Written Answers of 26 January 1993

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Magistrates Courts
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what information he has on the proportion of cases postponed by magistrates because of the non-appearance of essential people or documents.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The information is not collected centrally.

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department into which category of offence the six most expensive legally aided cases or groups of cases fell in each of the last five years.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Information is available for only the last four years. An analysis of criminal legal aid payments in respect of cases heard in the Crown court indicate that the six most expensive cases fell into the following offence categories:

  Offence type

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  Fraud

  2

  2

  4

  4

  Obtaining by deception

  1

  2

  1

  1

  Handling stolen goods

  1

  1

  —

  —

  Revenue law offences

  1

  —

  1

  —

  Murder

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Drugs offences

  —

  1

  —

  —

  Other offences

  1

  —

  —

  —

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate for each area committee the number of applicants who will no longer be eligible for legal aid after 1 April.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Whether or not an individual is eligible for legal aid depends both on the details of his or her financial means and the merits of the case he or she wishes to bring or defend. The only estimates that are made are of the number of certificates likely to be issued in England and Wales as a whole.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to introduce new rules regarding the granting of legal aid in complex fraud cases; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Legal aid will continue to be granted, subject to the applicant's means, where the court considers that it is in the interests of justice.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list for each area 602
  committee for each year since 1985 (a) the annual budget for legal aid in current and 1985 prices, (b) the number of legal aid cases granted aid and (c) the number of legal aid cases not granted aid.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  It has not been possible to obtain the information requested in the time available. However, I will write to the hon. Member.

  Fraud Trials
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to reduce the time taken to conclude long fraud trials; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Lord Chancellor's Department, the Home Office and the Law Officers' Department issued a consultation paper on 3 December seeking views on how to reduce the length of criminal trials, particularly those involving fraud. The consultation paper considers the causes of all types of long trials and seeks views on a wide range of options available which might help to reduce their length. The paper asks for responses by 28 February 1993. A view will then be taken as to which particular proposals and options commend themselves. In addition, we await with interest the report of the Royal Commission on criminal justice.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to introduce a properly structured system of plea bargaining, with safeguards, for long fraud trials; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  I refer the hon. and learned Member to my reply to him on 7 July 1992, at columns 93–94. The Lord Chancellor and I are considering the matter, but there are no plans to introduce a structured system of plea-bargaining in long fraud trials, or any others, at the present time. However, our recent evidence to the Royal Commission on criminal justice has explored the issues raised by this suggestion.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Recruitment and Assessment Services
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give details of the cost per job created in the civil service by the use of Recruitment and Assessment Services in Basingstoke.

  Mr. Robert Jackson
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the chief executive of Recruitment and Assessment Services. I have asked him to write in reply.

  Letter from Michael D. Geddes to Mr. David Hanson, dated 25 January 1993:
  I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster enquiring about the cost per job created through the use of this Agency. I assume that you are referring to the cost per vacancy filled.
  It is not possible to give a precise answer to your question as RAS provides a wide range of recruitment and related services. In some cases we prepare only further particulars of a post and place an advertisement; in other cases we provide a full service including perhaps an individual assessment service or a full-scale Assessment Centre. Departments and the Civil Service Commissioners are not required to use the

  603
  services of RAS. We negotiate an agreed price for each particular project which we undertake which reflects the amount of work requested by the customer department.
  In 1991/92 we processed more than 100,000 applications as well as over 150,000 general enquiries. We filled 2,989 vacancies through the provision of comprehensive recruitment schemes (Many of which were for multiple vacancies) and participated in one way or another in a further 66 partial schemes. We also provided 803 consultancy days. The total cost of the Agency, including overheads, was £11.9 million. Statistics for the current year will be given in our 1992/93 Annual Report, which will be published in the middle of the year.
  I hope that this provides you with the information which you require, but please let me know if you would like any further details.

  Her Majesty's Stationery Office
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those occasions in each of the past five years in which officials with responsibility for placing printing contracts in(a) HMSO headquarters and (b) HMSO, Llanishen, Cardiff, have been subject to disciplinary proceedings leading to (i) suspension on full pay, (ii) suspension without pay, (iii) summary dismissal and (iv) criminal proceedings.

  Mr. Robert Jackson
  Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to HMSO under its chief executive. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member direct.

  Letter from Paul Freeman to Mr. Rhodri Morgan, dated 25 January 1993:
  As you are aware, your Parliamentary Question to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, about disciplinary action against officials with responsibility for placing printing contracts, has been referred to me for reply.
  There has been just one such case at HMSO Headquarters during the past five years. The officer concerned was dismissed, and criminal proceedings are pending. There was also one such case at HMSO Cardiff. In this case the officer concerned was also dismissed, but I understand that the police, who have seen the papers, are not pursuing the matter further.
  I should add that both officers were dismissed for using their official position to personal advantage, and not for any improprieties in the placing of printing contracts.

  Research Council
  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the meeting of European Research Ministers on 9 December 1992 and on the United Kingdom's presidency of the Research Council.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  I am pleased to report that following the meeting of Research Ministers on 9 December under my chairmanship, member states were able to reach agreement on a common orientation to supplement the funding of the third R and D framework programme by 900 million ecu in the years 1993 and 1994. This supplement increases the total funding guaranteed from 5.7 becu to 6.6 becu and represents an important interim measure to ensure the continuity of R and D activities under the objectives for the third framework programme, in the approach to the implementation of a successor programme, thereby avoiding a potential reduction in R and D funding over this period.
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  In addition, I chaired an in-depth discussion at the Council meeting on 12 October, on the evaluation of the second framework programme on the basis of a report prepared under United Kingdom chairmanship, in preparation for a first orientation debate on the fourth framework programme at the Council on 9 December.

  There was also an informal discussion at the December Council of how to improve the management of EC research programmes on the basis of a paper presented by the United Kingdom. The Commission agreed to respond to these ideas before the next Council of Research Ministers.

ENVIRONMENT

  Housing, Sandwell
  Mr. Snape
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the total provision from central funds received by the Sandwell metropolitan borough authority in support of capital expenditure on housing for each year since 1979.

  Mr. Baldry
  The amounts of capital grants paid to Sandwell MBA in the years 1981–82 to 1991–92 in support of housing capital expenditure, including any adjustments for over or under payment in previous years, were as follows:

  Years

  £ thousand

  1981–82

  110

  1982–83

  233

  1983–84

  328

  1984–85

  187

  1985–86

  119

  1986–87

  238

  1987–88

  88

  1988–89

  94

  1989–90

  -5

  1990–91

  3,826

  1991–92

  8,360

  Figures for earlier years could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The significantly higher payments in 1990–91 and 1991–92 reflect the revised arrangements for private sector renovation grants introduced on 1 April 1990.

  The Government also influence housing capital expenditure by local authorities through housing investment programme—HIP—allocations and supplementary credit approvals. Those for Sandwell for the years since 1979–80 are given in the table, which also gives total housing capital expenditure by Sandwell MBA in these years.

  Housing investment programme allocations and supplementary credit approvals and capital expenditure for Sandwell metropolitan borough authority 1979–80 to 1992–93

  £ thousand

  1Housing investment programme allocations and supplementary credit approvals

  Housing capital expenditure

  1979–80

  18,119

  n/a

  1980–81

  19,869

  n/a

  1981–82

  14,684

  n/a

  1982–83

  15,834

  18,004

  1983–84

  16,668

  22,728

  605

  1Housing investment programme allocations and supplementary credit approvals

  Housing capital expenditure

  1984–85

  14,664

  22,390

  1985–86

  13,153

  17,597

  1986–87

  13,382

  20,898

  1987–88

  12,057

  24,079

  1988–89

  10,849

  41,287

  1989–90

  10,124

  42,058

  New capital finance system2

  1990–91

  20,431

  26,659

  1991–92

  323,229

  322,140

  1992–93

  421,156

  532,866

  1 Allocations for 1989–90 and earlier years are final allocations, i.e. the initial allocation plus any increases to the initial allocation made in-year. The figures for 1990–91 and subsequent years cover the housing investment programme allocations (housing annual capital guidelines and specified capital grants) issued prior to the start of the financial year and any supplementary credit approvals subsequently issued.

  2 From 1990–91, under the new capital finance system, the housing investment programme allocation is an assessment of relative need for housing capital expenditure rather than a direct borrowing approval. Borrowing approval is now conveyed by the single, all service, basic credit approval.

  3 Provisional.

  4 Includes only supplementary credit approvals for 1992–93 already issued.

  5 Estimated.

  n/a—Not available.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will recalculate his proposals for 1993–94 standard spending assessments for every authority

  Local authority

  Total pupils

  Primary Education SSA £ million

  Secondary Education SSA £ million

  Post-16 Education SSA £ million

  Total of primary secondary and post-16 Education SSA £ per pupil

  Essex

  205,308

  203.468

  240.749

  34.788

  2,333

  Hampshire

  191,786

  203.178

  219.978

  11.352

  2,266

  Kent

  206,183

  201.057

  235.907

  47.953

  2,352

  Lancashire

  190,639

  193.978

  211.551

  18.347

  2,223

  All shire counties

  3,900,976

  3,827.319

  4,317.165

  658.495

  2,257

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates of the number of elderly people on income support for each local authority area in 1992–93 and 1993–94 were used in determining standard spending assessment levels.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Estimates of the number of elderly people on income support in shire counties, metropolitan districts and London boroughs are produced by the Department of Social Security from its quarterly 1 per cent. sample inquiries of claimant records for use in the calculation of standard spending assessments. The estimates relate to the average number of persons over eight quarters who are, or whose partner is, aged 60 years and over and in receipt of income support. For 1992–93 SSAs, the eight quarters cover the period May 1989 to February 1991; and for 1993–94, they cover the period May 1990 to February 1992.
  606
  on the notional basis of the Isle of Wight becoming a unitary authority comprising the present county council and district councils from 1 April 1993; and if he will make a statement on the effects on SSAs of local government reorganisations, in particular any changes in SSAs of those authorities not being reorganised being brought about by the impact on non-linear SSAs of data in respect of reorganised authorities being aggregated or disaggregated.

  Mr. Howard
  No; it is too early to produce such figures. The detailed implications of local government reorganisation for standard spending assessments will be discussed with representatives of the local authority associations in due course.

  Standard Spending Assessments
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the increase in the area cost adjustment factor compared to the overall increase in standard spending assessment for 1993–94.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  These figures are not yet available. I will write to the hon. Member when final 1993–94 standard spending assessments are announced.

  Mr. Pope
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list(a) the total number of pupils used in the calculation of standard spending assessments, (b) the allocation of standard spending assessment for primary, secondary and post-16 pupils and (c) the standard spending assessment per pupil for (i) Essex, (ii) Hampshire, (iii) Kent, (iv) Lancashire and (v) all shire county education authorities.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The information requested is as follows, on the basis of provisional SSAs for 1993–94.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to change the standard spending assessment formula to include direct measures of unemployment and proxies for wealth, including levels of car ownership.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The Secretary of State will shortly be announcing his final decisions regarding the 1993–94 revenue support grant settlement. For 1994–95 there will be a review of the indicators used in the calculation of standard spending assessments as a result of the new information available from the 1991 census.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the area cost adjustment factor as a percentage of the standard spending assessment for each year from 1990–91 to 1993–94.
  607
  Mr. Robin Squire
  The total amounts allocated on the basis of the area cost adjustment factor as a percentage of standard spending assessments for each of the last three years is as follows:

  Total SSA £ million

  Total allocated on area cost adjustment factors £ million

  Percentage allocated on area cost adjustment factors

  1990–91

  29,805.3

  836.5

  2.8

  1991–92

  35,586.7

  1,152.1

  3.2

  1992–93

  37,992.7

  1,314.5

  3.5

  Final standard spending assessments for 1993–94 will be announced shortly. I will write to the hon. Member with the corresponding figures for 1993–94 when these are available.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the average standard spending assessment for each year from 1990–91; and which local authorities and by how much in each case benefited from the area cost adjustment factor in that year.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The total of standard spending assessments and the average per head of resident population for each year since 1990–91 is as follows:

  Total SSA (£ million)

  Average per head (£)

  1990–91

  29,805.3

  627

  1991–92

  35,586.7

  746

  1992–93

  37,992.7

  794

  1992–931

  35,584.3

  744

  1993–942

  36,622.2

  762

  1 Adjusted.

  2 Provisional.

  There was a reduction in SSAs between 1992–93 and 1993–94 because of the transfer of some local authority responsibilities, mainly in respect of further education. The table also, therefore, shows 1992–93 figures on an adjusted basis, taking account of these transfers for comparison with the 1993–94 figures. The 1993–94 figures are based on those announced on 26 November for the purposes of consultation. Final settlement figures will be announced shortly.

  On the area cost adjustment, I have placed in the Library a table showing the figures requested in respect of the three years 1990–91, 1991–92, and 1992–93. Corresponding figures for 1993–94 are not yet available. I will write to the hon. Member with final figures for 1993–94 shortly.

  Urban Programme
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what central Government support Coventry can expect in addressing its inner-city problems.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  My Department and others have a range of complementary programmes to address the problems of Coventry and other urban priority areas totalling some £4 billion a year. As far as my own Department's programmes are concerned, in addition to substantial resources to tackle housing problems, in the 608
  current financial year, Coventry has been allocated £4.6 million under the urban programme and task force funding of almost £1.3 million.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the urban programme as a source of support for voluntary organisations in Coventry working in the poorer areas; how much has been provided to those organisations under the urban programme; and what arrangements he has made to continue support for voluntary organisations when the urban programme is phased out.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The urban programme—UP—has, and will continue to, support in Coventry and other urban priority areas some excellent projects developed by voluntary sector and other organisations. The city council's annual report indicates that £2.1 million was spent on voluntary sector projects in Coventry in 1991–92. Commitments arising from voluntary sector projects approved as part of Coventry's UPs in 1992–93 and previous years will be honoured in full. In addition, the urban partnership fund, part of the capital partnership programme, will provide up to £20 million in 1993–94 in uncommitted UP resources to support capital and directly linked revenue projects in the 57 urban priority areas. It is open to local authorities to involve voluntary organisations in particular projects.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy that Coventry will be granted inner area status from 1994–95 onwards.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The circumstances of Coventry and all other authorities in England will be considered as part of a review of urban priority areas later this year using 1991 census and other data. The review will inform decisions on geographical targeting and the balance of programmes required to tackle the needs of urban areas.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what detailed studies were conducted prior to the Government's decision to wind up the urban programme; and if he will place copies of their findings in the Library.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  There will continue to be a substantial urban programme—UP—in 1993–94 amounting to £176 million which will fund existing commitments and provide £20 million for the urban partnership fund. Decisions on the new UP arrangements were taken having regard to all the relevant factors.

  Repair Grants
  Ms. Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 19 January,Official Report, column 167, what steps he takes to monitor the effectiveness of the mandatory repair grant scheme in improving unfit houses.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Department collects regular quarterly and annual statistics of the number and value of mandatory renovation grants approved and paid by local authorities. It has recently completed research to monitor the early operation and effectiveness of the new grant system, including the extent of targeting of expenditure on unfit houses. The 1991 English house condition survey will also provide data on the impact of mandatory grant expenditure in improving housing conditions.

  Crown Land (Planning Procedures)
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment has been carried out by his Department concerning the effectiveness of the non-statutory planning procedures which have been operating over the development of Crown land; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  The non-statutory procedures for Crown development are generally considered to work well in practice. But in the interests of greater accountability and openness, the Government believe that a more formal system is now appropriate.

  In reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester, South and Maldon, (Mr. Whittingdale) my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning announced on 24 June 1992, Official Report, column 202, that the Government believe that it is now appropriate to bring Crown exemption under the planning system largely to an end. A public consultation paper on the removal of Crown immunity from planning law was issued on 5 November 1992 and we are currently considering responses. Any changes will be embodied in primary legislation when a suitable opportunity arises.

  Empty Homes
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to allow local authorities to buy empty housing properties from the private sector; and what evaluation he has made of the comparative cost-effectiveness of doing so as against using temporary accommodation.

  Mr. Baldry
  The provision of new social housing is now mainly the responsibility of housing associations, with local authorities concentrating on the management of their existing stock and on their broad enabling role. The Government expect local authorities to make the most efficient use of all permanent housing stock available to them, so as to reduce to a minimum the need for temporary accommodation. Nevertheless, authorities are able to acquire empty private sector housing, in line with their priorities for the use of available resources.

  Building Regulations
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to amend part L of the Building Regulations 1991 to encourage the conservation of fuel and power; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  I am today issuing a consultation paper setting out proposals for strengthening the requirements of part L of the Building Regulations 1991 for the conservation of fuel and power. The aim is to reduce the CO emissions from buildings by incorporating cost effective measures, but to do so in a way which does not introduce unacceptable technical risks and maintains some flexibility for designers. We estimate that adoption of these proposals would improve the energy performance of space and water heating in houses by some 25 to 35 per cent. compared with current building regulations standards, with similar improvements in the non-domestic sector.

  Among the proposals is one to require an energy rating for all new dwellings and house conversions. This would
  610
  be a major step forward in increasing energy awareness among house buyers. A copy of the consultation papers has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Education Spending
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each education authority in England the standard spending assessment for education per pupil, the actual spending per pupil, the cash difference and the percentage of education SSA this difference represents for the last three years for which figures are available.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  [holding answer 21 January 1993]: The standard spending assessment for education consists of five sub-blocks, only three of which concern pupils— primary, secondary and post-16. It is not possible to provide expenditure figures on a basis which would allow comparison with these three elements.

TRANSPORT

  Aircraft (Smoking)
  Mr. Fry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is Her Majesty's Government's policy with respect to the International Civil Aviation Organisation's recommendation to ban smoking in aircraft from 1996.

  Mr. Norris
  The Government believe that the question of smoking on aircraft should remain a matter for airlines, which would have to implement any ban.

  Nuclear Material (Transport)
  Mr. Horam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the safety of the arrangements for nuclear waste to be transported by train; and if he will make it his policy to collect information about the quantity of nuclear material transported through each parliamentary constituency.

  Mr. Freeman
  Safety regulations for the transport of all radioactive materials in this country are based on stringent internationally agreed standards laid down by the International Atomic Energy Agency. These require safety to be "built in" to the design of the container used for transport, so that the contents would not present a significant radiological hazard even in the event of a severe accident. The IAEA standards are kept under continuous review, and major revisions take place every 10 years, the most recent one being in 1985. I have no plans to collect information about the quantity of nuclear material transported through each parliamentary constituency.

  Plutonium
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley),Official Report, 11 January, column 531, on what basis he described the quantities of plutonium exported, to which he refers, as small.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Individual shipments of radioactive material are not notifiable to the Department when transported in type B(U) packages containing an
  611
  activity equal to or less than 3000 A1 or 3000 A2, as appropriate, or 1000 terabecquerels, whichever is the lower. The terms A1 and A2 are defined in the International Atomic Energy Agency regulations for the safe transport of radioactive material, a copy of which is available in the library of the House.

  Fishing Vessels
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what inquiries are made in respect of fishing vessels requested to be registered as British to establish that beneficial ownership resides in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Norris
  The registrar has to make such inquiries as he considers necessary to establish that ownership of the vessel meets the qualifying criteria and that the vessel is operated and managed from within the United Kingdom.

  For the latter he will usually look to any existing management agreement to see that the basic requirements of section 14(1)(b) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 are met.

  Merchant Ships
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review the registration of merchant ships under flags of convenience; and what steps he intends to take to assist the development of the British register of merchant ships.

  Mr. Norris
  The issue of flag state responsibility is better tackled by effective international action in the International Maritime Organisation and elsewhere aimed at ensuring that all flag states discharge their responsibilities properly. This is already in hand.

  As for assisting the British register, we are implementing the recommendations of the joint working party on British shipping of 1990, and to this end the Government will be supporting the Merchant Shipping (Registration etc.) Bill of my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Page) at its Second Reading next month. We shall also continue to press in the European Community for measures to increase commercial opportunities for EC merchant fleets and to remove their competitive disadvantages.

  Greater Manchester Buses
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further representations he has had about the future of Greater Manchester Buses from the Greater Manchester passenger transport authority; what reply is being sent; what action he will be taking; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  Since the Secretary of State issued a direction that Greater Manchester Buses—GMB—should be split, I have met the chairman and other representatives of the Greater Manchester PTA and the chief executive of GMB. There has also been a meeting at official level.

  We discussed the reasons for requiring GMB to be split, possible options, and how the splitting and subsequent sale might be progressed.

  I am keeping in touch with the PTA.

  Motorways
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those instances where two motorways travel side by side in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Many interchanges between motorways involve motorway slip roads running alongside the main carriageway with which they merge. In addition a skewed interchange between two motorways such as the M6 and M42 near Coleshill, or motorways merging such as the M26 where it joins both the M20 and the M25, can result in a short distance of parallel running.

  M62, Ferrybridge
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what will be the length of the proposed route of the Al from the M62 junction 33 to the next proposed interchange with the M62 at Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The proposed route of the A1(M) crosses over the M62 approximately half a mile west of junction 33. From this point, the new A1(M) would run alongside the M62 for a distance of approximately one mile to the proposed interchange at Ferrybridge.

  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the distance between the planned route of the Al and the M62 where they run side by side in Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The distance varies. While precise details of the separation will depend on detailed design, the routes would run as closely together as practicable.

  A38
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends announcing the options for possible routes for the A38 trunk road improvement between Saltash and Trerulefoot; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The public will be consulted on possible routes for the improvement of the A38 trunk road between Saltash and Trerulefoot later this year.

  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects construction work to begin on the Dobwalls bypass section of the A38 trunk road improvement between Liskeard and Bodmin; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The Dobwalls bypass is one section of a much larger trunk road scheme which would link the A38 Liskeard bypass to the A30 Bodmin bypass. Construction could start in the latter part of the decade, depending on satisfactory progress with statutory procedures and the availability of funds at the time.

  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends announcing his Department's preferred route for the A38 trunk road improvement between Liskeard and Bodmin immediately to the west of Dobwalls; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  I expect to announce the preferred route for the remaining section of the A38 Liskeard to Bodmin improvement scheme before Easter.

  Pescado
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on developments in respect of investigations into the loss of the fishing vessel Pescado since the report of the marine accident investigation branch; what further information he has regarding submarine activity in the area at the time; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Steven Norris
  The circumstances surrounding the loss of the Pescado have been investigated by the marine accident investigation branch. Action on the seven recommendations made by MAIB is being urgently pursued. The Ministry of Defence provided details of warship movements in the area from 25 February to 5 March 1991. Two submarines were in surface transit during that period.

  Eastgate to Bishop Auckland Line
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding environmental impact of transfer of current traffic from rail to road as a result of the planned closure of the Eastgate to Bishop Auckland line.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have received no specific representations about the withdrawal of cement traffic from the Eastgate to Bishop Auckland line. However, some correspondents have mentioned the loss of cement traffic when raising various rail freight issues generally with my Department.

  Traffic Projection Figures
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to publish revised traffic projection figures.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The current national road traffic forecast was published in 1989. The forecast is kept under constant review, but I have no present plans to publish a revision.

  New lettings

  as a percentage of:

  Total number1

  All privately rented property (per cent)

  All rented property (per cent)

  1988–89

  England:

  South-East

  2,200

  0.37

  0.10

  East Anglia

  300

  0.33

  0.11

  South-West

  300

  0.16

  0.06

  West Midlands

  300

  0.23

  0.04

  East Midlands

  400

  0.31

  0.08

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  400

  0.26

  0 06

  North-West

  1,100

  0.71

  0.13

  North

  200

  0.22

  0.04

  Wales

  400

  0.47

  0.11

  Scotland

  800

  0.58

  0.07

  Northern Ireland

  neg

  neg

  neg

  United Kingdom

  6,400

  0.36

  0.08

  1989–90

  England:

  South-East

  1,200

  0.20

  0.05

  East Anglia

  100

  0.11

  0.04

  South-West

  100

  0.05

  0.02

  West Midlands

  100

  0.08

  0.01

  East Midlands

  200

  0.16

  0.04

  MV Braer
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the product licence status in respect of each dispersant used to date in dispersing oil spilled from MV Braer.

  Mr. Curry
  [holding answer 14 January 1993]: I have been asked to reply.

  The information requested is as follows:

  Product

  Date approved

  Tested and approved for

  Enersperse 1583

  30 April 1986

  Sea

  Rocky shores

  Sandy beaches

  Dispolene 34S

  25 March 1980

  Sea

  19 September 1985

  Sandy beaches

  Dasic Slickgone

  6 April 1984

  Sea

  LTSW

  7 April 1989

  Sandy beaches

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Business Expansion Scheme
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new lettings from investments under the business expansion scheme there were in(a) each region and (b) the United Kingdom as a whole; and what percentage these figures represent of (i) all privately rented property and (ii) all rented property, for each year of its existence.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The business expansion scheme was extended to include investment in privately rented housing in 1988–89. Reliable estimates by regions are available for years up to 1990–91. These and preliminary estimates for the United Kingdom total in 1991–92 are shown in the table.
  615

  as a percentage of:

  Total number1

  All privately rented property (per cent)

  All rented property (per cent)

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  400

  0.26

  0.06

  North-West

  500

  0.33

  0.06

  North

  neg

  neg

  neg

  Wales

  neg

  neg

  neg

  Scotland

  400

  0.30

  0.04

  Northern Ireland

  100

  0.45

  0.05

  United Kingdom

  3,100

  0.18

  0.04

  1990–91

  England:

  South-East

  2,500

  0.42

  0.11

  East Anglia

  1,100

  1.24

  0.43

  South-West

  500

  0.26

  0.10

  West Midlands

  100

  0.08

  0.01

  East Midlands

  400

  0.31

  0.08

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  100

  0.07

  0.01

  North-West

  500

  0.33

  0.06

  North

  neg

  neg

  neg

  Wales

  neg

  neg

  neg

  Scotland

  100

  0.08

  0.01

  Northern Ireland

  400

  1.82

  0.20

  United Kingdom

  5,700

  0.33

  0.07

  1991–92

  United Kingdom

  8,500

  0.49

  0.11

  Note:

  neg = Negligible.

  1 Estimates rounded to nearest 100.

  Bicycles (Ministers)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to amend the rules for ministerial expenses to encourage the use of bicycles by Ministers on official duties; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  None.

  Tobacco Sales
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has of the amount of tax the Government received from cigarettes sold illegally to people under age in the last financial year.

  Sir John Cope
  Evidence on the consumption of cigarettes by children aged under 16 is provided by the survey "Smoking among secondary school children in 1990" carried out by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. But we have no estimate of the proportion of total consumption that is met from cigarettes illegally sold to people under age as children also acquire cigarettes from parents and other sources. Nor do we have an estimate of the proportion of cigarettes illegally sold to children for consumption by parents or other adults.

  EC Sales Statements
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 17 December 1992,Official Report, columns 378–79, what authority to impose civil penalties for failure to submit EC sales statements is contained in (a) section 82 of the Finance Act 1992 and (b) paragraph 82 of schedule 3 to the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992.
  616
  Mr. Lamont
  The authority to impose civil penalties for failure to submit European sales lists derives from an amendment to the Finance Act 1985—enforcement provisions in relation to value added tax. Section 82 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992 amends the 1985 Act by the introduction of a new section 17A covering European sales list penalties—for failure to submit.

  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 13 November 1992,Official Report, column 1003, what is the maximum penalty under sub-paragraph 6(c) of paragraph 82 of schedule 3 to the Finance (No. 2) Act 1992, for failure to submit an EC sales statement.

  Mr. Lamont
  The maximum penalty—for third and subsequent default—is £1,500.

  Tax Evasion
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people have been employed by(a) the Inland Revenue and (b) Customs and Excise specifically to tackle tax evasion in each of the last five years;

  (2) how much money has been allocated by his Department to (a) the Inland Revenue and (b) Customs and Excise to tackle tax evasion in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Dorrell
  In Customs and Excise officials with responsibility for tackling tax evasion may have other duties. This is true, to a lesser degree, of the Inland Revenue, where most counter-evasion work is carried out by inspectors of taxes. On this basis, the approximate numbers of staff units/year engaged in such work, and the related costs to their respective Departments, were as follows:
  617

  Staff Units

  Cost

  £ million

  IR

  C&E

  IR

  C&E

  1987–88

  2,800

  7,000

  70

  111

  1988–89

  3,100

  7,100

  79

  125

  1989–90

  3,200

  7,300

  89

  139

  1990–91

  3,300

  7,300

  102

  152

  1991–92

  3,600

  7,200

  115

  166

  Foreign Vessels
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about bringing the tax regime and rates for foreign vessels registered in the United Kingdom and the companies running them into line with those applying to United Kingdom-owned vessels and companies.

  Mr. Dorrell
  We receive representations on this subject from time to time.

  Autumn Statement
  Mr. Davidson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish expanded versions of tables 2B.2, 2B.3 and 2B.4 of his "Autumn Statement 1992", Cm. 2096, which (i) subdivide technical adjustments into(a) transfers of function, (b) changes of financing responsibility, (c) classification changes reflecting changes in the way public expenditure is measures, (d) other technical changes and (e) cyclical social security; (ii) subdivide other changes into (a) revised estimates of the costs of existing policies, (b) expenditure changes resulting from policy changes and (c) other and (iii) provide technical notes as to which of these categories of adjustment have occasioned restatements of outturn-year figures in Cm. 2096;

  (2) if he will publish (a) an analysis of the factors underlying the trend in table 2B.1 of his "Autumn Statement", Cm. 2096, of the net effects of the changes from charging all accruing superannuation costs to civil and defence departmental budgets over the period 1987–88 to 1994–95 and (b) an analysis by departmental programme of accrued pension liabilities at 31 March 1993; and for what reasons it is judged appropriate to take the differences between payments and accruals outside the new control total;

  (3) if he will publish an analysis comparable to that in table B1 of Cm. 1920, of the accounting adjustments shown for the years 1987–88 to 1995–96 in table 2A.3 of his "Autumn Statement 1992", Cm. 2096, to show which components have been unaffected by the switch from the planning total to the new control total and which are a direct consequence of that switch;

  (4) if he will publish in the statistical supplement to the 1992 "Autumn Statement" planning figures for total local authority expenditure in 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96 by territory and economic category, in the format of table 5.7 of Cm. 1920, and by function, in the format of table 5.8 of Cm. 1920;

  (5) if he will publish a table, consistent with table 2A.11 of his 1992 "Autumn Statement", Cm. 2096, showing (a) local authority debt interest and (b) total local authority expenditure, for the planning years 1993–94, 1994–95 and 1995–96;

  (6) if he will publish an analysis of the effects of transfers of function between spending sectors, changes of
  618
  financing responsibility between sectors, classification changes, estimating changes and policy changes on the 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95 figures for (i) central Government support for local authorities and (ii) total local authority expenditure, as given in table 2.6 of his "Autumn Statement 1992", Cm. 2096;

  (7) if he will publish a reconciliation between the figures given by table 2B.1 of his "Autumn Statement 1992", Cm 2096, for classification changes in 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95 and those given by each of tables 2B.2, 2B.3 and 2B.4;

  (8) if he will publish (a) a compositional analysis in the form of table 2A.3 of Cm 2096 of the figures provided by table 2A.1 for the new control total in 1984–85 to 1986–87, (b) a compositional analysis in the form of table 1A.3 of Cm 1729 of the figures provided by table 2A.1 for the new planning total, that is, after 1990 redefinition, in 1984–85 to 1993–94, and (c) totals for the old planning total, that is, pre-1990 redefinition, for whichever of the years 1963–64 to 1995–96 such data can be provided on the comparable public expenditure measurement basis as table 2A.1 of Cm 2096;

  (9) if he will publish (a) the series of money GDP published in rounded form in table 2A.1 of his "Autumn Statement 1992", Cm 2096, (b) the adjusted money GDP figures which underly the calculated adjusted series, index (1990–91 = 100) in table 2A.1 and (c) the detailed adjustments to money GDP which constitute the difference between the two series, for the years 1963–64 to 1995–96, to the nearest pounds million; and how future such tables will be affected by the replacement of the community charge by the council tax on 1 April 1993.

  Mr. Portillo
  Analyses of public expenditure will be published in the "Statistical Supplement to the 1992 Autumn Statement" on 29 January 1993.

  Corporate Taxation
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to adjust the United Kingdom's corporate tax take in line with the average for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The level of tax on companies is considered each year in the Budget, and international comparison is one of the factors taken into account. The United Kingdom's main rate of corporation tax is currently the lowest of the EC and G7 countries, and one of the lowest of the OECD.

  Underground Economy
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate for the loss to the Exchequer due to the activities of the underground economy in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Reliable estimates are not available.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will outline the measures taken by his Department to tackle the underground economy in the United Kingdom since 1986.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I refer the hon. Member to the chapter entitled "Deterring and tackling non-compliance" in the annual reports of the Board of Inland Revenue, which may be found in the House of Commons Library.
  619
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to launch a commission of inquiry into the underground or ready-money economy in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Government have no such plans. We do not believe that a commission of inquiry would add significantly to our knowledge and understanding of the "hidden economy".

  VAT (Children's Clothes)
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the size specifications governing VAT zero-rating of children's clothes, including shoes, were first fixed; and when they were last reviewed.

  Sir John Cope
  Since the inception of VAT, zero-rating for young children's clothing and footwear has been decided by reference to a schedule, published by Customs and Excise, of minimum measurements reflecting the average body sizes of children up to their 14th birthday. The continuing relevance of the size specifications in the schedule is monitored against the results from surveys by the British Standards Institution: the most recent of which is BS 7231/1990. The schedule of garment and shoe sizes was laid reviewed by Customs and Excise in 1985. A further review is currently in progress.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has as to what percentage of gross domestic product in the United Kingdom is accounted for by the underground economy.

  Mr. Nelson
  By its very nature, the underground economy cannot be measured directly or estimated with any precision. An evasion adjustment is made in the United Kingdom national accounts to allow for that part of income which is concealed but where the corresponding expenditure is not. This results in an addition to factor incomes of around 1¼ per cent. in recent years.

  The evasion adjustment applied in the calculation of GDP does not attempt to encompass the whole of the underground economy. Estimates of the size of the underground economy made by a number of researchers show wide variation.

  MEPs' Allowances
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the travel and office allowances for Members of the European Parliament will be treated for tax purposes in the same way as for hon. Members.

  Mr. Dorrell
  A ruling of the European Court of Justice in 1981 said that expense allowances paid by the European Parliament to its Members are not liable to United Kingdom tax. That ruling does not apply to Members of this House.

  Gifts to Employees
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the Inland Revenue ensures that all additional gifts to employees are declared under the Taxes Management Act 1970.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Employers are required to make returns of taxable gifts to employees. Employees are required to 620
  declare their taxable income. The Inland Revenue audits the operation of PAYE by employers, and investigates possible under-declarations both in business accounts and personal tax returns.

  Gross Domestic Product
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total percentage contribution to gross domestic product in(a) the latest year for which figures are available, (b) 10 years previously and (c) 20 years previously of (i) manufacturing industry, (ii) the construction industry, (iii) banking, insurance and financial services and (iv) the energy industry.

  Mr. Nelson
  The available information is shown in the table:

  Share of gross domestic product

  Per cent.

  Industry

  1971

  1981

  1991

  Manufacturing

  31.2

  25.1

  21.0

  Construction

  6.4

  6.0

  6.8

  Banking, insurance, finance, business services and leasing

  10.3

  11.4

  17.7

  Energy and water supply

  5.3

  10.8

  5.7

  Source: United Kingdom National Accounts, 1992 edition.

  Balance of Trade
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what has been the net United Kingdom/ European Community trade balance, at current values, in all goods and services in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;

  (2) what has been the net United Kingdom trade balance, at current values, in all goods and services in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

  Mr. Nelson
  The United Kingdom's balance of trade in goods and services is available from published sources. The requested information is available in the 1992 edition of the Central Statistical Office's United Kingdom balance of payments publication—the Pink Book. The latest estimate for the United Kingdom's total balance on trade in services in 1991 is in the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics". Copies of these publications are available in the Library of the House. The data can also be found on the Central Statistical Office's database which can be accessed through the House of Commons Library.

  Industrial Investment
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much investment in manufacturing industry has grown in percentage terms in each of the OECD countries since 1979.

  Mr. Portillo
  Data on manufacturing investment may be obtained from the OECD's "National Accounts, Volume II" and the Central Statistical Office's database which is accessible through the House of Commons Library.

  Small Businesses
  Mr. Simon Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the clearing banks on their policies on lending to small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lamont
  In recent months much concern has been expressed both that banks have been failing to pass on cuts in base rates to their small business customers and more generally that they have acted in a way that is damaging to the small business sector. That concern has been brought home to me in many letters from small firms and in representations from MPs. I therefore asked the Batik of England to repeat the survey of bank lending to small businesses that it undertook in June 1991. I have discussed the results with the main clearing banks and the president of the British Bankers Association.

  The Bank has now carried out its study and I am placing a copy of its report in the Library. The main findings are:

  the number of small business accounts is about 4.1 million, of which two-thirds are in credit;

  around a quarter of continuing borrowers (ie those who were borrowing both in June 1991 and November 1992) have seen their bank facilities reduced, against a third who have seen an increase;

  around 60 per cent. of small business borrowers benefited from the full 4.5 per cent. reduction in base rates seen between June 1991 and the completion of the survey, and around a further 10 per cent. actually saw their borrowing margins reduced. Margins widened on 30 per cent. of accounts, about half by more than 0.5 per cent.;

  there has been little movement in average margins, but there is a wide variation in average margins between different banks;

  three banks operate minimum interest rate floors, but none have yet come into play;

  the trend towards greater implementation of fees and charges has been maintained and some banks have raised their levels;

  the proportions of lending at fixed rates and for specified terms (as opposed to overdrafts) has increased slightly.

  The Bank's survey is the most comprehensive and recent guide to the interest rates charged by banks to small businesses. It confirms, as did the survey in June 1991, that the majority of small businesses have seen their interest rates come down in line with the reductions in base rates over the last year. This finding is supported by the Nottingham university study recently published by the Forum of Private Businesses. This is welcome news, because it means that the benefits of falling interest rates are being passed through to small businesses which have a vital part to play in bringing about economic recovery.

  I welcome the moves a number of banks have made to increase the number of borrowers on term rather than overdraft finance. That can bring greater certainty to borrower and lender alike. I believe there is also a place for more fixed rate lending. I was disappointed, therefore, that the survey showed that interest rates offered on fixed rate loans had remained very much higher, at around 15 per cent., despite the fall in base rates and longer-term market rates. I am pleased that several banks have reduced their fixed rates since then and I hope that they will keep these rates under review.

  Although the broad picture on interest rate margins is reassuring, there is no doubt that many small businesses remain dissatisfied with their banks, so, when I met the bank chairmen and chief executives, I explained the concern that has been expressed in letters to me and others.
  622
  The banks stressed the importance of the small business sector to them. They pointed out that the number of complaints is small by comparison with the overall number of customers and transactions and that tensions are bound to arise between banks and some customers in a recession. They argued also that they have had to make heavy provisions for losses on loans to small businesses and that they have to take that into account in their judgments on credit risk and pricing.

  I pointed out that the complaints that I have received bear more widely on the quality of service offered to small businesses. It was in response to such complaints that I asked the banks to publish codes of practice for their small business customers and set out seven principles which codes should satisfy. All the major Scottish and English clearing banks have now produced such codes. Small firms and their representatives have generally welcomed this development and the willingness by banks to work to ensure greater transparency in relationships with customers. I know that the banks will continue to keep their codes under review and to assess how their relationships with their customers might be further improved; recently, for example, Lloyds substantially revised its code in response to customer pressure. I am pleased also that all the banks have introduced—or will introduce in the course of 1993—pre-notification of charges. This is a further positive step.

  One important element of each code is to set up a clear procedure by which small businesses can take up complaints which cannot be resolved at branch level. The chairmen of the banks have assured me that they ensure that such complaints are looked into closely. Most have established special units to this end and the chief executives and chairmen themselves review a large number of cases personally. These procedures deal successfully and quickly with a great many complaints by explaining the basis of decisions clearly or by putting right mistakes that have been made. I hope therefore that small businesses, and MPs and others with whom they may correspond, will take up complaints directly with the banks, if necessary at the highest level.

  There will, of course, be a number of customers who remain dissatisfied. Many will dispute the banks' judgment on how much they should be lent or on what terms. Such arguments have to remain a matter of negotiation between the banks and their customers. It is not for the Government or any other third party to second-guess the banks' commercial judgment on such matters.

  However, a number of complaints I have received allege maladministration, for example charging incorrectly or the changing of terms without proper warning. In most cases, complaints of this sort can be resolved through the banks' internal procedures. But in the minority of cases where that is not so, personal customers and unincorporated businesses can take their case to the banking ombudsman. Small incorporated businesses cannot.

  The Jack committee on banking services in 1989 recommended that the ombudsman scheme should be extended to cover incorporated businesses because they often faced identical problems and constraints. At that time, the change was resisted by the banks and not accepted by the Government. In view of the continuing level of complaints, I have taken the matter up again with the largest banks and with the president of the British Bankers Association. They have agreed that the scheme should be extended to cover small incorporated businesses

  623
  with a turnover of less than £1 million a year. They will now propose this change to the council and board of the banking ombudsman.

  Given the continuing interest in the financing of small firms, I have also asked the Bank to continue to monitor from time to time developments in the provision of bank finance to this sector.

  Central Government Staff
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the number of staff in post in central Government Departments at 1 October 1992.

  Mr. Portillo
  On 1 October 1992 there were 567,850 staff in post in central Government. Of those 510,651 were non-industrials and 57,199 were classified as being in industrial work. A summary showing staff in post by Department has been placed in the Library.

  Exchange Rate Mechanism
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement outlining the position underlying the oral statement of the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the right hon. Member for Watford (Mr. Garel-Jones), on 18 January,Official Report, column 144, concerning a possible obligation on the United Kingdom to rejoin the exchange rate mechanism at any particular date.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 22 January 1993]: I have nothing to add to the memoranda submitted by Her Majesty's Treasury to the Treasury and Civil Service Committee—appendices 1 and 5 to the first report of the Treasury and Civil Service Committee for the Session 1992–93, HC 201.

  European Community
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates have been made of the additional cash contributions from the EC which will accrue to each member state in consequence of the decisions taken at the Edinburgh meeting of the European Council; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Cope
  [holding answer 18 January 1993]: The Edinburgh European Council agreed the following allocation of expenditure from the European Community budget:

  (billion ecu—1992 prices)

  1992

  1999

  increase

  (a) Commitment ceilings

  Agriculture (guideline)

  35.30

  38.40

  3.00

  Cohesion Fund

  —

  2.60

  2.60

  Structural Funds—Objective 1

  11.00

  19.30

  8.30

  Other Structural operations

  7.50

  8.10

  0.60

  Other internal policies

  3.90

  5.10

  1.20

  External policies

  3.90

  5.60

  1.70

  Administrative expenditure

  3.20

  3.90

  0.70

  Repayments

  0.90

  —

  -0.90

  624

  (billion ecu—1992 prices)

  1992

  1999

  increase

  Monetary reserve

  1.00

  0.50

  -0.50

  Reserves for external policies

  —

  0.60

  0.60

  Total expenditure commitments

  66.90

  84.10

  17.20

  (b) Own resources ceiling

  as percentage of GNP

  1.20

  1.27

  becu12

  64.90

  80.60

  15.70

  1 The own resources ceiling expressed in ecu is calculated using the Commission's growth assumptions which were available to the European Council.

  2 The expenditure commitment ceilings sum to more than the own resources ceiling. Although the Edinburgh European Council conclusions limit the own resources ceiling (and hence payments from the Community budget) to 1.27 per cent. of community GNP in 1999, commitments were constrained to 1.335 per cent. of GNP. This is possible because first, some commitments will in practice not be taken up and so will not result in payments being made; and second, there is in some cases, a considerable time-lag between commitments and payments. As long as the European economy continues to grow in nominal terms, such expenditure commitments will represent a smaller proportion of Community GNP when the payments are made than when the commitments were given.

  As the existing financial perspective ended with 1992, it is not possible to say what would have happened to Community expenditure over the next seven years if no agreement had been reached at Edinburgh.

  However, until there was agreement the revenue available to the Community would have continued to be subject to the 1988 own resources decision, with the own resources ceiling limited to 1.20 per cent. of GNP. The revenue which the Community could call up could therefore have grown in line with growth in the Community economy. On the basis of the growth assumptions available to the Edinburgh European Council, the revenue from a 1.20 per cent. own resources ceiling would allow payments of up to 76.1 billion ecu in 1999. In effect, therefore, the decision of the European Council to increase the own resources ceiling from 1.20 per cent. to 1.27 per cent. of GNP increased the permissible level of payments from the Community budget by 4.5 billion ecu a year by 1999.

  It is not possible to estimate with any certainty how each member state would benefit from this additional 4.5 billion ecu by comparison with decisions which might have been made in the absence of agreement in Edinburgh.

  Debt Relief
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 30 November,Official Report, columns 49–50, if he will provide figures on the amount of United Kingdom debt relief provided under the Trinidad terms which has been counted as official bilateral development assistance.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Paris club has so far granted Trinidad terms to 13 countries. After a framework agreement is reached at the Paris club, each creditor must negotiate a separate bilateral agreement with the debtor. Not all of the United Kingdom's bilateral agreements have been concluded, but provisional figures suggest that these agreements will reduce debts to the United Kingdom by around £200

  625
  million. In accordance with directives agreed by the
  626
  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, all debt relief under Trinidad terms is counted as bilateral official development assistance.

SCOTLAND

  Community Care
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the preparedness of local authorities in Scotland to implement the new community care arrangements in April.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Local authorities have been implementing the new community care arrangements in phases since 1991. All authorities now have complaints procedures and arm's length inspection units. The mental illness specific grant introduced in 1991–92 has built up community facilities for mentally ill people. All authorities, except one, have prepared community care plans which form the basis of discussions between them and the Scottish Office community care implementation unit. In the next phase, starting in April 1993, local authorities will assume responsibility for assessing individual's needs and purchasing residential and nursing home care. Preparations for this are well in hand, but systems will continue to develop and be refined with experience of the new arrangements.

  Disabled People
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the individuals and organisations which he consults on matters relating to the needs and rights of disabled people in Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The number of bodies consulted on these important matters is extremely lengthy and I am therefore arranging for a list to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Constituency Sizes
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing, in descending order, the geographical area, expressed in hectares, of parliamentary constituencies in Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is as follows:

  Parliamentary constituency

  Area by hectares1

  Ross, Cromarty and Skye

  954,680

  Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber

  870,708

  Caithness and Sutherland

  788,297

  Argyll and Bute

  661,362

  North Tayside

  485,104

  Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

  441,883

  Western Isles

  308,717

  Kincardine and Deeside

  261,106

  Orkney and Shetland

  247,928

  Roxburgh and Berwickshire

  242,811

  Gordon

  229,485

  Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale

  226,956

  Moray

  224,399

  Stirling

  219,243

  Dumfries

  200,662

  Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley

  198,818

  Banff and Buchan

  153,278

  Perth and Kinross

  152,963

  Clydesdale

  138,829

  Angus East

  121,034

  Cunninghame North

  77,188

  North East Fife

  76,125

  East Lothian

  71,682

  628

  Parliamentary constituency

  Area by hectares1

  Dumbarton

  53,127

  Kilmarnock and Loudoun

  37,521

  Midlothian

  36,128

  Renfrew West and Inverclyde

  33,812

  East Kilbride

  28,613

  Livingston

  27,117

  Clackmannan

  24,142

  Linlithgow

  23,512

  Dunfermline West

  19,733

  Eastwood

  17,003

  Falkirk East

  15,547

  Ayr

  15,501

  Dunfermline East

  14,727

  Motherwell North

  13,576

  Monklands East

  13,463

  Monklands West

  11,388

  Cunninghame South

  11,302

  Central Fife

  10,874

  Falkirk West

  10,610

  Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

  10,511

  Kirkcaldy

  10,414

  Strathkelvin and Bearsden

  9,451

  Edinburgh Pentlands

  8,630

  Hamilton

  7,703

  Clydebank and Milngavie

  6,381

  Motherwell South

  3,807

  Paisley South

  3,801

  Aberdeen North

  3,552

  Aberdeen South

  3,342

  Glasgow Rutherglen

  2,997

  Dundee East

  2,587

  Edinburgh South

  2,585

  Edinburgh West

  2,554

  Dundee West

  2,511

  Greenock and Port Glasgow

  2,438

  Glasgow Shettleston

  2,388

  Paisley North

  2,325

  Glasgow Pollok

  2,220

  Glasgow Provan

  2,188

  Glasgow Maryhill

  1,910

  Edinburgh East

  1,832

  Glasgow Springburn

  1,824

  Glasgow Govan

  1,734

  Glasgow Cathcart

  1,658

  Edinburgh Leith

  1,506

  Glasgow Hillhead

  1,461

  Edinburgh Central

  1,426

  Glasgow Central

  1,380

  Glasgow Garscadden

  1,270

  1 Land and inland water.

  Further Education Colleges (Creches)
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines he has issued, or plans to issue, to further education colleges regarding creche facilities; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Provision of creche facilities in further education colleges is currently the responsibility of education authorities. From 1 April 1993 that responsibility will rest with individual college boards of management.

  We have no plans to issue guidelines to boards of management on the provision of creche facilities.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the(a) names, (b) place of residence, (c) salary, honorarium or allowance and (d)

  629
  expected weekly time-commitment of each (i) executive and (ii) non-executive director of each hospital trust in Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is as follows:

  Annual remuneration £

  Trusts already in operation:

  Aberdeen Royal Hospitals NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. Bryan Broomfield

  Aberdeen

  19,285

  Non-executive Directors

  Professor Graeme Catto

  Aberdeen

  5,000

  Professor Michael Meston

  Aberdeen

  5,000

  Mr. Harold Tocher

  Aberdeen

  5,000

  Dr. Fiona Lyle

  Laurencekirk

  5,000

  Mrs. Ann D. Scott

  Aberdeen

  5,000

  South Ayrshire Hospitals NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. J. D. Brown

  Ayr

  17,145

  Non-executive Directors

  Mr. William M. Mowatt

  Ayr

  5,000

  Mr. Harold J. Currie

  Mauchline

  5,000

  Mr. Graeme McKinstry

  Ayr

  5,000

  Mrs. Anne Wilson

  Girvan

  5,000

  Mrs. Dorothy McLellan

  Symington

  5,000

  Royal Scottish National Hospital NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. Adrian Ward

  Uplawnmoor

  17,145

  Non-executive Directors

  Mr. William Hughes

  Falkirk

  5,000

  Ms. Valerie Smart

  Falkirk

  5,000

  Professor Averil Stewart

  Linlithgow

  5,000

  Mr. David Tarr

  Bridge of Allan

  5,000

  Dr. Peter Williams

  Bridge of Allan

  5,000

  Trusts coming into operation on 1 April 1993

  Ayrshire and Arran Community Health Care NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mrs. Aileen Bates

  Galston

  17,145

  Non-executive Directors

  Mr. Ian Allison

  Ayr

  5,000

  Mr. David Gall

  Ayr

  5,000

  Mr. Robert Johnston

  Beith

  5,000

  Dr. Susan Kinnaird

  Troon

  5,000

  Mr. W. Scott McConnell

  Strathaven

  5,000

  Caithness and Sutherland NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. George Bruce

  Thurso

  15,125

  Non-executive Directors

  Mr. John Gunn

  Wick

  5,000

  Rev. Alexander Murray

  Lairg

  5,000

  Dr. Elizabeth Mackenzie

  Skerray by Thurso

  5,000

  Mr. John Rosie

  Thurso

  5,000

  Ms. Wilma Taylor

  Wick

  5,000

  Dundee Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. Stuart Fair

  Dundee

  19,285

  Non-executive Directors

  Mrs. Maureen Cane

  Broughty Ferry

  5,000

  Mr. Gordon Lowden

  Dundee

  5,000

  Mr. Robert Lyon

  Dundee

  5,000

  Mrs. Jacqueline Wood

  Dundee

  5,000

  Professor Heather Dick

  Dundee

  5,000

  Moray Health Services NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. James Snedden

  Elgin

  17,145

  Non-executive Directors

  Mrs. Marjory Adams

  Elgin

  5,000

  Mr. Russell Anderson

  Elgin

  5,000

  Mrs. Lydia King

  Lossiemouth

  5,000

  Mr. William Phillips

  Elgin

  5,000

  Mr. James Royan

  Elgin

  5,000

  North Ayrshire and Arran NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. William Ritchie

  Kirkoswald

  19,285

  Non-executive Directors

  Mrs. Angela Dunbar

  Saltcoats

  5,000

  630

  Annual remuneration £

  Mrs. Kim Donald

  Fenwick West

  5,000

  Mr. James Grier

  Kilbride

  5,000

  Mr. Alan Stewart

  Kilmarnock

  5,000

  Mr. Keith Tulloch

  Monkton

  5,000

  Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. James Kyle

  Gairloch

  17,145

  Non-executive Directors

  Mr. James Gray

  Fortrose

  5,000

  Mrs. Flora Hunt

  Inverness

  5,000

  Mr. Alexander Morrison

  Golspie

  5,000

  Professor George McNicol

  Rosemarkie

  5,000

  Mrs. Judith Robertson

  Inverness

  5,000

  Royal Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. Tom Gibson

  Paisley

  17,145

  Non-executive Directors

  Mrs. Audrey Burns

  Houston

  5,000

  Mr. Allan Durward

  Bridge of Weir

  5,000

  Mrs. Marion Ford

  Paisley

  5,000

  Mr. Alec MacDonald Gaunt

  Paisley

  5,000

  Mr. George Murray

  Paisley

  5,000

  Stirling Royal Infirmary NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. George McKelvie

  Auchterarder

  17,145

  Non-executive Directors

  Mrs. Agnes Bowie

  Stirling

  5,000

  Mr. Graham Houston

  Dunblane

  5,000

  Mrs. Doris Littlejohn

  Bridge of Allan

  5,000

  Mr. Graeme Simmers

  Balfron

  5,000

  Mrs. Anne Walker

  Deanston

  5,000

  Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust

  Chairman: Dr. John Dall

  Glasgow

  19,285

  Non-executive Directors

  Dr. Robert Colville

  Glasgow

  5,000

  Mrs. Danielle Glasser

  Glasgow

  5,000

  Mrs. Lorna Howieson

  Glasgow

  5,000

  Mrs. Joan Mackenzie

  Glasgow

  5,000

  Mr. Desmond O'Brien

  Glasgow

  5,000

  West Lothian NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. Robert Watt

  Edinburgh

  19,285

  Non-executive Directors

  Mr. Thomas Bennie

  Linlithgow

  5,000

  Mr. Jack Cunningham

  Armadale

  5,000

  Mrs. Irene Douglas

  West Calder

  5,000

  Mr. Peter Johnston

  Livingston

  5,000

  Mrs. Carole Stevenson

  Livingston

  5,000

  Southern General Hospital NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mr. Andrew Garland

  Glasgow

  19,285

  Non-executive Directors

  Mr. Robert McEwan

  Glasgow

  5,000

  Mrs. Ann Moore

  Glasgow

  5,000

  Mrs. Agnes Stewart

  Glasgow

  5,000

  Mr. Henry Tankel

  Glasgow

  5,000

  Mrs. Susan Bell

  Biggar

  5,000

  Grampian Health Care NHS Trust

  Chairman: Dr. Alex Taylor

  Fyvie

  19,285

  Monklands and Bellshill NHS Trust

  Chairman: Dr. George Bell

  Bellshill

  19,285

  Yorkhill NHS Trust

  Chairman: Mrs. Joan Cameron

  Glasgow

  19,285

  My right hon. Friend expects to announce shortly the names of the non-executive directors of the Grampian HealthCare, Monklands and Bellshill, and Yorkhill trusts.

  631
  Trust boards themselves appoint, and determine the salaries of, executive directors and information on this is not held centrally.

  In addition to the remuneration payable, the chairmen and non-executive directors are entitled to claim travelling and subsistence allowances at rates set for members of public bodies. There is no specific weekly time commitment but trust board directors are expected to give about three days per month to the board's work.

  Crime, Paisley
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will visit Paisley to discuss policing and crime.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  No. It is the responsibility of the chief constable of Strathclyde police to take operational decisions on the policing of Paisley. My right hon. and learned Friend the Minister of State had a meeting with the hon. Members for Paisley, South and for Paisley, North (Mrs. Adams) on 20 October 1992 in the course of which he described the initiatives being taken by Strathclyde police to deal with Paisley's crime problems.

  Hardy Nursery Stock
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to launch an initiative to promote the export of hardy nursery stock, including roses, heaths and heathers, from Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  My right hon. Friend has no plans to introduce an export promotion initiative for Scotland's hardy nursery stock.

  I am pleased to say that this sector of the industry continues to demonstrate steady progress and, by its own efforts, is responding positively to the opportunities afforded at home and by the opening up of European Community markets.

  Excellent examples of this progressive attitude to marketing are the Scotgrow exhibition, now an established annual event, and the Scotgrow's directory of Scotland's ornamental nursery stock growers. Both these and other initiatives are proving to be highly successful in promoting quality Scottish produce.

  Child Abuse
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to give victims of abuse, or their representatives, forewarning of the release date from prison of the offenders.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Directors of social work are notified in advance of the release of offenders when a person has been convicted of an offence under schedule 1 to the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 against children under the age of 17 years. This includes incest or other forms of sexual assault and cruel and unnatural treatment of children. Local authority social work departments will determine in the light of individual cases if victims or their representatives should be advised of the release of an offender. In addition the Scottish Prison Service informs the police and social work departments of the release of all prisoners on parole.

  Poll Tax
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were(a) registered to vote and (b) registered to pay the poll tax in each Scottish parliamentary constituency in the financial year 1992–93; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Information about electoral registrations by parliamentary constituency in 1992 is given in OPCS's "1992 Electoral Statistics"—series EL NO 19—published by HMSO, a copy of which is in the Library. Electoral registers in Scotland are published on 16 February each year.

  No information is available centrally about the number of persons within parliamentary constituency areas who are on the community charge register.

  Ecological Steering Group
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements he has made to set up the ecological steering group referred to in his statement of 11 January; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  I plan to establish as soon as possible an ecological steering group on the oil spill in Shetland with the terms of reference shown below. Professor W. Ritchie, professor of physical geography, vice principal of the university of Aberdeen, has accepted my invitation to be the chairman. I shall make a further announcement about the membership of the group in due course. The terms of reference are as follows:To monitor environmental work arising from the incident and to provide a focus for liaison and advice;
  To assess the impact of the incident on the ecology of the Shetland Islands;
  To develop urgently the best strategies in the short and longer term for dealing with the implications of the incident as they affect the ecology of the Shetland Islands and to report to the Secretary of State for Scotland on these at an early date;
  To oversee special studies for monitoring the impact on and subsequent recovery of the environment in order to advise the Government of the lessons to be learned which could be applied more widely, whether in the United Kingdom or elsewhere.

  Water Services
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much capital investment on water services in Scotland has been paid for by private finance.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 22 January 1993]: Identified private sector contributions to capital investment on water sewerage services in Scotland amounted to £1.5 million in the financial year 1991–92.

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

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 18 January 1993]: The arrangements for securing continued public access to woodlands sold by the Forestry Commission were introduced in October 1991. Three of the woodland areas considered under these arrangements have been sold so far. None of the sales was subject to an access agreement.

  Museums and Galleries (Attendance)
  Mr. Faulds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the attendance figures for 1992 reported by the national museums and galleries in Scotland, broken down into the individual institutions but including their outstations, with figures in each case of the percentage increase or decrease on the attendances figures for 1991.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 19 January 1993]: The information is as follows:

  1992

  Percentage change since 1991

  National museums of Scotland

  1,005,316

  -6.12

  National galleries of Scotland

  759,102

  +10.00

  The national museums of Scotland comprise the Royal Museum of Scotland buildings at Chambers street and Queen street, Edinburgh, the Scottish agricultural museum, the Scottish united services museum, the Museum of Flight and the Museum of Costume. The national galleries of Scotland comprise the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

  National Testing
  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to implement national testing in schools in Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [pursuant to his reply, 2 November 1992, c. 153–54]: National testing is an essential part of the Government's education strategy. It ensures for parents that the progress of their children in school is checked against national standards.

  The new arrangements for national testing announced last November and set out fully in The Scottish Office Education Department's circular 12/92, were widely welcomed in Scotland. National tests will now be given in primary schools in Scotland whenever pupils are considered by their teachers to have largely completed a level of the curriculum in mathematics, reading and writing. From January 1994, these arrangements will apply also to pupils in S1 and S2.

  Education authorities were asked to confirm that they would implement these arrangements. They have now done so, in response to which regulations have been laid before Parliament today to revoke the regulations on national testing currently in force.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Yugoslavia
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the United Kingdom contribution to United Nations funds for United Nations relief in the former Yugoslavia; and whether these funds came from the existing Overseas Development Administration budget.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Out of a total of £70.5 million so far committed towards humanitarian relief for the former Yugoslavia, £23.6 million has been provided for the United Nations humanitarian relief programme. These funds come from the United Kingdom aid programme.

  UN Relief Operations
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for additional help for United Nations relief operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and the former Yugoslavia.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  In 1992 we committed £8.25 million to Afghanistan, of which £4.5 million was provided for United Nations relief operations; £10.84 million to Iraq of which £6.5 million was provided for UN relief operations; and £70.5 million to the former Yugoslavia, of which £23.6 million was provided for UN relief operations. Our future responses towards these crises depend on the assessment of needs and we are maintaining a close dialogue with the UN on this.

  Aid-Trade Ratios
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the ratio of the amount supplied as British overseas aid to the amount generated in extra trade; and if he will set out the basis for the estimate.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  In 1991, 74 per cent—£934 million—of our bilateral aid commitments were tied to British goods and services. We estimate that for every £1 we commit to multilateral agencies—£918 million in 1991— an average of £1.40 is spent on British goods and services. More widely our aid supports economic growth and liberalisation in developing countries, helping to provide a better climate for trade and investment.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Treaties
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 12 November 1992,Official Report, columns 932–44, which of the treaties listed, under each of the side headings, have been signed but not ratified by Her Majesty's Government.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The treaties in question are as listed. Command Paper references are given for ease of reference.

  Animals and conservation

  European Convention for the Protection of Animals for Slaughter.

  Signed at Strasbourg on 10 May 1979.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 002/1980, Cmnd. 7776.

  European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate

  Animals used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes.

  Signed at Strasbourg on 18 March 1986.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 004/1986, Cmnd. 9884.

  Convention on the Protection and the Use of Transboundary

  Watercourses and International Lakes.

  Signed at Helsinki on 17 March 1992.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 005/1993 to be published 5 February 1993.

  Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents.

  Signed at Helsinki on 17 March 1992.

  Certified copy of Convention awaited..

  Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas.

  Signed at New York on 17 March 1992.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 002/1993, Cmnd. 2119.

  Convention on Biological Diversity.

  Adopted at Nairobi on 11 May 1992.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 003/1993, Cmnd. 2127.

  635
  Human rights

  Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, signed at Rome on 4 November 1950.

  Signed at Strasbourg on 16 September 1963.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 006/1964, Cmnd. 2309.

  Protocol amending the European Social Charter.

  Signed at Turin on 21 October 1991.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 005/1992, Cmnd. 1940.

  Convention on the Participation of Foreigners in Public Life at Local Level.

  Signed at Strasbourg on 5 February 1992.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 008/1992, Cmnd. 1964.

  Protocol No. 10 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, signed at Rome on 4 November 1950.

  Signed at Strasbourg on 25 March 1992.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 012/1992, Cmnd. 2031.

  Disarmament

  Treaty on Open Skies.

  Signed at Helsinki on 24 March 1992.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 013/1992, Cmnd. 2067.

  Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the use of certain Conventional Weapons which may be deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects.

  Concluded at Geneva on 10 October 1980.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 023/1981, Cmnd. 8370.

  Pollution

  Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or their Transboundary Fluxes.

  Adopted at Geneva on 18 November 1991.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 010/1992, Cmnd. 1970.

  Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage resulting from Exploration for and Exploitation of Seabed Mineral Resources (with Final Act of the Intergovernmental Conference on the Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage from Offshore Operations 20–31 October 1975 and 13–17 December 1976).

  Signed at London on 1 May 1977.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 008/1977, Cmnd. 6791.

  Protocol of 1984 to amend the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage, 1971.

  Adopted at London on 25 May 1984.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 007/1986, Cmnd. 9926.

  Protocol of 1984 to amend the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1969.

  Adopted at London on 25 May 1984.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 008/1986, Cmnd. 9927.

  Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.

  Adopted at Basel on 22 March 1989.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 004/1990, Cm. 984.

  Protocol [further] amending the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft, done at Oslo on 15 February 1972.

  Signed at Oslo on 5 December 1989.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 010/1990, Cm. 1039.

  Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context.

  Adopted at Espoo (Finland) on 25 February 1991.

  Miscellaneous Series No. 015/1991, Cm. 1645.

  Iran
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the relationship of Iran with the Hizbollah and Hamas.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Hizbollah has itself stated the importance it attaches to its relationship with Iran. Both Hizbollah and Hamas attended the conference the Iranian Government organised in October 1991 in opposition to the middle east peace process.

  Iraq
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 15 January,Official Report, columns 853–54, what consultations he had with representatives of the telecommunications company concerned before allowing the visas to be issued.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs wrote to a representative of the parent company twice during 1992 and stressed that he would not be prepared to put forward a project of the type proposed to the United Nations sanctions committee.

  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 15 January,Official Report, columns 853–54, what steps he took to ensure that any equipment being discussed was incapable of military application before granting the visas.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  It was made clear to representatives of the company concerned on a number of occasions that only goods approved by the United Nations sanctions committee could be exported to Iraq.

  Gibraltar
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Spanish Government as to transport/passenger delays at the Spanish-Gibraltar border.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  The Spaniards are well aware of our view that there should be the maximum possible free movement of EC nationals at internal borders commensurate with controlling the movement of terrorists, drug smugglers, other international criminals and illegal immigrants.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to announce the name of the future Governor of Gibraltar; and what discussions on this appointment he has had with the Government of Gibraltar.

  Mr. Garel-Jones
  We hope in the near future to be in a position to announce the name of the new Governor of Gibraltar. The appointment is a matter for Her Majesty's Government, but we are in touch with the Gibraltar Government.

  Immigration
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many(a) men and (b) women in (i) Bombay, (ii) New Delhi, (iii) Karachi and (iv) Islamabad, were seeking entry visas to join spouses in the United Kingdom as at 14 January; and what is the average current waiting time at each post.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The number of men and women waiting for an interview for entry clearance to join their spouses in the United Kingdom in Bombay, New Delhi, Karachi and Islamabad on 14 January, and the waiting time for interview, was as follows:
  637

  Men Numbers

  Women Numbers

  Waiting Time Months

  Bombay

  87

  90

  3

  New Delhi

  10

  105

  3

  Karachi

  44

  42

  2

  Islamabad

  1,195

  411

  3

  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement outlining the kinds of transactions which may be undertaken with Iraq and Iraqi nationals on humanitarian grounds under the current sanctions regime for Iraq.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The only transactions with Iraq permitted in the UK are those humanitarian exceptions permitted tinder UN Security Council resolutions 661 and 687 agreed on a case-by-case basis by the UN sanctions committee. Such exceptions include foodstuffs, medicine, medical and surgical equipment, basic human requirements—for example, toiletries, cooking requisites, tents, blankets and other items for the construction of basic shelter—and equipment necessary to restore basic local services—clean water, sanitation and agriculture.

  Israel
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list in sequence the actions taken by Her Majesty's Government over the decision of the Israeli Government to expel the Palestinians to the Israeli-occupied south Lebanon; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Since the decision of the Israeli authorities to expel the Palestinians, we have issued two EC statements as presidency and supported United Nations Security Council resolution 799. In addition, the Foreign Secretary has written to the Israeli Foreign Minister, I have made our views clear to the Israeli ambassador, and EC ambassadors in Tel Aviv have made representations to the Israeli Foreign Minister. On 23 January RAF helicopters provided support to an International Committee of the Red Cross humanitarian mission to the deportees. Our position on the deportations remains clear: they are illegal and we will continue to urge the Israelis to comply with Security Council resolution 799 which calls for the immediate and safe return of the deportees.

EDUCATION

  Behaviour Policies
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many local education authorities have developed strategies for supporting the behaviour policies of their schools which meet the standards expected by his Department;

  (2) how many local education authorities have schools which have whole school behaviour policies, as recommended in the Elton report on discipline in schools; what information he has on the percentage.of such schools in each LEA; and to what extent they meet the standards expected by his Department.

  Mr. Forth
  This information is not collected centrally.

  Parents' Civil Liabilities
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research he has commissioned on the impact of imposing on parents' civil liabilities for the acts of their children in schools.

  Mr. Forth
  None.

  Languages (Communication)
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of how many local education authorities and schools in each of these local education authorities communicate with parents in languages other than English in accordance with the recommendations of the Elton report.

  Mr. Forth
  This information is not collected centrally. It is for local authorities and schools to consider the need for communication with parents in languages other than English in the light of local needs and circumstances. The Government have made the necessary statutory provisions to enable schools and LEAs to make governors' annual reports, pupils' reports and other documents for parents available in translation where this is appropriate.

  Nursery Education
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria are employed by his Department in distinguishing full-time and part-time nursery education for statistical and other purposes.

  Mr. Forth
  There is no statutory definition of these terms and the Department has not attempted to define full-time or part-time nursery education as such for statistical purposes. In its published pupil statistics it distinguishes those nursery pupils who usually attend for the length of the school day throughout the week, from those—the majority—who attend on mornings or afternoons only or on some other pattern.

  Counselling Courses
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many LEAs have provided courses on basic counselling skills in the last two years; what information he has on the percentage of staff in each LEA which have been on such courses; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such courses.

  Mr. Forth
  This information is not collected centrally.

  Management Consultancy Services
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many local education authorities provide management consultancy services for head teachers and support services for the professional development of teachers which meet the standards expected by his Department.

  Mr. Forth
  It is for individual local education authorities to decide what services of these kind to provide, in the light of demand from the schools and colleges which they maintain.

  School Discipline
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made, following the Elton report of discipline in schools, of the equitable distribution of teaching and other resources across the ability range in schools and of how local education authorities are taking this recommendation into account when funding schools.

  Mr. Forth
  None.

  Ethnic Minorities
  Mr. Kevin Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 11 January,Official Report, column 573, if he will take steps to introduce a DFE grant for new projects to meet the education needs of the ethnic minority population of all ages.

  Mr. Forth
  No. My right hon. Friend has no plans to introduce a separate DFE grant for new projects to meet the educational needs of the ethnic minority population.

  Ballots
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education in what circumstances a parent entitled to a list of parents who can vote in a school's opt-out ballot may be required to give an undertaking before receiving a copy of such a list.

  Mr. Forth
  The Education Reform Act provides that where a parent makes a request in connection with any proposal that a ballot should be held in accordance with section 61 of this Act, the parent is entitled to a copy of the list of the names and addresses of other parents. An appropriate fee may be charged for the cost of supply of the list.

  Special Needs Education
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures he is taking to reduce the time taken in the issuing of statements of special needs for children.

  Mr. Forth
  The Education Bill presently before the House provides for the Secretary of State to set statutory time limits governing local education authorities' conduct of assessments and the making of statements of special educational needs. The Bill also provides for a statutory code of practice including criteria and guidance to which LEAs should have regard in carrying out those duties.

  Home Economics
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received concerning the practical input in home economics in the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  My right hon. Friend has received conflicting representations about the place of aspects of home economics in the national curriculum. In addition to those aspects included in national curriculum mathematics and science, the proposals for a revised national curriculum technology order, which my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Education and for Wales issued 640
  for consultation in December, make clear their view that pupils should learn to apply designing and making skills to textiles and food, as to other materials, as part of the programmes of study for this subject.

  English Test Papers
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he was first aware that national newspapers were in possession of this summer's key stage 3 English test papers; if he will carry out an inquiry into the circumstances; and if he will now defer the tests or treat them as a pilot exercise.

  Mr. Forth
  The tests for English will go ahead as planned. In the light of the leak of the current question, my right hon. Friend has asked Lord Griffiths, chairman of the School Examinations and Assessment Council, to draw up new test papers, based on the successful model developed over the last two and a half years.

  My right hon. Friend first learnt that the current tests for English had become public on 20 January. He fully expects SEAC to establish how the leak occurred, to ensure that it does not happen again.

  Truancy
  Mr. Sedgemore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Delyn (Mr. Hanson) on 20 January,Official Report, column 282, if he intends to provide schools with a national definition of what constitutes (a) truancy and (b) an unauthorised absence.

  Mr. Forth
  Truancy and unauthorised absence are terms which are largely interchangeable. They may be defined as absence from school without leave from a duly authorised person. Guidance as to what constitutes authorised absence was given in DFE circular 11/91, published in July 1991. A copy is available in the Library.

  Child and Family Guidance
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his policy towards the funding of child and family guidance services by local education authorities.

  Mr. Forth
  It is for individual local education authorities to make provision for child and family guidance services in the light of local needs and circumstances.

  Lord Griffiths
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will dismiss Lord Griffiths from his post as chairman of the School Examinations and Assessment Council.

  Mr. Forth
  No.

DEFENCE

  Vulcan Bombers
  Sir Nicholas Bonsor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Chislehurst (Mr. Sims) of 16 November 1992,Official

  641
  Report, column 44, what sustainable sponsorship proposals to accept financial responsibility for keeping the Vulcan XH 558 in flying condition he has received; what would be the required annual financial contribution and any non-recurring costs; what steps he has taken to inform potential sponsors of these costs; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  Officials have met and corresponded with representatives of the campaign to keep the Vulcan flying on a number of occasions since 16 November, to explain in detail the implications of its continued operation. We have received no new sponsorship proposals during this period.

  The estimated costs of continuing to operate the Vulcan remain as set out in the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend on 26 October 1992, Official Report, column 507.

  I have decided that, without viable sponsorship, there is no further justification for delaying the sale of the aircraft, and tenders will be issued during the next week.

  European Defence
  Mr. Ancram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of a continuing role for NATO alongside an independent European defence policy;

  (2) what is his policy in respect of the establishment of permanent forces of the WEU, in respect of their effect on the role and position of NATO.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Government welcome the development of a European defence identity and fully support the development of the Western European Union (WEU) as a means to strengthen the European pillar of the Atlantic alliance. NATO will remain the principal guarantor of stability throughout the North Atlantic area and the forum for agreement on policies bearing on the security and defence commitments of its members. We do not advocate the establishment of permanent WEU forces or headquarters. Our approach, which is reflected in the WEU's Petersberg declaration of June 1992, is that WEU member states should make available military units from the whole spectrum of their conventional armed forces for the WEU's use in situations where NATO is not involved. These units will be drawn from forces with national and NATO roles, in the latter case after consultation with the alliance.

  Mr. Ancram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what will be the effect of the new European defence proposals, involving rapid deployment of forces, potentially over long distances, on the United Kingdom defence budget.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Petersberg declaration of June 1992 made it clear that military units which will be made available to the Western European Union will be drawn from the forces with national and NATO roles. NATO's new strategic concept emphasises the need for armed forces to be mobile and flexible. The defence budget agreed in the 1992 public expenditure survey took account of the restructuring of Britain's armed forces in line with the requirements of the strategic concept.

  HMS Ark Royal
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated initial and subsequent cost of the deployment of the Ark Royal group and the units deployed therewith; and how much of that cost will be reimbursed to his Department by the Foreign Office.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The estimated additional cost is expected to be some £30 million if the deployment lasts for one year. It is not possible at this early stage to produce a meaningful breakdown of costs given the variable nature of the operation. No decision has yet been taken on which Department will bear the cost.

  Merchant Seamen
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to mark the 50th anniversary of the battle of the Atlantic by taking steps to commemorate the contribution to the war effort made by merchant seamen.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  My Department is working closely with the Chamber of Shipping to ensure that the. Merchant Navy and merchant seamen are properly represented at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the battle of the Atlantic on Merseyside at the end of May.

  Anti-air Warfare Frigate
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the future development of the Franco-British anti-air warfare frigate.

  Mr. Aitken
  A preliminary co-operative phase for a common Franco-British AAW frigate, to enter service early in the next decade, was launched in November 1991 and is due to conclude in the autumn of this year. I am pleased to be able to inform the House that the French Minister of Defence, Mr. Pierre Joxe and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence have recently agreed proposals for the procurement and project management of project Horizon, as it is now termed. Discussions are continuing with Italy. The three chiefs of staff of the French, Italian and Royal Navy signed a joint staff requirement for the frigate in December 1992.

  Joint Planning and Training
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy towards joint planning and training between the members of NATO and the other members of the North Atlantic Co-operation Council.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Areas of defence co-operation agreed by all members of the North Atlantic Co-operation Council (NACC) are outlined in the "Statement issued at the meeting of Defence Ministers at NATO Headquarters on 1 April 1992" and in the NACC statement of 18 December 1992. Both these documents are in the Library of the House. These guidelines cover discussion with NACC partners on members' approaches to planning and training, but not on joint planning and training.

  Defence Trade
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made towards a NATO code of conduct in defence trade; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  Discussions are continuing with out allies on a NATO code of conduct in defence trade, with the aim of moving towards a more open defence equipment market within the alliance. We fully support this objective.

  NATO
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to receive the results of the review currently being undertaken of NATO's force structure.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  NATO Ministers expect to see an interim report on the implications for the new NATO structure of changing force levels among alliance members at their next meeting in the spring.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the consequences for NATO's force structure of the proposals by Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain to reduce their domestic forces.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  An assessment of the consequences of our allies' proposals for NATO's force structure will be made once their reviews have progressed.

  Polaris
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the technical maximum number of warheads capable of deployment on Polaris missiles when they first entered service; what change took place in connection with the deployment of Chevaline; and what is the technical maximum currently.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The 16-missile Polaris submarines each entered service with the Royal Navy carrying 48 warheads. The Chevaline development provided warheads that are hardened against the effects of anti-ballistic missile defences, together with penetration aids, and the ability to manoeuvre the payload in space. It is long-standing policy not to divulge specific warhead numbers either current or planned; but the Government made clear at the time that Chevaline did not involve any increase in the number of warheads associated with the Polaris force.

  Royal Yacht Britannia
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the refit of the royal yacht Britannia in 1987 was spent on(a) the superstructure, (b) the engines and (c) the royal apartments.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The work carried out during Britannia's refit in 1987 falls into the following categories:

  Per cent.

  Structure

  22.0

  Propulsion

  7.2

  Royal apartments

  17.3

  Other

  53.5

  644
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the annual costs published for the royal yacht Britannia include the cost of personnel; and what is the personnel cost for the latest available year.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The annual costs published for the royal yacht Britannia do include the cost of personnel. The personnel costs for 1991–92 were £3,904,000.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the planned service life of the royal yacht Britannia.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  HMY Britannia had a routine refit in Portsmouth last year costing some £6 million to £7 million. This was designed to keep her safe, seaworthy and up to date for the next few years. In view of her age, it is obviously sensible to consider her future. This consideration is at an early stage and it is too soon to speculate as to its outcome.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many days the royal yacht Britannia was used by members of the royal family for public engagements and private purposes in each year since 1989.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  During the period specified, HMY Britannia has been used by members of the royal family, as follows:

  Total number of days

  1989

  55

  1990

  42

  1991

  31

  1992

  27

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many days the royal yacht Britannia was used for military manoeuvres in each year since 1989.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  During the period in question HMY Britannia was not required to participate in military manoeuvres.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many sea-days the royal yacht Britannia was used for conferences and seminars to attract business for Britain in 1991 and 1992.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  HMY Britannia hosted six such sea-days during the period in question, three in each year.

  Royal Flight
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many flights were undertaken by the royal flight in 1991; and how many aircraft of what type are in the flight.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Queen's Flight undertook 1,220 passenger-carrying flights in 1991. The flight currently comprises three BAe 146–100 executive jet aircraft and two Wessex helicopters.

  Parachute Training
  Ms. Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of training in first aid, and specifically in the symptoms of head injury, given to personnel involved in the supervision of service men and women undertaking parachute training.
  645
  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  All non-commissioned officer parachute training instructors are required to obtain a first aid certificate during basic training as a physical training instructor; this includes recognition of some forms of concussion.

  Trainees have immediate access to fully qualified medical officers the moment they feel unwell and during all forms of parachute training a fully qualified medical attendant and ambulance are available at all times. Furthermore, individual trainees are instructed to report sick if they consider themselves unfit to continue further training.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Waste Exports
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 9 November 1992,Official Report, column 587, if he will indicate (a) the type of waste sent to each country, (b) the ports utilised to transfer the waste, (c) the original producer of the waste within the United Kingdom, (d) the responsible authorities for each producer of waste and port of exit for waste exports and (e) the companies receiving the waste after its export.

  Mr. Eggar
  It is not possible to answer the question without disproportionate cost. However, a certain amount of the information is available in the public domain, and may be obtained from HM Customs and Excise through their appointed marketing agents. Broad statistics on exports of waste products are contained in Business Monitor (MM20)—"Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom", a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.

  Plugs
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of.Trade what recent statements his Department has made on the Plug and Socket (Safety) Regulations 1987 in respect of pre-fitted plugs; and when he expects to lay further regulations.

  Mr. Leigh
  Following my Department's review of the Plugs and Sockets (Safety) Regulations 1987, I announced on 30 January 1992 a proposal to revise these regulations and to include a requirement that domestic electrical appliances be supplied fitted with a correctly fused 13-amp plug. This matter is currently the subject of consultation.

  No decision on the progress of the revised regulations can be taken until full consideration has been given to the responses received from the public consultation.

  Bank of Credit and Commerce International
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he is considering an application made under section 172 of the Insolvency Act for the removal of the liquidators of BCCI.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Representations have been made which ask that the liquidators be removed under the powers contained in section 172 of the Insolvency Act 1986 and these are being considered.

  Computer Programmes Regulations
  Mr. Peter Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what representations he has received from the EC Commission regarding the wording of the draft Copyright (Computer Programmes) Regulations 1992; and if it is his intention to reconsider the wording of the regulations;

  (2) if the draft Copyright (Computer Programmes) Regulations 1992 meets all the requirements of the relevant EC directive.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 25 January 1993]: No representations have been received from the European Commission on the draft regulations laid before Parliament, but the wording of those regulations took account of representations from the Commission and from interests in the United Kingdom on an earlier, consultative draft. Following approval of the draft regulations by both Houses, they have been published as the Copyright (Computer Programs) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992 No. 3233). The Government consider that the regulations meet all the requirements of the relevant Council directive and have no plans to reconsider their wording.

  Oilseed
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what current research projects are being undertaken by his Department to study the viability of producing oilseed for non-food uses, with particular reference to the development of bio-diesel.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 January 1993]: My Department has commissioned work at the energy technology support unit which assesses the economics of the production of oilseed rape and its conversion to bio-diesel. This review of the potential of bio-diesel as a transport fuel will be published shortly by HMSO.

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has held with his European counterparts about the development of bio-diesel through the growth of oilseed; and if he will list the number of hectares devoted to oilseed growth specifically for the development of bio-diesel in each EC member state.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 January 1993]: I chaired the Council of Energy Ministers on 30 November 1992 which discussed a proposal for a decision concerning the promotion of renewable energy sources in the Community (ALTENER programme). The United Kingdom presidency secured political agreement to this programme which, inter alia, aims to secure for bio-fuels, such as bio-diesel, a market share of 5 per cent. of total consumption by motor vehicles by 2005. Bio-diesel can be derived from any oil-seed rape, thus areas grown specifically for bio-diesel cannot be separately indentified.

  Logic Control Systems
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has received a report from the disqualification unit of the insolvency service following the move into receivership of Logic Control Systems of Clowne, Derbyshire, in July 1991; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 25 January 1993]: The Insolvency Service, acting on behalf of the Secretary

  647
  of State for Trade and Industry, has responsibility for considering reports made by insolvency practitioners on the conduct of directors of failed companies to determine, with advice from lawyers as appropriate, whether it is expedient to bring disqualification proceedings. This process, with regard to Logic Control Systems Ltd, is continuing.

  "Managing into the '90s"
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many workshops have been held in Wales as part of his Department's "Managing into the '90s" campaign to date; and how many are planned for 1993.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 25 January 1993]: Since the launch of the "Managing into the '90s" programme in 1989 there have been 12 events held in Wales under the programme variously described as conferences, seminars and workshops. A further four are so far planned for 1993.

  G6 and Swiss exports of machine tools to Iraq 1985–1990

  US$ 000s

  USA

  Japan

  France

  Germany

  Italy

  Switzerland

  United Kingdom

  1990

  728.1

  0

  0

  0

  2,124

  1,270

  578

  570

  731

  537

  645

  1,279

  22,209

  2,783

  7,666

  8,278

  733

  5,891

  911

  499

  6,992

  1,070

  2,762

  246

  735

  2,377

  39

  1,331

  6,286

  10,824

  1,743

  2,955

  TOTAL

  8,805

  1,595

  3,109

  37,611

  15,947

  12,749

  12,049

  1989

  728.1

  43

  N/A

  61

  1,530

  1,601

  69

  991

  731

  2,272

  2,816

  609

  57,486

  1,545

  20,505

  18,990

  733

  1,857

  2,268

  1,385

  18,948

  6,890

  3,375

  1,208

  735

  7,080

  451

  2,637

  20,007

  4,391

  13,203

  3,138

  TOTAL

  11,252

  5,535

  4,692

  97,971

  14,427

  37,152

  24,327

  1988

  728.1

  168

  504

  111

  832

  1,287

  550

  529

  731

  N/A

  77

  239

  59,372

  10,920

  21,772

  53,951

  733

  N/A

  1,627

  5,922

  34,316

  7,306

  594

  2,160

  735

  N/A

  263

  4,711

  21,166

  2,754

  20,497

  6,436

  TOTAL

  168

  2,471

  10,983

  115,686

  22,267

  43,413

  63,076

  1987

  728.1

  116

  39

  63

  135

  208

  55

  359

  7361

  33

  1,991

  1,161

  16,740

  5,244

  13,871

  5,130

  TOTAL

  149

  2,030

  1,224

  16,875

  5,432

  13,926

  5,489

  1986

  728.1

  294

  15

  117

  674

  1,040

  10

  334

  7361

  267

  3,054

  812

  7,886

  1,358

  3,176

  2,078

  TOTAL

  561

  3,069

  929

  8,560

  2,398

  3,186

  2,412

  1985

  728.1

  510

  56

  483

  464

  1,323

  18

  137

  7361

  50

  2,903

  3,915

  10,578

  3,090

  3,902

  5,249

  TOTAL

  560

  2,959

  4,398

  11,042

  4,413

  3,920

  5,386

  Code

  Description

  728.1

  Machine tools specialised for particular industries.

  731

  Machine tools operated by laser or other light beam process.

  733

  Forgoing or die-stamping machines (inc. presses) and hammers.

  735

  Tool holders and self-opening dieheads.

  736

  Metal working machine tools.

  1 SITC Rev 2—Replaced by codes 731, 733 and 735 from 1988 onwards.
  648
  In addition, workshop-type activities occur in visits to demonstration companies—63 in the period 1989–92, with a further 43 planned for 1993—and at the presentations at the touring Strategy Roadshow—12 in the period 1989–92, with a further 16 so far planned for 1993.

  Iraq
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Amber Valley (Mr. Oppenheim) on 11 January,Official Report, column 555, if he will supply the corresponding information about the export of machine tools to Iraq in (a) 1985, (b) 1986 and (c)

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 18 January 1993]: For ease of reference the information requested for the major countries supplying machine tools to Iraq from 1985 to 1990 is set out in the table:

  Airline Bookings
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will bring forward proposals to require that bookings made and confirmed with airlines can be changed only on the personal instructions of the passenger.

  Mr. Norris
  I have been asked to reply.

  There are circumstances in which airlines have to change confirmed reservations for reasons beyond their control. The Government do not wish to introduce undue rigidities, but we are aware of cases in which passengers with confirmed reservations have been transferred to alternative flights before they have presented themselves for boarding, even though the flight on which they were booked had not been cancelled. Unlike passengers who are transferred at the check-in desk, such passengers are at present not entitled to compensation under EC law (Council Regulation (EEC) No. 295/91 on Denied Boarding Compensation).

  My Department is looking into this matter to see whether a change to the EC regulation might be desirable and practicable.

PRIME MINISTER

  Engagements
  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 January.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is making official visits to India and Oman.

  Population Conference
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Prime Minister which Minister will be heading the British delegation to the European population conference to be held in Geneva in March; and which Government officials and experts will make up the British delegation to the conference.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  These matters have not yet been finally decided. An announcement will be made shortly.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Prime Minister if the country statement for Britain for the European population conference will be made available to hon. Members before the conference.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  The United Kingdom country statement will be placed in the Library before the conference begins.

  Agencies
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the latest up-to-date list of next steps agencies, together with a list of further agencies that it is intended to set up.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  The information is as follows:

  Next steps—executive agencies established to date

  Agency

  Launch date

  Accounts Services Agency

  1 October 1991

  ADAS Agency

  1 April 1992

  Building Research Establishment

  2 April 1990

  650

  Agency

  Launch date

  Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments)

  2 April 1991

  Central Office of Information

  5 April 1990

  Central Science Laboratory

  1 April 1992

  Central Statistical Office

  19 November 1991

  Central Veterinary Laboratory

  2 April 1990

  Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment

  2 April 1991

  Civil Service College

  6 June 1989

  Companies House

  3 October 1988

  Compensation Agency

  1 April 1992

  Defence Analytical Services Agency

  1 July 1992

  Defence Operational Analysis Centre

  1 July 1992

  Defence Postal and Courier Services

  1 July 1992

  Defence Research Agency

  2 April 1991

  Directorate General of Defence Accounts

  1 April 1991

  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

  2 April 1990

  Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency

  1 April 1992

  Driving Standards Agency

  2 April 1990

  Duke of York's Royal Military School

  1 April 1992

  DVOIT

  1 April 1992

  Employment Service

  2 April 1990

  Fire Service College

  1 April 1992

  Forensic Science Service

  1 April 1991

  Historic Royal Palaces

  1 October 1889

  Historic Scotland

  2 April 1991

  HMSO

  14 December 1988

  Hydrographic Office

  6 April 1990

  Insolvency Service

  21 March 1990

  Intervention Board

  2 April 1990

  Laboratory of the Government Chemist

  30 October 1989

  Land Registry

  2 July 1990

  Medicines Control Agency

  11 July 1991

  Meteorological Office

  2 April 1990

  Military Survey

  2 April 1991

  National Physical Laboratory

  3 July 1990

  National Weights and Measures Laboratory

  18 April 1989

  Natural Resources Institute

  2 April 1990

  Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation

  1 April 1992

  NEL

  5 October 1990

  NHS Estates

  1 April 1991

  NHS Pensions

  20 November 1992

  Occupational Health Service

  2 April 1990

  Ordnance Survey

  1 May 1990

  Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland

  1 April 1992

  Patent Office

  1 March 1990

  Planning Inspectorate

  1 April 1992

  Public Record Office

  1 April 1992

  Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

  6 July 1989

  Queen Victoria School

  1 April 1992

  Radiocommunications Agency

  2 April 1990

  RAF Maintenance

  2 April 1991

  Rate Collection Agency

  1 April 1991

  Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency

  2 April 1991

  Registers of Scotland

  6 April 1990

  Royal Mint

  2 April 1990

  Scottish Agricultural Science Agency

  1 April 1992

  Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency

  12 April 1991

  Service Children's Schools (North West Europe)

  24 April 1991

  Social Security Agency (NI)

  1 July 1991

  Social Security Benefits Agency

  2 April 1991

  Social Security Contributions Agency

  2 April 1991

  Social Security Information Technology Services Agency

  2 April 1990

  Social Security Resettlement Agency

  24 May 1989

  Teachers' Pensions Agency

  1 April 1992

  The Buying Agency

  31 October 1991

  Training and Employment Agency (NI)

  2 April 1990

  Transport Research Laboratory

  2 April 1992

  United Kingdom Passport Agency

  2 April 1991

  Valuation Office

  30 September 1991

  Vehicle Certification Agency

  2 April 1990

  Vehicle Inspectorate

  1 August 1988

  Veterinary Medicines Directorate

  2 April 1990

  Warren Spring Laboratory

  20 April 1989

  Wilton Park Conference Centre

  1 September 1991

  651

  Agency

  Launch date

  Customs and Excise (30 Executive Units)

  1 April 1991

  Inland Revenue (34 Executive Offices)

  1 April 1992

  Next Steps—activities announced by Ministers as candidates for agency status

  Army Logistics

  Chessington Computer Centre

  Child Support Agency (NI)

  Defence Animal Centre

  Defence Central Services

  Directorate Information Technology Bureau Services

  Driver and Vehicle Licensing (NI)

  Equipment Test and Valuation

  Fisheries Research Services

  Fuel Suppliers Branch

  Her Majesty's Prison Service

  Human Factors Research

  Meat Hygiene Service

  MOD Police

  Naval Training and Recruitment

  Office of Population Censuses and Surveys

  Paymaster General's Office

  Pesticide Safety Directorate

  Property Division

  Property Holdings Portfolio Management

  RAF Training

  Royal Parks

  Scottish Office Superannuation Division

  Scottish Prison Service

  Social Security Child Support Agency

  Surveyor General's Organisation

  Transport and Security Services Division

  Valuation and Lands Office (NI)

  Youth Treatment Service

  Treaty of Rome
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list each of the provisions of the treaty of Rome which confer on the institutions of the Community a power(a) to pass legislation by regulation or by directive or (b) to incur expenditure, binding on member states, indicating in each case where applicable the principal United Kingdom Government Departments and areas of policy involved; and if he will give the same information in respect of the treaty on European Union.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  It is clear from the wording of the articles of the treaty of Rome which of them authorise the Council or the Commission to adopt legislative measures. The same is true of the additional articles inserted into the treaty by title II of the treaty on European union. The articles do not, however, determine whether or not measures adopted under them are capable of involving expenditure from the Community budget. This depends on the nature of the individual measure concerned. Indeed, any measure is capable of having implications for the Community budget, even if only in terms of administrative costs. Nor is it possible to detail in advance which Government Departments will have principal responsibility for areas of Community legislation. This information is supplied in the explanatory memorandum submitted to Parliament in respect of each specific proposal for EC legislation.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Disability Allowances
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many case files for(a) attendance allowance, (b) mobility allowance and (c) disability living allowance were lost within the Benefits Agency handling system during 1992.

  Mr. Scott
  The administration of disability benefits 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 David Hinchliffe, dated 25 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 asking how many claim files for (a) Attendance Allowance (AA), (b) Mobility Allowance (MobA) and (c) Disability Working Allowance (DWA) were lost within the Agency during 1992.
  For AA and MobA I should explain that there are no central records available on the number of case files which are mislaid. I am sure you will appreciate, however, that when vast numbers of cases are being handled it may sometimes be difficult to locate a particular file immediately.
  When files have been mislaid a special search is instigated as soon as possible so that the enquiry can be answered. If the procedures for locating mislaid files are unsuccessful a duplicate file is created and replacement evidence gathered to determine the claim with the aim of minimising any further delay.
  The measures we have introduced to clear the backlog of AA claims have already reduced the number of outstanding cases to manageable proportions and location of files should be more straightforward in future.
  There have been no instances of DWA case files being lost.
  I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report. A copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Alzheimer's Disease
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations his Department has had from the Alzheimer's Disease Society in regard to the independent living fund; what reply has been sent; what action he will be taking; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  The Department received a letter from Mr. Harry Cayton, the director of the Alzheimer's Disease Society, on 8 December 1992. We also received several letters from the Alzheimer's Disease Society (Scotland). Replies have been sent to all letters, explaining the new arrangements for independent living.

  The principal concern raised in the letters is that of the restriction of the fund to new applicants aged between 16 and 65. This decision was taken in order that the fund could be targeted towards people whose usual pattern is to live and work in the community and who have therefore often lost the opportunity to earn and save.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  National Lottery
  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what advice he has received from registered pools promoters about the effects of the National Lottery Bill on their business if enacted unaltered.
  653
  Mr. Brooke
  Since the publication of the Bill, the pools companies have directed their concerns to the press.

  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what further research he has commissioned from the GAH Consulting Group since 7 October 1992, into the effects of a national lottery.

  Mr. Brooke
  None.

  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what percentage of pools turnover is retained by the promoters as profit after payment of pool betting duty and contributions to the Football Trust and Foundation for Sport and the Arts.

  Mr. Brooke
  That is a matter for the individual companies.

  Press Regulation
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations he has had from the Guild of Newspaper Editors in relation to the Freedom and Responsibility of the Press Bill promoted by the hon. Member for Hammersmith (Mr. Soley).

  Mr. Brooke
  [holding answer 15 January 1993]: We have received no representations from the Guild of British Newspaper Editors specifically relating to the Freedom and Responsibility of the Press Bill. But earlier this month the guild joined forces with the Newspaper Society to produce "Blindfolding the Watchdog", a pamphlet on freedom of the press, copies of which were sent to the Department.

EMPLOYMENT

  European Works Council
  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when she next expects to discuss with other EC member states and the European Commission the proposed Council directive on the establishment of a European Works Council in Community-scale undertakings or groups of undertakings for the purposes of informing the counselling employees; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The proposed European works council directive has not been discussed by the Labour and Social Affairs Council of the European Community since December 1991. I am not aware of any plans for EC Ministers to discuss this proposal in the near future.

  Equitable Wages
  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions she has had with representatives of other EC member states and the European Commission on the proposed opinion on the introduction of an equitable wage by the member states; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The draft opinion is mainly concerned with improving the transparency of the labour market, removing discrimination and encouraging high skill, high productivity jobs in member states. The UK Government endorse these principles. However, the 654
  opinion will represent only the views of the European Commission and will have no legal force whatsoever. Member states do not have to endorse it or take any action that is not appropriate in light of their own circumstances. The Commission has not discussed the draft opinion with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, or with other European Community Ministers.

  Greenbank Project
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will visit the Greenbank project in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, to discuss the provisions of training places for disabled people on Merseyside.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to visit Liverpool in the near future.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what information she has concerning the percentage of the work force, whole-time equivalent, which is currently employed in manufacturing industry in(a) each member country of the European Community, (b) the United States of America and (c) Japan;

  (2) what information she has concerning the percentage of the work force, whole-time equivalent, which is currently employed in the banking, finance and insurance industry in (a) each member country of the European Community, (b) the United States of America and (c) Japan;

  (3) what information she has concerning the percentage of the work force, whole-time equivalent, which is currently employed in the construction industry in (a) each member country of the European Community, (b) the United States of America and (c) Japan.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The Department does not provide estimates of whole-time equivalents.

  The information required is available from the civilian employment tables in "Labour Force Statistics 1970–1990" (OECD), a copy of which is in the Library. For Great Britain, the latest estimates for 1990 of civilian employment as a percentage of total civilian employment are as follows:

  Great Britain: June 1990—not seasonally adjusted

  Per cent

  Manufacturing

  20.7

  Banking, finance and insurance

  12.2

  Construction

  6.9

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people, whole-time equivalent, have been employed in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available in(a) the construction industry, (b) manufacturing industry and (c) banking, finance and insurance industry; and what percentage of the total work force those figures represent in each of those years.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The Department does not provide estimates of whole-time equivalents.

  The available information is for Great Britain. Employees in employment data can be obtained from the

  655
  NOMIS database which is accessible from the Library. Historical data for self-employed people is available in the Library on page 54 of Historical Supplement No. 3, issued with the June 1992 edition of Employment Gazette. Recent estimates for the self-employed are as follows:

  Self-employed people—Industrial Analysis: June 1992

  Great Britain

  Thousand

  Construction

  585

  Manufacturing industries

  279

  Banking, Finance and insurance

  416

  Labour Force Survey

  Spring 1992/Summer 1992

  Level of unemployment (thousands)

  Great Britain

  United Kingdom

  Great Britain

  OECD November 1992 United Kingdom

  Unadjusted

  2,649

  2,732

  2,797

  —

  Seasonally adjusted

  2,649

  1—

  2,758

  —

  Unemployment rate (percentage of the labour force)

  Unadjusted (per cent)

  9.6

  9.6

  10.0

  —

  Seasonally adjusted (per cent.)

  9.5

  1—

  9.9

  10.5

  1 LFS figures for United Kingdom compiled at spring of each year only, therefore not seasonally adjusted.

  Industrial Employment
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if she will make a statement outlining those steps which have been taken by her Department since 9 April 1992 specifically to encourage employment in the United Kingdom construction industry; and what future action she intends to take to assist the construction industry;

  (2) if she will make a statement outlining those steps which have been taken by her Department since 9 April 1992 specifically to encourage employment in the United Kingdom manufacturing industry; and what future action she intends to take to assist the manufacturing industry.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The overall policy of the Department is to promote a free and flexible labour market that is designed to help encourage employment in all sectors. In addition, the Department provides a range of employment and training programmes and local initiatives, through the employment service and training and enterprise councils to help people increase their skills, and equip themselves for work in all sectors including manufacturing. From April 1993 this range of measures is being enhanced and expanded.

  Employment Training
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of people graduating from employment training courses have gone on to full-time work in each year since the scheme was set up.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The information required is given in the following table:
  656
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current United Kingdom figure for unemployment on the International Labour Organisation International basis.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Estimates of unemployment on the ILO definition are available from the Department's labour force survey (LFS) which is conducted quarterly for Great Britain and annually for Northern Ireland. In addition the OECD uses the quarterly LFS estimates as benchmarks to calculate a monthly seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the United Kingdom on the ILO definition. The latest available information is as follows:

  Employment training: Great Britain Full-time work—Three months after leaving Trainees completing agreed training

  Period of leaving

  In full-time work2 Per cent.

  July 19891 to March 1990

  35

  April 1990 to March 1991

  29

  April 1991 to March 1992

  26

  Source: Employment Training National Follow-up Survey.

  1 First month follow-up results available.

  2 Including self-employment.

  Disabled People
  Sir John Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to introduce an employment White Paper in respect of measures to revise and improve employment prospects for disabled people.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  A consultation paper will be issued as soon as possible following our review of the funding arrangements for the sheltered employment programme.

  Unemployment Benefit Disqualification
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information is available regarding the lengths of periods of unemployment benefit disqualification imposed by adjudication officers in the area which includes Alyn and Deeside.

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

  Letter from M. Fogden to Mr. Barry Jones, dated 26 January 1993:

  657
  As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to her about the length of periods of unemployment benefit disqualifications in the Alyn and Deeside area. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
  All decisions on claims for unemployment benefit are made by the independent adjudicating authorities.
  Information about the length of disqualification periods imposed is not collated or published as each is decided in the light of the circumstances surrounding the individual case. Without knowledge of these circumstances no meaningful interpretation of the information could be made.
  I hope this is helpful.
  As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

  Careers Service
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans she has to increase the profile and the role of the careers service; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  New legislation which opens up a range of options for management of careers services is proposed in clause 33 of the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill. These options are intended to make careers services more responsive to local needs and conditions.

  The Government intend to set and ensure the meeting of challenging standards of service. Careful attention is being paid to the issue of quality in the context of the arrangements resulting from the new legislation.

  Fraud
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many people were prosecuted for fraud by her Department in the latest year for which figures are available;

  (2) what is the number of whole time equivalent staff employed by her Department and its agencies to detect and prosecute suspected fraud; and what is the cost of their employment;

  (3) how much her Department has saved from the investigation of fraud in the latest year for which figures are available; and what are the targeted savings for the next financial year.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  [pursuant to his answer, 28 October 1992, column 716]: The chief executive of the Employment Service has written further to the hon. Member.

  Letter from M. Fogden to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 26 February 1993:
  As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Questions about

  (i) how many people were prosecuted for fraud by the Department in the latest year for which figures are available,

  (ii) what is the number of whole time equivalent staff employed to detect and prosecute suspected fraud, and what is the cost of their employment,

  (iii) how much the Department has saved from the investigation of fraud in the latest year for which figures are available, and what are the targeted savings for the next financial year.

  658
  Unfortunately our reply of 28 October contained a factual error about the cost of the fraud operation. The original reply quoted the half yearly cost which was £13.24 million, however, the total yearly cost of the operations was £21.54 million. The following reply now contains the correct information. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.
  The latest year for which figures are available is that of the financial year ending 31 March 1992 during which a total of 2,265 people were prosecuted for fraud. We currently have 1,300 people, of whom 780 are Inspectors, employed in the detection and prosecution of benefit fraud. The total cost of our fraud operations amounted to £21.54 million. The net savings from our investigations into benefit fraud amounted to £34.34 million. We do not set targets for benefit savings accrued from benefit fraud investigation. Our performance is measured by the number of claims withdrawn following investigation by Inspectors and our target is for 58,000 such claims to be withdrawn by the end of the present financial year.
  As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Community Care
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what provisions are made for residential care and treatment for drug and alcohol misuse under the new community care arrangements to be introduced in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  From April 1993 the needs of drug and alcohol misusers in Northern Ireland will be met through revised community care arrangements. Health and social services boards will be responsible for assessing individual needs and for arranging appropriate care, including residential care, to meet that need. All care costs will be met from a board managed budget which will include the social security resources which would have been used to support people entering residential accommodation under existing arrangements. Services available to alcohol and drug misusers will not therefore be diminished as a result of the new arrangements for community care.

  Child Care
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many day nurseries, playgroups or childminders have registered with each of the health and social services boards in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Hanley
  At 31 March 1991, the latest date for which figures are available, the information requested is as follows:

  Type of Facility

  Number of Premises

  Eastern Board

  Day nursery

  21

  Pre-school play group

  244

  Child minding

  2,231

  Northern Board

  Day nursery

  11

  Pre-school play group

  148

  Childminding

  874

  Southern Board

  Day nursery

  14

  659

  Type of Facility

  Number of Premises

  Pre-school play group

  90

  Child minding

  373

  Western Board

  Day nursery

  9

  Pre-school play group

  102

  Child minding

  381

  Total

  4,498

  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the new grant to support the start-up costs of new day care services for school age children will apply in Northern Ireland; who will be responsible for the administration of the grants; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The recently announced arrangements for Great Britain are presently being examined in the light of Northern Ireland's needs.

  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list by area the number of day nurseries, play groups or childminders who have been refused registration by the health and social services boards in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Hanley
  Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Table 1 Applications and recruits to the Royal Ulster Constabulary from individuals perceived to be Roman Catholic

  Year

  Male

  Female

  Total

  Percentage of total applications

  Total applications

  Applications

  1990

  85

  31

  116

  10.42

  1,113

  1991

  128

  63

  191

  11.21

  1,704

  1992

  168

  63

  231

  9.97

  2,316

  Recruits

  1990

  10

  3

  13

  7.14

  182

  1991

  12

  5

  17

  9.44

  180

  1992

  30

  9

  39

  9.26

  421

  Table 2 Applications and recruits to the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve (full-time) from individuals perceived to be Roman Catholic

  Year

  Male

  Female

  Total

  Percentage of total applications

  Total applications

  Applications

  1990

  60

  7

  67

  9.01

  744

  1991

  97

  18

  115

  9.58

  1,200

  1992

  140

  35

  175

  9.27

  1,888

  Recruits

  Percentage of overall intake

  Total intake

  1990

  12

  1

  13

  11.40

  114

  1991

  21

  2

  23

  12.30

  187

  1992

  18

  2

  20

  6.7

  296

  Electricity Interconnector
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what actions have been taken by his Department in relation to the proposed electricity interconnector with Scotland.

  Mr. Atkins
  The decision to sign heads of agreement for an electricity interconnector to Scotland was taken by the board of Northern Ireland Electricity and being a major project the approval of the Department of Economic Development was obtained. NIE and the Department jointly submitted an application to the EC for funding under the structural funds programme.

  Royal Ulster Constabulary
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications from(a) male and (b) female Roman Catholics were made for posts in the RUC and RUC Reserve in each year since1974; what was the percentage figure of all applications; what numbers were recruited; and what percentage this represents of the total recruited.

  Mr. Mates
  Comprehensive statistics about the religious composition of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Royal Ulster Constabulary reserve, full time and part time, have been collected only since January 1990 when religious monitoring was introduced by the force.

  The information available is set out in the following tables and is derived from information provided by applicants as to which schools they attended. This means that the figures provided are to some extent still based on perceptions. This form of monitoring is consistent with the requirements of the fair employment legislation.
  661

  Table 3 Applications and recruits to the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve (part-time) from individuals perceived to be Roman Catholic

  Year

  Male

  Female

  Total

  Percentage of total applications

  Total applications

  Applications

  1990

  16

  18

  34

  6.30

  540

  1991

  15

  8

  23

  5.57

  413

  1992

  23

  7

  30

  5.02

  598

  Recruits

  Percentage of overall intake

  Total intake

  1990

  7

  2

  9

  7.96

  113

  1991

  7

  2

  9

  9.57

  94

  1992

  1

  1

  2

  2.78

  72

  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table of all ranks in the RUC and the RUC reserve for each year since 1974 indicating the total number and numbers of males and females in each rank, and the number of Roman Catholics, male and female, in each rank as a percentage and as an absolute figure.

  Table 1—Royal Ulster Constabulary

  Roman Catholics

  Year and rank

  Male

  Female

  Total

  Number

  Percentage

  1974

  ACPO

  9

  0

  9

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  34

  0

  34

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  57

  1

  58

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  89

  3

  92

  —

  —

  Inspector

  248

  5

  253

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  762

  21

  783

  —

  —

  Constable

  3,082

  252

  3,334

  —

  —

  Totals

  4,281

  282

  4,563

  —

  —

  1975

  ACPO

  10

  0

  10

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  35

  0

  35

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  64

  1

  65

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  103

  4

  107

  —

  —

  Inspector

  275

  4

  279

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  799

  22

  821

  —

  —

  Constable

  3,263

  322

  3,585

  —

  —

  Totals

  4,549

  353

  4,902

  —

  —

  1976

  ACPO

  9

  0

  9

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  33

  1

  34

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  70

  1

  71

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  107

  4

  111

  —

  —

  Inspector

  295

  3

  298

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  857

  27

  884

  —

  —

  Constable

  3,442

  406

  3,846

  —

  —

  Totals

  4,813

  442

  5,253

  —

  —

  1977

  ACPO

  10

  0

  10

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  33

  1

  34

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  75

  2

  77

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  121

  4

  125

  —

  —

  Inspector

  319

  4

  323

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  921

  32

  953

  —

  —

  Constable

  3,661

  509

  4,170

  Totals

  5,140

  552

  5,692

  1978

  ACPO

  10

  0

  10

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  34

  1

  35

  —

  —

  662
  Mr. Mates
  Comprehensive statistics about the religious composition of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Royal Ulster reserve, full time and part time, have been collected only since January 1990 when religious monitoring was introduced by the force.

  The information available is as follows:
  663

  Roman Catholics

  Year and rank

  Male

  Female

  Total

  Number

  Percentage

  Superintendent

  93

  2

  95

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  129

  4

  133

  —

  —

  Inspector

  347

  5

  352

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  989

  35

  1,024

  —

  —

  Constable

  3,893

  568

  4,461

  —

  —

  Totals

  5,495

  615

  6,110

  —

  —

  1979

  ACPO

  11

  0

  11

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  36

  1

  37

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  97

  2

  99

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  138

  4

  142

  —

  —

  Inspector

  377

  4

  381

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,038

  38

  1,076

  —

  —

  Constable

  4,241

  627

  4,868

  —

  —

  Totals

  5,938

  676

  6,614

  —

  —

  1980

  ACPO

  12

  0

  12

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  36

  1

  37

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  113

  2

  115

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  142

  4

  146

  —

  —

  Inspector

  401

  5

  406

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,112

  46

  1,158

  —

  —

  Constable

  4,408

  653

  5,061

  —

  —

  Totals

  6,224

  711

  6,935

  —

  —

  1981

  ACPO

  12

  0

  12

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  34

  1

  35

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  112

  2

  114

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  140

  3

  143

  —

  —

  Inspector

  421

  5

  426

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,165

  52

  1,217

  —

  —

  Constable

  4,738

  649

  5,387

  —

  —

  Totals

  6,622

  712

  7,334

  1982

  ACPO

  12

  0

  12

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  39

  1

  40

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  113

  2

  115

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  150

  3

  153

  —

  —

  Inspector

  440

  2

  442

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,202

  58

  1,260

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,061

  634

  5,695

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,017

  700

  7,717

  —

  —

  1983

  ACPO

  12

  0

  12

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  38

  1

  39

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  114

  2

  116

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  160

  2

  162

  —

  —

  Inspector

  450

  2

  452

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,237

  60

  1,297

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,317

  608

  5,925

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,328

  675

  8,003

  —

  —

  1984

  ACPO

  14

  0

  14

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  40

  1

  41

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  114

  2

  116

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  159

  2

  161

  —

  —

  Inspector

  459

  2

  461

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,226

  61

  1,287

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,475

  572

  6,047

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,487

  640

  8,127

  —

  —

  1985

  ACPO

  13

  0

  13

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  40

  1

  41

  —

  —

  664 665

  Roman Catholics

  Year and rank

  Male

  Female

  Total

  Number

  Percentage

  Superintendent

  114

  2

  116

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  161

  1

  162

  —

  —

  Inspector

  479

  2

  481

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,235

  69

  1,304

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,568

  574

  6,142

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,610

  649

  8,259

  —

  —

  1986

  ACPO

  13

  0

  13

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  41

  1

  42

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  118

  2

  120

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  160

  1

  161

  —

  —

  Inspector

  472

  4

  476

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,237

  74

  1,311

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,540

  571

  6,111

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,581

  653

  8,234

  —

  —

  1987

  ACPO

  13

  0

  13

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  38

  2

  40

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  120

  0

  120

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  160

  2

  162

  —

  —

  Inspector

  465

  9

  474

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,250

  73

  1,323

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,545

  559

  6,104

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,591

  645

  8,236

  —

  —

  1988

  ACPO

  14

  0

  14

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  39

  2

  41

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  119

  0

  119

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  160

  2

  162

  —

  —

  Inspector

  473

  11

  484

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,251

  72

  1,323

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,516

  572

  6,088

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,572

  659

  8,231

  —

  —

  1989

  ACPO

  13

  0

  13

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  39

  2

  41

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  119

  0

  119

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  159

  2

  161

  —

  —

  Inspector

  468

  14

  482

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,299

  72

  1,371

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,474

  598

  6,072

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,571

  688

  8,259

  —

  —

  1990

  ACPO

  14

  0

  14

  3

  21.43

  Chief superintendent

  42

  2

  44

  8

  18.88

  Superintendent

  123

  0

  123

  17

  13.82

  Chief inspector

  159

  2

  161

  22

  13.66

  Inspector

  464

  17

  481

  43

  8.94

  Sergeant

  1,292

  70

  1,362

  119

  8.74

  Constable

  5,441

  617

  6,058

  427

  7.05

  Totals

  7,535

  708

  8,243

  639

  7.75

  1991

  ACPO

  14

  0

  14

  3

  21.43

  Chief superintendent

  43

  1

  44

  7

  15.91

  Superintendent

  119

  0

  119

  16

  13.45

  Chief inspector

  161

  2

  163

  20

  12.27

  Inspector

  461

  21

  482

  42

  8.71

  Sergeant

  1,311

  69

  1,380

  124

  8.99

  Constable

  5,405

  615

  6,020

  423

  7.03

  Totals

  7,514

  708

  8,222

  635

  7.72

  1992

  ACPO

  14

  0

  14

  2

  14.29

  Chief superintendent

  41

  1

  42

  6

  14.29

  666 667

  Roman Catholics

  Year and rank

  Male

  Female

  Total

  Number

  Percentage

  Superintendent

  121

  1

  122

  17

  13.93

  Chief inspector

  161

  2

  163

  20

  12.27

  Inspector

  467

  22

  489

  45

  9.20

  Sergeant

  1,324

  75

  1,399

  125

  8.93

  Constable

  5,500

  661

  6,161

  438

  7.11

  Totals

  7,628

  762

  8,390

  653

  7.78

  Note: ACPO denotes all ranks of Assistant Chief Constable and above.

  Roman Catholics

  Year and rank

  Male

  Female

  Total

  Number

  Percentage

  Superintendent

  93

  2

  95

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  129

  4

  133

  —

  —

  Inspector

  347

  5

  352

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  989

  35

  1,024

  —

  —

  Constable

  3,893

  568

  4,461

  —

  —

  Totals

  5,495

  615

  6,110

  —

  —

  1979

  ACPO

  11

  0

  11

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  36

  1

  37

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  97

  2

  99

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  138

  4

  142

  —

  —

  Inspector

  377

  4

  381

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,038

  38

  1,076

  —

  —

  Constable

  4,241

  627

  4,868

  —

  —

  Totals

  5,938

  676

  6,614

  —

  —

  1980

  ACPO

  12

  0

  12

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  36

  1

  37

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  113

  2

  115

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  142

  4

  146

  —

  —

  Inspector

  401

  5

  406

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,112

  46

  1,158

  —

  —

  Constable

  4,408

  653

  5,061

  —

  —

  Totals

  6,224

  711

  6,935

  —

  —

  1981

  ACPO

  12

  0

  12

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  34

  1

  35

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  112

  2

  114

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  140

  3

  143

  —

  —

  Inspector

  421

  5

  426

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,165

  52

  1,217

  —

  —

  Constable

  4,738

  649

  5,387

  —

  —

  Totals

  6,622

  712

  7,334

  1982

  ACPO

  12

  0

  12

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  39

  1

  40

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  113

  2

  115

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  150

  3

  153

  —

  —

  Inspector

  440

  2

  442

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,202

  58

  1,260

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,061

  634

  5,695

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,017

  700

  7,717

  —

  —

  1983

  ACPO

  12

  0

  12

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  38

  1

  39

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  114

  2

  116

  —

  —

  Chief inspector

  160

  2

  162

  —

  —

  Inspector

  450

  2

  452

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,237

  60

  1,297

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,317

  608

  5,925

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,328

  675

  8,003

  —

  —

  1984

  ACPO

  14

  0

  14

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  40

  1

  41

  —

  —

  Superintendent

  114

  2

  116

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  159

  2

  161

  —

  —

  Inspector

  459

  2

  461

  —

  —

  Sergeant

  1,226

  61

  1,287

  —

  —

  Constable

  5,475

  572

  6,047

  —

  —

  Totals

  7,487

  640

  8,127

  —

  —

  1985

  ACPO

  13

  0

  13

  —

  —

  Chief superintendent

  40

  1

  41

  —

  —

  668 669

  Disability
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action is currently undertaken by his Department to monitor the application by social services departments of the sections within the Children Act 1989 and the subsequent guidance notes relating to disability issues in Wales.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The social services inspectorate, Wales, published in October 1992 the report of a survey conducted in August 1991 "Organisation of Social Services for Children with a Disability", a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The inspectorate proposes to hold a follow-up workshop for local authority staff in the early part of this year. Social services departments' reports on inter-agency collaboration under the Children Act, including services to children in need who are disabled, have begun to arrive in the Welsh Office in response to the request for such returns in the Department's circular 26/91. A summary of the information provided by authorities will appear in a future report to Parliament under section 83(6) of the Act.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what level of additional resources have been granted to social services departments in Wales to enable them to carry out obligations relating to disability issues laid out in the Children Act 1989.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Local authorities' responsibilities under the Children Act are taken into account in setting standard spending assessments as part of the annual local government revenue settlement. These resources are not hypothecated to individual services. In addition, a specific grant was introduced to support the training of staff to implement the Act's provisions. Grant available for that purpose was £200,000 in 1990–91 and £240,000 in 1991–92 and is included within the child care staff training grant of £635,000 for 1992–93.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been allocated by his Department to publicise the Children Act 1989 and the relevant guidance notes to organisations of and for disabled people in Wales.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Some £70,000 has been spent on guidance about the Children Act—including volume 6 on children with disabilities—which was distributed free of charge to local authorities and relevant voluntary organisations in Wales.

  Oral Hygiene
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken to make children aware of the importance of oral hygiene.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The protocol for investment in health gain covering oral health issued in November 1992 contained many challenging targets to secure health gain in this area. One of the targets specifically aimed at children is that:"Family Health Service authorities and health authorities will by 1997 be able to report that at least 50 per cent. of children by the age of 5 have an understanding of basic oral health principles and at least 75 per cent. by 2002."
  This advice is being taken forward in the local strategies for health prepared jointly by those authorities in collaboration with others.
  670
  The Health Promotion Authority for Wales is presently developing a health promotion resource entitled "Cledwyn's Castle" aimed at pre-school children. The package is currently being produced following extensive testing. One module of the programme covers dental health which includes oral hygiene. The authority has also held a symposium on dental health education in the national curriculum. A further symposium is expected to be held in the forthcoming financial year. These aim to ensure that consistent advice is given within the curriculum. A range of dental health promotion literature is available from the authority.

  The Department is also providing financial support for Pembrokeshire NHS trust community dental service to carry out two pilot projects aimed at improving the oral health of children. The first aims to produce cross-curriculum health promotion materials in both English and Welsh for each attainment target group in primary education. The second project aims to produce materials which can be used in each season of the year in playgroups.

  Housing
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of houses built by local authorities, housing associations and the private sector in 1979, 1990, 1991 and 1992; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The available information is published in "Welsh Housing Statistics Volume 12", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

  Graduate Engineers
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy for funding for postgraduate study for graduate engineers; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The funding that we are making available to the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales includes provision for postgraduate study within higher education in Wales. In addition, the Science and Engineering Research Council makes discretionary awards availble to postgraduate students in the engineering field.

  Used Motor Oil
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the waste disposal authorities in Wales which currently provide no facilities for the collection of used motor oil from the public.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  This information is not maintained centrally.

  Valleys Initiative
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the design and printing contract for the valleys initiative leaflets was put out to tender; if the tender was advertised as an open competition; how many firms made bids; and if the winning bid was the lowest tender.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Time available for the production of the original publicity material in 1988 for the valleys initiative was very limited. The companies which carried
  671
  out the printing and design work, and which also did subsequent revisions of the publicity material, were not selected by competitive tender.

  Publicity
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was his total expenditure on each of(a) exhibitions, (b) leaflet design, production and distribution, (c) stationery supplies and general publicity for each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 2 June 1992. Records do not enable expenditure on leaflet design, production and distribution to be separately identified.

  Figures for expenditure on stationery are not available for the years 1981–82 to 1985–86. Figures for expenditure on exhibitions cannot be disaggregated for the years 1981–82 to 1989–90. Expenditure for succeeding years is set out in the following table.

  £000

  Stationery

  Exhibitions

  1986–87

  205.6

  n/a

  1987–88

  260.9

  n/a

  1988–89

  301.9

  n/a

  1989–90

  340.1

  n/a

  1990–91

  353.0

  193.4

  1991–92

  446.0

  96.2

  Mr. Roy Bichen
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 19 January,Official Report, column 198, if he was aware of the legal action being taken against Mr. Roy Bichen in the United States of America when he appointed him deputy chairman of the Welsh Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I have nothing to add to the answer which I gave to the hon. Gentleman on 19 January at column 198.

  Contracts
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the 10 largest design, printing, publicity or stationery supply contracts awarded by his Department since 1 April 1988 and the names and business addresses of the suppliers.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Records are kept in a form which would not enable this information to be extracted except at disproportionate cost.

  People employed full-time on Agricultural holdings in England as at June of each year1

  thousands

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Salaried managers2

  6.6

  6.7

  7.1

  7.1

  7.0

  7.0

  6.9

  7.2

  7.1

  7.0

  Whole-time regular hired workers

  113.0

  108.0

  104.0

  96.6

  91.5

  87.3

  84.1

  81.5

  77.5

  74.2

  Seasonal or casual workers2

  78.4

  75.8

  76.7

  75.7

  74.1

  73.1

  68.6

  70.6

  67.2

  66.8

  TOTAL workers

  198.0

  190.5

  187.8

  179.4

  172.5

  167.4

  159.6

  159.3

  151.9

  148.0

  Charter Contracts
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what dates contracts for designing and printing the leaflets for the patients charter and parents charter were put out to tender; on what dates and in which publications the tender was advertised; how many design and printing companies were invited to tender; and if the winning bid was the lowest tender.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The information is as follows:

  Design work

  Tenders were invited for the parents charter on 23 August 1991 and the specification was revised on 6 September 1991. Three companies submitted prices and work was commissioned from the firm which offered the lowest hourly price. Work for the similarly designed patients charter was undertaken within one month by the same company on the basis of the hourly charge quoted for the parents charter.

  Printing work

  Printing contracts were managed by the Central Office of Information. Quotations were invited for the patients charter on 1 October 1991 and the specification was revised on 2 October 1991 and 21 October 1991. Eleven printing firms were invited to quote and the work was awarded to the company offering the lowest price. Quotations were invited for the parents charter on 12 September 1991. The specification was revised on 19 September 1991 and a revised tender issued on 30 September 1991. Eight printing firms were invited to quote. The company offering the lowest price proposed a printing process which required a "web" or roll of paper which was not immediately available; the tender was awarded to the company offering the lowest price for printing on normal paper sheets.

  It is not normal practice to advertise tenders for work of this type and value.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Farm Employees
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of people employed full time in the farming industry in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Curry
  The number of people employed full-time on agricultural holdings in England as at June for each of the last 10 years is shown in the table.
  673

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Whole-time farmers, partners, directors (doing farm work)

  132.9

  131.7

  129.8

  128.7

  126.7

  124.5

  122.4

  118.9

  115.0

  113.9

  TOTAL

  330.9

  322.2

  317.6

  308.2

  299.2

  291.2

  282.0

  278.3

  266.9

  261.9

  1 Spouses of farmers, partners, directors are excluded. Family workers without a contract of employment are also excluded.

  2 All salaried managers and seasonal or casual workers are included. The numbers of these which are full-time are not known.

  Inshore Fishing
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received, and from whom, against the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Carriage of Monofilament Gill Nets) (Scotland) Order 1986.

  Mr. Curry
  I received recently representations from the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations drawing attention to their continued concern about the effect of the order, which prohibits the carriage or use of monofilament gill nets within six miles of Scotland by any United Kingdom fishing vessel, on the Grimsby gill net fleet. I replied on 15 January 1993.

  £ thousand per year

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–931

  Net farm income on hill and upland livestock farms

  Nominal terms

  England

  12.4

  8.0

  5.9

  10.0

  11.0

  Wales

  14.3

  8.8

  7.6

  11.7

  13.9

  Scotland2

  11.0

  8.9

  8.6

  8.2

  8.9

  Northern Ireland

  5.9

  3.1

  2.9

  3.8

  6.1

  United Kingdom full-time adult manual earnings

  Nominal terms (April each year)

  9.7

  10.6

  11.5

  12.2

  12.9

  Net farm income on hill and upland livestock farms

  Real terms3

  England

  12.4

  7.4

  5.0

  8.0

  8.5

  Wales

  14.3

  8.2

  6.4

  9.4

  10.8

  Scotland2

  11.0

  8.2

  7.3

  6.6

  6.9

  Northern Ireland

  5.9

  2.9

  2.4

  3.0

  47

  United Kingdom full-time adult manual earnings

  Real terms3 (April each year)

  9.7

  9.8

  9.7

  9.8

  10.0

  1 Forecast.

  2 Average for LFA mainly sheep, LFA mainly cattle and LFA mainly cattle and sheep.

  3 Deflated by RPI (March 1988 to February 1989 = 100).

  Hill Farming
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the subsidy and price support available to hill farming enterprises over the last five years for which figures are available; and how they have varied in value at constant prices in relation to farm input costs and retail prices index over the same period.

  Rates of subsidies available to hill farmers—United Kingdom

  £/head

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Current prices

  Sheep

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA Sheep (higher rate)

  6.75

  6.75

  7.50

  8.75

  8.75

  SDA Sheep (lower rate)

  4.50

  4.50

  4.50

  4.90

  4.90

  DA

  2.25

  2.25

  2.25

  2.45

  2.45

  Sheep Annual Premium Scheme1

  6.11

  6.94

  9.88

  12.91

  217.25

  Farm Incomes
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the net farm income figures for(a) English, (b) Welsh, (c) Scottish and (d) Northern Irish hill livestock farm enterprises over the past five years for which figures are available, at constant prices, shown as a percentage of full-time manual earnings for the United Kingdom for the same period.

  Mr. Curry
  Net farm income is not a measure of farmers' cash earnings which in general will be higher. It is not, therefore, comparable with the average earnings of manual workers. The following table shows the latest estimates of the level of farm income for each accounting year since 1988–89 and the average earnings of full-time adult manual workers as at April each year in nominal terms and deflated by the retail prices index.

  Mr. Curry
  The figures on the following table show the information requested for the direct livestock subsidies available to hill farmers. Support for beef producers has also been available through intervention during this period, but it is not possible to apportion this to hill farmers.
  675

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  LFA supplement to SAPS

  —

  —

  —

  3.12

  25.78

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg (dead weight)1

  58.76

  45.37

  41.39

  63.36

  3—

  Beef

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA

  54.50

  54.50

  54.50

  63.30

  63.30

  DA

  27.25

  27.25

  27.25

  31.65

  31.65

  Suckler Cow Premium1

  33.40

  47.43

  51.69

  59.64

  59.64

  Beef Special Premium45

  —

  29.19

  31.81

  31.81

  35.90

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg 16

  Dead weight

  16.09

  18.50

  —

  —

  —

  Live weight

  8.73

  9.95

  —

  —

  —

  1988 prices—deflated by Agricultural Input Prices Index

  Sheep

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA Sheep (higher rate)

  6.75

  6.36

  6.79

  7.62

  7.44

  SDA Sheep (lower rate)

  4.50

  4.24

  4.07

  4.27

  4.17

  DA

  2.25

  2.12

  2.04

  2.13

  2.08

  Sheep Annual Premium Scheme1

  6.11

  6.54

  8.95

  11.24

  214.67

  LFA supplement to SAPS

  —

  —

  —

  2.72

  24.92

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg (dead weight)1

  58.76

  42.77

  37.48

  55.18

  3—

  Beef

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA

  54.50

  51.38

  49.35

  55.13

  53.84

  DA

  27.25

  25.69

  24.67

  27.57

  26.92

  Suckler Cow Premium1

  33.40

  44.71

  46.80

  51.94

  50.73

  Beef Special Premium34

  —

  27.52

  28.80

  27.71

  30.54

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg16

  Dead weight

  16.09

  17.44

  —

  —

  —

  Live weight

  8.73

  9.38

  —

  —

  —

  1988 prices—deflated by Retail Prices Index

  Sheep

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA Sheep (higher rate)

  6.75

  6.26

  6.36

  7.01

  6.75

  SDA Sheep (lower rate)

  4.50

  4.17

  3.81

  3.92

  3.78

  DA

  2.25

  2.09

  1.91

  1.96

  1.89

  Sheep Annual Premium Scheme1

  6.11

  6.44

  8.37

  10.34

  213.31

  LFA supplement to SAPS

  —

  —

  —

  2.50

  24.46

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg (dead weight)1

  58.76

  42.08

  35.07

  50.74

  —

  Beef

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA

  54.50

  50.55

  46.18

  50.69

  48.82

  DA

  27.25

  25.27

  23.09

  25.34

  24.41

  Suckler Cow Premium1

  33.40

  43.99

  43.80

  47.76

  46.00

  Beef Special Premium45

  —

  27.07

  26.95

  25.48

  27.69

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg16

  Dead weight

  16.09

  17.16

  —

  —

  —

  Live weight

  8.73

  9.23

  —

  —

  —

  1 GB figures.

  2 Estimate for 1992. Final instalment to be paid in spring 1993.

  3 Sheep Variable Premium Scheme phased out in 1991.

  4 Figure as at December each year.

  5 Beef Special Premium Scheme started 1st April 1989.

  6 Beef Variable Premium Scheme ended March 1989

  Bananas
  Sir Donald Thompson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of whether the agreement on bananas reached at the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 17 December 1992 will be carried through and agreed unchanged by the Council by 1 March.

  Mr. Channon
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking with the Danish Presidency and other Community members to ensure that the agreement on bananas reached in December 1992 676
  should be carried forward along with the new single market regime for bananas; and what representations he had received from Caribbean Governments on this issue.

  Mr. Curry
  I understand that the Danish presidency will invite the Agriculture Council on 9–10 February to consider a complete text of the proposed common regime for bananas which incorporates the external trade provisions agreed by the Council under the United Kingdom presidency. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has had extensive contacts with a wide range of Caribbean interests about bananas.

  School Milk
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the EC subsidy for school milk will continue after March 1994.

  Mr. Curry
  The Commission has indicated that it has no plans to end the EC subsidy on school milk after March 1994.

  Tenant Farmers
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to alter the legislation regarding tenant farmers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  I refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 3 December 1992 at column 368.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on farm incomes.

  Mr. Gummer
  [pursuant to the reply 5 November 1992, column 340–41]: A brief summary of the provisional estimates of income, output and productivity of United Kingdom agriculture in 1992 is set out in three tables which I have placed in the Library of the House. I am pleased to say that the forecasts of income show a welcome recovery in real terms from the downward trend in recent years.

  Real total income from farming, after declining during the 1980s, rose by more than 10 per cent. in 1992. Moreover, this was from a higher level for 1991 than was predicted this time last year. This has been a difficult period for farmers and we should not overstate this improvement, however welcome. But now that the reform of the CAP has been decided and a number of other uncertainties, such as the future of the agrimonetary system resolved, I believe that farmers will be able to build on these results and plan for the future with more confidence.

  In detail, the figures show the following changes relative to 1991:
  the values of the industry's gross output and gross input at current prices have risen by 2.3 per cent. and 1.4 per cent. respectively, largely as a result of price rises in both cases. The volume of the industry's output, as indicated by gross output at constant prices, has risen by 0.5 per cent. while the volume of the industry's gross input has fallen by 1.0 per cent. These changes have resulted in increases of 3.2 per cent. in gross product and 5.2 per cent. in net product, at current prices;
  with the continued decline in interest rates the industry's interest charges fell by a further 16.1 per cent. However, although the number of farm workers continued to fall, the total cost of hired labour rose by 1.4 per cent.;
  as a result of these changes total income from farming, representing the total income from agriculture of farmers, partners, directors and their spouses and family workers, is forecast to have risen by 15.5 per cent. or by 11.4 per cent. expressed in real terms (deflating by the retail prices index). Farming income, which covers only farmers and their spouses, is forecast to have risen by 23.6 per cent. or by 19.2 per cent. in real terms;
  the two corresponding measures of cash flow, which may reflect more closely the variations perceived by farmers
  678
  and farm households, show much smaller increases between 1991 and 1992. Cash flow for the wider group is forecast to have risen by 3.6 per cent., while that for farmers and their spouses has risen by 3.8 per cent. In real terms however, these measures have remained virtually unchanged since 1991;
  the industry's productivity has continued to rise. The index of gross product per whole-time man equivalent is forecast to have risen by 3.8 per cent. over the last year and by 47.7 per cent. over the last decade. However, this index does not take into account changes in inputs other than labour. An alternative measure, gross output per unit of all inputs, is forecast to have risen by 3.3 per cent. over the last year and by 23.9 per cent. over the last decade;
  Incomes were higher on most types of farm over the last year though, as usual, there was some variation in the fortune of different types of farm throughout the United Kingdom. The net farm income on dairy farms has risen and higher levels of subsidy have contributed to increases on most hill and upland livestock farms over the past two years. However, on lowland livestock farms there is considerable variation between different parts of the country and from year to year, with farms having a higher proportion of cattle than sheep tending to perform better. Cropping farms, particularly those specialising in cereals, have benefited from higher output prices. The intensive livestock sector has been affected by low egg prices and increasing feed costs which have almost offset the effects of higher pigmeat prices.

  The tables also contain revised estimates for 1991. These show that total income from farming rose in 1991 by 4.3 per cent. rather than fell by 6 per cent.—the forecast last year. Similarly, farming income is now estimated to have risen by 1.1 per cent. in 1991, against last year's forecast of a fall of 14 per cent.

  More detailed information will be contained in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1992" which this year will be available in March. This change in the month of publication is designed to improve the quality of the forecasts for the latest year. "Farm incomes in the United Kingdom 1991–1992", which contains details for individual farm types and aggregate dates for each country of the United Kingdom, will also be available in March.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Prison Service
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the costs incurred in cancelling the contract for the new prison service headquarters in Derby.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  It will not be possible to assess the full cost of cancelling the development agreement for the new prison service headquarters until the developer's claim for compensation has been examined and discussed with him. This is likely to take some time. We have spent a little over £11.5 million so far.

  Gambling
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has about the per capita spending on gambling in other EC countries.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  No figures on net consumer expenditure on gambling—that is, amount staked less winnings—in other EC countries is held by the
  679
  Department. However, a report published by the European Commission in July 1992, "Gambling in the Single Market—A study of the current legal and market

  Country

  Estimated gross turnover

  ECU (million)

  £ (million)1

  Population2 (million)

  Turnover/ head/year £

  Belgium

  1,032

  693

  9.9

  70.0

  Denmark

  343

  230

  5.1

  45.1

  France

  9,254

  6,217

  56.0

  111.0

  Germany

  9,269

  6,227

  61.7

  100.9

  Greece

  996

  669

  10.0

  66.9

  Ireland

  588

  395

  3.5

  112.9

  Italy

  2,565

  1,723

  57.5

  30.0

  Luxembourg

  78

  52

  0.4

  130.0

  Netherlands

  315

  212

  14.8

  14.3

  Portugal

  525

  353

  10.3

  34.3

  Spain

  7,781

  5,227

  38.9

  134.4

  United Kingdom

  13,111

  8,808

  57.2

  154.0

  1 £1 = 1.4886 ECU (1989 average).

  2 Estimates 1989.

  These figures should be treated with caution for two reasons. First, the authors of the report pointed to the difficulty in obtaining reliable information on gambling turnover. Secondly, it is in the nature of gambling that, because there are winning as well as losing bets, any sum of money may be gambled several times over before it is lost. Consequently, the total amount staked is not a reliable guide to actual consumer expenditure.

  Crime, Northumbria
  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many house burglaries were reported in Blyth Valley in(a) 1991 and (b) 1992; and what was the crime detection rate for house burglary in Blyth Valley in each of those years;

  (2) what was the total number of crimes committed in Blyth Valley in each year since 1983.

  Mr. Jack
  The information requested is not collected centrally for the Blyth Valley area.

  Mr. Ronnie Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes involving the use of firearms have been committed in Blyth Valley and in the Northumbria police area in the last five years.

  Mr. Jack
  Information is not available centrally on the number of crimes in Blyth Valley. The number of notifiable offences recorded by the Northumbria police in which firearms were reported to have been used was:

  Number

  1987

  387

  1988

  319

  1989

  472

  1990

  447

  1991

  448

  Prevention of Terrorism
  Mr. Bell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average detention time of persons held without charge in Great Britain under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts in each year since 1974.
  680
  situation", contained estimates for gross expenditure—that is amount staked—in each member state in 1989. The figures expressed on a per capita basis are as follows:

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  The information which is readily available dates from 1979 and is as follows:

  Average time for which persons were detained without charge under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in Great Britain

  Hours

  1979

  33

  1980

  32

  1981

  37

  1982

  31

  1983

  36

  1984

  37

  1985

  37

  1986

  35

  1987

  34

  1988

  27

  1989

  25

  1990

  24

  1991

  24

  1992

  21

  Mr. Bell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been(a) charged and (b) detained in Great Britain under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts in each year since 1974.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  Information on the numbers detained and charged in Great Britain under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act is published quarterly in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Statistics on the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism legislation", copies of which are in the Library.

  Mr. Bell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been excluded from mainland United Kingdom under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts in each year since 1974.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  Information on the number of exclusion orders made in Great Britain under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act is published quarterly in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Statistics on the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism legislation", copies of which are in the Library.

  Mr. Bell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are at present excluded from mainland United Kingdom under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts.
  681
  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  There are at present 80 individuals excluded from Great Britain under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989.

  Mr. Bell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had with regard to the Prevention of Terrorism Acts; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I have received representations on this subject on many occasions, both from Members of this House and from the public. On 19 January, column 142, I invited interested parties to submit written observations by 5 February to Viscount Colville of Culross who is currently conducting the annual review of the Act. The House will shortly have the opportunity to debate the Act when it is laid before Parliament for renewal.

  Child Abuse
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to amend the law in potential child abuse cases when it is impossible to determine which parent was responsible; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  The Government have no current plans to amend the law in this area. The privilege against self-incrimination, which may sometimes be a relevant factor in cases of this kind, is, however, a matter within the terms of reference of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice and the Government will wish to consider carefully any general recommendations the commission may make concerning that privilege.

  Data Protection
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many records are permanently retained by the security services only for the purpose of resolving complaints, concerning the content of the record, made under the Security Service Act 1989; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  It is not the practice to disclose such information which is, in any event, not readily available because of changes in record-keeping procedures by the security service in order to meet the needs of the Complaints Tribunal and the Security Service Act.

  Crime Statistics
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) business frauds, (b) cheque, credit and cash card frauds, (c) thefts from companies, (d) thefts from employees, (e) offences of shoplifting, (f) offences of vandalism against business and (g) assaults at the work place were committed (i ) in England and Wales and (ii) in each police force area in 1991.

  Mr. Jack
  The only available information for notifiable offences is contained in the table. The British crime survey provides an estimate of some 350,000 assaults which occurred at the work place in 1991, many of which will have been between co-workers. There were about 80,000 incidents said to be because of the nature of the work being undertaken, most of them perpetrated by clients and customers.
  682

  Notifiable offences recorded by the police by police force area England and Wales 1991

  Police force area

  Theft by an employee

  Theft from shops

  Fraud by a company director

  Avon and Somerset

  641

  6,625

  0

  Bedfordshire

  152

  2,417

  0

  Cambridgeshire

  186

  4,822

  0

  Cheshire

  484

  4,248

  0

  Cleveland

  124

  3,263

  2

  Cumbria

  101

  4,531

  0

  Derbyshire

  207

  3,860

  0

  Devon and Cornwall

  392

  7,087

  0

  Dorset

  381

  2,865

  3

  Durham

  219

  2,683

  0

  Essex

  356

  7,424

  1

  Gloucestershire

  173

  8,320

  0

  Greater Manchester

  708

  18,547

  0

  Hampshire

  750

  8,959

  1

  Hertfordshire

  260

  4,125

  0

  Humberside

  345

  7,729

  0

  Kent

  410

  9,218

  0

  Lancashire

  510

  6,022

  1

  Leicestershire

  233

  3,752

  0

  Lincolnshire

  168

  5,659

  0

  City of London

  76

  281

  0

  Merseyside

  328

  9,351

  0

  Metropolitan Police District

  3,168

  31,765

  10

  Norfolk

  209

  4,616

  1

  Northamptonshire

  174

  2,895

  0

  Northumbria

  411

  10,595

  0

  North Yorkshire

  205

  5,119

  0

  Nottinghamshire

  399

  8,653

  1

  South Yorkshire

  334

  6,382

  0

  Staffordshire

  423

  4,778

  3

  Suffolk

  358

  4,309

  0

  Surrey

  292

  2,280

  0

  Sussex

  699

  7,948

  0

  Thames Valley

  640

  11,009

  1

  Warwickshire

  95

  1,692

  0

  West Mercia

  142

  5,451

  0

  West Midlands

  562

  12,911

  0

  West Yorkshire

  954

  11,335

  0

  Wiltshire

  194

  3,262

  0

  Dyfed-Powys

  103

  2,158

  0

  Gwent

  146

  2,768

  0

  North Wales

  187

  2,478

  0

  South Wales

  365

  7,084

  0

  England and Wales

  17,264

  281,276

  24

  Fines
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the unit fine system introduced under the Criminal Justice Act 1991; if he will list the drawbacks or unfair effects that have been indentified by practical experience of the operation of the Act; and what steps he intends to take to ensure that the system operates with increased fairness and efficiency.

  Mr. Jack
  The unit fine scheme was successfully trailed before its full scale introduction in all magistrates' courts on 1 October 1992. Full details of the pilot project are given in Home Office Research Paper 59 in 1990. It is too early to make any meaningful assessment of its effectiveness nationally, but the scheme is being closely monitored.

  Seized Assets Fund
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on how much money is in the seized assets fund; where the money has been spent to date; and where it will be targeted in future.

  Mr. Jack
  A total of £3.2 million has been distributed from the seized assets fund in 1992–93, the first year of its operation, to enforcement agencies and a variety of individual projects directed against drug misuse. We are considering the possibility of further funding being made available from this source for similar purposes during the next financial year. The final amount available to the fund for distribution will depend on the success of international operations to confiscate the assets of drug traffickers.

  Drug-related Crimes
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of people serving prison sentences for drug-related crimes in total, and as a percentage of all prisoners, at the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Figures for the population in Prison Service establishments by offence group are published annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales", Table 1.8 of the Volume for 1990 (CM 1800). Provisional figures for 30 June 1991 show that 2,850 prisoners were recorded centrally as being sentenced for drug offences, nearly 10 per cent. of the total sentenced population for which an offence was recorded.

  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the seizures of class A drugs made in the last full 12-month period for which figures are available by weight and as a percentage increase on the previous year.

  Mr. Jack
  The information requested is contained in Table 2.4 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Statistics of Drugs Seizures and Offenders Dealt With, United Kingdom, 1991", a copy of which is in the Library. There was a 27 per cent. percentage increase in the weight of class A drugs seized in 1991 over 1990 excluding LSD and MDMA ("Ecstasy"). From 1991 onwards only dosages have been recorded for LSD and MDMA, and thus no comparable figures are available.

  Criminal Justice
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will introduce legislation to amend section 10 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987 to enable judges to direct, where appropriate, that the prosecution's notice to admit facts, and a defendant's response to it, should be put before the jury; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what plans he has to allow the prosecution to present the jury with a short document briefly setting out their case before the commencement of a long fraud trial; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  The Lord Chancellor's Department, the Home Office and the legal secretariat to the Law Officers issued a consultation paper on 3 December 1992, seeking 684
  views on a number of proposals for reducing the length of some criminal trials, particularly those involving fraud. These include a proposal that case statements should be provided to the jury, by both the prosecution and the defence. Such case statements would aim to clarify the issues involved before the commencement of a trial. The consultation paper also seeks views on the effectiveness of preparatory hearings in fraud trials and the need to provide greater assistance to the jury in understanding the case.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to create a general fraud offence to cover those types of fraudulent conduct which are not adequately caught by the existing scheme of substantive offences and to replace the existing common law offence of conspiracy to defraud; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  We are not aware of deficiencies in the substantive criminal law in this area and as a consequence have no plans to amend it.

HEALTH

  Homerton Hospital, Hackney
  Ms. Abbott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she next plans to visit Homerton hospital, Hackney to discuss health needs in Hackney.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I have visited all the main hospitals serving Hackney in recent weeks including two visits to both the Homerton and St. Bartholomew's.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has received of the response of patients to NHS trusts.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  A survey of patient satisfaction in eight trust hospitals, commissioned by the Central Office of Information, showed that 96 per cent. of patients were satisfied with the quality of service they had received, 48 per cent. felt that the service had improved and 44 per cent. felt that the service had remained the same.

  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last met representatives of North East Thames regional health authority to discuss progress in establishing NHS trusts.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I have regular meetings with all regional health authority chairmen at which many issues, including national health service trusts, are discussed. The last meeting took place on Wednesday 20 January.

  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effects on patients of the introduction of national health service trusts.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  In the first 12 months of the reforms, the number of patients treated in the national health service as a whole increased by 7.2 per cent. In trust units the increase was 8.2 per cent. Waiting time figures for the first wave trusts show that in the six months to March 1992
  685
  trusts reduced their numbers of over one year waiters by nearly 60 per cent. compared with just 50 per cent. in directly managed units.

  Mr. Butterfill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals or units became national health service trusts in(a) April 1991 and (b) April 1992; how many will become trusts in April 1993; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  Fifty-seven national health service trusts became operational from 1 April 1991 and a further 99 from 1 April 1992. The 133 third wave trusts already announced will become operational from 1 April 1993 bringing the total to 289. This confirms that trusts are clearly the right way to manage hospitals and with each successive wave, enthusiasm and support among management, medical staff and patients themselves is increasing.

  Hospitals (Bed Closures)
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds were temporarily closed in the three months October to December 1992.

  Mr. Sackville
  The health service measures performance by patients treated not number of beds. More patients are being treated than ever before and long waiting times are coming down. These are achievements to be proud of.

  Tomlinson Report
  Mr. Sedgemore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the total cost of implementing the Tomlinson report for(a) the reconfiguration of remaining hospitals, (b) the cost of redundancy payments, (c) the cost of primary care facilities and (d) the cost of retraining and redeployment of staff.

  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates have been made of the range of possible costs relating to redundancies arising from implementation of all or part of the Tomlinson report.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the total costs of Government proposals for implementing the Tomlinson report for(a) reconfiguration of remaining hospitals, (b) cost of redundancy payments, (c) cost of primary care facilities and (d) cost of retraining and redeployment of staff.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  We intend to make a statement on the future of the health service in London shortly. This statement will make clear the Government's response to Tomlinson's proposals and will set out how we wish to see the NHS in London evolve and improve.

  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the capital sums required by London FHSAs for the number of new primary care facilities required to implement Tomlinson report proposals; and if she will list the number of new facilities required, by FHSA.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave the hon. Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Gerrard) today.

  Post-operative Convalescence
  Mr. Bowis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health districts in London provide beds in the community or attached to hospitals for post-operative convalescence.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not collected centrally. It is up to each health authority to commission appropriate health care for its patients. If necessary that could include post-operative convalescent care.

  Diabetic Insulin
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to ensure that all diabetic insulin delivery systems, including needles, are available free of charge.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Since insulin-dependent diabetics are exempt from prescription charges disposable syringes with needles are available to them on general practitioner prescription free of charge. The inclusion of insulin injection pens and needles in the GP prescribable list must, like other new additions to the list, be subject to the availability of resources.

  Hospital Beds, West Midlands
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of hospital beds in the west midlands(a) in 1979 and (b) in the latest year for which figures are available.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Between 1979 and 1991–92 the number of patients treated in hospital in the west midlands increased by 55 per cent.; the number of day cases by 202 per cent. and the number of out-patients treated by 14.9 per cent.

  West Midlands RHA
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make public the reports received by her Department in the last 18 months with respect to the affairs of the South Birmingham and West Midlands regional health authorities.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Department frequently receives a wide range of reports on health and management matters from West Midlands regional health authority and districts. Where appropriate these have been made public.

  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the terms of Sir Donald Wilson's appointment as temporary chair of the West Midlands regional health authority.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State appointed Sir Donald Wilson as chairman of the West Midlands regional health authority until 30 April 1993.

  NHS Services
  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on her plans to improve the quality of NHS services.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Government have taken a number of measures designed to improve the quality of services to patients, and this was the driving force behind the reforms.
  687
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced a continuous quality improvement initiative. As part of this we aim to take the very best examples of good quality service and disseminate them widely. The initiative will also incorporate the experiences and perspectives of service users.

  Mentally Handicapped Patients
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement regarding the quality of care given to mentally handicapped patients in mental hospitals and the quality of management in such hospitals.

  Mr. Yeo
  Over the years there has been a significant improvement in standards in the long-stay hospitals, but there is no room for complacency. Guidance issued last October reminded health authorities of the need to ensure that whilst these hospitals remain a satisfactory level of care must be maintained. They should aim to ensure through contracts with providers that the quality of care in these hospitals improves at least in line with improvements in the quality of care generally.

  Junior Doctors
  Mr. Hague
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she is monitoring the progress of the regions in implementing the new deal for junior doctors; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reducing the hours of duty of junior doctors.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The ministerial group on junior doctors' hours, which I chair, receives regular reports from regional task forces which were established to oversee and support implementation of the new deal at local level.

  We have set a target date of 1 April 1993 for eliminating posts with maximum contracted hours of more than 83 per week. The latest reports from task forces show that at 31 August 1992, 3,234 junior hospital doctors and dentists, out of a total of more than 25,000 in England, were contracted for a maximum average of more than 83 hours a week. This represents a fall in the number of doctors contracted for the longest hours of more than 2,000 since last February and more than 10,000 since September 1990.

  We look to authorities and trusts to continue their progress in eliminating these posts and then to deliver the next phase of the hours reduction programme. This involves reducing maximum average contracted hours to no more than 72 per week for those junior doctors working

  1st wave fundholders

  2nd wave fundholders

  Region

  Number of fundholders1

  Number of practices

  Number of GPs

  Number of fundholders1

  Number of practices

  Number of GPs

  3rd wave fundholders (estimate) Number of fundholders1

  Northern

  27

  29

  168

  11

  11

  63

  32

  Yorkshire

  34

  39

  208

  25

  27

  154

  54

  Trent

  28

  28

  155

  28

  32

  157

  83

  East Anglia

  9

  9

  57

  4

  4

  27

  36

  North West Thames

  22

  23

  123

  21

  26

  110

  48

  North East Thames

  13

  13

  73

  8

  8

  43

  29

  South East Thames

  15

  15

  85

  15

  15

  77

  51

  South West Thames

  21

  21

  125

  17

  18

  100

  28

  Wessex

  17

  18

  98

  17

  18

  109

  25

  Oxford

  25

  25

  155

  21

  23

  124

  31

  688
  on on-call rotas in hard-pressed posts—the busiest jobs; 64 per week for juniors working on partial shifts; and 56 per week for juniors working on full shifts.

  We are determined that junior doctors will see real and demonstrable benefits from the new deal and as well as reporting progress in reducing hours I am pleased that task force reports show significant progress in improving the living and working conditions of junior doctors and dentists.

  Beds Shortage (Emergencies)
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the yellow bed alert issued in early January in the North East Thames health region because of a shortage of beds for emergency admissions.

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer the hon. Member to the replies gave the hon. Members for Newham, South (Mr. Spearing) and for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on Monday 18 January at columns 85–86.

  Mersey Regional Health Authority
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will hold an urgent inquiry into the running of the Mersey regional health authority.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  We have no plans to do so.

  Community Care
  Mr. Hall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the implications of the creation of health trusts for the implementation of the community care changes.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  National health service trusts will play their full part in implementing the community care reforms, together with the rest of the NHS.

  GP Fund Holders
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the management fee paid, or estimates thereof, to(a) first, (b) second and (c) third wave GP fundholders per family health service authority/regional health authority and nationally in each year since their establishment up to 1992–93.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information held centrally is in the table. The number of fourth wave fund holders is not yet available as the application period is still open. Information about numbers at FHSA level is held by regional health authorities.
  689

  1st wave fundholders

  2nd wave fundholders

  Region

  Number of fundholders1

  Number of practices

  Number of GPs

  Number of fundholders1

  Number of practices

  Number of GPs

  3rd wave fundholders (estimate) Number of fundholders1

  South Western

  20

  21

  127

  18

  20

  108

  32

  West Midlands

  26

  26

  144

  31

  33

  178

  75

  Mersey

  20

  21

  107

  24

  30

  121

  60

  North Western

  16

  17

  88

  13

  15

  72

  37

  Totals

  293

  305

  1,713

  253

  280

  1,443

  621

  1 The number of fundholders is less than the number of practices as some have joined together in groups.

  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many first, second, third and fourth wave fund-holding GPs and GP partnerships there are in each family health service authority and region.

  GP fundholders management allowance payments

  £000s

  FHSA

  1990–91 (1st wave preparatory fundholders)

  1991–92 (2nd wave preparatory and 1st wave full fundholders)

  1992–93 Estimates (2nd wave and 1st wave full fundholders)

  1992–93 Estimates (3rd wave preparatory fundholders)

  Cleveland

  146,685

  189,966

  173,000

  69,000

  Cumbria

  31,999

  115,423

  173,000

  86,000

  Durham

  111,900

  308,000

  380,000

  172,000

  Northumberland

  210,674

  231,010

  236,000

  3,000

  Gateshead

  32,098

  82,498

  103,000

  104,000

  Newcastle

  33,968

  49,500

  69,000

  35,000

  North Tyneside

  16,000

  49,454

  35,000

  35,000

  South Tyneside

  16,000

  33,000

  35,000

  0

  Sunderland

  16,000

  33,000

  52,000

  0

  Northern RHA

  615,324

  1,091,851

  1,256,000

  504,000

  Humberside

  112,000

  339,563

  483,000

  259,000

  North Yorkshire

  65,977

  247,500

  345,000

  207,000

  Bradford

  120,847

  138,182

  207,000

  69,000

  Calderdale

  44,296

  99,000

  102,000

  36,000

  Kirklees

  0

  16,493

  35,000

  86,000

  Leeds

  146,072

  338,273

  483,000

  189,000

  Wakefield

  121,720

  310,578

  414,000

  86,000

  Yorkshire RHA

  610,912

  1,489,589

  2,069,000

  932,000

  Derbyshire

  138,179

  445,500

  656,000

  535,000

  Leicestershire

  85,044

  276,995

  380,000

  127,000

  Lincolnshire

  48,000

  196,449

  310,000

  190,000

  Nottinghamshire

  59,201

  166,179

  217,000

  114,000

  Barnsley

  0

  0

  0

  51,000

  Doncaster

  64,000

  132,000

  109,000

  56,000

  Rotherham

  14,328

  49,500

  56,000

  45,000

  Sheffield

  35,892

  95,829

  101,000

  127,000

  Trent RHA

  444,644

  1,353,452

  1,829,000

  1,245,000

  Cambridgeshire

  37,170

  71,000

  190,000

  69,000

  Norfolk

  75,318

  165,000

  207,000

  276,000

  Suffolk

  42,197

  107,650

  380,000

  0

  East Anglian RHA

  154,685

  343,650

  777,000

  345,000

  Bedfordshire

  76,000

  148,500

  173,000

  155,000

  Hertfordshire

  208,640

  549,754

  872,000

  327,000

  Barnet

  0

  0

  17,000

  70,000

  Brent and Harrow

  16,000

  33,000

  35,000

  155,000

  Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

  46,028

  118,598

  138,000

  52,000

  Hillingdon

  32,000

  99,478

  138,000

  0

  Kensington, Westminster and Chelsea

  16,000

  81,542

  165,000

  50,000

  North West Thames RHA

  394,668

  1,030,872

  1,538,000

  809,000

  Essex

  80,646

  287,164

  449,000

  345,000

  Barking and Havering

  16,000

  49,500

  121,00

  17,000

  690
  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information available centrally is in the table.
  691

  FHSA

  1990–91 (1st wave preparatory fundholders)

  1991–92 (2nd wave preparatory and 1st wave full fundholders)

  1992–93 Estimates (2nd wave and 1st wave full fundholders)

  1992–93 Estimates (3rd wave preparatory fundholders)

  Camden and Islington

  19,310

  78,489

  69,000

  0

  City and East London

  32,000

  66,000

  69,000

  17,000

  Enfield and Haringey

  30,812

  75,061

  100,000

  50,000

  Redbridge and Waltham Forest

  12,241

  33,000

  35,000

  17,000

  North East Thames RHA

  191,009

  589,214

  843,000

  446,000

  East Sussex

  39,197

  126,422

  173,000

  414,000

  Kent

  174,880

  363,000

  552,000

  328,000

  Greenwich and Bexley

  46,699

  82,500

  104,000

  69,000

  Bromley

  32,000

  66,000

  69,000

  0

  Lambeth, Southwark West and Lewisham

  43,346

  99,000

  156,000

  0

  South East Thames RHA

  336,122

  736,922

  1,054,000

  811,000

  Surrey

  226,684

  453,467

  604,000

  224,000

  West Sussex

  97,404

  217,862

  310,000

  138,000

  Croydon

  0

  33,000

  69,000

  35,000

  Kingston and Richmond

  78,274

  143,868

  209,000

  0

  Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

  49,989

  146,286

  173,00

  69,000

  South West Thames RHA

  452,351

  994,483

  1,365,000

  466,000

  Dorset

  18,461

  172,400

  311,000

  86,000

  Hampshire

  443,176

  467,458

  621,000

  242,000

  Wiltshire

  41,195

  49,000

  102,000

  102,000

  Isle of Wight

  46,486

  111,193

  138,000

  0

  Wessex RHA

  549,318

  800,051

  1,172,000

  430,000

  Berkshire

  295,270

  318,394

  380,000

  259,000

  Buckinghamshire

  178,924

  410,731

  552,000

  190,000

  Northamptonshire

  31,371

  205,434

  311,000

  86,000

  Oxfordshire

  194,878

  251,660

  347,000

  33,000

  Oxford RHA

  700,443

  1,186,219

  1,590,000

  568,000

  Avon

  47,998

  165,000

  242,000

  207,000

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  26,221

  97,007

  138,000

  86,000

  Devon

  110,786

  317,783

  449,000

  155,000

  Gloucestershire

  145,071

  142,000

  207,000

  86,000

  Somerset

  63,961

  198,000

  276,000

  17,000

  South Western RHA

  394,037

  919,790

  1,312,000

  551,000

  Hereford and Worcestershire

  130,952

  336,354

  449,000

  259,000

  Shropshire

  17,670

  98,849

  173,000

  138,000

  Staffordshire

  153,279

  282,537

  345,000

  423,000

  Warwickshire

  58,486

  205,740

  311,000

  207,000

  Birmingham

  81,420

  130,734

  207,000

  121,000

  Coventry

  0

  33,000

  69,000

  69,000

  Dudley

  0

  0

  0

  69,000

  Sandwell

  31,981

  117,537

  190,000

  0

  Solihull

  93,991

  169,500

  242,000

  225,000

  Walsall

  16,000

  33,000

  35,000

  86,000

  Wolverhampton

  0

  0

  0

  0

  West Midlands RHA

  583,779

  1,407,251

  2,021,000

  1,597,000

  Cheshire

  282,834

  604,622

  725,000

  431,000

  Liverpool

  12,220

  124,000

  173,000

  113,000

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  99,140

  172,931

  207,000

  103,000

  Sefton

  131,139

  261,532

  276,000

  86,000

  Wirral

  8,000

  111,897

  138,000

  121,000

  Mersey RHA

  533,333

  1,274,982

  1,519,000

  854,000

  Lancashire

  75,268

  250,259

  276,000

  138,000

  Bolton

  48,000

  115,227

  138,000

  86,000

  Bury

  0

  0

  0

  87,000

  Manchester

  22,253

  42,000

  34,000

  35,000

  Oldham

  0

  16,494

  35,000

  17,000

  Rochdale

  25,564

  84,242

  104,000

  17,000

  692 693

  FHSA

  1990–91 (1st wave preparatory fundholders)

  1991–92 (2nd wave preparatory and 1st wave full fundholders)

  1992–93 Estimates (2nd wave and 1st wave full fundholders)

  1992–93 Estimates (3rd wave preparatory fundholders)

  Salford

  5,900

  97,382

  172,000

  0

  Stockport

  32,000

  66,000

  104,000

  115,000

  Tameside

  69,552

  82,500

  103,000

  35,000

  Trafford

  0

  0

  34,000

  69,000

  Wigan

  26,422

  0

  0

  35,000

  North Western RHA

  304,959

  754,104

  1,000,000

  634,000

  England

  6,265,584

  13,972,430

  19,345,000

  10,192,000

  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy that the full details of the budget allocations to general practitioner fund holders will be published annually.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The total amount of resources allocated to fund holders forms part of the annual financial statement of each regional health authority and family health services authority, which are public documents.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce legislation to make general practitioner fund holders legally liable in the event of inadequate community care services being provided to their clients after 1 April.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  General practitioner fund holders will be responsible for purchasing within the resources available a range of community health services, including district nursing and health visiting. Regional health authorities will be required to set budgets for this purpose and ensure that the level of services purchased is consistent with the level of funding. Local authorities and district health authorities will be responsible for purchasing other community care services.

  Tobacco Advertising
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Cambridgeshire, South-East (Mr. Paice) of 28 October 1992,Official Report, column 728, what estimate she has made of the direct effect of tobacco advertising on consumption.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Department's discussion document on the effect of tobacco advertising on tobacco consumption was published on 28 October 1992. Comments on the report have been invited before 29 January 1993. It is unclear whether additional restrictions on tobacco advertising in the United Kingdom would contribute to a further reduction in tobacco consumption given the fall in smoking in the United Kingdom from 45 per cent. of the population in 1974 to 30 per cent. in 1990, and the existing controls on tobacco advertising through the voluntary agreement on tobacco advertising and promotion.

  Smoking
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will introduce legislation to protect non-smokers against passive smoking in public places and at work.
  694
  Dr. Mawhinney
  No. The "Health of the Nation" White Paper sets targets of 80 per cent. of public places being covered by effective no-smoking policies by 1994 and for the large majority of employees to be covered by a no-smoking policy by 1995. Good progress is being made by voluntary means, but, if this does not continue, we will consider taking statutory powers.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working days are lost to British industry, per year, from smoking-related sick leave; and how much this costs.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  In its report "Smoking or Health" published in 1977, the Royal College of Physicians estimated that as many as 50 million working days may be lost in industry every year as a consequence of cigarette smoking. No current estimate is available.

  Tuberculosis
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions are made for regional health authorities that have terminated the universal BCG immunisation programme of children to inform parents of their rights to have their children vaccinated against tuberculosis.

  Mr. Sackville
  Local arrangements for childhood immunisations, and for providing information on their availability, are the responsibility of individual health authorities.

  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many regional health authorities have informed her Department that they have terminated the blanket immunisation programme for children against tuberculosis due to lack of resources; and if she will name those regional health authorities which no longer offer the BCG vaccination to children on a universal basis.

  Mr. Sackville
  No regional health authority has terminated the BCG immunisation for school children although an anonymised study by the public health laboratory service published in the "British Medical Journal" on 29 August 1992, reported that a small number of district health authorities are no longer routinely immunising children.

  Children in Care
  Dame Jill Knight
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the working of the Children Act 1989 as it relates to young persons leaving local authority care;
  695
  (2) what reports she has prepared under section 83(6) of the Children Act 1989 relating to research and returns of information.

  Mr. Yeo
  We are closely monitoring how local authorities are exercising their powers and duties under the Act as a whole, including their responsibilities to young people leaving care. This has been achieved through special commissioned research, new statistical returns and a number of surveys, including a national monitoring survey of all local authorities undertaken by the social services inspectorate. Information derived from these sources will form the basis of the Government's first report to Parliament on the working of the Act in England and Wales. We expect to publish the report next month.

  There will be a further response under section 83(6) later in 1993 which will draw more extensively on the regular statistical sources and provide the first in the statistical abstracts reporting the position after the Act was implemented. These will replace the reports covering children in care of local authorities for periods before the Act was implemented. The report of the year ending 31 March 1990 was published in July 1992 under section 83(6) and the last of these reports, for the year ending 31 March 1991, will be published this week under section 83(6).

  Dame Jill Knight
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure that all young people leaving local authority residential care are monitored until social services departments are confident they are housed and able to manage by themselves.

  Mr. Yeo
  Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Children Act 1989 to prepare all children for the time when they are to leave care, and have a range of powers and duties to provide aftercare support to care leavers who seek their help. Comprehensive guidance has been issued on ways in which these powers and duties might best be exercised. The implementation of the Act will continue to be kept under review.

  Mr. Heppell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in care have been child migrants in each year from 1967 up until the present; from which areas of the country they came; and what countries were their destinations.

  Mr. Yeo
  This information is not collected centrally.

  Abortion
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of recorded(a) perforations and ruptures of the uterus following abortion and (b) ectopic pregnancies for 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987 and the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Sackville
  Figures relating to perforation of the uterus following abortion are shown in table 1 for the years 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987 and 1991. Table 2 shows the available data relating to ectopic pregnancies for the years 1982, 1987–88 and 1990–91. The number of ectopic pregnancies increased gradually between 1987–88 and 1990–91 due in part to the improvement in data recording in the hospital episodes statistics (HES) system. Data for 1967, before legal abortions were performed, and the full time series requested for ectopic pregnancies cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
  696

  Table 1 Recorded cases of perforation of the uterus following abortion England and Wales Residents and non-residents

  Year

  Number

  1972

  226

  1977

  131

  1982

  202

  1987

  186

  1991

  138

  Source: Abortion notifications.

  Figures supplied by OPCS.

  Table 2 Estimated number of episodes where ectopic pregnancy (ICD 633) is the principal diagnosis England

  Year

  Number

  1982

  14,344

  1987–88

  24,941

  1990–91

  27,674

  1 Source: Hospital in-patient enquiry ordinary admissions only.

  2 Source: Hospital episode statistics—ordinary and day case admissions in NHS hospitals. Figures are provisional based on incomplete ungrossed data and may be subject to revision following analysis.

  Prescriptions
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the items listed on schedule 10 which cannot be prescribed on a national health service prescription and the date of which such item was first placed on that schedule.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  These items are listed in schedule 10 to the National Health Service (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992. A copy of this list with the dates on which the relevant entries were made has been placed in the Library.

  Orthopaedic Services
  Mr. Hoon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the total number of people currently on the waiting list for orthopaedic services in the Ashfield area.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of the Nottingham health authority for details. Information about waiting times by district health authority and specialty is given in the publication "Hospital Waiting List, In-Patients and Day Cases" (ISBN 1 85839 003 6), a copy of which is available in the Library.

  Hospital Waiting Lists
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to compensate patients waiting for admission to hospital until the new financial year, for the pain and suffering which will result from deferral of their treatment.

  Mr. Sackville
  This year some hospitals have exceeded contracted levels of performance. This means patients are being treated earlier than would otherwise have been possible.

  Mental Illness
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to protect those released into the community from psychiatric institutions; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  From 1 April 1991 all district health authorities were required to initiate, in collaboration with local social services departments, explicit individually tailored care programmes for all in-patients about to be discharged from mental illness hospitals and all new patients accepted by the specialist psychiatric services.

  Under this initiative, known as the care programme approach, the needs of each patient should be systematically assessed and the appropriate arrangements made. These include the appointment of a key worker to keep in close touch with the patient and to monitor that the agreed health and social care is given.

  The rescources being devoted to the care of mentally ill people in the community have increased significantly in recent years. Gross spending on local authority social services for mentally ill people increased by 86 per cent. in real terms between 1978–79 and 1990–91 to £116.5 million. National health service provision in the community has also increased, for example, the number of community psychiatric nurses rose by 227 per cent. between 1981 and 1991, from 1,100 to 3,600.

  The Royal College of Psychiatrists has recommended that the Mental Health Act 1983 be amended to incorporate a community supervision order. Following discussions with the college and other professional and

  Malaria Plasmodium species

  Year

  Falciparum

  Vivax

  Malariae

  Ovale

  Mixed

  Unstated

  Total

  Deaths

  1972

  134

  167

  12

  13

  2

  8

  336

  ?

  1973

  145

  309

  21

  13

  19

  34

  541

  5

  1974

  138

  434

  29

  14

  25

  21

  661

  2

  1975

  174

  471

  32

  17

  42

  13

  749

  5

  1976

  229

  903

  29

  15

  32

  12

  1,220

  3

  1977

  236

  1,203

  29

  20

  32

  9

  1,529

  7

  1978

  349

  1,370

  19

  42

  14

  115

  1,909

  10

  1979

  435

  1,469

  20

  33

  8

  88

  2,053

  6

  1980

  405

  1,131

  12

  31

  18

  73

  1,670

  9

  1981

  370

  1,110

  13

  21

  18

  44

  1,576

  2

  1982

  442

  931

  20

  24

  26

  28

  1,471

  12

  1983

  535

  937

  22

  30

  17

  170

  1,711

  6

  1984

  680

  943

  20

  42

  43

  206

  1,934

  6

  1985

  654

  1,344

  23

  63

  33

  95

  2,212

  5

  1986

  719

  1,404

  30

  64

  22

  70

  2,309

  4

  1987

  696

  1,005

  13

  64

  29

  9

  1,816

  7

  1988

  1,028

  530

  22

  67

  24

  3

  1,674

  7

  1989

  1,072

  734

  33

  101

  47

  —

  1,987

  4

  1990

  1,057

  831

  17

  149

  41

  1

  2,096

  4

  19911

  1,268

  863

  21

  133

  47

  —

  2,332

  12

  19921

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,630

  11

  1 Provisional figures only.

  Source: Annual tables from the PHLS Malaria Reference Laboratory.

  Revenue and Capital Allocations for RHAs in 1993–94
  Mr. David Martin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the revenue and capital allocations for regional health authorities in 1993–94.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [pursuant to her reply, 8 December 1992, columns 635–36.]: I am pleased to announce how the regional totals for the national health service main capital spending for 1993–94 will be allocated.
  698
  voluntary organisations, we are urgently considering whether new powers are needed to ensure mentally ill people in the community get the care they need. We will also consider whether the present legal powers in the Mental Health Act 1983 are being used as effectively as they can be, and what action could be taken in advance of any new legislation to ensure that they are.

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 26 January

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  This morning I had a meeting with ministerial colleagues and others. Later in the morning I launched the patients charter regional health information service at the BT Telecom tower. Earlier this afternoon I answered first order questions and attended Prime Minister's questions. Later today I will be answering an Opposition motion in the House.

  Malaria
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics she has about the incidence of malaria in Britain.

  Mr. Sackville
  Imported malaria cases reported to the public health laboratory service's malaria reference laboratory as occurring in the United Kingdom are shown in the table:

  The main capital planning total of £1,543 million will be deployed as follows: £880 million for spending by national health service trusts; and £663 million for spending by regional health authorities.

  In addition £289 million has been earmarked for central budgets, the majority of which will also be allocated to health authorities and national health service trusts. The central budgets provide for national priorities including regional secure units, day surgery facilities, advanced

  699
  diagnostic equipment, information technology, and community health facilities jointly financed with local government.

  Taking these amounts together, a total of £1,832 million, the highest figure ever, will be allocated in 1993–94 for national health service capital spending. In addition over £150 million of receipts from the disposal of surplus assets will be available to trusts and health authorities.

  The following table shows the main capital allocations for each regional health authority and the regional totals for main capital spending by national health service trusts. Details of the central budget allocations will be announced separately.

  Apportionment of main capital planning total for 1993–94 between RHAs and trusts

  £ millions

  RHA

  NHS trusts

  Total

  Northern

  63.995

  40.751

  104.746

  Yorkshire

  26.869

  94.772

  121.641

  Trent

  45.790

  108.112

  153.902

  East Anglia

  19.472

  47.412

  66.884

  North West Thames

  61.196

  40.958

  102.154

  North East Thames

  43.213

  71.408

  114.621

  South East Thames

  39.327

  79.691

  119.018

  South West Thames

  41.153

  50.232

  91.385

  Wessex

  42.880

  54.167

  97.047

  Oxford

  43.622

  31.408

  75.030

  SouthWest

  13.251

  97.775

  111.026

  West Midlands

  125.281

  44.775

  170.056

  Mersey

  15.891

  64.030

  79.921

  North West

  80.703

  54.731

  135.434

  England

  662.643

  880.222

  1,542.865

  Disabled People
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had recently with the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and the Association of County Councils on the new arrangements for providing personal assistance services to people who would previously have been eligible for funding from the independent living fund; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  I last met the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and the Association of County Councils on 17 December 1992. The subject of the independent living fund was not raised.

  Officials from the Department and the Department of Social Security will be meeting officials of the local authority associations shortly to discuss the new arrangement.

  Neurosurgery
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients underwent neurosurgical operations between 1979 and the change in regulations in 1981 governing the disposal of surgical equipment.

  Mr. Yeo
  Guidance on the disposal of surgical equipment was issued by the Department of Health in 700

  November 1981 and has recently been updated. The figures in the table are for the three years 1979, 1980 and 1981. Parts of years cannot be identified separately.

  Estimated number of neurosurgical operations in NHS hospitals in England

  Year

  Number

  1979

  5,310

  1980

  6,510

  1981

  6,330

  Source: Hospital In-Patient Enquiry 1979, 1980, 1981.

  The data refer to all skull and closed brain operations listed in the 3rd revision of the Classification of Surgical Operations (Office of Population Censuses and Surveys) 1975.

  EC Funding
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support she expects to receive from EC institutions, including finance, under the proposed article 129 of the treaty of Rome, in respect of public health, including finance; whether private or national health service trust hospitals in the United Kingdom will be eligible; and what benefits over existing arrangements she has assessed as, accruing from paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of article 129, respectively.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  We expect the benefits to be greater co-operation between member states and between the community and competent international organisations in the sphere of public health.

  Budget lines already exist for particular programme areas within public health, but it is too early to predict the extent to which any funding from the EC would flow into the United Kingdom as a result of this new article.

  Dentistry
  Ms. Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies her Department has conducted into the role of dentists in the detection and prevention of oral cancer, thyroid-related illness, gum disease and other health problems.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  [holding answer 22 January 1993]: The Department provides funding for studies relating to oral cancer. The Eastman dental hospital is currently in the second year of a three-year research programme examining the validity of screeing for oral cancers and pre-cancers. The United Kingdom working group on screening for oral cancers and pre-cancers, also based at the hospital, has been reviewing the literature and examining the feasibility of national screening. Its report is expected before Easter.

  Dentists are fully trained in the detection and treatment of gum diseases. They are also trained in the recognition of oral manifestations of systemic diseases and other health problems.

  A.40 ROAD IMPROVEMENT SCHEMES
  A.40 ROAD IMPROVEMENT SCHEMES
  MACEDONIA: RECOGNITION
  MACEDONIA: RECOGNITION
  ZAIRE: HUMAN RIGHTS
  ZAIRE: HUMAN RIGHTS
  RWANDA: HUMAN RIGHTS
  RWANDA: HUMAN RIGHTS
  SET-ASIDE PAYMENTS: CLAIM FORMS
  SET-ASIDE PAYMENTS: CLAIM FORMS
  SCHOOL MILK: EC SUBSIDY
  SCHOOL MILK: EC SUBSIDY
  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: EXPENDITURE
  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: EXPENDITURE
  EC RESEARCH MEETINGS
  EC RESEARCH MEETINGS
  BUILDING REGULATIONS: CONSULTATION PAPER
  BUILDING REGULATIONS: CONSULTATION PAPER