Written Answers of 25 February 1993

EDUCATION

  Further Education Funding Council
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will make appointments to the regional committees of the Further Education Funding Council for England; and when the committees will begin operating.

  Mr. Boswell
  My right hon. Friend is currently considering appointments to the nine regional committees of the Further Education Funding Council. He hopes to announce the chairmen of the committees by 1 April, with a view to the full establishment of the committees as soon as possible.

  Religious Education
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment has been made of the proportion of religious education syllabuses which comply with the requirements of the Education Reform Act 1988.

  Mr. Forth
  The Department has made no such assessment.

  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the study undertaken by the National Curriculum Council into religious education syllabuses.

  Mr. Forth
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Wyre Forest (Mr. Coombs) on 22 February 1993,Official Report,column 452.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Mr. Jock Kane
  Mr. Allason
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to allow Mr. Jock Kane to publish his two books; and what are the legal costs incurred by the Treasury Solicitor.

  Mr. Hurd
  I have no plans to apply for the lifting of the High Court injunctions restraining the publication of these books. The books contain information which would cause serious damage to national security and which Mr. Kane obtained in the course of his employment at GCHQ.

  The Treasury Solicitor has estimated the legal costs for the 1987 High Court case as £5,870. Figures are not available for 1984, but would not exceed the 1987 figure. Action also taken in 1987 in the Scottish courts, in which legal costs of £839 were incurred.

  Maastricht Treaty
  Mr. Rowlands
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his statement of 15 February,Official Report, column 27,
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  whether he will list those articles and protocols which are desirable but not necessary to incorporate into domestic law for the ratification and implementation of the Maastricht treaty.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  I refer the hon. Member to the remarks of my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney General in the Committee stage of the Maastricht Bill on 22 February,Official Report, columns 737–39, and to the written answer given by my right hon. and learned Friend to the right hon. Member for Llanelli (Mr. Davies) on the same date, Official Report, column 433.

  Treaty of Union
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs by what means the obligations of tiles I, V, VI and VII of the treaty of union are acceded to by an applicant state of the European union, other than by article O of that treaty.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  Article O sets out exhaustively the procedure for accession to the treaty on European union, including titles I, V, VI and VII.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Data Protection
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to defer the market testing of ED5 in order to clarify the legal position with regard to article 8(4) of the draft EC data protection directive.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I have no plans to do so.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what outside legal advice he has received on the effect of article 8(4) of the draft EC data protection directive on the ability of private contractors to hold data concerning criminal convictions.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Legal advice is available from the Home Office on this as on other aspects of the draft directive. I have not sought outside legal advice.

  Fridges and Freezers
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many domestic fridges and freezers his Department intends to purchase in 1993;

  (2) what are the latest available annual figures for his Department's purchase of domestic fridges and freezers.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  This information is not recorded centrally and in the case of the prison service could not be obtained without disproporationate cost. The available information, which may not be complete, for the non-prisons estate is that some 66 fridges/freezers will be purchased in 1993, compared with approximately 51 last year.

  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department will make it its policy to purchase domestic fridges and freezers that do not contain ozone-depleting substances.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  It is the Department's policy, subject to ensuring value for money, to reduce the use of
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  ozone-depleting substances by replacing the equipment which contains them except in instances where usage is essential.

  Hare Coursing
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now introduce legislation to make hare coursing illegal.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The Government believe that participation in field sports is a matter for individual conscience. There are no plans for legislation to prohibit or restrict hare coursing.

  Weddings
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the law to provide that weddings may be performed in private chapels by ministers of churches other than the Church of England.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to do so.

  Obscenity and Pornography
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be able to report to the Prime Minister on the conclusions of the review which he has been asked to undertake of the law relating to obscenity and pornography.

  Mr. Jack
  As I explained in my reply to a question from my hon. Friend on 18 February, at column 299, my Department is considering in what ways improvements can be made in the enforcement of the existing legislation relating to obscenity. My right hon. and learned Friend is keeping the Prime Minister informed and will report to him in due course.

  Hong Kong (Governor)
  Sir John Wheeler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Governor of Hong Kong has submitted a further report on the discharge of his functions under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  The Governor of Hong Kong submitted a second report to me on 30 December 1992. A copy has been placed in the Library.

  Prison Education
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what interim arrangements he is making in respect of each county for prison education between April and August; and what assessment he has made of the effect on the contracts of existing college staff.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis) on 19 February, at column 370. The prison service is not the employer of education staff who work in prisons and the effect on their contracts of employment is a matter for the employers and their employees.

  Juvenile Offenders, Cleveland
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make an announcement about the provision of secure accommodation for juvenile offenders in Cleveland.

  Mr. Yeo
  I have been asked to reply.

  In consultation with the directors of social services in the north-east of England, including Cleveland, we have identified the need for 11 extra secure beds in the region. I expect a firm decision about the location to be made shortly.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Southern Africa
  Mr. Malone
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are his plans for future management of aid to the southern Africa region.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has announced the Government's intention to set up a new ODA development division in Pretoria, similar to those already operating successfully in other parts of the world. The British development division in Pretoria will help shape and run Britain's increasingly important bilateral aid programme in South Africa, and programmes in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland. The new development division will be operational this summer. The development division in Lilongwe will continue to manage aid programmes in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Butterfill
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of British civil servants are promoted internally while on secondment to the EC.

  Mr. Robert Jackson
  This information is not held centrally. The comparatively short secondments to the EC, or to UKREP, provide valuable developmental experience which Departments are encouraged to take into account when making promotions. Whether promotion on secondment is possible will depend on several factors, including the opportunities for re-absorbing the officer in the new grade on his or her return.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Serious Fraud Office
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions have been initiated by the Serious Fraud Office; and how many of these have been successful.

  The Attorney-General
  Since the establishment of the Serious Fraud Office, it has instituted criminal proceedings against 328 defendants.

  Of this total, 221 have been tried. Of these 139 were convicted of one or more offences without a successful appeal, 72 were acquitted of all offences and 10 were

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  neither convicted nor acquitted. In the case of eight defendants proceedings were ordered to lie on the file, one defendant died and a nolle prosequi was entered in the remaining case.

  Of the remaining defendants, 90 have had proceedings instituted against them but have not yet been tried, seven are abroad and warrants for their arrest have not yet been executed, and 10 did not proceed to trial.

ENVIRONMENT

  Housing Investment
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the housing investment programme borrowing allocation or basic credit approval for the last 14 years, expressed at constant prices; and what is the basic credit approval announced for 1993–94 on the same price basis.

  Mr. Baldry
  I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 25 November 1992,Official Report, column 669, to the Member for Sheffield Attercliffe (Mr. Betts) for information on the housing investment programme—HIP— allocations for the years 1979–80 to 1992–93. The total of the 1993–94 HIP allocation is £1,920 million—£1,869 million in 1992–93 prices.

  Housing (Negative Equity)
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimate he has made of the total value of negative equity in homes in(a) England and (b) the north-west standard region in April 1992 and at the present date, and of the number of properties involved.

  Mr. Baldry
  There is insufficient information to estimate the total value of negative equity in mortgaged homes. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 February to my hon. Friend the Member for Hazel Grove (Sir T. Arnold),Official Report, column 522. The number of dwellings in the north-west region where the mortgage exceeded the value of the dewlling in the fourth quarter of 1992 was probably about 10,000.

  Empty Properties
  Ms. Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many empty properties have been purchased under the arrangements announced in the autumn statement; which housing associations have made the purchases and in what areas; and at what total cost.

  Mr. Baldry
  The latest figures from the Housing Corporation show that by 19 February approvals for the purchase of 16,666 properties had been granted, with 5,755 purchases actually completed.

  The assocations making purchases in each of the Corporation's regions were:

  London and Home Counties (NE)
  Bedfordshire Pilgrims Housing Association, Circle 33 HA, East London HA, Family HA, Guinness Housing Trust, London and Quadrant HT, Newlon HT, Shaftesbury HA, Southern Housing Group, Warden HA;

  London and Home Counties (NW)
  Acton HA, Airways Housing Society, Circle 33 HA, Ealing Family HA, Family HA, Network HA, Notting Hill HA, Paddington Churches HA, Peabody HT, Thames Valley HA,
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  Warden HA;

  London and Home Counties (S)
  Airways HS, Beaver HS, Bourne HS, Broomleigh HA, Family HA, English Churches Housing Group, Hexagon HA, Highweald HA, Hyde HA, James Butcher HA, Kelsey HA, London and Quadrant HT, Metropolitan HT, Moat HS, Orbit HA, Peabody HT, Southern HG, Swale HA, Thames Valley HA;

  Merseyside
  Co-operative Development Society (Liverpool), Liverpool HT, Merseyside Improved Houses, Maritime HA, Warrington HA;

  North East
  Bradford and Northern HA, North HA. North British HA, Yorkshire Metropolitan HA;

  North West
  Collingwood HA, Grosvenor HA, Irwell Valley HA. Family HA (Manchester), Manchester Methodist HA, Manchester and District HA, Muir Group HA, North HA, North British HA, Northern Counties HA, North Cheshire HA, South East Lancashire HA, St. Vincent Housing Co-operative, Two Castles HA, West Pennine HA;

  West
  Devon and Cornwall HA, Haig Homes, James Butcher HA, Knightstone HA, Oxbode HA, Oxford Citizens' HA, Redland HA, Swaythling HS, Twynham HA, West Berkshire HA, Western Challenge HA, Winchester District HA, West Dorset HA, Westcountry HA;

  West Midlands
  Birmingham Friendship HA, Bromford Carinthia HA, Focus HA, Mercian HA, Midland Area Improvement HA, Orbit HA, Servite Housing Initiatives, Shropshire Rural HA, South Shropshire HA;

  East Midlands
  Circle 33 HA, Dc Moatfort HS, East Midlands HA, Guinness HT, Leicester HA, Longhurst HA, Loughborough and District HS(1969), North British HA, Sanctuary HA, Suffolk Heritage HA, Suffolk HS.

  The total costs incurred by 19 February were:

  Source of funds

  Approvals(£ million)

  Completions(£ million)

  Housing Association Grant

  534·96

  186·46

  Other public subsidy

  8·21

  31·0

  Private finance

  298·31

  107·88

  Total costs of schemes

  841·48

  297·44

  Smoke Alarms
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to increase the use of smoke alarms for the deaf.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Home Office spends over £1 million a year on television advertising to promote the installation and maintenance of smoke alarms in occupied buildings in England and Wales. The television commercials are designed to be readily understood even without the benefit of the soundtrack. We are considering the possibility of providing subtitles on smoke alarm commercials for the 1993–94 advertising campaign.

  The Home Office also produces a range of free leaflets on fire safety. These are issued mainly through fire brigades although they are made available to other

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  organisations. One of the leaflets, "Fire safety advice for disabled people", provides information on smoke alarms for deaf people and include addresses from where these may be obtained.

PRIME MINISTER

  Featherstone
  Mr. Enright
  To ask the Prime Minister when he will visit Featherstone.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister informed the hon. Member on 18 February, he is making plans for a series of visits to all parts of the country and hopes to include Yorkshire among them.

  Sherwood
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit the Sherwood constituency.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is making plans for a series of visits to all parts of the country and hopes to include Nottingham among them.

  Ministers' Homes
  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will give dates and costs of work carried out at public expense at the homes of Ministers of the Crown since 1979.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  Information prior to 1991 cannot be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

  Since April 1991 about £1.5 million has been spent on the installation of protective security measures at the homes of current Ministers. These measures were provided on the advice of those responsible for ministerial security and reflected an assessment of the threat to the individuals concerned. All spending is carefully monitored and controlled by those responsible.

  Arms Sales, Iraq
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister what contribution his office has made to date to the Scott inquiry on arms sales to Iraq.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply. Lord Justice Scott has asked to see certain papers and these have been made available to him.

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 25 February.

  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 25 February.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is on an official visit to the United States of America.

  Mr. Salman Rushdie
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 18 February,Official Report, column 327, if he will agree to the request made by Mr. Salman Rushdie for a meeting with him.
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  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has agreed to meet Mr. Rushdie. A date has not yet been decided upon.

HEALTH

  Methadone
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individual general practitioners prescribed methadone in the last year.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Methadone is listed under three therapeutic categories of drugs within the British National Formulary. The number of general practitioners who prescribed methadone for each therapeutic category in England during 1991 is given in the table.

  Number

  Antitussives

  2,236

  Analgesics

  2,293

  Used in drug dependence

  6,549

  Notes

  1. The information provided is from Prescribing Analysis and Cost data collected by the Prescription Pricing Authority.

  2. The Misuse of Drugs (Notification of Supply of Addicts) Regulations 1973 stipulates a single notification of a suspected addict every twelve months to the Home Office Index of Addicts from each practice. It will therefore not be possible to make a meaningful comparison between the above figures and the number of notifications of drug addicts collected by the Home Office.

  Health Authority Costs
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the returns made(a) by district health authorities and (b) by district units and trusts on the cost of provision of services; and in what form this information is reported to Parliament.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  District health authorities, directly managed units and trusts prepare annual financial statements which are audited and made available to the public.

  Babies (Identification)
  Mr. James Hill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will consider a system of fingerprinting or footprinting new born babies to prevent wrong identification of infants.

  Mr. Sackville
  Advice from the maternity services advisory committee to the national health service is that parents should be able to see the correct details written on their baby's identity bracelets and to confirm that these bracelets are put on their baby. It is essential that all maternity units have in place procedures that ensure that these requirements are met and that bracelets are securely attached to babies in their care. Fingerprinting and footprinting are possible alternatives or additional methods but, before introducing such arrangements, they would need to be thoroughly assessed.

  Free Prescriptions
  Sir John Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people during the year 1991–92(a) qualified for free prescriptions on the grounds of

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  prescribed illnesses or conditions and (b) are estimated to have failed to take up an exemption certificate on this ground during this period.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information is not available in the form requested. Prescription charge exemption certificates for people with a specified medical condition are valid for a period of five years. In the six months from January to June 1992, the latest period for which figures are held centrally, family health services authorities issued over 40,000 such certificates. The average number issued in each of the three years from 1989 to 1991 was about 75,000. In 1991–92 community pharmacists and appliance contractors dispensed some 24.7 million prescribed items free of charge to people holding these certificates and to expectant or nursing mothers. It is not possible to estimate the number who have failed to take up an exemption certificate.

  Medicines Committees
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to change the rules covering information disclosure by members of(a) the Committee on the Safety of Medicines and (b) the Committee on the Review of Medicines respectively.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I have no plans, at present, to change the rules covering information disclosure by members of the Committee on the Safety of Medicines. The Committee on the Review of Medicines was disestablished on 1 April 1992.

  Prescription Charges
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the numbers of disability working allowance claimants to date who are also in receipt of exemption from prescription charges, by reason of(a) low income and (b) prescribed illness or condition;

  (2) what is her estimate of numbers and types of persons who fail to claim exemption from prescription charges.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information requested is not available; nor is it possible to make such an estimate. About 80 per cent. of all prescribed items dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors are free of charge; a further 5 per cent. go to holders of prescription prepayment certificates.

  Pharmacists
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue a report on the provisions made by her Department to recompense pharmacists for purchasing and maintaining adequate stocks of expensive medicines when on-cost is abolished in April.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Discussions are taking place with the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee about this issue.

  Prescription Forms
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has carried out a detailed costing for the introduction of a triple prescription form of the kind proposed by the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee.
  666
  Dr. Mawhinney
  No detailed costing has been carried out as yet, but the issue of triple prescription forms is still under consideration.

  Drugs Selected List
  Mr. George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the input, by experts and groups relating to the study of dermatology, in the advisory committee on NHS drugs on the proposed changes and addition of new categories to the NHS selected list.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  A consultant dermatologist, Dr. Grattan, has been appointed to the advisory committee on national health service drugs. It is open to the committee to seek any further expert advice it considers necessary for its work.

  Trainee Nurses
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the health service careers department last advertised for trainee nurses in Birmingham; and how many of the last intake to qualify have obtained jobs within the NHS.

  Mr. Sackville
  There is no health service careers department. The last advertising campaign run by the Department of Health was in 1991–92. Details of local recruitment campaigns and jobs for qualifiers are not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Donald Wilson, chairman of West Midlands regional health authority for details.

  Benzodiazepine
  Ms. Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued for each benzodiazepine by community pharmacists in(a) England and Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in 1991.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Department holds figures only for England. The information is in the table:

  Number

  Temazepam

  6,039

  Diazepam

  3,063

  Nitrazepam

  3,000

  Lorazepam

  1,080

  Triazolam

  1,076

  Chlordiazepoxide

  504

  Oxazepam

  360

  Loprazolam

  180

  Lormetazepam

  171

  Clonazepam

  128

  Clobazam

  61

  TOTAL

  15,662

  Note: The data for 1991 are not directly comparable to those for earlier years because of a change in the way in which these data are collected. From January 1991, the data are based on items. Previously they were based on prescription fees and some items may attract more than one fee.

  Information relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

  Pregnancy Terminations
  Ms. Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given to health authorities and trusts about the level of appropriate post natal follow-up, following termination of pregnancy for foetal abnormality.

  Mr. Sackville
  In April 1991 the Department issued copies of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society's "Guidelines for Professionals" to relevant points in the national health service. These guidelines are as relevant to the loss of a baby resulting from termination in pregnancy for foetal abnormality as they are for miscarriage and stillbirth.

  Vitamin K
  Ms. Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what developments are taking place leading to the licensing of oral vitamin K.

  Mr. Sackville
  Discussions have been held between the Medicines Control Agency and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry with regard to appropriate data requirements of safety, efficacy and quality for the granting of a product licence for an oral preparation of vitamin K.

  Stepping Hill Psychiatric Units
  Ms. Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure that the comments of the Mental Health Commissioner relating to staffing in psychiatric units at Stepping Hill contained in its letter dated 9 September 1992 are being acted upon.

  Mr. Yeo
  An internal review panel was set up by Stockport health authority to look into aspects of psychiatric services, including staffing, at Stepping Hill hospital. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Peter Milnes, chief executive of Stockport health authority, for further information.

  Respiratory Disease
  Mr. Geoffrey Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will fund research into the effects of sulphur dioxide and related pollutants on lung function in asthmatics and others with respiratory disease and the effects of such pollutants on the incidence of respiratory disease and asthma attacks; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The advisory group of medical aspects of air pollution episodes set up in 1990 by the Government's chief medical officer has prepared two reports on air pollutants. That on ozone was published in 1991 and that on sulphur dioxide in 1992. Copies are in the Library.

  The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council—MRC—which receives its grant in aid from the Office of Science and Technology. The MRC is currently sponsoring some research into factors contributing to the rise of asthma cases and has set up a working party to examine the aetiology of asthma under the chairmanship of Professor A. J. Norman Taylor. This working party is currently considering a range of possible contributory factors to current levels of asthma including air pollution.

  Health Authorities, Yorkshire
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the total FHSA budget for each such authority in the Yorkshire region for 1992–93;

  (2) what is the total purchasing budget for each health authority in the Yorkshire region for 1992–93.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information held centrally is for regional health authorities only. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Bryan Askew, chairman of Yorkshire regional health authority, for this information.

  GP Fund Holders
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total budget for fund-holding practices for each health authority area in the Yorkshire region for 1992–93.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Yorkshire regional health authority is responsible for the management of the general practitioner fundholding scheme in these areas. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Bryan Askew, the regional health authority chairman, for details.

  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were registered at(a) fund-holding and (b) non-fund-holding practices for each health authority area in the Yorkshire region as at 31 December 1992.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Bryan Askew, chairman of the Yorkshire regional health authority, for details.

  Hospital Beds
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a table showing for(a) each regional health authority and (b) England as a whole the number of hospital beds by specialty, on the basis of average daily available beds, for each year from 1979–80 to 1991–92; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The available information has been published and copies of the national and regional summaries placed in the Library. The data for 1979 to 1986 are contained in the publication "Hospital Statistics—Form SH3", which records bed availability at individual specialty level. The data for 1987–88 to 1990–91 are contained in the "Summary of Bed Availability—Form KHO3", which implemented the recommendations of the Korner review of health service information. These data are classified by broad ward category, recognising the more flexible use of bed facilities. The summaries for 1991–92 are to be published shortly and copies will be placed in the Library.

  Pamphlets
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pamphlets the national health service management executive published from January 1990 to January 1991 and from January 1991 to January 1992; if she will list the title, the recipients and the cost; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  During the period April 1990 to December 1991, the national health service management executive issued 78 pamphlets, leaflets and brochures. The tables give the description, cost and recipient.
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  Information for the period January to March 1990 is not available.

  April 1990 to March 1991

  Title

  Recipient

  Cost £

  Resource Management Update

  NHS Managers

  2,135·00

  Resource Management Update —Sepember Issue

  NHS Managers

  2,209·07

  Projects Management Reports

  NHS Managers

  7,460·00

  Financial Management Update —Issues June and December

  NHS Managers

  3,940·00

  Value For Money Update Newsletter Issues No· 1 and No· 2

  NHS Managers

  6,208·00

  Partners in Primary Care: An Executive Summary

  NHS Managers

  774·00

  Value For Money Leaflets (6)— Hospital and Care Premises Exhibition

  NHS Managers

  5,859·25

  Day Surgery— Making It Happen Report

  NHS Managers

  264·50

  Income Gereration Pathology and Customer Services Guides and Workbooks

  NHS Managers

  47,346·00

  Guide To Insurable Risk Management

  NHS Managers

  3,639·75

  Purchasing For Patients Newsletters—Issues No, 3, No· 4, No· 5

  NHS Managers

  2,817·00

  Outpatients Demonstration Projects Brochure

  NHS Managers

  37,269·95

  Consultion and Involving The Consumer Booklet

  NHS Managers

  3,595·00

  Changes to Health Authorities Boundaries Publication

  NHS Managers

  1,905·00

  Professional Advice For Purchasers

  NHS Managers

  2,068·00

  NHS Trusts Compendium Of Guidance

  NHS Managers

  25,923·81

  Working For Patients Update—October Issue

  NHS Managers

  244·00

  NHS Reforms Update —November (90) and February (91)

  NHS Managers

  472·00

  NHS Management Bulletins: April, May, June, July, August, September Issues

  NHS Managers, Press, Interested NHS Staff on Request and DH/NHSME Managers

  39,349·31

  670

  Title

  Recipient

  Cost £

  NHS Management Bulletin Special Royal Assent Issue

  NHS Managers, Press, Interested NHS Staff on Request and DH/NHSME Managers

  3,764·17

  NHSME News Issues: October, November, December, January, February, March

  NHS Managers, Press, Interested NHS Staff on Request and DH/NHSME Managers

  30,732·71

  Nursing Perspective Leaflet

  Senior Nurse Managers

  530·00

  April 1990 to March 1991

  Title

  Recipient

  Cost £

  Resource Management Leaflet —July 1991

  NHS Managers

  290·00

  Casemix Procurement Pack

  NHS Managers

  18,193·71

  Clinical Coding Toolbox

  NHS Managers

  26,253·50

  Guide to Insurable Risk Management

  NHS Managers

  3,114·81

  Booklet On Income Gereration From Financial Investment Services

  NHS Managers

  3,736·50

  Value For Money Update—Issues No· 3, No· 4, and No· 5

  NHS Managers

  7,345·00

  Value For Money Literature—June

  NHS Managers

  3,014·90

  Value For Money Update Reprint of June Issue

  NHS Managers

  862·00

  Value For Money: Ward Materials Management

  NHS Managers

  721·09

  Guidance on Membership of NHS Authorities

  NHS Managers

  3,133·98

  Sharing Developments Newsletter No· 2

  NHS Managers

  4,791·46

  Health Service Indicators

  NHS Managers

  7,555·00

  IMG Newsletters — Issues No· 4, No· 5 and No· 6

  NHS Managers

  5,757·09

  Assessing Health Care Needs

  NHS Managers

  2,458·00

  Financial Management Programme

  NHS Managers

  851·52

  Teachers In The NHS Information Pack

  NHS Managers

  1,200·00

  NHS Trusts Financial Management

  NHS Managers

  1,672·03

  Women In The NHS Handbook

  Women and NHS Managers

  10,192·54

  Patient's Charter Named Nurse Leaflet

  Nurses and NHS Managers

  30,992·00

  671

  Title

  Recipient

  Cost £

  Patient s Charter News—Issues No. 1 and No. 2

  All NHS Staff

  2,695·00

  NHSME News—Issues: March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December 1991

  NHS Managers, Press, Interested NHS Staff on request and DH/NHSME Managers

  84,924·04

  NHSME News Special Health Strategy Issue—June 1991

  NHS Managers, Press, Interested NHS Staff on request and DH/NHSME Managers

  3,919·10

  Hospitals
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has given the Alexandra hospital in Redditch concerning its bid for trust status; what guidance she has given North Worcestershire health authority concerning the planned closure of the Highfield hospital in Droitwich; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  None.

  Blood Tests
  Mr. Dicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce compulsory blood tests on a regular basis for all national health service employees; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  I have no current plans to introduce regular compulsory blood tests for all national health service staff.

  Disciplinary Appeals
  Mr. Boyce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she takes to ensure that she is in possession of all relevant information when hearing an appeal by a doctor against a penalty imposed by a tribunal hearing a disciplinary action.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The procedures for dealing with appeals against family health services authority decisions on complaints against general practitioners are set out in the National Health Service (Service Committee and Tribunal) Regulations. Copies of the regulations are available in the Library.

  In determining an appeal, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will inquire into the whole of the complaint, and take into account any evidence that was available to the committee which heard the complaint and of any further information, if any, that has been presented on appeal. Where appropriate, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State may appoint persons to hold an oral hearing of the appeal and to report their findings, and may also seek advice from the Medical Advisory Committee as to whether a penalty should be imposed.

  Lung Cancer
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate of the number of people who have died in sed each of the last three years from lung cancer as a result of handling asbestos; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  I have been asked to reply.

  Since April 1985, lung cancer has been a prescribed disease under the industrial injuries scheme provided the sufferer has had occupational exposure to asbestos and has some other clinical sign of asbestos-related disease. The numbers of cases diagnosed under this scheme in the last three years for which figures are available are:

  Asbestos-related Lung Cancer

  Year

  Number

  1989

  54

  1990

  58

  1991

  55

  These figures were published in the Employment Gazette occasional supplement No. 3, September 1992.

  However, the lung cancer deaths attributable to asbestos are known to be considerably understated, mainly because many cases may not be recognised as asbestos-related by the sufferers or their doctors.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Leader Programme
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the schemes now approved under the Leader programme; and what is the estimated funding in each scheme.

  Mr. Hanley
  Schemes now approved under the EC Leader programme in Northern Ireland are as follows:

  Mid Ulster Enterprises (Creggan) Ltd., Omagh, Co. Tyrone—£388,320;

  The Seeconnell Initiative, Castlewellan, Co. Down—£508,200;

  South West Fermanagh Development Organisation Ltd. —£52,000.

  Terrorism
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list all the terrorist incidents in 1992 in which shots were fired over the international frontier, bombs or command wires crossed the frontier, the terrorists came over or escaped over the frontier or that otherwise had a cross-frontier element.

  Mr. Mates
  [holding answer 12 February 1993]: It would not be appropriate to disclose detailed information held by the Royal Ulster Constabulary about incidents in which charges may be brought.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Family Courts (Creches)
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy for family courts to provide creche facilities.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  All family court care centres have a separate child witness waiting room and, in addition, as
  673
  a result of local initiatives, family rooms where children can wait have been created at a number of other courts. At the magistrates courts, creche facilities may be provided on a local basis if it is considered desirable by the relevant magistrates courts committee. This is the most practical policy in the circumstances.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Asbestos-related Diseases
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many personnel who served with the Royal Navy during the second world war are in receipt of pensions awarded further to submitting claims for asbestos-related diseases.

  Mr. Scott
  The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Resettlement Agency
  Mr. Stephen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the Resettlement Agency's plan to dispose of its resettlement units to voluntary organisations or local authorities.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Resettlement Agency is, today, beginning a tender exercise to dispose of its resettlement units at West End house, Spur house and Pound lodge each of which is in London, and also its resettlement units at Leicester and at Lye in the west midlands. The exercise to dispose of these five units will be completed by the end of March 1994.

  National Insurance
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people who pay national insurance contributions are not liable to income tax.

  Estimated number of taxpayers liable to income tax above basic rates Taxpayers1 liable at higher rate (thousands)

  Tax rate2

  40

  45

  50

  55

  60

  65

  70

  75

  80

  Total

  1978–79

  235

  158

  86

  84

  54

  45

  32

  36

  33

  763

  1979–80

  302

  168

  108

  43

  53

  —

  —

  —

  —

  674

  1980–81

  334

  216

  129

  52

  65

  —

  —

  —

  —

  796

  1981–82

  445

  305

  170

  75

  95

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,090

  1982–83

  435

  245

  155

  65

  83

  —

  —

  —

  —

  983

  1983–84

  355

  245

  140

  55

  65

  —

  —

  —

  —

  860

  1984–85

  380

  255

  145

  65

  85

  —

  —

  —

  —

  930

  1985–86

  380

  250

  150

  70

  100

  —

  —

  —

  —

  950

  1986–87

  400

  300

  210

  90

  120

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,120

  1987–88

  360

  320

  240

  110

  160

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,190

  1988–89

  1,350

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,350

  1989–90

  1,500

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,500

  1990–91

  1,800

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,800

  31991–92

  1,700

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,700

  31992–93

  1,700

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,700

  1 Single people and married couples for years up to and including 1989–90, individuals from 1990–91.

  2 Tax rate applicable to earned income. This excludes any liability to the investment income surcharge for years up to 1983–84.

  3 Provisional estimates projected from the 1991–91 Survey of Personal Income.

  Benefits
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list, for each change in the minimum lending rate since April 1992, the interest earned on £5,000
  674
  Miss Widdecombe
  Based on information from the annual new earnings survey and estimates of the number of employees in employment, it is estimated that there are currently some 0.5 million contributors whose earnings fall below the PAYE threshold for the payment of income tax.

  Marginal Tax Rates
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people faced marginal tax rates(a) including and (b) excluding social security of over (i) 40 per cent., (ii) 50 per cent., (iii) 60 per cent., (iv) 70 per cent., (v) 80 per cent., (vi) 90 per cent. and (vii) 100 per cent. in each year since 1978–79.

  Mr. Burt
  Such information as is available is in the tables.

  Number of people with marginal deduction rates including social security (thousands)

  Per cent.

  1985–86

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  100+

  70

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  90+

  130

  45

  45

  45

  55

  75

  80+

  290

  345

  210

  235

  205

  250

  70+

  290

  515

  415

  395

  400

  500

  60+

  450

  515

  420

  395

  405

  510

  50+

  680

  515

  420

  395

  405

  510

  40+

  n.a.

  n.a.

  455

  665

  435

  520

  Notes:

  1. Figures for 1985–86 to 1991–92 are for benefit units where at least one partner works 24 hours or more.

  2. Figures for 1992–93 are based on benefit units where at least one partner works 16 hours or more. These people would have experienced 100 per cent. deduction rate whilst on Income Support so their circumstances as a result of the change to Family Credit, will have improved.

  3. Information for the years 1978–79, 1984–85, 1986–87 and 1987–88 is not available.

  4. Figures based on Family Expenditure Survey data.

  invested at minimum lending rates and the income assumed to be received by a benefit claimant with £5,000 capital for both housing benefit and poll tax benefit calculations.

  Mr. Burt
  The information requested is in the table. This reflects changes in the base rate rather than the
  675
  minimum lending rate—the two are often used as broad synonyms but the latter has only been used intermittently

  Tapered amount set against benefit

  Base rate

  Amount of interest earned on capital of £5,000 invested at base rate

  Benefit deduction for £5,000 capital in both housing benefit and community charge benefit

  Housing benefit (65 per cent, taper)

  Community charge benefit (15 per cent, taper)

  Date

  Per cent.

  Per week £

  Per week £

  Per week £

  Per week £

  5 May 1992

  10·00

  9·615

  8·00

  5·20

  1·20

  16 September 1992

  12·00

  11·538

  8·00

  5·20

  1·20

  17 September 1992

  10·00

  9·615

  8·00

  5·20

  1·20

  22 September 1992

  9·00

  8·653

  8·00

  5·20

  1·20

  16 October 1992

  8·00

  7·692

  8·00

  5·20

  1 20

  13 November 1992

  7·00

  6·730

  8·00

  5·20

  1·20

  26 January 1993

  6·00

  5·769

  8·00

  5·20

  1·20

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Typing Pool Services
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans have been proposed regarding tendering of typing pool services in VAT and Inland Revenue offices in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Cope
  Customs and Excise have included typing pool services in VAT as part of the programme of market testing activities in their regional executive units in England and Wales.

  The Inland Revenue proposes to market test typing services within the boundaries of its south-west regional executive office.

  Consultants
  Ms Mowlam
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to(a) Coopers and Lybrand management consultants, (b) Touche Ross management consultants, (c) Price Waterhouse management consultants, (d) Ernst and Young management consultants, (e) Chrichton Roberts Ltd., (f) KPMG management consultants and (g) Leopold Joseph management consultants, with the total cost of the contracts with each contractor, for (i) the past 12 months and (ii) 1991–92.

  Mr. Nelson
  The record of contracts awarded by the Treasury to the companies mentioned in the question is as follows:

  Company

  Coopers Lybrand

  1991–92

  1 Management Consultancy

  1992–93

  1 Audit Consultancy Total Value £153,000

  Cost overruns identified in NAO reports since November 1990

  Department

  NAO Report

  Publication Date

  HC Ref

  Reason for Cost Overrun

  Ministry of Agriculture

  MAFF: Management of Works Services

  17 February 1993

  HC 470

  Estimating procedures

  Customs and Excise

  Accommodation for HM Customs and Excise London Investigation Division Staff

  10 December 1990

  HC 101

  Cost of operational works

  676
  since 1981. The formula for calculating benefit deductions is not intended to represent any rate of return that could be obtained from investing capital.

  Company

  Touche Ross

  1991–92

  1 Market Testing Consultancy

  1992–93

  1 Management Consultancy Total Value £87,000

  Price Waterhouse

  1991–92

  3 Management Consultancies

  1992–93

  1 Management Consultancy Total Value £108,000

  Ernst and Young

  1991–92

  1 Management Consultancy

  1992–93

  3 Audit Consultancies

  3 Management Consultancies Total Value £219,000

  KPMG

  1991–92

  1 Management Consultancy

  1992–93

  1 Management Consultancy

  1 Training Consultancy Total Value £88.000

  Chrichton Roberts Ltd and Leopald Joseph management consultants have not been awarded any contracts during the 1991–92 or 1992–93 financial years.

  Because of the need to maintain commercially sensitive information, we have only shown the combined total value of contracts for each company for the two years in question.

  Departmental Costs
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the instances, by Government Department, when the National Audit Office, in reports published since November 1990, has identified cost overruns resulting from departmental inefficiencies.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Since November 1990, seven NAO reports on Government Departments have identified cost overruns. These reports are listed in the table, along with the reasons for the overruns.
  677

  Department

  NAO Report

  Publication Date

  HC Ref

  Reason for Cost Overrun

  FCO

  Report on Appropriation Account Class II Votes 1–4

  31 January 1991

  163.II

  Extra cost of consultants fees on IT projects

  MOD

  MOD: Collaborative Projects

  26 February 1991

  HC 247

  Overruns in some collaborative projects

  MOD

  MOD: Support Information Technology

  25 July 1991

  HC 644

  Project cost overruns

  MOD

  The 1991 Statement on Major Defence Projects

  17 July 1992

  HC 121

  Excess costs due to developmental difficulties

  Department of Transport

  Contracting for Roads

  4 November 1992

  HC 226

  Overruns caused by price increases, un-foreseen ground conditions and changes in departmental requirements

  Family Incomes
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) of 11 January,Official Report, column 546, if he will give similar information for an increase in the reduced rate band of income tax.

  Mr. Dorrell
  At 1993–94 levels of income and assuming indexation of allowances and thresholds, the full year cost of a 1p cut in the basic rate of tax is about £1·5 billion. This is equivalent to the cost of increasing the lower rate band width to £3,700. Under such a regime, a married man paying tax at least at the basic rate would be £1·54 per week better off when compared with indexation.

  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with children are estimated to have taxable income below the income tax threshold; and what proportion this represents of all families with children.

  Mr. Dorrell
  In 1992–93 it is estimated that 1·6 million single parents and married couples with children have no income tax liability. These represent just over a fifth of all families with children.

  Mortgage Tax Relief
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the saving if mortgage interest tax relief was limited to 25 per cent. of base rates.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The revenue yield from calculating mortgage interest relief in terms of 25 per cent. of interest charged at base rates rather than actual mortgage interest rates would be about £700 million at 1992–93 levels.

  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the increase in cost to the Treasury, in terms of mortgage interest tax relief, of each percentage increase in interest rates.

  Mr. Dorrell
  About £500 million at 1992–93 levels.

  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on revenues in 1993–94, and in a full year, of(a) increasing and (b) decreasing the limit for mortgage tax relief by (i) £1,000, (ii) £2,000 (iii) £5,000 and (iv) £10,000.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The estimated costs at 1992–93 levels of increasing or decreasing the limit for mortgage interest tax relief are shown in the table. The estimates are based on the distribution of existing mortgages and therefore exclude behavioural effects which might result.
  678
  The costs for 199394 will depend on the pattern of borrowing, the eligibility of borrowers for mortgage interest tax relief, tax rates and interest rates.

  Limit on size of loan

  Cost (yield) of from increasing (decreasing) the ceiling on mortgage interest tax relief at 1992–93 levels

  £

  £ million

  40,000

  600

  35,000

  400

  32,000

  200

  31,000

  100

  29,000

  (100)

  28,000

  (200)

  25,000

  (500)

  20,000

  (1,100)

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will provide a table showing the number of recipients of higher-rate mortgage interest tax relief for each year since 1979–80 in the United Kingdom by region;

  (2) if he will provide a table showing the number of recipients of mortgage interest tax relief for each year since 1979–80 in the United Kingdom by region;

  (3) what was the total value of providing higher-rate mortgage interest tax relief for each year since 1979–80 in the United Kingdom by region (a) at current prices and (b) at 1979–80 prices;

  (4) pursuant to his answer of 17 June 1992, Official Report, columns 537–38, to the hon. Member for Angus, East (Mr. Welsh), if he will (a) update the table with the latest information he has available on mortgage interest tax relief and (b) provide the information at both 1979–80 prices and cash prices.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 24 February 1993]: Information for the total of mortgage interest relief is in the tables. The regional distributions for 1979–80 to 1982–83 have been derived from the relevant surveys of personal incomes. However, following the introduction of mortgage interest relief at source—MIRAS—in April 1983, regional information cannot be extracted from Inland Revenue records. Broad estimates for the years 1983–84 to 1991–92 have accordingly been based on analyses of the family expenditure surveys for the years concerned.

  Reliable estimates of the value of and the number of recipients of higher rate mortgage interest tax relief by region are not readily available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
  679

  Cost of mortgage interest relief2

  £ million

  1979–80

  1980–81

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–922 3

  1992–932

  Northern

  60

  80

  70

  95

  100

  140

  180

  200

  210

  250

  310

  350

  310

  230

  Yorkshire

  110

  155

  150

  160

  210

  260

  340

  350

  360

  370

  460

  510

  450

  340

  North West

  135

  200

  180

  215

  260

  330

  440

  490

  510

  530

  690

  770

  640

  500

  East Midlands

  85

  115

  110

  130

  180

  230

  300

  320

  330

  340

  430

  480

  410

  340

  West Midlands

  145

  160

  190

  170

  230

  280

  370

  350

  360

  430

  550

  620

  510

  400

  East Anglia

  45

  50

  60

  75

  90

  130

  170

  170

  180

  220

  270

  300

  250

  180

  Greater London

  235

  280

  290

  260

  400

  500

  670

  620

  650

  780

  980

  110

  710

  740

  Other South East

  375

  555

  600

  650

  740

  950

  1,270

  1,220

  1,260

  1,350

  1,750

  1,940

  1.510

  1,390

  South West

  110

  140

  170

  140

  230

  300

  400

  380

  400

  520

  660

  730

  570

  480

  England

  1,300

  1.735

  1,820

  1,900

  2,440

  3,120

  4,140

  4,100

  4,260

  4,790

  6,100

  6,800

  5,360

  4,600

  Wales

  45

  65

  80

  80

  110

  150

  200

  210

  220

  180

  240

  270

  230

  190

  Scotland

  85

  125

  120

  140

  190

  260

  350

  300

  310

  370

  470

  530

  420

  340

  Northern Ireland

  20

  35

  30

  30

  40

  50

  60

  60

  60

  60

  90

  100

  90

  70

  United Kingdom

  1,450

  1.960

  2,050

  2,150

  2,780

  3,580

  4,750

  4,670

  4,850

  5,400

  6,900

  7,700

  6,100

  5,200

  1 Excludes option mortgage scheme (1979–80 to 1983–84).

  2 Provisional.

  3 Higher rate relief was abolished in 1991–92.

  Cost of mortgage interest relief at 1979–80 prices1

  £million

  1979–80

  1980–81

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–922 3

  1992–932

  Northern

  60

  70

  50

  60

  60

  70

  100

  110

  110

  120

  150

  150

  120

  90

  Yorkshire

  110

  130

  110

  110

  130

  140

  200

  190

  190

  190

  220

  220

  180

  130

  North West

  135

  170

  130

  140

  160

  180

  250

  260

  260

  270

  320

  340

  260

  190

  East Midlands

  85

  100

  80

  90

  110

  120

  170

  170

  170

  170

  200

  210

  160

  130

  West Midlands

  145

  140

  140

  110

  140

  150

  210

  190

  190

  220

  260

  270

  200

  150

  East Anglia

  45

  40

  40

  50

  60

  70

  110

  90

  90

  100

  130

  130

  100

  70

  Greater London

  235

  240

  220

  170

  250

  270

  380

  340

  340

  390

  460

  480

  280

  280

  Other South East

  375

  470

  450

  430

  470

  510

  720

  660

  660

  680

  820

  850

  600

  530

  South West

  110

  120

  130

  100

  150

  160

  230

  210

  210

  260

  310

  320

  230

  190

  England

  1,300

  1,480

  1,350

  1,260

  1,530

  1,670

  2,360

  2,220

  2,220

  2,410

  2,870

  2,970

  2.130

  1,760

  Wales

  45

  60

  60

  50

  70

  80

  110

  120

  120

  90

  110

  120

  90

  70

  Scotland

  85

  110

  90

  90

  120

  140

  200

  160

  160

  180

  220

  230

  170

  130

  Northern Ireland

  20

  30

  20

  20

  20

  20

  40

  30

  30

  30

  40

  40

  40

  30

  United Kingdom

  1,450

  1,680

  1,520

  1,420

  1,740

  1,910

  2,710

  2,530

  2,530

  2,710

  3,240

  3,360

  2,430

  1,990

  1 Excludes option mortgage scheme (1979–80 to 1983–84).

  2 Provisional.

  3 Higher rate relief was abolished in 1991–92.

  Number of mortgagors1

  Thousands

  1979–80

  1980–81

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–922 3

  1992–932

  Northern

  280

  280

  290

  310

  380

  390

  410

  420

  440

  520

  540

  550

  560

  560

  Yorkshire

  580

  570

  560

  560

  680

  700

  730

  740

  770

  770

  780

  800

  800

  780

  North West

  730

  730

  720

  750

  900

  940

  970

  1,000

  1,040

  1,110

  1,140

  1,160

  1,180

  1,130

  East Midlands

  380

  380

  420

  450

  560

  590

  610

  650

  680

  660

  670

  680

  690

  750

  West Midlands

  610

  540

  530

  510

  630

  660

  690

  730

  750

  860

  870

  890

  890

  870

  East Anglia

  190

  160

  180

  210

  260

  270

  280

  310

  320

  350

  360

  370

  370

  370

  Greater London

  750

  720

  660

  620

  770

  800

  840

  900

  930

  1,010

  1,020

  1.040

  1,050

  1,020

  Other South East

  1,320

  1,410

  1,420

  1,560

  1,850

  1,870

  1,910

  1,910

  1,980

  1,930

  1,970

  2,020

  2,040

  2,130

  South West

  410

  400

  420

  440

  560

  610

  650

  730

  750

  840

  850

  870

  880

  870

  England

  5,250

  5,190

  5,200

  5,410

  6,590

  6,830

  7,090

  7,390

  7,660

  8,050

  8,200

  8,380

  8,460

  8,480

  Wales

  230

  230

  240

  270

  350

  370

  390

  420

  430

  390

  400

  410

  410

  440

  Scotland

  320

  340

  320

  360

  450

  480

  500

  520

  540

  640

  660

  670

  680

  700

  Northern Ireland

  90

  100

  90

  90

  110

  120

  120

  120

  120

  120

  140

  140

  150

  180

  United Kingdom

  5,890

  5,860

  5,850

  6,130

  7,500

  7,800

  8,100

  8,450

  8,750

  9,200

  9,400

  9,600

  9,700

  9,800

  1 Excludes option mortgage scheme (1979–80 to 1983–84).

  2 Provisional.

  3 Higher rate relief was abolished in 1991–92.

  Ms Harman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the most recent figures for the number of non-taxpayers who are claiming mortgage interest relief at source, in the United Kingdom; and how much this is costing the Exchequer.

  Mr. Dorrell
  MIRAS is available on all qualifying mortgages regardless of the tax status of the mortgagor. A tentative estimate, based on the 1991 family expenditure 680
  survey, is that there are about 1 million non-taxpayers receiving mortgage interest relief at source in 1992–93 at a cost of some £360 million.

  Income Tax
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers pay income tax at the rate of 20 per cent. only; and what is their average(a) gross and (b) taxable income.
  681
  Mr. Dorrell
  Latest estimates for 1992–93 indicate that about 4·4 million taxpayers pay income tax only at the lower rate of 20 per cent. Their average gross income is £5,400 and their average taxable income is £930.

  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue yield from non-indexation of the basic rate limit for income tax in 1993–94 and in a full year; and what would be the increase in the lower rate band which could be financed by this amount.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Compared with 2·6 per cent. indexation, the yield would be about £110 million in 1993–94, £180 million in a full year. For an equivalent cost in a full year the lower rate band could be increased by about £200.

  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence he has from local tax offices of employers not operating PAYE systems properly and failing to take into account the lower rate band of income tax when calculating tax deductions; and what has been done to rectify this situation.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Inland Revenue became aware during the first half of the 1992–93 financial year that not all employers were taking the lower rate band into account in operating PAYE. In October 1992, local tax offices were advised on how to help these employers apply the tax tables correctly. These efforts have been reinforced by national press coverage of the topic in December 1992 following a local tax office initiative.

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue yield in 1993–94 and in a full year of(a) raising the rate of VAT by 1 per cent. and (b) extending VAT to (i) children's clothing and footwear, (ii) food, (iii) domestic fuel, (iv) fares, (v) domestic construction, (vi) books, (vii) newspapers, (viii) other zero-rated supplies and (ix) all zero-rated supplies.

  Sir John Cope
  Table 5·8 in the 1992 "Autumn Statement" shows an estimate that a one percentage point increase in the rate of VAT would produce a yield of £1,675 million in 1993–94 and £2,350 million in the full year of 1994–95. The statistical supplement to the 1992 "Autumn Statement" shows the estimated cost in 1992–93 in terms of forgone revenue from zero-rating various goods and services.

  The figures are as follows:—

  £million

  Children's clothing and footwear

  600

  Food

  7,000

  Domestic fuel

  2,600

  Domestic passenger transport

  1,100

  International passenger transport

  800

  Domestic construction

  1,800

  Books, newspapers, magazines

  1,100

  Water and sewerage services

  700

  Drugs and medicines on prescription

  500

  Supplies to charities

  200

  Ships and aircraft above a certain size

  500

  682
  These figures make no allowance for the likely behavioural response to applying the standard rate of VAT to these items so the actual yield would probably be less than these figures suggest.

  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimates have been made of the impact of (i) 5 per cent. and (ii) 17½ per cent. VAT on air travel on(a) fare levels, (b) the number of passenger journeys, (c) the transfer of traffic to private road vehicles and (d) road congestion;

  (2) what estimates have been made of the effect of 5 per cent. and 17½ per cent. VAT on road passenger transport on (a) fare levels, (b) concessionary fare levels, (c) the number of passenger journeys, (d) the transfer of traffic to private road vehicles and (e) increased road congestion;

  (3) what estimates have been made of the effect of 5 per cent. and 17½ per cent. VAT on rail travel on (a) fare levels, (b) concessionary fare levels, (c) the number of passenger journeys, (d) the amount of freight transported, (e) the transfer of traffic to private road vehicles and (f) increased road congestion.

  Sir John Cope
  A positive rate of VAT on public passenger transport would lead to higher fares and some reduction in traffic and some diversion to private road vehicles. All of these impacts would, however, depend in particular upon the individual degree of competition on routes, and numerical estimates are not available. Freight traffic already bears VAT.

  Child Care
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on revenues in 1993–94 and in a full year of extending the income tax exemption for workplace nurseries as a benefit in kind to(a) child care cheques and vouchers and (b) other employer-assistance with child care; and what the effects would be if relief were limited to the basic rate.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The available information is given in my reply to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman) on 20 January 1993, at column 260. The effect at 1992–93 levels of limiting the relief to the basic rate would be minimal.

  Taxpayers
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number and percentage of adults who pay income tax broken down by(a) sex, (b) marital status and (c) whether they are over or under pension age, giving for each group the numbers whose highest marginal tax rate is (i) 40 per cent., (ii) 25 per cent. and (iii) 20 per cent.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Latest estimates of taxpayer numbers in 1992–93 based on a projection of the 1990–91 survey of personal incomes are shown in the table. Available estimates are in terms of age below or above 65 rather than pension age.
  683

  1992–93 taxpayers

  Male

  Female

  All taxpayers

  Single

  Married

  Single

  Married

  Aged under 65

  Aged 65 and over

  Aged under 65

  Aged 65 and over

  Aged under 65

  Aged 65 and over

  Aged under 65

  Aged 65 and over

  '000

  '000

  '000

  '000

  '000

  '000

  '000

  '000

  '000

  Lower rate taxpayers

  720

  200

  640

  300

  800

  380

  1,100

  280

  4,400

  Basic rate taxpayers

  4,200

  260

  6,400

  640

  2,700

  490

  3,800

  260

  18,700

  Higher rate taxpayers

  240

  20

  1,100

  60

  90

  30

  100

  20

  1,700

  All taxpayers

  5,200

  480

  8,200

  1,000

  3,600

  900

  5,000

  550

  24,800

  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost in 1993–94 and in a full year of increasing the lower rate band by(a) £100, (b) £500, and (c) £1,000; and how many additional taxpayers would face a top marginal rate of income tax of 20 per cent. as a result, giving figures separately for men and women.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Estimated costs compared with 2·6 per cent. indexation of the 1992–93 allowances and thresholds, are in the table.

  Increase in the lower rate band

  Revenue cost in 1993–94

  Revenue cost in a full year

  Additional numbers of taxpayers with a marginal rate of 20 per cent.

  £

  £million

  £million

  Males (000s)

  Females (000s)

  100

  80

  100

  110

  90

  500

  390

  490

  440

  470

  1,000

  760

  960

  950

  860

  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the tax liabilities of taxpayers in 1992–93 in the income ranges(a) including and (b) excluding the effects of changes in national insurance contributions (i) under £5,000, (ii) £5,000 to £10,000, (iii) £10,000 to £15,000, (iv) £15,000 to £20,000, (v) £20,000 to £25,000, (vi) £25,000 to £30,000, (vii) £30,000 to £40,000, (viii) £40,000 to £50,000, (ix) £50,000 to £70,000, (x) over £70,000 and (xi) over £100,000, compared with what their liability would be under the indexed 1987–88 income tax regime.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Latest estimates of the average reductions in income tax liability resulting from the changes in tax rates, allowances and thresholds are in the table. The 1987–88 income tax regime has been indexed to 1992–93 levels by reference to the statutory formula and allowing for independent taxation.

  Average change in 1992–93 compared with 1987–88 indexed regime (£)

  Range of individuals income in 1992–93 (£)

  Income tax

  Income tax and National Insurance

  Under 5,000

  80

  90

  5,000–10,000

  190

  250

  10,000–15,000

  260

  400

  15,000–20,000

  340

  490

  20,000–25,000

  430

  570

  25,000–30,000

  510

  630

  30,000–40,000

  370

  480

  40,000–50,000

  730

  840

  50,000–70,000

  2,150

  2,240

  70,000–80,000

  4,840

  4,920

  Over 80,000

  18,900

  18,900

  Average

  400

  480

  684
  I regret that a reliable analysis of taxpayers with incomes over £100,000 is not available.

  For the purpose of the calculations the indexed regime of 1987–88 has been applied directly to the income base of 1992–93. In practice, retention of the 1987–88 regime, indexed as appropriate, for the intervening years would have led to changes in the income base.

  Tax Exempt Special Savings Accounts
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evidence he has of the effect of the introduction of TESSAs on savings.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Nearly 3·5 million people have invested more than £12 billion in TESSAs. TESSA has quickly become established as an important way of encouraging medium-term savings.

  Tax Exemption
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people in the income groups of individual's income(a) below £5,000, (b) from £5,000 to £10,000, (c) from £10,000 to £15,000, (d) from 15,000 to £20,000, (e) from £20,000 to £25,000, (f) from £25,000 to £30,000, (g) from £30,000 to £40,000, (h) from £40,000 to £50,000, (i) from £50,000 to £60,000, (j) from £60,000 to £70,000 and (k) over £70,000, received tax relief on profit-related pay schemes in the latest year for which figures are available; what proportion this represents of the total number of people in each income group; and what was the average tax relief of people with profit-related pay within each income group;

  (2) how many people in the income groups of individual's income (a) below £5,000, (b) from £5,000 to £10,000, (c) from £10,000 to £15,000, (d) from 15,000 to £20,000, (e) from £20,000 to £25,000, (f) from £25,000 to £30,000, (g) from £30,000 to £40,000, (h) from £40,000 to £50,000, (i) from £50,000 to £60,000, (j) from £60,000 to £70,000 and (k) over £70,000, benefited from inheritance tax exemption in the latest year for which figures are available; what proportion this represents of the total number of people in each income group; what was the average exemption within each income group; and what was the cost to the Treasury of inheritance tax exemption in each income group;

  (3) how many people in the income groups of individual's income (a) below £5,000, (b) from £5,000 to £10,000, (c) from £10,000 to £15,000, (d) from 15,000 to £20,000, (e) from £20,000 to £25,000, (f) from £25,000 to £30,000, (g) from £30,000 to £40,000, (h) from £40,000 to £50,000, (i) from £50,000 to £60,000, (j) from £60,000 to £70,000 and (k) over £70,000, took out personal equity plans in the latest year for which figures are available;

  685
  what proportion this represents of the total number of people in each income group; and what was the average tax relief on PEPs, within each income group;

  (4) how many people in the income groups of individual's income (a) below £5,000, (b) from £5,000 to £10,000, (c) from £10,000 to £15,000, (d) from 15,000 to £20,000, (e) from £20,000 to £25,000, (f) from £25,000 to £30,000, (g) from £30,000 to £40,000, (h) from £40.000 to £50,000, (i) from £50,000 to £60,000, (j) from £60,000 to £70,000 and (k) over £70,000, benefited from capital gains tax exemption in the latest year for which figures are available; what proportion this represents of the total number of people in each income group; what was the average exemption within each income group; and what was the cost to the Treasury of capital gains tax exemption in each income group.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I regret that the information requested is not available.

  Retail Prices Index
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the impact on 1992–93 on the retail prices index of raising £1 billion from(a) tobacco products, (b) beer, (c) wine and spirits, (d) petrol, (e) VAT and (f) vehicle excise duty.

  Sir John Cope
  The necessary changes in the rate of duty or VAT have been calculated on the basis of figures published in table 5.8 of the 1992 "Autumn Statement. "The estimated impact effects are as follows, assuming the full tax increases are passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices:

  Per cent. change in duty

  RPI impact effect per cent.

  Tobacco

  18·9

  0·45

  Beer

  49·3

  0·40

  Wine and Spirits

  73·2

  0·93

  Petrol

  11·4

  0·23

  VED

  31·0

  0·26

  VAT, percentage point increase

  0·6

  0·27

  Some of the additional tax burden may fall on businesses, in particular any increase in petrol duty. If businesses pass this cost on to consumers in the form of higher prices, the long run effect on the RPI may be greater than indicated.

  Tobacco
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total income in the form of duties or tax received by the Exchequer from the sale of tobacco and tobacco products during each year since 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Cope
  The following is the available information: —
  686

  Tobacco Duly Receipts

  Estimates of VAT on Tobacco Expenditure

  £ million

  £ million

  1989–90

  5,035

  1,070

  1990–91

  5,636

  1,160

  1991–92

  6,290

  1,490

  Taxes and Excise Duties
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update the information given in tables 5·2, 5·3, 5·4, 5·5, 5·6, 5·7 and 5·8 of the autumn statement 1992 on the basis of the December retail prices index.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Updated figures for 1993–94 on the basis of an indexation factor of 2·6 per cent. are given in the tables. Tables 5·6 and 5·8 showing illustrative changes in taxes are unaffected by the change in the indexation factor. A correction to the figures published in table 5·6 of the "Autumn Statement" was given in answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 16 February 1993,Official Report, column 122.

  Table 5—Income Tax

  1992–93 £

  1993–94 £

  Personal allowance

  3,445

  3,535

  Personal allowance (age 65 to 74)

  4,200

  4,310

  Personal allowance (age 75 and over)

  4,370

  4,490

  Married couple's allowance

  1,720

  1,770

  Married couple's allowance (age 65 to 74)

  2,465

  2,535

  Married couple's allowance (age 75 and over)

  2,505

  2,575

  Additional personal1 and widow's bereavement allowance

  1,720

  1,770

  Aged income limit2

  14,200

  14,600

  Lower rate band

  2,000

  2,100

  Basic rate limit3

  23,700

  24,400

  1 Primarily for single parents.

  2 If the total income, less allowable deductions, of a taxpayer aged 65 or over exceeds this limit, the age-related allowances are reduced by £1 for each additional £2 of income until the basic levels of the personal and married couple's allowances are reached.

  3 Higher rate income tax is payable on income (less allowances and those reliefs which are allowed at the higher rate) in excess of the basic rate limit.

  Table 5.3—Inheritance tax

  1992–93 £'000

  1993–94 £'000

  Threshold

  150

  154

  Table 5—Capital gains tax

  1992–93 £

  19993–94 £

  Annual exempt amount:

  Individuals

  5,800

  6,000

  Trusts

  2,900

  3,000

  687

  Table 5.5—Costs of indexation for 1993–94

  1993–94 £ million

  1994–95 £ million

  Indexation of income tax allowances lower rate band and basic rate limit1

  750

  1,000

  Of which:

  Increases in allowances

  560

  720

  Increase in lower rate band2

  80

  100

  Increase in the basic rate limit2

  110

  180

  Table 5

  Direct Effects of Revalorising all Excise Duties1

  £ million yield2

  Typical item

  Current level of duty on typical items

  Price change3

  1993–94

  1994–95

  Total4

  600

  675

  —

  0·19 per cent.

  Of which:

  Beer and cider

  55

  70

  Pint of beer

  23·3p

  0·7p

  Wine

  10

  15

  75 cl bottle of table wine

  94·5p

  2·9p

  Spirits

  20

  20

  70 cl bottle

  £5·55

  17·1p

  Tobacco6

  130

  150

  20 king size

  £1 36

  3·6p

  Petrol

  215

  240

  Litre of unleaded

  23·4p

  0·7p

  Derv

  70

  70

  Litre

  22·9p

  0·7p

  VED7

  80

  85

  Cars and light vans

  £110·00

  £2·86

  1 These are estimated on the assumption that total consumers1 expenditure at factor cost does not change.

  2 Assuming implementation on 1 April 1993.

  3 The price change is assumed to equal the change in duty plus the consequential change in VAT except in the case of VED where VAT is not payable. The price change is for the typical item described above the rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a pence.

  4 Includes receipts from tax on items not listed below.

  5 Impact effect on the RPI.

  6 The duty on cigarettes has ad valorem and specific elements; revalorisation and the illustrative percentage change relate only to the specific element, but the price change includes the consequential increase in ad valorem duty and VAT.

  7 All VED, including HGVs as well as cars and light vans.

TRANSPORT

  Rail Investment
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the annual investment in the existing railway including track renewals, for each year since 1963, and the equivalent figure proposed by his Department for 1993–94.

  Mr. Freeman
  Figures for expenditure on track renewals are not readily available prior to 1979. Figures for investment in the existing railway including track renewals and rolling stock after 1979 are in the following table. BR's initial estimate for investment in the existing railway in 1993–94 is around £550 million. The latest forecast of the outturn for 1992–93 is £1,058 million. A further £150 million has been provided for future rolling stock leases.

  £ million cash

  1979

  367

  1980

  431

  1981

  409

  1982

  378

  1983

  439

  1984–85

  557

  1985–86

  550

  1986–87

  530

  1987–88

  631

  1988–89

  695

  1989–90

  864

  1990–91

  836

  1991–92

  1,032

  688

  199–94 £ million

  1994–95 £ million

  Indexation of inheritance tax threshold

  10

  25

  Indexation of capital gains exempt amount

  0

  5

  1 Cost includes the consequential effects on capital gains tax.

  2 Additional cost after previous change has been introduced.

  Notes:

  1. Figures exclude changes in advance payments on rolling stock orders.

  2. Figures for 1979 and 1980 exclude ships, harbours, hovercraft and hotels.

  Rail Privatisation
  Ms Janet Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the regulator will have powers to require private rail operators, following the privatisation of British Rail, to provide common discount facilities for pensioners; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  Yes, if he considers it requisite or expedient having regard to his general duties under clause 4 of the Railways Bill. But private operators will be under strong commercial incentives to offer discount facilities to attract customers.

  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the pension arrangements for employees of South Yorkshire Transport if the sale to the private sector takes place after 30 June.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have had no recent communications from the South Yorkshire passenger transport authority, but I hope that it will sell South Yorkshire Transport Ltd. before 30 June.

  MV Braer
  Mr. Hague
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further progress has been made with regard to interim measures following the MV Braer incident.
  689
  Mr. MacGregor
  A paper was submitted to the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation yesterday for consideration at the maritime safety committee meeting in May. The paper contained details of a number of interim measures to protect the United Kingdom coast from accidental pollution. The measures include a voluntary code for laden tankers that the industry has undertaken to develop by mid-March. The code will stress the importance of:

  Passage Planning

  Compliance with internationally agreed routeing schemes

  Voluntary reporting arrangements in specified areas

  Advising coastal states if a vessel is experiencing difficulties which could lead to pollution

  The maintenance of appropriate margins of safety in case of ship breakdown

  Testing essential systems

  Satisfactory towing arrangements on tankers

  The right of masters to exercise their discretion in particular circumstances

  The paper also sets out routeing measures that are under active consideration. These measures include:

  An extended area to be avoided around the Shetland Islands

  A Traffic Separation Scheme in the Fair Isle Channel and recommendations on tanker navigation in the following locations:

  Pentland Firth

  Minch

  North Channel

  Off Smalls and Grassholme Island

  Off Scilly Islands

  Needles Channel

  Firth of Forth

  We will ensure that all those affected by these measures will be fully consulted before the maritime safety committee meets in May. Copies of the paper are in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Shipping
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a table showing the size in tonnes of the maritime fleet owned and registered in the United Kingdom in 1979 and that for the latest period for which figures are available; what information he has about the corresponding trend in other major European fleets over the same period: and what recent discussions have taken place with the European Commission and in the Council of Ministers regarding likely future developments, including the subject of aid to fleets.

  Mr. Norris
  The total deadweight tonnage of the trading fleet owned and registered in the United Kingdom fell from 39.3 million tonnes at mid-1979 to 5·6 million tonnes at the end of 1992.

  The deadweight tonnage on the principal mainland European registries, irrespective of ownership, at mid-1979 and at the end of 1992 were as follows:

  Deadweight

  (million tonnes)

  Mid-1979

  End-1992

  United Kingdom1

  44·3

  6·4

  Denmark

  8·9

  6·8

  France

  20·6

  5·6

  Germany2

  13·5

  6·3

  Greece

  63·3

  46·8

  Italy

  19·0

  10·1

  Netherlands

  8·2

  4·6

  Spain

  13·6

  4·0

  690

  Mid-1979

  End-1992

  Cyprus

  3·4

  36·7

  Malta

  0·1

  18·5

  Norway

  39·1

  37·7

  Poland

  4·8

  4·1

  Romania

  2·5

  4·2

  Sweden

  7·4

  3·4

  Yugoslavia

  3·6

  n/a

  1 Includes the Channel Islands and owned by non UK residents.

  2 The end-1992 figure for Germany includes the fleet of the former German Democratic Republic.

  On future developments, the December Transport Council endorsed our presidency paper on positive measures to improve the competitiveness of Community fleets, which have all reduced in size. Particular points stressed were that there should be flexibility on manning requirements and that the Commission should bring forward proposals for a number of non-financial measures, including the enforcement of maritime safety standards to avoid Community shipowners being at a competitive disadvantage with sub-standard shipping from third countries.

  During our presidency, we argued strongly for the curbing of state aids in discussion with the Commission and in the Council of Ministers, and the Commission's recent White Paper, "The Future Development of the Common Transport Policy", confirmed that state aids should not be permitted to distort competition and compromise the establishment of a level playing field. We shall continue to press for the adoption of measures to even out the terms of competition within the Community.

  Kent Coast Line
  Mr. Gale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assurances he has been given that an order for new rolling stock to serve the Kent coast line, based upon existing available funding and the Networker design, would be commercially viable; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what discussions he has had with British Rail concerning its failure to place an order for new Networker trains to serve the Kent coast line.

  Mr. Freeman
  My right hon. Friend and I have asked British Rail to tell me by Easter what rolling stock it wishes to lease using the £150 million leasing facility announced at the time of the autumn statement, and for which routes. New Networker rolling stock for Kent coast is one of the options. We expect BR to inform us of the commercial implications of its chosen option.

  Driving Licences
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if applications for driving licences for people age 70 years or over are divulged to commercial organisations.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  No personal information about applicants of any age is given to commercial organisations.

  Greater Manchester Buses Ltd.
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport following his direction under section 61 of the Transport Act 1985 to Greater Manchester Buses Ltd., what
  691
  assessment he has made of whether the EC acquired rights directive will apply, upon disposal, in respect of pension rights.

  Mr. Freeman
  Pension rights are being fully discussed between my Department, the Department of the Environment and the Greater Manchester passenger transport authority.

  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what protection of employees' pension rights he intends to introduce on the disposal of Greater Manchester Buses Ltd. following his direction under section 61 of the Transport Act 1985.

  Mr. Freeman
  I am having constructive talks with the Greater Manchester passenger transport authority.

  Twyford Down (Private Detectives)
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance was issued by his Department to Bray's Detective Agency (Southampton) Ltd. in relation to their investigation of protesters at Twyford Down, Hampshire; what monitoring of the activities of the firm was carried out by his Department to ensure such guidance was adhered to; and if he will place a copy of such guidance in the Library.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 22 February 1993]: Bray's Detective Agency (Southampton) Ltd. was appointed to serve papers on people who have trespassed on departmental land and to photograph trespassers. It was not considered necessary to issue guidance for the execution of these tasks.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations took place between his Department and its contractors on the Twyford Down project over the hiring of a private security firm and over the deployment of this firm on 9 December 1992.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 22 February 1993]: Site security is the responsibility of the contractor. In this case, the contractors consulted the Department before employing an experienced security firm to protect the site from intrusion by trespassers.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to reply to the letter sent to him on 21 January by the hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen, regarding the use of private detective agencies and private security guards at Twyford Down, Hampshire.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 22 February 1993]: Soon.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines have been established by his Department(a) for the use of private security firms on his Department's land and (b) for use when considering whether to employ private detectives; and if he will place a copy of the guidelines in the Library.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 22 February 1993]: Private security firms and detectives are used infrequently. No guidelines have been established.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is the total sum of moneys paid to 692
  Bray's Detective Agency (Southampton) Ltd. by his Department since February 1992; and if he will place a copy of its contract of employment in the Library;

  (2) what was the method of appointment used in the selection of Bray's Detective Agency (Southampton) Ltd.; and what criteria were used in the selection.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 22 February 1993]: The agency was appointed on the recommendation of the engineer. No formal contract was made. To date, the agency has been paid approximately £7,000.

  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what considerations underlay his decisions to forbid Group 4 Security Ltd. from making a statement to the television programme "Dispatches" in relation to its employment by his Department at Twyford Down; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  I took the view that as overall responsibility for the M3 scheme rests with my right hon. Friend, I should issue a single statement to the makers of the "Dispatches" television programme about the action taken to progress this scheme.

  Submarine Monitoring Scheme
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the policy of HM Coastguard in respect of the current operation of the subfacts scheme.

  Mr. Norris
  [holding answer 23 February 1993]: HM coastguard supports the agreement between the Ministry of Defence and the fishing industry that information on the areas where dived submarines are active should be provided for the benefit of fishermen.

  Recent discussions have been held with Ministry of Defence officials to consider the options available for transmitting subfacts information. Proposals are awaited from the MOD as to the best way forward.

  Vehicle Testing Centres
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to be reporting on the results of his consultation on the future of vehicle testing centres.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. McAllion) on 10 February,Official Report), column 659.

  Unleaded Fuel
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest figures for(a) how many and (b) what proportion of (i) new cars use unleaded fuel and (ii) car owners have converted their cars to unleaded fuel, and what proportion this is of cars that can be converted, (iii) new cars have a catalytic converter and (iv) car owners have a catalytic converter fitted.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  All new petrol-engined cars manufactured since 1 October 1990 have had to be capable of running on unleaded petrol, deliveries of which in November 1992 amounted to 49·2 per cent. of the total figure of 1,925,987 tonnes for deliveries of motor spirit. The number and proportion of older cars adapted to use unleaded is unknown. Since 31 December 1992 virtually all
  693
  new petrol-engined cars have been fitted with catalysts; and of the total car fleet of some 22·9 million vehicles, the proportion fitted with these devices is currently about 5 per cent.

  A1 Motorway
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 19 February,Official Report, column 385, if he will publish a breakdown of the operational costs of the proposed A 1 motorway between Redhouse and Hook Moor.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The first year operational costs of £80 million in respect of the announced preferred route for this scheme is broken down as follows:

  Costs

  £ millions

  (i)time

  25·136

  (ii)fuel

  12·106

  (iii)other vehicle costs such as depreciation and maintenance

  41·948

  (iv)routine maintenance such as sign replacement, drainage renovation and condition inspections

  0·314

  Total

  179·504

  1 (rounded to £80 million).

  Company Cars
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cars were registered for ownership in a company's name in each year since 1973–74; and what estimate he has of the number of people who had such cars in each year.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Information on the registration of cars under a company name is not available before 1976. For the years since 1976 the figures for Great Britain are as shown in the table.

  Cars registered for the first time

  (000)

  Percentage of all cars registered in year

  1976

  500

  39

  1977

  580

  44

  1978

  660

  42

  1979

  770

  45

  1980

  630

  42

  1981

  600

  40

  1982

  640

  40

  1983

  710

  39

  1984

  740

  42

  1985

  830

  45

  1986

  860

  46

  1987

  970

  48

  1988

  1,130

  51

  1989

  1,180

  51

  1990

  1,050

  52

  1991

  830

  52

  1992

  830

  52

  Regular statistics on the number of employees in the United Kingdom taxed on the private use of a company car were not collected by the Inland Revenue before 1978–79. The available figures from 1978–79 onwards are shown in the table.
  694

  (000)

  1978–79

  550

  1980–81

  650

  1981–82

  800

  1983–84

  850

  1985–86

  1,050

  1987–88

  1,550

  1988–89

  1,750

  1989–90

  1,850

  1990–91

  1,950

  1991–92

  1,900

  1992–93

  1,850

  These figures do not include self-employed people who use their cars for business purposes. It is estimated that in recent years there have been some 2 million people in this category.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Leyland DAF
  Mr. Bell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if it is his intention to intervene on behalf of Leyland DAF.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  The European Commission recently approved assistance by the Italian Government to Fiat for capital investment in an assisted area of Italy. There is currently no equivalent proposal in respect of Leyland DAF.

  Bicycles
  Mr. Bell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make proposals to redress the imbalance in the General agreement on tariffs and trade agreement between the reduction of duty on imports of complete bicycles and that on components.

  Mr. Needham
  No agreement has yet been finalised in the GATT Uruguay round table negotiations. The latest EC proposal for reduction in the Community's common external tariff, tabled in December 1992, offers no reduction in the current 17 per cent. duty on complete bicycles, but reduces that on components from 8 to 5·5 per cent. In making this revised offer, the EC has stated that it is ready to improve it in further negotiations. The United Kingdom will continue to work for a result which includes the greatest possible reduction in the EC tariff on bicycle components.

  Offshore Oil and Gas
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade which aspects of development proposals for smaller oil and gas fields will be subject to less rigorous assessment by his Department's officials.

  Mr. Eggar
  We plan, as recommended in the scrutiny that I published on 22 October 1992, to identify a threshold below which the Department would normally expect to give less rigorous scrutiny to questions of reservoir potential in considering field development applications. Applications would, however, have to satisfy the full range of requirements and obligations placed on oil and gas producers.

  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the categories of information which will no longer be required from oil companies by his Department
  695
  as a result of the change in regulations on oil and gas field development announced by the Minister for Energy on 22 October 1992.

  Mr. Eggar
  My Department is implementing the recommendations of the scrutiny that I published on 22 October and we plan to issue comprehensive new guidelines in June 1993. As far as information is concerned, we are reducing monitoring of production from fields already on stream and it is our intention to reduce information accompanying field development applications to the minimum needed to assess acceptability and compliance with relevant obligations. We have already made clear our preparedness, as recommended in the scrutiny, to receive information in the latter category in the companies' own format.

  Faraday Centres
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are his current plans for the future of the Faraday centres programme; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Leigh
  My Department has consulted widely on the needs of industry which could be met by a series of "Faraday centres" as proposed by HRH the Prince of Wales's working group on innovation. I have concluded that a strong case for the establishment of Faraday centres does not exist but that the principles underlying the Faraday proposals should be taken forward as part of developing science and technology policy.

  The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology has reached similar conclusions and I refer the hon. Gentleman to my Department's evidence to this Committee published on 20 January 1993—HMSO: HL50.

  Export Reinsurance
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many companies, by sector, have been in receipt of export reinsurance from the Export Credits Guarantee Department since December 1991;

  (2) how much of Export Credits Guarantee Department expenditure on export reinsurance, since December 1991, went to oil and gas and related companies; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) if he will give details of Export Credits Guarantee Department expenditure on export reinsurance since December 1991; if he will break this information down by sector; and if he will make a statement;

  (4) what assessment he has made of the impact of the discontinuation of the Export Credits Guarantee Department's reinsurance provision in 1994 for oil and gas and related industry; and if he will make a statement;

  (5) what assessments he has made of the impact of Export Credits Guarantee Department export reinsurance expenditure on the volume and value of United Kingdom exports by sector; and if he will make a statement;

  (6) what assessment he has made of the impact of the discontinuation of the Export Credits Guarantee Department's reinsurance provision in 1994 for United Kingdom exports and exporters, by sector; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 February,Official Report, column 672.
  696
  Reinsurance is provided only to the privatised successor of ECGD's insurance services group on a global basis and it is not possible to provide a breakdown between the risks, goods, trade, sector or geographical location of the exporters ultimately benefiting.

  No expenditure in respect of reinsurance claims has been incurred to date.

  BCCI
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total cost of Touche Ross, in conducting the BCCI receivership from the date of its appointment to 31 December 1992.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The aggregate fees and expenses of the liquidators in relation to the various insolvency proceedings in Luxembourg, England, Scotland and the Isle of Man as agreed by the courts in the relevant jurisdictions totalled US$154 million as at 13 January 1993.

  Service Charges
  Mrs. Browning
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what response he intends to make to the report of the sub-committee of the monitoring committee on misleading price indications on service charges in restaurants and hotels.

  Mr. Leigh
  A committee to monitor and review the operation of the regime established under part III of the Consumer Protection Act 1987 was set up by my hon. Friend for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Forth) when he was Minister for Consumer Affairs.

  The committee referred the question of service charges in hotels and restaurants to a sub-committee drawn from the interests concerned. The sub-committee completed its report, which was endorsed by the main committee, last June.

  My hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Consumer Affairs and Small Firms has considered the recommendations in the report most carefully, but she is not convinced that further legislation would make an effective contribution to solving the problems which can arise over payment for service. She has therefore decided against further regulation in this area at this time.

  A copy of the sub-committee's report will be placed in the Library.

  Furniture Safety
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the number of business failures in the shops, auctions and car boot sales markets likely when the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1992 are implemented; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 23 February 1993]: The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations, as amended, which have been the subject of public consultation have been introduced progressively since 1988. My Department believes that the period of grace provided for non-complying furniture represents a fair balance between the needs of business and the safety interests of consumers. Statistics on the number of businesses supplying upholstered furniture are not available.
  697
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will now apply the criteria of the deregulation initiative to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1992.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 23 February 1993]: Like all Government regulations, the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 as amended will be subject to review by the sectoral deregulation task forces of business men which are currently being set up following the Prime Minister's deregulation seminar on 2 February 1993. The deregulation criterion of proportionality between the degree of regulation and the risk of public safety was explicitly addressed during the consultation period preceding the introduction of the regulations.

  Company Accounts
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many times in each year since 1985 the powers conferred by section 448 of the Companies Act 1985 have been used.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 23 February 1993]: My Department does not currently maintain specific records on the number of times the powers under section 448 of the Companies Act are used but we are making plans to do so. However, the powers are seldom used, probably not more than two or three times a year.

  Post Office Subsidiaries
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the present investment programme for each Post Office subsidiary for 1993–94.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 24 February 1993]: The Post Office has not yet completed the allocation among its constituent businesses of the total planned capital investment programme for 1993–94 of £321 million.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what have been the investment programmes for each Post Office subsidiary for the last three complete years, with an estimated outturn for the current year, both in current price and cash terms.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 24 February 1993]: The investment programmes for the principal constituent businesses of the Post Office for the last three financial years and estimated outturn for 1992–93 in both outturn and constant price terms are as follows:

  Outturn prices

  1989–90 £ million

  1990–91 £ million

  1991–92 £ million

  1992–93 £ million

  Royal Mail

  151

  203

  179

  256

  Parcelforce

  47

  51

  28

  38

  Post Office Counters Ltd.

  18

  27

  39

  27

  Others

  35

  46

  20

  23

  Total

  251

  327

  266

  344

  698

  Constant prices (September 1992)

  1989–90 £ million

  1990–91 £ million

  1991–92 £ million

  1992–93 £ million

  Royal Mail

  180

  219

  186

  256

  Parcelforce

  56

  55

  29

  38

  Post Office Counters Ltd.

  22

  29

  40

  27

  Others

  42

  50

  21

  23

  Total

  300

  353

  276

  344

  Steel
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will estimate the consequences for the British steel industry of the European Commission's restructuring proposals; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards EC proposals (a) for additional support for closure costs in the steel industry and (b) for additional restructuring; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  [holding answer 24 February 1993]: The Government and British steel industry are in broad agreement that the Commission proposals for restructuring the EC steel industry, including use of European Coal and Steel Community financial resources to provide additional support for the social costs of permanent closures are a positive response to the problems facing the industry. I shall be discussing the Commission's proposals with my EC colleagues today.

WALES

  Drug Abuse
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which social services department in Wales has agreed to operate his Department's guidelines for funding drug abuse centres in Wales from April 1993 onwards; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The Welsh Office has not issued separate guidance relating specifically to the funding of residential facilities for drug misusers. General guidance has, however, been issued on the financing of community care, including the sum transferred from the Department of Social Security.

  Local councils are, therefore, aware of the amounts being transferred to them and of the purpose for which the amounts are intended; including services for drug misusers. We will be monitoring how councils spend these sums.

  Youth Training
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the estimates given by training and enterprise councils for each month since they were available of(a) the number of young people seeking a youth training place, (b) the number of young people who left school in 1991 who were seeking a youth training place, (c) the number of young people who left school in 1992 who were seeking a youth training place and (d) the number of young people in the special training needs category who were seeking a youth training place; and if he will make a statement.
  699
  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I will write to the hon. Lady.

  Dentists
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many general dental practitioners in Wales in each area health authority are offering to provide NHS treatment to existing and new patients from 1 April; how many are offering NHS treatment to existing but not to new patients; and how many are offering no NHS treatment at all from 1 April.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information is not available centrally in the form requested. General dental practitioners are independent contractors and, as such, they are free to decide how much of their time they wish to devote to NHS work and how many patients they wish to have on their lists. The figures on the number of dentists practising in Wales as at 30 September 1992 are as follows:

  Family health services authority area

  Number of dentists

  Clwyd

  102

  Dyfed

  105

  Gwent

  135

  Gwynedd

  66

  Mid Glamorgan

  133

  £000

  1990–91 (a)

  1991–92

  1992–93

  Net current expenditure (b)

  Gross capital expenditure (c)

  Net current expenditure (d)

  Gross capital expenditure (a)

  Net current expenditure (e)

  Alyn and Deeside

  663

  537

  581

  63

  837

  Colwyn

  160

  48

  232

  21

  399

  Delyn

  36

  102

  24

  79

  0

  Glyndwr

  217

  73

  166

  153

  148

  Rhuddlan

  299

  1

  320

  0

  479

  Wrexham Maelor

  139

  148

  287

  242

  499

  Carmarthen

  96

  100

  126

  51

  121

  Ceredigion

  415

  324

  284

  304

  263

  Dinefwr

  108

  58

  106

  0

  200

  Llanelli

  324

  37

  388

  0

  592

  Preseli Pembrokeshire

  199

  235

  167

  419

  389

  South Pembrokeshire

  200

  18

  262

  7

  388

  Blaenau Gwent

  142

  68

  2

  23

  128

  Islwyn

  179

  83

  227

  113

  243

  Monmouth

  378

  87

  694

  36

  703

  Newport

  -344

  4

  -399

  0

  -64

  Torfaen

  437

  394

  561

  228

  572

  Aberconwy

  216

  0

  257

  18

  525

  Arfon

  203

  10

  276

  25

  132

  Dwyfor

  217

  85

  278

  74

  342

  Meirionnydd

  142

  37

  145

  20

  145

  Ynys Mon

  299

  90

  436

  115

  731

  Cynon Valley

  150

  72

  135

  202

  -72

  Merthyr Tydfil

  223

  40

  297

  36

  401

  Ogwr

  301

  0

  479

  0

  710

  Rhondda

  203

  574

  340

  1,274

  355

  Rhymney Valley

  411

  34

  214

  28

  296

  Taff Ely

  255

  363

  113

  199

  913

  Brecknock

  236

  110

  262

  0

  316

  Montgomeryshire

  185

  279

  228

  173

  248

  Radnorshire

  99

  49

  125

  19

  204

  Cardiff

  340

  447

  -92

  119

  147

  Vale of Glamorgan

  161

  0

  255

  0

  280

  Port Talbot

  58

  0

  83

  0

  330

  Lliw Valley

  199

  27

  251

  30

  332

  Neath

  -18

  28

  16

  59

  8

  Swansea

  1,326

  475

  1,822

  258

  1,808

  Total Wales

  8,854

  5,037

  9,948

  4,388

  14,048

  (a) Outturn.

  (b) Net current expenditure is defined as expenditure on employees and running expenses, less sales, fees, charges, internal recharges and other non-grant income but gross of specific government grants.
  700

  Family health services authority area

  Number of dentists

  Powys

  35

  South Glamorgan

  127

  West Glamorgan

  128

  TOTAL

  831

  Returns from family health services authorities in Wales indicate that 25 general dental practitioners gave written notice to have their name removed from dental lists between 1 August 1992 and 12 February 1993. During that period, 47 dentists joined the dental lists and are offering a full range of NHS services.

  Waste Disposal
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the cost of waste disposal for each local authority in Wales in each year since 1990; and if he will publish estimated waste disposal costs for 1993–94.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information available is given in the table. There are no estimated figures held centrally for 1993–94 since local authorities are still in the process of setting their budgets.
  701
  (c) Gross capital expenditure is defined as the provision, acquisition and enhancement of tangible fixed assets which continue to be of value long after their acquisition.

  (d) Provisional.

  (e) Budgets. Information for capital expenditure is not available.

  Community Care (Housing Management)
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to secure that housing management issues affecting older people and disabled people are considered as part of the care in the community programme.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Sound housing management is fully recognised as essential for all those who will need care in the community. Social services departments are required to liaise with housing departments in the perparation of their social care plans.

  Rural Housing
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total value of supplementary credit approvals granted by his Department for developing housing in rural Wales during each of the last two years; and what is the estimated amount to be allocated for 1993–94.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  A variety of measures assist the development of rural housing in Wales as detailed in the table:

  £ million

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Outturn

  Planned outturn

  Plans

  Rural Housing

  3·8

  4·3

  4·.0

  Private Rented Sector

  2·3

  2·6

  1—

  Homelessness

  0·7

  0·2

  1—

  Mandatory Renovation Grants

  129·4

  41·0

  47·2

  Area Renewal, Group Repair, etc

  3·0

  3·7

  1—

  Supplementary Rural Allocation

  3·7

  —

  —

  Measures to Stimulate the Housing Market

  —

  10·2

  —

  Housing for Wales2

  32·0

  35·0

  34·.0

  1 The distribution of these reserves for 1993–94 between rural and urban authorities and which are worth, in total, £28.5 million, has yet to be decided.

  2 Base programme only—does not include transfers from local authorities.

  Departmental Annual Report
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many copies of his departmental annual report 1993 and expenditure plans for 1993 to 1996 Cm 2215, have been printed; at what cost; and to whom it has been distributed.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Some 2,500 copies of the Welsh Office departmental report, Cm 2215, were printed. The costs of printing and publication were borne by HMSO which aims to recover costs from sales revenue. As in previous years, the Department purchased copies for its own use; 425 copies were purchased at a cost of £4,154.

  Copies are sent to the chief executives of the non-departmental public bodies and agencies for which the Department has some responsibility; to the chief executives of local authorities in Wales and the secretaries
  702
  of the Council of Welsh Districts and Assembly of Welsh Counties; to health authorities in Wales; and to training and enterprise councils. Copies are also sent to all MPs with Welsh constituencies, and to the Welsh Affairs and the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committees. The Department also retains copies for internal distribution.

  The Department also reimburses HMSO for the lost revenue in pricing the bilingual report as a single-language document. This cost for the 1993 report was £4,966.

  Energy Conservation
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to increase grant aiding provision to householders in Wales to assist with(a) loft insulation, (b) hot water tank and hot water system lagging, (c) cavity wall insulation, (d) double glazing and (e) draught excluder systems.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The house renovation grant system can already provide assistance for these works. Changes that I announced last July, which will come into effect in early April, will improve targeting to those in greatest need.

  Clean Technology
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will establish a national clean production centre in Wales to provide technical information, advice and training on clean technology methods.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The Government are committed to establishing a cleaner technology centre and are, at present, investigating the best way to provide such a service.

  However, as yet no decision has been made as to its location.

  Drinking Water
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many dwellings in Wales are currently supplied with water where lead concentrations exceed the latest World Health Organisation guidelines.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  This information is not available in the form requested. However, information about lead concentrations in water supplies in Wales is contained in "Drinking Water 1991", the second annual report by the chief inspector of the drinking water inspectorate and in the document "Nitrate, Pesticides and Lead, 1989 and 1990", published by the inspectorate in July 1992.

  Wave Power
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to adapt the coastal barrage schemes operational and planned in Wales for use as dual-purpose tidal generator systems.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  It is for individual developers to consider adapting coastal barrage schemes for use as dual-purpose tidal generator systems.
  703
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to promote energy conservation within large commercial buildings through the use of(a) revolving entrance doors and (b) double-glazing.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The Welsh Office energy efficiency office is vigorously encouraging energy efficiency in a wide variety of ways in buildings in both the private and public sectors.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  London Marathon
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage for what reasons the London marathon is being charged for the use of the royal parks; and into what headings the fee is broken down.

  Mr. Key
  The Department manages the royal parks on behalf of the Crown for the enjoyment of the public. Where an event is allowed to use the park and will significantly affect the normal use of the park by the general public, we require them to pay a fee which is calculated on the basis of the area used. The fee is not made up of specific charges under particular headings. It is levied to cover such matters as remedial works following large events, additional safety responsibilities, to compensate for disruption and to assist the parks to improve facilities for park users.

  Royal Parks
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the charitable events which have been charged fees for the use of the royal parks during the course of the past three years and detail the amount paid in each case.

  Mr. Key
  We have charged charitable events in the past three years as follows. It should be noted that all the charges were set before the new charging policy was promulgated in July last year. No events have taken place under the new arrangements.

  £

  1990

  Salvation Army International Congress

  100

  Walk for a Cause

  100

  Sunday Times Fun Run

  1,000

  Crusaid Walk for Life

  50

  1991

  Cadbury's Strollerthon

  2,000

  PHAB

  250

  Help the Aged Biathlon

  100

  National Fun Run (formerly ST Fun Run)

  1,000

  International Leage for Protection of Horses

  500

  Crusaid Walk for Life

  75

  Walk for a Cause

  125

  London Harness Horse Parade

  500

  1992

  PHAB

  250

  Cadbury's Strollerthon

  3,000

  National Fun Run

  1,300

  Cruisaid Walk for Life

  120

  Chief Rabbi's Walk for Charity

  100

  Terry Fox Marathon

  100

  704
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the normal fee charged by his Department for the use of royal parks for charitable events; and how the fee is arrived at.

  Mr. Key
  There is no set fee. The charge is calculated on the basis of the area used and the number of days the park is occupied.

EMPLOYMENT

  Business Start-up Scheme
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many firms have been helped under the business start-up scheme in each of the last five years; and how many are still in business.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The number of individuals who started a new business under the scheme in each of the last five years is given in the table. These figures do not equate exactly to the number of businesses started, since for some businesses more than one individual will have been supported.

  Business Start-Up Scheme Entrants

  Year

  Number

  1987–88

  106,300

  1988–89

  98,500

  1989–90

  77,900

  1990–91

  60,300

  1991–92

  50,400

  Information is not available on how many are still in business.

  Unemployed Graduates
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate has been made of the number of university graduates who are at present unemployed and of the breakdown of the figure by degree category.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The latest estimate for Great Britain from the summer—June to August–1992 labour force survey is that there were 169,000 people of working age, qualified to degree or equivalent level or above, who were unemployed on the internationally standard International Labour Organisation definition, not seasonally adjusted.

  Estimates of unemployed graduates by degree category are all below 10,000.

  Self-employment
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate she has of the number of self-employed people who are currently without gainful employment; what changes have taken place in these estimates over the past three years; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The most recent estimate of the number of people unemployed on the internationally agreed ILO definition who were previously self-employed is from the summer—June to August—labour force survey. This, together with estimates over the previous three years, is shown in the following table;
  705

  Great Britain (not seasonally adjusted)

  number

  Spring 1990

  111,000

  Spring 1991

  188,000

  Spring 1992

  279,000

  Summer 1992

  275,000

  Unemployed People
  Mr. John Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the United Kingdom are unemployed, economically active, but not receiving unemployment benefit.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  [holding answer 23 February 1993]: The labour force survey shows that in spring 1922 there were 910,000 people who were ILO unemployed, and therefore economically active, but not receiving unemployment related benefits in the United Kingdom. Conversely there were 890,000 people receiving unemployment related benefits who were not ILO unemployed. In spring 1992, there were 2·732 million ILO unemployed and 2·717 million people claiming unemployment related benefits in the UK. These figures are not seasonally adjusted.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) men and (b) women have become unemployed in each region of the United Kingdom since 11 April 1992.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The information requested can be obtained from the NOM IS database in the Library.

  Work Permits
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many work permits for employment within the United Kingdom have been awarded over each of the last five years for which figures are available; and which were the top five countries of origin in each year.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The number of work permits for employment excluding work experience approved for each of the last five years is as follows:

  Number

  1988

  29,283

  1989

  33,899

  1990

  39,343

  1991

  34,448

  1992

  34,259

  These figures include employees of multi-national companies who are transferred to the United Kingdom.

  The following table shows for the same period in descending order the five countries whose nationals were issued the greatest number of work permits:

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  USA

  USA

  USA

  USA

  USA

  Japan

  Japan

  Japan

  Japan

  Japan

  India

  Australia

  Australia

  India

  India

  Australia

  India

  India

  Australia

  Australia

  Canada

  Canada

  Canada

  Canada

  Canada

  Women Workers
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will set out the principal regulations governing women returning to work after childbirth, in each region of the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The principal legislation giving qualifying women a right to return to work after maternity absence is contained in the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 for Great Britain and in the Industrial Relations (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 1976. In addition, the Public Health Act 1936 for England and Wales, the Factories Act 1961 for Scotland and the Factories Act (Northern Ireland) 1965 prohibit the employment of a woman in a factory within four weeks of giving birth to a child.

  The Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill will provide important new rights for all women employees to take 14 weeks' maternity leave. When enacted, the relevant provisions will be brought into effect in Northern Ireland by Order in Council under the negative resolution procedure.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proposals Her Majesty's Government have to increase female availability for work.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made clear her intention to ensure that women are able to play as full a role as possible in the world of work. In Manchester on 20 January my right hon. Friend launched a series of regional events entitled "New Horizons for Women" to promote the whole range of opportunities open to women, including employment and training. The flexibility built in to many employment service and training and enterprise council programmes are ideally suited to the needs of women who wish to combine work with other responsibilities and our new out of school child care grant will particularly benefit women who wish to resume work after their children start school.

  Youth Training
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment after deducting the cost of the training allowance paid direct to a 16 or 17-year-old on a Government training scheme, how much money is made available for the actual training.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies are paid an overall price per youth training—YT—trainee week and national vocational qualification delivered, from which minimum training allowances must be paid. Information is not available on the overall amounts of training allowance paid out to 16 and 17-year-olds. Around one third of YT trainees are employed and are paid a wage. TECs also receive financial contributions from employers towards the cost of training.

  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the estimates given to her by training and enterprise councils for each month since they were available, broken down for each region and for England as a whole, of(a) the total number of young people seeking a youth training place, (b) the number of young people who left school in 1991 who were seeking a

  707
  youth training place, (c) the number of young people who left school in 1992 who were seeking a youth training place and (d) the number of young people in the special training needs category who were seeking a youth training place; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The reports sent to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State by TECs were not formal returns, and were not in the form requested.

  Enterprise Allowance
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of enterprise allowance claimants are still pursuing the business of which they received an allowance a year after the allowance was exhausted.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The information is not available.

  Wages Council Rates
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many job centres are advertising jobs at rates of pay below the relevant wages council minimum; and what steps she takes to monitor the extent to which her Department's rules on the subject are followed.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  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 Mrs. Maria Fyfe, dated 25 February 1993:
  As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to her about the number of Jobcentres advertising rates of pay below the relevant Wages Council minimum and what steps she takes to monitor the extent to which her Department's rules on the subject are followed. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
  Jobcentres do not advertise vacancies which offer rates of pay below the relevant Wages Council minimum. Jobcentres have comprehensive instructions giving guidance to staff on the action to be taken when a vacancy covered by a Wages Council Order is notified. If the employer is unwilling to pay the Wages Council minimum then my people are instructed not to accept the vacancy and to refer the case to the Department of Employment Wages Inspectorate. My managers check that the instructions are being followed as part of their standard managerial controls.
  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.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Organic Farmers
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to provide assistance to organic farmers.

  Mr. Gummer
  We are considering the most effective way of providing aid for organic farming. I shall be submitting our plans for environmental measures to the Council in July.

  EC Rules
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he is having with his European counterparts about securing compliance with European Community rules as they relate to agriculture.

  Mr. Gummer
  I am persistent in demanding that the Commission produce evidence of compliance on all aspects of Community rules. I am willing to submit our evidence of compliance in the United Kingdom to the Commission and expect other member states to do the same.

  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the National Farmers' Union on the question of the implementation of European directives as they relate to agriculture.

  Mr. Gummer
  I am in frequent contact with the National Farmers Union on all aspects of agricultural policy.

  Mr. McWilliam
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what resources are available in the United Kingdom for the enforcement of European directives as they relate to agriculture.

  Mr. Gummer
  Both staff and equipment are available for the necessary enforcement of European Community legislation on agriculture.

  Food Regulations
  Mr. Sumberg
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to reduce the burden of regulation on food retailers.

  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to reduce the burden of regulation on food manufacturers and processors.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have previously written to the British Retail Consortium inviting comments on burdens which food regulations may place upon its members.

  I am today circulating more widely a consultation document setting out a possible deregulation programme in the food law sector which would move to a less regulatory system, so reducing unnecessary costs to business, which often are passed on to consumers in higher prices, restrictions on choice and loss of international competitiveness.

  We shall of course continue to give full weight to our food safety and consumer protection objectives.

  Further action will depend on the results of these consultations, but I envisage some simplifications or repeal of some existing regulations.

  Milk Producers
  Mr. Trend
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to assist milk producers.

  Mr. Curry
  Dairy farmers have benefited from the Community regime in recent years and the Government will continue to encourage their efficiency and profitability.

  Intervention
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on trends in the level of intervention stores of food in the EC.

  Mr. Curry
  Trends in both cereals and beef intervention in the EC have been moving upwards since 1989. Butter and skimmed milk powder stocks, on the other hand, have recently been falling.

  Sugar
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to report upon changes regarding the European sugar regime.

  Mr. Curry
  The Commission has proposed that the EC sugar regime should be reviewed by 30 June 1994 and its proposals on the future regime may therefore be expected later this year.

  Set-aside
  Mr. Moss
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals he has to provide for the use of set-aside land for the production of energy crops.

  Mr. Gummer
  Non-rotational set-aside wig be introduced this year and we expect this to allow for growing crops for non-food uses. I intend to press the Commission to allow woodland on set-aside, this will include coppicing.

  Food Standards
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to provide information to the public as soon as his Department is aware of food or drink being sold that does not conform to standards laid down by his Department or the World Health Organisation.

  Mr. Soames
  We will continue to inform the public on matters relating to food safety and consumer protection whenever the need arises.

  Lamb
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of United Kingdom lamb production is currently exported.

  Mr. Curry
  We forecast that 36 per cent. of UK lamb and mutton production, including live animals, was exported in 1992.

  Cooked Meat
  Mr. Faber
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations his Department has made to the European Commission concerning the draft meat products directive as it affects the travel temperature of cooked meat.

  Mr. Soames
  The single market rules for trade in meat products are set out in directive 92/5/EEC which came into effect in all member states from 1 January 1993. This directive does not include any specific temperature 710
  requirements for the transportation of meat products. However, manufacturers are required to indicate on the packaging the recommended temperature at which products must be transported.

  Mr. Chisholm
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received in the last six months from potato producers in the United Kingdom about his proposals for the future of the Potato Marketing Board.

  Mr. Curry
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 18 January 1993,Official Report, column 83.

  Surplus EC Food
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to widen the distribution of surplus EC food; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  I am reviewing the operation of the EC surplus food scheme in the United Kingdom. Any changes to the arrangements will be announced when the review has been completed.

  Water Pollution
  Mr. Enright
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has held with the National Rivers Authority and the water authorities as to how best they can jointly resolve farmers' pollution difficulties.

  Mr. Curry
  The Department regularly meets the National Rivers Authority and the water industry to discuss water-related issues including pollution from agriculture.

  Flooding
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the land area in England which is at risk of temporary or permanent flooding in consequence of high tides and the erosion of coastal defences.

  Mr. Gummer
  It is generally considered that land lying below the 5 m Ordnance Survey contour is most vulnerable and there is some 8,000 sq km of such land in England and Wales.

  However, not all such land is at similar risk of flooding, and in these and many other areas the risk of flooding or erosion is reduced by defence works which have been carried out with the assistance of grant aid provided by my Department, now running at some £60 million annually.

  Haddock
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider introducing compulsory 90 mm square mesh panels, increasing the mesh size and increasing minimum landing sizes for haddock.

  Mr. Curry
  I am aware of the mounting concern that new measures will be needed to conserve stocks this year and I am considering what measures will command broad support from the industry.

  Pesticides
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to publish the evidence given prior to 1985 on the safety of products reviewed by his Advisory Committee on Pesticides.

  Mr. Soames
  Measures to open up access to information on the safety of pesticides approved before 1986 were announced in August 1992. These will provide for access to all relevant studies submitted to the registration authorities with the application for the approval of a pesticide. To implement these new arrangements amendments to the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 will be required. The necessary legislative proposals are currently being prepared.

  Bananas
  Mr. Channon
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement outlining the details of the European Community's new regime for banana imports.

  Mr. Curry
  The Agriculture Council on 9 to 13 February agreed, by qualified majority, a regulation for the common organisation of the EC banana market. This gives effect to the agreement reached on a United Kingdom presidency compromise at the December Council. The key elements of the new arrangements are:Continued duty-free access for traditional ACP supplies, up to a level of 857,700 tonnes, reflecting ACP countries' best ever sendings to the EC;
  A low tariff quota of 2 million tonnes for third country and non-traditional ACP fruit. Third country fruit would be subject to a duty of 100 Ecu/tonne; non-traditional ACP fruit would be duty-free;
  A tariff on all sendings outside the tariff quota of 850 Ecu/tonne (750 Ecu/tonne for non-traditional ACP).

  Licences for access to the low tariff quota would be allocated:
  66.5 per cent. on the basis of a three-year rolling average of past trade in third country and nontraditional ACP fruit;
  30 per cent on the basis of a three year rolling average of past trade in EC and traditional ACP fruit;
  3.5 per cent. to newcomers.

  There remain a number of details to be resolved during negotiations on the implementation of the new regime. The new arrangements are due to come into force on 1 July 1993.

  The new arrangements represent a good deal for United Kingdom interests. They complete the single market in bananas; they are compatible with the general approach on agricultural products in the GATT Uruguay round. And most importantly they fulfil our Lomé convention obligations to our traditional ACP suppliers in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

  Radioactive Contamination (Irish Sea)
  Mr. Lew Smith
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what additional resources he is making available to his Department's radiobiology laboratories to assess radioactive contamination in the Irish sea.

  Mr. Curry
  In the present financial year, planned expenditure on scientific and technical work directly in support of the Ministry's statutory responsibilities for regulating discharges from nuclear installations is £2·6 million. In addition we shall have spent approximately £1·4 million on studies related to the behaviour of 712
  radioactivity in the Irish sea. We shall continue to fund the scientific and technical work necessary to support our responsibilities for the protection of the marine environment, fisheries and the marine food chain.

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when payments in respect of hill livestock compensatory allowances will be made payable; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  Issue of payable orders in respect of claims under the 1993 scheme started on 10 February.

  Potato Industry
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions have taken place with the European Commission concerning the injection of financial assistance into the potato industry in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  I am aware of the situation in Northern Ireland following the wet autumn and winter, but it is not our practice to give or seek aid in these circumstances. I understand that the European Commission has rejected similar disaster aid for the Republic of Ireland.

  Whaling
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement regarding the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the proposal being made by certain countries for coastal whaling.

  Mr. Curry
  Our policy towards all forms of commercial whaling—including coastal whaling—has been clear and consistent. We shall not even contemplate the lifting of the present moratorium on commercial whaling—which was agreed by the International Whaling Commission and which came into effect in 1985–86—until we are fully satisfied that whale stocks are proved to be at healthy levels; methods used to take whales are humane; and effective procedures for the management of whale stocks and for their enforcement are in place.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what statements were made by the British International Whaling Commission Commissioner at the special meeting in Madrid of 19 February in respect of Her Majesty's Government's policies towards the possible resumption of commercial whaling;

  (2) what protests he made at the exclusion of the International Whaling Commission commissioners from France, Ireland and New Zealand from the invitees to the special meeting held in Madrid on 19 February;

  (3) who initiated the special meeting between (a) Japan and (b) Norway and various International Whaling Commission commissioners held in Madrid on 19 February; who decided which countries were to be invited; and what decisions were made.

  Mr. Curry
  At the invitation of the vice-chairman of the International Whaling Commission, a meeting of a number of IWC commissioners was held in Madrid on 17 and 18 February. IWC commissioners from Australia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom and the USA were present.
  713
  Neither the UK nor other contracting parties to the commissioner have "protested" about the meeting itself or those nations invited to it. The meeting was purely informal. A range of issues was discussed, including the revised management scheme, whale sanctuaries, small cetaceans and their management, and aboriginal whaling. No decisions were reached. The discussions enabled the UK to explain its policies, set out at the 44th meeting of the commission in Glasgow, and since.

SCOTLAND

  Youth Training
  Ms. Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the estimates given by LECs for each month since they were available of(a) the total number of young people seeking a youth training place, (b) the number of young people who left school in 1991 who were seeking a youth training place, (c) the number of young people who left school in 1992 who were seeking a youth training place and (d) the number of young people in the special training needs category who were seeking a youth training place; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  I understand from Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise that their local enterprise companies do not make monthly estimates of demand for youth training places.

  Environment Protection Agency
  Mr. Kynoch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to establish a Scottish environment protection agency; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  I announced in September 1991 that I had decided to set up a Scottish environment protection agency. We issued a public consultation document "Improving Scotland's Environment: The Way Forward" in January 1992, to which we have recieved more than 160 responses.

  Under the proposals, the agency would assume the pollution control responsibilities of the three main regulatory bodies, the river purification authorities, the district and islands councils, in respect of waste management and local air pollution, and HM industrial pollution inspectorate. I was encouraged by the number and range of responses to the consultation exercise, several of which contained constructive suggestions. Generally, there is a recognition that the Government are determined to secure the most effective arrangements for protecting Scotland's environment from pollution. I have, therefore, decided that the major proposals in the consultation paper should not be amended.

  Nevertheless, misgivings were expressed about the advisory committee structure which had been put forward originally. Having reconsidered these proposals, I believe we can secure scope for the delegation of responsibility within the agency to regional staff without prejudicing its overall control, and for ensuring a worthwhile role for the regional committees. I intend to commission further work on these aspects before legislation is introduced.

  I have also decided in the light of responses made to me that it is logical to use this opportunity to give the agency enhanced powers to control water abstraction where such powers have been shown to be necessary, and I intend to
  714
  issue a consultation paper on this subject shortly. Although I am satisfied that there is no widespread need for such powers, it seems sensible to give the agency the ability to apply controls in areas where problems can be identified.

  We are proceeding with work on drafting the necessary legislation to create the agency and define its responsibilities. The Government intend to establish the new body as soon as possible, and legislation will therefore be introduced at the earliest opportunity.

  Nimmo Smith/Friel Report
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 22 February,Official Report, column 447, concerning the placing in the Library of material relating to the Nimmo Smith/Friel report, if he will give the reasons for his decision.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I shall write to the hon. Member.

  Nurses
  Mr. Chisholm
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of newly qualified nurses in Scotland in 1992 were given a national health service nursing job.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 18 February 1993]: The exact information requested is not available centrally. The table shows the status of nurses who were final year students in Scotland on 30 September 1991 one year later.

  It should be noted that the methods by which this information is collected do not permit account to be taken of certain students, for example those who have been unable to complete their training within the normal three-year period; those who, having qualified, may have chosen to have a break in service before seeking employment; those who have found employment as a nurse outwith the NHS; and those who may have qualified, joined the NHS and left within a census period. Those who qualify and work occasionally in the NHS, for example, bank or agency nurses, also cannot be identified and have therefore been counted with the "not employed" category.

  Status of final year basic student nurses in Scotland one year later; year beginning 30 September 1991:

  Status at 30 September 1992

  Headcount

  Per cent.

  In post in NHS

  1,263

  54·1

  Taking further training in NHS

  26

  1·1

  Not employed in NHS

  1,044

  44·7

  Total

  2,333

  100

  Shipping Safety
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of EC Environment and Transport Ministers on 25 January to discuss Community aspects of shipping safety.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 5 February 1993]: I refer the hon. Member to the statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 28 January, at column 796.
  715
  At the meeting on 25 January I outlined the actions taken by my Department in response to the Shetland oilspill and drew some preliminary conclusions from that experience. At my invitation the EC Commissioner for the Environment and Fisheries, Mr. Yannis Paleokrassas, subsequently visited Shetland on 19 February, when he was accompanied by my hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture and the Environment in the Scottish Office.

  Further Education Lecturers
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will set up an independent review into the salaries of lecturing staff in further education colleges in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 29 January 1993]: I have no plans to do so.

DEFENCE

  Standing Orders
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if it is a chargeable offence for serving members of the armed forces(a) to be in breach of unit standing orders and (b) not to have read unit standing orders.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  It is a chargeable offence under service law to fail to comply with any provision of unit standing orders of which the person concerned knew or might reasonably be expected to have known. Unless the unit standing orders in question themselves provided that they were to be read by the person concerned, or that there was a requirement to do so in some other orders, failure to read unit standing orders would not in itself be an offence but would provide no defence for failing to comply with them.

  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what means unit standing orders are made accessible to all ranks serving in the armed forces.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Service personnel are required to acquaint themselves with standing orders which are prominently displayed within units on notice boards, in messes and such other suitable places as the commanding officer may direct.

  Yugoslavia
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will designate the deployment of British forces with the United protection force in former Yugoslavia as an operational deployment.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  British forces serving with the United Nations in the former Yugoslavia are deployed operationally. No advantage is seen in, or would attach to, a formal declaration of their status in the circumstances currently applying there.

  Bosnia
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to improve the availability of telephones to service men in Bosnia to contact their families.
  716
  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  We attach a high priority to ensuring that service personnel are able to keep in contact with their families in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, including by telephone. The provision of telephone facilities in Bosnia for welfare calls depends to an extent on where service personnel are deployed and whether civilian facilities exist. We have recently increased the availability of military satellite links for welfare calls where civilian facilities are not available. The present arrangements are believed to be adequate, given the operational circumstances. The situation, however, remains under review.

  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the sleeping accommodation which has been used by the 200 REME personnel at Vitez, Bosnia, since November 1992; how many toilets and showers are available for those soldiers; and if he will make a statement on the delay in commissioning the purpose-made accommodation units on an adjacent site.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  A total of 98 REME personnel and a mixture of 182 other troops from 1 Cheshire, national support element and 1 Cheshire light aid detachment live and work at the site known as Vitez garage. At Vitez garage there are four European lavatories, four urinals and two showers. The showers run with hot water 24 hours a day. There are plans to build a further 13 toilets, nine urinals and 10 showers in purpose-built units which are on site but have yet to be commissioned. Additional ablution facilities are available at the Vitez school site 2·5 kms away. The delay in installing 35 four-man purpose-built accommodation units at the Vitez garage site resulted from a revision of engineer priorities towards base hardening following the shelling of Tomislavgrad; long procurement lead times, both in the United Kingdom and Croatia, for units, electrical switchgear and wiring; and adverse weather conditions with permafrost, ice, snow and low temperatures (— 30 degrees Celsius) delaying site preparations.

  Army Pay
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish an indicative table showing the approximate net weekly pay of a lieutenant, a sergeant and a private soldier serving in(a) the United Kingdom, (b) Germany and (c) former Yugoslavia.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Rates of basic pay are not dependent upon location of deployment. It makes no difference whether a soldier is serving in the United Kingdom, Germany or the former Yugoslavia. The following are approximate weekly net rates of pay for the stated ranks:

  £

  Lieutenant after 4 years

  268

  Private 1 Band 2 Scale B

  177

  Sergeant Band 5 Scale B

  263

  These illustrative net rates apply to married personnel and do not take account of deductions made for food and accommodation charges which do vary depending on a whole range of factors including the servicemen's rank, marital status and the type and size of service

  717
  accommodation occupied. Food and accommodation charges have been waived in the former Yugoslavia in recognition of the conditions under which personnel are serving there.

  HMS Andromeda
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the last refit of HMS Andromeda was carried out; and what it cost.

  Mr. Aitken
  The last refit of HMS Andromeda was carried out at Rosyth royal dockyard. The final cost certificate has not yet been cleared but the total cost is estimated to be about £30 million.

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Andromeda is due to be retired from the fleet.

  Mr. Aitken
  It is not our practice to discuss pay-off dates for individual vessels.

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the last refit of HMS Andromeda was carried out.

  Mr. Aitken
  Between August 1990 and December 1991.

  HMS Sirius
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why HMS Sirius has been retired from the fleet ahead of schedule.

  Mr. Aitken
  As announced by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Defence on 25 July 1990, at column 469, we are moving towards a future destroyer/ frigate force of around 40 ships. In order to do this we are paying off the older, more manpower intensive vessels such as the Leander class frigates, and introducing modern, more capable vessels such as the type 23 frigates. As part of this process HMS Sirius, at 27 the oldest of the remaining Leander class frigates, was recently retired from service.

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total cost of refitting HMS Sirius at Devonport dockyard in 1991.

  Mr. Aitken
  About £25 million at current prices.

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence between which dates the refit of HMS Sirius was carried out at Devonport dockyard.

  Mr. Aitken
  Between October 1989 and May 1991.

  HMS Challenger
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Challenger last underwent a refit.

  Mr. Aitken
  HMS Challenger has never undergone a refit. Its last repair period was for docking and essential defects during the period April 1990 to July 1990.

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the most recent refit of HMS Challenger was carried out; and what it cost.

  Mr. Aitken
  HMS Challenger has never undergone a refit.
  718
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for HMS Challenger in the future.

  Mr. Aitken
  HMS Challenger has no further operational role in the Royal Navy. Efforts to sell the ship continue.

  Chipmunk Training
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of Chipmunk training at Plymouth airport; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  There are no plans to change the arrangements for carrying out Royal Navy flying training at Plymouth airport. The current contract for the management of this training will expire in March 1994 and a replacement contract is under negotiation.

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total cost per annum of the Chipmunk training at Plymouth airport.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The estimated annual cost of Chipmunk training at Plymouth airport is £640,000.

  Eurofighter 2000
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to reconfigure the development programme of Eurofighter 2000.

  Mr. Aitken
  The development programme for Eurofighter 2000 is now being revised to reflect the decisions taken at the quadripartite ministerial meeting on 10 December 1992. First deliveries of production aircraft to the Royal Air Force will be delayed until 2000, and the development programme and associated expenditure will be slowed down, to the maximum extent possible without increasing overall costs and risk, to match this timescale. While the key performance parameters of the aircraft will not be changed, the partner nations are reviewing with the manufacturers the list of possible changes to the aircraft's equipment fit, and changes to the operational requirement, which emerged from the two studies conducted last year. It will be for each nation to decide the extent to which such changes to the aircraft specification are compatible with its military requirements, and if it wishes to take advantage of the cost savings which they offer. These decisions will be reflected in the revised programme and amendments to the inter-government memorandum of understanding which, it is planned, should be signed in the second half of this year.

  Correspondence
  Sir John Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to letters to him from the hon. Member for Exeter sent on 25 January, 3 February and 9 February concerning the choice of Glasgow for the site of the new Army personnel office.

  Mr Archie Hamilton
  I wrote to the hon. Member on 23 February.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: AID MANAGEMENT
  SOUTHERN AFRICA: AID MANAGEMENT
  SOUTHERN AFRICA: AID MANAGEMENT
COMMONWEALTH CITIZENS: RIGHT TO RESIDE IN UK
  COMMONWEALTH CITIZENS: RIGHT TO RESIDE IN UK
  COMMONWEALTH CITIZENS: RIGHT TO RESIDE IN UK
COOKHAM WOOD PRISON: NEWSPAPERS
  COOKHAM WOOD PRISON: NEWSPAPERS
  COOKHAM WOOD PRISON: NEWSPAPERS
BRITISH NATIONALITY (HONG KONG) ACT 1990: REPORT
  BRITISH NATIONALITY (HONG KONG) ACT 1990: REPORT
  BRITISH NATIONALITY (HONG KONG) ACT 1990: REPORT
COASTAL POLLUTION: ACCIDENT PREVENTION MEASURES
  COASTAL POLLUTION: ACCIDENT PREVENTION MEASURES
  COASTAL POLLUTION: ACCIDENT PREVENTION MEASURES
GOVERNMENT ART COLLECTION
  GOVERNMENT ART COLLECTION
  GOVERNMENT ART COLLECTION
NATURAL HERITAGE: PROTECTION INITIATIVES
  NATURAL HERITAGE: PROTECTION INITIATIVES
  NATURAL HERITAGE: PROTECTION INITIATIVES