Written Answers of 20 January 1993

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Juvenile Offenders
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (i) how many juveniles have been convicted of(a) offences against property, (b) assault, (c) taking cars without the owner's consent, (d) driving without a licence and (e) dangerous driving in England in each of the last five years;

  (2) how many juveniles have been convicted of burglary in England in the last five years.

  Mr. Jack
  The information is given in the table.

  Number of juveniles (persons aged 10 to under 17) convicted at all courts of certain offences 1987–91)

  England Principal offence

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1 1991

  Offences against property

  Burglary

  10,244

  8,474

  7,060

  6,266

  5,549

  Theft and handling stolen goods

  19,967

  16,365

  10,013

  9,123

  7,976

  Fraud and forgery

  436

  357

  317

  243

  214

  Criminal damage

  1,462

  1,420

  1,072

  1,120

  969

  Assault

  Grievous bodily harm

  582

  616

  565

  551

  464

  Actual bodily harm

  2,789

  2,983

  2,863

  2,423

  2,190

  Assault on constable

  259

  240

  233

  232

  192

  Common assault1

  59

  59

  157

  220

  231

  Theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle

  Table A Number and percentage of offenders found guilty at all courts and cautioned in the East Midlands region, Nottinghamshire police force area and England and Wales by age and type of offences 19911

  Area/type of offence

  Cautioned

  Aged under 21 years Found guilty

  Total found guilty or cautioned

  Cautioned

  All Ages Found guilty

  Total guilty or cautioned

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  [= 100%]

  [= 100%]

  [= 100%]

  East Midlands region

  Indictable offences

  10,868

  69

  9,541

  36

  20,409

  48

  15,782

  26,311

  42,093

  Summary non-motoring offences

  3,081

  59

  6,011

  17

  9,092

  22

  5,226

  36,420

  41,646

  All offences (excluding summary motoring)

  13,949

  66

  15,552

  25

  29,501

  35

  21,008

  62,731

  83,739

  Nottinghamshire pfa

  Indictable offences

  4,353

  67

  3,501

  38

  7,854

  50

  6,452

  9,190

  15,642

  Summary non-motoring offences

  1,040

  66

  2,100

  18

  3,140

  23

  1,573

  11,885

  13,458

  All offences (excluding summary motoring)

  5,393

  67

  5,601

  27

  10,994

  38

  8,025

  21,075

  29,100

  England and Wales

  Indictable offences

  119,424

  66

  115,376

  34

  234,800

  46

  179,885

  335,394

  515,279

  Summary non-motoring offences

  38,649

  39

  63,279

  14

  101,928

  19

  98,880

  450,558

  549,438

  All offences (excluding summary motoring)

  158,073

  57

  178,655

  23

  336,728

  32

  278,765

  785,952

  1,064,717

  1 Provisional.

  250

  England Principal offence

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1 1991

  Theft

  921

  668

  582

  524

  500

  Unauthorised taking2

  4,919

  4,507

  4,284

  3,861

  3,573

  Driving without a licence

  38

  42

  16

  28

  26

  Dangerous driving

  Reckless driving

  76

  113

  169

  214

  288

  1 Provisional.

  2 Reclassification as summary offences under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (October 1988).

  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of offences committed by juveniles in England while on bail in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Jack
  Information is not currently available nationally. However, my Department is presently examining with the police ways in which the extent of offending on bail can be effectively monitored at a national level.

  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consult the police authorities on the reform of legislation to permit custodial sentences to be imposed on juvenile offenders.

  Mr. Jack
  We intend to consult widely, including representative organisations of the police service, before bringing any firm legislative proposals before Parliament.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of offenders in(a) the east midlands, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) Mansfield and (d) England and Wales were under 21 years in the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 15 January 1993]: Information for 1991, which is provisional, is given in the tables.
  251

  Table B Number and percentage of offenders found guilty at Mansfield1 petty sessional division by age and type of offence 19912

  Area/type of offence

  Aged under 21 years Found guilty

  All ages Found guilty

  Number

  per cent.

  ( =100 per cent.)

  Mansfield petty sessional division

  Indictable offences

  734

  41

  1,807

  Summary non-motoring offences

  418

  18

  2,364

  All offences (excluding summary motoring)

  1,152

  28

  4,171

  1 Including convictions at the Crown Court where the committing court was Mansfield petty sessional division.

  2 Provisional.

  Mr. George Pai
  Mr. Dickens
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is being given to the deportation of Mr. George Pai of Manchester.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Mr. Chan Yee Yau, also known as Georgie Pai, last entered the United Kingdom in breach of an extant deportation order. He was arrested on 9 December 1991 and detained as an illegal entrant with a view to his removal. On 19 December 1991 an application on Mr. Yau's behalf to the divisional court for leave to move for judicial review of the decision to remove him was granted. The case was adjourned pending the outcome of a relevant case then before the European Court of Justice. On 24 December 1991 the court granted an application for bail, and Mr. Yau was released. His case is still pending before the divisional court.

  Triads, Manchester
  Mr. Dickens
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of Manchester on the progress of the investigations into Triad gangs in Greater Manchester.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  No. These are operational matters and the responsibility of the chief officer of the Greater Manchester police.

  Stabbings
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of stabbing there have been in each of the last three years in which the perpetrator has been aged(a) under 16, (b) 16 to 20, (c) 21 to 24 years or (d) other.

  Mr. Jack
  Information is not collected centrally on the age of the perpetrator in all incidents of stabbing. However, the number of currently recorded homicides in England and Wales where the method of killing was by a sharp instrument is shown by age of suspect for the years 1989, 1990 and 1991 in the following table:

  Offences currently recorded as homicide involving a sharp instrument by age of principal suspect

  Age of principal suspect

  1989

  1990

  1991

  Aged less than 16

  1

  2

  2

  Aged 16–20

  32

  25

  32

  Aged 21–24

  34

  35

  29

  Aged 25 and above

  104

  108

  149

  Total

  171

  170

  212

  Betting Offices
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he expects to publish the Licensed Betting Office Regulation 1986 (Amendment) Regulations;

  (2) what consideration is being given to allowing betting offices to open during evening hours.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. and learned Friend gave to a question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Sir J. Wheeler) on 19 January 1993, at column 141.

  Surveillance Equipment
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce restrictions on the manufacture, use and sale of equipment that can be used to eavesdrop on the activities of private individuals.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  We have no present plans to impose restrictions on the manufacture and sale of equipment that can be used to receive and amplify sound.

  As part of their response to the Calcutt review of press self-regulation—Official Report, 14 January, columns 1067–69—the Government have accepted the case for restrictions on the use of surveillance devices in certain circumstances. We have also accepted the Calcutt recommendations that further consideration should be given to legislation covering the interception of telecommunications, with a view to identifying all significant gaps and determining whether further legislation is needed, and that further consideration should be given to the introduction of a new tort of infringement of privacy.

  Mental Illness
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of persons currently under the supervision of the probation service in England and Wales are considered to be mentally disordered or mentally ill.

  Mr. Jack
  In 1991, 147 persons conditionally discharged from psychiatric hospitals were under probation service supervision and a total of 911 persons commenced probation orders with a requirement of psychiatric treatment—784 non-residential, 119 residential, eight juvenile non-residential. Information on mental disorder and mental illness in respect of the total probation caseload is not collected centrally.

  Mr. Sodigar Hussain
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange for the post in Islamabad to refer the latest entry clearance application by Mr. Sodigar Hussain, date of birth 21 July 1959, to join his wife in the United Kingdom to him for consideration under the review concerning couples with children separated for more than five years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Any further application by Mr. Hussain will be considered by the entry clearance officer under the immigration rules taking account of relevant policy guidance.

  Karimjit Singh Chahal
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now release Karimjit Singh Chahal from Bedford prison; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The decision to detain Mr. Chahal is regularly reviewed, but at the present time my right hon. and learned Friend sees no grounds for his release.

  Mrs. Hildegarde Biel
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a decision is to be taken on the application to remain in the United Kingdom by Mrs. Hildegarde Biel—Ref: IMP R63833/5 (S) and PO 17232/92; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  We hope to reach a decision shortly, and I will then write to the hon. Member.

  Juvenile Crime
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the decision of the magistrates court in Leeds to impose a fine on Leeds city council after a child in its care committed a burglary on(a) crime prevention and reduction and (b) the resources available for diverting young people from criminal activity.

  Mr. Jack
  It would not be appropriate to comment on, or assess the impact of, a decision of the courts in an individual case. Nevertheless, we intend to monitor carefully the effect of the new powers for courts introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 1991 which, inter alia, allow them to make local authorities liable to pay fines and compensation when children in their care commit offences. The purpose of these new provisions, which parallel those which apply to parents, is to ensure that local authorities do all in their power to ensure that children in their care do not commit offences. Local authorities are under a separate duty under the Children Act 1989 to encourage children in their areas not to commit criminal offences.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Whisky
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the change in(a) duty rate and (b) total duty received on whisky and whiskey in each of the past 15 years.
  254
  Sir John Cope
  The information is as follows:

  Estimated duty ( £m) on whisky/whiskey

  Percentage change in duty rate

  1977–78

  447

  0.0

  1978–79

  567

  0.0

  1979–80

  572

  13.7

  1980–81

  578

  14.6

  1981–82

  623

  6.4

  1982–83

  478

  5.0

  1983–84

  818

  1.9

  1984–85

  591

  1.9

  1985–86

  714

  0.0

  1986–87

  667

  0.0

  1987–88

  698

  0.0

  1988–89

  682

  0.0

  1989–90

  650

  10.0

  1990–91

  726

  9.3

  1991–92

  730

  4.5

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Ancram
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish tables giving for an administrative assistant, an administrative officer, an executive officer, a higher executive officer and a principal UG7(a) the maximum annual salary on 1 April each year since 1970 and on 1 August 1992 excluding range or performance points, (b) the percentage of the national average wage represented by each figure and (c) the value today of the figures for 1 April 1976, 1 April 1980 and 1 April 1985 if they had been increased in line with (i) the movements in the retail prices index and (ii) the gross domestic product deflator.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information is as follows:

  Salary1 £

  Percentage of national average earnings2

  Administrative Assistant

  1 April 1970

  943

  72.3

  1 April 1971

  1,037

  73.8

  1 April 1972

  1,123

  71.7

  1 April 1973

  1,235

  68.1

  1 April 1974

  1,456

  71.9

  1 April 1975

  1,940

  73.1

  1 April 1976

  1,940

  61.4

  1 April 1977

  1,940

  56.0

  1 April 1978

  2,608

  67.0

  1 April 1979

  2,894

  63.7

  1 April 1980

  3,155

  57.0

  1 April 1981

  4,070

  64.7

  1 April 1982

  4,340

  62.2

  1 April 1983

  4,584

  61.4

  1 April 1984

  4,813

  58.1

  1 April 1985

  5,054

  56.8

  1 April 1986

  5,357

  55.8

  1 April 1987

  5,799

  56.1

  1 April 1988

  6,081

  53.5

  1 April 1989

  6,324

  50.7

  1 April 1990

  7,322

  53.5

  1 April 1991

  8,720

  58.9

  1 April 1992

  8,790

  55.59

  1 August 1992

  8,790

  355.5

  If increased in line with Retail Price Index to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  6,526

  1 April 1980

  6,382

  1 April 1985

  7,353

  If increased in line with Gross Domestic Product Deflator to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  6,890

  255

  Salary1 £

  Percentage of national average earnings2

  1 April 1980

  6,438

  1 April 1985

  7,573

  Salary1 £

  Percentage of national average earnings2

  Administrative Officer

  1 April 1970

  1,253

  96·.0

  1 April 1971

  1,385

  98·5

  1 April 1972

  1,489

  95·0

  1 April 1973

  1,601

  88·3

  1 April 1974

  1,883

  92·9

  1 April 1975

  2,540

  95·7

  1 April 1976

  2,540

  80·4

  1 April 1977

  2,540

  73·4

  1 April 1978

  3,280

  84·2

  1 April 1979

  3,627

  79·8

  1 April 1980

  4,000

  72·2

  1 April 1981

  5,102

  81·2

  1 April 1982

  5,421

  77·7

  1 April 1983

  5,708

  76·5

  1 April 1984

  5,993

  72·3

  1 April 1985

  6,293

  70·8

  1 April 1986

  6,671

  69·5

  1 April 1987

  7,091

  68·6

  1 April 1988

  7,555

  66·5

  1 April 1989

  7,857

  63·0

  1 April 1990

  9,278

  67·8

  1 April 1991

  9,983

  67·4

  1 April 1992

  10,409

  65·7

  1 August 1992

  10,409

  365·7

  If increased in line with Retail Price Index to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  8,544

  1 April 1980

  8,092

  1 April 1985

  9,155

  If increased in line with Gross Domestic Product Deflator to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  9,021

  1 April 1980

  8,162

  1 April 1985

  9,429

  Salary1 £

  Percentage of national average earnings2

  Executive Officer

  1 April 1970

  1,835

  140.6

  1 April 1971

  2,000

  142.2

  1 April 1972

  2,150

  137.2

  1 April 1973

  2,288

  126.2

  1 April 1974

  2,782

  137.3

  1 April 1975

  3,670

  138.3

  1 April 1976

  3,670

  116.2

  1 April 1977

  3,670

  106.0

  1 April 1978

  4,579

  117.6

  1 April 1979

  5,043

  111.0

  1 April 1980

  5,700

  102.9

  1 April 1981

  7,247

  115.3

  1 April 1982

  7,700

  110.4

  1 April 1983

  8,078

  108.2

  1 April 1984

  8,492

  102.6

  1 April 1985

  8,917

  100.3

  1 April 1986

  9,452

  98.4

  1 April 1987

  9,864

  95.4

  1 April 1988

  10,755

  94.7

  1 April 1989

  11,185

  89.7

  1 April 1990

  12,621

  92.3

  1 April 1991

  13,605

  91.9

  1 April 1992

  14,165

  89.4

  1 August 1992

  14,165

  389.4

  256

  Salary1£

  Percentage of national average earnings2

  If increased in line with Retail Price Index to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  12,345

  1 April 1980

  11,531

  1 April 1985

  12,973

  If increased in line with Gross Domestic Product Deflator to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  13,034

  1 April 1980

  11,631

  1 April 1985

  13,361

  Salary1 £

  Percentage of national average earnings2

  Higher Executive Officer

  1 April 1970

  2,392

  183·

  1 April 1971

  2,625

  186·7

  1 April 1972

  2,809

  179·3

  1 April 1973

  2,961

  163·3

  1 April 1974

  3,585

  176·9

  1 April 1975

  4,700

  177·2

  1 April 1976

  4,700

  148·8

  1 April 1977

  4,700

  135·8

  1 April 1978

  5,718

  146·8

  1 April 1979

  6,233

  137·2

  1 April 1980

  7,250

  130·9

  1 April 1981

  9,184

  146·1

  1 April 1982

  9,758

  139·9

  1 April 1983

  10,218

  136·9

  1 April 1984

  10,729

  129·5

  1 April 1985

  11,263

  126·7

  1 April 1986

  11,941

  124·3

  1 April 1987

  12,448

  120·4

  1 April 1988

  13,458

  118·5

  1 April 1989

  13,996

  112·3

  1 April 1990

  15,786

  115·4

  1 April 1991

  17,017

  114·9

  1 April 1992

  17,718

  111·9

  1 August 1992

  17,718

  3111·9

  If increased in line with Retail Price Index to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  15,810

  1 April 1980

  14,666

  1 April 1985

  16,386

  If increased in line with Gross Domestic Product Deflator to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  16,693

  1 April 1980

  14,794

  1 April 1985

  16,876

  Salary1 £

  Percentage of national average earnings2

  Grade 7

  1 April 1970

  3,902

  299.0

  1 April 1971

  4,400

  312.9

  1 April 1972

  4,708

  300.4

  1 April 1973

  4,908

  270.7

  1 April 1974

  5,775

  285.0

  1 April 1975

  7,450

  280.8

  1 April 1976

  7,450

  235.8

  1 April 1977

  7,450

  215.2

  1 April 1978

  8,729

  224.2

  1 April 1979

  9,515

  209.4

  1 April 1980

  11,750

  212.2

  1 April 1981

  15,010

  238.7

  1 April 1982

  15,948

  228.6

  1 April 1983

  16,656

  223.2

  257

  Salary1 £

  Percentage of national average earnings2

  1 April 1984

  17,489

  211.1

  1 April 1985

  18,363

  206.5

  1 April 1986

  19,465

  202.7

  1 April 1987

  20,297

  196.2

  1 April 1988

  21,936

  193.1

  1 April 1989

  22,606

  181.3

  1 April 1990

  24,075

  176.0

  1 April 1991

  26,121

  176.4

  1 April 1992

  27,819

  175.6

  1 August 1992

  428,904

  3182.5

  If increased in line with Retail Price Index to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  25,060

  1 April 1980

  23,770

  1 April 1985

  26,716

  If increased in line with Gross Domestic Product Deflator to 1 April 1992:

  1 April 1976

  26,459

  1 April 1980

  23,977

  1 April 1985

  27,514

  Notes:

  1 National pay scales applying to civil servants outside London.

  2 Percentages of gross national earnings calculated on the basis of figures published in the New Earnings Survey, including overtime and allowances.

  3 Percentage based on the most recent figure available for national average gross annual earnings, i.e. as at 1 April 1992.

  4 Old scale maximum increased by the across-the-board increase of 3.9 per cent. payable from 1 August 1992. The old scale maximum is not a feature of the new pay arrangements introduced for certain grades (including Grade 7) on 1 August 1992.

  KPMG Management Consultants
  Ms. Mowlam
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to KPMG Management Consultants over the past 12 months.

  Mr. Portillo
  HM Treasury has awarded two contracts to KPMG Management Consultants over the past 12 months, one for staff appraisal training and a research project.

  Third World Debt
  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost to public funds in(a) 1990, (b) 1991 and (c) 1992 of granting banks tax relief on setting money aside in case of default on debts by third world countries.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The available information is given in my reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 7 December 1992, at columns 471–72.

  Child Care
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the cost to the Treasury of tax relief on employer-provided child care in(a) 1990–91, (b) 1991–92 and (c) 1992–93; and what are his estimates for the cost in 1993–94.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The revenue cost of exempting employer-provided child care is estimated to be about £10 million for each of the years 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93. The revenue cost for 1993–94 would depend on the level of provision.
  258
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the effect on Treasury revenue in 1993–94 of extending tax relief on employer-provided child care to(a) employer-provided cheques and vouchers for child care and (b) all forms of employer assistance for child care.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Exempting all existing employer assistance for child care would have a revenue cost, at 1992–93 levels of provision and subsidies, of approximately £5 million. There is insufficient information to subdivide this estimate. We expect that if such a measure were introduced there would be substantial behavioural effects.

  "Made in UK" Labels (Textile Imports)
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what investigations he is intending to make into the production of "Made in UK" labels in Serbia and Macedonia which were supplied to Messrs. Dewhursts of Driffield, North Humberside;

  (2) what proposals he has for the examination of tachographs in establishing the source of textile products imported by Dewhursts of Driffield, North Humberside;

  (3) whether he intends to arrange for the interview of vehicle drivers employed or formerly employed by Burlington Ocean Express so as to secure statements on their involvement in the transportation of textile products from Serbia to an Otex-owned factory in Macedonia;

  (4) what information he has as to the relationship between Otex of Macedonia and Genex of Serbia;

  (5) what proportion of textile imports for Messrs. Dewhursts held at port in December 1992 were subject to individual examination.

  Sir John Cope
  [holding answer 19 January 1993]: Customs tell me that they have almost completed inquiries in this case and so far there is no evidence to suggest any breaches of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro. As the case is not yet finalised, it would be inappropriate to comment further.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Disabled People
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many disabled people below the pensionable age are living in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Mates
  Estimates derived from the surveys of disability undertaken by the policy planning and research unit of the Department of Finance and Personnel in 1989–90 indicate that, according to the definition used in the survey, there were 96,000 disabled people under pension age in Northern Ireland.

  Forestry (Public Access)
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many public access agreements have been concluded in Northern Ireland in each of the past three years in respect of Forestry Commission holdings sold to the private sector; and what percentage of total sales these figures represent.

  Mr. Hanley
  The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland is responsible for state forestry in
  259
  Northern Ireland. It has not entered into any public access arrangements in respect of woodland areas disposed of in the past three years. All such disposals during this period were in isolated localities, were small in size and were of no recreational significance.

  Local Authorities
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to seek to allow local authorities in Northern Ireland additional powers and responsibilities; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  [holding answer 11 January 1993]: I have no such plans. However, the Government believe that there is considerable scope to transfer greater power, authority and responsibility to locally elected representatives in Northern Ireland and would be willing to give serious consideration to any proposals regarding future arrangements for regional or local government in Northern Ireland which seemed likely to prove widely acceptable. These issues are best considered in the comprehensive context of further political talks.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate the total expenditure on(a) green form assistance, (b) legal aid for civil cases and (c) legal aid for criminal cases that will be authorised in 1993–94 (i) in England and (ii) in the Yorkshire region on the assumption that the current eligibility rules continue to apply and also on the assumption that the new eligibility criteria which were proposed at the time of the autumn statement are introduced on 1 April.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The only estimates available for 1993–94 are those for England and Wales as a whole. For England and Wales it is estimated that following the abolition of contributory green form assistance, £138.7 million will be spent on legal advice and assistance in 1993–94; £142.4 million would be spent if there were no changes to financial eligibility. It is estimated that £508.7 million will be spent on civil legal aid in 1993–94 and that £548.2 million would be spent if there were no changes to financial eligibility. The changes will have little effect on total expenditure on criminal legal aid which it is estimated will be £570 million in 1993–94.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate for England and for the Yorkshire region the number of applications for(a) green form assistance and (b) civil legal aid that will be approved in 1992–93; and how many would be eligible under the new rules.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  For England and Wales as a whole it is estimated that in 1992–93, a total of 1,461,000 bills will be paid for legal advice and assistance under the green form scheme and that 413,000 civil legal aid certificates will be issued. For the Yorkshire and Humberside region, not including Hambledon, Richmond, Ryedale or Scarborough, it is estimated that in 1992–93, 120,000 bills will be paid for advice and assistance under the green form scheme and that 40,000 civil legal aid 260
  certificates will be issued. It is not possible to estimate how many of these green form bills would have been paid, or these civil legal aid certificates issued, had the new eligibility limits been in force.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate for England and for the Yorkshire region the number of applications for(a) green form assistance and (b) civil legal aid that will be approved in 1993–94 (i) on the assumption that the current eligibility rules are unchanged and (ii) on the assumption that the new eligibility criteria proposed at the time of the autumn statement are introduced on 1 April; and if he will estimate how many of those receiving legal aid under the new criteria would receive less aid in cash terms than they would have received under the old rules.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The only estimates available for 1993–94 are those for England and Wales as a whole. It is estimated that in 1993–94 under the current financial eligibility regulations, 1,548,000 bills for legal advice and assistance under the green form scheme would have been paid, and that 452,000 civil legal aid certificates would have been issued. Under the new regulations it is estimated that around 1,400,000 green form bills will be paid and 333,000 civil legal aid certificates will be issued. It is not possible to estimate the number of people who will receive less aid in cash terms under the new criteria.

  Public Record Office
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many papers withheld at the Public Record Office have been subsequently released after review by the Lord Chancellor's advisory council in each year since 1979.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Advisory Council on Public Records has a role in considering and commenting on applications to the Lord Chancellor by Departments for the extended closure of public records, that is, beyond the statutory period of 30 years after their creation. It has never reviewed records after they have been closed.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Physics Departments
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what response he has made to the representations made to him by the Institute of Physics concerning the maintenance of the dual support system for physics departments not currently considered to be in the top rank.

  Mr. Robert Jackson
  The president of the Institute of Physics wrote to the chief scientific adviser on 17 November with the institute's views on the forthcoming science and technology White Paper. These included comments on the operation of the dual support system. The chief scientific adviser replied on 27 November thanking him for the institute's comments, which will be considered in preparing the White Paper.

  Copies of the institute's comments were placed in the Library of the House on 18 December.

ENVIRONMENT

  Lead Shot
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress his Department is making in discussions with interested parties concerning development of alternatives to lead shot; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  My Department set up a working group with interested parties on 31 October 1991 to develop a programme for introducing non-toxic shot and phasing-out lead shot in wetland areas.

  The group has concluded that a target for commercial quantities of non-toxic shot for 12-bore shotguns to be available by September 1995 is feasible. The group intends that the majority of lead shooting over wetlands should be phased-out by September 1997; a ban on lead shot could operate from that date. The group will continue to pursue these objectives.

  Rough Sleeping
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are used in assessing applications for grants under the rough sleeping initiative.

  Mr. Baldry
  Grants under the rough sleepers initiative in central London are given at the discretion of the Secretary of State. Projects are assessed against their value in meeting the policy objectives of the initiative. Capital projects comply with the standards laid down in the Housing Corporation's published schemework procedure guide and the value for money criteria published in the corporation's total cost indicator and grant rate circular.

  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the amount of grant received by each organisation under the rough sleeping initiative.

  Mr. Baldry
  I will write to my hon. Friend about this shortly.

  Parliamentary Alternative Energy Group
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent meetings he has had with the parliamentary alternative energy group; and what meetings he has planned with the parliamentary alternative energy group in the current year.

  Mr. Maclean
  My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment attended a reception organised by the parliamentary alternative energy group at the House of Commons on Monday 14 December 1992. He has no plans at present to meet the group this year.

  Peatlands
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to bring forward new measures to safeguard lowland peatlands of nature conservation importance in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Maclean
  A working group on peat extraction comprising representatives of the main interested parties is preparing advice for my right hon. and learned Friend.262
  The Government strategy for peatlands will be announced after receiving the working group's advice and considering all other relevant information.

  Environmental Inspectorates
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to propose that a meeting of each EC nation's environmental inspectorate will also include the environmental authorities of central and eastern European nations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government attach importance to improving the quality of inspection through, inter alia, exchanging information and experience. To this end, in November last year, the United Kingdom presidency launched the network of EC environmental enforcement agencies. The value of participation in the network by central and east European countries can be assessed in due course when we have had more experience of how the network is working and taking account of other options that may be available. The Department is already providing some advice and assistance to central and east European inspectorates through the environmental know-how fund.

  Contaminated Land
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in what form he intends to publish the responses received from the first consultation exercise on contaminated land; if he will place a copy of all responses in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  We are still considering the way forward on proposals for registers of land which may be contaminated which have been the subject of two consultation exercises. Copies of responses to both consultation exercises will be placed in the Library when we have announced our decisions.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria are used in assessing applications for grants under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985.

  Mr. Baldry
  Grant under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985 is given at the discretion of the Secretary of State against criteria set out each year in notes for the guidance of applicants. I have today placed in the Library a copy of the guidance notes for 1993–94.

  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the amount of grant received by each organisation under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985 in each of the past three years.

  Mr. Baldry
  I have today placed in the Library a list showing grants to homelessness voluntary organisations in England under the main section 73 grant programme in 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93.

  Drinking Water (Lead)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to introduce World Health Organisation standards for lead in drinking water; and if he will take steps to eradicate lead from drinking water supplies.

  Mr. Maclean
  We are considering whether any changes are needed in the light of the revised guidelines that the World Health Organisation is expected to publish later in the year.

  Housing, Sandwell
  Mr. Snape
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new homes will be provided by Sandwell metropolitan borough authority in 1993–94; what is the total provision from central funds which will be received by the authority in support of capital expenditure on housing; and what capital expenditure he expects the authority to incur next year.

  Mr. Baldry
  The level of local authority housing capital expenditure in Sandwell in 1993–94, and priorities within the capital programme for that year, are matters for the council to decide in the light of available resources. Sandwell's housing investment programme allocation for 1993–94 is £21,554,000. Further resources for 1993–94 could be made available to Sandwell from housing special programmes.

  Car Boot Sales
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to review the planning laws relating to car boot sales.

  Mr. Baldry
  My Department issued a public consultation paper—"Temporary Uses of Land, External

  Numbers employed in local authorities in Hampshire At June of each year

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Authority

  Full-Time

  Part-Time

  Full-Time

  Part-Time

  Full-Time

  Part-Time

  Full-Time

  Part-Time

  Full-Time

  Part-Time

  Full-Time

  Part-Time

  Hampshire County

  29,205

  27,295

  29,515

  27,836

  27,775

  28,324

  27,604

  27,827

  27,796

  27,070

  28,150

  27,907

  Basingstoke

  655

  49

  669

  45

  687

  35

  714

  42

  723

  40

  683

  41

  East Hampshire

  418

  78

  379

  95

  N/A

  N/A

  N/A

  N/A

  462

  221

  369

  198

  Eastleigh

  481

  63

  489

  75

  537

  86

  512

  82

  436

  106

  399

  86

  Fareham

  495

  46

  493

  47

  504

  45

  506

  59

  508

  64

  487

  68

  Gosport

  479

  143

  464

  143

  470

  150

  490

  160

  449

  147

  365

  148

  Hart

  300

  45

  306

  59

  286

  63

  297

  64

  306

  69

  278

  48

  Havant

  694

  142

  688

  164

  676

  157

  659

  172

  640

  177

  629

  205

  New Forest

  722

  175

  676

  192

  713

  212

  752

  207

  N/A

  N/A

  N/A

  N/A

  Portsmouth

  2,312

  502

  2,307

  569

  2,304

  548

  2,291

  520

  2,141

  511

  2,083

  536

  Rushmoor

  614

  90

  584

  84

  606

  83

  617

  90

  610

  90

  585

  97

  Southampton

  2,322

  208

  N/A

  N/A

  2,243

  285

  2,271

  302

  2,226

  350

  2,153

  358

  Test Valley

  566

  176

  547

  190

  549

  188

  547

  196

  541

  197

  542

  198

  Winchester

  552

  94

  581

  80

  605

  147

  618

  170

  649

  178

  614

  125

  N/A= Data not available.

  Source: Joint Staffing Watch for England.

  Note: Education, passenger transport, fire services, police and social services are administered by Hampshire County Council. The other authorities shown are District Councils, which, amongst other services, administer housing and refuse collection.

  Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he is giving to the holding of a public inquiry before coming to a decision on whether the THORP at Sellafield should proceed.

  Mr. Maclean
  The regulatory authorities' consultation on their proposed draft authorisations for the Sellafield site, including THORP, ends on 25 January. The chief 264
  Lighting and Miscellaneous Amendments to the Town and Country Planning General Development Order 1988"—in August last year inviting views on the proper scope of permitted development rights for the temporary use of land, including the use of land for markets and car boot sales.

  More than 1,250 responses to the consultation paper have been received and are currently under consideration.

  Environmental Disasters
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance he gives to local authorities seeking to provide financial and other assistance to those whose homes are affected by environmental disasters of any kind.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Guidance issued by my Department and others covering a wide range of local authority functions may be relevant, depending on the circumstances. Local authorities have a general power to incur expenditure which is in the interests of and will bring direct benefit to their area or its inhabitants, and we expect them to make appropriate use of that discretion.

  Local Government Employment, Hampshire
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people were employed(a) full time and (b) part time in local government in Hampshire in each year since 1987.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The information is given in the table for each authority in Hampshire. Totals have not been given because data for some authorities are not available centrally.

  inspector of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will then consider whether there is a need to make changes to the draft authorisations in the light of comments received. Once they have decided whether, and if so how, the authorisations should be amended, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State and my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food will consider whether to afford a hearing in accordance with the terms of the legislation.

  Environment Council
  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will report on the achievements of the United Kingdom's presidency of the Environment Council.

  Mr. Howard
  At the outset of our presidency I set a number of objectives. The first was to follow through the agreement reached at Rio and to begin to formulate the Community's response to them. This was to carried forward in many ways. Environment Ministers discussed the way forward at their informal meeting at Gleneagles in September following the lead given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in the eight-point strategy that he put to the Lisbon European Council in June. Development Ministers have also given priority to UNCED follow-up in their declaration on the future of development policy. Much of the work in Brussels over the last six months has also been about measures to help put into practice the agreements reached at Rio. Foremost among these has been the consideration and endorsement by the Council of the fifth environmental action programme, which will not only provide the blueprint for the Community's environmental policy up to the end of the century, but will constitute the basis for the Community's response to "Agenda 21".

  The second objective was to improve the integration of environmental considerations into other policy areas as the key to sustainable development. This is also a central theme of the fifth action programme, and reflects the strengthened text we had successfully negotiated into the Maastricht treaty.

  Improved integration is a long-term objective, but good progress was made over the last six months. The Government commissioned a widely acclaimed report from the Institute for European Environmental Policy and made the subject the centrepiece for ministerial discussion at the Informal Council, where useful ideas for improving integration at Community level were generated. These were reflected not only in the conclusions of that meeting, but in the Council resolution on the fifth action programme. The Department of the Environment also collaborated with other Departments to influence and monitor the activities of other EC policy areas. Environmental issues were discussed in eight different Councils during the United Kingdom presidency, and a number of special conferences linked to the integration theme were organised or supported.

  The third objective was to secure improvements in the implementation and enforcement of environmental legislation across the Community. The Government secured significant achievements here. We hosted the first meeting of the network of environmental enforcement authorities, securing participation from all member states and agreeing terms of reference and a programme of work for the future. This should ensure that the network is now firmly established as a mechanism for improving standards across the Community through exchanges of information, personnel and ideas between environmental regulators. The Government also secured an undertaking from the Commission to produce regular reports for the Council of Ministers on the application of existing Community legislation in the member states, held a first formal debate on this subject at the December Council meeting, and obtained the Council's agreement that such debates should take place annually in future. The Government have
  266
  continued to press the Commission to bring forward proposals for a Community body to audit the application of EC environmental legislation, and have secured growing support from other member states for this idea.

  The Government also made progress on a broad range of detailed measures in the Council.

  Waste: agreement was finally reached on a regulation controlling the movement of waste within, into and out of the Community. This important and hard-won agreement opens the way for Community ratification of the Basel convention on trade in hazardous waste.

  Ozone layer: a regulation was agreed accelerating the phase-out dates for the production and consumption within the Community of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances.

  Vehicle emissions: agreement was reached on stringent emission standards for vans and other light-duty vehicles to fill the gap between those already agreed for cars and for heavy-duty vehicles.

  Fifth action programme: the Council agreed a resolution setting out its response to the Commission's fifth environmental action programme, which maps out a broad strategy for the Community's environment policy until the end of the century. The resolution included a passage taking account of the Edinburgh European Council conclusions on subsidiarity which will now guide Community environment policy.

  Eco-Audit Scheme: broad agreement was reached on a Community eco-management and audit scheme, the aim of which is to encourage effective environmental management of industrial sites and regular public reporting of their environmental impacts.

  Climate change: discussions were taken forward on all elements of the Commission's proposals for Community action. The proposed carbon/energy tax was discussed by Finance Ministers and remitted to experts for further work on a number of specific questions. The Energy Council discussed the draft directive on energy-saving measures and agreed new measures on the exploitation of renewable energy sources. Environment Ministers made good progress towards agreement on a mechanism for monitoring national programmes on greenhouse gas emissions.

  Endangered species: good progress was made towards agreeing a workable basis for strict new Community controls on the wildlife trade. Member states' concerns about the complexity of the Commission's original proposals have largely been overcome.

  Packaging: a good start was made in discussions on new Commission proposals for a directive on packaging and packaging waste.

  Air pollution: the Council formally adopted a directive on air pollution by ozone, and work was started on two new measures concerning emissions from hazardous waste incineration and evaporative emissions from petrol distribution.

  In addition, the Government made strenous efforts to overcome the blockages which have prevented the establishment of the European Environment Agency. Although it proved impossible to obtain agreement on a site during the course of the presidency, there is every indication that the main obstacles have now been removed, and that agreement should be possible under the Danish presidency. In the meantime, we worked closely

  267
  with the Commission to identify tasks which could usefully be set in hand in the interim to anticipate the future work and needs of the agency.

  My hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Environment and Countryside and I also represented the Community as presidency at several international meetings such as the UN general assembly in October and the Copenhagen meeting of the parties to the Montreal protocol in November. Officials from my Department also spoke for the Community and chaired Community co-ordination meetings as appropriate at various international meetings held at official level.

  This represents a substantial record of achievement during the six months of our presidency. We achieved the objectives which we set ourselves at the outset, and worked hard to carry forward the environmental protection policies of the Community efficiently and effectively during our term of office. The Government look forward to further progress under the Danish presidency.

PRIME MINISTER

  Security Service
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the oral answer of 14 January by the Secretary of State for National Heritage to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner),Official Report, columns 1075–76, to what categories of questions regarding the security service Ministers are now willing to provide substantive replies.

  The Prime Minister
  As I said in my statement to the House on 6 May last year, at column 65, successive Governments have not commented on matters relating to security and intelligence. The reason for that is clear: it is difficult to comment without revealing, by what is said or not said, information that can have a bearing on the effectiveness of these services and the safety of their staff.

  Nevertheless, from time to time there will be matters of public concern on which it is desirable and possible to make a considered statement. There are precedents under successive Administrations when such statements have been made without prejudice to the general convention. An example is the assurance which I gave hon. Members on 29 June 1992, Official Report, column 37, about postal and telephone interception.

  UN Aims Register
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on progress with setting up a United Nations arms register.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 19 January 1993]: The register was established by a UN general assembly resolution in December 1991. In December 1992 the general assembly approved by consensus a report by technical experts on the register's implementation. Participating countries are required to provide their first returns of information by 30 April 1993 covering arms imports and exports in the calendar year 1992. The Secretary-General will produce an annual report containing the information registered which will be available for consultation by member states.

  Royal Family (Telephone Tapping)
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement concerning Her Majesty's Government's policy regarding the tapping of telephones of members of the royal family or their personal friends.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 19 January 1993]: The interception of communications during their transmission by means of a public telephone system is subject to the provisions of the Interception of Communications Act 1985. The Government have accepted Sir David Calcutt's recommendation to consider whether the legislation adequately protects private telephone calls. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage assured the House in his statement on 14 January, there is no substance to rumours about the involvement of the security and intelligence agencies in interception of the communications of the royal family.

  Intergovernmental Binding Decisions
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 14 December 1992,Official Report, column 37, what are the criteria distinguishing an intergovernmental binding decision and treaty if both are justiciable in the International Court of Justice.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 19 January 1993]: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 15 January, at column 822.

TRANSPORT

  English Channel
  Mr. Stephen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what action is taken at the time, or subsequently, if a vessel is observed to be violating the rules for preventing collisions in the English channel;

  (2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the rules for preventing collisions in the English channel and the policing of the rules by radar or otherwise.

  Mr. Norris
  The channel traffic separation scheme, coupled with radar surveillance by the United Kingdom and France of traffic in the Dover strait, has been effective in reducing the level of accidents in the area by over 85 per cent. Where there is evidence of a contravention of the rules, appropriate follow-up action will be taken by the Department which may include prosecution.

  Speed Limits
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses have been received to date on his Department's consultation paper on speed limits; and how many such representations have advocated the fitting of speed limiters on cars.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  A total of 142 responses were received and six advocated the fitting of speed limiters to cars.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will invite Steve Wright of BBC Radio 1 to assist the campaign to raise awareness of the effect of greater speed on pedestrian fatalities.
  269
  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  My Department always looks to enlist the media's support for its publicity campaigns to reduce road casualties. Radio 1 has been particularly helpful in pressing home the messages of recent Christmas drink-drive campaigns. We are currently drawing up our campaign plans for 1993 and look forward to their continuing support.

  Transport Links
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make available copies of all papers presented to the Council of Ministers and European Commission and the individual directorates general by his Department relating to the development of(a) transport link projects between Wales and Ireland, (b) the trans-European transport network and (c) the INTERREG programme.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Over a period of many years my Department and others have contributed to the EC Commission's work on transport links between Wales and Ireland and on trans-European networks in the context of the European regional development fund, the series of EC transport infrastructure programmes and, more recently, the development of networks guidelines for transport. It would not be possible at reasonable cost to identify all the papers in question: there is also the difficulty that in some cases the material may contain commercially sensitive information. INTERREG, an EC initiative on cross-border co-operation under the structural funds, is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement outlining his Department's policy on the establishment of trans-European networks; and what representations he has made to the European Community concerning prioritisation for the development of such routes.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  As one of the signatories to that treaty, the Government support the provisions of Maastricht, including the articles on trans-European networks for transport, energy and telecommunications. With other member states, we are now contributing to the Commission's work in drafting network guidelines for various transport modes.

  British Rail (Concessionary Travel)
  Sir Giles Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements he intends to make to safeguard concessionary travel arrangements for employees, and their dependants, and for retired staff on the privatisation of British Rail.

  Mr. Freeman
  We intend to take powers in the forthcoming Railways Bill to ensure that future passenger service operators may be compelled to provide travel facilities so as to protect the benefits currently enjoyed by BR staff, pensioners and their dependants. The regulator will be enabled to impose conditions in operators' licences requiring them to honour these existing travel facilities. Successor employers of present BR staff will be under an obligation to secure such facilities because the obligation will be preserved when those staff transfer from BR.270
  Pensioners and their dependants, and others with preserved facilities, will continue to enjoy the travel facilities which they have now.

  Railway Pensions
  Sir Anthony Durant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish the paper on railway pensions to which he referred on 12 January,Official Report, column 794.

  Mr. Freeman
  I am publishing the paper today and have placed copies in the Library. It confirms that there should be a joint industry pension scheme to succeed the present BR open scheme; that there should be arrangements to ensure that pensions to which present railway staff are now entitled are safeguarded; and that their future pension benefits should be no less favourable than in the present BR scheme. It also invites comments on two alternative arrangements proposed to secure the rights of railway pensioners and on other proposals made in the paper.

  Hereford Bypass
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from(a) English Nature, (b) the Herefordshire nature trust and (c) the Council for the Protection of Rural England regarding the environmental impact of the published route for the A49–465 Hereford bypass; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  All three bodies submitted written representations concerning the environmental impact of the scheme, in particular on the Lugg meadows site of special scientific interest.

  In addition, the Herefordshire nature trust and the CPRE appeared at the public inquiry which opened in 1991. Both these groups put forward alternative routes to that proposed by the Department.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what total area of farmland would suffer from severance under(a) the published route for the A49–465 Hereford bypass and (b) the western alternative route 1C; what proportion of the area in each case would be (i) grade 1, (ii) grade 2 and (iii) grade 3a; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The total area of farmland to be severed is not readily available. MAFF's evidence to the public inquiry gave as the prime reason for their support of the eastern route the view that the western route options traverse more of the best quality land than the eastern options and the former would also result in the isolation of significant pockets of very high quality land inside the western bypass line.

  The areas of farmland required for the scheme, in the grades requested are:

  Published Route hectares

  Alternative 1C hectares

  Grade 1

  1.1

  5.2

  Grade 2

  22.6

  20.0

  Grade 3a

  29.2

  15.8

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the lengths of(a) the published route

  271
  for the A49–465 Hereford bypass and (b) the western alternative route 1C; what are the (i) estimated construction costs and (ii) vehicle travelling times for both HGV and other vehicles, of each of the two routes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The length of the published route is 13.6 km, 8.4 miles. The length of the alternative route 1C is 9.15 km, 5.7 miles.

  The estimated construction cost, excluding land, at Q2/1992 prices for the published route is £28.2 million. The cost of alternative route 1C is £21.1 million.

  Vehicle travelling times are:

  HGVs minutes

  Other vehicles minutes

  Published Route

  11.10

  9.04

  Alternative 1C

  7.84

  6.36

  These times are based on speeds for HGVs of 64 kph, 40 mph, on single carriageways and 80 kph, 50 mph, on dual carriageways. Speeds for other vehicles are 80 kph, 50 mph, on single carriageways and 97 kph, 60 mph, on dual carriageways.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the distances and travelling times expected for(a) HGV vehicles and (b) other vehicles starting from a common point on the A49 north and ending at a common point on the A465 south (South Wales) along (i) the inner ring road through Hereford, (ii) the published route for the A49–A465 Hereford bypass and (iii) the western alternative route 1C; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The distances and travelling times are as follows:

  Length

  HGV times (minutes)

  Other vehicle times (minutes)

  (i) Inner Ring Road

  8.61 km (5.3 m)

  11.78

  (ii) Published route

  14.48 km (9.0 m)

  12.13

  9.85

  (iii) Alternative 1C

  8.15 km (5.0 m)

  6.91

  5.73

  Journey times for HGVs on the existing road are not available as surveys were not undertaken. However, in general terms in an urban area these can be expected to be considerably longer than for other vehicles.

  Chicago (Ministerial Visit)
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total cost of the recent ministerial visit to Chicago; who went; and what was studied.

  Mr. Norris
  [holding answer 15 January 1993]: I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving me the opportunity to confirm that the total cost of the recent visit to Chicago was not £25,000 as reported by the Evening Standard, but just under £7,000. I can only assume the £25,000 estimate was based on at least one journalist's attempt to justify his own expenses.
  272
  I visited Chicago to look at the city's system of parking enforcement and adjudication prior to a new system being introduced in London. I also took the opportunity to see traffic control and information systems, incident management on freeways and an in-vehicle route guidance system, and held meetings with the mayor, the city aviation commissioner and the head of the regional transit authority.

  I was accompanied by my private secretary and three other officials from the Department.

WALES

  River Dee Crossing
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the completion date of the third River Dee crossing; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Transport grant approval has been given for a start to be made in 1994–95. The scheme is expected to take approximately two and a half years to complete. The precise start date will be a matter for Clwyd county council to determine following the transport grant settlement for 1994–95 which will be announced towards the end of the year.

  Forestry Commission (Asset Sales)
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list each area of Forestry Commission land in Wales by county hectarage and location sold to the private sector during each of the last five years and the total receipts, by county, accruing to the commission from such sales.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Lists giving details of the areas of forest land sold by the Forestry Commission in the four years from 1988 to 1991 are held in the Library of the House. A similar list is being prepared of the areas of forest land sold in 1992 and I shall arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House as soon as possible.

  The receipts from sales of forest land are not recorded by county, but the total receipts for Wales in each of the last five financial years are as follows:

  Year ended 31 March

  Receipts £000

  1988

  871

  1989

  1,527

  1990

  1,786

  1991

  1,956

  1992

  2,179

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his current policy in respect of the sale of Forestry Commission assets in Wales; and if he will list those forest areas currently available for sale to the private sector.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. and learned Friend the then Secretary of State for Scotland on 16 June 1989.

  The following areas of forest land in Wales are at present being offered for sale on the open market:
  273

  County and Name

  Area (hectares)

  Dyfed

  Allt Crychdu

  18

  Allt Fawr

  7

  Allt Llwyn Dyfrion

  11

  Allt Pistyll Dewi

  33

  Allt Pwll Priddog

  18

  Allt Tir Isaf

  5

  Allt y Fergwm

  23

  Brynwicket

  8

  Bwlch Newydd

  8

  Bylchau Duon

  62

  Careg Fadog

  6

  Cilfowyr

  3

  Coed Cwm Saethe

  5

  Coed Ffridd Cwmere

  20

  Coed Gwastad

  28

  Coedmore, Coad Newydd

  17

  Coed Rhosan

  5

  Coed y Gorof

  7

  Cresselly Big Wood

  48

  Cwmcroiddur

  7

  Cwmfran Fawr

  3

  Cwm Gwachel

  15

  Cwnheidre Uchaf

  24

  Erryd Wood

  5

  Fforest

  22

  Ffynon Le Frith

  25

  Glanteifi

  3

  Glaspant

  4

  Glebe Woods

  17

  Hafod Iwan

  32

  Knightson Bottom

  15

  Llwyn y Gwair

  14

  Lon Isaf

  7

  Maestwynog

  12

  North Wood

  27

  Pant y Gaseg

  3

  Pencwm Fawr

  9

  Penhill Wood

  4

  Penrallt Ddu

  13

  Pont Eynon and Allt y Forlan

  29

  Pont Henri

  14

  Portis Pant

  30

  Prycemoor

  5

  Rams Wood

  26

  Rhos Geler

  9

  Scolton

  30

  Sunnyhill Wood

  9

  Tanyrallt

  6

  The Coombes

  6

  Trevane Wood

  10

  Troserch

  35

  Tynton Wood

  4

  Ty'r Shyme

  7

  Waun Baglan Woods

  26

  Wenallt

  17

  Gwent

  Craig y Merchant

  24

  Hafod Risclawdd

  23

  Luggas Wood and Youngs Grove

  15

  Gwynedd

  Bodfeddau

  10

  Coed Dyfi

  17

  Coed Ty Uchaf

  15

  Glyn Estate

  49

  Gwenfro Uchaf

  7

  Irby

  4

  Parc Main

  6

  Tan y Graig

  3

  Powys

  Allt Cwm Tywyll

  6

  Craig Yr Henffordd

  8

  Cwmbach and Cwmcoch

  44

  Great Wood

  9

  274

  County and Name

  Area (hectares)

  Pwll Llydan

  31

  South Glamorgan

  Breach Wood

  9

  West Glamorgan

  Craig Ynysgollen

  10

  Gelligaer

  33

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what evidence he has that a public access requirement diminishes the market value of Forestry Commission assets in Wales on offer of sale to the public sector;

  (2) if he will list each area of Forestry Commission land in Wales sold to the private sector over the last five years in respect of which public access agreements have been made.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The arrangements for securing continued public access to woodland sold by the Forestry Commission were introduced in October 1991. They have not been in operation long enough to assess what effect they might have on market values. Only five of the woodland areas considered under these arrangements have been sold so far. None of the sales was subject to an access agreement.

  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy in respect of the maintenance of public access to Forestry Commission land sold to the private sector; what steps he has taken to ensure the implementation of this policy; and what assessment he has made of its efficacy.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. and learned Friend the then Secretary of State for Scotland on 21 November 1990, columns 164–66. The arrangements to implement the policy were introduced in October 1991 and are scheduled to be reviewed at the end of this year.

  Tuberculosis
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has concerning the incidence of TB in humans, by county in Wales for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The number of notifications of incidents of tuberculosis made to the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys for each of the last five years are shown in the following table.

  Notifications of tuberculosis

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1 1991

  Clwyd

  22

  19

  16

  28

  30

  Dyfed

  28

  21

  20

  32

  31

  Gwent

  44

  25

  33

  20

  20

  Gwynedd

  21

  33

  23

  26

  6

  Mid Glamorgan

  45

  37

  49

  22

  21

  Powys

  4

  1

  3

  3

  0

  South Glamorgan

  44

  37

  37

  36

  45

  West Glamorgan

  24

  28

  28

  27

  13

  1 Provisional.

  Source: OPCS.

  Alcohol and Drugs
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will publish a table showing the total grant paid by his Department(a) in total, (b) in revenue and (c) in capital towards the provision of (1) residential facilities and (2) non-residential facilities for (i) people with alcohol problems and (ii) people with drug problems in each of the past five years;

  (2) if he will publish a table showing the total grant available from his Department (a) in total, (b) in revenue and (c) in capital towards the provision of (1) residential facilities and (2) non-residential facilities for (i) people with alcohol problems and (ii) people with drug problems in 1992–93 and 1993–94.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Funds for drug and alcohol projects are provided directly and indirectly from the Welsh Office from a number of sources. In part they are provided from small specific budgets: others are disbursed by health authorities, either from moneys specifically allocated—some £3 million in 1992–93—or from their general allocations. Details of individual allocations funded from all these sources could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the bodies in Wales to which(a) he nominates members at present and (b) to which he nominated members in 1979.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 30 October 1992, column 866–905, listing current appointments I have made to public bodies in Wales. Comparable information for 1979 is not available.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance sent to the chairmen of national health service trusts in relation to the salaries of directors of trusts and increases thereof in 1993.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I have placed in the Library of the House copies of the two guidance letters sent to trust chairmen in November.

  NATIONAL HERITAGE
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions he has had with representatives of the football pools industry and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers about the proposed national lottery; and what conclusions were reached.

  Mr. Brooke
  [holding answer 15 January 1993]: I met representatives of the Pools Promoters Association on 9 December 1992, when they put forward a list of changes that they would like to see to their regulatory regime. I look forward to continuing the debate as the Bill progresses. I am not conscious of any approach for a meeting from the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Police Complaints Authority
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the Police Complaints Authority to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 1 to 5 February 1993.

  Testicular Cancer
  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to early detection of testicular cancer to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 29 March to 2 April 1993.

  Old People
  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the European Year of Older People and Solidarity between Generations 1993 to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 22 to 26 February 1993.

EDUCATION

  Higher Education
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proposals he has to ensure that, after 1993, Her Majesty's inspectorate will inspect all institutions funded by the Higher Education Funding Council in the same way.

  Mr. Boswell
  Her Majesty's inspectorate ceased to have responsibility for inspection in higher education in England on 1 September 1992. That responsibility, extended to the established universities, now rests with the Higher Education Funding Council for England which plans shortly to issue a circular on its approach to the assessment of teaching quality.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list, for the latest full year for which figures are available, for all institutions funded for taught courses by the Universities Funding Council(a) the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled upon degree-level courses, (b) the total funding for teaching received from the Universities Funding Council, (c) the proportion of that institution's total public funding received from the Universities Funding Council and (d) the proportion of full-time equivalent students at the institution following non-degree courses.
  277
  Mr. Boswell
  Statistics on funding and enrolments of higher education courses are contained in "Funding and Enrolments 1991–92", an information document published by PCFC in November 1992, a copy of which is in the Library. For the first time, in respect of 1991–92, all PCFC institutions will be completing a finance return. This will indicate the public funds received from the council and from other public sources. Results from this survey will be available during the next three months and will be published this summer.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list, for the latest full year for which figures are available, all institutions funded for taught courses by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council(a) the number of full-time equivalent students enrolled upon degree-level courses, (b) the total funding for teaching received from the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, (c) the proportion of that institution's total public funding received from the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council and (d) the proportion of full-time equivalent students at the institution following non-degree courses.

  Mr. Boswell
  Statistics on funding and enrolments on higher education courses are contained in "Funding and Enrolments 1991–92", an information document published by PCFC in November 1992, a copy of which is in the Library. For the first time, in respect of 1991–92, all PCFC institutions will be completing a finance return. This will indicate the public funds received from the council and from other public sources. Results from this survey will be available during the next three months and will be published this summer.

  Degree-level Education
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures he will take to ensure that, under the proposed arrangements after April, the validation and quality of degree-level education provided will be assessed in precisely the same way for all institutions funded by the Higher Education Funding Council.

  Mr. Boswell
  The Higher Education Quality Council is undertaking a programme of academic audits of all degree awarding institutions. These audits will scrutinise the quality assurance systems of institutions, including any validation arrangements for non-degree awarding institutions, and report on their operation. The council will also advise the Secretary of State on applications from non-degree awarding institutions for degree awarding powers. The Higher Education Funding Council for England will be undertaking a programme of quality assessments. All these activities will be undertaken in a way which ensures comparability.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list, for the latest year available and for every institution funded by the Universities Funding Council or the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, the proportion of students admitted to degree-level courses who have successfully completed that course.

  Mr. Boswell
  Details of leavers from the old universities are given in table 10 of "University Management Statistics and Performance indicators", 1992 edition, published by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals and the 278
  University Funding Council, a copy of which is in the Library. Aggregate data for the former polytechnics and colleges are shown in the Department for Education statistical bulletin 9/92, which is also in the Library. The next Department for Education departmental report will contain a table showing that approximately 15 per cent. of all full-time and sandwich first degree students did not successfully complete their course.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will list the authorities authorised to award degrees for the taught courses which commenced in September 1992 at each of the institutions funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council or the Universities Funding Council;

  (2) if he will list the authorities authorised to award degrees for the research courses which commenced in September 1992 at each of the institutions funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council or the Universities Funding Council.

  Mr. Boswell
  The following institutions, funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council or the Universities Funding Council, are authorised to award both taught course and research degrees:

  University of Aberdeen

  Anglia Polytechnic University

  Aston University

  University of Bath

  University of Birmingham

  Bournemouth University

  University of Bradford

  University of Brighton

  University of Bristol

  Brunel University

  University of Cambridge

  University of Central England in Birmingham

  University of Central Lancashire

  City University

  Coventry University

  De Montfort University

  University of Derby

  University of Dundee

  University of Durham

  University of East Anglia

  University of East London

  University of Edinburgh

  University of Essex

  University of Exeter

  University of Glasgow

  University of Greenwich

  Heriot-Watt University

  University of Hertfordshire

  University of Huddersfield

  University of Hull

  University of Humberside

  University of Keele

  University of Kent at Canterbury

  Kingston University

  University of Lancaster

  University of Leeds

  Lees Metropolitan University

  University of Leicester

  University of Liverpool

  Liverpool John Moore University

  University of London

  London Business School

  London Guildhall University

  Loughborough University of Technology

  University of Manchester

  The Manchester Metropolitan University

  Middlesex University

  University of Newcastle upon Tyne

  University of North London

  University of Northumbria at Newcastle

  University of Nottingham

  279

  The Nottingham Trent University

  University of Oxford

  Oxford Brookes University

  University of Plymouth

  University of Portsmouth

  University of Reading

  Royal College of Music

  University of St. Andrews

  University of Salford

  University of Sheffield

  Sheffield Hallam University

  University of Southampton

  South Bank University

  Staffordshire University

  University of Stirling

  University of Strathclyde

  University of Sunderland

  University of Surrey

  University of Sussex

  University of Teeside

  Thames Valley University

  University of Wales

  University of Warwick

  University of the West of England, Bristol

  University of Westminster

  University of Wolverhampton

  University of York

  The following institutions, funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, are authorised to award taught course degrees only:

  Bath College of Higher Education

  Bolton Institute of Higher Education

  Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education

  Luton College of Higher Education

  West Surrey College of Art and Design

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list those official publications in which potential undergraduate and research students may inform themselves of the list of colleges in receipt of funding from the Higher Education Funding Council, together with associated relevant information about degree-level courses.

  Mr. Boswell
  The Department published last year a leaflet, "Higher Education: A New Framework", which lists all higher education colleges which are to be funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Information on courses is available in the "Guide for Applicants" available from the polytechnics central admission system and a number of commercially published compendia. Copies of both named publications are available in the Library.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list, for the latest year available and for every institution funded by the Universities Funding Council or the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council, the proportion of mature students admitted to degree-level courses funded by those institutions.

  Mr. Boswell
  The numbers of mature students in United Kingdom universities and in other higher education institutions in England are shown in volume 1—students and staff—of "University Statistics 1990–91" published by the Universities Statistical Record, and statistical bulletin 19/92, "Students in Higher Education, England 1990", published by the Department. Copies of both publications are in the Library.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he intends to take this year to ensure that prospective students entering degree-level courses in September 1993 are fully aware that the quality of degree 280
  courses offered by institutions which are not permitted to designate themselves as universities is comparable to that provided by institutions which are.

  Mr. Boswell
  All institutions that offer degrees have appropriate quality assurance mechanisms in place irrespective of whether they have "university" in their title. The Department's leaflet, "Higher Education: A New Framework", sets this out.

  Truancy
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement regarding his policy on(a) parents removing children from school during term time for reasons other than illness or bereavement and (b) his plans to reduce truancy levels in schools.

  Mr. Forth
  It is for individual schools to determine whether a given absence should be treated as authorised or unauthorised in the light of the particular circumstances of each case. My right hon. Friend attaches particular importance to maintaining high levels of attendance in our schools. To this end, schools are now required to publish their rates of unauthorised absence in their prospectuses and annual reports and this information will also be figuring in local comparative tables of school performance from this year onwards. To improve attendance at schools with high truancy levels, we have recently announced support for projects in 64 English local education authorities to a total value of £8.6 million under the "Reducing Truancy" programme of the grants for education support and training scheme for 1993–94.

  Colleges
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list all those institutions of which he is aware which now designate themselves colleges of further and higher education.

  Mr. Boswell
  On the basis of the list of institutions which have been incorporated under sections 15 and 16 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, the information requested is as follows:

  Bromley College of Further and Higher Education

  Havering College of Further and Higher Education

  Matthew Boulton College of Further and Higher Education, Birmingham

  Norwich City College of Further and Higher Education

  Sandwell College of Further and Higher Education

  Stockport College of Further and Higher Education

  York College of Further and Higher Education

  Yorkshire Coast College of Further and Higher Education, Scarborough

  Research Courses
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list, for the latest full year for which figures are available, for all institutions funded for research from the research councils, Government Departments and other public sources(a) the number of researchers at the college, (b) the total public research funding received by the institution and (c) the proportion of that institution's total research funding received from public sources.

  Mr. Boswell
  The latest details of research income received by each university in the United Kingdom were shown by source in "University Statistics 1989–90—
  281
  Volume 3 (Finance)", published by the Universities' Statistical Record in February 1992. The latest details of the number of staff engaged in research only at each university were shown in "University Statistics 1990–91 —Volume 1 (Students and staff)", published in November 1992. Copies of both are available in the Library. Comparable information is not available for the former polytechnics and colleges funded by the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council.

  KPMG Management Consultants
  Ms. Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to KPMG Management Consultants over the past 12 months.

  Mr. Boswell
  Six contracts were awarded by the Department for Education to KPMG Management Consulting in the 12 months to 31 December 1992:

  (a) Market testing programme for the Department.

  1(b) Financial Management Review of Research Council contracts with other Government Departments.

  (c) Review of Data Collection Processing System.

  (d) Customer Survey (Teachers' Pensions Agency).

  (e) Follow up to the Customer Survey (Teachers' Pensions Agency).

  (f) Assessment of the Pensions Administration System project (Teachers' Pensions Agency).

  1 Under the Department of Education and Science.

  Youth Organisations
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will give details of the names and addresses of the organisations which are on his register of voluntary youth organisations eligible for grants under a special London scheme; if he will give details of the grants given to each organisation in the years(a) 1990–91, (b) 1991–92 and (c) 1992–93; and what has been achieved by the grants.

  Mr. Boswell
  The Londonwide education voluntary organisations that benefited from the Department's three-year interim scheme, and the levels of grant awarded are listed in the table; their addresses have been placed in the Library. These special grants enabled the organisations concerned to sustain their work during a three-year transition period following the abolition of the ILEA.

  Londonwide education voluntary organizations in receipt of special grants 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93

  1990–91 £

  1991–92 £

  1992–93 £

  Association of Combined Youth Clubs

  12,600

  12,600

  12,600

  Association of Jewish Youth

  5,000

  5,000

  5,000

  Boys Brigade

  7,600

  7,600

  7,600

  Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council

  7,200

  7,500

  7,500

  Diocese of London Lay Ministry

  10,800

  10,800

  10,800

  Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

  5,000

  5,000

  5,000

  Friends for the Young Deaf

  7,600

  7,600

  7,600

  Girl Guides Association

  20,700

  20,700

  20,700

  Greater London Central Scout Association

  5,000

  5,000

  5,000

  Handicapped Adventure Playground Association

  19,800

  21,400

  21,400

  Inner-London Pre-school Playgroups Association

  66,500

  66,500

  66,500

  282

  1990–91 £

  1991–92 £

  1992–93 £

  London Youth Matters

  26,100

  26,700

  26,700

  Inter-Action

  18,000

  18,000

  18,000

  London Adventure Playground Association

  51,500

  51,800

  51,800

  London Federation of Boys Clubs

  61,200

  61,800

  61,800

  London Union of Youth Clubs

  54,900

  56,500

  56,500

  London Voluntary Services Council

  18,000

  13,000

  13,000

  Methodist Association of Youth Clubs

  7,200

  7,200

  7,200

  National Federation of Gateway Clubs

  5,000

  5,000

  5,000

  Parents in Partnership

  5,000

  5,800

  5,800

  PHAB

  5,000

  5,000

  5,000

  Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster

  5,000

  3,400

  3,400

  SENSE

  12,100

  12,100

  12,100

  Southwark Catholic Youth Service

  18,900

  19,700

  19,700

  Southwark Diocesan Board of Education

  12,600

  12,600

  12,600

  United Reformed Church

  5,000

  5,000

  5,000

  Volunteer Reading Help

  5,000

  5,300

  5,300

  Woodcraft Folk

  10,800

  10,800

  10,800

  YWCA

  10,600

  10,600

  10,600

  Youth Organisations
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the names and addresses of voluntary youth organisations which have received grants for programmes of work designed to promote the personal and social education of young people in the years 1991–92 and 1992–93; and what has been achieved by the grants.

  Mr. Boswell
  Organisations which have been awarded grant under the Department's scheme for national voluntary youth organizations—NVY0s—during 1991–92 and 1992–93 are listed in the table; their addresses have been placed in the Library. The grants have helped to promote the planned personal and social education of young people in priority areas including work with young people at risk, those from ethnic minorities, and those with disabilities; curriculum development work in areas such as health education and social education; and work to increase the operational efficiency of organisations and promote management training.

  NVYOs in receipt of grant during 1991–92 and 1992–93

  Association for Jewish Youth

  Baptist Union of Great Britain

  Boys Brigade

  British Red Cross

  British Youth Council

  Campaigners

  Catholic Youth Services

  Church Army

  Church of England Board of Education

  Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade

  Council for Environmental Education

  Deaf Accord

  Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

  Endeavour

  Fairbridge

  Forest School Camps

  Frontier Youth Trust

  Girl Guides Association

  Girls Brigade

  Inter-Action

  Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade

  283

  Methodist Association of Youth Clubs

  National Association of Boys Clubs

  National Association of Muslim Youth

  National Association of Youth Theatres

  National Council of YMCAs

  National Federation of 18+ Groups

  National Federation of Gateway Clubs

  National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs

  National Organisation for Work with Girls/Young Women

  National Youth Choir

  National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain

  National Youth Theatre

  National Association of Young People's Counselling and

  Advisory Services (now Youth Access) (NAYPCAS)

  New Testament Church of God

  Ocean Youth Club

  Outward Bound Trust

  Physically Handicapped and Able-bodied (PHAB)

  Quaker Home Service

  Reform Synagogues of Great Britain

  Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)

  Sail Training Association

  St John Ambulance Youth

  Salvation Army

  Scout Association

  Sea Cadet Association

  Single Parent Links and Special Holidays (SPLASH)

  United Kingdom Federation of Jazz Bands

  Union of Maccabi Associations

  United Reform Church

  Woodcraft Folk

  Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)

  Young Christian Workers

  Young Muslim Organisation

  Youth Clubs United Kingdom

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Bosnia (No-fly Zone)
  Mr. Elletson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has received about Croatian air force activity in the no-fly zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina in breach of UN resolution 781; what evidence exists that Croat flights are engaged in the smuggling of arms in breach of the international arms embargo; what representations have been made to the Government of Croatia on this subject; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The UN Secretary-General has issued regular reports to the Security Council giving details of violations of the no-fly zone established by resolution 781 of 9 October and 786 of 11 November. It is clear from these that, to varying degrees, all parties in Bosnia Herzegovina, including the Croats, have conducted flights outside the terms permitted in the resolutions, some of which may have been used to smuggle arms. The total of unauthorised flights to 14 January was 377. The United Kingdom and other members of the Security Council have made a démarche to the Croatian Government representative at the United Nations.

  Mr. Elletson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which Bosnian-Serb aircraft have observed the provisions of UN Security Council resolution 781; and if he will support calls for enforcement of the no-fly zone.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The UN Secretary-General has issued regular reports to the Security Council giving details of violations of the no-fly zone established by resolutions 284
  781 of 9 October and 786 of 11 November. It is clear from these that, to varying degrees, all parties in Bosnia Herzegovina, including the Bosnian Serbs, have conducted flights outside the terms permitted in the resolutions. The total of unauthorised flights to 14 January was 377. Members of the Security Council, including the United Kingdom, are currently considering a resolution on enforcement of the no-fly zone which will apply to all parties.

  Religious Freedom
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to persuade nations with which the United Kingdom trades and maintains diplomatic relations to allow freedom of religious expression and cease persecuting religious minorities.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We take regular action on the question of religious intolerance, both on a bilateral basis and in conjunction with EC partners. We believe that action in international bodies is particularly effective on such matters. We are therefore active within the United Nations in ensuring that the international community continues to concentrate on these issues.

  CSCE
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the CSCE Council meeting in Stockholm of 15 and 16 December.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  [pursuant to the reply, 11 January 1993, c. 561]: The complete text of the answer to my hon. Friend is as follows:

  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary represented the United Kingdom at the Council meeting of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe which took place on 14 and 15 December in Stockholm.

  The Stockholm meeting marked a further stage in the transition of the CSCE from an organisation primarily involved with setting standards of behaviour in the fields of human rights and international security to one whose task is also to prevent and if necessary end conflicts.

  The Council endorsed the work of the international conference of former Yugoslavia. It agreed a detailed policy intended to help prevent the spread of the fighting into other parts of the former Yugoslavia and to tighten sanctions. The CSCE missions in Kosova, Sandjak and Vojvodina will be reinforced.

  The Council took steps to promote long-term solutions to the conflict in Moldova. The CSCE will continue to press for agreements to be concluded on the early and complete withdrawal of foreign troops from the territories of the Baltic states and will also dispatch a mission to Estonia to address human rights issues between the different communities in Estonia.

  Despite intensive negotiations on Nagorno Karabakh, no progress was made on the declaration of a ceasefire, the dispatch of a CSCE monitoring mission or the convening of the Minsk conference.

  The Council strengthened the institutions and procedures of the CSCE in order to help deal with conflict in Europe. Following the Prime Minister's initiative at the Helsinki summit, it established the post of Secretary General, to be filled in 1993. Mr. Max van der Stoel was

  285
  appointed high commissioner on national minorities. The chairman in office will take steps to ensure co-ordination of CSCE activities with those of the United Nations.

  The CSCE's role as one of Europe's security institutions is now better defined and its organisation is evolving to enable it to meet its responsibilities more effectively. It will concentrate on standard setting and monitoring in the fields of human rights and relations between states and also on preventive diplomacy and action to end conflict in Europe. Together with our European partners, we shall continue to support it and work to make it more effective.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Eggs
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration has been given to the marketing of eggs produced in the United Kingdom with a British produce label.

  Imports of eggs into United Kingdom (metric tonnes)

  November 1991

  December 1991

  January 1992

  February 1992

  March 1992

  April 1992

  May 1992

  June 1992

  July 1992

  August 1992

  September 1992

  October 1992

  France

  414

  392

  182

  140

  235

  178

  235

  159

  155

  271

  205

  147

  Belgium-Luxembourg

  210

  201

  65

  140

  190

  228

  251

  103

  119

  118

  106

  104

  Netherlands

  2,191

  1,788

  722

  596

  1,524

  1,448

  1,240

  1,059

  634

  1,304

  1,153

  510

  Germany

  294

  236

  162

  230

  422

  186

  336

  475

  338

  270

  354

  496

  Italy

  8

  12

  17

  10

  25

  8

  11

  7

  7

  8

  7

  —

  Irish Republic

  36

  38

  63

  76

  52

  43

  49

  45

  47

  41

  46

  55

  Denmark

  118

  178

  206

  122

  262

  141

  192

  331

  149

  106

  102

  120

  Spain

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  5

  —

  —

  —

  Sweden

  3

  4

  —

  3

  4

  4

  3

  —

  —

  3

  2

  2

  Canada

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  18

  United States of America

  13

  3

  14

  1

  17

  29

  29

  17

  5

  1

  14

  15

  South Africa

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  —

  —

  Namibia

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Taiwan

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  —

  —

  —

  Japan

  —

  0

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  All imports

  3,287

  2,852

  1,431

  1,318

  2,731

  2,265

  2,347

  2,197

  1,460

  2,122

  1,989

  1,467

  Note:

  — = No trade.

  0 = Low value trade (less than 0.5 metric tonnes).

  Source: HM Customs and Excise.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what checks exist to ensure that imported eggs sold in the United Kingdom in pre-labelled packaging meet United Kingdom standards of size and quality marking.

  Mr. Curry
  Quality and size standards for eggs are laid down in the EC Egg Marketing Standards Regulations. These require all eggs, including eggs imported from other member states, to be subject to checking by means of random sampling at all stages of marketing. These checks are carried out by the egg marketing inspectorate in England and Wales and equivalent bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland or, at retail, by the trading standards departments of local authorities. Eggs imported from the Netherlands would also be subject to inspection by the Dutch authorities.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he is taking to ensure that imported eggs into the United Kingdom are not sold as fresh farm eggs.
  286
  Mr. Curry
  There is specific provision in the EC Egg Marketing Standards Regulations for eggs and egg packs to carry terms or symbols which refer to a member state or a region of origin. It is for individual egg packers and retailers to decide whether to mark their eggs as British, but many of them do.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total volume of eggs imported into the United Kingdom in each of the last 12 months; and from which countries.

  Mr. Curry
  The volume, in metric tonnes, of eggs, including eggs not in shells, imported into the United Kingdom is shown on the table by country of dispatch. Figures are given for the months November 1991 to October 1992, the most recent 12 months for which data are available.

  Mr. Curry
  Eggs can be sold at retail as "farm fresh" only if they meet the standards for class A eggs laid down by the EC Egg Marketing Standards Regulations. Compliance with the standards is checked by the egg marketing inspectorate in England and Wales and equivalent bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland and, at retail, by the trading standards departments of local authorities. These arrangements apply to both home-produced and imported eggs.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to ensure that eggs from egg sale co-operatives in Holland are not being dumped on the United Kingdom market; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  A small proportion of eggs sold and processed in the United Kingdom come from other member states and they are generally priced competitively. There is no evidence that any significant volume of eggs is being imported at very low prices.

  Oil Dispersants
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what tests have been carried out to simulate toxicity in beach and rocky foreshore cleaning for each of the oil dispersants(a) Dispolene 345, (b) Dasic Slickgone LTSW and (c) BP Enersperse 1037; what results were obtained; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  Before an oil dispersant is approved for use in United Kingdom waters it is required to meet stringent standards for efficacy, viscosity, storage stability and toxicity. Tests are carried out by the Warren Spring Laboratory and this Ministry's directorate of fisheries research.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to state that the Enersperse dispersant used in the Shetlands incident was Enersperse 1583, and not, as previously indicated, Enersperse 1037.

  The test for toxicity in sea water and beach conditions compares a suspension of oil in sea water with a similar suspension to which the candidate dispersant has been added. To pass, the suspension containing the dispersant must be no more toxic than that containing oil and sea water alone. Dispolene 34S, Dasic Slickgone LTSW and Enersperse 1583 all passed this test.

  The test for toxicity in rocky shore conditions similarly involves a comparative assessment of the toxicity of the oil and of the dispersant. Enersperse 1583 passed this test. Dispolene 34S did not. Slickgone LTSW was not proposed for use on rocky shores and was accordingly not subject to the test.

  Further technical details of our toxicity testing procedures are given in fisheries research technical report No. 39, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

  Bananas
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the proceeds of the tariff on bananas will be redistributed to Africa, Caribbean and Pacific area suppliers of bananas.

  Mr. Curry
  The Commission has proposed new aid measures to assist ACP banana producers. No decisions have yet been taken on these, but they would not be funded specifically from the proceeds of the tariff on bananas. Tariff revenues from all commodities are treated for budgetary purposes as Community own resources.

  Industrial Discharges
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will conduct a survey of dioxin pollution of farmland by industrial discharges.

  Mr. Soames
  The analysis of milk for contaminants provides a good indication of environmental contamination. The Ministry has therefore undertaken a survey of milk from farms in several rural and urban/industrial areas in the United Kingdom and published the results in food surveillance paper No. 31. The surveillance programme of dioxins in milk from farms in areas near to potential sources of dioxins is planned to continue.

  Rape Seed
  Sir Patrick McNair-Wilson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans the Government have for encouraging the cultivation of rape seed for use as a fuel for motor vehicles.

  Mr. Curry
  Rape seed may be grown for non-food use (including for motor vehicle fuel) on arable land, with the benefit of the oil seed area payment, or on set-aside land with the benefit of the lower set-aside payment.

  Whisky
  Sir Trevor Skeet
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the export record of the Scotch whisky industry for the last five years.

  Mr. Curry
  The volume and value of Scotch whisky exports for the last five years are as follows:

  Volume (million litres of pure alcohol)

  Value (£ billion)

  1987

  240.17

  1.14

  1988

  245.98

  1.29

  1989

  242.49

  1.47

  1990

  238.30

  1.71

  1991

  227.75

  1.83

  Fishing Vessels
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many fishing vessels 12 m long and under are registered in the north-east; and what is their total horse power.

  Mr. Norris
  I have been asked to reply.

  The information requested is as follows:

  Fishing vessels 12 m or less

  Total horsepower

  551

  43,794

  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of total horse power for all vessels is accounted for by boats of 12 m length and under.

  Mr. Norris
  I have been asked to reply.

  Vessels of 12 m or less represent 42 per cent. of the total fishing vessel horsepower.

SCOTLAND

  Housing
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing(a) the assessed need and (b) the current provision of (a) sheltered and (b) special needs housing in (i) Scotland, (ii) Strathclyde, (iii) Renfrew district, (iv) Paisley, (v) Johnstone and (vi) Elderslie; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Guidance on the provision of sheltered housing and housing for the
  289
  disabled were issued to local authorities on 28 March 1991 in the circular "Housing and Community Care" (Env. 8/91). The guidelines give only a general indication and authorities were advised to set targets in the light of local circumstances.

  Sheltered and Special Needs housing, 31 March 1992

  Area

  Sheltered Housing

  Special Needs

  Very sheltered

  Sheltered

  Medium dependency

  Wheelchair1

  Mobility standard

  Number2

  Guidelines3 figure (20 dwellings per 1,000 population)

  Number2

  Guidelines3 figure (46 dwellings per 1,000 population)

  Number2

  Guidelines3 figure (80 dwellings per 1,000 population)

  Number2

  Guidelines3 figure (1 per cent. of total stock4)

  Number2

  Guidelines3 figure (10 per cent. of total stock4)

  Scotland

  326

  15,228

  30,593

  35,024

  31,147

  60,912

  3,620

  21,420

  19,336

  214,200

  Strathclyde

  21

  6,662

  10,591

  15,323

  15,588

  26,648

  1,084

  —

  10,411

  —

  Renfrew

  —

  548

  735

  1,260

  1,329

  2,192

  146

  —

  55

  —

  1Including sheltered wheelchair houses

  2All figures, except for guideline figures, relate to provision by public agencies and housing associations only

  3Derived from guidance circular Community Care in Scotland issued to local authorities etc. on 28 March 1991

  4Figures for total stock not available below Scotland level

  Source: Hsg/1992/8: Housing Trends in Scotland—Quarter ended 30 June 1992

  Ambulance Service
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to meet the controller of the Scottish ambulance service to discuss the efficient operation of services within(a) the Argyll and Clyde health board area and (b) Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  My right hon. Friend the Minister of State meets the general manager of the Scottish ambulance service from time to time. He is accountable to the Common Services Agency for the performance of the Scottish ambulance service. Officials of the Scottish Office Home and Health Department regularly meet senior staff of the Common Services Agency and discuss measures aimed at improving response rates having regard to the resources made available.

  Homelessness
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish details of which local authorities have benefited during 1991–92 and 1992–93 from the additional £15 million capital allocation made to enable local authorities to tackle homelessness; and if he will detail the homelessness initiatives which the allocation has led to with a breakdown of how the allocation has been distributed between(a) the local authorities and (b) the specific homelessness initiatives.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 17 December 1992]: A table setting out the additional resources made available to local authorities in 1991–92 and so far in 1992–93 to support homelessness projects has been placed in the House Library.

  Acid Rain
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the sites of special scientific interest damaged by acid rain in the latest year for which figures are available and give the hectarage of each site of special scientific interest affected.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 12 January 1993]: The information is not available in the form requested.
  290
  The latest available information for provision compared to the guidelines is set out in the following table. Information for Paisley, Johnstone and Elderslie is not available centrally.

  Research between 1988 and 1991 funded by the former Nature Conservancy Council examined fresh waters within sites of special scientific interest which were considered to be vulnerable to the effects of acid rain. Of 89 sites in Scotland which were examined, the 44 listed in the table showed evidence of acidification beyond natural background levels of one or more fresh water features for which acid rain is the presumed cause.

  Sites of special scientific interest showing evidence of acidification

  Mochrum Lochs

  Wood of Cree

  Glentrool Oakwoods

  Merrick-Kells

  Cairnsmore of Fleet

  Kenmure Holms

  River Dee Parton to Crossmichael

  Laughengie and Airie Hills

  Moffat Hills

  Bogton Loch

  Loch Doon

  Feoch Meadows

  Arran Northern Mountains

  West Loch Lomondside Woodlands

  North End of Bute

  Hells Glen

  Loch Eck

  Rinns of Islay

  Ardpatrick and Dunmore Woods

  Doire Darach

  Crannach Wood

  Coladoir Bog

  Central Mull Complex

  Rannoch Moor

  Lon Leanachain

  Glen Coe

  Ben Nevis

  Claish Moss

  Loch Bran

  Glen Affric

  Beinn Eighe

  Loch Maree Islands

  Inverpolly

  Ben Loyal

  North Harris

  Tweed River

  Lochan Lairig Cheile

  Rowardennan Woodlands

  Loch Con

  Glen Muick and Lochnagar

  Cairngorms

  291

  Eastern Cairngorms

  Kinveachy Forest

  Creag Meagaidh

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many parliamentary questions in(a) the last and (b) the current Session of Parliament have been referred to the chief executive of the Benefits Agency; what percentage this is of the total number of parliamentary questions tabled in each of these Sessions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The information is in the table:

  Session

  Total

  Benefits Agency

  Percentage

  11991–92

  1,270

  110

  7

  21992–93

  1,822

  283

  16

  131 October 1991 to 16 March 1992.

  227 April 1992 to current date.

  Disability Allowances
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many claimants in(a) York, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) England who were in receipt of mobility allowance or attendance allowance before April 1992 are still waiting for a decision on (i) claims and (ii) appeals for disability living allowance;

  (2) how many claimants in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) England have been waiting (i) less than three months, (ii) three to six months, (iii) six to 12 months and (iv) more than 12 months for a decision on (1) claims and (2) appeals for disability living allowance.

  Mr. Scott
  The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give(a) the number of applications for disability living allowance and attendance allowances referred to the ministerial hotline since it was opened and (b) the number of those which have been cleared, together with the average waiting time.

  Mr. Scott
  The administration of disability living allowance and attendance allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

  Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 17 January 1993:
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of applications for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA) referred to the ministerial hotline since it began and the number of those which have been cleared, together with the average waiting time.
  As you are aware an unprecedented number of letters had been received from MPs as a consequence of the large number of claims following the successful launch of DLA. The DLA hotline was set up to alleviate problems experienced when
  292
  MPs were unable to contact the DLA Unit via the main switchboard and to provide up to date information about a specific claim with the minimum of delay.
  Up to 8 January 1993, 4,607 calls have been received. All the cases have had some action taken and an update provided to the enquirer. The aim is to provide an update to the enquirer within 48 hours of the initial call and this target has been met on average in 97 per cent. of cases. Of the calls received 4,197 have been finally cleared and the remaining calls will be finally cleared when the operational areas have processed the cases. I can assure you that these cases are being monitored to ensure they are cleared as quickly as possible. These calls are not necessarily about new DLA claims, some refer to existing awards of AA and Mobility Allowance (MobA) transferred to the DLA Unit and DLA reviews and appeals. Statistics are not held in a format that enables me to provide an average clearance time.
  There is no dedicated hotline for AA but calls are treated in the same way and the DLA hotline liaise with the special correspondence section in the AA Unit who are then responsible for responding directly to the MP. Up to 8 January 1993, 483 of the 4,607 calls have been referred to the AA Unit and 13 have not yet been cleared. The target 48 hour update has been met in all cases by the AA Unit.
  I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report. A copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims to date for the disability living allowance have been completed(a) with the assistance of telephone calls and (b) with the assistance of visits made by the forms completion service staff in the disability benefits centres.

  Mr. Scott
  [pursuant to his reply, 27 October 1992, Official Report, columns 751–52]: The chief executive has written further to the hon. Member.

  Carers
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the effect of the registration of a supported lodging as a small residential home, pursuant to the Registered Homes (Amendment) Act 1991 on the benefit entitlement of a typical carer previously in receipt of housing benefit, disability living allowance (care) and the income support severe disability premium and now receiving the residential allowance in their place.

  Mr. Burt
  The operation of the Registered Homes Act is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health. However, I understand that from 1 April 1993, under an amendment to that Act, proprietors of residential care homes for fewer than four people—small homes—which are judged by their local authority as providing both board and personal care, will be required to register with that authority. Homes providing board and personal care for four residents or more are already required to register.

  The residential allowance will be introduced from 1 April as part of the new community care arrangements and will be paid to residents who enter a registered home as part of their normal income support entitlement.

  People resident at 31 March in small homes, which are subsequently required to register, and who are receiving housing benefit to help with the home fees will have their entitlement to housing benefit transitionally protected for as long as they remain in the same home and otherwise remain entitled to that benefit.

  Only those residents in small homes at 31 March 1993, which are subsequently required to register, who are already receiving higher levels of income support will have preserved rights to those higher levels.
  293
  Where a resident has a preserved right to income support, they will also have a preserved right to attendance allowance or the care component of disability living allowance and any associated income support premium.

  Benefit Entitlement
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the principal provisions governing entitlement to social security benefits of unemployed people involved in self-build projects.

  Mr. Burt
  People receiving benefits for unemployment involved in self-build projects are subject to the normal conditions of entitlement to benefit; in particular they must continue to actively seek work each week and be prepared to take a job offer or attend a job interview immediately the opportunity arises.

  Independent Living Fund
  Sir John Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how the limit for establishing the cost of a placement in a residential or nursing home will be set under the proposed arrangements for the replacement of the independent living fund; who will assess the needs of a disabled person requiring personal assistance over the level; whether the cash payment from the new fund will be claimed by the individual or the local authority; and whether the expertise required by the administrators of the new fund will be the same as that required by the administrators of the fund continuing for existing ILF claimants.

  Mr. Scott
  The means by which the costs of a placement in residential or nursing care will be assessed for the purposes of the body that will replace the independent living fund are still being considered. An announcement will be made in due course.

  The needs of a disabled person who applies to the new body will be assessed and agreed by the local authority, by social workers employed by the successor body, and by the disabled person themselves.

  The cash payment from the new body will be paid to the individual. The question of whether the individual or the local authority should make the application is under consideration.

  The expertise required by the administrators of the new body will be broadly similar to that required by those administering the fund for existing cases because both bodies have the same fundamental aims. Operational details of the new body are still under discussion.

  Sir John Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what provision will be made between now and April for people who would previously have been eligible for funding from the independent living fund who require funding over the level provided by the local authority; and what provision there is for people whose local authority is unable to make appropriate personal assistance provision between now and April.

  Mr. Scott
  Those people should approach their local authorities, whose duties to provide services to disabled people are unchanged.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will bring forward proposals to extend the payment of housing benefit following the death of the claimant to cover a period when the deceased's affairs are being dealt with by family or representatives.

  Mr. Burt
  The purpose of housing benefit is to help claimants to meet their liability to pay rent. We therefore have no plans to extend payment of housing benefit to cover a period after a claimant's death.

  Cold Weather Payments
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the areas in which cold weather payments have been triggered since 1 November 1991, the national climatological message stations involved, the dates in each case between which payments were made, the numbers of people who have received such payments in each of those areas and the total sum paid out during each such period.

  Mr. Scott
  So far this winter more than 2.6 million people have been sent cold weather payments worth in total more than £16 million. The specific information requested on weather stations, trigger dates and the number of payments made is made available in the Library.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what relationship exists between the living expenses of homeless families in bed-and-breakfast accommodation paid through income support and the hotel charges paid to landlords by local authorities.

  Mr. Burt
  Income support provides help with day-to-day living expenses. Housing benefit is available to people in bed-and-breakfast accommodation to help with reasonable charges. Arrangements made between landlords and local authorities are a matter for them.

  Care Homes
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is total expenditure on(a) private residential homes and (b) private nursing homes by his Department in 1991–92 (i) in Doncaster and (ii) for Doncaster residents.

  Mr. Burt
  I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information is not available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

  War Pensions
  Mr. Illsley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many war pensioners currently reside within the area of Barnsley metropolitan borough council.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The information requested is not available. It is estimated that in 1991 6,784 war disablement pensioners and 1,771 war widows were resident in the South Yorkshire and Humberside area.

  Pensioners Living Overseas
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of uprating all pensions currently received by British state pensioners living in(a) Canada. (b) Australia, (c) New Zealand, (d) South Africa and (e) Other EC countries.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The estimated additional cost, at 1992 rates, would be as follows:

  £ million

  (a) Canada

  70

  (b) Australia

  120

  (c) New Zealand

  30

  (d) South Africa

  25

  United Kingdom pensions are already paid at full United Kingdom rates to beneficiaries living in EC countries.

EMPLOYMENT

  KPMG Management Consultants
  Ms. Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the contracts awarded by her Department to KPMG Management Consultants over the past 12 months.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Contracts for consultancies awarded to KPMG Management Consultants in the current financial year (1992–93) were as follows:

  A review of the training development arrangements in the Department's training, enterprise and education directorate.

  A feasibility study on output related funding for TECs.

  A workshop on market testing for managers in the Department's business services division.

  An assessment of the scope for market testing in the Department's economics, research and evaluation division.

  A study into the distribution of HSE publications.

  A review of the roles and functions of SEOs/business managers in the Department.

  To produce and disseminate (in two contracts) extensions of manuals on key skills for the training of trainers.

  The office of manpower economics also awarded the following contracts to KPMG Management Consultants in 1992–93;

  Work relating to the civil service grades 5 to 7 pay levels survey. Work associated with the schoolteachers' pay review body (two contracts).

  Labour Statistics
  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the actual and percentage figures for the numbers of adult males(a) registered unemployed, (b) receiving income support and (c) economically inactive for each standard planning region.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  [holding answer 17 December 1992]: The extent of the latest available information is given in the following tables.
  296

  Table 1 Male claimant unemployed aged 16 and over (not seasonally adjusted) in November 19921

  Region

  Number

  2 Per cent. rate

  South East (including Greater London)

  682,597

  13.2

  East Anglia

  61,310

  10.4

  South West

  166,416

  12.9

  West Midlands

  213,030

  14.5

  East Midlands

  136,919

  12.2

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  187,784

  13.8

  North West

  252,333

  14.4

  Northern

  128,716

  16.2

  Wales

  102,530

  13.5

  Scotland

  187,478

  13.0

  Northern Ireland

  80,542

  18.7

  1 Males aged 16 and over claiming Unemployment Benefit, Income Support and National Insurance Credits at Employment Service local offices.

  2 Percentage of male workforce (the sum of unemployed claimants, employees in employment, self-employed, HM forces and participants on work-related Government training schemes).

  Source: Employment Department.

  Monthly unadjusted claimant unemployment data.

  Table 2 Males aged 16 and over in receipt of Income Support in May 19913

  Region

  Number

  1 Percentage

  England2

  1,645,000

  8.9

  Wales

  111,000

  10.4

  Scotland

  209,000

  10.8

  1 Males in receipt of Income Support as a percentage of the male population aged 16 and over. Population figures were obtained from the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) and apply to mid 1991.

  2 Data is not available for the standard regions of England.

  3 No data is available for Northern Ireland.

  Source: Department of Social Security (DSS).

  Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiry May 1991.

  Table 3 Males aged 16 and over economically inactive in summer 19922

  Region

  Number

  Percentage rate1

  South East (including Greater London)

  1,560,986

  23.5

  East Anglia

  191,950

  24.0

  South West

  471,183

  26.2

  West Midlands

  494,279

  24.6

  East Midlands

  391,411

  25.1

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  501,305

  26.6

  North West

  654,128

  27.2

  Northern

  336,087

  28.8

  Wales

  352,215

  32.1

  Scotland

  481,026

  25.3

  1 Males economically inactive as a percentage of the male population aged 16 and over.

  2 No data is available for Northern Ireland.

  Source: Employment Department.

  Labour Force Survey summer 1992.

DEFENCE

  PSA Projects
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts between the pre-privatised PSA Projects and his Department were amended to ensure a greater proportion of(a) contract costs and (b) fee income became due in the period preceding the transfer of projects to the private sector.

  Mr. Aitken
  None. The only revisions made were to total fees where the level was considered to be disproportionate to the contract costs and the work involved. This negotiation was unconnected to the sale of PSA Projects.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what value of new work the MOD has guaranteed to PSA Projects Ltd; and how the MOD will ensure it receives value for money.

  Mr. Aitken
  The MOD has a contract with PSA Projects for architectural, design and related services to the value of £8 million. This contract ensures value for money through predetermined prices and its provision for termination if the company's performance is unsatisfactory.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each project undertaken by PSA Projects Ltd. for his Department by name and value; and if he will publish for each of these projects a breakdown of the proportion of fees to be earned at each stage of the project.

  Mr. Aitken
  The information that the hon. Member requests could not be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. My Department has contracts with PSA Projects Ltd. for some 480 projects with an estimated total value of £4 billion. The phasing of fee payments is related to progress achieved.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total value of contracted work currently undertaken by PSA Projects Ltd.. at the Faslane and Coulport sites; and what was the total value of contracts held by PSA Projects for work at the Faslane and Coulport sites on 1 November 1992.

  Mr. Aitken
  The total value of the outstanding project management task which PSA Projects Ltd. is contracted to undertaken on Trident works at Faslane and Coulport, including costs for employment of consultants, is some £69.3 million. As at 1 November 1992, the total outstanding value of the supply and service agreements for Trident works at Faslane and Coulport with PSA Projects was £81.9 million. The value of other non-Trident work at Faslane and Coulport with PSA Projects Ltd. is about £3 million.

  Market Testing
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the MOD's market-testing programme for maintenance work for each year from 1993–94 to 1998–99.

  Mr. Aitken
  My Department has a rolling programme to complete market testing of property management, which includes all maintenance and new construction jobs up to a value of £300,000, between now and 1999.
  298
  Maintenance projects with a value in excess of £300,000 are now subject to competition.

  Maintenance
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current total value of maintenance work carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Defence by(a) other undertakings, (b) the PSA building management business divisions and (c) private contractors.

  Mr. Aitken
  The current value of MOD property management, based on 1992–93 contract figures, is estimated at £593 million, including works costs and fees. Of this some £78 million has been won in competition, including £21 million by PSA Building Management, the balance going to private contractors. The rest of the work remains largely with PSA and there are no other bodies, including MOD employees, undertaking any significant amount of work.

  Departmental Land
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will specify the whereabouts of the land owned and leased by his Department and the land over which his Department has rights in Wales, indicating the amount of land area involved in each instance.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member.

  Research
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many research agreements or contracts have been agreed by(a) the royal aircraft establishment, (b) the atomic weapons research establishment, (c) the royal signals and radar establishment, (d) the aeroplane and armament experimental aircraft establishment, (e) the royal armament research development establishment, (f) the Admiralty research establishment, (g) the chemical defence establishment and (h) the Royal Ordnance factories with universities and other institutions of higher education (i) within and (ii) outside the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Aitken
  In April 1991 RAE, RSRE, RARDE and ARE were amalgamated to form the Defence Research Agency (DRA). The DRA currently sponsors 690 research agreements and contracts within the United Kingdom and two overseas.

  The atomic weapons establishment currently sponsors 29 research agreements and contracts within the United Kingdom and one overseas.

  The aeroplane and armament evaluation establishment, now part of directorate general of test and evaluation, does not currently sponsor any research agreement or contracts.

  The chemical and biological defence establishment currently sponsors 66 research agreements and contracts within the United Kingdom and none overseas.

  Following their sale on 2 April 1987, the Royal Ordnance factories now are part of British Aerospace plc and I am therefore not in a position to provide the information that the hon. Member requests.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many research projects in universities and other
  299
  institutions of higher education have been funded under the joint research council-Ministry of Defence research grants scheme in each year since the inception of the scheme.

  Mr. Aitken
  A total of 552 research projects have been funded under the joint Research Council/MOD research grants scheme since the inception of the scheme in 1986. The annual breakdown is as follows:

  Year

  Number of projects started

  1 April 1986 to 31 March 1987

  64

  1 April 1987 to 31 March 1988

  42

  1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989

  76

  1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990

  143

  1 April 1990 to 31 March 1991

  122

  1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992

  53

  1 April 1992 to 15 January 1993

  52

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's research contracts currently placed with United Kingdom universities and other institutions of higher education.

  Mr. Aitken
  It has been the consistent policy of my Department not to release details of individual research contracts at universities and other institutions of higher education, but to leave it to the institutions themselves to confirm their involvement.

  Procurement
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of his Department's procurement expenditure was spent in(a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern ireland and (d) each of the standard English regions during the last financial year.

  Mr. Aitken
  A geographical breakdown is available only for equipment expenditure, which excludes items such as fuel, food and clothing. This is published in table 1.11 of Defence Statistics, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

  Defence Lectureship Scheme
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many academics are at present sponsored under the defence lectureship scheme; and at which universities or other higher education institutions they are based.

  Mr. Aitken
  There are four academics fully sponsored by my Department under the defence lectureship scheme, based at Aberdeen, Aberystwyth, Birmingham and London universities. My Department also continues to meet the administrative and support costs of two academics at Cambridge university who have come to the end of their lectureship term.

  Nuclear Weapons
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of nuclear weapons withdrawn from deployment by NATO in Europe(a) as a result of unilateral decisions by NATO, (b) as a result of bilateral negotiations with the former Soviet Union and the
  300
  Commonwealth of Independent States and (c) as a result of multilateral negotiations with former members of the Warsaw treaty organisation since 1979.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The number of nuclear warheads deployed by NATO in Europe has since the late 1970s been reduced by some 90 per cent, to a current toal of well under 1,000. This includes the elimination of all ground-launched and tactical martime nuclear weapons in Europe. The withdrawal of some 400 ground-launched cruise missiles and Pershing II missiles came specifically under the bilateral US/USSR INF treaty, other reductions have resulted from reassessments, within the alliance, of NATO's minimum security requirements.

  Seismology
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money was allocated by his Department on unclassified work on seismology as a verification technology in 1992.

  Mr. Aitken
  Funding allocated for this purpose was £.1.5 million.

  Defence Land
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the establishments of, and land owned by, or leased by, or in which an interest is held by(a) the Territorial Army, (b) the Home Service Force, (c) the Royal Observer Corps, (d) recruitment offices of the armed forces and (e) the cadet forces in Wales.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member.

  Arms Exports
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for South Shields (Dr. Clark), 3 December 1992,Official Report, column 365, if he will set out the criteria used to evaluate the commercial sensitivity of arms exports.

  Mr. Aitken
  All information on individual arms exports is normally judged to be a commercial matter between the customer government and the commercial firm concerned. However, in exceptional circumstances such as those surrounding the conflicts with Argentina and Iraq, when the information concerned is no longer commercially sensitive, this rule may be overriden.

  Yugoslavia
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigations his Department made, prior to 10 November 1992, into the involvement of United Kingdom companies in establishing military production facilities in Yugoslavia since 1984.

  Mr. Aitken
  Prior to July 1991, applications for licences to export military production facilities to the former Yugoslavia were considered on a case-by-case basis. It is not our policy to discuss the details of individual export licence applications.

  Aldermaston
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the atomic weapons research establishment at Aldermaston became aware that rabbits had been affected by plutonium stored in the open; when the establishment made this fact publicly known; what was the reason for the interval between these dates; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish (Mr. Bennett) on 25 June,Official Report, column 298. In addition I emphasise that plutonium is not stored in the open at AWE Aldermaston.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the atomic weapons research establishment at Aldermaston(a) commenced and (b) ceased storing plutonium radioactive waste in the open.

  Mr. Aitken
  From 1953 to October 1984 plutonium contaminated waste awaiting disposal was held in sealed steel drums, some of which were stored in the open for limited periods. Since October 1984 all such solid waste awaiting disposal has been held in sealed steel drums and other closed steel containers located safely and securely in purpose-built stores.

  Prior to 1983 all plutonium contaminated liquid waste was solidified for disposal as solid waste. Since 1983 all such liquid waste has been held in closed steel tanks located in bitumen lined pits.

  Helicopter Carrier
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to announce who has won the contract for a new Royal Navy helicopter carrier; and if he will make a statement.

  Service Type

  Aircraft

  19781

  1988

  Present

  Royal Navy

  Helicopter

  200

  183

  165

  Fixed wing

  117

  73

  66

  Army

  Helicopter

  —

  283

  307

  Fixed wing

  —

  26

  28

  Royal Air Force

  Helicopter

  153

  164

  181

  Fixed wing

  1,271

  1,238

  1,035

  1 The information for the Army could not be obtained in the time available.

  Search and Rescue Helicopters
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many search and rescue helicopter flights were flown from RAF Leuchars in 1992; how many persons were rescued; of those rescued, how many were service personnel and how many civilians; and if he will list the same information for the last five years for which information is available.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The table gives the total number of search and rescue flights—civil and military, flown from RAF Leuchars over the past five years. The figures in brackets show the number of persons rescued, including the transfer of sick or injured people from ship to hospital.
  302
  Mr. Aitken
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne East, (Mr. Brown) on 12 January 1992,Official Report, col. 759.

  Aircraft
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the result of his Department's and the Royal Air Force's discussions with Russian aircraft manufacturers on replacing the RAF's squadrons of(a) Nimrod MR.2 aircraft with the Beriev Be-42 Mermaid, and (b) Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft with the Antonov An-70T; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  There have been no substantive discussions with Russian aircraft manufacturers. Western firms wishing to offer Russian aircraft have been advised that we are generally prepared to consider competitive bids on their own merits from sources that can demonstrate their ability to meet our technical, financial and other requirements.

  Sri Lanka (Arms Sales)
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent contacts his Department has had with the Government of Sri Lanka about arms sales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  My Department has had a number of contacts with the Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence covering a variety of issues. Such contacts, however, are a confidential matter for the two Governments.

  Aircraft
  Mr. Trotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the present number of(a) helicopters and (b) fixed-winged aircraft in each of the services; and what were the figures in 1978 and 1988, respectively.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The information requested is as follows:

  Year

  Military

  Civilian

  Total callouts

  1988

  18

  (3)

  134

  (112)

  152

  (115)

  1989

  19

  (11)

  114

  (51)

  133

  (62)

  1990

  6

  (4)

  119

  (45)

  125

  (49)

  1991

  7

  —

  154

  (90)

  161

  (90)

  1992

  13

  (7)

  118

  (54)

  131

  (61)

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of occasions that search and rescue helicopter operations were called out from RAF Leuchars between 24 December 1992 and 4 January 1993.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  There were five SAR helicopter call-outs from RAF Leuchars in the period.

  Logistic Vehicles
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to receive the Defence Research Agency's study of future logistic vehicles; and if he will publish it when he does so.

  Mr. Aitken
  The study into future logistic vehicles policy is being led by my Department's operational requirements staff. As part of this activity, we have sponsored the Defence Research Agency's vehicle conceptual study and expect to receive their report in mid-January. My Department's report is scheduled for completion in June; it will not be published but those companies which contributed to the conceptual study will be briefed once the results have been fully evaluated.

  Defence Employment Hampshire
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the reduction of his Department's employment in Hampshire arising from reductions in the Defence Research Agency.

  Mr. Aitken
  This is a matter delegated to the Defence Research Agency under its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

  Letter from J. Chisholm to Mr. John Denham, dated 20 January 1993:
  In today's written answer the Minister of State for Defence Procurement informed you that I would be replying directly to your question of what estimate he has made of the reduction of his Department's employment in Hampshire arising from reductions in the Defence Research Agency.
  I estimate that DRA job losses in Hampshire will be in the region of 700.
  I hope you will find this information useful.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for defence what was the total number of personnel employed by his Department whose place of work was located in Hampshire in each year since 1987.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The total number of Ministry of Defence personnel employed in Hampshire in each year since 1987 is as follows:

  Year

  Service personnel

  MOD civilians1

  1987

  38,543

  22,275

  1988

  37,904

  21,336

  1989

  36,715

  20,495

  1990

  34,254

  20,642

  1991

  33,412

  20,146

  1992

  31,742

  19,598

  All figures are as at 1 July.

  1 Excludes casual staff.

  Spare Parts
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the total amount of expenditure on spare parts for(a) Tornado GR1 aircraft, (b) Tornado F3 aircraft, (c) Harrier aircraft, (d) Chinook helicopters and (e) Rapier missiles in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.
  304
  Mr. Aitken
  Information is not held in the form requested and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost and effort. I will write to the hon. Member.

  RAF (Voluntary Redundancy)
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force personnel have applied for voluntary redundancy in each year since 1990; what plans he has to make further offers of voluntary redundancy; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  No Royal Air Force personnel applied for voluntary redundancy in either 1990 or 1991. Under the first phase of the current redundancy scheme, some 1,100 applications have been received for the 960 or so redundancy places available up to April 1994.

  The extent of the second phase of the redundancy scheme, which is scheduled to take place in FY 94/95, is subject to review in the light of forecast requirements and outflow trends. Details will be finalised and announced in due course.

  RAF (NATO Role)
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Royal Air Force will have in(a) the new NATO rapid reaction force, (b) the new NATO main defence forces and (c) the new NATO augmentation forces; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The RAF will be making a significant contribution of up to 80 aircraft to the Reaction Force (Air). The aircraft will be drawn from the Tornado, Harrier and Jaguar forces. Rapier surface-to-air missiles will also be assigned. The broad range of capabilities that these forces will provide to both the immediate reaction and rapid reaction components of the force has been warmly welcomed by NATO.

  RAF assets not assigned to the Reaction Force (Air) will form part of the NATO main defence force. Our contribution to this will include strike-attack and reconnaissance assets, a comprehensive air defence capability and, to reflect the increased emphasis on flexibility of deployment, comprehensive transport, air-to-air refuelling and support helicopter forces. No RAF assets are currently being assigned to the lower readiness augmentation forces.

  These contributions to the reaction and main defence forces will ensure that the RAF continues to play a major role in NATO.

  Air Force Reserve
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex-Royal Air Force pilots are currently participating in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  There are currently five ex-Royal Air Force pilots in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and four in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made in his policy to encourage pilots who leave the Royal Air Force to
  305
  participate in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve since May 1991; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  None. All officers, including pilots, who retire or leave the RAF are encouraged to join the volunteer reserve forces. They are issued with a booklet, "Notes for Officers retiring from the Royal Air Force", which gives details of the roles of the various reserve units and their locations.

  RAF Personnel
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force personnel (i) became qualified to serve in, (ii) served in and (iii) left the service from(a) armament engineering, (b) mechanical engineering, (c) electrical engineering and (d) electronic engineering in each year since 1990.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The number of ground airmen (including airwomen) who:

  (i) Became qualified to serve in engineering trades

  1991

  1992

  (a) Armaments

  195

  56

  (b) Mechanical

  761

  567

  (c) Electrical

  147

  224

  (d) Electronic

  432

  663

  (ii) Serving in engineering trades as at 1 January

  1991

  1992

  1993

  (a) Armaments

  3,323

  3,339

  3,233

  (b) Mechanical

  14,543

  14,282

  13,914

  (c) Electrical

  4,006

  3,937

  3,884

  (d) Electronic

  10,253

  9,918

  9,908

  (iii) Left the service from engineering trades

  1991

  1992

  (a) Armaments

  179

  162

  (b) Mechanical

  1,022

  935

  (c) Electrical

  216

  277

  (d) Electronic

  767

  673

  Air Defences
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current assessment of the threat to United Kingdom air defences; what changes have occurred in that assessment in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Following the collapse of the Warsaw pact and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the immediate threat posed to United Kingdom air defences has reduced significantly. We remain conscious, however, of the uncertainties posed by the massive political, economic and military changes which have occurred over the past four years and, as reported in the 1992 statement of defence estimates, we shall continue to ensure that the armed forces are of a scale and quality able to respond to future challenges.

  Running Costs
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the current average annual running costs of(a) a Buccaneer strike/attack squadron, (b) a Jaguar offensive support squadron, (c) a Nimrod maritime patrol squadron, (d) a Tornado F3 air defence squadron and (e) a Tornado GR 1 squadron.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The average running costs for 1992–93 at outturn prices for a squadron of each aircraft type is as shown in the table. Squadron sizes are variable; this has an effect on average running costs.

  £ million

  Buccaneer

  19.7

  Jaguar GR 1a

  19.4

  Nimrod MR

  18.8

  Tornado F3

  35.6

  Tornado GR1

  26.7

  These running costs do not include costs relating to depreciation, interest on capital or station and administration costs.

  Belize
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current annual running cost of the Royal Air Force detachment stationed in Belize.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The cash allocation for 1992–93 for pay (ground and air crew), fuel and garrison costs is some £20 million. Training and engineering support costs are not held separately for Belize.

  RAF (Compulsory Redundancies)
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force personnel have been made compulsorily redundant in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  None.

  Legal Immunity
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 15 December,Official Report, columns 131–32, what other reasons for exemption for legislation exist apart from national security; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  [holding answer 13 January 1993]: The Ministry of Defence would seek exemption from legislation only on grounds of national security. In this context national security includes the operational capability and effectiveness of the armed forces.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Motor Industry (Industrial Strategy)
  Mr. Bryan Davies
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will next meet representatives of the motor industry to discuss an industrial strategy.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave earlier in response to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, North-East (Mr. Butler).

  GATT Talks
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the recent GATT talks and on the effects that the outcome will have on the United Kingdom economy.

  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the current state of the GATT round.

  Mr. Needham
  Negotiations are continuing in Geneva, and we still hope it will be possible to reach agreement in the next few weeks. A successful conclusion would bring substantial benefits to the United Kingdom economy: it could directly increase GDP by 1 to 2 per cent. and lead to the creation of 60,000 jobs. Over and above that it would give improved market opportunities and more stable trading conditions for our exporters.

  Pit Closures
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a Statement on the proposed closure of coal mines in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Heseltine
  The Government are conducting a wide-ranging review of the prospects for 21 of the pits proposed for closure by British Coal. I hope to be able to publish a White Paper as soon as possible next month setting out the results of that review, which will then be debated in this House.

  Mr. Enright
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade which pits he will keep open in the light of his review; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heseltine
  The coal review is considering the prospects for 21 pits proposed for closure by British Coal, but not subject to the current statutory consultation exercise, in the context of the energy market as a whole. I obviously cannot anticipate the findings of the review. I hope to be able to publish the coal review White Paper as soon as possible next month.

  Mr. Illsley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to publish his review of British Coal's colliery closure programme.

  Mr. Heseltine
  I hope to be able to publish the coal review White Paper as soon as possible next month.

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what terms of reference have been given to Boyds for its review of the 10 pits on the closure list; and what external legal advice he took from it;

  (2) when he expects Boyds to visit each colliery on the 10 pit closure list; what are the causes for the lengthening of the original timetable; and when he expects to receive its report.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 19 January 1993]: My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade wrote to British Coal and the mining industry unions on 15 January providing them with details of the Boyds study of the 10 pits currently subject to consultation. Copies of these letters, including the terms of reference and proposed details of procedure of the Boyds study, have been placed in the Library of the House.
  308
  I understand that Boyds has sent British Coal and the unions a timetable of its visits to the 10 pits, and that this is the only timetable formally drawn up for the study. Boyds has been asked to report by 15 March. It would not be appropriate for my right hon. Friend to take legal advice from Boyds, and no such advice was taken.

  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 13 January to the hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague),Official Report, column 739, if OFFER submitted evidence to his Department's coal review.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 19 January 1993]: Professor Stephen Littlechild, Director General of Electricity Supply, wrote to me on 11 January with evidence to the coal review. A copy of the non-confidential parts of this letter has been placed in the Library of the House along with the other evidence to the coal review.

  Small and New Businesses
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to encourage small and new businesses in Cardiff and in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Leigh
  The Government will continue to encourage small and new businesses in the United Kingdom by fostering the right economic climate and by providing both directly and through TECs and LECs a wide range of programmes of support and assistance. These policies helped some 400,000 new firms to start last year.

  Recent important developments include our plans to establish a network of one-stop shops for businesses in England and changes to the loan guarantee scheme to improve its operation.

  Detailed arrangements for encouraging small businesses in Cardiff are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Premium Telephone Services
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last met the Director General of OFTEL to discuss regulation of premium telephone services.

  Mr. Leigh
  No meeting has been held. Premium rate services are effectively regulated by the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services, ICSTIS.

  Insurance Companies (Solvency Margin)
  Mr. Purchase
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he proposes to review the Government's solvency margin criteria for insurance companies.

  Mr. Heseltine
  The statutory minimum solvency margins are Community obligations and stem from the first insurance directives of 1973 (non life insurance) and 1979 (life insurance). The European Commission has undertaken to review and report on the need for further harmonisation of the solvency margin by July 1997 at the latest. In practice, DTI normally expects insurance companies to maintain a solvency margin of at least twice the statutory minimum. In supervising insurance companies my Department attaches importance to a wide range of other indicators besides the solvency margin.

  Manufacturing Industry
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from the Major Energy Users Council about energy costs of manufacturing industry.

  Mr. Eggar
  Officials met the Major Energy Users Council (MEUC) in October 1992. The MEUC agreed to survey the electricity prices paid by their members in the second and third quarters of 1991 and 1992. The Department will compare the results of this survey, when it is received, with our own statistics.

  Product Safety
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions he had with trading standards officers about their staffing requirements for enforcing product safety legislation.

  Mr. Leigh
  There have been no such discussions. It is the responsibility of local authorities to employ sufficient trading standards officers to enforce legislation effectively.

  Public Sector Purchasing
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he is taking to ensure that British companies are able to derive full benefit from the public sector purchasing provisions of the European single market.

  Mr. Needham
  The opening up of public sector purchasing in the European Community and in the European Economic Area represents a major opportunity for suppliers in Europe. To ensure that British businesses are in a position to take full advantage of this, the EC public procurement programme features prominently in our single market literature. The single market booklet, "A Guide to Public Purchasing", is now in its fifth edition, and in total over 125,000 have been distributed.

  Small and Medium Businesses
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made on the lifting of the burdens of regulation and form-filling for small and medium-sized enterprises; and if he will make a statement on regulations and forms scrapped since 10 April 1992.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr. Gill).

  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many small businesses there were in(a) 1979 and (b)

  Mr. Leigh
  Comprehensive figures on the number of small businesses in 1992 are not available. An indication of the change in the number of small businesses can be obtained by comparing the number of VAT registered businesses. The number of businesses registered for VAT at the end of 1979 was 1,289,000. At the end of 1991, the latest year for which we have figures, the number of businesses was 1,716,000, a rise of 33 per cent. These figures have been adjusted to take account of the uplift in the VAT thresholds.

  Mining Industry (Redundancy Terms)
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions he has had with the chairman of British Coal about redundancy terms.

  Mr. Heseltine
  I agreed with British Coal the broad terms of its currrent redundancy schemes announced on 13 October 1992. Details of the schemes are a matter for the corporation.

  Business Closures
  Mr. Stevenson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many businesses have closed in the last 12 months in the west midlands and Stoke on Trent.

  Mr. Needham
  A regional breakdown of official insolvency statistics is not available. For compulsory liquidations and bankruptcy orders the only geographical information available is by the court in which the order was made. This is not a good basis for analysing company location, since many cases in England and Wales are dealt with in London regardless of the company's location, and work may be moved between courts according to differing workloads. There is no regional breakdown of creditors' voluntary liquidations.

  Machine Tool Industry
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to increase Government support to the machine tool industry.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  I have met representatives of the machine tool industry twice in recent months. From this and other significant contact, the Government are well aware of the difficulties the industry is currently facing.

  Machine tool companies, along with those from other sectors, are and will continue to be eligible for a full range of Government assistance such as for exports and research and development. I also hope that demand for the industry's products may benefit from the temporary increase of capital allowance to 40 per cent. announced in the autumn statement.

  Terrorist Incidents (Insurance)
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received regarding the withdrawal of cover for terrorist incidents by insurance companies.

  Mr. Heseltine
  I have received various representations from a broad spectrum of industry and commerce regarding the announcement that insurance companies were to withdraw insurance cover for terrorist attacks. In response to this problem I announced on 21 December that the Government have decided in principle to act as reinsurer of last resort for terrorist attacks against mainland GB non-domestic property and related risks from January 1993.

  Dame Peggy Fenner
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will take steps to ensure that the rating schedule issued by Associated British Insurers in connection with the Government scheme for terrorism insurance cover, does not discriminate heavily against businesses based outside the eight major urban areas; and if he will consider asking the ABI to review these rates.
  311
  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The premium rates for terrorist cover, as with all forms of insurance, seek to reflect perceived levels of risk and are therefore weighted towards higher-risk areas. The rates will be reviewed from time to time.

  Dame Peggy Fenner
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations he has had with retailers and insurance brokers on the Government scheme for terrorism insurance cover.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I met representatives of the British Insurance and Investment Brokers Association on 1 December 1992, and my officials have been in regular touch with them since then. I met representatives of the British Retail Consortium on 19 January.

  Dame Peggy Fenner
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will consider extending the Government scheme on insurance cover for terrorism to companies based outside the United Kingdom, in particular captive insurance companies.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  These questions are currently under consideration.

  Estate Agents (Complaints)
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions he had with the National Association of Estate Agents concerning complaints against estate agents.

  Mr. Leigh
  No such discussions have taken place. If the hon. Member has any evidence of malpractice by estate agents he should bring it to the attention of the Director General of Fair Trading or the local trading standards department.

  Consumer Protection
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to bring forward further legislation in the area of consumer protection.

  Mr. Leigh
  The Government's manifesto for the 1992 general election included commitments to introduce legislation designed to give consumers confidence that what they purchase is properly described, to ensure that adequate compensation is offered where these requirements are not met, to enable the courts to override unfair terms in contracts, to improve powers to deal with rogue traders, and to amend the law relating to guarantees. Legislation to implement these commitments will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time permits.

  Exporters
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to ease further the bureaucratic burdens on exporters within the single market.

  Mr. Needham
  The completion of the single market has led to the removal of most border formalities on trade with the European Community which has, for example, considerably reduced the burden on businesses of providing trade statistics. Under the new system, Intrastat, three quarters of United Kingdom businesses trading with other member states will have to provide only two 312
  statistics on their total value of trade on a quarterly basis. Larger traders will also benefit from the replacement of the previous documentation by a simpler statistical return which will only have to be provided monthly. This system, which also covers VAT returns, replaces the present one where each and every export shipment required its own separate paperwork in the form of the Single administrative document. It means that 10 million export forms will be eliminated each year with net annual saving to United Kingdom exporters estimated to be £135 million.

  The Prime Minister has recently announced a scrutiny review of European Community legislation to help ensure that unnecessary burdens are not placed on business when transposing Community legislation into national law. Furthermore the Government will continue to press for policies which will further liberalise the European Community market, including breaking down any bureaucratic barriers.

  Mining Equipment
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assistance the United Kingdom is providing to help manufacturers of mining equipment to win orders in Iran; and what is the comparable provision made by the German Government and agencies for German firms.

  Mr. Needham
  My Department is providing support to the Association of British Mining Equipment Manufacturers (ABMEC) to attend the international fair of mining machinery in Teheran and is at present considering inward mission sponsorship for the sector.

  Short and medium-term export credit cover is available on the usual "first some first served" basis. My Department has also provided overseas project funding in the last year to assist in the pursuance of a United Kingdom bid for a large mining project in Iran.

  The German Government and agencies are subject to the same OECD criteria as the United Kingdom, but I am unable to comment more specifically on German Government policy concerning Iran.

  Mine Records
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will arrange for mine records to be available in each region.

  Mr. Eggar
  British Coal holds and maintains coal mining records on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive. The location of coal mine records offices is primarily a matter for British Coal.

  Debt (Late Payment)
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what further action he proposes to take on the problem of late payment in relation to small businesses.

  Mr. Leigh
  The Government are already addressing the problem of late payment with a range of measures including pilots with trade associations and new Government contracting terms.

  Tropical Timber
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish monthly figures, by volume, for imports into the United Kingdom of Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) and afrormosia (Pericopsis elata) between July and November 1992.

  Mr. Needham
  The information is not available. The United Kingdom trade classification does not separately identify Brazilian rosewood and afrormosia from other non-coniferous tropical hardwoods.

  Internal Market Council
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Internal Market Council held on 17 December 1992.

  Mr. Needham
  I chaired the final Internal Market Council of the British presidency on 17 December. Overall this was a successful Council ensuring a satisfactory presidency for the United Kingdom on the single market. Twelve single market measures were agreed at this Council, and 90 overall during our presidency. This last figure is a record for any presidency. This confirmed the verdict of the European Council at Edinburgh that the White Paper programme is now complete in all essential respects. The single market is now open for business.

  The Council agreed a common position on the future system for the authorisation of medicines in the Community. This package of measures comprises three directives and one regulation which establish new Community licensing procedures for human and veterinary medicines. The regulation creates a centralised licensing system for certain high technology medicines, and establishes a European Medicines Evaluation Agency to provide administrative and technical support for the new procedures.

  The directives provide for a decentralised licensing system for other medicinal products, involving mutual recognition of member states' licensing decisions, with binding arbitration in the event of disputes.

  The Council also agreed a common position on a directive harmonising laws relating to the civil use of explosives. The directive acknowledges the need to ensure that intra-Community transfers of explosives are properly controlled so that these potentially dangerous products are only shipped to those who have a legitimate reason to acquire them. The same provision will apply to domestic transfers of the explosives covered by the directive. The United Kingdom was able successfully to preserve our export controls on explosives; this helps ensure that they will not fall into the hands of terrorists in the United Kingdom, or third countries.

  The Council reached agreement on a directive harmonising the safety and performance requirements for a wide range of medicinal devices. Products covered include tongue-depressors, bandages, artificial limbs, X-ray equipment, brain scanners and electro-cardiograms. The products are classed in four categories, to ensure that the level of control over assessment of conformity with the directive's requirements is proportional to the level of risk inherent in a device. This is an important directive, which will liberalise trade in a sector with trade worth £8 billion in the Community.

  A number of significant single market measures were agreed, including common positions on the second
  314
  amendment to the machinery directive, the sixth amendment to the cosmetics directive, and directives on food hygiene, brakes of motorcycles and statistical units on industrial production. Final adoption was reached on extraction solvents, road and waterway controls on third country transport, and type approval of vehicle external projections. A regulation was agreed creating a fund for re-adaptation measures for Customs agents.

  The Council also discussed a directive on copyright in cable and satellite broadcasting, the abolition of frontier controls, a directive on biotechnological inventions, an amendment to the food additives framework directive, the sweeteners directive, a directive on food labelling, and a regulation on dual-use goods.

  I must regret the failure of the Council to reach agreement on the Community trade mark regulation. This important measure will establish a Community trade mark office. A trade mark registered with the Community trade mark office will be a unitary right having effect throughout the Community. It will be possible to enforce the rights conferred by it in a single legal action in court in one member state, with effect for all member states. We had put considerable effort into these measures during our presidency, and had cleared away a large number of reservations. However, continuing disagreement between member states over the language regime to be used at the office prevented agreement. I hope agreement can be finally reached under the incoming Danish presidency.

  VAT
  Mr. Stevenson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what effect the new arrangement for the payment of VAT one month in arrears instead of three months in arrears is having on small and medium-sized businesses in the west midlands.

  Sir John Cope
  I have been asked to reply.

  The new arrangement for the payment of VAT monthly in arrears instead of quarterly in arrears applies only to the 1,600 or so largest VAT payers nationally. It will therefore have no direct effect on small and medium-sized businesses.

HEALTH

  Census
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are estimated to have been unenumerated by the 1991 census; and on what basis it has been decided that such unenumerated people will be evenly distributed across the country.

  Mr. Sackville
  A total of 965,000 people resident in England and Wales, or 1.9 per cent. of the population, are estimated to have not been enumerated in the 1991 census. Census figures are not themselves adjusted. However, the estimated under-enumeration has been taken into account in producing the Registrar General's provisional population estimates for England and Wales for mid-1991. These were published in OPCS Monitor PP1 92/1 on 16 October 1992, a copy of which is in the Library.

  The figure of 965,000 is estimated by combining evidence from several different sources. Where evidence was available about the geographical distribution of under-enumeration, it was taken into account. Where

  315
  insufficient evidence was available at the local level, an even distribution for each age and sex group was applied across the country as a whole, or across groupings of local areas where sufficient evidence for such groups was available. Details are given in the monitor.

  Regional Funding
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice or instructions she has given to regional health authorities about the timescale within which they should move to funding districts by weighted capitation.

  Mr. Sackville
  Regional health authorities (RHAs) are responsible for revenue allocations to health districts, and for managing their movement towards weighted capitation funding in a way which ensure that services to patients are not disrupted. There is no national deadline, but Ministers continue to attach importance to continued progress towards resource equalisation at district level. The following guidance was sent to all RHAs in circular FDL(92) 113, on 4 December 1992:"Regions will therefore be asked to report on their planned deployment of the 1993–94 allocation and in particular to demonstrate clear progress towards equalisation. The pace of such progress and whether it should be achieved by reducing resources allocated to districts above their capitation share is a matter for individual regions to judge in the light of local circumstances."

  Copies of the circular are available in the Library.

  Waiting Lists
  Ms. Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were awaiting treatment on one year waiting lists in each specialty in December 1992; and what were the equivalent figures for April 1992.

  Mr. Sackville
  Waiting time information by specialty is published twice a year for 31 March and 30 September. The most recent figures, for 31 March 1992, are given in "Hospital Waiting List, In-Patients and Day Cases" (ISBN 1 85839 003 6)—a copy of which is available in the Library.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make it her policy that details of the number of patients waiting for a first out-patient appointment should be collected centrally;

  (2) if she will take action to establish standards for the maximum wait for a first out-patient appointment.

  Mr. Sackville
  With over 36 million outpatient attendances each year it is not currently practical to collect information about the numbers of people waiting for out-patient appointments centrally. However, under the patients charter health authorities are required to publish information on the local standards they have set for first out-patient appointments and on performance against these targets. Regional health authorities are required to set targets for 1993–94 to build on this progress.

  Clinical Waste
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place a copy in the Library of the guidance notes issued to regional health authorities relating to the creation of a strategy for the disposal of clinical waste.

  Mr. Sackville
  Yes.

  National Health Service Trusts
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will create an independent agency that can review mergers proposals, price cartels and allegations of anti-competitive practices by NHS trusts; and who has the responsibility for reviewing such matters at the present time.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  No. The national health service management executive has overall responsibility for managing the national health service internal market and therefore has responsibility for dealing with such matters.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the application of the Government's maximum pay guidelines in the public sector to those NHS trusts being set up on 1 April;

  (2) if she will issue a letter of guidance to the chairmen of NHS trusts in relation to the application of the Government pay policy to the remuneration of their emloyees as regards (a) pay increases at director level, (b) individual pay increases at other levels and (c) the total pay bill.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  [holding answer 19 January 1993]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the chairmen of all national health service authorities on the day of the Chancellor's autumn statement, 12 November 1992, to explain the Government's policy of public sector pay restraint this year. A copy of this letter was placed in the Library. The NHS management executive will be issuing further guidance shortly.

  Juveniles (Secure Units)
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for more secure units for juveniles to be built,(a) in Yorkshire and (b) elsewhere.

  Mr. Yeo
  It is estimated that an additional 60 to 65 secure places nationally will be required in order to imlement the new juvenile remand provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 1991 by the mid-1990s. It is envisaged that some 10 to 15 of these will be needed within the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a whole.

  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many juveniles were placed in secure accommodation in each of the last 10 years;

  (2) how many secure places currently exist for (a) male and (b) female juvenile offenders; if she will list the units by county; and how many of the places are unoccupied.

  Mr. Yeo
  Secure units are available for the placement of any child looked after by a local authority, where the statutory criteria for restriction of liberty are met. This includes juvenile offenders.

  Information about the number of secure units in each local authority and the number of places occupied during the year and at 31 March 1991 is published in "Children accommodated in secure units during the year ending 31 March 1991 England". A copy is in the Library.

  Information about the number of admissions to secure units in England for the individual years 1984–85 to 1990–91 is also included in the publication. Information was not collected centrally for earlier years.

  The latest information about secure places is in the table.
  317

  Secure accommodation by region 31 December 1992

  Regions and Locations

  Managing authorities

  Type

  Number of places

  Northern

  New Aycliffe Royston House

  Durham

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  14 mixed

  Aycliffe Community Home Special Unit

  Durham

  Community Home (Education)

  36 mixed

  Netherton Park Elm Secure Unit

  Northumberland

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  5 mixed

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  East Moor Community Home

  Leeds

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  27 boys

  Sutton Place Safe Centre

  Humberside

  Community Home (Education)

  5 mixed

  North Western

  Redsands Centre Oak House Unit

  Cheshire

  Community Home (Education)

  6 mixed

  Redbank Community Home Vardy House

  Lancashire

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  6 boys

  Redbank Community Home Special Unit

  Lancashire

  Community Home (Education)

  26 boys

  St. Catherine's Community Home Laboure House

  Nugent Care Society (St. Helens)

  Community Home (Education)

  5 girls

  Briars Hey Community Home Orchard House

  Lancashire

  Community Home (Education)

  8 girls

  Dyson Hall Community Home

  Liverpool

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  8 boys

  Park House Barton Moss Secure Unit

  Salford

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  7 boys

  West Midlands

  St. John's Safe Centre

  Birmingham

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  8 mixed

  Stoke House Sherbourne Unit

  Coventry

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  8 mixed

  East Midlands

  Kesteven House

  Lincoln

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  4 mixed

  Derbyshire Children's Centre Greenacres Secure Unit

  Derby

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  5 mixed

  Amberdale Community Home

  Nottinghamshire

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  8 mixed

  Thames Anglia

  Salters

  Cambridgeshire

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  9 girls

  Thornbury House

  Oxon

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  3 boys

  London

  Middlesex Lodge Heathlands Unit

  Hillingdon

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  9 girls

  Little Heath Lodge

  Newham

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  6 boys

  Orchard Lodge

  Southwark

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  8 boys

  Frant Court Community Home

  Greenwich

  Community Home (Education)

  2 girls

  Stamford House

  Hammersmith

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  16 boys

  Southern

  Lansdowne Children's Centre

  East Sussex

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  5 mixed

  Beechfield

  West Sussex

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  6 mixed

  Fairfield

  Hampshire

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  3 girls

  Glen House Intensive Care Unit Medina Unit

  Hampshire

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  8 mixed

  South Western

  Northbrook Community Home Atkinson Unit

  Devon

  Observation and Assessment Centre

  12 mixed

  Kingswood Secure Unit

  Avon

  Community Home (Education)

  20 boys

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research she has commissioned to identify the number of secure places needed to be provided by local authorities to ensure that persons aged 15 or 16 years are not remanded to prison; and if she will place copies of the research in the Library;

  (2) how many extra secure places need to be provided by local authorities to ensure that persons aged 15 or 16 years are not remanded to prison.

  Mr. Yeo
  The need for additional secure places has been assessed by a multi agency national steering group. It is determined that some 60 to 65 additional places will be required. The group's assessment was based on information for a NACRO/ACOP survey of juvenile penal remands; information provided by local authorities; and historical information about provision and use of existing secure facilities.

  Operations
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average number of operating theatre sessions carried out in the NHS currently every week; and what the figures were in(a) 1987 and (b)

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Information for 1987–88 and 1991–921 is set out in the table. Comparable information for 1979 is not available centrally.

  Operating theatre sessions England: average number per week

  Scheduled session held in year

  Weekly rate

  1987–88

  692,804

  13,298

  1 1991–92

  792,459

  15,210

  1Provisional.

  Selected List Scheme
  Mr. Renton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 9 December 1992,Official Report, column 692, what evidence she has that significant savings continue to be made by the selected list scheme.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The national health service drugs bill is affected by many different factors and it is not possible specifically to identify the continuing effect of measures which have been taken under the selected list scheme. We nonetheless believe that such measures have exerted a continuing downward pressure on the drugs bill.

  Dioxin
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will undertake a study of the link between cancer affecting children and exposure to dioxin; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Department has no plans to undertake such a study.

  Studies of the statistical link between exposure to possible cancer-producing substances and the incidence of cancer in children can be undertaken only where separate groups of children, exposed significantly to different levels of the substance under study, can be identified. Dioxin is present everywhere in industrialised countries at very low levels, so this is not possible. We do however keep under review the outcome of studies of the follow-up to the accident at Seveso in 1986.

  NHS Pensions
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will order an investigation into the management of the NHS pensioners' trust; if she will seek ways of increasing the proportion of funds paid to those in need; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  No. The financial policy of the trust is the responsibility of the trustees.

  Children in Hospital
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration she has given to the recommendations made to her by Action for Sick Children into the costs of visiting children in hospital.

  Mr. Yeo
  We attach particular importance to involving parents in the care and treatment of children in hospital. The hospital travel costs scheme provides help for children, who are in families on income support or family credit or otherwise have a low income, with their expenses for travelling to and from hospital for treatment and the expenses of a companion, where this is medically necessary. Help with the cost of visiting children when in hospital may be available through the social fund to families on income support. We have decided that enhancement of existing help cannot command high priority at the present time as it would entail the diversion of national health service resources away from direct patient care and impose an additional administrative burden on hospitals. Some hospitals are able to give discretionary help from non-exchequer patient amenity funds to parents travelling long distances.

  Cancer Screening
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women were screened for breast and cervical cancer in each year since 1987 within the Sunderland, Durham and Hartlepool health authority areas.

  Mr. Sackville
  The available information is shown in the table.

  Table 1 Cervical screening position at 31 March 1992

  District Health Authority

  Women tested in last 5.5 years (all ages)

  Women tested in last 5.5 years target age group (20–64)

  Estimated 5.5 year coverage of female population target age group Per cent.

  Sunderland

  84,998

  78,791

  84

  Durham

  39,333

  36,517

  82

  Hartlepool

  38,159

  35,220

  86

  Source: Form KC53.

  Table 2 Breast screening—Number of women aged 50–64 screened

  Centre

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  Gateshead

  9,013

  17,082

  19,627

  Newcastle

  11,856

  16,331

  21,628

  North Tees

  —

  10,416

  20,440

  Source: Form KC62.

  Data supplied by cancer screening evaluation unit.

  NHS Funds (Misappropriation)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is taken when there is a prima facie case that funds or assets of the NHS have been obtained improperly by(a) a member of the general public, (b) NHS staff, (c) executive directors, (d) non-executive directors and (e) chairmen; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Health bodies maintain standing orders supported by standing financial instructions. These should identify the action to be taken in the event of loss of national health service funds or assets. Statutory auditors review these documents as part of their annual audit. The action to be taken where funds or assets appear to have been lost will depend on the circumstances of the case.

  Ambulance Service
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list by region the percentage of ambulances in Northumberland that responded within(a) eight minutes and (b) 20 minutes to emergency calls for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 25 November 1992 at column 728. In 1987–88, the Northumbria ambulance service responded to 60 per cent. of emergency calls within seven minutes and to 97 per cent. within 14 minutes.

  Epilepsy
  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will establish a nationally funded programme of research into, and practice of, surgical techniques in the treatment and cure of epilepsy.
  321
  Mr. Yeo
  No. There are already well-established procedures for neurosurgery on people with epilepsy. It is for health authorities, within available resources, to purchase services to meet the needs of their residents including the need for epilepsy surgery.

  Alcohol and Drug Abuse
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will publish a table showing the total grant available from her Department(a) in total, (b) in revenue and (c) in capital towards the provision of (1) residential facilities and (2) non-residential facilities for (i) people with alcohol problems and (ii) people with drug problems in 1992–93 and 1993–94;

  (2) if she will publish a table showing the total grant paid by her Department (a) in total, (b) in revenue and (c) in capital towards the provision of (1) residential facilities and (2) non-residential facilities for (i) people with alcohol problems and (ii) people with drug problems in each of the past five years.

  Mr. Yeo
  Funding for drug and alcohol projects are provided directly and indirectly by the Department from a number of sources. In part grants are from small centrally administered budgets, such as the specific grant for alcohol and drug misusers, which totalled £2.1 million in 1992–93 and supported expenditure of £3 million; this budget is being increased by 9.5 per cent. to £2.3 million in 1993–94 and will support expenditure of £3.2 million. Other funds are provided locally by health authorities from their general allocations or from money specifically allocated to them for drug misuse services. In 1992–93 earmarked funding comprised:(1) £17.243 million for the development of services for drug misusers, including the expansion of services to help prevent the spread of HIV among and from drug misusers; this amount will be increased by 10.2 per cent. to £19.001 million in 1993–94;
  (2) £2.8 million towards the cost of prescribing methadone as part of a planned programme of treatment, and towards the development of pharmacy-based needle exchange schemes. Decisions on the amounts to be allocated in 1993–94 for these purposes have yet to be taken.

  Some additional funding is also provided by local authority social services departments. Details of funding from all these sources could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Harlow Wood Hospital
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the future plans for the Harlow Wood hospital; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  No final decision has been made on the long-term future of the hospital and local managers are currently considering the options.

  Stockport DHA
  Ms. Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) full-time nursing staff and (b) staff with management responsibilities were employed by Stockport district health authority in 1990 and at the most recent available date.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  In September 1990 there were 1,317 nursing and midwifery staff employed full-time and in September 1991 there were 1,053.
  322
  The number of staff employed with a management role is a matter for the district health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. F. A. Russell, the chairman of Stockport health authority, for details.

  Special Hospitals
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population of the three special hospitals in England and Wales for the last date available were(a) female, (b) black and (c) aged under 21 years.

  Mr. Yeo
  The information requested is in the tables.

  Percentage of female patients in special hospitals on 18 January 1993

  Broadmoor Per cent.

  Rampton Per cent.

  Ashworth Per cent.

  Total Per cent.

  19.8

  20.3

  11.6

  16.9

  Percentages of special hospital patients by ethnic group on 18 January 1993

  Ethnic Group

  Per cent. of patients in:

  Broadmoor Per cent.

  Rampton Per cent.

  Ashworth Per cent.

  Percentage of all patients in special hospitals

  Black—

  10.9

  11.1

  8.0

  9.9

  Caribbean

  Black—

  2.2

  0.9

  0.8

  1.3

  African

  Black—

  2.8

  0

  0

  0.8

  Other

  Indian

  1.2

  0.9

  0.8

  1.0

  Pakistani

  0.4

  0.6

  1.0

  0.7

  Bangladeshi

  0.2

  0

  0

  0.1

  Chinese

  0.2

  0.2

  0.2

  0.2

  White

  79.8

  83.4

  86.8

  83.6

  Other

  2.2

  3.0

  2.6

  2.6

  Percentage of patients aged under 21 years in special hospitals on 18 January 1993

  Broadmoor Per cent.

  Rampton Per cent.

  Ashworth Per cent.

  Total Per cent.

  0.6

  0.9

  1.0

  0.8

  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a full breakdown of the ages of the population of each of the three special hospitals in England and Wales.

  Mr. Yeo
  The available information as at 18 January 1993 is given in the table.

  Special hospital

  Age band

  Broadmoor

  Rampton

  Ashworth

  Total

  < 18

  0

  0

  1

  1

  18–21

  3

  5

  5

  13

  21–25

  35

  26

  51

  112

  25–35

  181

  153

  231

  565

  35–45

  128

  200

  177

  505

  45–55

  77

  108

  104

  289

  55+

  71

  50

  58

  179

  Total

  495

  542

  627

  1,664

  NHS Employment (Hampshire)
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were employed(a) full time and (b) part time in the national health service in Hampshire in each year since 1987.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The county of Hampshire consists of four whole DHAs; Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, Southampton and South West Hampshire, Winchester, Basingstoke and North Hampshire; and part of West Surrey and North East Hampshire DHA. As it is not possible to identify separately the information for individual units in West Surrey and North East Hampshire, the global figures have been included in the Hampshire figures given in the table.

  The figures for 1991 exclude non-professional non-medical staff1 as they were collected on the Korner aggregate forms (KM 49) and it is not possible to disaggregate the information to district level.

  Year

  Full time

  Part time

  Total

  1987

  —

  —

  28,240

  1988

  —

  —

  28,740

  1989

  15,010

  12,650

  29,060

  1990

  15,380

  12,410

  29,190

  1991

  10,600

  8,400

  19,000

  1 Non-professional non-medical staff groups include ancillary, administrative and clerical, maintenance, works, general and Senior Managers, Ambulance staff, and other non-professional non-medical staff.

  Source: Non Medical Manpower Census, Medical Manpower Census; HAP(STATS), NHSME.

  Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

  Figures quoted are numbers not whole time equivalents.

  Dental Care
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 22 October 1992,Official Report, column 371, what plans she has to publish the report of the oral health strategy group on proposed changes to dental policy; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Following advice from the oral health strategy group, proposals for an oral health strategy for England are still being considered.

  Mental Illness
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the current effectiveness of care of the mentally disabled.

  Mr. Yeo
  The Government's long-standing policy is that people with mental illness should have access to all the services they need, as locally as possible, from long-term in-patient care for the severely and chronically ill to domiciliary support for those who can live near normal lives at home.

  Research shows that patients moved from long stay mental illness hospitals to community programmes usually do well on transfer and they and their carers and relatives prefer community-based care.

  Evidence from such research both in this country and from abroad, particularly in the United States of America, strongly supports the conclusion that mentally ill people, including chronic and severe patients, can be successfully treated in the community.

  To promote the development of comprehensive, local community care services for mentally ill people a mental health task force led by David King was set up last year. It will promote and assist the development of a concerted, comprehensive and speedy implementation of our policies for mental health services, with particular regard to the replacement of large long-stay institutions by more locally based and accessible services.

  The Government are currently considering whether changes are needed to the mental health legislation to ensure the more effective delivery of care to the small minority of mentally ill people who refuse to participate voluntarily in their care programmes.

  Regional Health Authority Appointments
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will make a statement on the position of Sir Donald Wilson, currently chairman of the Mersey regional health authority, and the vacancy for the position of the chairman of the West Midlands health authority.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  [holding answer 19 January 1993]: Sir Donald Wilson ceased to be chairman of the Mersey regional health authority with effect from 11 January, when my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State appointed him as chairman of the West Midlands regional health authority. My right hon. Friend has appointed Professor A. M. Breckenridge as chairman of the Mersey regional health authority.