Written Answers of 2 December 1993

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Pensions
  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much of the total amount of money raised by measures to restrict the amount of tax which can be reclaimed by a pension fund introduced in the last Budget will be paid by members of money purchase occupational schemes in the form of a reduction in the assets available to purchase a pension;

  (2) how much of the total amount of money raised by measures introduced in the last Budget, to restrict the amount of tax which can be reclaimed by a pension fund, will be paid by employers in the form of additional contributions;

  (3) how much of the total amount of money raised by measures to restrict the amount of tax which can be reclaimed by a pension fund introduced in the last Budget will be paid by individuals paying additional voluntary contributions into occupational schemes in the form of a reduction in assets available to purchase a pension;

  (4) how much of the total amount of money raised by measures introduced in the last Budget, to restrict the amount of tax which can be reclaimed by a pension fund, will be paid by pension funds in the form of a reduction in assets;

  (5) how much of the total amount of money raised by measures to restrict the amount of tax which can be reclaimed by a pension fund introduced in the last Budget will be paid by holders of personal pensions in the form of a reduction in the assets available to purchase a pension.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The impact of the changes in the taxation of dividends announced in the March Budget on contributions to, and the assets of, pension funds will depend upon a wide range of factors including future rates of return on investments, earning levels and the existing levels of assets and liabilities.

  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much tax will be raised in a full tax year by the measure introduced in the March Budget restricting the amount of tax which can be reclaimed by a pension fund.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The overall Exchequer yield from the changes in the taxation of dividends announced in the March Budget is estimated to be £900 million in 1995–96 and about £1 billion a year subsequently.

  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what discussions his officials have had with officials in the Department of Social Security on the extent to which the tax changes affecting pension funds introduced in the March Budget are likely to affect the number of people relying on various forms of private pension provision;

  (2) what discussions his officials have had with officials in the Department of Social Security on the extent
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  to which the tax changes affecting pension funds introduced in the March Budget are likely to affect the numbers contracting out of SERPS.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Regular discussions take place between officials of my Department and Department of Social Security officials on a wide range of topics affecting pension funds.

  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his officials had with officials of the Department of Social Security before changing the taxation of the income of pension funds in the March Budget.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The potential effects of changes to the taxation of dividends announced in the March Budget were taken fully into account in developing the proposals. Issues affecting pensions are the subject of regular discussions between my officials and those of the Department of Social Security.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the current cost threshold for answering parliamentary questions is calculated.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The threshold is set at a level which is eight times the average direct cost of staff involved in answering written parliamentary questions. The average direct cost is updated annually by indexation. The cost threshold is increased in £50 steps, rounded upwards.

  Tax Credits
  Mr. George
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the National Association of Pension Funds about the effects of further reductions in the value of tax credits on dividends payable by United Kingdom companies to United Kingdom resident or other non-resident shareholders; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The National Association of Pension Funds has written to my right hon. and learned Friend, and I met representatives of the association on 27 October.

  Corporate Tax Fraud
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase penalties for corporate tax fraud.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Government have no such plans. We believe the existing system of tax-geared penalties to be quite adequate.

  Value Added Tax
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 26 November on payments by the VAT commissioners, what was the value of the VAT payable orders gone astray since 1 July 1988 subsequently recovered.

  Sir John Cope
  Of the total sum of £360,638, reported as gone astray in the previous answer £237,624·11 had been recovered as at 30 November 1993. The sums still outstanding continue to be subject to any possible further recovery action.
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  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 26 November,Official Report, column 273, what inquiries he has instituted as to why traders do not take advantage of electronic transfer; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Cope
  Customs ask traders to provide bank account details on first registration, by an annual mailshot to verify registration details and when officers carry out visits to their premises.

  The option of payment by electronic transfer or by payable order can be helpful to business, but the choice of method is a commercial decision for the trader.

  Inquiries and general feedback to Customs indicate that a proportion of those who choose to receive payable orders do so to enable them to retain control over the sum, both as to destination and timing.

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

  Sir John Cope
  The annual cost to the Treasury for use of Government car service cars by its Ministers in financial year 1992–93 was £270,282. Five cars were allocated to Treasury Ministers on long-term hire and are available for other official use within the Treasury when not required by Ministers.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Sweeney
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has regarding future arrangements for the grant of criminal legal aid in the magistrates courts; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Decisions on the grant or refusal of legal aid in criminal cases brought in the approximately 600 magistrates' courts in England and Wales are an integral part of procedures which, in the interests of the liberty of the subject, have to be as expeditious as possible. The Legal Aid Act 1988 vests the function of deciding in the courts themselves, but gives me the power to transfer it to the Legal Aid Board.

  The evidence continues to indicate that, under the present arrangements, the Lord Chancellor cannot be certain that the existing regulations governing the grant of legal aid are being applied sufficiently rigorously, in particular in determining the financial eligibility of applicants. This has led the Comptroller and Auditor General repeatedly to qualify my Department's appropriation account because of material doubt whether this category of legal aid spending is regular.

  In no circumstances can any irregularity in dispensing public money be acceptable, and the Lord Chancellor will take every available step to ensure proper safeguards consistent with the due administration of justice. In addition to the guidance issued last year, the Lord Chancellor has made changes in the regulations, with effect from September 1993, to clarify and strengthen the duty on justices clerks to satisfy themselves of an applicant's means before granting legal aid. In addition,
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  with the help of the Justices Clerks Society and the Legal Aid Board, the Lord Chancellor is considering whether the previous guidance on the "interests of justice" criteria requires to be revised. The impact of these measures will be closely monitored.

  In January 1992, the Lord Chancellor invited the Legal Aid Board to consider whether, in the interests of making decisions on the grant of criminal legal aid in the magistrates courts more uniform and systematic, I should transfer this function from the courts to the board. The board reported earlier this year that it would be ready to assume responsibility if certain changes were made in the present scheme, but that it could not do so until 1995 at the earliest. In consultations on the board's report, reservations were expressed about some of the details, while other aspects commanded widespread support.

  Transferring responsibility for the grant of criminal legal aid to the Legal Aid Board offers the advantage of greater consistency in decision-making. However, there could be countervailing risks to the speed and efficiency of criminal procedures. As a matter of policy, I feel bound to take these risks seriously, and I am not at present satisfied that they are outweighed by the advantage.

  However, if the current measures do not achieve an acceptable result, I will give further consideration to a transfer to the board. At the same time, I will consider any identifiable alternative measures, with a view to achieving the best practicable balance between speed of decision-making and assured regularity in the handling of public money.

TRANSPORT

  London Underground (Power Failures)
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a table listing the number of occasions on which the London Underground service has been affected by a power failure in the past five years in each case indicating the number of lines, train services and passengers affected and the length of time during which the service was interrupted; and whether or not passengers had to be evacuated from any part of the system.

  Mr. Norris
  Over the past five years London Underground has experienced one other significant power failure, at Charing Cross station on the morning of 19 October 1992. As a result of the failure of the local station power supply, the station was evacuated and remained closed for the rest of the day, reopening at the start of service on 20 October. All Jubilee line trains were terminated at Green Park, and Bakerloo and Northern line trains did not stop at Charing Cross. There are no figures available for the number of passengers directly affected.

  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has been given of the theoretical risk of simultaneous failure of all power supplies to the London Underground system.

  Mr. Norris
  An independent risk analysis report has estimated the risk of simultaneous loss of Lots Road and Greenwich generating stations and the Neasden bulk supply point to be one in 3,378 years.

  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers on the London
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  Underground were affected by the power failure on 24 November; and what proportion of the total number of daily users of the underground service this represents.

  Mr. Norris
  London Underground has provided the following information:300,000 passengers were affected by the morning failure, representing 12 per cent. of daily users.
  20,000 passengers were evacuated from trains stalled between stations—in tunnel or in the open—due to the morning failure, representing ·8 per cent. of daily users.
  150,000 passengers were affected by the evening failure, representing 6 per cent. of daily users.
  2,000 passengers were evacuated from trains stalled between stations—in tunnel or in the open—due to the evening failure, representing 0·08 per cent. of daily users.

  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether(a) the Lots Road or (b) Greenwich power station reserve for London Underground were called upon on 24 November; and whether either failed.

  Mr. Norris
  I understand from London Underground that there was no failure of the basic power supply system from the two generating stations. I am informed that the incident on 24 November was caused by the malfunctioning of equipment designed to protect the high-voltage system from thermal danger in the event of a fault.

  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the lines affected and estimate the number of train services delayed as a consequence of the power failure on the London Underground on 24 November.

  Mr. Norris
  The latest information from London Underground on lines and train services affected as a consequence of the power failure on 24 November is as follows:

  Central Line
  08:00—16:15. No service east of Marble Arch; 80 per cent. of services affected.

  Circle and Hammersmith and City Lines
  08:00—13:30. No service between Edgeware Road and Moorgate; 50 per cent. of services affected.

  District Line
  07:45—13:30. No service between Embankment and Barking; 20 per cent. of services affected.

  East London Line
  08:00—11:00. No service.

  Metropolitan Line
  08:00—13:30. No service between Baker Street and Moorgate; 10 per cent. of services affected.

  At 17:33, following restoration of eastern Central line services there was a further power failure affecting both the Central and the District lines. Twenty per cent. of District line services were affected and 80 per cent. of Central line services. Normal service was not resumed on the Central line until the morning of 30 November. Between 25 and 29 November the Central line was able to achieve an average of 38 per cent. of its normal scheduled mileage.

  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has about the age and state of repair of the cable used to transmit power to the London underground; and what advice he has received about the likelihood of any future repetition of the power failure which occurred on the underground on 24 November.
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  Mr. Norris
  I have asked London Transport for a full report on the cause of the power failure on 24 November. Until I have received that report, it would be inappropriate for me to comment.

  Maritime Safety
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding a draft resolution on the application of the competition rules to maritime transport proposed by the President of the Council of Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. MacGregor
  I received representations on the proposed draft resolution on competition and maritime transport both from individual United Kingdom shippers and from organisations representing shippers and shipowners; those representations were carefully considered. The Council of Ministers meeting on 29 November decided not to proceed with the resolution.

  Railtrack
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met the management of Railtrack to discuss levels of investment need in track and infrastructure in the west coast main line.

  Mr. Freeman
  I last met the chairman of Railtrack yesterday when it was announced that the modernisation of the west coast main line will be taken forward as a privately managed and financed investment as part of the private finance initiative.

  Nuclear Waste
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the transport implications of the United Kingdom Government's abstention on the vote for a permanent world-wide ban on nuclear waste dumping at sea at the London convention meeting in November; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  The United Kingdom is currently considering what declarations may need to be made to the International Maritime Organisation in respect of the resolution prohibiting the sea disposal of radioactive waste. The transport of radioactive materials, including radioactive waste, is a separate issue, subject to stringent international safety standards.

  West Coast Main Line
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met the management of the west coast main line to discuss issues relating to investment.

  Mr. Freeman
  I last met the director of the west coast main line at the end of October.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding investment in the west coast main line during the last year; and if he can give a breakdown as to the sources of such representations.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have received a large number of representations from hon. Members, local authorities and others on the need to modernise the west coast main line.
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  The Government announced on 30 November that the modernisation of the west coast main line will be taken forward as a privately managed and financed investment as part of the private finance initiative.

  Biodiversity
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to ensure that the Government's biodiversity action plan will include an objective to avoid the loss of important biodiversity sites to transport developments.

  Mr. Norris
  The Government will consider the implications for biodiversity when formulating and reviewing transport policies and will ensure that biodiversity objectives are fully taken into account in the assessment of new transport infrastructure.

  We have a long-standing policy of keeping transport infrastructure away from protected areas such as sites of special scientific interest, wherever possible.

  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the biodiversity action plan will allow for the re-routing of ships to avoid marine areas of special interest for wildlife.

  Mr. Norris
  The Government have already agreed with the International Maritime Organisation a number of routing measures to reduce the risk of oil pollution around the United Kingdom coast.

  An amended "Area to be Avoided" off the Shetland islands and new "Areas to be Avoided" off Orkney and around Fair Isle came into force on 28 November. Specific recommendations, most of which include prescribed routes, also came into force covering the Pentland firth, the Isles of Scilly, the Minch, the North channel, off Smalls and Grassholme channel, the Needles channel, the English channel and Dover strait and the Firth of Forth.

  The European Community is currently identifying sensitive areas which are at high risk from maritime traffic and further measures may be proposed by the Commission to protect these areas.

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

  Mr. MacGregor
  The annual cost to the Department of the car service for Ministers is £286,000 for the financial year 1993–94. Five vehicles are involved.

  Rail Privatisation
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who will be responsible for(a) setting targets and (b) paying compensation for non-fulfilment, in terms of the passengers charter, in the event of rail privatisation.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answer 1 December 1993]:
  Each rail franchise agreement will set out the operating standards which franchisees will have to deliver and the incentives and penalties which will apply if performance exceeds or falls short of those standards. The setting of standards and the related incentive and penalty arrangements will be the responsibility of the franchising director acting within guidelines laid down by my right hon. Friend.

  M11
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to provide a motorway service station on the M11; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Key
  The Department has secured planning clearance for a motorway service area at Birchanger adjacent to junction 8 of the M11 and has appointed Forte Welcome Break to construct it. Building work is now under way and the service area is due to open early in 1995.

  Kingston upon Hull City Transport
  Mr. Prescott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the ownership of Kingston upon Hull City Transport.

  Mr. Leigh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the future of Kingston upon Hull City Transport Ltd.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Secretary of State has given formal consent to the sale of Kingston-upon-Hull City Transport Ltd, the bus company owned by the Hull city council, to Cleveland Transit Ltd. The new owners are to offer a 49 per cent. shareholding in the company to the employees.

  Change of ownership takes place under the terms of section 75(3) of the Transport Act 1985, which allows authorities to sell their public transport companies with the consent of the Secretary of State.

  I wish the company success in the private sector.

  Advertising
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spends annually on(a) television advertising, (b) radio advertising and (c) press advertising; and what were the corresponding figures for 1985 and 1979.

  Mr. Norris
  Figures are £,000s

  1993–94

  1992–93

  1985–86

  1979–80

  (a) TV

  15,155

  5,467

  70

  4,141

  (b) Radio

  —

  566

  858

  62

  (c) Press

  115

  131

  834

  105

  1Figures for 1993–94 are provisional

  Motorway Charging
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the Government's plans for taking forward motorway charging.

  Mr. Macgregor
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer said in his Budget speech that I would shortly be making a statement about motorway charging in the light of responses to the Green Paper, "Paying For Better Motorways", which I published last May with the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales. The Green Paper considered how the introduction of direct charging for the use of our most important inter-urban roads could provide another source of finance to expand the network more quickly; and how it could help to ensure that we make more efficient use of the network.
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  Our aim was to stimulate an informed, wide-ranging debate. By far the most striking feature of the responses was the widespread acknowledgement among bodies representing industry and road users of the potential benefits of direct charging. An important effect of charging would be to provide another source of finance for improving the motorway network, so avoiding the congestion that will otherwise come with economic growth and increasing traffic. The motorway network carries 15 per cent. of all road traffic and 30 per cent. of heavy goods vehicle traffic. An effective network is an important contributor to our continued economic prosperity.

  As many respondents recognised, motorway charging could have other important advantages. It would provide the key to increasing private sector investment in the operation and expansion of the motorway network. It would make more efficient use of the network, for example by the use of pricing structures designed to spread peak period congestion. It would put the charges on those who actually use motorways rather than the near-50 per cent. of road users who rarely or never travel on the network. And it would improve the competitive position of rail and other forms of public transport for which users are already charged directly.

  The Green Paper described three options for direct charging. The first was conventional tolling with toll plazas and booths of the sort found on estuarial crossings in this country and on motorways in a number of other countries. The Green Paper said that this option should be ruled out for existing motorways because of the land that would be required and the traffic delays which conventional tolling would itself cause. There was almost unanimous agreement with that decision.

  The second option, suggested as a possible interim measure, was charging by means of a permit system of the sort currently used in Switzerland. The Government have decided that the benefits of such permits would not be sufficient to justify the likely costs of introducing them as an interim measure. We shall not therefore pursue this option.

  The third option discussed in the Green Paper was fully electronic tolling, where vehicles using the motorway network would carry an electronic tag which would react to signals as the vehicles passed roadside beacons. Vehicles would not have to stop. The toll would be worked out automatically and would either be charged to the road user's account or deducted from a pre-paid smart card on the vehicle. It is clear from responses to the Green Paper that this is widely seen as the best way of introducing motorway charging in this country.

  The technology for electronic tolling on the scale necessary for the British motorway network needs further development. The electronic tolling systems currently operating or being tested in the United States and in Europe would not fully meet the requirements here. In the light of the responses to the Green Paper, we have decided to launch immediately a major programme of research, development and trials to identify the capabilities of the existing technology and to draw up a specification for a motorway charging system. The first step will be to invite industry to demonstrate available technology. We shall then assess in detail the most promising systems, with trials on a specific stretch of motorway. On the basis of the many discussions I have had with manufacturers and organisations involved in electronic road charging here and abroad, I am convinced that there is a great deal of work being
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  undertaken internationally, and it would be feasible technologically to install motorway charging here within about five years.

  The assessment of the available technology and systems will provide the basis on which to decide when to go ahead with motorway charging and at an appropriate time bring forward the necessary legislation for Parliament to consider.

  The Green Paper also invited views on the best ways of involving private finance in the operation and expansion of the motorway network. We announced a year ago that, as a possible transitional step to motorway charging, the private sector might be invited to bid for contracts under which they would design, build, finance and operate roads for which they would receive payment from Government in relation to the use of those roads. There is strong support for DBFO contracts from the construction industry and the City. Accordingly, we shall enter into early discussions with the construction industry and others to identify a list of potential DBFO schemes which could provide for substantial transfer of risk to the private sector. Our aim would be to let DBFO contracts on schemes which have already been taken through public inquiry. I therefore hope that the first contracts could be let and work started within 18 months.

  The Green Paper made it clear that this was not the only option for increasing the role of private finance in the provision of roads. We have decided that the DBFO approach offers the best way forward for the present, whilst we develop for the future more extensive use of private finance and expertise.

  I shall be appointing as soon as possible financial advisers to assist in preparing DBFO contracts and to work up further private finance options for the future.

  Concerns were expressed in the responses to the Green Paper about the possible side-effect of charging on diversion of vehicles from motorways to other roads. I recognise that concern and devoted a whole chapter of the Green Paper to this question. Charging across the network at levels well below those used in other countries—as was proposed in the Green Paper—is unlikely to cause much diversion, and the Government are very conscious of the need to avoid this. It also has to be taken into account that, without improvement of the motorways, congestion on them will grow, and such congestion would itself cause diversion on to alternative routes. So doing nothing is not a realistic option.

  Many respondents indicated that their support for charging was dependent on the resources being used to fund additional road capacity. The Green Paper gave two important assurances. First, that it would be the Government's intention to ensure that the revenue and expenditure on roads subject to charges would be transparent, and that the proceeds of charges would be applied only to the construction and operation of the charged network. Secondly, that the Government would take into account the relationship between the charges and existing motoring taxes in setting their respective levels. The Government reaffirm these assurances.

  Many issues, such as the precise definition of the network to be charged and the level of charges require further exploration, which we shall undertake in parallel with the technology trial. Until these detailed decisions are taken, there is no case for amending our national road traffic forecasts and our traffic forecasting methodology to

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  take account of the contingent effect of tolling, any more than there is for anticipating the possible introduction of city congestion charging.

  M20 (Services)
  Sir Keith Speed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what motorway service facilities open 24 hours a day will be available on the M20 motorway in time for the opening of the channel tunnel to passenger traffic.

  Mr. Key
  Planning consent has been granted for motorway service areas—MSAs—on the M20 at Hollingbourne and Westenhanger. Neither is expected to open by May 1994. On completion, both will be required to guarantee 24-hour access, fuel availability, free parking and toilet facilities.

ENVIRONMENT

  Gulf War
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many scientists from his Department participated in the study by the United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/GC.17/NF.9 into the long-term environmental effects of the Gulf war; and if he will arrange for a copy of the study to be put in the Library.

  Mr. Yeo
  The document was prepared by the United Nations Enviroment Programme—UNEP; scientists in the Department were not involved in its preparation. As well as summarising the latest information on the effects of the conflict, the document refers to studies by 12 United Nations agencies to which the United Kingdom contributed. A copy of the document is being placed in the Library of the House.

  Special Needs Housing
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to employ a special needs adviser with a specific remit of developing United Kingdom-wide standard for wheelchair housing.

  Sir George Young
  The Government recognise the desirability of providing accessible housing for disabled people. However, the development of a national standard for wheelchair housing is more appropriate to the work of the British Standards Institution than that of a special needs adviser within my Department. There is a British standard, BS5619, "Design of housing for the convenience of disabled people". The revision of this standard, which does not currently address the special needs of wheelchair users, is being considered and my Department would be willing to play a full part, alongside organisations which provide housing for special needs, in discussions on incorporating improved provisions for wheelchair users in any such revision.

  Housing
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the impact of cutting the Housing Corporation's approved development programme by £300 million on the total number of housing association homes produced for 1994–95.
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  Sir George Young
  Following the changes to Housing Corporation expenditure in 1994–95 announced in the Budget, we estimate that 53,000 new homes will be provided with Housing Corporation funding in 1994–95.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his Department's estimate of the number of homes which will be produced in(a) 1993–94, (b) 1994–95 and (c) 1995–96 by maintaining the Housing Corporation's approved development programme at its current level.

  Sir George Young
  Under this year's approved development programme — ADP — the Housing Corporation estimated in January that the number of homes produced would be 54,500 in 1993–94, 49,400 in 1994–95, and 50,100 in 1995–96. Despite the changes in Housing Corporation expenditure made in the Budget, it still expects to achieve 154,000 new homes over this period. No estimate has been made of the number of new homes which would have been provided had the ADP been held at its current level.

  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish his Department's latest estimate of the number of housing association homes which will be produced in 1994–95.

  Sir George Young
  Following the expenditure plans announced in the Budget we estimate that the Housing Corporation's capital programme will provide for some 53,000 new homes in 1994–95.

  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the total number of new housing association units which will be produced in 1994–95 if the Housing Corporation's approved development programme is reduced by(a) £300 million, (b) £400 million and (c) £500 million.

  Sir George Young
  Following the Budget announcement that the Housing Corporation's capital expenditure programme has been reduced by some £300 million in 1994–95, we estimate that this will nevertheless provide for some 53,000 housing association homes in 1994–95. No estimate has been made of the effect that the greater reductions identified would have had on total units produced. Any such figure would depend not only on the overall size of the approved development programme, but on the likely balance between sub-programmes.

  Water Quality
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, how many laboratories in the north-west exist for testing the quality of water.

  Mr. Yeo
  North West Water currently has eight laboratories for testing drinking water supplies or waste water. The National Rivers Authority has one chemical and three biological laboratories in the north-west. Both North West Water and the NRA are in the process of rationalising their laboratory facilities.

  Biodiversity Convention
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for the ratification of the biodiversity convention by the United Kingdom; whether
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  he intends to qualify the act of ratification in any way; whether he intends to lodge an interpretative declaration alongside the United Kingdom's signature; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  It remains our intention to ratify the convention on biological diversity given satisfactory progress towards securing safeguards regarding our concerns on the financial provisions of the convention. We intend to reaffirm on ratification the interpretative statements we made on signature.

  Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the total cost of payments to landowners in respect of sites of special scientific interest; how many landowners received such grants in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  Details of the cost of management agreements entered into with landowners in such circumstances and of grants paid in respect of SSSIs are published in the annual reports of English Nature and of the former Nature Conservancy Council, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

  Community Care Homes
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to undertake an inter-departmental review of the funding of community care homes managed by housing associations to ensure their viability, prior to reinstating certification 10 and the consequential withdrawal of the housing revenue funding provided via the Housing Corporation from those individuals sponsored by social services departments under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990.

  Sir George Young
  My Department is consulting other Government Departments before a decision is taken on the arrangements for the Housing Corporation's revenue funding of housing association special needs schemes beyond the current financial year.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what figures are available to show the number of bed spaces which will be lost if proposals to withdraw funding from registered care homes managed by housing associations providing community care schemes under sponsorship arrangements are carried out.

  Sir George Young
  Revenue grants paid by the Housing Corporation are just one element in the income stream of housing associations which run schemes for clients with special needs. It is not possible, therefore, to quantify the effects of any changes in the level of that particular contribution in terms of the number of bed-spaces that associations are able to make available. Representations have been made to my Department about the effect which any reductions in the corporation's revenue support might have on individual schemes and those representations will be taken into account before a decision is taken on the arrangements for that support beyond the current financial year.

  Defective Housing
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which houses, designated as defective under defective housing legislation, are now capable of having those defects rectified; which houses are awaiting a system of treatment to be discovered; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir George Young
  Under part XVI of the Housing Act 1985 eligible owners of all 24 designated house types can have their homes reinstated by substantial demolition and reconstruction if the local authority determines this is a practicable and cost effective solution. Repair schemes meeting the requirements of the legislation are available for all designated house types except Boswell, Dyke, Stonecrete, Underdown, and Waller.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the types of houses currently designated under defective housing legislation.

  Sir George Young
  The following 24 types of dwellings have been designated defective under part XVI of the Housing Act 1985:

  Airey

  Boot

  Boswell

  Cornish Unit

  Dorran

  Dyke

  Gregory

  Myton

  Newland

  Orlit

  Parkinson

  Reema Hollow Panel

  Schindler and Hawksley SGS

  Smith

  Stent

  Stonecrete

  Tarran

  Underdown

  Unity and Butterley

  Waller

  Wates

  Wessex

  Winget

  Woolaway

  Sustainable Development
  Mr. Knapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Government will publish their strategy for sustainable development.

  Mr. Gummer
  We have almost completed our preparation of a sustainable development strategy for the United Kingdom and now propose to publish it after the House returns in January. We will publish the United Kingdom's climate change programme, biodiversity action plan and forestry programme at the same time.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will explain the basis of his calculations of the distributable amount of non-domestic rates for 1994–95.

  Mr. Curry
  As my right hon. Friend announced in his reply to the hon. Member for Cambridgeshire, South-West (Sir A. Grant) on 30 November 1993, at column 496, the

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  distributable amount of non-domestic rates for 1994–95 will be £10,685 million. This is based on a non-domestic rate multiplier of 0·423 and includes an allowance of £464 million for an Exchequer payment to the non-domestic rates pool to compensate for the shortfall which would otherwise occur as a result of the Non-Domestic Rating Acts 1992 and 1993. The basis of th calculation is set out in the table:

  Calculation of distributable amount 1994–95

  £ million

  1. Income from Local Lists in 1994–95

  Total Local List RV x multiplier (£29,745x0·423)

  12,582

  (i) Reliefs

  (a) Less transitional decrease

  (487)

  (b) Less reliefs on (i) empty properties

  (1,280)

  (ii) partially empty properties

  (18)

  (c) Less reliefs to charities

  (353)

  (d) Less discretionary reliefs

  (19)

  Net Yield

  10,425

  (ii) Collection Costs/Reductions to Contributions

  (a) Less costs of collection

  (70)

  (b) Less losses on collection

  (220)

  (c) Less offset for City of London

  (8)

  Contribution in respect of year

  10,147

  (iii) Adjustments and Additions

  (a) Less Net Repayments and interest

  (670)

  (b) Less outturn adjustments in respect of prior years

  (875)

  Net Local Contribution

  8,602

  2. Income from Central List in 1994–95

  Total Central List RVxmultiplier (and after transition)=(2,672mx0·423)

  1,130

  3. Income from Crown Contributions in Aid in 1994–95

  (a) Add Net Crown Yield (after transition)

  463

  (b) Less relief

  (7)

  (c) Add Metropolitan Police contribution

  33

  Net Crown yield

  489

  Total NDR Yield (1+2+3)

  10,221

  4. Exchequer Contributions

  (a) Add income foregone in 1993–94 due to revised transitional arrangements

  37

  (b) Add income foregone in 1994–95

  427

  Total contribution

  464

  Total NNDR pool payments (1+2+3+4)

  10,685

  Total NNDR Distributable amount for 1994–95:

  10,685

  Notes:

  1. Item 1: the estimated total local list rateable value (RV) represents the average value of non-domestic hereditaments on local rating lists, taking into account the effect of appeals decided during 1994–95.

  2. Item 1(i)(a): the adjustment includes the estimated amount of rates that will not be recouped locally due to the revised transitional arrangements under the provisions of the Non-Domestic Rating Acts 1992 and 1993.

  3. Item 1(i)(b): adjustments based on estimated mandatory reliefs for empty property in 1994–95 and earlier years not taken into account in the calculation of the distributable amount for 1993–94.

  4. Item 1(i)(d): discretionary relief granted to charities, non-profit making organisations and for other reasons.

  5. Item 1(ii)(a): the allowance for the costs incurred by local authorities in collecting non-domestic rates from ratepayers.

  6. Item l(ii)(c): a preliminary estimate of the reduction in the amount which the City of London will not be required to pay into the non-domestic rating pool on account of the local rate in the City. It
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  is the amount which will be retained by the authority to meet its own expenditure.

  7. Item 1(iii)(a): net adjustments in respect of appeals and other amendments to the rating list affecting liability for previous year's rates settled in 1994–95.

  8. Item l(iii)(b): Outturn adjustment based on outturn for 1992–93 and estimates for 1993–94. Much of the adjustments relate to reduced yield as a result of the number of appeals expected to be decided during 1993–94.

  9. Item 2: the rateable value of non-domestic hereditaments on the central rating list after adjustments for appeals and adjustments in respect of previous years.

  10. Item 4(a) and (b): the contribution from central government to offset the amount of the Secretary of State's estimate of income foregone arising from the provisions of the Non-Domestic Rating Acts 1992 and 1993. The amount in respect of 1993–94 takes into account the contribution which was made in the distributable amount for that financial year.

  Local Government Finance
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentages of(a) local authority and (b) housing association tenants were receiving rate rebates or community charge benefit in each year since 1979–80.

  Mr. Burt
  I have been asked to reply.

  Complete information on the numbers of local authority tenancies receiving rate rebate was not collected prior to 1988–89. The available information is as follows:

  Year

  Percentage

  1988–89

  56

  1989–90

  56

  Note: Figure for 1988–89: England, Wales and Scotland Figure for 1989–90: England and Wales.

  Sources: Caseload figures taken from the Housing Benefit Management Information System and local authority tenancies in "Housing and Construction Statistics".

  Comparable information concerning housing association tenancies is not avaialble.

  From 1989 in Scotland, and 1990 in England and Wales, domestic rates were replaced by the community charge. As community charge was a personal charge it would not be appropriate to analyse community charge benefit recipients by tenure type.

  Housing Benefit
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentages of(a) local authority and (b) housing association tenants were receiving housing benefit in each year since 1979–80.

  Mr. Burt
  I have been asked to reply.

  The percentages, which should be used as a general guide only, of local authority tenancies in receipt of housing benefit rent rebates are as follows:

  Year

  Percentage

  1979–80

  18

  1980–81

  20

  1981–82

  25

  1982–83

  49

  1983–84

  62

  1984–85

  63

  1985–86

  64

  1986–87

  65

  1987–88

  65

  1988–89

  58

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  Year

  Percentage

  1989–90

  57

  1990–91

  58

  1991–92

  60

  1992–93

  64

  Notes:

  Unified Housing benefit scheme introduced in 1982–83.

  Housing Benefit affected by Reform of Social Security 1988.

  Sources: Caseload statistics underlying information in "The Growth of Social Security" and the number of local authority tenancies in "Housing and Construction Statistics". Due to considerable changes in housing benefit schemes since 1979, the underlying figures are subject to some estimation.

  Comparable information concerning housing associations tenancies is not available, having been collected only from 1992.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Unemployment
  Mr. Mark Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the level of unemployment in the Province; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current level of unemployment.

  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the level of unemployment in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

  Dr. Liam Fox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current level of unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  At 14 October there were 102,842 unemployed claimants in Northern Ireland, representing a decrease of 3,594 over the year.

  The Union
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is Her Majesty's Government's policy on the future of the Union.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  The Government's policy is to uphold the democratically expressed wishes of the people of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom; this is recognised in national and international law. There will be no change to that position unless or until that is the wish of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland.

  Stormont
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the annual cost of maintaining the Stormont building.

  Mr. Atkins
  The cost of maintaining the Stormont building in 1992–93 was £225,000.

  Terrorism
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with which political parties in Northern Ireland he has discussed a policy of opposing terrorist violence.
  656
  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  My colleagues and I regularly meet representatives of the Northern Ireland constitutional parties to discuss a wide range of issues, including the Government's security policy. The first priority of that policy is the eradication of terrorism, from wherever it originates.

  Peace Talks
  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about progress towards peace in Northern Ireland.

  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of the peace initiative.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  The Government's objective for Northern Ireland is peace, properly attained. All the Government's policies have this objective. The people who can deliver an end to violence are the paramilitaries and they should do so immediately. But enduring peace will be assisted by a political settlement, which we continue to seek with the constitutional parties and, where appropriate, the Irish Government.

  Mr. Charles Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what prospects he sees for further peace talks in the Province; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Burden) earlier today.

  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his dialogue with the constitutional parties of Northern Ireland.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Burden) earlier today.

  Income Support
  Mr. Wicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what number and percentage of families with children receive income support and family credit.

  Mr. Ancram
  It is estimated that at 29 May 1992, 77,725 families were receiving these benefits, representing 35 per cent. of all families receiving child benefit.

  Irish Government (Talks)
  Mr. Soley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further discussions he has had with the Irish Government on the future of Northern Ireland.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I most recently met Mr. Dick Spring, the Irish Foreign Minister and Tanaiste, at the meeting of the Anglo-Irish conference on 3 November. We noted the support of the Prime Minister and Taoiseach for the objectives of the political talks process and expressed our determination to pursue those objectives within the framework of the statement of 26 March 1991.

  Employment Law
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met representatives of the Irish trade unions and the Trades Union Congress to discuss Northern Ireland's employment law, and industrial and economic prospects.

  Mr. Atkins
  I met representatives of the Northern Ireland Committee of Trade Unions to discuss employment and economic issues on 13 May. There are no plans at present for any further meeting but any such request would be accorded favourable consideration.

  Security Forces
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to ensure that the security forces in the Province have equipment appropriate to their needs.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The equipment requirements of the police and army are kept under constant review. The Government are fully committed to providing the security forces with the resources they need to defeat terrorism.

  Investment
  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made for the prospects for increased industrial and commercial investments in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Government do not carry out formal assessments of the prospects for increased industrial and commercial investment in Northern Ireland. However, the most recent independent surveys of business prospects show that both business confidence and companies' investment intentions are rising. This suggests that recovery from the recession is well underway in Northern Ireland and that investment prospects are good.

  Mr. Patrick Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the level of inward investment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  So far this year the Industrial Development Board has secured four new inward investment projects involving a total investment of approximately £163 million and I am confident that there will be further announcements during the remainder of the financial year.

  Northern Ireland (Consultation)
  Mr. Dowd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to include the people living on the mainland of the United Kingdom in any consultation over the status of Northern Ireland.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  The status of each of the constituent parts of the United Kingdom is a matter for Parliament and, to that extent, the people living on the mainland of the United Kingdom already participate in consultation over the status of Northern Ireland. The Government's policy is that the status of Northern Ireland should be determined in accordance with the democratic wishes of its own people, and I have no plans to broaden the consultation.

  Sinn Fein
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he or his officials have had with Sinn Fein.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  There have been no negotiations with Sinn Fein on political matters at either ministerial or official level. As I
  told the House on Monday, there has been an exchange of documents through a channel of communication since February—and these are in the Library of the House. It is also a matter of record that Ministers and officials have met council delegations, which from time to time have included Sinn Fein members, to discuss constituency matters.

  Cardiac Surgery
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the current average time between referral to a cardiac surgeon in Northern Ireland and the first appointment with that surgeon;

  (2) what was the longest interval in Northern Ireland for waiting time between referral to a cardiac surgeon and the first appointment with that surgeon for the most recent available period.

  Mr. Ancram
  During the quarter ending September 1993, the medium waiting time between the date of referral to a cardiac surgeon and first appointment was 0-3 months.

  Records for the same quarter indicate that the longest a patient waited between referral and first appointment with a cardiac surgeon was 21 months and 20 days. The unusual delay in this case appears to have arisen as a result of an administrative oversight. The Royal Victoria hospital is undertaking a validation of the records of those waiting for appointment with a cardiac surgeon which should ensure that similar oversights do not occur in future.

  Community Care
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken towards the implementation of the Government's community care policy in the Eastern and Southern health and social services boards.

  Mr. Ancram
  The Eastern and South health and social services boards, in common with the other two boards in Northern Ireland, have in place the following arrangements for the implementation of the community care reforms from April 1993:care management and assessment procedures;
  arrangements for purchasing community care services;
  procedures for financial assessment, charge collection, and payment of providers;
  arrangements for the dissemination, to the public and to user, carer and professional interests, of information on procedures and services; and procedures for dialogue with independent sector providers.

  In addition, since 1991, community care complaints procedures have been functional in each board area, and registration and inspection units have been set up to monitor the standards and operation of all residential and nursing homes.

  All these arrangements are being refined and developed in the light of experience of the operation of the new community care procedures.

  Banagher Glen
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his estimate of the average number of vehicles which presently use the road in Banagher glen each day; what is his estimate of the average number which will use it when the glen is reopened to the public; and what are the present and projected figures of(a) winter and (b) summer months and for (i) weekdays and (ii) weekends.

  Mr. Atkins
  The number of vehicles which presently use the road in Banagher glen is estimated at 14 per weekday. No estimate is available for weekends. When the road up to the nature reserve is opened to the public, it is estimated that at peak times the average number of vehicles using it will be 45 per weekday. Estimates for other times have not been made.

  Ulster Painters
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Arts Council for Northern Ireland concerning its decision for the sale in London of the work of leading Ulster painters.

  Mr. Ancram
  None.

  Youth Training
  Dr. Hendron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the policy of the Northern Ireland Training and Employment Agency regarding the future of community training organisations and the provision of youth training in Northern Ireland;

  (2) what is the strategy for the provision of youth training in (a) north Belfast, (b) south Belfast, (c) east Belfast and (d) Lagan valley;

  (3) how many young people are currently employed in community workshops; and if he will make a statement on the future of the workshops;

  (4) what is the strategy for the provision of youth training in west Belfast;

  (5) what plans he has to change the policy of block funding for community training organisations;

  (6) what plans he has to assist young people leaving school without any recognised academic qualification.

  Mr. Atkins
  Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. Julian Crozier.

  I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from J. S. Crozier to Dr. J. Hendron, dated 1 December 1993:
  Parliamentary Questions Nos. 1377 to 1382: 3 December 1993
  The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to reply to your questions about:—
  (a) what is the policy of the Training and Employment Agency regarding the future of Community Training Organisations and the provision of Youth Training in Northern Ireland;
  (b) how many young people are currently employed in Community Workshops; and if he will make a statement on the future of workshops;
  (c) what plans he has to change the policy of blockfunding for Community Training Organisations;
  (d) what is the strategy for the provision of youth training in West Belfast;
  (e) what is the strategy for the provision of youth training in North, South, East Belfast and Lagan Valley; and
  660
  (f) what plans he has to assist young people leaving school without any recognised academic qualifications.

  The responses to your questions are:—
  (a) The Agency would wish to maintain a community sector element within the Youth Training Programme (YTP) as part of the range of provision which is available to young people. As you are aware some workshops are facing financial difficulties caused mainly by fewer young people in the population more of whom are staying on at school. The introduction of a single school leaving date has exacerbated the difficulties. Given this background some community-based training organisations are finding it difficult to remain viable given the diminishing number of trainees and some rationalisation is inevitable; preferably through mergers although some closures may be difficult to avoid. The Agency has recently written to Workshop Chairmen proposing a package of assistance. Where mergers take place full redundancy costs will be paid by the Agency which will also meet the cost of consultancy help. Fifty per cent. of redundancy costs will be paid to workshops which choose to close.
  As to youth training in NI the Agency remains committed to providing a Youth Training place for all 16 and 17 year olds who desire it. Arrangements will be made for all those young people affected by a rationalisation to be offered a training place with an alternative provider.
  (b) Young people in Community Workshops are not employed by them but are in the Youth Training Programme. At the end of October 1993 there were 3,046 young people in training in Community Workshops. The future of workshops is dealt with in the preceding paragraphs.
  (c) There are currently no plans to change the policy of blockfunding for community workshops. The present levels of blockfunding within YTP compare more than favourably with funding elsewhere in the United Kingdom and with that available within the education system in Northern Ireland. However the Agency is currently piloting a single, integrated scheme called Jobskills which may replace both YTP and the Job Training Programme (JTP) and which would have a different system of funding.
  (d & e) The Agency's objective is to maintain a network of training organisations across all areas of the Province, including Belfast and Lagan Valley which will enable the Agency to continue to meet the Government guarantee of a training place for all 16 and 17 year olds who want one.
  (f) Every school leaver aged 16 or 17 is guaranteed a training place within the Youth Training Programme (YTP). YTP offers a structured programme of training leading to a recognised vocational qualification to help participants compete for suitable jobs.
  I hope that you find this information helpful.

  Works of Art (Northern Ireland)
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether public bodies holding works of art relating to Northern Ireland are required to consult the Ulster museum or the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland before disposing of such works outside Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Ancram
  No.

  Hospitals, Downpatrick
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has to visit hospitals in Downpatrick to discuss reorganisation.

  Mr. Ancram
  My noble Friend Lord Arran visited Downe hospital and maternity unit last month. He recently received the Eastern health and social services board's strategy for general (acute) hospital services which
  661
  includes proposals concerning both those facilities. He intends to take until the end of February to consider any views which hon. Members and health and personal social services interests wish to put to him before taking final decisions on the strategy.

  Documents
  Mr. Mates
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any correction to make to the text of any document placed in the Library and the Vote Office at the time when he made his statement on 29 November.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  In rechecking the documentation some transcription and typing errors have come to light in the dossier of messages between the IRA and the Government which I placed in the Library and Vote Office on 29 November. I have placed in the Library and the Vote Office the corrected version of the dossier. A list of the necessary corrections appears at the beginning of the corrected versions of the dossier.

  These errors do not change the sense of the messages, but nonetheless they should be corrected. Parliament must have fully authentic documents. The errors arose from the speed with which the dossier had to be completed and checked in Northern Ireland on Sunday, after the decision that day that it should be published in Parliament the following day. The relevant corrections also apply to the quotations from the documents in my statement on 29 November.

  The corrections cast no doubt whatsoever upon the authenticity of the original message of 22 February from the IRA leadership, which I read out in my statement and which said
  "The conflict is over but we need your advice on how to bring it to a close".

  As I said in my statement, this came from Martin McGuinness. Equally, the Government—notwithstanding allegations by Sinn Fein to the contrary—has no reason to doubt the authenticity of the message sent by the IRA leadership on 2 November, which I also read to the House together with the Government's reply of 5 November.

  Nor does the need for corrections of the transcription errors in paragraph 3 of the nine paragraph note sent on 19 March carry any implication that it was the Government rather than the IRA leadership which was seeking advice. The advice referred to in that paragraph is the advice sought in the IRA message of 22 February. The speaking note accompanying the nine paragraph note, published in the dossier and first printed in the Observer, makes it entirely clear that the British message gives "substantive advice in response to the initial message", which is indeed the case.

  Although they do not carry the implications claimed, I very much regret that those corrections need to be made. I naturally accept full ministerial responsibility for the inaccuracies.

  The corrections have been notified to the House at the earliest opportunity. Copies of a letter to all Northern Ireland MPs and spokesmen, enclosing the list of corrections and the text, thus corrected, of the nine paragraph message from the British Government despatched on 19 March, were placed last night in the Library of the Vote Office.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Sheehy Inquiry
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for what studies the Sheehy inquiry employed(a) Ernst and Young and (b) Towers Perrin; and what was the cost thereof;

  (2) what budget limits were placed on the Sheehy inquiry;

  (3) if he will list in respect of the visits by the secretary to the Sheehy inquiry, Miss Jenny Rumble, to (a) Australia, (b) New Zealand, (c) the United States of America, (i) the dates of departure and return to the United Kingdom, (ii) the airline and seat class funded and used, (iii) the dates and police forces visited, (iv) the subjects studied, (v) the travel cost, (vi) the subsistence costs and (vii) other costs;

  (4) if he will list in respect of Mr. Caines's Sheehy inquiry trip to Australia, (a) the dates of departure and return to the United Kingdom, (b) the airline and seat class funded and used, (c) the dates and police forces visited, (d) the subjects studied, (e) the travel cost, (t) the subsistence costs and (g) other costs.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The inquiry into police responsibilities and rewards spent £580,000 in 1992–93. Financial provision for the inquiry is £459,000 for 1993–94. The management of expenditure within these sums was the responsibility of the inquiry. The use made by the inquiry of consultancies is described in paragraphs 2.5 and 2.8 of its report, a copy of which is in the Library.

  Kickstart Clubs
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contribution his Department has made to the kickstart programme of Legal and General; and if he will promote moves towards a national network of kickstart clubs, in an attempt to steer youngsters away from crime.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The Home Office is providing £500,000 this year to the core running costs of Crime Concern, the national crime prevention organisation which has established the kickstart youth activity clubs, with funding from Legal and General. Crime Concern was specifically set up by the Government to seek sponsorship from the private sector for crime prevention projects.

  The kickstart scheme was launched nationally by Crime Concern on 14 May 1993. We fully support the work of Crime Concern in this area, and generally, to steer young people away from crime.

  South Yorkshire
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to visit south Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  I have no plans to visit south Yorkshire at present.

  Stolen Property
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total value of property recorded by police as stolen in 1991; what percentage of this was not recovered; and if he will make a statement.
  663
  Mr. Maclean
  The total value of property stolen recorded by the police in England and Wales in 1991 was £3·6 billion, of which 66 per cent. was not recovered.

  Crime
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were recorded in Britain in 1992; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  There were 5,591,717 notifiable offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in 1992. The figures for Scotland are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent in 1991–92(a) in the criminal justice system on crime and (b) by the Home Office to prevent crime; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Public expenditure on the criminal justice system in England and Wales in 1991–92 was £8·7 billion. Of that sum, £5·4 billion was expenditure on the police, one of whose key functions is crime prevention. Estimated expenditure on all aspects of crime prevention was £167 million in that year, of which Home Office expenditure was £15·6 million.

  Strip Searching
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female prisoners in Great Britain have been subjected to forcible strip searching since March 1992.

  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 D. Lewis to Mrs. Helen Jackson, dated 2 December 1993:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the forcible strip-searching of women prisoners.
  Prisons are not required to maintain statistics of the number of strip searches carried out.
  Strip-searching is a routine security measure carried out under the provisions of Rule 39 of the Prisons Rules 1964. The action that would follow a refusal to be searched would depend on the circumstances but in some situations there might be no alternative to the use of force.

  Prisoners
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who decides whether a convicted prisoner is placed in an open or closed prison.

  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 D. Lewis to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 2 December 1993;
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about who decides whether a convicted prisoner is placed in an open or closed prison.
  Decisions about security category, including whether or not to place a prisoner in open conditions, are taken by the governor
  664
  holding the prisoner except in the case of category A prisoners and transfer of life sentence prisoners to open conditions. Decisions about category A prisoners are made at Prison Service headquarters. Life sentence prisoners may be moved to open prisons as part of their pre-discharge preparation. The decision to make a recommendation for such a transfer is taken at Prison Service headquarters and then referred for decision to Ministers.
  The criteria and procedures to be used in reaching decisions are set out in Circular Instructions 7/1988 and 2/1991, copies of which I recently sent to you and which are also available in the House of Commons Library.

  Male Rape
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make male rape a formal legal offence.

  Mr. Maclean
  Non-consensual buggery of a male is already an offence under section 12 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956, as qualified by the Sexual Offences Act 1967.

  Car Crime
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce fines for the victims of car crime.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The Government have no such plans.

  While we shall continue to encourage car owners to take all reasonable security precautions, if their vehicles are stolen it must be the thieves who are held fully responsible for their crimes.

  Visas
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each country whose nationals will need a visa to enter the European Union under the proposals put forward on 24 November by the European Commission.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The European Commission has not yet published its proposals in respect of the list of countries whose nationals must be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the member states. When it does so, they will be made available to Parliament in accordance with the normal scrutiny arrangements.

  Mr. Tony Lundy
  Mr. Shersby
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis giving the total cost of investigating allegations made against ex-Detective Superintendent Tony Lundy by both the Metropolitan police and the South Yorkshire police; and if he will make a statement giving the reasons for the time taken to complete the investigations.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  These are matters for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

  Vandalism
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the reported number of cases of vandalism in each of the police divisions covering the South Yorkshire area in each of the last four years, and the current year to date.
  665
  Mr. Maclean
  The available information by division relates to offences of arson and criminal damage and is published annually in the report of the chief constable of South Yorkshire. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.

  James Bulger Murder
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the length of time the two boys sentenced for the murder of James Bulger will be detained.

  Mr. Howard
  I have not yet received the views of the judiciary on this case. When I do, each offender will be informed, as soon as is reasonably practicable, of the substance of the judicial recommendations. The boys, or those acting on their behalf, will then be given the opportunity to submit written representations before I decide the period to be served for retribution and deterrence. My decision will be conveyed to the two boys —or their representatives—and, if it differs from the period recommended by the judiciary, reasons will be given.

  The arrangements for determining the period of custody which those convicted of murder are required to serve in order to satisfy the requirements of retribution and deterrence were set out in my replies of 27 July, Official
  666
  Report, columns 863-65, and 4 November, Official Report, columns 376-78, to the hon. and learned Member for Burton (Sir I. Lawrence).

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

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

  Males (Convictions)
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of males have a conviction before the age of 35 years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  It is estimated from the offenders index that 35 per cent. of males1 born in 1953 had a conviction for at least one offence on the "standard list"2 by the age of 35. Further information is published in "Digest 2: Information on the Criminal Justice System in England and Wales", which is available in the Library.
  1Estimates from the Home Office offenders index covering all convictions for "standard list" offences since 1963. Results from the 1953 birth cohort sample.
  2 Mainly indictable offences but includes some summary offences such as assault on a constable and cruelty to or neglect of children.

  Custody
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the total number of persons in custody in 1990, 1991 and 1992 who were(a) awaiting trial or (b) imprisoned in default of payment of fines.

  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 D. Lewis to Mr. David Nicholson, dated 2 December 1993:
  Receptions of untried prisoners and fine defaulters
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the total number of persons in custody in 1990, 1991 and 1992 who were (a) awaiting trial or (b) imprisoned in default of payment of a fine.
  Information for 1990 and 1991 was published in the 1991 edition of "Prison statistics England and Wales" (Table 1.14 of the 1991 edition, Cm 2157) a copy of which is in the library. Information for 1992 is only currently available from 1 January to 31 August 1992. During this period 35,689 untried prisoners and 13,308 sentenced fine defaulters were received into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales.

  Prison Statistics
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of hospital beds at each of the London prisons as of 22 November; and what was the number of prison inmates being held in each of these prison hospital wings on that date.

  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 D. Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 2 December 1993:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of available hospital beds at each of the London prisons on 22 November and the number of occupied on that date. The information requested is as follows:

  Number of beds

  Number of beds occupied

  HMP Belmarsh

  73

  47

  HMP Brixton

  66

  62

  HMYOI Feltham

  30

  26

  HMP Holloway

  86

  85

  HMP Pentonville

  26

  18

  HMP Wandsworth

  39

  36

  HMP Wormwood Scrubs

  51

  48

  Victim Support
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to increase funding of(a) the victims support scheme in general and (b) Lewisham victim support scheme.

  Mr. Maclean
  Additional funding for Victim Support was included in the public expenditure plans presented to Parliament by my right hon. and learned Friend the 668
  Chancellor of the Exchequer on 30 November. The Home Office grant to Victim Support in 1994–95 is being increased by 20 per cent. to just over £10 million. Two further annual increases of 8 per cent. are planned, taking projected funding for 1995–96 and 1996–97 to £10·8 million and £11·7 million respectively.

  The allocation of the Home Office grant to local schemes and branches and the priorities which guide that allocation are matters for the Victim Support local funding panel, a sub-committee of Victim Support's national council.

  Deaths (Fires)
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in(a) south-east London and (b) in the London borough of Lewisham died as a result of a fire in a bed-sitter or multi-tenant flats in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The information is not available centrally.

  Public Houses
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department will carry out a review of licensing procedures in those cases where a lessee of a public house passes the lease and the licence to a holding company; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  No.

  Swansea Prison
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes are planned in prisoner numbers at Swansea prison over the next five years.

  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 D. Lewis to Mr. Alan Williams, dated 2 December 1993:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about whether any changes are planned in prisoner numbers at Swansea prison over the next five years.
  The present certified normal accommodation of Swansea prison is 232 with an operational capacity of 285.
  Current plans for Swansea include an extension to D Wing and the building of a new houseblock.
  It is planned to close D Wing in March 1994 to enable work to commence on the redevelopment. Although there will be an initial loss of 78 operational capacity places, this is part of a wider plan to increase the overall operational capacity to 125. This work should be completed by June 1996.
  Work should then commence on the building of a new houseblock, providing an additional 70 single cells by March 1998.
  B Wing is programmed to close in December 1994 with a loss of 60 operational places.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the provision of modesty screening for Swansea prison; and if he will make a statement.
  669
  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 D. Lewis to Mr. Alan Williams, dated 2 December 1993:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about representations he received about the provision of modesty screening for Swansea prison.
  Provision of 24 hour access to sanitation for prisoners at Swansea is part of the overall sanitation programme set out in the White Paper "Custody, Care and Justice". Given the high population and extensive refurbishment programme at Swansea, it was decided that simple sanitation would be the most appropriate system to install. This involves the installation of a toilet and washbasin in each two person cell, but without any modesty screening. Sixty cells, each accommodating two prisoners, have been converted to date. The bunk bed in the cell is positioned on the same side of the cell as the toilet.
  No representations have been received about the lack of modesty screening. It is understood that prisoners are generally content with the arrangement.

  Siemion Serafimowicz
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement of the status of Siemion Serafimowicz as a resident in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  It is not our practice to make public information from immigration records relating to individuals.

  Fraud Trials
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will reconsider his response to the recommendations of Lord Roskill about the handling of fraud trials.

  Mr. Maclean
  The majority of the recommendations made by the Fraud Trials Committee, chaired by Lord Roskill, were accepted by the Government and implemented in the Criminal Justice Act 1987.

  The operation of that Act, and the handling of fraud trials generally, is kept under review. In particular, in June 1993, the Lord Chancellor's Department produced the interim report of the working group on long criminal trials, which examined ways of shortening and simplifying such trials, including fraud trials. The recommendations in that report are being considered alongside those made by the Royal Commission on criminal justice relating to the investigation, pre-trial arrangements and conduct of fraud trials. In addition, my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General announced a review of the Serious Fraud Office and the fraud investigation group of the Crown Prosecution Service on 18 October.

  Sentences
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Criminal Justice Act 1988 so that sentences in all cases can be referred to the Court of Appeal.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government have already announced an intention to extend the scope of the Attorney-General's power to refer unduly lenient 670
  sentences to the Court of Appeal to incorporate the most serious sexual and violent offences that are triable either way. There are no plans to bring sentences in all cases within the scope of section 35 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.

  Refugees
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many refugees have been admitted to Britain from former Yugoslavia over the past year;

  (2) how many women from former Yugoslavia have been allowed into the United Kingdom as refugees (a) in their own right and (b) as dependants over the past year.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I have been asked to reply.

  In the 12 months October 1992 to September 1993 inclusive around 4,500 nationals of the former Yugoslavia —excluding dependants—applied for asylum in the United Kingdom. The large majority of these applications are still under consideration and the applicants are being allowed to remain here in the meantime. Comprehensive data on the gender of these principal applicants are not yet available, but provisional data suggest that about 45 per cent. were female.

  Reliable information on dependants of these applicants is not yet available.

  In addition, we have announced that the United Kingdom is willing to accept 1,000 particularly vulnerable individuals—including ex-detainees—from Bosnia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia, together with their dependants, totalling perhaps 4,000 in all. As of 30 November 1993, around 450 particularly vulnerable individuals and 650 of their dependants have arrived since my initial announcement of these arrangements on 30 November 1992. Most dependants are wives and children. Also a small proportion of vulnerable individuals are women.

EMPLOYMENT

  Social Affairs Council
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 24 November to the hon. Member for Chingford, (Mr. Duncan Smith),Official Report, column 72, what was the voting record of member states at the meeting of the European Community's Social Affairs Council held on 23 November; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  There were no formal votes at the Labour and Social Affairs Council on 23 November. However:on the draft directive on working time, the council reached final agreement with the United Kingdom abstaining;
  on the draft directive on young workers, the council agreed to a common position with Spain and Italy abstaining;
  on the draft directive on the protection of workers on board fishing vessels, the Council reached final agreement, with the United Kingdom and France abstaining; and
  a declaration to end the European Year of the Elderly and of solidarity between generations was agreed unanimously.

  Workstart
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many long-term unemployed have taken up the workstart pilot scheme in Cornwall and Devon.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  In the period to 23 November, three long-term unemployed people had been placed in workstart supported employment. Originally Devon and Cornwall training and enterprise council, which is managing this pilot, used its own staff to identify suitable people from the target group for workstart jobs, but this has not worked well. There are difficulties in matching individuals to vacancies in an area as large as Devon and Cornwall.

  Following a discussion with Employment Department officials, the TEC has now agreed to work more closely with the employment service's wider network of local offices. This should improve performance in matching individual unemployed people to specific vacancies, which will in future identify suitable clients and match them with vacancies.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people living in(a) York travel-to-work area and (b) York parliamentary constituency who were registered unemployed at the most recent date for which data is available had been unemployed for (i) less than six months, (ii) between six and 12 months and (iii) more than 12 months.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information requested is given in the following table:

  Claimant Unemployment in York, by Duration (October 1993)

  Duration of Unemployment

  Travel-to-work area

  Parliamentary Constituency

  Up to 6 months

  3,688

  2,204

  Over 6 and up to 12 months

  1,351

  808

  Over 12 months

  2,043

  1,431

  Note—Claimant unemployment figures by duration are available on a quarterly basis for the months of January, April, July and October and are not adjusted for seasonal influences.

  Employment Service
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the outcome of interviews carried out by the Employment Service for (i) 1992–93 and (ii) 1993–94, showing the(a) number of adviser new claims taken, (b) number of administrative officers new claims taken, (c) total new claims not pursued, (d) first letters sent for main restart interview, (e) contact rate with restart interview client group, (f) main restart interviews carried out, (g) other interviews carried out, (h) caseload interviews carried out, (i) offers not made, (j) offers not accepted, (k) job placings, (l) EAS—business start-up—starts, (m) ET/TFW starts, (n) employment action starts, (o) other benefit starts, (p) sign offs as a direct result of client adviser action, (q) restart course starts, (r) jobplan workshop starts, (s) joblclub starts, (t) job interview guarantee starts, (u) job search seminar starts, (v) attended job referral service interviews and (w) job review workshop starts.
  672
  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 2 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 Questions to him about the outcome of interviews carried out by the Employment Service for (i) 1992–93 and (ii) 1993–94, showing the (a) number of adviser new claims taken, (b) number of administrative officers new claims taken, (c) total new claims not pursued, (d) first letters sent for main Restart interview, (e) contact rate with Restart interview client group, (f) main Restart interviews, (g) other interviews, (h) caseload interviews, (i) offers not made, (j) offers not accepted, (k) job placings, (l) EAS (Business Start Up) starts, (m) ET/TFW starts, (n) Employment Action starts, (o) other benefit starts, (p) sign offs as a direct result of client adviser action, (q) Restart Course starts, (r) Jobplan Workshop starts, (s) Jobclub starts, (t) Job Interview Guarantee starts, (u) Job Search Seminar starts, (v) attended Job Referral Service interviews and (w) Job Review Workshops starts. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
  It is important to recognise that these figures are only a partial indication of the effectiveness of advisory interviews. Equally important is the effect they have in causing people to leave the register earlier than they would otherwise have done.
  The attached table contains the information you requested. During the 1992–93 operational year all the information you asked for was collected and is represented in column 1 of the table. The Employment Service has changed its performance monitoring at national level for 1993–94 and the information for this year cannot be given in exactly the same format as the previous year. Information for April 1993 to October 1993 is shown in column 2 of the table.
  Notes at the foot of the table explain the differences in the information collected for each year.
  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.

  1

  2

  1992–93

  1993–94 (to October)

  EO New Claims Taken

  4·2 million

  1·3 million

  AO New Claims Taken

  270,000

  1·3 million

  Total New Claims Not Pursued

  481,000

  237,000

  1st Letters Sent (main Restart int)

  3·2 million

  2 million

  Contact Rate

  99 per cent.

  99 per cent.

  Main Restart interviews

  2·4 million

  1·6 million

  Other Restart Interviews1

  364,000

  302,400

  Caseload Restart Interviews

  87,000

  —

  Offers Not Made2

  419,000

  —

  Offers Not Accepted2

  438,000

  —

  Outcomes—All Advisory Interviews:3

  —

  —

  Job Placings

  112,000

  65,300

  EAS (Business Start Up) Starts

  12,300

  —

  ET/TFW Starts

  115,000

  —

  Employment Action Starts

  29,000

  —

  ED Programme Starts—client left register

  —

  85,000

  Other Benefit Starts

  104,000

  59,400

  Sign Offs—Result of CA Action

  78,300

  54,000

  Restart Course Starts

  116,460

  —

  Jobclub Starts

  142,617

  —

  JIG Starts

  50,340

  —

  Job Search Seminar Starts

  66,046

  —

  Attended Job Referral Service

  118,002

  —

  673

  1

  2

  1992–93

  1993–94 (to October)

  Job Review Workshop Starts

  32,755

  —

  ED Programme Starts—client remains on register

  —

  423,173

  1For 1993–94 this category includes Follow-Up and Caseload Restart Interviews.

  2Not Collected in 1993–94.

  3For 1993–94 starts on programmes are not collected individually but included in one of two categories.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Grace and Favour Apartments
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many grace and favour apartments there are in(a) St. James's palace, (b) Kensington palace and (c) Windsor castle; to whom they are awarded; and which members of the royal family have apartments at each palace.

  Mr. Sproat
  There are 22 grace and favour residences at St. James's palace, 37 at Kensington palace and 122 at Windsor castle and the home park. Grace and favour apartments are awarded to royal household staff for the better performance of their duties.

  Members of the royal family have apartments or residences at each palace as follows:

  Windsor Castle

  - Her Majesty the Queen

  - His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh

  Royal Lodge, Windsor

  - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

  St. James's Palace (including Clarence House and York House)

  - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

  - The Prince of Wales

  - The Duke and Duchess of Kent

  - Princess Alexandra

  Kensington Palace

  - The Princess of Wales

  - Princess Margaret

  - Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester

  - The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester

  - Prince and Princess Michael of Kent

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

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

  BBC Contracting
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will establish a public inquiry into BBC contracting.

  Mr. Brooke
  No. I am satisfied that the management of the BBC is well seized of the need for effective financial controls in all its areas of activity, and is able and willing to investigate and rectify any irregularities which may come to light.

  EC Cultural Affairs Council
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 24 November 1993 to the hon. Member for Gateshead, East (Ms Quin),Official Report, column 57, what was the voting record of member states at the meeting of the European Community's Cultural Affairs Council held on 5 November; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Brooke
  At the Cultural Affairs Council on 5 November, decisions and conclusions were reached by consensus. No votes were taken.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Government Car Service
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the annual cost to the Department of the car service for Ministers; and how many vehicles are involved.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Official transport for Ministers is provided by the Government car service at an annual cost in 1992–93 of £453,917.

  Six vehicles are provided.

  Manchester United Supporters
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department received about the treatment by the Turkish police of supporters of Manchester United football club at the time of the club's recent European cup match in Turkey; what replies were given; what subsequent action was taken by Her Majesty's Government in regard to complaints of violence used by Turkish police officers against the club's supporters and some of its players; how many people from Manchester complained of maltreatment by Turkish police officers and how many of them were charged with an offence; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs first raised our concern over events surrounding the football match, particularly those leading to British fans being detained, with the Turkish ambassador on 8 November. Our ambassador in Ankara also pressed the Turkish authorities for an early report. We have now sent the Turkish ambassador detailed allegations of mistreatment of British fans and tourists and asked for the Turkish authorities' comments.

  I am glad to say that the six fans who were detained were unconditionally released on 30 November and that the Turkish authorities are to hold a judicial inquiry into the events.

  Western Sahara
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on when he expects a referendum will be held on the future of the western Sahara.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The United Nations Secretary-General states in his latest report dated 24 November that he hopes that the referendum will take place in mid-1994 subject to the co-operation of both parties.
  675
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which the Government of Morocco are co-operating with United Nations attempts to hold a free and fair referendum in the western Sahara.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The United Nations Secretary-General's latest report makes no criticism of the co-operation he has received from either Morocco or the Polisario Front, but he has stressed that their continued co-operation is essential if the referendum is to be held next year.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Morocco about the future government of the western Sahara.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We have used our contacts with both sides to this dispute to urge full co-operation with the United Nations Secretary-General in the implementation of the United Nations settlement plan.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received from the United Nations Special Representative to the western Sahara.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative reports to Mr. Boutros Ghali. The Secretary-General's latest report was issued on 24 November.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the number of Moroccan troops in western Sahara.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We have no information on the precise numbers of Moroccan troops in the western Sahara.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about recent settlement in western Sahara by Moroccans.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We have no reliable information about recent settlement in the western Sahara by Moroccans.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether United Nations troops in western Sahara have the necessary freedom to undertake their mission successfully.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Secretary-General's latest report pays tribute to the military personnel of the United Nations mission for the referendum in the western Sahara —MINURSO—for the contribution they have made to the maintenance of the ceasefire in western Sahara. It contains no suggestion that they lack the necessary freedom to undertake their duties successfully.

  European Community and Union
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on the use of the terms(a) European Community and (b) European Union.
  676
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The European Community—which was formerly the European Economic Community —continues in being and also includes the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. Together, these Communities constitute one of the "pillars" of the Union. Government policy is to use the term "European Community" when describing matters specific to that pillar and to use the term "European Union" when referring to all three pillars collectively or to matters specific to the two intergovernmental pillars outside the Community.

  Nigeria
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what recent international meetings he has raised the crisis in Nigeria; and what was the outcome.

  Mr. Goodlad
  We have been consulting closely our partners in the European Union, and in the wider international community. The European Union has decided to press the new regime to take urgent steps to restore democratic rule, unhindered by the military, and has reached agreement on measures to add to those imposed by the European Community last June.

  We fully support the position of the European Union. The new measures will be implemented nationally as follows:
  the movement of Nigerian defence staff outside London will in future be restricted without prior permission;
  new export licence applications for defence equipment to Nigeria will be reviewed; on a case-by-case basis, with the presumption of denial;
  those Nigerian military students still on courses in the United Kingdom will be asked to leave;
  the offer by ODA of a £23 million grant for the power sector will be withdrawn.

  The measures imposed by the United Kingdom on 24 June will remain in place.

  We will keep the situation in Nigeria under close review and will modify these measures, or add to them, in the light of progress towards the establishment of democratic civilian rule.

  Human Rights
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 24 November 1993,Official Report, column 79, (1) if he will consult widely with interested bodies concerned with human rights before writing and submitting the United Kingdom's next report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in August 1994;

  (2) what opportunities are available for nongovernmental organisations and hon. Members to submit evidence to his Department prior to the writing and submission of the United Kingdom's next report to the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations in August 1994.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I have been asked to reply.

  Periodic reports in the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which are submitted in accordance with article 40 of the international covenant on civil and political rights, are a factual account of the measures taken by the Government to give effect to the rights recognised in the covenant. As such, we do not look to those outside Government to submit evidence or otherwise contribute to

  677
  the writing of the reports. But non-governmental organisations, hon. Members and others are consulted widely in the formulation of the policies recorded in these reports.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 24 November,Official Report, column 79, if he will place in the Library a draft of the United Kingdom's next report to the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations prior to its submission in August 1994.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I have been asked to reply.

  In accordance with our usual practice, a copy of the United Kingdom's fourth report will be placed in the Library on the day that it is submitted to the Committee.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Equal Opportunities
  Mrs. Angela Knight
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on progress under the programme for action to achieve equality of opportunity in the civil service for people of ethnic minority origin.

  Mr. David Davis
  There has been further progress this year; the proportion of ethnic minority staff in the civil service continues to rise. A report summarising progress during 1992–93 is being published today. Copies are being placed in the Library of the House.

  Council for Science and Technology
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many social scientists are members of the Council for Science and Technology.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  No social scientists are members of the Council for Science and Technology. Council members were chosen in their personal capacities to provide a top-level overview of science and technology issues, rather than for expertise in specific areas, or as representatives of particular sectors.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Westminster Customer Care
  Sir Nicholas Fairbairn
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what is the expected cost of teaching staff at Westminster Customer Care.

  Mr. Beith
  I have been asked to reply as the Member answering for the House of Commons Commission.

  The cost of the customer care training programme for the Serjeant at Arms Department was met from that Department's training budget for which the overall figure was £20,000 in 1993–94. I have asked the Serjeant at Arms to write to the hon. Member with the details.

  Palace of Westminster
  Sir Nicholas Fairbairn
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will itemise the changes made within the Palace of Westminster during 678
  the summer recess with the precise cost of each and the names of those who authorised them and agreed to their cost.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for South Hams (Mr. Steen) on 27 October,Official Report, column 667.

  Members' Rooms
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee how many of the rooms available to hon. Members are available to office holders; and which office holders are so accommodated.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  The Deputy Speakers, Government Ministers, the Government Whips, the Leader of the Opposition, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the shadow Cabinet, the Opposition Whips, the leader of the third party, the third-party Whips and the Whips of other parliamentary parties occupy a total of 93 rooms or suites of rooms.

DEFENCE

  Nuclear Tests
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money the Government have saved by not conducting any nuclear tests at the Nevada test site in the last 12 months.

  Mr. Aitken
  It has been the practice of successive Governments not to publish costs associated with the testing of British nuclear weapons.

  Polaris
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the figure given for the annual operation and maintenance costs of Polaris to the Defence Committee on 30 January 1985, HC 37 (1984–85), p159, 935, included(a) the cost of refits, (b) a share of the running costs of the Clyde submarine base, Faslane, (c) manpower and related costs of the crew and associated civilian staff, (d) a share of the intramural and extramural running costs of the atomic weapons establishments and (e) the cost of stores, personnel and the transport of stores.

  Mr. Hanley
  It would not be possible to carry out a detailed examination of the basis for the figure given in 1985 without incurring disproportionate cost.

  AWE Aldermaston
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the incident that occurred at AWE Aldermaston recently involving a leak of uranium contaminated oil from a machine used for manufacturing weapons components.

  Mr. Aitken
  During routine operations in a workshop at AWE Aldermaston, a small quantity of coolant spilled from a machine used for making weapons components. The coolant, which was contaminated with uranium from normal machining operations, was immediately contained and safely disposed of. There was no release of material beyond the immediate area surrounding the machine and no contamination of personnel occurred. There was no risk to the public or the environment from the incident.
  679
  In the interests of safety the machine, and a small number of similar machines, were immediately isolated and taken out of service. Remedial action to remove the contaminated material to safe storage has now been completed. The Health and Safety Executive was informed about the incident and issued two prohibition notices. The machines concerned will not be brouġht back into use until the Health and Safety Executive is satisfied that adequate
  safety arrangements are in place.

  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the sludge solidification plant at AWE Aldermaston to become fully operational.

  Mr. Aitken
  We expect the plant to be fully operational in 1997.

  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the incident that occurred at AWE Aldermaston on 11 November in the liquid treatment plant.

  Mr. Aitken
  During routine monitoring operations a higher than normal level of radioactive material was detected in a storage tank in the liquid effluent treatment plant, at AWE Aldermaston. The material has been disposed of in a safe and controlled manner, but as a precaution, employees and contractors' personnel were temporarily excluded from the immediate vicinity of the effluent plant. The remainder of the site continued to operate normally and there was no risk to personnel, the public or the environment.

  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he now expects red commissioning of the A90 plant at AWE Aldermaston to commence.

  Mr. Aitken
  White commissioning is progressing well. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement on red commissioning in the next few months.

  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what form and quantity barium is used by the atomic weapons establishment, Aldermaston.

  Mr. Aitken
  Elemental barium is not used at AWE Aldermaston; varying quantities of barium compounds are used for experimental and analytical purposes.

  Trident
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what technical difficulties are involved in adapting the Trident missile system so it may carry anything between one and eight nuclear warheads.

  Mr. Aitken
  None.

  Radioactive Waste
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much liquid radioactive waste was dealt with by the present liquid radioactive waste treatment plant at AWE Aldermaston during 1992.

  Mr. Aitken
  The amount of liquid radioactive waste treated at AWE Aldermaston during 1992 was 12,450 m3.

  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much liquid radioactive waste is expected to be dealt with by the new A91 building at Aldermaston when it becomes fully operational.
  680
  Mr. Aitken
  The specification for the A91 plant is based upon an annual throughput of 15,000 m3 per annum. However, it is expected that waste minimisation initiatives will reduce the annual throughput to 10,000 m3 per annum by the time the plant becomes operational.

  Radiation Exposure
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give a breakdown for(a) Aldermaston atomic weapons establishment, (b) Burghfield atomic weapons establishment, (c) Cardiff atomic weapons establishment, (d) Devonport dockyard, (e) Rosyth dockyard, (f) CSB Faslane and (g) RNAD Coulport of individual radiation dose exposures for workers in the bands (i) 0 to 10, (ii) 10 to 15, (iii) 15 to 20, (iv) 20 to 30, (v) 30 to 40 and (vi) greater than 40 mSv for the year 1992.

  Mr. Aitken
  The information requested is given in the following tables. It is not possible to split the band 0 to 15 into 0 to 10 and 10 to 15 in respect of Devonport and Rosyth dockyards, CSB Faslane and RNAD Coulport. There are no workers who have received doses greater than 10 or 15 mSv respectively.

  Atomic weapons establishment sites

  Exposure (mSv) 0 to 10

  AWE (A)

  3,132

  AWE (B)

  220

  AWE (C)

  157

  Other sites

  Exposure (mSv) 0 to 15

  Devonport dockyard

  1,188

  Rosyth dockyard

  1,153

  CSB Faslane

  309

  RNAD Coulport

  272

  Al Yamamah Contract
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the Al Yamamah contract in relation to the future of Cleveland Guest (Engineering) Ltd.

  Mr. Aitken
  Sub-contracts under the Al-Yamamah programme are a matter for British Aerospace as prime contractor to the Ministry of Defence.

  Nuclear Tests
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice about protection was offered to service personnel exposed to radiation during British nuclear tests since 1963; what additional or different advice is given by his Department to service pesonnel in the same circumstances today; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Stringent safety regulations were published by, or on behalf of, the Ministry of Supply and were promulgated in HM Forces orders for each atmospheric nuclear test. These were strictly enforced under normal HM forces command and disciplinary arrangements. The successful implementation of these
  681
  regulations is shown by MOD records which demonstrate that test participants were not exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. This is confirmed by the lack of any excess of death or malignant disease among nuclear test veterans subsequently.

  As the United Kingdom no longer conducts atmospheric nuclear weapon tests and has not done so since 1958, the MOD no longer has a need to promulgate such advice to service personnel.

  Public Record Office
  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why there is a discrepancy between his answer of 3 November,Official Report, columns 291-92, on the date unrestricted access to the Department's archives in the Public Records Office in Hayes will be possible and the reply sent to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Govan (Mr. Davidson) by the Benefits Agency war pensions directorate based on information from the war pension disablement liaison officer to his Department; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  While the date for unrestricted access to the whole of the Hayes archive was correctly stated by the War Pensions Directorate as February, now slipped to March 1994, priority is being given to the section holding service documents to which full access will be possible in December.

  Former Yugoslavia
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when additional cold weather personal equipment was sent to British forces in the former Yugoslavia; when the stores were received at Split; how many truck loads they represent; what prioritisation for this equipment was sought by BRITFOR HQ; when the equipment will be delivered to personnel in central Bosnia; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Additional cold weather clothing was issued from the United Kingdom on 29 October and 1 November. It arrived in Croatia on 5 November and was cleared by Croatian customs on 8 November. The clothing consignment consisted of three 20 ft containers and was accorded due priority by BRITFOR HQ, consistent with other operational requirements at the time. The equipment was delivered to central Bosnia on 27 November.

  Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI)
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) serving officers and (b) other ranks serve on the board of NAAFI.

  Mr. Hanley
  The board of NAAFI includes three serving officers, one for each service who are appointed in a non-executive capacity to represent the interests of the services. There are no other ranks on the board.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with James Rucker, the managing director of NAAFI, about his letter to Aims of Industry of 14 March 1991.

  Mr. Hanley
  None.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will dismiss James Rucker as managing director of NAAFI.
  682
  Mr. Hanley
  There are no grounds for doing so.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants from his Department serve on the board of NAAFI.

  Mr. Hanley
  None.

  Customer Hospitality (Guidelines)
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidelines are given to civil servants in his Department in accepting hospitality from defence industry customers.

  Mr. Aitken
  Guidelines are given in staff regulations and in instructions issued annually. They explain that crown servants should not be placed in a position where their actions might give the impression that they may have been or might be influenced to show favour or disfavour to any person or organisation.

  Next Steps Agencies
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the policy of his Department to next steps agencies joining Aims of Industry.

  Mr. Aitken
  Next steps agencies remain part of their parent Department and it would be inappropriate therefore for them to join organisations which promote particular developments in Government policies.

  Vickers Defence Systems
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his civil servants accepted invitations from Vickers Defence Systems to attend Twickenham on Saturday 27 November; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  From time to time companies invite members of staff to attend a variety of functions. Acceptance of such invitations is covered by official guidelines. A total of one civilian and four military members of Ministry of Defence staff attended Twickenham on Saturday 27 November as guests of Vickers Defence Systems.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Cambodia
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the funds that the British Government have committed to Cambodia in 1993–94 through the United Nations have actually been released; and how the funds have been disbursed.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The Government have committed $1·2 million of financial assistance through the United Nations in 1993–94. We provided $1 million of budgetary aid to the United Nations Secrtary-General's fund to help meet the costs of civil administration in the interim period prior to the establishment of a constitutional Government. We have pledged $0·2 million to a United Nations
  683
  development programme trust fund to enable the Cambodia mine action centre—CMAC— to continue mine clearance operations; expenditure arrangements are being finalised with the United Nations development programme.

  We are also co-financing two on-going health projects with the United Nations through' UNDP. These are concerned with strengthening Cambodia's health systems, and controlling malaria and will cost an estimated £450,000 in 1993–94.

  In addition, the United Kingdom contributes 6·373 per cent. on the United Nations scale of assessment to United Nations peacekeeping operations. The final calls for payment for the liquidation phase of UNTAC have yet to issue, but for the financial year 1993–94 the total United Kingdom assessed contribution is expected to be £17·59 million.

PRIME MINISTER

  THORP
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister what matters in regard to the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield were discussed in his recent meetings with(a) Prime Minister Brundtland of Norway and (b) Chancellor Kohl of Germany.

  The Prime Minister
  In my recent meetings with Prime Minister Brundtland of Norway and Chancellor Kohl of Germany, we discussed a range of issues.

  Iraq (Weapons)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the evidence given to the Scott inquiry in relation to the former Prime Minister's answer of 21 April 1989,Official Report, column 311.

  The Prime Minister
  No. While Lord Justice Scott's inquiry continues, it would not be right to comment on any of the evidence that has so far been taken.

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 2 December.

  The Prime Minister
  This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

  Food Labelling
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has had regarding EC food labelling for products made and sold solely in Scotland; what discussions he has had with his EC counterparts regarding the subject; if his Department will investigate the effect of EC food labelling on the Scottish market; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  My right hon. Friend has received no representations on this matter. The Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department works closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in EC discussions on food labelling; and interested parties in Scotland are consulted on all EC food labelling issues prior to any legislation being made.

  Scottish Nuclear
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what considerations underlay his decision to discourage Scottish Nuclear from providing issue specific information to the public on its operations.

  Mr. Stewart
  My right hon. Friend does not discourage Scottish Nuclear from providing information to the public.

  Ethnic Minority Grant
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his Department's criteria for the allocation of the annual ethnic minority grant of £100,000; and who the advisers are on the eligibility of the applicants.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The decision on which projects should be awarded ethnic minority grant is taken by Ministers following consideration of the applications. Competitions are held regularly and any voluntary organisation can submit a project which meets the scheme's objectives of reducing racial disadvantage and promoting racial equality.

  Council House Sales
  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the rules regarding succession of tenancy for discount purposes in the purchase of council houses; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The legislative provisions governing the succession of a tenancy and the calculation of discount for the purchase of a council house are set out in sections 52 and 61 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 as amended.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to complete his consideration of the remaining third wave NHS trust applications; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Following the announcement by my noble and learned Friend, the Minister of State, on 15 October nine applications for trust status have been under consideration. These involve the Glasgow Royal infirmary, Western infirmary and Gartnavel hospitals, Stobhill, Inverclyde Royal, Renfrewshire Healthcare, Queen Margaret hospital Dunfermline, Kirkcaldly Acute hospitals, Angus unit and the Highland Communities unit.

  My right hon. Friend has considered the applications very carefully, taking into account the comments made during the public consultations. He has concluded that they meet the published criteria and should be approved. Orders establishing the trusts are being signed today and the new trusts will become operational on 1 April 1994. This will bring the total number of trusts in Scotland at that date to 39.

  Operating within the national health service, the trusts, between them, will be responsible for approximately 90 per cent. of hospital and community health services in Scotland. As the longer established trusts have already demonstrated, they will be able to develop services of a more local character and better adapted to meet patient needs. This augurs well for the health service in Scotland.
  685
  The latest batch of trust approvals also means that four health boards will join Grampian and Ayrshire and Arran in no longer having day-to-day operational responsibilities for hospitals in their areas. This will allow these boards to concentrate on their crucial role of determining the health needs of those in their area, securing services to meet those needs, and monitoring the services provided.

  Urology Contract
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on contracts between the Ayrshire and Arran health board and the Dumfries and Galloway health board before the award by the former board of a contract for urology services;

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 23 November 1993]: There is no contract between Ayrshire and Arran health board and Dumfries and Galloway health board for urology—or any other service—for services to Dumfries and Galloway residents. Any contract for services to residents of Dumfries and Galloway is a matter for Dumfries and Galloway health board in conjuction with whichever NHS trust, directly managed unit or other provider from which that board chooses to purchase services.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the re-submitted bids tendered for the urology contract in Ayrshire and Arran were amended by the Ayrshire and Arran health board before a final decision on the bids.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 23 November 1993]: Prior to consideration by the health board, the evaluation panel re-arranged figures in both bids, to ensure a "like for like" comparison in the preparation of its evaluation report. There was no question, however, of the health board itself amending any of the bids before a final decision was taken.

  Overseas Visits
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. Lang
  [holding answer 1 December 1993]: I have made four overseas visits during 1993:

  Destination

  Date

  Cost£

  Brussels

  25 January

  389

  United States

  25-27 March

  4,690

  Brussels

  20-21 September

  480

  Far East (Hong Kong, Korea and Japan)

  14-23 October

  8,860

  The visits to the United States and the far east involved inward investment and trade promotion. The visits to Brussels were to attend the Joint Foreign Affairs and Agriculture Council and the Transport and Environmental Council. Costs include travel, accommodation, local transportation and interpreting service, where applicable.

  Golf
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to meet representatives of the Scottish Golf Union to discuss the role of golf in Scotland;686
  what is his most recent estimate of the revenue that golf in Scotland attracts from inward investment; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 1 December 1993]: My right hon. Friend and I have no immediate plans to meet any representatives of the Scottish Golf Union to discuss any aspect of the game of golf. I would, of course, be only too willing to meet with the Scottish Golf Union to discuss any matters of mutual interest if a request for a meeting was made to me. It is not possible to quantify the revenue that golf in Scotland attracts from inward investment, but it is obviously a very considerable sum.

  Motorways
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last assessed the level of disruption caused by unmanned roadworks on the main motorway routes between London and Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 1 December 1993]: My right hon. Friend is responsible for the trunk road network in Scotland, where roadworks are subject to the code of practice set out in "The Reduction of Delays of Roadworks" issued by the Scottish Office in 1992. The operational effect of all roadworks on the trunk road network, including motorways, in Scotland is monitored on the basis of fortnightly reports provided by the regional councils, as agent authorities, for the roads directorate of the Scottish Office Industry Department.

  A key element in the efforts to reduce delays has been the introduction of lane rental on major maintenance contracts on the strategic core network. Under lane rental the contractor pays for the length of time traffic lanes or carriageways are closed and effectively receives a bonus for early completion or conversely incurs a penalty if the contract overruns. This has led to significant reductions in the time taken to complete roadworks and has minimised delays and inconvenience to road users.

  Disabled Employees
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many disabled people in(a) Inverclyde and (b) Strathclyde currently benefit from the special aids to employment scheme; and how many disabled people he expects to lose their jobs once employers have to pay 50 per cent. of the cost of special aids in the work place.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 November 1993]: The numbers of disabled people receiving benefit from the special aids to employment scheme in Inverclyde and Strathclyde respectively are: (a) 2; (b) 68. Changes to the Employment Service's current special schemes for helping people with disabilities, and which include the introduction of a limited employers' contribution, to provide help for existing employees who have worked for them for more than six months, are aimed at helping more people with disabilities to get and retain jobs and at making a much wider range of help available. The Employment Service is currently finalising details of these changes with these aims in mind.

  NHS Land
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of acres owned by the national health service for each of the past 14 years.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 November 1993]: Figures for each of the past 14 years are not held centrally in the form requested. The available information, excluding the state hospital and the health education board for Scotland, is as follows:

  Period

  Acres

  December 1989

  10,009

  July 1990

  9,415

  December 1990

  9,503

  March 1992

  8,766

  September 1992

  8,840

  This information is taken from reports on national health service vacant and surplus property by the Scottish health management efficiency group.

  Earnings
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the average weekly earnings for(a) full-time male workers and (b) full-time female workers in (i) Inverclyde, (ii) Strathclyde and (iii) Scotland.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 1 December 1993]: Information relating to average gross weekly earnings for full-time male employees and full-time female employees in Strathclyde and Scotland is shown in the table. Information relating to average earnings is not available below the level of Scottish regions.

  Table 1

  Of which:

  Proposals lodged 1 April 1993–30 September 1993

  Withdrawn by appellant

  List adjusted by assessor

  Still to be dealt with

  Proceeding as appeals to valuation appeal committee

  Proposals

  a. Strathclyde

  32,975

  1,704

  7,507

  23,764

  0

  b. Scotland

  75,629

  3,255

  10,863

  60,774

  737

  Table 2

  Of which:

  Appeals cited to be heard

  Withdrawn by appellant before hearing

  List adjusted by assessor before hearing

  Heard and resolved

  Still to be dealt with

  Appeals

  a. Strathclyde

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  b. Scotland

  737

  152

  145

  16

  424

  Table 3

  Analysis of proposals/appeals settled: time taken from date of lodgement of proposal until settlement

  Within 1 month

  Within 1-2 months

  Within 2-3 months

  Within 3-4 months

  Within 4-5 months

  Within 5-6 months

  Total

  Proposals/Appeals resolved without hearing

  a. Strathclyde

  1,019

  1,874

  2,541

  2,683

  1,054

  40

  9,211

  b. Scotland

  1,394

  2,352

  3,491

  4,248

  2,485

  445

  14,415

  688

  Average gross weekly earnings of full-time employees on adult rates

  Males £

  Females £

  Strathclyde

  326·6

  240·6

  Scotland

  333·0

  237·4

  Source: New Earnings Survey 1993

  Local Government Finance
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many appeals against banding under the council tax have been made in the current year in(a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland; what is the average length of time taken to hear such appeals; and how many were successful.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 1 December 1993]: The process of requesting a change to the council tax valuation list involves two stages. First, a proposal is lodged with the assessor's department. If the proposal cannot be resolved it proceeds as an appeal to the Valuation Appeal Committee. Proposals unresolved after six months are automatically cited for appeal. The tables set out the relevant available information supplied by assessors to the Scottish Office on proposals and appeals up to end-September 1993. Tables 1 and 2 show the outcome of proposals lodged. Table 3 shows the time taken to settle those proposals and appeals that have been settled; this includes cases where proposals are withdrawn by the appellant or the valuation list is adjusted by the assessor as well as cases decided by an appeal committee.

  No information is collected centrally as to how many appeals are successful since it is not clear what that would mean in each case. It must be assumed that in all cases where an appellant withdraws his or her proposal or the assessor adjusts the valuation list then an agreed outcome has been reached.
  689

  Within 1 month

  Within 1-2 months

  Within 2-3 months

  Within 3-4 months

  Within 4-5 months

  Within 5-6 months

  Total

  Appeals cited and heard:

  a. Strathclyde

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  b. Scotland

  0

  0

  0

  0

  2

  14

  16

  "Scotland's Children"
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which elements of the White Paper, "Scotland's Children" he intends to bring forward into legislation.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 23 November 1993]: The care of children calls for a clear and coherent legislative framework and a Bill which takes forward the proposals in the White Paper should be seen as an important first step towards a consolidation of law relating to children, besides including such important subjects as the emergency protection of children including the proposed exclusion order; the extension of local authorities' existing social welfare duties; the revision of the statutory authority for the transfer of parental rights; the duties of local authorities towards children in their care; and various provisions to strengthen the children's hearings system. Work is proceeding on these topics and others which involve central guidance. They will be the subject of further consultation, as appropriate.

HEALTH

  Prescriptions
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a general practitioner may prescribe a substance on a private prescription where to do so would be cheaper for a patient than getting the same prescription on an NHS prescription.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  A general practitioner can offer patients the choice of between receiving a prescription on the national health service or purchasing an over the counter product themselves if the cost of the product is cheaper than the NHS prescription charge. Of course, many people are exempt from prescription charges and the GP could be regarded in breach of his terms of service if this point were overlooked. If an NHS patient requests a private prescription the GP is not precluded from providing one but may not charge a fee. The costs of dispensing a private prescription would have to be met by the patients.

  Suicide
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has as to the relationship between anti-depressants and suicide deaths broken down by individual drug.

  Mr. Bowis
  Suicide deaths and undetermined deaths involving poisoning by an anti-depressant drug are shown in the tables, which are derived from the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys "Mortality Statistics: Injury and Poisoning for England and Wales" (Series DH4 No. 17), copies of which are available in the Library. In many cases the anti-depressant was taken in combination with or in addition to another type of drug.690

  Deaths by Poisoning-Suicide-England and Wales 1991 by Anti-depressant Drugs (Anti-depressant shown in bold)

  Drug

  Number of Persons

  Aftershave dettol lofepramine

  11

  Amitriptyline

  36(51)

  Amitriptyline chloral hydrate

  1(11)

  Amitriptyline chloral hydrate chlorpromazine

  1

  Amitriptyline chlorpromazine

  1

  Amitriptyline chlorpromazine procyclidine

  1

  Amitriptyline codeine

  1

  Amitriptyline desmethyldothiepin dothiepin nortriptyline

  1

  Amitriptyline diazepam dothiepin

  1

  Amitriptyline dihydrocodeine

  1

  Amitriptyline lofepramine

  1

  Amitriptyline nortriptyline

  1

  Amitriptyline paracetamol

  1

  Amitriptyline paracetamol salicylate (Nos)2

  1(11)

  Amitriptyline temazapam

  5(11)

  Amitriptyline theophylline

  1

  Amitriptyline thioridazine

  2

  Amitriptyline trifluoperazine

  1

  Amitriptyline oxazepam

  1

  Amitriptyline Soldapeine

  1

  Amoxapine

  1(11)

  Amoxapine chlorpromazine

  1

  Amoxapine tranylcypromine

  1

  Amylobarbitone dothiepin quinalbarbitone

  1

  Anadin extra co-proxamol lofepramine Prothiaden

  1(11)

  Benzodiazepine (Nos) dothiepin temazepam

  1(11)

  Benzodiazepine (Nos) opiate (Nos) paracetamol propoxyphene tricyclic antidepressant(Nos)

  1

  1 Benzodiazepine (Nos) tricyclic antidepressant(Nos)

  1(11)

  Butriptyline desalkyflurazepam paracetamol Prothiaden

  1

  Caffeine Prothiaden paracetamol salicylate (Nos) temazepam

  1(11)

  Chlormethiazole dothiepin trimipramine

  1

  Chlorpromazine dothiepin procyclidine

  1

  Chlorpromazine imipramine

  1

  Clomipramine

  1

  Clomipramine dextropropoxyphene paracetamol

  1

  Co-proxamol dothiepin

  2

  Co-proxarnol imipramine

  1

  Codeine dothiepin salicylate (Nos.)

  1

  Desipramine imipramine terodiline

  1

  Desmethyldothiepin dothiepin temazapam

  1

  Dextropropoxyphene Fluoxetine norfluoxetine paracetamol thioridazine

  1

  Dextropropoxyphene paracetamol Prothiaden

  1

  Diazepam diothiepin

  3

  Diazepam imipramine

  1

  Diazepam Prothiaden

  1(11)

  Dicamba Herbicide dothiepin

  1

  Dihydrocodeine dothiepin

  1

  Distalgesic dothiepin

  1

  Disulfiram dothiepin nitrazepam thioridazine

  1

  Dothiepin (Prothiaden-31)

  87(71)

  Dothiepin desmethyldothiepin norpropoxyphene paracetamol propoxyphene temazepam

  1

  Dothiepin doxepin thioridazine Veganin

  1

  Dothiepin naftidrofuryl temazepam terodiline trimethoprim

  1

  Dothiepin nortriptyline

  1

  Dothiepin paracetamol

  2

  Dothiepin paracetamol temazepam

  1

  Dothiepin prochlorperazine

  1

  Dothiepin propoxyphene

  1

  Dothiepin temazepam

  2

  691

  Drug

  Number of Persons

  Dothiepin Eltroxin

  1

  Doxepin

  3

  Faverin temazepam

  1

  Fluoxetine

  1

  Gamanil

  1

  Imipramine

  10(11)

  Imipramine paracetamol temazapam

  1

  Impramine temazapan

  1

  Ludiomil

  1

  Morphine Prothiaden

  1

  Motival

  1

  Nitrazepam Tryptizol

  1(11)

  Nortriptyline

  1

  Nortriptyline Stelazine

  1

  Paracetamol trycyclic antidepressant (Nos.)

  1

  Paracetamol Prothiaden

  2

  Phenothiazine Prothiaden

  1

  Prothiaden sinequan

  1

  Salicylate (Nos.) trimipramine

  1

  Sertraline

  1(11)

  Trazodone

  1

  Tricyclic Antidepressant (Nos.)

  1

  Trimipramine (Surmontil-1)

  4(11)

  Triptafen

  1

  Tryprizol

  1

  Viloxazine

  1

  Total

  230(261)

  1 Number of deaths with mention of alcohol.

  2 Nos=Not otherwise stated ie refers to drugs within a particular sub-group— eg tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, salicyclates, etc., which are not separately identified in the table.

  Deaths by Poisoning—Undetermined whether Accidentally or Purposely 1nflicted —England and Wales 1991 by Anti-Depressant Drugs (Anti-Depressant shown in bold)

  Drug

  Number of Persons

  Amitriptyline

  25(31)

  Amitriptyline aspirin benzodiazepine (Nos) codeine temazapam

  1

  Amitriptyline carbomazepine

  1

  Amitriptyline chlorpromazine

  2

  Amitriptyline codeine

  1

  Amitriptyline dextropropoxyphene paracetamol

  1

  Amitriptyline diazepam

  2

  Amitriptyline diazepam methadone thioridazine

  1(11)

  Amitriptyline dihydrocodeine

  2

  Amitriptyline lithium temazepam

  1

  Amitriptyline methadone thioridazine

  1

  Amitriptyline nortriptyline

  2

  Amitriptyline paracetamol

  2(11)

  Amoxapine

  2

  Amphetamine dothiepin

  1

  Artane Piportil Prothiaden

  1

  Aspirin dothiepin

  1

  Baclofen buprenorphine Celevac clomiparine indomethacin nitrazepam

  1

  Benzodiazepine (Nos) dihydrocodeine dothiepin

  1

  Carbamazepine dothiepin

  1

  Carbamazepine phenothiazine Prothiaden

  1(11)

  Chloral Hydrate chlordiazepoxide trazodone

  1

  Chlordiazepoxide Parnate propranolol

  1

  Chlormethiazole Prothiaden

  1(11)

  Chlorpromazine clomipramine paracetamol procyclidine

  1

  Clomipramine

  1

  692

  Drug

  Number of persons

  Clomipramine diazepam paracetamol temazepam

  1(11)

  Clomipramine procyclidine

  1

  Co-proxamol dothiepin

  1

  Codeine dothiepin paracetamol

  1

  Desipramine

  1

  Desipramine ibuprofen paracetamol procyclidine temazepam

  1

  Dextropropoxyphene dothiepin

  1

  Diazepam doxepin

  1(11)

  Dihydrocodeine dothiepin

  1

  Distalgic Prothiaden

  1

  Dothiepin (Prothiaden-31)

  62(51)

  Dothiepin haloperidol Modecate procyclidine

  1

  Dothiepin paracetamol

  2(11)

  Dothiepin propoxyphene

  1

  Dothiepin thioridazine

  1

  Fluoxetine Prothiaden

  1

  Imipramine

  9(11)

  Imipramine paracetamol

  1

  Imipramine salicylate (nos)

  1

  Imipramine temazapam

  1

  Nortriptyline

  1

  Prothiaden temazepam

  1

  Sulpiride trimipramine

  1

  Trimipramine

  1(11)

  Trimiparine trimiparzine

  1

  Total

  151(171)

  1 Number of deaths with mention of alcohol.

  Nos=Not otherwise stated i.e. refers to drugs within a particular sub-group—eg tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, salicyclates, etc., which are not separately identified in the table.

  Patients Charter
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health at what point a complaint under the patients charter concerning the right of a patient to a clear explanation of a proposed treatment, including any risks or alternatives, becomes a complaint concerning clinical judgment.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  If there is a complaint that a health professional in the exercise of clinical judgment did not provide an explanation of a proposed treatment, including risks or alternatives, then it is a complaint concerning clinical judgment from the moment it is made, since the decision on how much information to provide to a patient, and the terms in which any warning of any risks is given prior to treatment is a clinical decision.

  Mental Health
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients and other mentally ill people(a) under 65 and (b) over 65 years are provided with beds or places in each type of accommodation illustrated in figure 2 of the Yates report by short and long stay.

  Mr. Bowis
  This information is not available centrally for all the types of accommodation shown in figure 2 of the Yates report. The information forstaffed residential care homes is shown in the table.
  693

  Residents in Staffed Residential Homes Caring Primarily for Mentally Ill People By Sector, Age and Length of Stay: 31 March 1987 to 31 March 1992

  England

  Local Authority

  Voluntary Homes

  Private Homes

  All Homes

  Under 65

  65 and over

  Under 65

  65 and over

  Under 65

  65 and over

  Under 65

  65 and over

  Long Stay

  1987

  1,452

  2,558

  686

  261

  1,260

  1,805

  3,398

  4,624

  1988

  1,585

  2,607

  1,009

  537

  1,941

  3,814

  4,535

  6,958

  1989

  1,574

  2,907

  1,308

  574

  2,557

  4,103

  5,439

  7,584

  1990

  1,610

  2,870

  1,632

  733

  3,102

  4,732

  6,344

  8,335

  1991

  1,603

  2,819

  2,051

  820

  3,506

  4,804

  7,160

  8,443

  1992

  1,529

  2,569

  2,408

  1,079

  3,865

  5,247

  7,802

  8,895

  Short Stay

  1987

  183

  145

  146

  27

  58

  30

  385

  202

  1988

  283

  148

  189

  20

  91

  100

  563

  266

  1989

  269

  199

  245

  10

  105

  27

  619

  236

  1990

  230

  173

  254

  8

  143

  14

  627

  195

  1991

  259

  219

  157

  10

  108

  18

  524

  247

  1992

  271

  182

  285

  27

  142

  16

  698

  225

  Source: DH Return RAC5.

  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the figures are for the different types of provision illustrated in figure
  3 of the Yates report.

  Mental illness available beds—places: England

  Local Authority mentally ill and elderly mentally ill places

  Voluntary mentally ill and elderly mentally ill places

  Private-mentally ill and elderly mentally ill places

  Private hospital beds

  NHS other beds

  NHS main hospital beds

  1982

  4,173

  1,603

  764

  1,994

  15,145

  68,555

  1983

  4,242

  1,693

  865

  2,394

  16,276

  65,362

  1984

  4,363

  1,952

  1,219

  2,176

  16,969

  61,795

  1985

  4,470

  2,134

  1,731

  2,340

  17,730

  57,967

  1986

  7,549

  2,377

  4,151

  3,165

  18,771

  53,434

  1987–88

  7,568

  2,640

  6,959

  4,507

  22,657

  44,470

  1988–89

  7,916

  2,648

  7,680

  5,862

  19,712

  43,287

  1989–90

  7,584

  3,080

  9,066

  7,693

  20,415

  38,875

  1990–91

  7,715

  3,508

  9,724

  10,772

  21,246

  33,993

  1991–92

  7,552

  4,303

  10,382

  12,653

  21,285

  28,993

  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the source of the information about private hospital provision for mentally ill people given in the Yates report, published by her Department.

  Mr. Bowis
  The source of this information is in the Korner return K036, "Private Hospitals, Homes and Clinics registered under Section 23 of the Registered Homes Act 1984", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what redress, under the patients charter patients, or their family, have if they are not given a clear explanation of the treatment proposed, including any risks and any alternatives.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Under the patients charter, patients have a general right to have complaints thoroughly investigated. If the patient is still unhappy about the way in which a complaint has been investigated then the patient may take the matter up with the Health Service Commissioner.

  The patients charter has introduced the additional provision that if a patient believes that they have been denied a specific charter right, the patient or their family may write to the chief executive of the national health service who will arrange for the matter to be investigated.
  694
  Mr. Bowis
  The figures are shown in the table.

  Paediatric Intensive Care
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has as to the number of children in each English region who did not receive paediatric intensive care owing to the shortage of such beds.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Information on which to base such an estimate is not available centrally. Decisions on the referral of critically ill children are taken by clinicians in the light of the condition of the child and the proximity of available treatment facilities. A survey carried out by the British Paediatric Association in connection with preparation of the report, "The Care of Critically Ill Children" showed that, in 1991, 51 per cent. of children receiving intensive care were treated in dedicated paediatric intensive care units, 29 per cent. in high dependency beds in children's wards and 20 per cent. in adult intensive care units. Copies of the report are available in the Library.

  The Department, in collaboration with appropriate professional bodies, will act on the recommendation in the report, for outcomes for children requiring paediatric intensive care to be audited to provide this information for the future.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to set targets for the number of paediatric intensive care unit beds in each of the next five years.
  695
  Dr. Mawhinney
  The recently published report from the British Paediatric Association, "The Care of Critically Ill Children", copies of which are available in the Library, offers recommendations on the number and distribution of paediatric intensive care beds required to take account of developments in this highly specialised area of child health care. Health authorities will be asked to draw up plans for an effective and co-ordinated response to this report and these may include locally determined targets.

  Leptospirosis
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the risk of contracting leptospirosis from drinking direct from bottles or cans.

  Mr. Sackville
  None.

  Secure Accommodation
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responses she has had to the Department of Health consultation paper "De-monopolising the Provision of Secure Accommodation"; and if she will place them in the Library.

  Mr. Bowis
  Forty-two written responses were received from local authority associations, voluntary organisations and private sector companies. There was no understanding that the responses would be made public and so I do not think it would be appropriate to place copies in the Library.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals her Department has put forward to privatise secure accommodation for juvenile offenders; and what arrangements will be made to advertise the contracts.

  Mr. Bowis
  Proposals for legislative changes to enable the voluntary and private sectors to provide secure accommodation will be introduced to Parliament in due course.

  Medical Alert
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what written notices are routinely issued to .patients who are the subjects of any medical alert or warning indicating they are subject to the information contained in the alert; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Department does not routinely issue written notices to patients concerning alerts or warnings relating to problems involving medical devices. The Department's policy in such cases is to issue safety warnings to aid clinicians in making informed decisions with respect to individual patients.

  Pacemakers
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health from what sources her Department arrives at a figure for deaths of patients implanted with pacemaker lead models 1010T, 1050T and Prototype 93.

  Mr. Sackville
  Data relating to the number of patient deaths for individuals implanted with the pacemaker leads are obtained from the national pacemaker database located at the Royal Brompton National heart and lung hospital, London.
  696
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how implant centres and follow-up centres are informed that pacemaker lead model 1010T includes prototype 93.

  Mr. Sackville
  Centres were informed of a fault in the Siemens pacemaker lead model 1010T by the Department of Health pacemaker technical note No. 48, which included the Siemens medical advisory as an attachment. Paragraph 5 of the attachment identified all associated leads and their prototypes, including the T93 prototype. Copies of the technical note are available in the Library.

  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been implanted with pacemaker lead models 1010T, 1050T and prototype 93.

  Mr. Sackville
  According to the National Pacemaker Registry a total of 4,675 pacemaker leads of models 1010T, 1050T and prototype T93 have been implanted in patients within the United Kingdom.

  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the identification of pacemaker lead prototype 93 in Pacemaker note No. 48.

  Mr. Sackville
  Attention was drawn to the prototype T93 in two separate communications to all relevant clinicians. The details were contained in the manufacturer's advisory notice which was attached to the Department of Health technical note No. 48, and which had been issued previously by the company. Copies of the technical note are available in the Library.

  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance her Department has issued in respect of the identification of those deaths in patients fitted with pacemakers which may be due to faulty pacemaker leads.

  Mr. Sackville
  No guidance has been issued by the Department of Health. Identification of the cause of death is made by the relevant medical practitioner.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue guidance to NHS trust hospitals on the practice of publicity advertising the private use of such hospitals on behalf of commercial organisations.

  Mr. Sackville
  No.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance has been issued on the role and objectives of trust non-executive directors;

  (2) what training non-executive directors receive on corporate governance on joining trust boards.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Non-executive directors of national health service trusts are appointed by regional health authority chairmen and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. They are provided, on appointment, with guidance produced by the NHS Management Executive on their role and functions. It is for individual trust chairmen to ensure that non-executive directors receive any necessary induction and training. The corporate governance task force is expected to make recommendations before the end of the
  697
  year to the chief executive of the Management Executive on the role and functions and induction-continuing development of chairmen and non-executive directors. Copies of the guidance will be placed in the Library.

  Medical Devices Directorate
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proposals she has to ensure the medical devices directorate has the power to require a response to a medical alert from those to whom it is issued;

  (2) whether she will issue guidelines to the medical devices directorate on monitoring of centres receiving alerts;

  (3) what monitoring the medical devices directorate carries out to ensure that all hospitals comply with medical alerts.

  Mr. Sackville
  We have no plans to issue guidelines to the medical devices directorate on monitoring of centres which receive alerts. The medical devices directorate currently has no powers to require a response to, or compliance with, safety warnings and we have no plans to grant such powers. The medical devices directorate does not monitor compliance with medical alerts sent to hospitals.

  Medical Devices
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for assessing the effects of faults in medical devices.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Department, through the medical devices directorate is responsible for assessing the effects of faults in medical devices.

  Royal Sussex County Hospital
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide details of current patient waiting times for the Brighton Health Care national health service trust and projected treatment waiting times when the Royal Sussex County hospital redevelopment is completed.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Brighton healthcare trust was established in 1993 and information on their waiting times is not yet available centrally.

  Brighton healthcare trust will continue to comply with both local standards and patients charter guarantees after the Royal Sussex hospital redevelopment is completed.

  Pesticides
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the revised edition of the notes for the guidance of medical practitioners on pesticides.

  Mr. Sackville
  Work on the revision is underway. As soon as this is completed the notes will be sent for publication. The Department holds a small stock and can provide copies of the current book to doctors or hospitals if required.

  NHS Employees
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been issued by her Department to national health service employers regarding the payment of unsocial hours allowances for staff.
  698
  Mr. Sackville
  For staff whose pay and conditions are determined nationally, a variety of agreements have been reached for different staff groups as part of their overall pay and conditions of service package.

  Smoking
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the total number of cigarettes smoked by children every year.

  Mr. Sackville
  Figures taken from the 1992 Office of Population Censuses and Surveys survey of smoking among secondary school children for the mean consumption of cigarettes per pupil, give an estimate of around 690 million cigarettes smoked every year by pupils aged 11 to 15 in England.

  Drug Prescribing
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money in real terms would be saved from drug prescribing if the exemption for pregnant and nursing mothers were removed.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  There is no firm evidence to suggest that there would be a reduction in prescribing, and consequent savings in drugs bill expenditure, if prescription charge exemption for expectant and nursing mothers were to be removed.

  Steroids
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ensure that a list of side effects are given whenever steroids are dispensed.

  Mr. Sackville
  Patient information leaflets are an important way for patients to receive easily understood information about the medicines that they use. We have recently implemented a European Community directive to take effect from 1 January 1994, one effect of which makes patient information leaflets compulsory for all medicines unless all the information is shown on the label. These leaflets will contain important information on how medicines should be used and useful information on side effects. Pharmaceutical companies will be implementing this requirement progressively over the next five years.

  Maternity Leave
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has made to her colleagues in the Department of Employment on extending the right to maternity leave and allowance to mothers of newly adopted babies or young children.

  Mr. Sackville
  None.

  Waiting Lists
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the latest available figures for the total number of patients on the waiting list in each EC country.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Information on the number of patients on the waiting list in each country of the European Union is not available centrally. Information on waiting times for in-patient and day case treatment for England is given in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England" published twice yearly, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Specialists
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the number of specialists in hospitals.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Our policy is to encourage the shift towards a consultant-based service, envisaged in the agreements between the national health service and the medical profession set out in "Achieving a Balance", copies of which are available in the Library. This suggests a minimum consultant expansion rate of 2 per cent. per year. However, it is a matter for each employing body to determine the number of consultants needed in each specialty in the light of local needs and competing priorities. Between 1987 and 1992 the number of medical consultants working in NHS hospitals in England increased by 2,240, a rate of 3 per cent. per year.

  Number of persons infected by Leptospirosis disease

  Regional Health Authority

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  March and June 1993

  Northern

  2

  2

  2

  1

  0

  1

  3

  Yorkshire

  2

  3

  5

  3

  4

  1

  1

  Trent

  3

  1

  3

  1

  1

  2

  1

  East Anglian

  1

  3

  1

  3

  0

  2

  0

  North West Thames

  2

  2

  2

  0

  2

  3

  0

  North East Thames

  1

  1

  1

  0

  1

  3

  0

  South East Thames

  0

  2

  3

  3

  2

  1

  0

  South West Thames

  1

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Wessex

  5

  2

  2

  0

  1

  1

  1

  Oxford

  0

  0

  3

  1

  2

  2

  0

  South Western

  2

  5

  2

  2

  2

  4

  3

  West Midlands

  2

  5

  4

  2

  0

  4

  0

  Mersey

  2

  2

  3

  3

  1

  0

  1

  North Western

  2

  4

  0

  0

  1

  3

  0

  Optic Neuritis
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list(a) by year for the last five years and the current year to date and (b) by regional health authority the number of cases of the disease optic neuritis that have been reported.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  Patient Relocations
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to inform health authorities and trusts of the circumstances in which patients may be relocated in other parts of the country(a) if they are being treated under section 19 of the National Health Act 1983 and (b) otherwise.

  Mr. Bowis
  There are no plans to issue guidance on these cases. Clinicians refer all patients to units which most appropriately meet their needs. This applies equally to patients detained under the Mental Health Act and who are transferred under section 19.

  Tobacco Advertising
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will support a tobacco advertising ban at the next European Health Ministers' meeting; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Government have made clear that they oppose the draft European Community directive banning tobacco advertising. We do not believe that it is necessary for the completion of the single market.

  Leptospirosis
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list by regional health authority for the last five years, and this year to-date the number of people who have been infected by leptospirosis desease.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is shown in the table.

  Patients Charter
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list by regional health authority the hospitals that have currently been penalised financially for failing to treat patients within the waiting time limits set by the patients charter; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information requested is not available centrally. Allocations from the waiting times fund are linked to regions performance on waiting times. Deductions are made for specific breaches of the patients charter guarantees. These deductions act as an incentive to good management and some regions therefore pass them on to the responsible provider units.

  University College Hospital
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for resolving the financial problems of University College hospital, London; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The University College London hospitals group reports directly to North East Thames regional health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir William Stavely, chairman of the regional health authority for details.

  NHS Reforms
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what analysis she has made of the cost benefit of the national health service reforms.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The benefits of the national health service reforms are tangible: more patients are now being treated than ever before; people are waiting shorter times for treatment; general practitioner fund holders are able to back their clinical judgment and local knowledge with national health service funds to the benefit of all patients; increased numbers of people are being treated as day cases without the need for a stay in hospital. These are some of the real and important benefits flowing from the reforms —which clearly illustrate we have achieved our main aims: improvements to the quality of care; responsiveness to individuals and value for money.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ask the Audit Commission to investigate the payments to chairmen and non-executive directors of national health service trusts.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The independent external auditors appointed by the Audit Commission examine payments to chairmen and non-executive directors as part of their routine audits.

  Infant and Perinatal Mortality
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the infant mortality and perinatal mortality rate in each EC country in the latest available year.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is shown in the table.

  Infant and perinatal mortality rate in each European Community country for 1991

  Infant mortality rate1

  Perinatal mortality rate2

  Belgium

  37·0

  n/a

  Denmark

  7·3

  n/a

  Germany

  6·9

  5·8

  Greece

  9·0

  11·1

  Spain

  37·8

  n/a

  France

  7·3

  8·2

  Ireland

  38·2

  39·9

  Italy

  38·2

  310·5

  Luxembourg

  9·2

  9·6

  Netherlands

  6·5

  9·1

  Portugal

  10·8

  13·6

  United Kingdom

  7·4

  8·1

  1 Deaths under 1 year per 1,000 livebirths.

  2 Deaths under 1 week and stillbirths per 1,000 live and stillbirths.

  3 Provisional.

  n/a—Not available.

  Source: Eurostat Demographic Statistics 1993.

  GP Fundholders
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking regarding overspending by general practitioner fundholders in the Doncaster area in respect of drug prescribing; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  General practitioner fundholders nationally are proving to be extremely successful in 702
  improving the cost effectiveness of their prescribing and can vire between the elements of their budgets to achieve the most appropriate care for patients. Regional health authorities are responsible for managing the GP fundholding scheme in their areas.

  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 29 November,Official Report, column 307, about general practitioner surgery in Liverpool, South Sefton, Knowsley and St. Helens and Wirral health authorities, how many of the general practitioners are fund holders; and how many fund holding general practitioners are in single-handed practices, in each of the four health authorities.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Regional health authorities are responsible for managing the general practitioner fundholding scheme in their areas. Detailed regional information is not available centrally.

  Regional Health Authorities
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to hold centrally, records of the revenue spending on(a) in-patients and (b) out-patients by regional health authorities; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  No. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 21 October her intention to abolish regional health authorities, subject to the approval of Parliament.

  Coronary Care
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the waiting times for each(a) regional health authority and (b) district health authority for coronary (i) artery bypass grafting and (ii) angioplasty.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Information on waiting times by treatment or condition is not available centrally. Information for in-patient and day case treatment by specialty for district and regional health authorities is given in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England", published twice yearly since 1987, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Clinics (Closure)
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what obligation there is on community care services and NHS trusts to inform or consult hon. Members about the closure of clinics in their constituencies.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  There is no obligation on national health service trusts to inform or consult hon. Members when considering changes to the service which they provide. We encourage trusts to develop good communications with local MPs. The precise arrangements are matters for individual trust boards.

  Blood Donors
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ban the import of blood and blood products from countries which use paid donors.

  Mr. Sackville
  This country is self-sufficient in blood obtained from our voluntary, unpaid donors and we do not
  703
  obtain supplies from other sources. It is our long-standing policy to pursue self-sufficiency in blood products made from voluntary, unpaid donations and to seek to maximise the use of those products. We nevertheless recognise the clinical freedom of doctors to prescribe other products if considered more appropriate for individual patients.

  Community Care
  Mr. Waterson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what method she intends to distribute the community care special transitional grant in 1994–95; and what conditions she intends to attach to its use.

  Mr. Bowis
  The special transitional grant for community care in England will amount to some £736 million in 1994–95. It will be distributed to local authorities on the basis of the personal social services standard spending assessment—PSS SSA. We have decided in the light of early experience of the new arrangements, and of a change to the way in which numbers of residents in independent sector care homes are reflected in PSS SSAs, that it is no longer necessary to base part of the distribution on historic patterns of income support spending on residential care.

  There will be conditions attached to the use of the grant similar to those applied in 1993–94. Full details of the grant conditions will be announced separately.

  Sir Michael Grylls
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is available to elderly people about the variety of accommodation and services available to them under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990.

  Mr. Bowis
  Local authorities must publish annual plans outlining the ways in which community care will operate in their area. We expect local authorities to build on these plans to provide their local population with comprehensive details of the services available. This way users of services will be able to make the informed choice which is central to our community care system.

  Genetics Laboratories
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future of NHS funding for regional genetics laboratories.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Government remain committed to the research and development strategy. We have made it clear that the NHS Management Executive will continue to work closely with purchasers and providers to ensure that the high levels of services which are presently delivered, including those provided by the regional genetics laboratories, are maintained.

  Gene Therapy
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the membership of her committee on the ethics of gene therapy; and if she will list each member's current professional position.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Committee on the Ethics of Gene Therapy was disbanded on 19 November 1993. It has been replaced by the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee, which met for the first time on 22 November 1993.
  704
  The new committee is chaired by Professor Dame June Lloyd DBE, MD, FRCP formerly Professor of Child Health at the Institute of Child Health, and a past-president of the British Paediatric Association.

  The membership of the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee was announced on 15 November 1993.

  The 16 members of the Committee are:
  Dr. Elizabeth Anionwu, PhD, RGN, HV Tutor-Lecturer in Community Genetic Counselling, Institute of Child Health:
  Mrs. Rosemary Barnes,—Director, "Wellbeing";
  Professor Martin Bobrow, DSc, MB, BCh, FRCP FRCPath—
  Prince Philip Professor of Paediatric Research, United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St. Thomas's Hospitals, University of London;
  Professor Derek Crowther, PhD, MB, BChir., MA, MSc, FRCP, FRCR—Professor of Medical Oncology, Christie HospitaE and Holt Radium Institute and University of Manchester;
  Professor Anthony Dayan, MD, FRCP, FRCPath., FFPM, FIBiol.—Professor of Toxicology, University of London; Director, Department of Toxicology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College;
  The Rev. Canon Dr. Keith Denison—Director of Education for Diocese of Monmouth and Vicar of Whitson, Newport; Dr. Brenda Gibson, MB, ChB, MRCP, MRCPath., DFM—
  Consultant Haematologist, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow;
  Mrs. Rosemary Knights, RGN, OND, DN—Chief Executive, Warrington Hospital NHS Trust. Previously Regional Nursing Officer, Mersey RHA;
  Professor Peter Lachmann, FRCP, FRCPath., FRS—Professor of Immunology, University of Cambridge;
  Dr. Theresa Marteau, MSc, PhD, CPsychol—Head, Psychology and Genetics Research Unit, UMDS, London;
  Professor Norman Nevin, BSc, MD, FRCP, FRCPath—Professor of Medical Genetics Queen's University Belfast from 1975 to date;
  Miss Eleanor Platt QC;
  Dr. Brian Richards, BSc, PhD—Chairman, British Biotechnology Group;
  Mr. Nick Ross—Broadcaster and journalist;
  Dr. Michael Steel, MB, ChB, PhD, DSc, FRCPEd, MRCPath —MRC Human Genetics Unit Edinburgh. From 1 January 1994, Professor in Medical Science, St. Andrews University;
  Professor Robin Weiss, PhD, FRCPath., Hon. MPCP—Professor of Viral Oncology and Director of Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories Institute of Cancer Research, University of London.

  NHS Estates
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out the date and the terms upon which NHS Estates took out a lease at 1 Trevelyan square, Leeds.

  Mr. Sackville
  The property occupied by National Health Service Estates at 1 Trevelyan square, Leeds is held on the property holdings common user estate by virtue of a lease dated 11 November 1992 and made between Nonpariel Securities Limited and the Secretary of State for the Environment. The area demised by the lease comprises the first, second and part of the third floors having a total area of 22,450 square feet together with 20 basement car parking spaces. The lease is held from the 11 November to 24 November 1992 and thereafter for a term of 25 years subject to a break in the tenant's favour only at the expiration of the 15th year.

  The rent which is subject to five-yearly rent reviews is £370,425 per year effective from 14 May 1993, the landlord having granted a six months and three days rent free period. In addition the landlord made a capital contribution of £58,496 exclusive of value added tax towards the fitting out costs. The quarterly on account service charge is currently £14,100.

  Mr. Ivan Biddle
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the effectiveness of her code of practice in relation to the case of Ivan Biddle, who was sacked by Barnet general hospital, for expressing to his trade union his concern about the running of the hospital mortuary.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Mr. Biddle was dismissed from his post as anatomical pathology technician at Barnet general hospital in October 1990. The National Health Service Management Executive's "Guidance For Staff On Relations With The Public And The Media" (EL(93)51) was issued on 8 June 1993, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Redundancy Payments
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each year since 1988, and the first six months of 1993, the gross amount of redundancy payments given out by(a) region, (b) district, (c) special health authorities and (d) trusts.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available centrally.

  Spectacle and Contact Lenses
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a table showing the average price of spectacle lenses and contact lenses for NHS patients, for each year since 1979.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available in the form requested. Until 1986 national health service spectacles were available free of charge to children. Adults choosing NHS spectacles paid a contribution for their spectacle lenses which was determined by the complexity of the prescription. Since 1986 people who are entitled to help with the cost of spectacles and contact lenses have received a voucher which they can use towards the cost of these.

  General Practitioners
  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 29 November 1993,Official Report, column 307, about general practitioner surgery in Liverpool, South Sefton, Knowsley and St. Helens and Wirral health authorities, what is (a) the largest list and (b) the smallest list size of general practitioner practices in the health authorities.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information is shown in the tables.

  FHSA

  Practice with smallest list size

  Number of general practitioners in practice

  Liverpool

  1,131

  1

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  504

  1

  Sefton

  1,262

  1

  Wirral

  1,060

  1

  706

  FHSA

  Practice with largest list size

  Number of general practitioners in practice

  Liverpool

  13,158

  6

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  14,161

  6

  Sefton

  16,047

  7

  Wirral

  15,464

  8

  The data relate to 1 April 1993.

  All data relate to partnerships. Some partnerships may practice from more than one surgery.

  Partnerships may include one or more general practitioners who are restricted principals. A restricted principal is a GP who either (a) provides the full range of general medical services but whose list is limited to the staff of one or more hospitals or institutions in which he is employed or to patients resident in one or more schools or institutions; or (b) provides maternity medical services and/or contraceptive services only.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans she has to increase the budgets of those hospital trusts whose chief executives are to receive a salary increase; and if she will make a statement;
  (2) when she was first informed of recent increases in salaries for the chief executives of various hospital trusts; what her response was; what plans she has to take action to countermand these increases; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The salaries of chief executives and other directors of trusts are matters for the chairmen and non-executive directors. The budgets of national health service hospital trusts are established on the basis of contracts for services between them and national health service purchasing authorities.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all chairmen on 12 November 1992 requiring settlements for 1993–94 to conform with the public sector pay restraint limits of 0-1·5 per cent.

  Immunisation
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths, occuring within 48 hours of immunisation, were reported on yellow cards or otherwise to the Department or to the Committee on the Safety of Medicines in each year from 1986 to 1992; and how many of these deaths occured after the injection of triple or pertussis vaccines.

  Mr. Sackville
  The total number of reactions or deaths that occur within 48 hours of immunisation is not available. Spontaneous reports of adverse drug reactions are received from doctors and dentists under the voluntary "Yellow card" scheme in the United Kingdom. In addition there is a statutory requirement for companies to report adverse reactions to their medicines. The receipt of a report does not necessarily indicate that a specific drug caused the reaction, merely that there was a suspicion that the drug is associated with the reaction specified, many other factors may contribute.

  The table lists the number of deaths reported to the Committee on the Safety of Medicines in association to vaccines containing pertussis, from 1986 to 1993. Pertussis vaccine is usually given combined with diptheria and

  707
  tetanus vaccine as a triple (DTP) vaccine starting at two months of age. It is therefore not possible to determine which one, if any of these vaccines causes a particular reported reaction.

  Number of deaths reported to the CSM to a pertussis containing vaccine

  Year

  Number

  1986

  0

  1987

  2

  1988

  1

  1989

  0

  1990

  2

  1991

  16

  1992

  16

  1993

  12

  1 In 1990, the age for routine immunisation was lowered, and coincided with the peak age for deaths due to sudden infant death syndrome. It was therefore anticipated that there would be an increase in sudden infant death syndrome coincidentally associated with vaccine administration. Research studies have demonstrated that the association is temporal and not causal.

  Influenza Vaccine
  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many laboratories in the United Kingdom are currently engaged in the production of influenza vaccine for the NHS; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  One at Evans Medical's premises in Speke, Liverpool. Other distributors import supplies of influenza vaccine.

  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current availability of influenza vaccine; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Chorley (Mr. Dover) on 29 November at column 305.

  Patient Hotels
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give(a) the number and location of each patient hotel, (b) the number of deaths that have occurred in patient hotels, (c) the nursing to patient ratio in the hotels, (d) the percentage of non-qualified staff attending to patients in hotels, (e) the number of private companies contracted to provide patient services in hotels, (f) details of all ministerial discussions concerning the introduction of charges for facilities in hotels and (g) what consideration she is giving to changing the name patient hotel to convalescent unit.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information requested is not available centrally. No ministerial discussions concerning the introduction of charges for facilities in hotels have taken place nor are we currently giving any consideration to what these units should be called.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what purposes a district health authority which no longer manages the provision of health care is authorised to apply or spend charitable trust funds retained after health care was transferred to the trusts.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I have been asked to reply.

  A district health authority is authorised to apply or spend charitable trust funds for all or any purposes relating
  708
  to the national health service. In doing so, it acts as a charity trustee. Under section 90 of the National Health Service Act 1977 it is not necessary for the particular purpose to relate to health service provision made by that authority.

  The purposes for which any particular fund is to be applied are to be gathered from the written instrument regulating that fund—failing which from the appeal literature. The authority is required to promote these purposes and no others in its use of the funds.

  In circumstances where such purposes now fall within the responsibility of a NHS trust, the authority should consider asking the Secretary of State for Health for an order under section 92 of the National Health Service Act 1977 transferring the trust property from the authority to the NHS trust. Unless and until the funds are lawfully transferred under that section or otherwise to a new charity trustee, the authority remains fully responsible for the due application of the charitable trust funds.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Benefits Administration
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the administration from Glasgow of Department of Social Service benefits to Ealing; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of social security benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Mr. Harry Greenway, dated 1 December 1993:
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security, asking what assessment he has made of the administration from Glasgow of Department of Social Security benefits to Ealing.
  Between August 1989 and June 1991 the processing work of 21 London offices was relocated to three Benefit Centres; at Glasgow, Belfast and Ashton in Makerfield. Both Euston and Ealing districts had their work relocated to Glasgow Benefits Centre. It was envisaged that the Benefits Agency's service to its customers would be improved by moving work which did not require face to face contact with the public away from hard pressed London offices.
  Since the processing of claims from benefit customers in Ealing was relocated in 1991, there has been a general improvement in service delivery. As regards Income Support (IS), which is the most frequently claimed benefit, the number of days it takes to clear a claim have been reduced by half. Currently it takes, on average, seven days to clear an IS claim.
  Furthermore, accuracy on IS claims has improved from 71 per cent. of claims being processed accurately, prior to relocation, to a rate of 85 per cent. currently.
  Similar improvements have been achieved on claims to Sickness Benefits. Prior to relocation it took on average, 29 days to clear a claim, whereas now it takes nine days. The accuracy of processing these type of claims has improved from 92·7 per cent., prior to relocation, to 94·3 per cent. currently.
  If you require any further specific information about the administration of benefit claims from Glasgow I would be happy to provide it.
  I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Pensioner Incomes
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list those local authorities who disregard war pensions and war widow's pensions when pensioners claim(a) housing benefit, (b) council tax benefit and (c) other benefits.

  Mr. Burt
  The discretion to disregard up to the full amount of any war pension applies only to housing benefit and council tax benefit, which succeeded community charge benefit in April 1993.

  The information requested with regard to housing benefit has been compiled from the latest information from local authorities for the financial year 1990–91 and is listed in the table. No details are available for council tax benefit.

  Local authorities operating a local scheme in housing benefit to disregard an amount of war disablement or war widow's pension in addition to the £10 statutory disregard.

  Aberconwy

  Aberdeen

  Adur

  Amber Valley

  Angus

  Annandale and Eskdale

  Arfon

  Argyll-Bute

  Arun

  Ashfield

  Ashford

  Aylesbury Vale

  Badenoch

  Banff and Buchan

  Barking

  Barnet

  Basingstoke

  Bassetlaw

  Bath1

  Bearsden and Milngavie

  Berwickshire

  Beverley

  Birmingham

  Blaby1

  Blackburn

  Blackpool

  Blaenau Gwent

  Bolton1

  Boston

  Bournemouth

  Bracknell

  Bradford

  Braintree

  Breckland

  Brent

  Brentwood

  Brighton

  Broadland

  Bromley1

  Bromsgrove

  Broxbourne

  Broxtowe

  Burnley

  Bury1

  Caithness

  Calderdale

  Cambridge1

  Camden

  Cannock Chase

  Canterbury

  Cardiff

  Carlisle

  Carrick

  Castle Morpeth2

  Castle Point

  710

  Ceredigion

  Charnwood

  Chelmsford

  Cheltenham

  Cherwell

  Chester2

  Chesterfield

  Chichester

  Chiltern

  Chorley

  Christchurch

  Clackmannan

  Clydebank

  Clydesdale

  Colwyn

  Congleton

  Copeland

  Corby1

  Cotswold

  Coventry

  Craven

  Crawley

  Crewe and Nantwich

  Cumbernauld

  Cumbernauld (DC)

  Cumnock and Doon

  Cunninghame

  Dacorum

  Darlington1

  Dartford

  Daventry

  Delyn

  Derby1

  Derbyshire Dales

  Doncaster1

  Dover

  Dudley

  Dumbarton

  Dundee

  Dunfermline

  Dwyfor

  Ealing

  East Cambridgeshire

  East Devon

  East Dorset

  East Hampshire

  East Hertfordshire

  East Kilbride

  East Kilbride (DC)

  East Lothian

  East Staffordshire1

  East Yorkshire

  Eastleigh

  Eastwood

  Eden

  Edinburgh

  Ellesmere Port

  Elmbridge

  Epping Forest

  Epsom and Ewell

  Erewash

  Ettrick and Lauderdale

  Exeter1

  Falkirk

  Fareham

  Fenland

  Forest Heath

  Forest of Dean

  Gedling

  Gillingham

  Glanford

  Glasgow

  Glenrothes (DC)

  Gloucester

  Glyndwr

  Gordon

  Gosport

  Great Yarmouth

  Grimsby1

  Guildford

  711

  Hackney

  Halton

  Hambleton1

  Hamilton

  Hammersmith

  Harborough

  Harlow

  Harrow

  Hart

  Hartlepool

  Hastings

  Havant

  Havering1

  Hereford

  Hertsmere

  High Peak

  Hillingdon

  Hinckley and Bosworth

  Holderness

  Horsham

  Hounslow

  Hove

  Huntingdon

  Hyndburn

  Inverclyde

  Inverness

  Ipswich

  Irvine (DC)

  Isles of Scilly

  Islington

  Islwyn

  Kennet

  Kilmarnock

  Kincardine and Deeside

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  Kingswood

  Kirkcaldy

  Kirklees

  Knowsley

  Kyle and Carrick

  Lambeth

  Lancaster

  Langbaurgh

  Leicester

  Lewes

  Lewisham

  Lichfield

  Lincoln

  Liverpool

  Livingston (DC)

  Llanelli

  Lliw Valley

  Lochaber

  Luton

  Macclesfield

  Maidstone

  Maldon

  Malvern Hills

  Mansfield

  Medina

  Meirionnydd

  Melton

  Mendip

  Merton

  Mid Bedfordshire

  Mid Suffolk

  Mid Sussex

  Middlesborough1

  Midlothian

  Milton Keynes

  Mole Valley

  Monklands

  Monmouth

  Montgomery

  Moray

  Motherwell

  Nairn

  Neath

  New Forest

  Newark

  712

  Newbury

  Newcastle under Lyme

  Newham

  Newport1

  Nithsdale

  North Bedfordshire

  North Cornwall

  North Dorset

  North East Derby

  North East Fife

  North Hertfordshire

  North Kesteven

  North Shropshire

  North Tyneside

  North Warwickshire

  North West Leicester

  North Wiltshire

  Northampton

  Northavon

  Nottingham

  Nuneaton

  Oadby and Wigston

  Ogwr

  Oldham1

  Orkney

  Pen with3

  Perth and Kinross

  Peterborough

  Plymouth

  Poole

  Portsmouth

  Preseli

  Preston

  Purbeck

  Radnor

  Reading

  Redbridge

  Redditch

  Reigate and Banstead

  Renfrew

  Rhondda

  Rhuddlan

  Ribble Valley

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  Richmondshire

  Rochdale

  Rochester on Medway

  Rochford

  Ross and Cromarty

  Rossendale

  Rother

  Roxburgh

  Rugby

  Runnymede

  Rushcliffe

  Rushmoor

  Rutland

  Ryedale

  Salford

  Salisbury

  Sandwell

  Scarborough

  Scottish Homes

  Scunthorpe

  Sedgefield

  Sefton

  Selby

  Sevenoaks

  Shetland

  Skye and Lochalsh

  Slough

  Solihull

  South Bedfordshire

  South Buckinghamshire

  South Cambridgeshire

  South Derbyshire

  South Herefordshire

  South Holland

  South Lakeland

  South Norfolk

  713

  South Northants

  South Oxfordshire

  South Pembrokeshire

  South Ribble

  South Shropshire

  South Somerset

  South Staffordshire

  South Tyneside

  South Wight

  Southampton

  Southend-on-Sea

  Southwark

  Spelthorne

  St. Albans

  St. Helens

  Staffordshire Moorlands

  Stevenage1

  Stewartry

  Stirling

  Stockport

  Stockton-on-Tees1

  Stoke-on-Trent

  Stratford-on-Avon

  Strathkelvin

  Stroud

  Suffolk Coastal

  Surrey Heath

  Sutherland

  Sutton

  Swale

  Swansea

  Tameside

  Tamworth

  Tandridge

  Teignbridge

  Tendring

  Test Valley

  Tewkesbury

  Thamesdown1

  Thanet

  The Wrekin

  Three Rivers

  Thurrock

  Tonbridge and Mailing1

  Torbay1

  Torfaen1

  Tower Hamlets

  Trafford

  Tunbridge Wells1

  Tweeddale

  Vale of Glamorgan

  Vale of White Horse

  Vale Royal

  Wakefield

  Walsall

  Waltham Forest

  Wandsworth

  Wansbeck

  Wansdyke

  Watford

  Waverley

  Wealden

  Welwyn Hatfield

  West Lothian

  West Norfolk

  West Oxfordshire

  West Wiltshire

  Western Isles

  Westminster

  Wigan

  Wigtown

  Winchester

  Windsor and Maidenhead

  Wirral

  Woking

  Wokingham

  Wolverhampton

  Woodspring

  Worcester

  Worthing

  714

  Wycombe

  York1

  1 Denotes those authorities who operate a scheme to disregard war disablement pensions only.
  2 Denotes those authorities who operate a scheme to disregard war widows' pensions only.
  3 Denotes an authority which operates a scheme to disregard war disablement pensions and war widows' pensions for housing benefit rent rebates only.

  Income Support
  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of people are living in a household dependent upon income support in(a) the Govan constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Strathclyde region, (d) Scotland and (e) the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Burt
  The information requested is not available for the Govan constituency, Glasgow, Strathclyde region or Northern Ireland.

  The latest available information for Scotland and Great Britain is in the table.

  Beneficiaries as a percentage of population

  Per cent.

  Scotland

  17·1

  Great Britain

  17·0

  Notes:

  1. Source—Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, November 1992. Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys.

  2. Percentages are correct to one decimal place.

  3. Beneficiaries are the number of claimants plus partners and dependents.

  4. The population figures used are estimates of the resident population in mid-1992.

  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of children under 15 years are living in families in receipt of income support in(a) the Govan constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Strathclyde region,(d) Scotland and (e) the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Burt
  The information requested is not available for the Govan constituency, Glasgow, Strathclyde region or Northern Ireland.

  The latest available information for Scotland and Great Britain is in the table.

  Children under 15 as a percentage of population

  per cent.

  Scotland

  24·5

  Great Britain

  25·6

  Notes:

  1. Source—Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, November 1992. Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys.

  2. Percentages are correct to one decimal place.

  3. Children under 15 are the number of children aged under 15 of Income Support recipients.

  4. The population figures used are estimates of the number of children aged under 15 resident in Scotland and Great Britain in mid-1992.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes will be made in the income support
  715
  claim form B1 in the light of the comments made by the Social Security Commissioner in decision No. CIS/663/ 1992.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

  Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 1 December 1993:
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what changes will be made in the Income Support claim form B1 in light of the comments made by the Social Security Commissioner in decision No. CIS/663/1992.
  The Benefits Agency is currently reviewing the wording on the Income Support claim form B1 and other Income Support claim forms in light of the Commissioner's decision No. CIS/663/ 1992.
  Income Support claim forms are currently reviewed every 6 months and where necessary revised versions are issued. Any change required as a result of the Commissioner's decision will be incorporated into the current review. The amended forms resulting from this review will be available for use by customers from April 1994.

  000s

  Lone mothers

  Lone mothers

  Lone fathers

  Total

  Single

  Separated

  Divorced

  Widowed

  1971

  90

  170

  120

  120

  500

  70

  570

  1980

  140

  190

  300

  140

  770

  100

  870

  1990

  395

  235

  415

  75

  1,120

  110

  1,230

  1991

  430

  240

  420

  80

  1,170

  100

  1,270

  Note:
  1971–1990 figures are taken from the General Household Survey.
  1991 figures are provisional based on a combination of GHS and census data.
  The figures may not sum due to rounding.

  Per cent. on IS/SB

  Per cent. on FC/F1S

  Number on IS/SB(000s)

  Number on FC/FIS (000s)

  1971

  43

  3

  246

  15

  1980

  39

  6

  336

  50

  1990

  66

  10

  812

  122

  1991

  70

  10

  895

  132

  1992

  N/A

  N/A

  985

  162

  Note:
  All data refer to May in each year apart from FIS in 1971 which refers to August. N/A=not available.

  Child Support Agency
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security under what circumstances an attachment of earnings order for the collection of child maintenance by the Child Support Agency can be served on an organisation which provides a training programme funded by the European social fund requiring the organisation to make deductions from either(a) a training allowance paid to the trainee or (b) a wage paid to the trainee; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  A deduction from earnings order is made where the Secretary of State decides this is needed to secure the payment of child support maintenance by a liable person; it is an instruction to that person's employer to make deductions from earnings and to pay the amount
  716
  The Benefits Agency is committed to improving customer services and, therefore, welcomes any suggestions on how it can improve upon its forms.

  I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Lone Parents
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a table showing the estimated numbers of lone parents in the United Kingdom in 1963, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 1992 or the nearest years to these for which figures are available, distinguishing where possible between lone fathers and lone mothers and between(a) widowed, (b) divorced or separated and (c) never married lone parents; and what were the numbers and percentages of lone parents in each year who were dependent on (i) supplementary benefit or income support or (ii) family income supplement or family credit.

  Mr. Burt
  The available information is in the tables. The figures given are for Great Britain as UK figures for the total number of lone parents are unavailable. The first year for which data is available is 1971; figures for the marital status of lone fathers are unavailable.

  direct to the Secretary of State. Earnings in this context include wages or salary, from whatever source, but do not include training allowances.

  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in what ways a full-time training allowance paid to a person participating in European social fund training course is taken into account by the Child Support Agency in assessing maintenance payments when the allowance is(a) paid to the parent with care or (b) paid to the absent parent; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The treatment of training allowances in the assessment of maintenance by the Child Support Agency does not depend on the source from which they are funded. Allowances under the youth training scheme are ignored. Other training allowances, net of additions such as those for travel or being away from home, are treated as part of the parent's income. These arrangements apply equally to parents with care and absent parents.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to instruct the Child Support Agency to ensure that maintenance payments are phased in over a reasonable period; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  There are existing provisions for phasing in child support maintenance assessments. These provisions apply where an absent parent with a court order or written maintenance agreement has a second family and a new
  717
  liability of less than £60. In these circumstances the amount of any increase will be limited to £20 for the first 12 months.

  Benefit Statistics
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people and what percentages of the population, showing families with children, separately, were dependent on national assistance, supplementary benefit and income support in 1963, 1969, 1979, 1989 and the latest year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Burt
  The information requested is not available for 1963 and 1969. The latest year for which figures are available is 1992.

  Information for 1979, 1989 and 1992 is in the tables.

  Beneficiaries as a percentage of population

  1979

  Per cent.

  Couples with dependants

  1·3

  Couples without dependants

  1·5

  Single with dependants

  1·6

  Single without dependants

  3·6

  Total

  8

  Beneficiaries as a percentage of population

  1989

  Per cent.

  Couples with dependants

  2·8

  Couples without dependants

  1·3

  Single with dependants

  3·7

  Single without dependants

  4·8

  Total

  12·6

  Beneficiaries as a percentage of population

  1992

  Per cent.

  Couples with dependants

  3·8

  Couples without dependants

  1·4

  Single with dependants

  4·8

  Single without dependants

  5·7

  Total

  15·7

  Notes:

  1. Source: Supplementary Benefit/Income Support Statistical Annual Enquiries 1979–1989–1992, Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys. Population Estimates Unit.

  2. Percentages are correct to one decimal place and are based on beneficiaries as a proportion of the population.

  3. A dependent is aged under 19 living in the parental home.

  4. For Income Support, temporary separated have been included in couples and therefore the partner may not be a beneficiary.

  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update each part of the answer given to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) of 15 December 1989,Official Report, column 855, showing the distribution of child benefit expenditure according to (a) the gross income bands, (b) the equivalised gross income bands and (c) the equivalised net income bands of recipient families using (i) each band of £5,000 up to £25,000 and (ii) over £25,000.

  Mr. Burt
  The information is in the tables.

  Estimates are given for the combined years of 1990 and 1991. The figures relating to the distribution of gross and
  718
  net income are calculated on the basis of sample survey data which are subject to normal sampling and response variations. The income levels are based on current weekly family income scaled up to an annual equivalent and may not therefore accurately reflect true annual income, which cannot be reliably measured from the Family Expenditure Surveys.

  Distribution of Child Benefit Expenditure by Annual Income Bands

  Income Bands £

  No. of children (000's)

  CHB expenditure (£ millions)

  (a) Gross Income

  under 5,000

  730

  300

  5-10,000

  2,640

  1,030

  10-15,000

  2,310

  890

  15-20,000

  2,290

  900

  20-25,000

  1,750

  690

  25,000 and above

  2,600

  1,040

  TOTAL

  12,320

  4,860

  (b) Equivalised Gross Income

  Under 5,000

  1,460

  560

  5-10,000

  3,920

  1,530

  10-15,000

  3,210

  1,250

  15-20,000

  1,760

  710

  20-25,000

  900

  360

  25,000 and above

  1,070

  450

  TOTAL

  12,320

  4,860

  (c) Equivalised Net Income

  Under 5,000

  2,040

  780

  5-10,000

  5,440

  2,120

  10-15,000

  2,940

  1,170

  15-20,000

  1,080

  440

  20-25,000

  390

  160

  25,000 and above

  440

  190

  TOTAL

  12,320

  4,860

  Notes:

  1. Estimates do not all sum due to rounding.

  2. Estimates are taken from the 1990 and 1991 FES. The second quarter of 1991 data is omitted due to data deficiencies related to the late receipt of revised community charge bills. The reply is based on data used for the "Households Above Average Income" (HBAI) publication. As a result the income and expenditure figures are those recorded at the time of the survey and unlike the previous answer no attempt has been made to project these forward.

  3. Gross income is the family's total income from all sources including benefits before housing costs.

  4. Equivalence scales are calculated giving a married couple a value of 1 00—the method used in the "HBAI" publication.

  Unemployment Benefit
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of unemployed people over a full operational year who would lose unemployment benefit if the length of entitlement were reduced from one year to six months; how many of them would be male or female; how many of those men and women would then be eligible for income support; what the net saving to the Exchequer would be; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  An estimated total of 240,000 unemployed people at any one point in an operational year would lose unemployment benefit if the length of entitlement were reduced from one year to six months. Of the 170,000 men, 120,000 would be eligible for income support. Of the 70,000 women, 30,000 would be eligible for income
  719
  support. Caseloads over a full year are not available. The full year net saving to the Exchequer in 1993–94 would be about £210 million.

  All figures are based on an assumption of 2·8 million unemployed and the durational distribution of 1993–94. Rates of benefit are also at 1993–94 levels.

  Payment Recovery
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the value of payment recovery, resulting from awards of compensation and other similar moneys to claimants, for each year from 1988.

  Mr. Scott
  The provision of statistical data concerning the amount of monies recovered under the compensation recovery scheme is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 1 December 1993:
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency I am responsible for answering questions on relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security, asking what was the value of payment recovery, resulting from awards of compensation and other similar monies to claiments, for each year from 1988.
  Under the Compensation Recovery provisions, only benefits payable from 1 January 1989 are recoverable. The amounts recovered since that date are as follows:

  Period

  Amount recovered £ million

  3 September 1990 to 31 March 1991

  3·7

  1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992

  25·3

  1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993

  51·3

  1 April 1993 to 31 September 1993 (first half of current financial year)

  34·4

  I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library.

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

  Mr. Burt
  There have been family credit (FC) advertising campaigns every year since 1989 which have stimulated claims and increased awareness. As a result, the number of people receiving FC has increased from 280,000 in 1989 to around half a million now. The 1993 campaign has involved a major "Back to work" initiative aimed at the unemployed, with FC advertising on television and in the press playing an important part. In addition, the FC helpline was launched in April this year, fulfilling our manifesto pledge. It now receives over 30,000 calls a week.

  An important aspect of FC awareness is the personalised message in the child benefit order book (or notification of ACT payment), which tells the family concerned how much earnings they can have and still be eligible for FC. We have also set special fast track procedures for people just starting work which enables the vast majority of urgent claims to FC to be cleared, and
  720
  payment issued, within one week. And from October 1993, FC awards of £4 a week or less have been paid as a lump sum at the start of the award period. This provides one-off payments of up to £104, encouraging more people to claim and helping with back to work expenses.

  The administration of family credit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with details of the number of FC recipients in Inverclyde, Strathclyde and Scotland.

  Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 1 December 1993:
  The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to write to you with details of Family Credit recipients in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland.
  I should explain that take-up figures for Family Credit (FC) are not available on a regional basis. However, the latest Policy Study Institute figures (1991) for the take-up of FC for Great Britain, estimate that 71 per cent. of available benefit was claimed.
  For your information, I have provided figures to show how many FC recipients there are in Inverclyde, Strathclyde and Scotland as a whole. The figures represent the number of recipients as at 29 October 1993 and are as follows:

  Numbers

  Inverclyde

  1,902

  Strathclyde

  24,617

  scotland

  58,971

  I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library.

  Cold Weather Payments
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security where is the weather station which provides the recordings to enable cold weather payments to be made to citizens resident in Inverclyde; what proposals he has to change the location of the weather station in relation to Inverclyde; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  The administration of the cold weather payments scheme is a matter for Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 1 December 1993:
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security, asking where is the weather station which provides the recordings to enable cold weather payments to be made to citizens resident in Inverclyde; what proposals he has to change the location of the weather station in relation to Inverclyde.
  The weather station which provides the information used to determine Cold Weather Payments in Inverclyde is Glasgow Airport. There are no proposals to use another weather station for the Inverclyde area.
  I home that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the Library.

  Benefits Agency
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many disabled persons are employed on(a) a full-time basis and (b) part-time in Benefits Agency local

  721
  offices in (i) Strathclyde, (ii) Scotland and (iii) elsewhere in Great Britain; what proportion of the staff these employees represent; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The responsibility for Benefits Agency staff is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Mr. M. Bichard to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 1 December 1993:
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am, therefore, replying to your recent Parliamentary

  Breakdown of Registered Disabled staff in the Benefits Agency

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Number of RD staff

  RD staff as percentage of all staff

  Number of RD staff

  RD staff as percentage of all staff

  Strathclyde

  66

  1·72

  8

  1·28

  Scotland

  109

  1·94

  8

  0·88

  ENGLAND AND WALES

  1,069

  1·72

  89

  0·87

  Benefits agency local offices in Strathclyde

  Glasgow City

  Glasgow (Cranstonhill)

  Glasgow Maryhill

  Special Hardship Claims Unit

  Transitional Protection Unit

  Glasgow Shettleston

  Glasgow Bridgeton

  Glasgow Provan

  Glasgow Laurieston

  East Kilbride

  Glasgow Rutherglen

  Glasgow South West

  Glasgow Craigton

  Glasgow Anniesland

  Glasgow Partick

  Renfrew

  Glasgow Springburn

  Glasgow (Cumbernauld)

  Greenock

  Port Glasgow

  Motherwell

  Hamilton

  Lanark

  Shotts

  Wishaw

  Coatbridge

  Airdrie

  Belshill

  Irvine

  Kilmarnock

  Clydebank

  Dumbarton

  Ayr

  Cumnock

  Student Incomes
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many students in 1992–93 on further education courses whose parents are on income support, lost the additional allowance and child benefit on achieving their 19th birthday part way through a course; and how many such students failed to complete their studies.

  Mr. Burt
  This information is not available.
  722
  Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many disabled persons are employed on (a) a full-time basis and (b) part-time in Benefits Agency local offices in (i) Strathclyde, (ii) Scotland and (iii) elsewhere in Great Britain; and what proportion of the staff these employees represent.
  Attached at Annex A are the figures requested. I should explain that the figures quoted for disabled staff only relate to those who are registered as disabled. Information is not available for disabled staff who are not registered.
  I have attached at Annex B a list of the Agency's local offices which have been included in the figures for Strathclyde.
  I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 26 October (ref 6/3644/43) and to his letter of 25 October (ref 6/3644/55) and the two letters of 1 November concerning constituents; and if he will give the reason for the delay in answering and why no acknowledgments were sent for the last two letters.

  Mr. Burt
  I have now sent replies to the hon. Member's letters. Increased levels of correspondence on child support have meant that replies are in some instances taking longer than usual. The temporary lapse in the issue of acknowledgment cards resulted from a computer error.

WALES

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what powers training and enterprise councils have to switch their allocation of funds between various parts of their budgets; to what extent each TEC in Wales transferred funds from the budgets they were allocated for both youth training and employment training in 1992–93; for what purposes the funds were subsequently allocated; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The operating agreement between the Welsh Office and TECs provides that a TEC may increase or decrease its payment ceiling for youth training or training credits, training for work—which replaced employment training and employment action—compacts, education business partnerships and business and enterprise support by up to a maximum of 5 per cent. of the payment ceiling for each of the initial budgets agreed by the Secretary of State and set out in the business plan, provided that the payment ceiling for the sum of those budgets set out in the business plan shall not be exceeded. Such flexibility enables TECs to respond to local needs that develop in-year.

  During the 1992–93 financial year, six of the seven TECs in Wales used this facility to transfer funds from

  723
  youth training into employment training, employment action and business and enterprise support budgets. Details are shown in the table.

  Switches from youth training

  TEC

  Amount (£)

  Additional provision purchased

  Gwent

  594,226

  Employment Training

  Mid Glamorgan

  702,761

  Employment Training

  North West Wales

  241,959

  Employment Training

  Powys

  140,074

  Employment Training

  South Glamorgan

  68,850

  Business and Enterprise Support

  West Wales

  724,424

  Emploment Training

  Employment Action

  Business and Enterprise Support

  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the outturn expenditure given to each TEC in Wales in 1992–93 at 1993–94 prices; and what is the budget for each TEC in 1993–94 in total and broken down in the same way as given in the answer from the Secretary of State for Employment to the Member for Basingstoke (Mr. Hunter), of 18 February 1993,Official Report, column 335-38.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I will write to the hon. Lady and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.

  Numbers in training in Wales

  Period ending

  25 April 1993

  23 May 1993

  20 June 1993

  18 July 1993

  15 August 1993

  Youth Training

  13,404

  12,947

  12,619

  12,770

  12,530

  Training Credits

  1,468

  1,513

  1,591

  1,867

  2,009

  Training for Work

  11,821

  10,831

  10,191

  9,155

  9,124

  Business Start-up

  2,015

  1,919

  1,954

  2,002

  1,955

  Learning for Work1

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  1 This spring budget announced programme did not start until September 1993.

  Wind Power
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent communications he has received from the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales on wind power development in the Principality.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales—CPRW—wrote to me on 22 November setting out its new statement of policy on wind power stations in Wales. The matter was also raised at a meeting I had with it on 23 November 1993.

  Energy Policy
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on energy policy in Wales.

  Mr. Redwood
  As in the rest of the United Kingdom, the aim of the Government's energy policy in Wales is to ensure secure, diverse and sustainable supplies of energy in the forms that people and businesses want, and at competitive prices.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to establish an energy policy advisory panel for Wales; and what discussions he has had with the President of the Board of Trade over energy provision in the Principality.

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

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

  Training Schemes
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were participating in(a) training for work (employment training/employment action), (b) community action, (c) learning for work, (d) the business start-up allowance and (e) youth training in each month since March; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The information requested on the numbers participating in the respective training schemes is provided in the table for the first five four-weekly periods of 1993–94.

  Figures for learning for work figures are not available for these periods as it did not start until September 1993. Community action is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment.

  Mr. Redwood
  I am satisfied that the Energy Advisory Panel containing representation from Welsh industry, recently set up by my colleague the Minister for Energy to advise the Government on the preparation of an annual energy Report, will cover Welsh interests. I am in frequent contact with the President of the Board of Trade about energy matters in Wales.

  Weil's Disease
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by regional health board for the last five years, and the current year to date, the number of people who have been infected by Weil's disease.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Notifications in Wales of leptospirosis—Weil's disease—for each of the last five years and the current year to date are shown in the table:

  Wales

  Number

  1988

  3

  1989

  0

  1990

  1

  1991

  1

  19921

  1

  19931

  22

  1 Provisional.

  2 To week ending 12 November.

  Source: OPCS communicable disease statistics (Series MB2) Registrar General's weekly return.

  Home Insulation
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to encourage householders in Wales to install solid wall insulation; what grants are available to assist in such installation; and if he will estimate the amount of energy that could be saved by a major insulation programme on the Welsh housing stock.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  There are no grants for solid wall insulation.

  A number of other, more cost-effective techniques, such as loft insulation and draught stripping have been actively promoted through campaigns such as the home energy efficiency scheme and "Helping the Earth begins at Home".

  These schemes are being promoted because of the obvious advantages for energy savings and reduced expenditure while no specific estimate is available of the amount of energy that could be saved by a programme of insulation of the Welsh housing stock.

  Waste-to-Energy Plants
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what amount of energy used in Wales is provided by waste-to-energy incineration plants; and what applications for such plants he is currently considering.

  Mr. Redwood
  The amount of energy used in Wales provided by waste-to-energy incineration plants is not readily available.

  My colleague the Minister for Energy will be responsible for considering applications for such plants under the third order of the non-fossil fuel obligation which is due next year.

  Non-elective Surgery
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average waiting time for non-elective surgery at Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, Gwynedd; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Patients who require non-elective or emergency surgery do not have to join a waiting list as they are admitted to hospital immediately.

  Wales Tourist Board
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list each grant over £25,000 in value made by his Department and the Wales tourist board to tourism-related projects in the principality since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  This information is not readily available and cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost. However, since 1 April 1986 to date, the Wales tourist board has provided grant over £25,000 to 260 separate projects.

  From 1987, the board's annual report lists all grant support over £10,000.

  All Projects over £25,000 from 1 April 1986 to date

  Project Name

  Assistance £

  Welsh Mountain Zoo

  77,100

  Penhow Castle, nr Newport

  99,063

  Menai Fron Hotel, Bangor

  44,000

  726

  Project Name

  Assistance £

  Ael Y Bryn Hotel

  40,000

  Castell Heights Golf Club

  26,050

  Bryn Meadow Golf Club, Hengoed

  140,000

  Cwrt Bleddyn Hotel, nr Usk

  77,710

  Saracen's Head Hotel

  100,000

  North Gower Hotel, Gower

  70,000

  Coed Y Mwstwr Hotel, Coychurch

  123,000

  Holyhead Exchange, Holyhead

  41,000

  Mostyn Hotel, Llandrindod Wells

  40,000

  Royal Pier, Aberystwyth

  37,800

  Picton Sea Eagle, Swansea

  70,000

  Oakwood Adventure Centre

  100,000

  Imperial Hotel, Llandudno

  37,500

  Bear Hotel, Crickhowell

  106,000

  Castle Hotel, Neath

  90,000

  Ector Centre, Llangollen

  28,000

  Loggerheads Country Park

  30,000

  Little Chef Lodge, Sarn Park

  117,435

  Llyn Brenig Visitor Centre

  50,000

  Bodelwyddan Castle, Bodelwyddan

  139,949

  Grand Theatre, Llandudno

  43,475

  Llanfair PG Railway Station

  164,000

  Castle Hotel, Llandovery

  30,000

  Seiont Manor, Llanrug

  75,000

  Trecco Bay Park, Porthcawl

  50,000

  Ski Llandudno, Great Orme

  100,000

  Butlins Holiday Camp, Pwllheli

  200,000

  Port Dinorwic Yacht Harbour

  30,000

  Ynys Hywel Countryside Centre

  55,251

  Lake Vyrnwy, nr Oswestry

  90,200

  Tywyn Leisure Centre, Tywyn

  36,000

  Hotel Metropole, Llandrindod

  55,000

  Lower Treginnis Farm, St. Davids

  54,000

  Beaumaris Experience

  32,500

  Dwyfor Leisure Centre

  115,000

  Carreg Bran Country Hotel

  80,000

  Youth Hostels Association

  110,330

  Maerdy Hotel, Pencoed

  37,000

  Caernarfon Air Museum

  44,000

  Dyffryn Seaside Estate

  32,700

  Rossett Hall Hotel, Clwyd

  42,977

  Cwrt Bleddyn Hotel, Llangybi

  100,000

  Y Gorlan Hotel, Tywyn

  32,500

  Presthaven Sands Haven Holiday

  60,000

  Penmachno Woollen Mill

  26,224

  Bryn Howel Hotel, Llangollen

  54,700

  Millmoor Farm Cottages

  40,000

  Conwy Touring Car Park

  36,500

  Fairbourne Hotel, Gwynedd

  25,994

  Anglesey Sea Zoo, Brynsiencyn

  70,500

  Machynlleth Leisure Centre

  45,000

  Waterloo Hotel, Betws y Coed

  200,000

  West Arms Hotel, Llanarmon DC

  51,000

  Wild Pheasant Hotel, Llangollen

  200,000

  Cambrian Cruisers, Pencelli

  36,000

  White Hart Inn, Llandeilo

  61,000

  Welshpool Heritage Centre

  58,820

  Knighton Hotel, Knighton

  95,000

  Jane Hodge Holiday Centre

  200,000

  Caeau Farm Hope, nr Wrexham

  60,000

  Riverside Caravan Park

  142,800

  Bodnant Gardens, Glan Conwy

  37,500

  Roman Lodge Inn, Caerleon

  65,000

  East Trewent Farm, Freshwater East

  30,000

  Red Lion Inn, Tredegar

  61,377

  Parkway Hotel, Cwmbran

  80,000

  Pembroke Castle, Pond

  75,780

  Outward Bound (Wales) Aberdyfl

  200,000

  Rhondda Heritage Park

  50,000

  Barmouth Leisure Centre

  90,000

  Crewe-Holyhead Steam Train

  30,000

  Trearddur Holiday Bungalows

  25,665

  Rossett Hall Hotel, Wrexham

  200,000

  Clyne Farm Activity Centre

  60,000

  East Nolton Riding Stables

  30,000

  Tir Prince Harness Racing

  159,750

  Richard Wilson Art Centre

  94,000

  727

  Project Name

  Assistance £

  Royal Victoria Hotel, Llanberis

  176,000

  Ty Mawr Holiday Park, Towyn

  35,000

  Gyro Tower Promenade, Rhyl

  60,000

  Anglesey School Sea Canoeing

  83,000

  Welcome Cafe, Pendine

  30,000

  Pendine Holiday Village

  100,000

  Ffynnon Glas Hotel, Rhymney

  33,100

  Tregynon Farm, Fishguard

  43,650

  Greenhill Hotel, Caerphilly

  33,000

  Piggery Pottery, Llanberis

  32,500

  Festiniog Railway, Porthmadog

  80,000

  Llanerchindda Farm, Llandovery

  42,000

  Plough Inn, Rhosmaen

  80,000

  David Bryant Bowls Centre

  100,000

  Colliers Arms, Pontardawe

  51,300

  Old Ship's Bell, Moelfre

  27,693

  Parkway Hotel, Cwmbran

  101,200

  Oakwood Leisure Park

  100,000

  Ammon Hotel, Glanamman

  64,850

  Dinorwic Power Station

  198,553

  North Wales Tennis Centre

  50,000

  Bwlch Mawr Caravan Park

  26,000

  Park Hotel, Ebbw Vale

  80,000

  Big Pit Blaenavon

  180,000

  Bell Inn, Llanyre Llandrindod

  33,000

  Pen y Fan Caravan and Leisure

  67,000

  Fontygary Caravan Park

  200,000

  Cwmdu Llandeilo

  85,970

  Pwllheli Holiday World

  265,792

  Kinsale Hall, nr Holywell

  150,000

  Indoor Bowling Centre

  82,623

  St. Davids Hotel, Ewloe Clwyd

  200,000

  Crazy Golf Barry Island

  44,812

  Fullmoon Inn, Aberaman

  36,000

  Hotel Maes y Neuadd Talsarnau

  64,000

  Ffynnon Glas Hotel, Rhymney

  26,680

  Llechwen Hall, Llanfabon

  51,043

  Copthorne Hotel, Cardiff

  200,000

  Aberafon Hotel, Aberafon

  85,000

  Royal Lion Hotel, Tenby

  105,000

  Holiday Wales, Swansea

  44,000

  Rhyl Theatre, Rhyl

  200,000

  Chepstow Education Centre

  60,317

  North Wales Shire Horse Centre

  35,000

  Lloyd George Museum

  50,000

  Hafod Arms Hotel, Devils Bridge

  80,000

  Welshpool Tourism and Leisure

  60,000

  Plas Penmaenucha Hotel

  132,000

  Llangollen Cark Park and Walks

  45,000

  Llangollen Eisteddfod Field

  300,000

  Kinmel Manor Hotel, Abergele

  40,000

  Llangollen Railway

  48,000

  Clarence House Hotel, Tenby

  27,500

  Tic Barry Island

  59,261

  Rhondda Heritage Park

  150,000

  Nant Mill Phase I

  32,318

  Min y Mor Hotel, Barmouth

  26,000

  Centre for Alt. Technology

  150,000

  Lord Nelson Hotel

  28,000

  Riverside Hotel, Monmouth

  65,702

  Pwll Cam Harbour Enhancement

  79,730

  Atlantic Hotel, Tenby

  81,550

  Pedestrianisation St. Mary St.

  38,190

  Cefn Lea Christian Holiday

  70,000

  Llanerch Vineyard, Hensol

  30,000

  Aleppo Merchant Inn, Carno

  81,250

  Lake Vyrnwy Hotel

  200,000

  Scimitar Hotel, Holyhead

  60,000

  Belmont Hotel, Llandudno

  140,000

  Bryn Meadows Golf Club

  100,000

  Oakwood Park, Narberth

  105,000

  Barry Island Pleasure Park

  49,000

  Glen yr Afon House Hotel, Usk

  112,500

  Countryman Inn, Bedwellty

  100,000

  Sands Hotel, Prestatyn

  175,000

  Tic Brecon

  47,460

  Trearddur Bay Hotel, Holyhead

  91,000

  728

  Project Name

  Assistance £

  Tenby Town Scheme

  33,125

  Aberdulais Falls, Neath

  50,000

  St. Mary's Golf Club, Pencoed

  68,000

  Bala Leisure Centre

  34,750

  Underground Car Park, Rhyl

  200,000

  Hotel Mariners, Haverfordwest

  46,415

  Canolfan Ozanam, Llanllyfni

  60,000

  Lodge Hotel, Tal-y-Bont

  35,000

  Plas Glyn y Weddw, Pwllheli

  33,000

  Sea Wales Centre, Rhyl

  200,000

  Mason Arms, Blackwood

  32,250

  Great Orme Tramway, Llandudno

  50,000

  Portmeirion Hotel

  50,000

  Conwy Leisure, Conwy

  43,450

  Traeth Ganol Guest House

  39,500

  Greenhills Hotel, St. Florence

  30,000

  Llandrindod Wells Bowling Club

  40,000

  Minera Clywedog Valley

  41,250

  Rebleen Guest House, Tenby

  39,407

  Winkups Camp Ltd.

  50,000

  Ten Pin Bowling, Glanllyn

  98,200

  Tredegar Arms, Merthyr Tydfil

  32,000

  Southfield Car Park, Monmouth

  30,500

  Marine Holiday Park, Rhyl

  158,000

  Riverside Caravan Park, Swansea

  31,000

  Chepstow Castle Car Park, TIC

  94,834

  Groundwork, Cheshire

  37,453

  Plas y Bryniau, Llanon

  43,323

  Bryn Bach Park, Tredegar

  36,250

  Cwmtwrch Farm, Nantgaredig

  39,100

  Noble Court Caravan Park

  50,000

  Alyn Waters Country Park

  42,500

  Grand Pavilion, Llandrindod

  125,000

  Great House, Laleston

  47,550

  Quarry Tours, Blaen Ffestiniog

  34,360

  Ski Lodge, Llangrannog

  31,080

  Cilwych Country Activities

  50,300

  Village Inn, Trehafod

  27,737

  Gaer Cottages, Cribyn

  27,000

  Rose and Crown, Eglwysilan

  30,500

  Tourism South Wales, Swansea

  47,077

  Tenby Town Scheme Phase III

  30,000

  Atlantic Hotel, Tenby

  118,450

  Conwy Town Scheme

  30,000

  Bron y Wendon Touring Park

  55,000

  Groundwork Trust

  44,218

  Seion Chapel Art Gallery

  40,000

  Three Wells Farm, Howey

  70,000

  Masons Arms, Bryncethin

  27,000

  Quasar Barry Island

  31,215

  Dan yr Ogof Showcaves

  30,000

  Touchwood Centre, Felinheli

  49,800

  Marina Services Building

  45,000

  Amelia Trust Farm

  27,225

  Court Hotel, Lamphey

  200,000

  Wern Goch Caravan Park

  34,500

  Minera Phase II

  32,785

  Bryn Morfydd Hotel, Denbigh

  32,500

  North Wales Theatre

  200,000

  Empire Hotel, Llandudno

  50,000

  Hand Hotel, Chirk Clwyd

  44,234

  Shell Island

  37,500

  Imperial Hotel, Llandudno

  50,000

  Parc Cwm Darren, Hengoed

  30,875

  Ship Inn

  41,000

  Cambrian Line Speed

  55,519

  Palms Holiday Park

  50,000

  Edwards Leisure Park, Towyn

  29,517

  Conwy RSPB Visitor Centre

  79,650

  Bodysgallen Hall

  200,000

  Urdd Gobaith Cymru

  160,000

  Cliffe Norton Hotel, Tenby

  89,354

  Hotel Metropole

  25,550

  Black Lion Hotel, Cardigan

  60,000

  Ystumgwern Hall Farm

  36,961

  Tenby Town Scheme

  36,875

  Glan Aber, Hotel

  45,558

  729

  Project Name

  Assistance £

  Pentre Mawr Caravan Park

  60,000

  Heronston Hotel, Bridgend

  50,000

  Fourcroft Hotel, Tenby

  65,500

  Dryslwyn Fawr Llanarthne

  30,500

  Bear Hotel, Crickhowell

  50,000

  Lake Country House

  50,000

  Tic Cardiff

  26,525

  Wrexham Maelor Town Scheme

  28,114

  Cambria Caravan Park

  29,676

  Middle Sontley Farm, Wrexham

  30,000

  Pwllheli Promenade

  40,000

  Bodelwyddan Castle

  200,000

  Chatsworth House Hotel

  48,154

  Fishguard Bay Hotel, Goodwick

  30,000

  Parc Coed-Machen Farm, Cardiff

  40,261

  Dinefwr Park

  52,337

  Oakfield Caravan Park

  50,000

  Bear Hotel, Cowbridge

  50,000

  Passenger Facility

  100,000

  Lancaster Square, Conwy

  34,000

  National Techniquest

  200,000

  Green Meadow Community Farm

  100,000

  National Wildlife Centre

  80,000

  The Stackpole Centre Homefarm

  55,241

  Conwy Town Scheme

  35,000

  The King Arthur Hotel

  29,000

  Number of projects

  260

  Arts Centre, Llandudno
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the annual running costs of the new North Wales theatre and arts centre at Llandudno is to be met by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  None.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what grants his Department has given towards the building of the new North Wales theatre and arts centre at Llandudno; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  No grant has been given. Aberconwy borough council was awarded supplementary credit approval of £2 million in 1992–93 towards the capital cost of this project.

  Community Care Legislation
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to amend the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 in its application to Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  I shall be considering whether it will be necessary to amend the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 in order to facilitate the merger of health authorities with family health services authorities. Other than this, I have no plans to propose amendments to the 1990 Act.

  Appointments
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the names of all persons appointed by him and the salaries paid to them; and if he will make a statement.
  730
  Mr. Redwood
  The information requested is contained in "Public Bodies: Appointments made by the Secretary of State for Wales", available in the Library of the House.

  Quangos
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total annual cost of the quangos in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  This information is shown in the annual publication "Public Bodies", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

  Local Authority Elections
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date in May 1994 elections to existing district councils will take place in Wales; when the last such elections took place; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  Elections to the four district councils in Wales which have elections by thirds will take place on Thursday 5 May 1994. The last such elections took place in May 1992. The Local Government (Wales) Bill will cancel the elections for all district councils which are due to be held in May 1995.

  Health Service, Pembrokeshire
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the review by Mr. Brian Jones, the chief executive of Clywd health authority and Mr. David Galley of the Macleod hospital trust, into the health service in Pembrokeshire; and to what extent the costs of that review are being borne by the Welsh Office.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of
  23 November 1993,Official Report, column 22.

EDUCATION

  Independent Schools
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his policy on providing additional funding to independent schools seeking to attain grant-maintained status; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  An independent school cannot be established as a grant-maintained school without first closing. Any funding available to a new GM school could be used only for the purposes of that school. The Secretary of State's approval of applications to establish new GM schools will depend on a variety of factors, including evidence of need for places in the area.

  Grant-maintained Schools (Nottinghamshire)
  Mr. Hoon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will identify all the specific purpose grants given to each grant-maintained school in Nottinghamshire for each financial year since 1991–92, including the current year; and if he will give the purpose of each grant.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The following self-governing schools in Nottinghamshire have received special purpose grants (SPGs):
  731

  Amount paid (£) for each financial year

  School

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Greenwood Dale School, Nottingham

  SPG (Transitional)

  100

  47,540

  SPG (Development)

  —

  24,098

  SPG (VAT)

  —

  891

  SPG (Premises)

  —

  4,500

  Ravensdale Grant Maintained Middle School, Mansfield

  SPG (Transitional)

  40,890

  —

  SPG (Development)

  8,999

  13,940

  SPG (Restructuring)

  6,763

  —

  SPG (VAT)

  3,009

  4,531

  SPG (Premises)

  —

  2,438

  The George Spencer School, Stapleford

  SPG (Transitional)

  34,410

  23,670

  SPG (Development)

  —

  39,780

  SPG (Restructuring)

  —

  13,262

  SPG (VAT)

  —

  12,242

  SPG (Premises)

  —

  4,500

  The purpose of each of the SPGs is as follows:

  Special Purpose Grant (Transitional)
  Available to help with the costs incurred as a result of the school's acquisition of self-governing status.

  Special Purpose Grant (Development)
  Available to fund management training, staff development and implementation of the national curriculum.

  Special Purpose Grant (Restructuring)
  Available to help with essential staff restructuring which involves costs arising from premature retirement, redundancy or voluntary severance of teaching staff.

  Special Purpose Grant (VAT)
  Compensates for the payment of VAT on supplies and services, which self-governing schools may not claim back.

  Special Purpose Grant (Premises)
  Assists self-governing schools with the additional cost of school premises insurance.

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

  Mr. Forth
  In the financial year 1992–93, the Government car service for Ministers cost the Department £217,197·48. Five vehicles were involved for the majority of the year. In addition, this figure includes eight days' use of one further vehicle for the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for sport, whose portfolio fell within the remit of the Department for Education until 8 April 1992.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Fish Conservation
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if she will make it her policy to take steps to suspend the Sea Fish Conservation Act 1993, and replace it with the proposals put forward by the National Federation of Fisherman's Organisations; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  (pursuant to his reply 25 November 1993 c.117): The High Court has now delivered its judgment on
  732
  the application for judicial review by the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations. The court noted that there is total agreement between the applicants and the Government that there is a need to prevent overfishing of certain stocks of sea fish by the United Kingdom fleet. Nevertheless, it decided to refer the matter to the European Court of Justice. We are now urgently considering the implications of the judgment for days at sea and related policies, including decommissioning.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Rechar II
  Mr. Clapham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether it is his Department's policy to support the Rechar II initiative proposed by the European Commission; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  The future of European structural funds community initiatives has yet to be discussed by the Council of Ministers in Brussels.

  Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what approval or guidance British Nuclear Fuels plc has been given regarding a delay of 50 years in the decommissioning of THORP following the plant's closure; and what additional financial provision would be required if the plant were to be decommissioned immediately following closure.

  Mr. Eggar
  The decommissioning of a nuclear facility is a matter for the operators, taking account of the requirements of the regulatory authorities.

  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what(a) formal and (b) informal approaches have been made to Her Majesty's Government, from utilities with a contract with British Nuclear Fuels plc for the use of THORP, to cancel or vary the contract or its terms; and what steps have been taken to alert other departments.

  Mr. Eggar
  None.

  Public Appointments
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place in the Library details of all public appointments made by him to public bodies which are concerned exclusively with Wales, in the same form as the Secretary of State for Wales's list dated 1 September.

  Mr. Eggar
  The details of all public appointments made by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade to the public bodies which are concerned exclusively with Wales will be placed in the Library of the House.

  Company Registration
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the current requirements of companies to be registered; with whom they must register; and how many companies are so registered.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Most Great Britain companies are formed and registered under the Companies Act 1985. They are registered by the Registrar of Companies either in England and Wales or in Scotland
  733
  Under the Act there are a number of requirements to be met before a company is registered. The following documents must be delivered to the Registrar:—
  the company's memorandum and articles;
  particulars of its directors, secretary and intended registered office;
  a statutory declaration that all the requirments of the Act in respect of registration have been complied with.

  The Registrar may not register a company unless he is satisfied that all such requirements have been complied with, but he may accept the statutory declaration as sufficient evidence of this. He will then issue a certificate of incorporation.

  At 31 March 1993 there were 1,136,400 registered companies in Great Britain, of which 175,800 were in liquidation, or in the course of being removed from the register.

  Imported Coal
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the sources of imported house coal in 1993.

  Mr. Eggar
  Data on imported coal by sector are estimated and it is assumed that about a quarter of imported steam coal, other than coal for electricity generation, is used in the home. In the first nine months of 1993 the major sources of imported steam coal, which includes imports for use in power stations and industry as well as the domestic sector, were Australia, Colombia, Poland, Russia, South Africa, and the USA.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the quantity and cost of imported(a) industrial and (b) house coal in each year since 1990 and 1993 to date.

  Mr. Eggar
  The split of imported coal between sectors are estimated, the figures for industrial users and house coal are as follows:

  Industrial1

  House coal2

  Quantity thousand tonnes

  Value3 £ million

  Quantity thousand tonnes

  Value3 £ million

  1990

  850

  34

  260

  10

  1991

  1,600

  57

  500

  17

  1992

  2,720

  89

  880

  28

  41993

  1,070

  38

  330

  11

  Source: HM Customs and Excise.

  1 Estimated as 10 per cent. of anthracite imports, plus 75 per cent. of steam coal imports other than coal for electricity generation.

  2 Estimated as 25 per cent. of steam coal imports other than coal for electricity generation.

  3 The value has been based on the average cost of the total steam coal and anthracite imports multiplied by the quantity.

  4 The 1993 figures also include some estimation for intra-EC trade based on information for extra-EC trade pending the availability of full monthly statistics for intra-EC trade from the Central Statistical Office.

  European Regional Development Fund
  Ms Walley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received concerning the restrictions on local authority capital spending in relation to ERDF funding; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  Many local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales have written to me and to the Ministers responsible for local authority finance in England,734
  Scotland and Wales. These Ministers have replied to such representations in view of their direct responsibility for the matter.

  Enforcement Agencies
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the cost of publishing the 70,000 copies of "Working with Business: a code for enforcement agencies," referred to in his answer of 4 November,Official Report, column 345; and if he will list those 70 enforcement agencies which are aiming to publish their own code of practice by 1 January 1994.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The cost of publishing the 70,000 copies of "Working with Business: a code for enforcement agencies" was £8,296.03. All 70 agencies listed in the code agreed that they were aiming to publish their own codes of practice by 1 January 1994.

  Regulations (Impact Assessment)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those topics he has so far identified where he believes current statutory Acts or regulations inhibit the operation of economic activity of benefit to the local community or nation stating in each case the relevant instrument, its date of introduction, or its predecessors, when it first came into effect and its general purpose.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  As part of the deregulation initiative, Government Departments are currently reviewing all legislation which impacts on business, considering whether the legislation remains necessary and, if so, whether it achieves its objective in a way which is proportionate and imposes the minimum burden on business. The reviews are scheduled to be completed by April 1994. In addition the Government have appointed eight task forces from business and the voluntary sector to make recommendations on priorities for amendment or repeal. These recommendations will be published in due course. The Deregulation Bill announced in the Gracious Speech will address changes which require primary legislation. Its contents will be published in the usual way when the Bill is introduced.

  Brewery Industry
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that individual brewers are making it possible for the lessees to sell a guest beer.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The requirement to allow tenants to sell a guest beer is one of the provisions of the Beer Orders. Monitoring compliance with the Beer Orders is the responsibility of the Director General of Fair Trading. I have therefore written to him, asking that his office reply to your question as soon as possible.

  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will place in the Library the evidence available to his Department to show that the brewing companies have carried out their obligation under the Beer Orders(a) to free a certain percentage of public houses and (b) to allow a guest beer.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Monitoring compliance with the Beer Orders is the responsibility of the Director General of
  735
  Fair Trading (DGFT). Information which is supplied by the brewers to the OFT about the composition of their estates is commercially confidential. However, I have written to the DGFT, asking that his office write to you explaining the position as soon as possible.

  EC Internal Market Council
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the president of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Members for Gateshead, East (Ms Quinn) and for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) of 24 November,Official Report, column 92, what was the voting record of member states on (a) the adoption of food additive common positions and (b) its common position on equipment for use in explosive atmospheres at the meeting of the European Community's Internal Market Council held on 11 November; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  On food additives, the framework directive and sweeteners common positions were adopted unanimously at the Internal Market Council on 11 November. The common position on colours was adopted by qualified majority with Netherlands and Luxembourg voting against and Germany and Denmark abstaining.

  The common position on equipment for use in explosive atmospheres was agreed unanimously.

  Coal Industry
  Mr. Booth
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the legislation governing rights of access to coal and other minerals in the light of the privatisation of the coal industry.

  Mr. Eggar
  At present, under the Opencast Coal Act 1958, British Coal has access to special procedures governing the compulsory acquisition of rights to explore for and work opencast coal, and related matters. These procedures are not available to other mineral industries. The Government do not regard it as satisfactory in the longer term for the coal industry to have access to special procedures which are not generally available. However, a period of transition is needed before an alternative regime is put in place.

  Under the Coal Industry Bill published today, the provisions of the Opencast Coal Act 1958 will continue to be available to coal operators, within a modified framework offering improved safeguards for the interests of landowners, up to 31 December 1999 but not thereafter. After the end of this transitional period, the Government intend that the procedures for opencast coal should be unified with the general regime for all minerals contained in the Mines (Working Facilities and Support) Act 1966 and 1974.

  My Department will therefore be conducting a review of the general provisions contained in the Mines (Working Facilities and Support) Acts to determine what amendment, revision or reform to the legislation is appropriate to provide an integrated regime for the next century. The review will have regard to the need to exploit the country's mineral resources including coal, to the perception that current procedures under the Mines (Working Facilities and Support) Acts are expensive and time consuming, and to the need to protect the rights of land owners.

  Following initial consideration of the issues, I intend to publish a consultative document in due course. I invite
  736
  those interested in submitting representations or evidence for the preparation of the consultative document to write to me by 31 January 1994.

  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will announce the Government's proposals for British Coal pensions after privatisation.

  Mr. Eggar
  In September the Government published a consultation paper on proposals for British Coal pensions after privatisation. Comments have been received from the trustees of British Coal pension schemes, from the corporation, from industry unions and from over one thousand individuals.

  Careful consideration has been given to all responses to the consultation paper. In the light of these responses, and taking full account of the recent recommendations of the Pension Law Review Committee, the Government have decided that:

  Existing schemes
  (i) all pensioners and deferred pensioners of the mineworkers pension scheme (MPS) and British Coal staff superannuation scheme (SSS) and all currently contributing members would be able to leave their past-service entitlements in the schemes at privatisation, if they so choose;
  (ii) the MPS and SSS would be closed to new members at privatisation and the new private-sector owners of the industry would not participate in them;
  (iii) the Coal Industry Bill would provide for both the MPS and SSS to be given a Government solvency guarantee that would ensure that pensions and deferred pensions are increased after privatisation in line with the retail price index (RPI) by reference to their level at privatisation;
  (iv) beneficiaries would in addition be able to benefit from any fund surpluses through pension payment increases over and above RPI levels, but surpluses, and benefits from them, will not be subject to guarantee from the taxpayer;
  (v) provision would be made for the beneficiaries and the Government, as guarantor, to receive equal shares of any distributable surplus;
  (vi) in order to assist the management of the funds any share of surplus payable to the Government would only be receivable in equal installments over a 10-year period;
  (vii) deficiency payments due under the guarantee would also be payable over 10 years;
  (viii) existing obligations on British Coal to make 'additional contributions' in respect of early and enhanced pensions would be honoured in full by the Government;
  (ix) there would be triennial valuations of the schemes, as at present, and if a valuation subsequent to a deficiency reveals a surplus, or vice versa, there should be an immediate settling of balances before further payments by or to Government are determined (including a safeguard to ensure that beneficiaries and Government have received equal shares of any unsustained surplus distribution);
  (x) the Coal Industry Bill would provide for the rules of the MPS and SSS to be modified in order to give effect to the necessary changes;
  (xi) the Bill would also safeguard the interests of the taxpayer, as ultimate guarantor, by providing for the Government to be able to secure that the trustees of the MPS and SSS have proper regard to the interest of the taxpayer in performing their fiduciary duties (the precise details of how this safeguard would operate in practice are still under discussion with the trustees and the Corporation and will be contained in Regulations and scheme documents which are yet to be published);

  New industry-wide schemes
  (xii) new pension schemes would be created for employees of British Coal and its subsidiaries who are transferred to employment in successor companies;

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  (xiii) the new schemes would follow on, separately, from the MPS and SSS and would be required by statutory regulations to provide the same package of benefits as the corresponding existing scheme;
  (xiv) the Coal Industry Bill would provide protected person status for employees transferred to the new schemes and the schemes would contain measures regarding their maintenance, membership, use of surpluses and any eventual winding up;
  (xv) the new schemes would operate on an industry-wide basis and the Coal Industry Bill would provide for all new employers of protected employees to participate in the schemes;
  (xvi) continuing employees would be able to transfer their past-service entitlements to the new schemes if they so choose or they would alternatively be able to transfer them to another scheme operated by their new employer, depending on its terms, or to a personal pension scheme;
  (xvii) the Coal Industry Bill would provide for the new Coal Authority to make pension provision for its employees, including any transferred from British Coal.

  The Government believe that these proposals meet in full its commitment to protect MPS and SSS pensions. The proposals will provide security for pension entitlements earned from service with British Coal and will provide protection for pension entitlements from future service with successor companies. The Coal Industry Bill would provide the necessary statutory underpinning for all the safeguards proposed.

  It is intended that drafts of the regulations giving statutory effect to the details of the new arrangements would be made available during Commons consideration of the Bill.

  The consultation paper on British Coal pensions listed in an appendix a number of other pension schemes with which British Coal is involved. The Government will be assuming responsibility for the six unfunded pension arrangements listed in the appendix. From discussions with trustees and scheme representatives it appears that pension entitlements from all of the funded pension schemes listed in the appendix can be adequately safeguarded without direct Government involvement through guarantees or statutory protection. The Government are nevertheless taking a close interest in the future arrangements that are being proposed and will report to Parliament on them in due course.

  Konver Programme
  Mr. Simon Burns
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, when he expects to announce his decisions on the bids for Konver funding by Essex county council and others; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  [pursuant to his reply 25 November 1993, column 112]: I am pleased to announce that grants totalling £15·6 million have been approved to 150 applicants under the United Kingdom's Konver programme, including grants of over £350,000 to Essex. There was keen competition for the grant available. The successful projects are of high quality. I expect them to bring real benefits to the areas which are dependent on defence spending.

  I am placing a copy of the list of grants approved in the Library of the House.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

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

  The Attorney-General
  On security grounds, I do not propose to give this information.

  UDR Four
  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Attorney-General what was the date of the Appeal Court hearing in Northern Ireland at which three of the UDR Four were released; what were the recommendations of the court about prosecutions of persons involved in the case; what action has been taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland; what matters remain upon which the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland has yet to make a decision; and when the expects such decisions to be taken.

  The Attorney-General
  The Court of Appeal for Northern Ireland delivered its judgment in the appeal of Rv. Neil Fraser Latimer, James Irwin Hegan, Noel Richmond Bell and Alfred Winston Allen on 29 July 1992.

  The court made no recommendations in respect of prosecutions. The court directed that its judgment be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland so that he could consider the bringing of prosecutions against officers who he considered had committed criminal offences in connection with the trial of the appellants.

  On 5 August 1992, 10 February 1993 and 27 April 1993, the director issued interim directions to the Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary requesting that further reports, information and witness statements be obtained. When these had been received, the director considered all the facts and information before him. In Northern Ireland the test for prosecution applied by the director is that criminal proceedings are instituted where he is satisfied that the evidence which can be adduced in court is sufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of obtaining a conviction and that such proceedings are in the public interest.

  The director concluded that the evidence in this case was sufficient to warrant prosecution of a number of individuals. Accordingly, on 26 July 1993, the director issued a direction to prosecute three serving and two former members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary for offences of perjury and doing acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice in connection with the trial of the appellants. The director further concluded that the evidence was insufficient to institute criminal proceedings in respect of any other police officers who had been the subject of report. There were a number of other matters in respect of which the director requested the Chief Constable to carry out inquiries. Additional papers have now been received from police and are presently being considered.

  Subsequently, a solicitor acting on behalf of one of the persons in respect of whom prosecution had been directed, submitted a medical report. The director then arranged that this person be independently examined by a consultant physician and a further report obtained. When this report had been received and considered, the director concluded that the prosecution of that individual should not proceed. Accordingly, a direction of no prosecution was issued on 1 September 1993.

  Roger Levitt
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will investigate the conduct of the case against. Roger Levitt.

  The Attorney-General
  I have investigated the conduct of the case against Mr. Levitt and I am satisfied that the prosecution by the Serious Fraud Office was fairly, properly and vigorously conducted.

  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will refer the case of Roger Levitt to the Court of Appeal.
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  The Attorney-General
  Rulings of the trial judge in the course of the trial related to matters within his discretion and are not matters of law which can be referred to the Court of Appeal under section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972.

  Sentencing is always a matter for the independent judiciary. The Attorney-General has power, under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, to refer unduly lenient sentences to the Court of Appeal in respect of offences which are triable exclusively on indictment. Fraudulent trading is an offence triable either on indictment or summarily and therefore, under the present law, sentences imposed for it cannot be referred to the Court of Appeal.

  NIGERIA
  NIGERIA
  ENTRY CLEARANCE SERVICES: REVISED LIST
  ENTRY CLEARANCE SERVICES: REVISED LIST
  ALBANIA: EXPORT OF MINERALS
  ALBANIA: EXPORT OF MINERALS
  CRIMINAL LEGAL AID, MAGISTRATES' COURTS
  CRIMINAL LEGAL AID, MAGISTRATES' COURTS
  NEXT STEPS AGENCIES: PERFORMANCE
  NEXT STEPS AGENCIES: PERFORMANCE
  CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS: ALLEGED BLACKLIST
  CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS: ALLEGED BLACKLIST
  EC BUDGET TRANSFER ARRANGEMENTS
  EC BUDGET TRANSFER ARRANGEMENTS
  INCOME TAX FRAUD INVESTIGATION
  INCOME TAX FRAUD INVESTIGATION
  NHS GENERAL PRACTITIONERS: ISSUE AND DISPENSING OF PRIVATE PRESCRIPTIONS
  NHS GENERAL PRACTITIONERS: ISSUE AND DISPENSING OF PRIVATE PRESCRIPTIONS
  OXFORD REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY
  OXFORD REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY
  COAL: POLICY
  COAL: POLICY
  NUCLEAR REVIEW
  NUCLEAR REVIEW
  SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE
  SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE
  TEMPORARY JUDGES, SCOTLAND
  TEMPORARY JUDGES, SCOTLAND
  PLUTONIUM: DISCHARGE INTO IRISH SEA
  PLUTONIUM: DISCHARGE INTO IRISH SEA
  NORTHERN IRELAND: IRA/GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION
  NORTHERN IRELAND: IRA/GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATION
  PLUTONIUM: DISCHARGE INTO IRISH SEA
  PLUTONIUM: DISCHARGE INTO IRISH SEA
  LIQUID RADIOACTIVE WASTE: DISCHARGE INTO IRISH SEA
  LIQUID RADIOACTIVE WASTE: DISCHARGE INTO IRISH SEA
  RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CONVENTION: ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
  RIGHTS OF THE CHILD CONVENTION: ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION
  EC HABITATS DIRECTIVE
  EC HABITATS DIRECTIVE
  AVIATION ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION: GRANTS
  AVIATION ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION: GRANTS
  PRISON SERVICE: STAFF NUMBERS AND COSTS
  PRISON SERVICE: STAFF NUMBERS AND COSTS