area in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  The information is set out in the table. The percentage figures are based on the mid–1992 estimates of the three- and four-year-old population.

  Percentage of three-year-olds and four-year-olds attending education authority nursery schools/departments at September 1992.

  Education Authority

  Per cent. of three-year-olds

  Per cent. of four-year-olds

  Scotland

  19·3

  50·9

  Borders

  4·2

  34·0

  Central

  20·6

  61·9

  Dumfries and Galloway

  8·6

  56·3

  Fife

  19·1

  79·2

  Grampian

  12·0

  57·1

  Highland

  5·0

  28·3

  Lothian

  27·8

  66·8

  Strathclyde

  20·2

  42·1

  Tayside

  22·8

  51·2

  Orkney

  18·2

  50·7

  Shetland

  30·4

  47·1

  Western Isles

  0·0

  0·0

  630

  Education Authority

  Per cent. of three-year-olds

  Per cent. of four-year-olds

  Strathclyde Divisions:

  Argyll and Bute

  0·0

  0·0

  Ayr

  14·4

  39·1

  Dunbarton

  13·7

  61·1

  Glasgow

  38·3

  33·5

  Lanark

  10·2

  28·6

  Renfrew

  15·4

  42·6

  Scenic Areas
  Mr. Charles Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those notified applications for developments in national scenic areas which have been called in since 1979.

  Mr. Stewart
  The Town and Country Planning (Notification of Applications) (Scotland) Direction 1.980 was issued in August 1980. Since then, the Secretary of State has called in four notified applications for developments in national scenic areas. These were:an application for a hill track at Little Gruinard;
  two applications for housing development at Kelton, Dumfries and Galloway; and
  an application for seven houses on the foreshore at Ballachulish.

  Smoke Detectors
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions have taken place between his officials and representatives of Convention of Scottish Local Authorities concerning the installation of smoke detectors in homes in(a) the public housing sector and (b) private homes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  In discussions earlier this year with COSLA, and also with Scottish Homes, about the implementation of the health promotion initiatives outlined in "Scotland's Health—A Challenge to Us All", the Chief Medical Officer and officials of the Scottish Office Home and Health Department emphasised the importance of smoke detectors in reducing fatalities from fires and encouraged COSLA and Scottish Homes to continue their efforts to secure the installation of detectors throughout their housing stocks.

  Regulations making the fitting of mains-operated smoke alarms compulsory in all new dwellings came into force in Scotland on 23 July 1993.

  Sports Centres
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the provision of(a) swimming pools and public baths and (b) indoor sports centres by each relevant Scottish local authority on a per capita basis; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  This information is not held centrally.

  Locate in Scotland
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the budget of Locate in Scotland in each year since its establishment; and what would the budget be in 1993, using the year of its establishment as a baseline, had it kept pace with inflation.
  631
  Mr. Stewart
  Locate in Scotland was established in 1981. Between 1981–82 and 1983–84 costs were not held in a format to identify separately those attributable to Locate in Scotland.

  The cost of running Locate in Scotland from 1984–85 to 1992–93, taking account of salaries, administration expenses, travel, overseas offices and marketing is shown.

  £ million

  Year

  Cost

  1984–85

  3·3

  1985–86

  3·5

  1986–87

  3·8

  1987–88

  3·9

  1988–89

  4·0

  1989–90

  4·3

  1990–91

  4·6

  1991–92

  5·1

  1992–93

  6·2

  Had costs since 1984–85 kept pace with inflation, the budget in 1992–93 would have been £5.1 million.

  Hardy Nursery Stock
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the health of the hardy nursery stock industry in Scotland; and what plans he has further to develop and promote it.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The container sector of the industry has seen increasing sales and prices whereas in the bare-root sector overproduction of some lines has led to price reductions. Overall demand is good and activity on the landscape supply side shows signs of an increase. Growers have generally accepted the new single market plant health regime—plant passports—without major problems.

  I was pleased to be able to lend my personal support this year again to the Scotgrow exhibition and I hope to attend the launch of Scottish Plants early next year. In the meantime we are considering whether the Government could make a financial contribution towards a joint initiative by the National Farmers Union of Scotland, the Horticultural Trade Association and Scotgrow to employ a full-time promotional officer.

  Community Councils
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his plans for community councils.

  Mr. Stewart
  I announced, on 11 November, new measures to strengthen the role of community councils following local government reform.

  Under the changes, community councils will gain the legal right to be consulted on local planning issues and schemes which the new councils will be preparing for decentralising service delivery arrangements. In addition, local licensing boards will be urged in new Government guidance to keep community councils fully informed of local developments in their area.

  Glasshouse Crops
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to promote the use of waste heat from incinerators, distilleries and industrial units for the production of glasshouse crops; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  The Energy Efficiency Office commissions a wide range of studies, including waste heat recovery projects. The results of these studies are widely promoted.

  Renfrewshire Enterprise
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the number of full-time permanent jobs that have been created by Renfrewshire Enterprise since its inception; and how many full-time permanent jobs have been lost in its catchment area in the same period.

  Mr. Stewart
  Estimates of jobs created by the local enterprise companies are made not by my right hon. Friend but by the local enterprise companies themselves, since it is they who have access to all necessary details about the projects and activities in which they have been involved. Renfrewshire Enterprise estimates that, during the period April 1991 to October 1993, its activities have created 6,500 jobs; and that it has had a considerable impact over and above this in maintaining and safeguarding jobs across its area.

  No central register of jobs lost in the area is held. However, Renfrewshire Enterprise's monitoring of major job losses over the same period suggests losses of around 3,500.

  Lending Libraries
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the provision of lending libraries by each relevant Scottish local authority on a per capita basis; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Local authorities revenue expenditure on library provision in 1991–92, the latest year for which figures are available, is set out in the table.

  Local Authorities net revenue expenditure on libraries 1991–92

  Authority

  £ per Capita

  Regional Councils

  Borders

  14·04

  Dumfries and Galloway

  12·55

  Highland

  11·46

  Island Councils

  Orkney

  19·94

  Shetland

  18·86

  Western Isles

  13·27

  District Councils

  Clackmannan

  16·61

  Falkirk

  13·63

  Stirling

  18·92

  Dunfermline

  11·91

  Kirkcaldy

  12·21

  North East Fife

  12·74

  Aberdeen

  17·07

  Banff and Buchan

  14·09

  Gordon

  10·73

  Kincardine and Deeside

  10·08

  Moray

  15·73

  633

  Authority

  £ per Capita

  East Lothian

  11·08

  Edinburgh

  16·99

  Midlothian

  13·98

  West Lothian

  12·85

  Argyll and Bute

  10·30

  Bearsden and Milngavie

  17·97

  Clydebank

  19·64

  Clydesdale

  13·53

  Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

  13·30

  Cumnock and Doon Valley

  15·23

  Cunninghame

  13·87

  Dumbarton

  16·01

  East Kilbride

  18·06

  Eastwood

  16·72

  Glasgow

  20·92

  Hamilton

  14·17

  Inverclyde

  12·10

  Kilmarnock and Loudoun

  9·87

  Kyle and Carrick

  14·04

  Monklands

  16·17

  Motherwell

  15·65

  Renfrew

  20·74

  Strathkelvin

  13·99

  Angus

  13·00

  Dundee

  19·52

  Perth

  13·36

  Scotland

  15·62

  Benomyl
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines his Department currently issues on the use of benomyl as a crop fungicide; what precautions he advises on its use; what are the effects of misuse; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  My Department receives advice on pesticide safety issues from the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, an independent body of scientific and medical experts. Following a review of benomyl by the ACP, it was announced in March of this year that there was no cause for concern over its continued use in the United Kingdom.

  In addition to the statutory conditions governing pesticide usage in general, benomyl products carry label restrictions including warning not to contaminate
  waterways, to keep off skin, to wash after use, to empty the container completely and dispose of safely; and, for home garden produce, to store away from children. Exposure to extremely large amounts of benomyl can cause anophthalimia and microphthalmia in rats. However, provided conditions of use are followed, exposure of consumers and operators is 1,000 times less than that demonstrated as a no-effect level in rats.

  Paisley
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will commission a study by Scottish Enterprise into the potential for the development of manufacturing of Paisley pattern goods in Paisley.

  Mr. Stewart
  Renfrewshire Enterprise, in partnership with Renfrew district council, is already supporting the industry and examining a number of strategic issues through the Paisley pattern initiative. The initiative covers the heritage of the industry; commercial and product development; and marketing and promotion of Paisley pattern and its links with the local area.
  634
  Renfrewshire Enterprise plans to examine in the new year the full market potential for the manufacturing of Paisley pattern products, to build on the strategic examination of the industry conducted under the Initiative.

  I am sure Renfrewshire Enterprise would be happy to provide the hon. Member with further details about the initiative should he wish to contact it direct.

  Windyhill Farm, Elderslie
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will consider the appeal against refusal of planning permission by Renfrew district council for the development of a quarry at Windyhill farm, Elderslie; what procedures will be followed before final determination of the appeal; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Evidence on this appeal will be heard by a reporter at a public local inquiry scheduled to commence on 14 June 1994. The reporter appointed will subsequently submit a comprehensive report based on the evidence led at the inquiry and the many other written representations submitted by local residents and other parties. The report and reporter's recommendations will, thereafter, be referred to my right hon. Friend who has directed that he should determine this appeal on the grounds that the proposal would constitute a significant development within a designated green belt.

  Lord Lieutenants
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the procedure for the appointment of a lord lieutenant of Renfrewshire to replace the retiring incumbent; if he will publish a table showing the name, occupation and date of appointment of(a) the vice-lord lieutenant and (b) each deputy lord lieutenants of (i) Glasgow and (ii) Renfrewshire; how nominations can be made for these positions; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Lord lieutenants in Scotland are appointed by Her Majesty under section 131 of the Reserve Forces Act 1980. Deputy lieutenants are appointed by the lord lieutenant under section 133 of that Act, which includes the requirement that the lord lieutenant must ascertain that Her Majesty does not disapprove of the proposed appointment. Under section 135 of that Act, each lord lieutenant may, with Her Majesty's approbation, appoint a deputy lieutenant or a lieutenant as vice-lord lieutenant. Current information about the occupations of vice-lords lieutenant and lords-lieutenant is not held centrally. The other information requested by the hon. Gentleman is as follows:

  Renfrewshire

  Name

  Date of appointment

  Vice-Lord Lieutenant

  Colonel Sir Houston Shaw-Stewart of Greenock and Blackhall, Bt, MC TD

  11 November 1980

  Deputy Lieutenants

  Lieutenant-Colonel A. Leonard Aitkenhead, MBE TD

  13 February 1962

  Major David A. Kerr, MC TD

  13 February 1962

  Sir William J. Lithgow, Bt, of Ormsary

  31 May 1970

  Major John G. Stewart, TD

  31 May 1970

  Sir Eric Yarrow, Bt, MBE

  31 May 1970

  Sir Ian Denholm, CBE

  20 October 1980

  George G. MacMillan of MacMillan and Knap

  15 September 1983

  635

  Name

  Date of appointment

  Alan R. Devereux, Esq., CBE

  31 May 1985

  The Right Hon. The Lord Goold

  31 May 1985

  The Right Hon. The Lord Maclay

  29 July 1986

  Commander Henry C. Abram, VRD OStJ

  7 October 1987

  Brigadier John Brown, OBE MM TD

  7 October 1987

  Guy W. N. H. Clark, Esq.

  7 October 1987

  Captain William H. Hunter, CBE

  7 October 1987

  Mrs. Helen M. Laird, OBE

  7 October 1987

  Wing Commander C. Hector MacLean, AE

  7 October 1987

  James R. Minto, Esq., OBE

  7 October 1987

  Sir Simpson Stevenson, LLD

  14 May 1990

  Mrs. Margaret J. Baird

  20 July 1993

  Colonel Archibald D. Bremner

  20 July 1993

  Miss Annabel M. Goldie

  20 July 1993

  Archibald L. Morton, Esq.

  20 July 1993

  Cameron H. Parker, Esq., OBE

  20 July 1993

  Glasgow

  Name

  Date of appointment

  Vice-Lord Lieutenant

  Robert Gray, Esq., CBE OStJ LLD

  15 July 1992

  Deputy Lieutenants

  Group Captain Marcus Robinson, CB AFC AE

  1955

  Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard E. Dickson, CBE MC TD

  3 May 1963

  Colonel A. Walker Naddell, ERD KStJ

  3 May 1963

  Sir Samuel Curran, LLD FRS

  30 June 1969

  William L. Smith, Esq., MC TD

  30 June 1969

  Peter M. Gemmill Esq.

  31 August 1971

  Air Vice-Marshal Alexander V. R. Johnstone, CB DFC

  31 August 1971

  Captain John Mallard, MBE VRD

  31 August 1971

  Colonel A. T. Wilson, VRD

  31 August 1971

  Lord Wallace of Campsie, KStJ

  31 August 1971

  Colonel Lachlan Robertson, OBE TD

  15 May 1975

  Sir William Gray, LLD

  1 July 1975

  Peter T. McCann, Esq., OStJ

  26 December 1977

  Miss Agnes M. Patrick

  7 November 1979

  John K. Richmond, Esq.

  7 November 1979

  Mrs. Jean A. McFadden, CBE

  2 July 1980

  Gerald McGrath Esq.

  30 April 1980

  John H. Young, Esq., OBE

  21 September 1981

  Bashir A. Maan, Esq.

  7 December 1982

  Dr. Michael Kelly, CBE OSt1 LLD

  26 June 1984

  James Mullen, Esq.

  9 July 1985

  Philip O'Rourke, Esq.

  9 July 1985

  lain J. A. Dyer, Esq., MBE

  4 November 1987

  Patrick Lally, Esq.

  4 November 1987

  William Aitken, Esq.

  26 May 1992

  Mrs. Susan Baird, CBE OSt1

  15 July 1992

  Planning Regulations
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider extending planning regulations to make it the duty of planning authorities to ensure that service copies of proposed developments which are available to the public exactly match development plans on planning application forms and associated plans.

  Mr. Lang
  Responsibility for completion of neighbour notices rests with the applicant. It is intended that the description given of the proposed development should be consistent with the information on the planning application 636
  form. However, there is no requirement for it to match exactly. If it comes to light that there is a general problem on this matter, I will of course be willing to look into it.

  Land (Public Access)
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes planning authorities are enacting or proposing when approached for planning permission for a change of ownership of forestry regarding freedom to roam; what representations he has had on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Change in the ownership of a forest is not subject to planning permission. The Forestry Commission operates procedures, where it plans to dispose of forestry land, which offer local authorities the opportunity of entering into an access agreement between the commission and the authority. These arrangements are being reviewed at present in conjunction with the work of the forestry review group. The review group and Ministers have received many representations of which a large proportion are concerned about maintenance of access.

  Procurators Fiscal
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the arrangements for reporting perceived cases of maladministration by local procurator fiscal's offices; how many such cases have been reported in relation to the operation of the procurator fiscal's office in Paisley since 1991; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Where my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate receives a complaint about the conduct of business in a procurator fiscal's office, he obtains an immediate and full report of the circumstances. Procurators fiscal know that they may be called upon at any time to explain their actings to my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate. In addition, a programme of practice review involves inspection of local offices. Procurators fiscal also submit monthly returns of their activities to the Crown Office. In matters of administration procurators fiscal are accountable through their regional procurator fiscal to the Crown Agent. Regional procurators fiscal have powers to visit and inspect offices in their regions, and routinely do so. Local offices are also subject to regular financial auditing.

  There have been no reports of maladministration as such in relation to the operation of the procurator fiscal's office at Paisley, although a number of complaints have recently been made about the handling of particular cases by that office. The Crown Agent has discussed these with the procurator fiscal, and certain new procedures have been adopted as a result.

  Job Creation
  Mr. Gallie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what major job-creating projects have been announced in Scotland in the last 12 months.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 November 1993]There have been many announcements of job creating projects in Scotland in the last 12 months. Those involving 200 or more jobs are listed.
  637

  Organisation

  Location

  Jobs expected to be created

  Muir Construction Ltd.

  Kirkcaldy

  250

  Aulds (Food) Ltd.

  Inchinnan

  270

  Jabil Circuit Ltd.

  Livingston

  400

  Mimtec Ltd.

  Livigston

  400

  Marks and Spencer plc and Sainsbury plc

  Glasgow-Renfrew

  5,000

  Mitsubishi Corporation (UK) Ltd.

  Livingston

  200

  Hoover Ltd.

  Cambuslang

  400

  Scotcable Ltd.

  Uddingston

  500

  Marshall Food Group Ltd.

  Edinburgh

  300

  Direct Line Insurance plc

  Glasgow

  200

  David A. Hall Ltd.

  Broxburn

  400

  VRG International Inc.

  Livingston

  300

  Costain plc and Taylor Woodrow plc

  Hunterston

  500

  Shell Ltd. and Esso Ltd.

  North East Shetland

  3,000

  Fullarton Fabrication Ltd.

  Kilwinning

  200

  Kvaerner Govan Ltd.

  Glasgow

  500

  Ministry of Defence

  Glasgow

  700

  Conoco (UK) Ltd.

  Aberdeen

  400

  Kvaemer H and G Offshore Ltd.

  Aberdeen

  300

  Safeway Food Stores Ltd.

  Glenrothes

  250

  Motorola Ltd.

  Glenrothes and East Kilbride

  980

  Shoprite Group Ltd.

  Dunfermline

  360

  Solectron Scotland Ltd.

  Dunfermline

  300

  Great Britain plc

  Hamilton Oil Company

  Port Glasgow

  300

  PCI Ltd.

  East Kilbride

  300

  Hoskyns Group plc

  Forres

  200

  DAKS Simpson Group plc

  Larkhall

  256

  British Sky Broadcasting plc

  Bathgate

  200

  Levi Strauss (UK) Ltd.

  St.Andrews

  200

  British Telecommunications Ltd.

  Glasgow

  230

  European Monitors Ltd.

  Ayr

  350

  Local Government Review
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give a detailed explanation of his reasons for proposing to detach Musselburgh from the East Lothian local authority area, citing the specific representations or evidence of public opinion which supported that plan.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 November 1993]In reaching the decision to include Musselburgh in the proposed Lothians authority, particular attention was paid to the petition of 8,000 names from the "Hands Off Musselburgh" campaign which expressed opposition to Musselburgh's inclusion within an expanded Edinburgh authority. The fact that Musselburgh traditionally formed part of Midlothian, and became part of East Lothian as recently as 1975, was also taken into account.

  Gourock Rope Works
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he or his officials last discussed the subject of the current circumstances surrounding the Gourock rope works, Port Glasgow, and its future with representatives of Historic Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 30 November 1993]Historic Scotland, as an executive agency responsible to my right hon. Friend, reports to me for my interest in the Gourock rope works as a listed building.
  638
  Historic Scotland officials had a meeting with officials of Inverclyde district council regarding the rope works building on 12 August. Regular communication has been maintained since then. I hope the future of the category A listed building will be made secure by a scheme for its restoration.

  I shall write to the hon. Member as matters develop.

  Ayrshire and Arran Health Board
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many members of Ayrshire and Arran health board's valuation committee have recently resigned from the evaluation committee.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 23 November 1993]No members have resigned from the evaluation committee.

  Countryside Survey
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Environment on the results of the countryside survey 1990 and the implications of these results for his Department.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 30 November 1993]My right hon. Friend maintains regular contact with his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment on these matters and will continue to do so. My right hon. Friend is committed to integrating environmental concerns into all policy areas.

  ORGANOPHOSPHORUS SHEEP DIPS: USE
  ORGANOPHOSPHORUS SHEEP DIPS: USE
  POTATO MARKETING SCHEME
  POTATO MARKETING SCHEME
  SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMITTEE
  SEARCH AND RESCUE COMMITTEE
  M.40: SERVICE AREAS
  M.40: SERVICE AREAS
  NATIONAL INSURANCE: EVASION INVESTIGATION
  NATIONAL INSURANCE: EVASION INVESTIGATION
  WEST COAST MAIN LINE: MODERNISATION
  WEST COAST MAIN LINE: MODERNISATION
  SOCIAL SECURITY FRAUD: INVESTIGATION STRATEGY
  SOCIAL SECURITY FRAUD: INVESTIGATION STRATEGY
  INVALIDITY BENEFIT RECIPIENTS
  INVALIDITY BENEFIT RECIPIENTS
  RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CONVENTION: COMPLIANCE
  RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CONVENTION: COMPLIANCE
  PRISONS: MINISTERIAL STAFF COSTS
  PRISONS: MINISTERIAL STAFF COSTS
  CRIMINAL OFFENCES
  CRIMINAL OFFENCES
  D-DAY: 50th ANNIVERSARY
  D-DAY: 50th ANNIVERSARY
  ABORTIONS
  ABORTIONS
  EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES: BUDGETS
  EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES: BUDGETS
  PRINCE CHARLES HOSPITAL: PRIVATE PRACTICE
  PRINCE CHARLES HOSPITAL: PRIVATE PRACTICE
  ALBANIA—MACEDONIA RAIL LINK
  ALBANIA—MACEDONIA RAIL LINK
  US HUMAN LIFE BILL: CONGRESS REPORT
  US HUMAN LIFE BILL: CONGRESS REPORT
  KHIAM PRISON: DETAINEES
  KHIAM PRISON: DETAINEES
  GIBRALTAR
  GIBRALTAR
  DEFENCE EQUIPMENT PROGRAMME
  DEFENCE EQUIPMENT PROGRAMME
  ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT: IMPLEMENTATION
  ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT: IMPLEMENTATION