Written Answers of 15 June 1993

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Illegal Immigrants
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether monitoring of gangmasters by his Department includes control of employment of illegal immigrants; and how many cases have been discovered in the last year.

  Mr. Jack
  The role of MAFF in monitoring aspects of gangmasters' activities is restricted to ensuring compliance with the terms of the Agricultural Wages Order made under the Agricultural Wages Act 1948.

  Land Use (Surveillance)
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if reports on aerial surveillance undertaken with satellite equipment in the years 1991–92 to establish the usage or non-usage of land are to be made publicly available.

  Mr. Jack
  The year 1991–92 was a trial year organised by the Commission. The ownership of the work resides with the Commission, and we understand that it does not intend to publish the results.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what organisations of persons are responsible for the surveillance of agricultural land for the purpose of determining usage in the United Kingdom and in the member states.

  Mr. Jack
  Each member state is responsible for undertaking the control measures within its territory for the checking of aid applications.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the arrangements for the surveillance of agricultural land for the purpose of determining usage are equally applied throughout the European Community.

  Mr. Jack
  The EC regulations governing the integrated administration and control system (IACS) require all member states. without differentiation, to carry out administrative checks on aid applications, supplemented by on-farm checks on a sample of holdings.

  Integrated Administration and Control System
  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which member states of the EEC completed the process of obtaining IACS information by 16 May.

  Mr. Jack
  The EC regulation governing the integrated administration and control system (IACS) provided for all member states to set a deadline of no later than 15 May for 480
  receipt of the completed IACS applications this year. Where applications are received after the deadline, the farmers will have their aid payments reduced under a formula set out in the relevant EC regulation. These same rules apply, of course, in all 12 member states. We do not have information on the number of applications received after 15 May in each member state.

  Set-aside Payments
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent it is possible to link the amounts and scale of set-aside payments to environmental and social improvements involving(a) management of hedgerows, (b) protection of unsprayed headland, (c) reductions in the use of nitrogen, (d) the planting of trees, (e) the creation of wildlife habitats, (f) attractive landscapes and (g) the provision of new footpaths and bridlepaths; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  The EC rules of the arable area payments scheme require member states to apply appropriate environmmental measures to set-aside land. The United Kingdom rules for set-aside include the maintenance of hedgerows and other environmental features and restrictions on the use of sprays and fertilisers. We expect to introduce non-rotational set-aside later this year which will allow greater opportunity for the creation of wildlife habitats and we are pressing strongly for the Community rules to encourage tree planting on set-aside land. There is at present no scope under EC rules to vary the set-aside payment. However, under the agri-environment programme we are considering a voluntary scheme to make additional payments to farmers who provide public access on suitable set-aside land.

  Viral Haemorrhagic Disease
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps the Government are taking to ensure that there are suitable vaccines to treat viral haemorrhagic disease.

  Mr. Soames
  A product licence application for a rabbit viral haemorrhagic disease vaccine was submitted and subsequently withdrawn during 1992. Although officials in the veterinary medicines directorate are actively pursuing discussions with that applicant and with other pharmaceutical companies, no further application has been received. The decision on whether to submit an application is a commercial one for the companies concerned, bearing in mind the likely size of the market.

  Equine Viral Arteritis
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action she is taking to arrest and cure the outbreak of equine viral arteritis in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Spring) on 10 June at columns 307–8.

  Chernobyl
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what experiments are being conducted by her Department into the use of ammonium ferric
  481
  hexacyanoferrate in order to fix caesium-l37 from the Chernobyl radioactive fall-out in the soil and to prevent its take-up by growing plants.

  Mr. Soames
  Studies to evaluate the potential of a number of chemical treatments, including ammonium ferric hexacyanoferrate, for reducing radiocaesium in the vegetation of upland pastures are being carried out on two sites, one in Cumbria and one in Wales, as part of the Department's programme of post-Chernobyl research and development.

  Agriculture Council
  Mr. Kynoch
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Agriculture Council held in Luxembourg on 14 June.

  Mrs. Shephard
  I represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Agriculture Council on 14 June.

  The Council formally adopted the legal texts implementing the package of farm prices and related measures which it had agreed at its May meeting.

  The Council also discussed a number of other proposed measures, without reaching agreement. These included a proposal on the definition and designation of butter and other fats, which I criticised as being unnecessarily elaborate and prescriptive; and a proposed directive on minced meat and other meat preparations, on which my main aim is to avoid excessively strict criteria that would put at risk traditional British products. The Council will have to return to these proposals at a later meeting.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Divorce Law
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action he proposes to take on Law Commission report 192, "Grounds for Divorce."

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Lord Chancellor is considering the Law Commission's recommendations for reform of divorce law. His review of these matters is not yet complete and he has no immediate plans for legislation.

  Estimated expenditure for 1993–94

  Accommodation charge £

  Contribution towards Maintenance £

  maintenance by Treasury £

  Government offices Great George street, London SWI

  6,270,431

  1,471,213

  343,369

  11 Downing street, London SWI

  139,359

  43,885

  5,500

  Alencon Link, Basingstoke

  202,977

  48,698

  1,200

  European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what talks he has had with his European Community and G7 counterparts about the future of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and if he will make a statement.
  482
  He continues to welcome views on the Law Commission's recommendations, and will consult further before any measures on this subject are introduced.

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to review the administration of divorce law.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Lord Chancellor is considering divorce law reform as part of the rolling programme of review of family law and business. His review of these matters, including the administration of divorce law, is not yet complete.

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will immediately take steps to secure a significantly reduced rate of interest payable by those owing statutory charges under the legal aid scheme.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Lord Chancellor will shortly be laying before Parliament a statutory instrument designed to reduce the rate of simple interest levied on postponed payment of the statutory charge from 10·5 per cent. to 8 per cent.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Departmental Buildings
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the buildings currently owned or rented by his Department, together with(a) the estimated value, (b) the annual rent and (c) the annual maintenance cost of each building in the current financial year.

  Mr. Nelson
  The Treasury does not own any property. All Treasury accommodation is on the common user estate, which is owned by the Crown and administered by Property Holdings. The present value of the common user estate is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  The accommodation charges and contributions towards maintenance which the Treasury pays to Property Holdings and the Treasury's own maintenance costs in respect of buildings occupied by the Treasury are given in the table:

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  In the short period since becoming Chancellor and, subsequently, United Kingdom Governor of the EBRD, I have had no talks with European Community or G7 partners about the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. However, my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development has had contacts with her counterparts in other countries. My senior officials have had a number of contacts as well.

  Pensions
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the amount of the public sector pensions payable in each of as many future years as are available, assuming annual inflation at the current rate of 2 per cent.;

  (2) if he will list for as many of the forthcoming years as are available the percentage of forecast gross domestic product that will be allocated to public sector pensions.

  Mr. Portillo
  The most recent estimates of public sector pension scheme liabilities and the costs of public service pension scheme benefits were contained in the answers given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security on 7 June at column 140 and by me on 8 June at column 200.

  Projections of those estimates for future years are not available and would require a substantial amount of actuarial calculation. However, many of the public service pension schemes are approaching maturity in pension terms. Accordingly, it is not expected that there will be an increasing demand on the economy in real terms. In the longer term, with the reduction in the number of employees in the public sector, it is to be expected that public sector pension costs will reduce in real terms.

  Student Accommodation
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if student accommodation which is(a) institutionally-owned or (b) institutionally-managed will be classified as domestic for VAT purposes;

  (2) whether institutionally-owned and institutionally-managed student accommodation will be exempt from paying VAT on fuel bills.

  Sir John Cope
  Student accommodation which is institutionally owned or institutionally managed is classified as domestic for VAT purposes. Such accom-modation will not be exempt from VAT on fuel bills.

  "Summary of Companies"
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many copies of his Department's publication "Summaries of Companies" included in the HM Treasury index of management consultants dated May 1993, have been published; at what cost; to whom it has been distributed; and what criteria were used in deciding(a) to whom it has been sent and (b) which data were included in the report.

  Sir John Cope
  About 100 copies of this reference book are produced for internal use at a cost of £7·17 each. The book, which is not published, is produced as an aid to those senior staff in Departments and agencies who are considering the hire and use of consultants.

  It contains summary information on the firms on the Treasury's index of management consultants.

  Negative Income Tax
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now review the case for the introduction of a negative income tax.
  484
  Mr. Dorrell
  We have no plans to introduce a negative income tax. The reforms of the social security system in the 1980s improved the interaction between tax and benefit systems. We keep both systems under review.

  Income Tax
  Mr. Denzil Davies
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the change in revenue in a full year of replacing the present rates and thresholds of income tax with a structure in which(a) the first £2,500 incurred tax at 20 per cent., (b) £2,500 to £30,000 at 25 per cent., (c) £30,000 to £60,000 at 40 per cent., (d) £60,000 to £100,000 at 50 per cent. and (e) over £100,000 at 60 per cent., while retaining the existing levels of personal allowances.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The estimated revenue yield in a full year at 1993–94 income levels from imposition of the specified regime is £570 million.

  Book Purchase
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Inland Revenue will obtain a copy of the book, details of which have been submitted to him.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Inland Revenue gathers information, including published material, which may be relevant to the correct assessment of tax liabilities. Because of its duty of confidentiality the Inland Revenue is not able to comment on its dealings with particular taxpayers.

  Overseas Assets
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the mechanisms by which the Inland Revenue checks on companies' compliance with requirements on valuation of overseas assets.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Inland Revenue uses considerable resources on the technical review and investigation of company accounts. The largest companies and those whose affairs are particularly complex are dealt with in offices which specialise in such cases, which have enough staff to review their tax affairs in depth, and which are headed by some of the Department's most senior inspectors. Reviews cover all aspects of companies' accounts and expert advice is available to the inspectors from head office specialists in international issues.

  Investments overseas will be monitored as part of this process of review and the valuation of assets abroad will be considered in so far as it may have a bearing on United Kingdom tax liabilities.

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many(a) local authorities, (b) voluntary organisations and (c) universities are paying value added tax on courses of further education for adults; and if he will list the liable courses.

  Sir John Cope
  The information is not centrally available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The subject matter of courses is only one of a number of factors affecting VAT liability and each case is determined on its own facts.
  485
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the terms of reference of the review that Customs and Excise are currently undertaking into value added tax in the education and training sector; when the review is due to be completed; and if he will list those bodies being consulted as part of the review process.

  Sir John Cope
  Customs and Excise is carrying out an internal review to examine whether, within the constraints of European Community VAT legislation, there is scope for simplification and rationalisation of the current VAT reliefs for education and training services. Customs expect to be reporting to Ministers in two to three months. If changes in law or administration are considered appropriate, those likely to be affected will be consulted before final proposals are brought forward.

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was obtained from VAT charges on courses of(a) education, (b) training, (c) sports activity and (d) leisure activity in each year since 1987; and how much it costs each year to administer the collection of these charges.

  Sir John Cope
  This information is not centrally available and it would not be possible to provide an estimate without disproportionate cost.

  Business Enterprise Scheme
  Mr. Mandelson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the cost of tax relief for BES in the years 1992–93 and 1993–94 for schemes involving private housing where individuals obtain loans connected with the shareholdings they acquire through BES;

  (2) if he will estimate the total cost of tax relief for business expansion schemes in the years 1992–93 and 1993–94, with the cost in each year of relief involving private rented housing.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 14 June 1993]: The provisional estimate of the total cost of income tax relief for 1992–93 is £380 million. The cost for 1993–94 will depend on the levels of business expansion scheme investments and is very tentatively estimated at about £180 million. It is not possible at present to provide a reliable subdivision of these estimates by type of investment, though information published in the specialist press about loan-linked investments in 1992–93 imply that these may amount to some £250 million of revenue cost.

  Industrial Building Allowance Trusts
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list, for each enterprise zone and former enterprise zone, the number of industrial building allowance trusts accepted for capital allowance purposes; and what is the square footage of(a) industrial and (b) commercial floor space covered in each IBA trust.

  Sir George Young
  I have been asked to reply. Neither my own Department nor Inland Revenue maintains such records and the information could be secured only at disproportionate cost.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  National Association of Probation Officers
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met representatives of the National Association of Probation Officers; what matters were discussed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  Neither my right hon. and learned Friend nor I have yet met representatives of the National Association of Probation Officers. I hope to do so before too long.

  Corrections Corporation of America
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost incurred as a result of the decision to investigate the performance and record of the Corrections Corporation of America.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the prison service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. John McAllion, dated 15 June 1993.

  INVESTIGATION INTO THE CCA
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the cost incurred as a result of the decision to investigate the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). The Prisons Service Board asked Mr. Bentley, one of our non executive directors, to visit America to investigate the CCA's suitability to be involved in managing prisons in this country. He was accompanied by a member of staff from Prison Service headquarters. Twenty three people were interviewed during the investigation in several locations in the United States. The substantive costs therefore comprise the travelling, accommodation and other expenses incurred during the visit. These total £9,574.

  Wheel Clamping
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce proposals to regulate private wheel clamping.

  Mr. Maclean
  A public consultation exercise on this issue has recently been completed and we are now analysing the very many responses. We will announce our conclusions as soon as possible.

  Police (Assaults)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the reported number of assaults on police officers serving in each of the Metropolitan police divisions during the course of their police duties during 1992.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The information requested is contained in the table:

  Division

  Ident.

  Number of assaults

  Barkingside

  (JB)

  44

  Barnet and Hertsmere

  (SA)

  31

  Battersea

  (WA)

  32

  Belgravia

  (AB)

  31

  Bethnal Green

  (HB)

  49

  Bexleyheath

  (RY)

  30

  487

  Division

  Ident.

  Number of assaults

  Brixton

  (LD)

  68

  Bromley

  (PR)

  36

  Carter Street

  (MS)

  27

  Catford

  (PD)

  68

  Charing Cross

  (CX)

  62

  Chelsea

  (BC)

  20

  Chingford

  (JC)

  46

  Chiswick

  (TC)

  32

  Clapham

  (LM)

  37

  Croydon

  (ZD)

  40

  Dagenham

  (KG)

  55

  Ealing

  (XD)

  83

  Edmonton

  (YE)

  44

  Epsom and Sutton

  (ZP)

  62

  Forest Gate

  (KW)

  76

  Fulham

  (FF)

  33

  Golders Green

  (SG)

  13

  Greenwich

  (RG)

  47

  Hackney

  (GH)

  111

  Hammersmith

  (FH)

  69

  Hampstead

  (EH)

  27

  Harrow

  (QA)

  65

  Harrow Road

  (DR)

  54

  Havering

  (KD)

  62

  Heathrow Airport

  (ID)

  8

  Hillingdon

  (XU)

  54

  Holborn

  (EO)

  41

  Holloway

  (NH)

  52

  Hornsey

  (YR)

  69

  Hounslow

  (TD)

  45

  Ilford

  (JI)

  35

  Islington

  (ND)

  74

  Kennington

  (LK)

  31

  Kensington

  (BD)

  28

  Kentish Town

  (EK)

  34

  Kilburn

  (QK)

  93

  Kingston

  (VK)

  37

  Leman Street

  (HD)

  40

  Lewisham

  (PL)

  34

  Leyton

  (JL)

  82

  Limehouse

  (HH)

  83

  Marylebone

  (DM)

  27

  Merton

  (VW)

  41

  Notting Hill

  (BH)

  54

  Orpington

  (PN)

  27

  Paddington Green

  (DD)

  21

  Peckham

  (MM)

  51

  Plaistow

  (KO)

  62

  Plumstead

  (RA)

  61

  Ponders End

  (YF)

  79

  Richmond

  (TW)

  37

  South Norwood

  (ZN)

  86

  Southall

  (XS)

  45

  Southwark

  (MD)

  57

  Spelthorne

  (TG)

  28

  Stoke Newington

  (GN)

  119

  Streatham

  (LS)

  46

  Tooting

  (WD)

  21

  Tottenham

  (YT)

  75

  Wandsworth

  (WW)

  38

  Wembley

  (QD)

  48

  West End Central

  (CD)

  94

  West Hendon

  (SV)

  41

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of(a) men and (b) women convicted of assaults on police officers in each of the Metropolitan police divisions during 1992; and what penalties were imposed of (a) imprisonment, (b) fines and (c) probation.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Information for 1991, the last available year, is contained in the following table:488

  Men

  Women

  Convicted

  1,404

  227

  Fined

  775

  102

  Probation

  53

  13

  Imprisonment

  117

  2

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of days lost by(a) men and (b) women police officers serving in each of the Metropolitan police divisions as a result of physical assault on them during the course of their police duties during the year 1992.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The numbers of days lost per division of the Metropolitan police due to assaults are as follows:

  Division

  Men

  Women

  Belgravia

  98

  —

  Chelsea

  118

  28

  Kensington

  91

  —

  Notting Hill

  74

  2

  West End Central

  83

  53

  Charing Cross

  65

  33

  Paddington Green

  166

  —

  Marylebone

  24

  6

  Harrow

  42

  37

  Hampstead

  76

  —

  Kentish Town

  10

  —

  Fulham

  87

  —

  Hammersmith

  24

  11

  Hackney

  18

  42

  Stoke Newington

  107

  —

  Bethnal Green

  35

  6

  Leman Street

  19

  6

  Limehouse

  111

  8

  Heathrow Airport

  1

  1

  Chingford

  19

  —

  Chigwell

  177

  —

  Ilford

  165

  10

  Leyton

  28

  64

  Barking

  4

  45

  Dagenham

  162

  —

  North Woolwich

  140

  41

  Brixton

  39

  —

  Kennington

  17

  77

  Clapham

  —

  24

  Streatham

  16

  5

  Southwark

  59

  2

  Peckham

  210

  —

  Carter Street

  118

  —

  Holloway

  —

  4

  Islington

  154

  22

  Catford

  26

  —

  Penge

  10

  —

  Brockley

  —

  24

  Lewisham

  39

  73

  Orpington

  96

  —

  Deptford

  66

  —

  Bromley

  41

  39

  Sydenham

  —

  —

  Harrow

  153

  —

  Wembley

  15

  —

  Harlesden

  416

  —

  Kilburn

  521

  117

  Plumstead

  97

  6

  Greenwich

  7

  —

  Bexleyheath

  251

  —

  Barnet and Hertsmere

  79

  —

  West Hendon

  8

  2

  Chiswick

  52

  —

  Hounslow

  16

  16

  Spelthorne

  29

  7

  Twickenham

  10

  7

  Kingston

  135

  —

  489

  Division

  Men

  Women

  Battersea

  36

  20

  Tooting

  60

  39

  Wandsworth

  44

  —

  Ealing

  286

  132

  Hillingdon

  41

  31

  Southall

  41

  11

  Edmonton

  18

  —

  Ponders End

  21

  18

  Hornsey

  75

  —

  Tottenham

  127

  77

  Croydon

  20

  20

  Wimbledon

  409

  2

  South Norwood

  80

  23

  Epsom and Sutton

  248

  15

  Carl Bridgewater Case
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from Mr. Tim O'Malley concerning the Carl Bridgewater case; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  A letter from Mr. O'Malley dated 21 September 1992 which expressed doubts about the safety of the convictions in this case was considered as part of the review, the conclusions of which my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke) announced on 3 February 1993. I received a further letter from Mr. O'Malley on 6 June, which I will consider together with other additional representations that I have recently received about this case.

  Probation and Bail Hostels
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of vacancies at probation or bail hostels covering the Greater London area on 31 May.

  Mr. Maclean
  As at 31 May 1993 there were a total of 117 vacancies at approved probation/bail and bail hostels in the Greater London area.

  Prisons
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether in-house bids will be permitted for the running of new prisons.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The current policy is not to invite in-house bids for the management of new prisons. In the case of Doncaster, which is the last of the current prison building programme, the prison board decided that it did not wish to make an in-house bid and that there was, therefore, no reason to change the current policy. This is to enable the prison service to focus its resources on developing the best possible bids for existing establish-ments. No decision has been made about the policy on in-house bids for any new prisons which might be built in the future.

  Prison Service
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the performance targets for the prison service for the year 1993–94.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the then Home Secretary, my right hon. and 490
  learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke), to my right hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Sir J. Wheeler) on 1 April 1993 at column 387.

  Manchester Prison
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether all staff will have the right to transfer to the new employer if the contract for Manchester prison is awarded to an outside tenderer; and what will be the position of any employees who decline to be transferred.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the prison service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 14 June 1993.

  MARKET TESTING OF HMP MANCHESTER
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the position of staff working at Manchester Prison.
  We have given an undertaking that, in the event of a private operator winning the contract, mobile staff at Manchester will have the option of re-deployment elsewhere in the Prison Service. In the case of non-mobile staff we have undertaken to explore the possibilities of re-deployment in the Prison Service or elsewhere in Government service but cannot guarantee that this will prove possible. Mobile staff who have not opted for re-deployment will transfer automatically to the new employer, as will non-mobile staff who have requested re-deployment but for whom such opportunities cannot be found.

  Prison Service (Parliamentary Questions)
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many written replies the chief executive of the prison service issued in response to parliamentary questions during the period 1 April to 28 April; and what was the approximate cost of each letter.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the director general of the prison service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 14 June 1993.

  I have been asked by the Home Secretary to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about Questions I have answered.

  I sent 50 written replies in response to Questions put down for answer between 1 April and 28 April, inclusive. Costings for individual replies are not recorded. The average cost of preparing written replies to Questions across the Government service, including the Prison Service, is currently estimated at £94 per written reply.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make available to hon. Members a copy of the report published at the meeting of EC Home Affairs Ministers in Copenhagen on 1 June which details levels of persecution in states throughout the world; and what plans he has to use the report as a guideline for immigration officials as to which countries can be deemed safe for the return of asylum seekers.
  491
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Ministers took note at the meeting in Copenhagen on 1 June of a report from the Centre for Information, Discussion and Exchange on Asylum (CIREA). I am placing a copy in the Library.

  Strip Searches
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the procedures when intimate and strip searches take place of juveniles held in police custody so as to ensure that either a parent, relative or friend is present; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  We shall shortly be seeking the views of the Association of Chief Police Officers on a number of issues relating to the conduct of intimate and strip searches.

  Work Permits
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department is proposing to take to ensure farmers and gangmasters do not employ non-EC persons who do not possess a work permit.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  'The immigration service works closely with the police arid other agencies to detect and deal with people committing offences under the immigration laws, including those working without authority.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now reply to the letters of 5 April, 21 April and 6 May sent to his predecessor by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Gallagher, an inmate at Lancaster prison.

  Mr. Maclean
  I understand that the director general of the prison service replied on 14 June to the right hon. Member's letter of 5 April about Mr. Gallagher's treatment in prison. As my right hon. and learned Friend's assistant private secretary explained in her letter of 9 June, we are making some inquiries in order to be in a position to send a substantive reply to the right hon. Member's letters of 21 April and 6 May about the safety of Mr. Gallagher's conviction.

  Yugoslavia (Detainees)
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates he has received of the numbers of ex-detainees in the former Yugoslavia eligible for admission to the United Kingdom, with their dependants, under the scheme he announced last November.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Placement under the scheme that I announced last November is dependent on nomination by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A number of other countries are running similar programmes and I understand that nearly all ex-detainees currently in UNHCR's care in Croatia have now been placed. The International Committee of the Red Cross is currently visiting some 2,400 detainees in Bosnia whose release it hopes to negotiate.

DEFENCE

  Swan Hunter
  Mr. Trotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will outline the nature of the discussions being held between his Department and the receiver of Swan Hunter as to the completion of the three frigates building at the yard; and whether it is his preferred solution for the frigates to be completed at the yard subject to the satisfactory conclusion of the negotiations with the receiver.

  Mr. Aitken
  Completion of the three type 23 Frigates on Tyneside would be my preferred solution, provided that a satisfactory agreement can be reached with the receiver. The details of the current negotiations are commercially confidential; they include financial and contractual matters.

  Channel Islands (Nazi Occupation)
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the release of further documents relating to the wartime Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands; and what inspection of these documents has been undertaken by representatives of the German authorities.

  Mr. Hanley
  The majority of MOD documents relating to the wartime Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands are already in the public domain. The German authorities are examining all MOD documents relating to this matter. When they have completed this task, those files currently closed will be opened for public inspection at the Public Record Office.

  Upholder Class Submarines
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost of moving the Upholder class of submarine from Gosport to Devonport.

  Mr. Hanley
  A total of £100,000 has been spent so far, and a further sum is contractually committed. No more expenditure will be approved until a decision has been taken on the future of the Upholder class.

  Defence Research Agency
  Sir James Spicer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets he has set for the Defence Research Agency in 1993–94.

  Mr. Aitken
  The targets recently set for the Defence Research Agency in 1993–94 and subsequent years are as follows:

  (a) To meet profit and cash targets consistent with a 6 per cent. return on capital employed (ROCE).

  (b) To improve overall utilisation from 40 per cent. in 1992–93 to 49 per cent. in 1993–94 and 52 per cent. in 1997–98.

  (c) To reduce administrative and general overhead (AGO) expressed as a percentage of total variable costs to less than 15 per cent. in 1993–94 and to hold it at this level or better in following years.

  (d) To seek competitive proposals in 1993–94 for market testing amounting on an annual basis to 5 per cent. of DRA's turnover, for secondary competition amounting to 3 per cent. of turnover, and for subcontracts amounting to 24 per cent. of DRA's turnover.

  493

  (e) To achieve 70 per cent. of customer milestones on time in 1993–94 and to increase this to 85 per cent. by 1997–98.

  (f) To achieve an increase of 2 per cent. in overall performance and customer satisfaction in 1993–94 (as measured by the sum of satisfaction criteria in the business planning survey).

  (g) To achieve a running cost reduction of £38 million per annum in 1993–94 and to achieve the final target of £90 million by 1997–98.

  (h) To achieve formal quality certification to BS5750 for one sector by 31 December 1994, and for the rest of the DRA by 31 December 1966.

  HMS Sovereign
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what timescale he has for the return to service of HMS Sovereign, of what other vessels the officer in command of HMS Sovereign is also in command; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  [pursuant to his answer, 8 June 1993, col. 225–26.]: The answer I gave on 8 June should have read as follows:

  HMS Sovereign is expected to return to service in 1995. The refitting officer in command of HMS Sovereign is also in command of HMS Revenge, which is in the process of being decommissioned.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Product Marking
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how his Department will be participating at the Copenhagen European conference in June on labelling products; and which United Kingdom good practices in the labelling of products he will submit to the European Commission study of this issue.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  My Department was represented by an official from consumer affairs division. The conduct of the study is a matter for the European Commission but we understand that it will be identifying priorities, and considering how best to bring consumer and trade interests together to assist in the process. My Department will aim to keep in touch with developments, co-operate fully in this work and ensure the European Commission is aware of current United Kingdom practices.

  Developing Countries
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures he proposes to take to help increase the trading prospects of developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  The Government will continue to support strenuously the European Community's efforts, particularly in the current GATT Uruguay round negotiations, to create open trading conditions which will increase the trading prospects of all countries, including developing nations. An OECD study suggested that annual income gains to the developing world as a whole from a Uruguay round agreement could be in excess of $US 90 billion, once all the effects have worked through. Under its generalised system of preferences (GSP) scheme the European Community allows preferential access to most of the manufactured products from developing 494
  countries. The GSP provides especially generous treatment for the least developed nations. The trade provisions of the Lomé convention also provide unlimited duty free access (subject to rules of origin) to Community markets for all industrial products (except rum), and free or concessionary access for a wide range of agricultural products, from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. Lomé beneficiaries financed from the European development fund (EDF) can also write into their national indicative programmes requirements for technical and structural adjustment aid which will benefit their export regimes.

  The United Kingdom also actively participates in the United Nations conference on trade and development (UNCTAD) and other relevant international forums which encourage developing countries in their own efforts towards sustained economic development.

  Office of Electricity Regulation
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many people are employed by OFFER; what is their function; and what is the annual cost.

  Mr. Eggar
  Total staff in post at the Office of Electricity Regulation (OFFER) in December 1992 was 224. This figure includes staff working on consumer and public affairs, legal and technical matters, administration and in the regional offices. The duties of the Director General of Electricity Supply, who heads OFFER, include the regulation of the electricity market and the protection of consumers. The cost of running OFFER in the financial year ending March 1992 was £10·5 million. OFFER's costs are recovered from annual fees paid by licensees.

  Oil and Gas
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures are being taken to ensure that those companies which receive the right to drill offshore under the 14th round of oil and gas licensing do so in an environmentally responsible manner; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  Special conditions to protect wildlife and the environment are attached to licence awards. These conditions are agreed with other Government Departments and the Joint Nature Conservancy Committee (JNCC).

  Gasoline
  Mr. Legg
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what changes to gasoline composition have occurred in the United Kingdom since 1970;

  (2) what is the level of aromatic hydrocarbons in the super premium unleaded grade and the unleaded premium grade of gasoline in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Eggar
  The information is not held centrally.

  Deregulation Unit
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from the civil service unions about the work of the deregulation unit.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I am not aware of any such representations.

  British and Commonwealth Company
  Mr. Radice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to publish his Department's report into the collapse of the British and Commonwealth Company.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Inspectors were appointed on 15 June 1990 under section 432 of the Companies Act 1985 to investigate and report on the affairs of Atlantic Computers plc and Atlantic Computer Systems plc, both major companies in the British and Commonwealth group. The inspectors are in the final stages of their investigations but they have not yet submitted their report; I will consider publication when it is received.

  Overseas Assets
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement outlining his Department's responsibilities in respect of investigating companies' compliance with United Kingdom accounting requirements on valuation of overseas assets.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  A company's compliance with the United Kingdom accounting requirements on the valuation of overseas assets is a matter for the directors and auditors. Where evidence was presented suggesting that without good reason the relevant statutory accounting requirements had not been applied, appropriate inquiries would be considered in the normal way.

  Brewing Industry
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 8 June, if he will list the exclusive supply agreements in the brewing industry which have received exemption from article 85 of the treaty of Rome.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 11 June 1993]: Since 1983, supply agreements operated by the brewing industry have been able to gain automatic exemption from article 85 of the treaty of Rome by complying with the provisions of EC regulation 1984/83. There is no record of agreements which have benefited from this block exemption because no Commission decision is necessary for the exemption to apply. In addition, some agreements in the brewing industry will have been given individual exemption from article 85 by the EC Commission. Details of these individual exemptions are published in the official journal of the European Communities, but a record of them is not kept by the United Kingdom Government and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Saudi Arabia (Exports)
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the level of exports from Britain to Saudi Arabia in each of the last five years; and what information he has on the proportion of such exports which were on commission.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 14 June 1993]: This information is regularly published in "Business Monitors" MA20 and MM20, "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Information on the proportion of exports on commission is not available.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Charity Law
  Mr. Maginnis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he is able to indicate the nature of the review which is presently taking place of the law relating to charities in Northern Ireland; how long the review has been in progress; and by what means he intends to introduce legislation to deal with the issue.

  Mr. Mates
  The review is an internal one involving the relevant Departments and has been in progress since March 1992. The law and administration of charities is quite different in Northern Ireland compared with the position in Great Britain and the main thrust of the review is to examine those aspects of the reforms to charity law and administration in Great Britain which may have implications for Northern Ireland. If it is decided to introduce new legislation, it is likely to be in the form of a Northern Ireland charities Order in Council under the Northern Ireland Act 1974.

  Electricity Privatisation
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to honour the commitments in the 1991 White Paper "Privatisation of Northern Ireland Electricity" concerning provisions for existing employees to obtain a direct stake in the industry and concerning parallel provisions for shares for former NIE employees and those persons who transferred to successor generating companies to NIE.

  Mr. Atkins
  The objective behind any employee share purchase is to give employees the opportunity to obtain a direct stake in the company in which they are employed. This is the objective lying behind the special arrangements offered to employees of NIE for the purchase of shares in NIE. Former employees of NIE are entitled to register and apply for shares in the flotation and benefit from the incentives offered, which are enhanced for customers. Those employees who transferred to successor generating companies may also be able to participate in any share incentive schemes made available by their new employers.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Parliamentary Television Service
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his answer of 5 February,Official Report, column 27, what further developments have taken place regarding the provision of a live feed of the Chamber of the House to hon. Members' offices.

  Mr. Newton
  There is little that I can usefully add to my earlier reply to the hon. Member. Proposals for the establishment of a parliamentary data and video network, on which the clean feed from the Chamber would be carried, are still under consideration by the Information Committee. I understand that the Committee hopes to be able to report to the House by the end of the year.

EDUCATION

  Spelling
  Mr. Mans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what efforts are being made to improve standards of spelling in schools.

  Mr. Forth
  We are seeking to raise standards in all the basic language skills, including spelling, through the development of national curriculum English. Our proposals for revising the English Order, currently the subject of extensive consultation, give a strengthened emphasis to accurate spelling as one of the writing skills essential for the effective communication of meaning. To emphasise the importance of these skills, 5 per cent. of the marks in all GCSE written examinations are now allocated to spelling, punctuation and grammar.

  Testing
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to review testing procedures for schools or to change the role of the new curriculum and advisory body in this area; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Patten
  I have asked Sir Ron Dearing to conduct a wide ranging review of the manageability of the national curriculum and the associated testing and assessment framework. The prospective remit of the new Schools Curriculum and Assessment Authority is laid out in section 232 of the Education Bill currently before Parliament.

  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement about the current situation regarding school tests.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Most primary schools will have completed the tests of seven-year-olds. Fourteen-year-olds should have been sitting tests over the last week and a half. I deeply regret some teachers' boycott of these tests, which are necessary to monitor progress and raise standards.

  My right hon. Friend has asked Sir Ron Dearing to conduct a review of the national curriculum and assessment framework. He expects to have Sir Ron's recommendations in July.

  Mr. George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will meet the representatives of teachers' organisations to discuss key stage testing.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  My right hon. Friend has no plans for such a meeting. Teacher associations should make their views known to Sir Ron Dearing, the chairman designate of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority, who is conducting a review of the national curriculum and assessment.

  Graduate Teaching Qualifications
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for developing access to graduate teaching qualifications.

  Mr. Patten
  The Department has discussed with the Higher Education Quality Council the provision of access courses for entry to initial teacher training. I understand that the council is planning to publish a list of such courses later this year.

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will set out his plans for promoting the advantages of grant-maintained status within the local education authorities' network of schools; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Patten
  By the end of May, 2·4 million of the Department's publications on self-governing status had been distributed, mainly in response to requests.

  The Department has also organised 16 regional conferences on "Going GM" and three further events are planned for later this term. Almost 3,000 headteachers and governors of LEA maintained schools have attended the conferences, representing around 1,700 schools.

  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his estimate of the cost of the Funding Agency for schools in April 1996(a) on the assumption that his targets for the number of schools opting for grant-maintained status is met and (b) on the assumption that the number of schools opting for grant-maintained status increases at the present annual rate.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Parents will decide through ballots how many schools become grant maintained. On current trends, most secondary schools and a significant minority of primary schools could be GM by April 1996. The running costs of the FAS will depend on a number of factors, including growth of the sector, but on this basis might be of the order of £20 million in 1996–97. Over time, we expect the establishment of the FAS to result in savings in DFE running costs and, as the FAS takes on responsibility for the provision of school places, to lead to a reduction in the central administration costs of LEAs.

  Primary Education
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the current number of children in primary school education in England.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The latest available figure is for January 1992, when there were 4·1 million children in maintained primary schools.

  Victorian Schools
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he will make special provision for modernising Victorian schools in urban areas.

  Mr. Forth
  The Government already provide substantial capital resources for school buildings. LEAs can choose to use the resources available to them to give priority to modernising Victorian buildings if they wish. Capital bids from the governors of voluntary-aided and grant-maintained schools are considered on their merits.

  Schools (Disabled Access)
  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to meet local education authority representatives to discuss the accessibility of schools for children with physical disabilities.

  Mr. Forth
  Local education authorities and school governors may seek meetings with Ministers or officials to
  499
  discuss general capital issues at any time. It is very likely that in some of these meetings the agenda will include access for disabled pupils.

  A-levels
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the levels of achievement at A-level.

  Mr. Boswell
  More people than ever before are taking A-levels, passing them and passing them well. They will continue to set a benchmark for academic achievement. They are a key part of our strategy to provide clear and attractive pathways to high levels of academic and vocational achievement.

  Special Educational Needs
  Mr. Pope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made as to the main factors influencing the length of time it takes local education authorities to produce statements of special educational needs.

  Mr. Forth
  The Audit Commission/HMI survey "Getting in on the Act" published in June 1992 looked carefully at the operation of procedures for making assessments and statements. Its conclusion was that a variety of factors could cause delay, but that lack of resources was not one of them.

  The Education Bill provides for regulations which will for the first time set statutory time limits for the assessment and statementing processes. The Bill also requires the Secretary of State to issue a code of practice which will guide LEAs in their operation of those processes. The Government's aim is to ensure that assessments are concluded—and, where necessary, statements produced —as quickly as is consistent with thoroughness.

  Pre-school Education
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he next intends to meet the Association of County Councils to discuss the provision of nursery education.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  My right hon. Friend has no plans to meet the Association of County Councils to discuss this matter.

  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the quality of educational input in different forms of pre-school provision.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The Department has increased its grant to the Pre-school Playgroups Association for staff training and development from £179,000 in 1990–91 to £887,000 in 1993–94. It also supports training and development work undertaken by the British Association for Early Childhood Education and by the Early Childhood Unit of the National Children's Bureau.

  Ms Estelle Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pre-school education places were available in England at the latest available date; and what percentage that number is of the total number of children in the relevant age group.
  500
  Mr. Robin Squire
  Information on the number of education places is not available. In January 1992 there were nearly 630,000 pupils below compulsory school age in maintained nursery and primary schools in England of whom 330,000 were in nursery provision. The under-fives participation rates were 49 per cent. and 26 per cent. respectively.

  Youth Service
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his estimate of the total sum needed on an annual basis to meet the current statutory requirements in respect of youth service provision.

  Mr. Boswell
  The Government do not determine centrally how much should be spent on particular local government services. It is primarily for individual local authorities to decide how to discharge their duty to secure adequate provision out of the resources made available to them under revenue support grant.

  Schools (Funding)
  Mr. Brandreth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received regarding the balance of funding between primary and secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  We have received a number of recent representations from schools and hon. Members about primary and secondary school funding under local management of schools, including one from the North West Primary Heads Forum. We have made clear that this is a matter for individual local education authorities.

  Further and Higher Education Charters
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from students on the further and higher education charters; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  We are currently consulting on the draft further and higher education charters. To date two representations have been received from students; from the University college London union and the other from the South East Wales Students Association.

  Grammar Schools
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that there will be continued provision of grammar school places.

  Mr. Forth
  The provision of school places to be filled on the basis of academic ability is a matter for local education authorities and governing bodies, taking account of local needs and the wishes of parents and the community. My right hon. Friend will continue to consider very carefully any proposals put to him for the introduction or cessation of selective admission arrangements which would amount to a significant change in the character of the school.

  Financial Assistance
  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the adequacy of financial assistance to enable people to continue or re-enter education.
  501
  Mr. Boswell
  Most students on designated full-time and sandwich courses leading to a first degree or certain comparable qualifications are eligible for mandatory awards and student loans. Students on other courses can apply for a discretionary or postgraduate award. The Government have commissioned a survey of the income and expenditure of students on designated courses, and the Gulbenkian and Sir John Cass's Foundations are undertaking a study of the provision of discretionary awards.

  Oxford and Cambridge College Fees
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received about the basis for calculating grants for college fees at Oxford and Cambridge.

  Mr. Boswell
  The Department has received representations from those acting on behalf of the colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, as part of the annual negotiations on the level of college fees.

  Music Funding
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy to ring-fence funding at local education authority level for(a) inter-school instrumental teaching, (b) orchestras, (c) choirs and (d) chamber music.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  My right hon. Friend has no plans to change the current arrangements for funding school music at local education authority level. He considers it right that local authorities should determine the appropriate level of spending on music services in the light of their judgment of local needs and priorities and in the light of the demand from schools.

  Outdoor Education
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy to ensure that local education authorities have a continuing responsibility to provide outdoor education for pupils at all state sector schools in their area.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  No. Where funds have been delegated to individual schools, it is their responsibility to determine—having regard to the requirements of the National Curriculum Order for Physical Education—the level of provision for outdoor education needed, and how it should be provided.

  Pupil Selection
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to alter the interpretation of significant change of character to increase the selection of pupils in(a) local authority maintained and (b) grant-maintained schools.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  None.

HEALTH

  Mental Health
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the percentage of acutely mentally ill statutorily detained in each of the last five years, by region and in London.

  Mr. Bowis
  The latest available information is shown in the table.

  A change in the method of data collection following the Korner review in 1987 means that figures for years prior to 1987–88 are not directly comparable with later years.

  Precise figures for London are not readily available, but an approximation can be made by amalgamating the four Thames regions.

  Patients formally admitted to NHS facilities as a percentage of all admissions under the mental illness specialty, by regional health authority, 1987–88 to 1989–90

  Year ending 31 March

  Regional Health Authority

  1987–88 per cent.

  1988–89 per cent.

  1989–90 per cent.

  Northern

  7

  6

  7

  Yorkshire

  6

  7

  8

  Trent

  8

  10

  11

  East Anglia

  7

  9

  10

  North West Thames

  18

  12

  15

  North East Thames

  10

  9

  l0

  South East Thames

  7

  7

  7

  South West Thames

  16

  20

  15

  Wessex

  8

  7

  6

  Oxford

  5

  7

  8

  South Western

  12

  7

  8

  West Midlands

  8

  8

  9

  Mersey

  7

  8

  8

  North Western

  7

  8

  8

  Special Hospitals

  8

  8

  9

  Thames Regions

  12

  12

  12

  Note: The above figures are calculated using data from the Korner aggregate return KH 15 and the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) system. 1987–88 was the first year of collection. The figures for that year may therefore be less reliable than later years.

  Hospital Beds
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds are currently available at(a) the Royal London hospital, (b) St. Bartholomew's hospital and (c) the London chest hospital.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The available information is at unit level only and details by specific site are not separately identifiable. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of the respective national health service trust and health authorities for details.

  Paediatric Beds
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many paediatric beds there are in each provider unit in the Thames regions.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is shown in the table.
  503

  Average daily number of available paediatric1 beds by provider unit Thames regions

  1991–92

  North West Thames Region

  Bradford General Hospital south wing

  34

  South Bedfordshire General hospital and Maternity Services Unit

  50

  South Bedfordshire Community and Mental Health Services Unit

  10

  East Hertfordshire Health Services

  20

  St. Albans City

  40

  South West Hertfordshire Provider Unit

  32

  Barnet General Hospitals Unit

  56

  Northwick Park Hospital

  45

  Harefield Hospital

  8

  Ashford Hospital

  22

  West Middlesex University Hospital

  41

  Ealing Hospital

  24

  Riverside Health Unit

  83

  St. Mary's Hospital Group Services

  36

  Mount Vernon Hospital NHS Trust

  16

  The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust

  20

  Central Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust

  25

  North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

  31

  North East Thames Region:

  Basildon and Thurrock Acute Unit

  30

  Mid Essex Hospital Services Unit

  47

  North East Essex Acute Unit

  28

  North East Essex Community Unit Central Clinic

  13

  Essex and Hertfordshire Health Services

  33

  Oldchurch Hospital

  38

  Harold Wood Unit

  17

  City and Hackney Health Service

  38

  Newham Health Services

  30

  Enfield Acute Unit

  31

  Redbridge Unit

  25

  Waltham Forest Health Authority Acute Unit(Provider)

  31

  Bloomsbury and Islington Acute Unit (Southside)

  58

  Bloomsbury and Islington Acute Unit (Northside)

  36

  Southend Health Care NHS Trust

  21

  Royal London Hospital and Associated Community Services NHS Trust

  40

  Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust

  39

  Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital NHS Trust

  11

  Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

  46

  North Middlesex Hospital NHS Trust

  27

  South East Thames Region:

  Brighton Health Care

  71

  Eastbourne Hospitals

  24

  Hastings Learning Disabilities Unit

  29

  South East Kent General Hospitals Unit

  47

  Thanet General Unit

  24

  Canterbury General Unit

  36

  Dartford and Gravesham Acute Services Unit

  19

  Maidstone Acute and Community Care Unit

  39

  Medway Acute Unit

  20

  Medway Priority Care Unit

  33

  Tunbridge Wells Acute Unit

  43

  Queen Victoria Hospital Provider Unit

  26

  Bexley (Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup) Unit

  20

  Greenwich District Hospital Provider Unit

  28

  Brook General Hospital Provider Unit

  28

  Bromley Acute Unit

  29

  St. Thomas' Hospital Provider Unit

  42

  King's Health Care Provider Unit

  53

  Guy's and Lewisham NHS Trust

  144

  South West Thames Region:

  North West Surrey Acute Unit

  42

  Frimley Park Unit

  28

  East Surrey Hospital and Community Healthcare

  19

  St. Richard's Hospital (Unit 1)

  24

  Crawley—Horsham Unit

  26

  Mid Sussex Unit (East Unit)

  18

  Worthing and Southlands Hospital Unit

  32

  504

  1991–92

  Croydon Health Services Unit

  40

  Queen Mary's University Hospital

  33

  St. George's Group Acute Services Unit

  64

  Queen Mary's Hospital for Children

  70

  Epsom Health Care NHS Trust

  20

  Royal Surrey County and St. Lukes Hospital NHS Trust

  32

  Kingston Hospital NHS Trust

  43

  St. Helier NHS Trust

  5

  1 Beds in wards open day and night and classified for use by general patients—children.

  Doncaster Health Authority
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Doncaster health authority made an application for authority by statutory instrument to distribute trust charitable funds to health trusts; and what is the number of the relevant statutory instrument.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Doncaster health authority lodged a request to transfer charitable funds to the Doncaster Royal infirmary and Montague national health service trust on 24 May. The statutory instrument has not yet been made.

  Trent Regional Health Authority
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she is yet able to make a statement over the location of a new high-security unit in the Trent regional health authority area.

  Mr. Bowis
  Rampton hospital already provides high security psychiatric services. There are no current plans for a further high security unit to be located in Trent region. I understand that Trent regional health authority is planning further development of its medium-secure service, but that no firm decision have been taken about this.

  Single General Practitioner Practices
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many single-handed general practitioner practices there are(a) in England and (b) in London; and what is their average patient holding.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information is shown in the table:

  England

  Greater London

  Number of single-handed GP practices

  2,867

  772

  Average patient list size for single-handed GPs

  2,118

  2,276

  Note: Data relate to 1 October 1992 except for the average patient list size for Greater London, for which the latest available figure is for 1 April 1992.

  Prescriptions
  Sir John Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what would be the cost of exempting all recipients of disability working allowance from the payment of prescription charges;

  (2) how many recipients of disability working allowance qualify for free prescriptions on the ground of low income in the most recent 12-month period available;
  505
  (3) what is her response to recommendation 16 of the third report of the Social Security Select Committee (HC, 1992–93, No. 284-I) that disability working allowance recipients should be entitled to free prescriptions in the same way that family credit recipients are.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The health benefits unit does not keep a record of the social security benefits received by people who claim help from the national health service low income scheme. The estimated current annual cost of extending automatic help with national health service costs, to recipients of the allowance and their dependants, on the same basis as it is available to those receiving income support or family credit, would be around £0·75 million. The Government will respond in due course to the third report of the Social Security Select Committee (HC 1992–93, No. 284-I).

  Patients Charter
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish for each health authority the reports on the performance of individual local hospital and ambulance services against patients charter rights and standards.

  Mr. Sackville
  Health authorities will be publishing annual reports on performance by their principal providers against patients charter rights and standards as required under the charter.

  Notifiable Diseases, Avon
  Mr. Aspinwall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health is she will state the number of cases of notifiable diseases reported in the County of Avon in 1992, by category.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is shown in the table.

  Number (Provisional) of Notifiable Diseases reported in the County of Avon in 1992

  Total

  Food poisoning

  1,130

  Dysentery

  271

  Rubella

  137

  Viral hepatitis

  120

  Scarlet Fever

  103

  Measles

  98

  All meningitis

  69

  Tuberculosis

  52

  Mumps

  43

  Whooping Cough

  23

  Malaria

  18

  Meningococcal septicaemia

  6

  Ophthalmia neonatorum

  5

  Typhoid fever

  2

  Leptospirosis

  1

  Tetanus

  0

  Acute poliomyelitis

  0

  Acute encephalitis

  0

  Cholera

  0

  Plague

  0

  Anthrax

  0

  Diphtheria

  0

  Smallpox

  0

  Yellow fever

  0

  Typhus

  0

  Relapsing fever

  0

  Rabies

  0

  Viral haemorrhagic fever

  0

  Dryburn Hospital, Durham
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many admissions there were to wards 2 and 10 of Dryburn hospital, in the City of Durham constituency, for the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what figures she has for the time periods for which beds in those wards were occupied by each of those admissions;

  (2) how much was spent in the last 12 months for which figures are available, by Dryburn hospital in the City of Durham constituency on (a) nursing appointments, (b) administrative appointments and (c) medical appoint-ments.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Professor John Clarke, the chairman of the North Durham district health authority, for details.

  Practice Charters
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many family health services authority and general practitioner practice charters have now been produced; and if she will list them.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  All family health services authorities were required to develop and produce local charters by 1 April 1993. We do not yet have any information on the numbers of general practitioner practices which have voluntarily produced their own practice charter.

  Hospital Ophthalmic Departments
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidelines her Department gives to health authorities for record keeping and collating statistics in hospital ophthalmic departments;

  (2) what data health authorities are required to collate from hospital ophthalmology departments.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Purchasers and providers are required to keep agreed sets of data on all general in-patient and out-patient activity and for patients awaiting elective admission. The information requirements are described in module 1 (hospital services) and module 3 (paramedic and cross-sector services) of the national health service data manual, copies of which are available in the Library. In addition, in relation to hospital ophthalmic departments, details of sight tests undertaken and numbers of glasses prescribed by the hospital eye service must be kept.

  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of referrals from general practitioners and optometrists to hospital ophthalmology out-patients clinics in each year since 1985.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The available information is shown in the table. Separate figures for referrals from optometrists are not available centrally.

  Consultant out-patient activity—ophthalmology departments

  Referral attendances

  Consultant initiated attendances

  GP written referral request1

  1987–88

  588,973

  2,277,436

  451,006

  1988–89

  574,532

  2,264,752

  467,371

  1989–90

  579,693

  2,308,099

  462,710

  1990–91

  599,520

  2,331,682

  478,141

  1991–92

  663,192

  2,350,056

  529,243

  507

  1GP written referrals are included in the referral attendances column.

  Blind and Partially Sighted People
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were registered blind and partially sighted in each year since 1985; and what figures are projected for registration in(a) five and (b) 10 years time.

  Mr. Bowis
  The information held centrally is shown in the table. The Department has not made projections for future registrations.

  Number of people registered as blind and partially sighted as at 31 March 1986–91, England

  1986

  1988

  1991

  Total registered as at 31 March

  Blind

  120,548

  126,828

  136,195

  Partially sighted

  71,104

  79,048

  93,777

  New registrations in year ending 31 March

  Blind

  12,026

  13,901

  13,629

  Partially sighted

  10,466

  12,014

  13,639

  Source: DH Return SSDA902.

  Eye Diseases
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged(a) under 40, (b) 41–65, (c) 66–70 and (d) over 70 years suffered from glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular eye disease and cataracts in each year since 1985.

  Mr. Bowis
  This information is not available centrally. Data on the causes of blindness and partial sight was first collected by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in 1990–91 and is currently being processed.

  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has regarding the incidence of eye disease leading to blindness or hospital treatment in the United Kingdom, each of the EC countries, the United States of America and Japan.

  Mr. Bowis
  Information on the incidence of all eye disease is not available centrally. Data have been collected for 1990–91 on the causes of blindness and partial sight

  Nurses and midwives clinical grading appeals outstanding as at 31 May 1993

  Region

  Employing authority level

  Regional level

  National level

  Total

  Northern

  40

  1,678

  127

  1,845

  Yorkshire

  134

  1,057

  222

  1,413

  Trent

  538

  1,695

  115

  2,348

  East Anglian

  0

  359

  115

  474

  North West Thames

  84

  986

  85

  1,155

  North East Thames

  62

  587

  97

  746

  South West Thames

  0

  324

  174

  498

  South East Thames

  8

  707

  123

  838

  Wessex

  0

  543

  163

  706

  Oxford

  0

  29

  233

  262

  South Western

  0

  1,066

  103

  1,169

  West Midlands

  1,526

  1,424

  81

  3,031

  Mersey

  413

  1,516

  315

  2,244

  North Western

  369

  2,811

  201

  3,381

  Total

  3,174

  14,782

  2,154

  20,110

  508
  referred to opthalmologists and this information is being prepared by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. Comparative data for other countries are not available.

  In 1991–92, in England, there were 184,000 finished consultant episodes and 64,000 day cases in the hospital eye service, and 613,910 referrals made by the general optical service to opthalmologists.

  Hospital Places (Allocation)
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to ensure equality of treatment between patients of fund-holding and non-fund-holding general practitioner practices in the allocation of hospital places.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Guidance agreed with the joint consultants committee was issued to hospital consultants in June 1991, in EL(91)84, a copy of which is available in the Library. This stated that waiting times should not be offered to one general practitioner which would disadvantage the patients of another practice. Where a unit has spare capacity, this may be offered to any purchaser.

  Nurse Grading Appeals
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will set out by regional health authority how many nurse clinical grading appeals are pending at a national level; what amount of money these claims involve; what steps are being made to speed the appeal process; and when she estimates this process will be completed;

  (2) if she will set out by each health authority region the number of nurse clinical grading appeals still outstanding, the amount of money these claims involve, the steps being made to speed the appeal process and when the region is expected to have dealt with all appeals.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information on the number of appeals outstanding is shown in the table. No estimate of the total sum of arrears of pay due to be paid as a result of grading appeals has been made. Regional health authorities have been asked to clear all outstanding appeals by 31 October 1993.

  Limited List Prescribing
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many letters have been received by her Department about the proposed extension of the limited list for pharmaceutical products from(a) the medical profession, (b) right hon. and hon. Members, (c) members of the public and (d) patient representative bodies; and if she will indicate in each case broadly how many of those letters supported the proposed extension and how many opposed it;

  (2) how many representations she has received from right hon. and hon. Members about her proposed extension of the limited list for pharmaceutical products; in what form those representations were made; in how many cases those representations supported the extension of the list.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  There have been 174 letters from the medical profession; 981 letters from right hon. and hon. Members; 438 letters from members of the public and several letters from 11 of the bodies representing patients. A total of 130 representations have been received from right hon. and hon. Members in the form of parliamentary questions to Ministers. There have also been a number of requests for meetings with Ministers. These letters and representations have raised concerns about the selected list scheme.

  Clothier Inquiry
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the location of(a) the administration and secretarial facilities for the Clothier inquiry and (b) Sir Cecil Clothier's office; and what links the administration of the inquiry has with the Trent regional health authority headquarters;

  (2) where the Clothier inquiry is to be based; and what funding is to be made available for witnesses and the parents of the victims in respect of their travel expenses, loss of time from work and child minding.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The address of the independent inquiry is:

  Office of Sir Cecil Clothier KCB QC

  c/o Davies Arnold Cooper Solicitors

  6–8 Bouverie Street

  LONDON

  EC4Y 8DD

  The inquiry will be conducted independently of Trent regional health authority. One employee of the RHA has been seconded permanently to the inquiry for its duration, to act as the clerk.

  Reasonable expenses incurred by witnesses in assisting the inquiry will be met. Claims for such expenses should be submitted to the clerk for consideration.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made under the present Clothier inquiry in respect of financing legal representation for the parents.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  The investigative rather than adversarial nature of the Clothier inquiry means that there is not the need for extensive legal representation of witnesses. If the parents wish to be accompanied to give evidence to the inquiry, by a lawyer or anyone else, additional expenses will be allowed to cover reasonable costs incurred.

  United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visitors
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many disciplinary hearings the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visitors has held within the last five years; and what was their outcome;

  (2) if she will list the members of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visitors professional conduct committee stating (a) their profession, (b) the body from which they were elected or appointed and (c) the chair of that body.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to consult the council for details.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the remit of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visitors professional conduct committee; and what procedures it is obliged to follow in the course of disciplinary proceedings.

  Mr. Sackville
  Section 12 of the Nurses Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979, requires the council to constitute committees, by rules, to deal with proceedings for a person's removal from, or restoration to, the register, for the suspension, or termination of the suspension, of a person's registration in the register and to make rules governing the procedure of these committees. The relevant rules are set out in the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors (Professional Conduct) Rules 1993 Approval Order 1993 (Statutory Instrument 1993 No. 893).

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the members of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visitors, stating(a) their profession, (b) the body from which they were elected or appointed and (c) the chair of that body.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information requested has been placed in the Library. Members of the council are either elected under the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (Electoral Scheme) Order 1992 (Statutory Instrument 1992 No. 2159) or appointed by the Secretary of State under section 1 of the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1992. Members are not elected or appointed as representatives of particular bodies.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Television Licences
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many people paid their television licences at a concessionary rate in each year since 1985.

  Mr. Brooke
  The estimated number of households covered by a concessionary television for each year since 1985–86 is as follows:

  Period

  Number

  1985–86

  502,000

  1986–87

  554,000

  1987–88

  596,000

  1988–89

  645,000

  511

  Period

  Number

  1989–90

  688,000

  1990–91

  635,000

  1991–92

  630,000

  1992–93

  639,000

  Albert Dock
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what are the latest tourist figures for the Albert dock; and how they are calculated.

  Mr. Sproat
  I understand that the Albert dock received 5 million visitors in 1992. This figure is calculated by an independent research company on behalf of the Albert Dock Company.

  Community-based Sport
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what measures he is taking to promote community-based sports programmes in England; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Brooke
  The Sports Council, which is funded by my Department, is active in promoting and funding community-based sports programmes. In 1992–93 they provided over £13 million to assist the development of over 500 projects. The business sponsorship incentive scheme for sport launched in November 1992 aims to increase the amount of business sponsorship going into grass roots sport including community-based projects. The scheme has a budget for Great Britain of £3·7 million in 1993–94. In addition schedule 12 to the Education Bill will enable school governing bodies to enter into joint management agreements for the community use of school facilities.

  Performing Arts
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what measures he is taking to promote the performing arts in England; and if he will make a statement.
  512
  Mr. Brooke
  The Government recognise the great value of the arts in this country both for their own sake and for their contribution to the economy. It is one of the objectives of the Department of National Heritage to encourage the living arts to flourish.

  The Government have demonstrated their commitment to the arts through the generous settlements which the Arts Council has received. Since the Government took office in 1979, the Arts Council's grant has increased by 45 per cent. in real terms. Even within the present restraints on public expenditure, I have been able to increase the Arts Council's grant this year by £4·4 million to £225·6 million, a rise in cash terms of 2 per cent.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Nuclear Weapons
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what communications his Department has had with the national steering committee of the nuclear-free zone local authorities on the matters of(a) nuclear testing and (b) nuclear non-proliferation.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recently wrote to the national steering committee of the Nuclear Free Zone Local Authorities in reply to a letter about nuclear testing and non-proliferation.

  Yugoslavia
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the United Nations informed Her Majesty's Government that it was banning all visits to UNPROFOR by persons not directly connected with UNPROFOR; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We were advised by the United Nations on 1 April 1993 that visits to UNPROFOR would not be accepted from 5 April 1993.

EMPLOYMENT

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs have been gained or lost in the European Community in each year since 1985.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The following table shows the available information:

  Net increase in numbers of people in employment (thousands)

  Year

  1EC 10

  1EC 12

  1985–86

  1,052

  n/a

  1986–87

  868

  1,492

  1987–88

  2,012

  2,490

  1988–89

  1,440

  2,042

  1989–90

  2,763

  3,200

  1990–91

  338

  600

  Source:

  Eurostat "Labour Force Survey 1983–91".

  1"EC 12" covers the present 12 member states. Spain and Portugal joined in 1986, so comparable figures can be calculated for 1985–86 onwards only for the 10 previous member states, designated in the table as "EC 10".

  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the annual rate of turnover in employment for the last year for which figures are available.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Department does not publish or collect statistics relating to the annual rate of turnover in employment.

  Mr. Pope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in(a) Accrington and Rossendale, Blackburn, Burnley and Pendle travel-towork areas in total and (b) Accrington and Rossendale travel-to-work area over the age of 60 years who are unemployed are specifically excluded from the unemployment statistics because of their age.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The claimant count is a by-product of the system designed to pay unemployment-related benefits. It comprises those claiming unemployment benefit, income support or national insurance credits, who say that they are unemployed and satisfy the conditions for claiming benefits.

  Unemployed people aged 60 years and over are not required to be available for work in order to receive income support and national insurance credits. Unlike people aged under 60 years, they do not have to attend at an Employment Service local office to claim these benefits and consequently, if they choose not to attend, will not appear on the claimant count.

  Mr. Pope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in(a) the Accrington and Rossendale, Blackburn, Burnley and Pendle travel-towork areas in total and (b) the Accrington and Rossendale travel-to-work area would be eligible for unemployment benefit if they were not excluded from the calculation because they are claiming other sources of benefit.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The claimant count is a by-product of the system designed to pay unemployment-related benefits. It includes those claiming income support or 514
  national insurance credits on account of being unemployed as well as those claiming unemployment benefit itself. No information is available on those who do not claim these benefits.

  School Leavers
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list for each year since 1988 the number of pupils in Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside reaching the minimum school leaving age and the number who entered employment directly, entered a youth training scheme on leaving school, returned for a further period at school, or entered a further education college; and if he will provide such estimates as are available for 1993.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The information requested is available only for the whole of the north-west region and is given in the following table. The information is compiled by United Kingdom heads of careers services on behalf of the Careers Service. This information is not yet available for 1992 and 1993. Information for 1988 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Numbers of pupils leaving secondary school at minimum school leaving age in the North West region, London and their destinations for the years 1989–1991

  1989

  1990

  1991

  Full-time education

  40,540

  40,760

  44,040

  Youth training (YT)1

  25,520

  18,870

  15,280

  Employment

  14,170

  12,890

  9,230

  Not in any2

  5,820

  7,080

  8,130

  Unknown3

  7,790

  5,100

  4,180

  Total

  93,840

  84,700

  80,860

  Source: School Leavers' Destinations Survey

  Figures rounded to nearest 10.

  1 Including those on YT with employed status and those using training credits.

  2 May be unemployed or not available for work for any of a wide range of reasons.

  3 Those who failed to let the Careers Service or school know what they were doing and who failed to respond to at least two attempts at follow-up by the Careers Office.

  Palace of Westminster (Safety Standards)
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 8 June,Official Report, column 227–28, if he will set out the dates of all inspections carried out in the Palace of Westminster relating to health and safety; and if he will give details of all fire safety regulations and standards with which the Palace of Westminster has been found to comply.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The following planned inspection visits to the Palace of Westminster have been made by the Health and Safety Executive since its formation in 1975:

  23 August 1978

  19 July 1985

  3 February 1986

  20 September 1989

  9 January 1993

  8 April 1993

  In addition, visits have been made in connection with construction activities. However, as these are recorded against individual contractors, they cannot be separately identified without incurring disproportionate cost.
  515
  Fire safety regulations and standards are the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary.

PRIME MINISTER

  Correspondence
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Prime Minister when the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford, can expect to receive a reply to her letters of 8 February, 31 March and 4 May regarding the concerns of her constituents, Paul and Elisabeth Towlson.

  The Prime Minister
  Shortly.

  Public Expenditure Review
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Prime Minister when he expects the current review of public expenditure being carried out by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to be completed.

  The Prime Minister
  We expect to complete the reviews by the end of this Parliament, although preliminary conclusions from the first four. reviews of social security, health, education and home affairs should inform this year's public expenditure survey.

  India
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Prime Minister what representations he made and what assurances he received on human rights from the Indian Government during his visit to the country in January this year; and if he will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  I raised British concerns about human rights with the Indian Prime Minister. He assured me of his Government's commitment to respect human rights and determination to take firm action against wrongdoers. He also confirmed that he would be introducing legislation in the spring session of the Indian Parliament to set up an independent Human Rights Commission. This legislation was tabled on 14 May.

  Allivane International
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received since January 1991 on the role played by Allivane International in exporting arms and military equipment to Iran.

  The Prime Minister
  I have received a number of representations from the hon. Member and from the hon. Member for Glasgow, Shettleston (Mr. Marshall) since January 1991 on the role of Allivane International in exporting arms and military equipment to Iran. Allegations about illegal exports by this company were investigated by Her Majesty's Customs in 1987–88. No prosecution was begun.

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  'To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 15 June.

  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 15 June.
  516
  The Prime Minister
  This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

  Overseas Visits
  Mr. Sedgemore
  To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions the procedure of paragraph 74 of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" has been invoked in relation to official visits overseas; and at what total cost for the latest available year.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 14 June 1993]: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

WALES

  Technology Initiative
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish with regard to the sum he has allocated for the technology initiative in Welsh secondary schools(a) the method he used to inform schools, (b) the name of each school that submitted a bid, (c) the criteria used by his Department to determine the application and (d) the sum of money allocated to each successful school.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The Welsh Office wrote to all directors of education and chairs of governors of grant-maintained schools in Wales inviting bids under the initiative. A copy of the letter was also sent, for information, direct to the head teacher of all eligible schools in Wales. The closing date for bids is 16 July and I expect to be able to announce details of successful bids in early September.

  Schools selected for support will be expected to show evidence of a capacity to establish a technological ethos which will pervade the curriculum as a whole, as well as delivering a distinctive offering in the teaching of technology itself.

  Account will also be taken of the degree to which the school can demonstrate a commitment to developing links with local businesses and giving parity of status to vocational and academic studies. The project put forward should directly contribute to the achievement of the schools technology and staff development plans and add value and improve existing facilities at the school. Full details of these criteria are included in the letter sent to all eligible schools.

  NHS Trust Chief Executives
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for the chief executives of(a) the Ceredigion and Mid Wales national health service trust, (b) the Glen Clwyd district general hospital trust, (c) the Wrexham Maelor hospital national health service trust, (d) the Gwent Community Health national health service trust, (e) the Powys Health Care national health service trust, (f) the Llandough hospital national health service trust, (g) the Glan Hafren national health service trust, (h) the Carmarthen and district national health service trust, (i) the Swansea national health service trust, (j) the Llanelli/Dinefwr national health service trust, (k) the Bridgend and district national health service trust and

  517
  (l) the Gofal Cymuned Clwydian Community and Care national health service trust, (i) the salaries payable to each in their previous post of unit general managers, separately distinguishing the performance-related pay and (ii) the salaries now payable to each separately distinguishing the performance-related pay.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Salaries for general managers of directly managed units are set within prescribed salary bands. The relevant salary ranges for the unit general manager posts previously occupied by the chief executives of these national health service trusts up to 31 March 1993 were as follows:

  Salary range

  National health service trust

  Minimum £

  Maximum1£

  1. Ceredigion and Mid Wales

  33,160

  43,920

  2. Glan Clwyd district general hospital

  36,750

  51,980

  3. Wrexham Maelor hospital

  36,750

  51,980

  4. Gwent Community Health

  36,750

  52,580

  5. Powys Health Care

  36,750

  49,200

  6. Llandough hospital

  36,750

  48,400

  7. Glan Hafren

  36,750

  53,180

  8. Carmarthen and district

  36,750

  51,270

  9. Swansea

  36,750

  51,980

  10. Llanelli/Dinefwr

  33,160

  46,010

  11. Bridgend and district

  36,750

  53,180

  12. Gofal Cymuned Clwydian community care

  36,750

  53,180

  1 Inclusive of performance-related pay.

  Information on salaries payable to these national health service trust chief executives from 1 April 1993 is not held centrally. Information on total emoluments paid to the highest paid board member and emoluments paid to other board members will be published in due course in the annual accounts produced by each national health service trust.

  School Leavers
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number and percentage of school leavers in Wales who have gone on to further and higher education in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Participation in further and higher education has increased substantially in recent years. Our policy is to secure even greater participation rates in future years.

  The figures requested are as follows:

  School leavers entering higher or further education

  Academic year

  Number

  Percentage

  1979–80

  10,855

  24

  1980–81

  11,855

  27

  1981–82

  13,040

  29

  1982–83

  13,915

  31

  1983–84

  13,090

  30

  1984–85

  13,820

  31

  1985–86

  13,345

  31

  1986–87

  13,935

  32

  1987–88

  13,590

  34

  1988–89

  13,945

  36

  1989–90

  14,155

  40

  1990–91

  15,600

  47

  Source:

  Statistics of Education in Wales: No. 11 1986

  Statistics of Education in Wales: Schools No. 5 1991

  Statistics of Education and Training in Wales: Schools No. 1 1993.
  518
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many nursery school teachers are employed in each of the counties of Wales; and what were the figures for 1973.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The number of full-time equivalent nursery school teachers in schools in 1992 is given in the following table, together with statistics for 1976—the earliest year for which comparable figures are available.

  January 1976

  January 1992

  Clwyd

  9

  5

  Dyfed

  6

  7

  Gwent

  41

  23

  Gwynedd

  0

  0

  Mid Glamorgan

  51

  52

  Powys

  0

  0

  South Glamorgan

  29

  23

  West Glamorgan

  21

  5

  Total

  157

  115

  Nursery Education
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what future powers his Department proposes to take concerning nursery education in Wales;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the future of nursery education in Wales.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  There are no plans to alter the present basis for provision, which is at the discretion of local authorities in the case of LEA-maintained schools.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many(a) nursery schools and (b) nursery classes there are in each of the counties of Wales; and what were the comparable figures for 1973.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Information on the number of classes in nursery schools is not collected centrally. The earliest year for which comparable information on nursery schools is available is 1975–76 and 1977–78 was the earliest year in which comparable information on the number of nursery classes in primary schools was collected.

  Number of nursery schools1

  Number of nursery classes in primary schools2

  1975–76

  1991–92

  1977–78

  1991–92

  Clwyd

  4

  3

  68

  206

  Dyfed

  2

  3

  60

  77

  Gwent

  19

  11

  73

  107

  Gwynedd

  0

  0

  93

  41

  Mid Glamorgan

  21

  23

  211

  183

  Powys

  0

  0

  28

  30

  South Glamorgan

  12

  10

  56

  96

  West Glamorgan

  9

  2

  167

  195

  1 At January each year.

  2 At September each year.

  School Meals
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the number and proportion of children receiving school meals, broken down into(a) paid and (b) free in (i) primary schools, (ii) secondary schools and (iii) special schools in each year since 1987–88.
  519
  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The number and proportion or pupils in schools taking paid meals and free meals is shown in the following table.

  Paid

  Free

  Primary schools:

  1987–88

  Number

  77,267

  56,330

  Percentage

  33·8

  24·6

  1988–89

  Number

  88,126

  39,891

  Percentage

  37·6

  17·0

  1989–90

  Number

  93,274

  40,093

  Percentage

  38·6

  16·6

  1990–91

  Number

  90,514

  41,598

  Percentage

  37·3

  17·1

  1991–92

  Number

  85,907

  48,708

  Percentage

  34·9

  19·8

  Secondary schools:

  1987–88

  Number

  58,022

  30,008

  Percentage

  32·6

  16·9

  1988–89

  Number

  63,532

  17,956

  Percentage

  37·2

  10·5

  1989–90

  Number

  61,526

  16,343

  Percentage

  37·0

  9·8

  1990–91

  Number

  64,621

  16,022

  Percentage

  39·4

  9·8

  1991–92

  Number

  58,275

  19,595

  Percentage

  34·1

  11·5

  Special schools:

  1987–88

  Number

  507

  2,681

  Percentage

  15·0

  79–2

  1988–89

  Number

  1,294

  1,609

  Percentage

  38·7

  48·2

  1989–90

  Number

  1,342

  1,521

  Percentage

  41·5

  47·1

  1990–91

  Number

  1,282

  1,395

  Percentage

  41·5

  45·1

  1991–92

  Number

  1,272

  1,400

  Percentage

  40·7

  44·8

  Mr. Wicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the level of public expenditure on the school meal service in each year since 1979 in cash and real terms.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The information available is given in the following table. Information for the years 1980–81 to 1984–85 is not available on a consistent basis.

  Net current expenditure on school catering

  Cash

  Constant1991–92prices

  £ million

  £ million

  1979–80

  26·1

  60·2

  1985–86

  28·5

  40·9

  1986–87

  29·6

  41·1

  1987–88

  30·2

  39·8

  1988–89

  24–7

  30–3

  1989–90

  27·1

  31·2

  1990–91

  30·5

  32·6

  1991–92

  35·6

  35·6

  11992–93

  38·8

  37·5

  520

  1 Revised estimates.

  Beaches
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the impact of the proportion of Welsh beaches credited in the national beach awards by the Tidy Britain Group on tourism in Wales.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I am pleased that 39 beaches in Wales —over 90 per cent. of those which applied—were credited with national seaside awards by the Tidy Britain Group. This is a significant increase over the number of awards made last year and represents a substantial achievement requiring exacting standards of water quality and beach management. I am sure that these awards will provide a boost to tourism in Wales.

  Mature Students
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what financial help and support is available in Wales for mature students in full-time education; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Local education authorities in England and Wales have a duty to provide mandatory awards to students who are personally qualified and who attend designated higher education courses. All courses that attract mandatory awards also attract student loans. In certain circumstances the mandatory award provides for an extra allowance for older students.

  LEAs may also provide discretionary awards to students on non-designated courses or to those who do not qualify for mandatory awards. In addition, discretionary help may be available from other sources such as institutional access funds, a career development loan or the educational trust funds and charities.

  School Performance
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his best estimate of the cost of implementing his proposals for the publication of information on schools' and colleges' performance; and where he has published his estimate.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Decisions on the format and extent of the publication of school and college performance data this year will be taken in the light of responses to consultation currently being undertaken. Costs, when known, will be met from within sub-head F.15(1) of class XV, vote 5 of the Supply Estimates 1993–94 (HC495-XV) published on 9 March 1993.

  A copy of the consultation paper and of HC495-XV are available in the Library of the House.

  Cancer
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps the Welsh Office it taking to reduce the incidence of cancer in Gwynedd.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The prime responsibility for improving the health of the people of Gwynedd lies with the local health authorities. An action plan to reduce the incidence of cancer forms part of the local strategy for
  521
  health which I approved earlier this year. This strategy was informed by the "Protocol for Investment in Health Gain: Cancers" which was published by the Welsh Health Planning Forum in December 1990.

  Recycling
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many recycling centres are currently in operation in each county in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  This information is not held centrally. I refer my hon. Friend to the district councils, which are responsible for recycling.

  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of household waste from each county in Wales has been recycled in each year since 1984; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Information on the percentage of household waste in Wales which is recycled is not available.

  Press and Public Relations
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total amount spent by each district health authority and NHS trust in Wales on press and public relations in(a) 1989–90, (b) 1990–91 and (c) 1991–92.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Unemployment Benefit
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the annual total estimated cost of paying unemployment benefit and assuming the unemployed total, not seasonally adjusted, to be that as at April 1993.

  Mr. Redwood
  The latest available expenditure estimate, for 1990–91, was published by the Central Statistical Office in table 8·6 of the 1993 edition of Regional Trends (No. 28), which is available in the Library of the House.

TRANSPORT

  Transport Research Laboratory
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the research projects undertaken in each of the last three years by the Transport Research Laboratory and the cost of each project.

  Mr. Key
  I have placed in the Library tables listing projects undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory in 1992–93 for the Department of Transport and other public sector customers. Information for prior years in the form requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I have placed in the Library copies of the published research programmes for 1990–91 and 1991–92.

  Trunk Roads
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent in each of the last 10 years buying mineral rights for land compulsorily purchased for trunk road schemes.
  522
  Mr. Key
  I regret that this information is not held centrally and could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Ship Safety
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what controls on standards of safety his Department exercises over ships sailing under flags of convenience in British and EC waters; and how these are monitored and satisfied.

  Mr. Norris
  The United Kingdom takes a leading role within the International Maritime Organisation in developing internationally agreed safety standards and ensuring the implementation of those standards by every flag state. In addition, the United Kingdom and 14 other European countries, including all the EC coastal states, operate a co-ordinated system of inspection of foreign ships entering their ports. Each member of this system, known as the memorandum of understanding on port state control—MOU—has agreed to inspect 25 per cent. of individual ships calling at their ports. The United Kingdom has set a higher target of 30 per cent. and in recent years this has been met. It is estimated that around 85 per cent. of foreign ships entering the MOU region as a whole are inspected at least once annually. Within this system, those ships flying the flags of countries with poor safety records are, from July this year, to be selected for special attention.

  London Travelcard
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislation to ensure the continued existence of the London Travelcard; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  The Railways Bill includes provisions which will give the franchising director power to require franchisees to participate in multi-modal ticketing schemes such as the London Travelcard. The Secretary of State will give him guidance on the exercise of that power, and franchisees will then be required to participate in such ticketing arrangements in accordance with the terms of their franchise agreements. The legislation that the Government hope soon to bring forward to deregulate London bus services will give all operators the right to participate in multi-modal/multi-operator ticketing schemes on fair terms. We fully recognise the importance and value of the London Travelcard, and are actively working with all the parties concerned to see how its future can best be secured. We have made it clear that if further changes to legislation are needed to ensure the continuation of Travelcard, such changes will be incorporated in the proposed Bill.

  Traffic Accidents
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish figures showing the numbers and proportions of children in each standard region killed or injured in traffic accidents, giving the most recently available annual figures.

  Mr. Key
  The numbers and proportions of children in each standard region killed or injured in traffic accidents in 1991 are shown in the table.
  523

  Child casualties by Standard Region: Great Britain 1991

  Number/Percentage

  Killed

  All casualties

  Standard region

  Children aged 0–15

  All ages

  Children percentage of all ages

  Children aged 0–15

  All ages

  Children percentage of all ages

  Northern

  29

  287

  10·1

  2,591

  14,848

  17·5

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  34

  413

  8·2

  4,230

  26,086

  16·2

  East Midlands

  33

  410

  8·0

  3,205

  22,397

  14·3

  East Anglia

  17

  236

  7·2

  1,557

  12,927

  12·0

  Greater London

  30

  368

  8·2

  5,655

  46,578

  12·1

  Rest of South East

  56

  826

  6·8

  7,143

  59,052

  12·1

  South West

  34

  460

  7·4

  2,854

  22,515

  12·7

  West Midlands

  38

  386

  9·8

  4,303

  27,425

  15·7

  North West

  50

  468

  10·7

  6,554

  39,014

  16·8

  Wales

  19

  227

  8·4

  2,343

  15,074

  15·5

  Scotland

  43

  487

  8·8

  4,156

  25,353

  16·4

  Great Britain

  383

  4,568

  8·4

  44,591

  311,269

  14·3

  Road Safety
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he is taking to improve road safety.

  Mr. Key
  The Government have a target to reduce road casualties by one-third by the year 2000 taking the average for 1981–85 as the baseline. Our programme for achieving this was set out at length during the debate which took place on 15 May 1992. It includes a continuing programme of publicity campaigns aimed particularly at reducing the amount of drinking and driving and reducing speed in urban areas, the provision of grant to local authorities in support of highway engineering for road safety, continued negotiation of improved vehicle standards and measures to facilitate the enforcement of road traffic law.

  In the last year we have published a new "Highway Code" and a policy document on speed. The Road Traffic Act 1991 has been commenced and a major experiment established into the rehabilitation of drink-drive offenders. A record £50 million of transport supplementary grant has been allocated to local safety schemes and more than fifty 20 mph zones have now been approved.

  Provisional statistics for 1992 show that fatalities are 24 per cent. below the 1981–85 baseline and that the one-third reduction target has already been achieved for serious injuries, despite a 38 per cent. increase in traffic.

  West Wellow Bypass
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will extend their deadline date for public consultation on the alternative routes for the A36 West Wellow bypass from 12 July to 12 August.

  Mr. Norris
  The public consultation period is being extended to 13 September.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration his Department or any agencies employed by him has given to a route south of West Wellow for the A36 bypass of the village.

  Mr. Norris
  The Department has considered route options for the proposed A36 West Wellow bypass south of the existing trunk road, but rejected them on environmental grounds.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of the environmental assessments 524
  undertaken by his Department or agencies in respect of the four alternative routes known as purple, green, yellow A and yellow B for the A36 bypass of West Wellow.

  Mr. Norris
  Environmental assessments undertaken for the route options are contained in three landscape reports, an ecological appraisal and a preliminary appraisal report. They are available for inspection at the public exhibitions currently being held in West Wellow.

  Motor Vehicles
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the percentage annual change in road use by motorised vehicles in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Key
  The annual percentage change in road use by motorised vehicles in each year since 1979 is given in the table.

  All motor vehicle traffic in Great Britain

  Year

  All motor vehicle traffic

  (Billion vehicle Km)

  Percentage change on previous year

  1978

  256·49

  —

  1979

  255·87

  -0·2

  1980

  271·93

  6·3

  1981

  276·90

  1·8

  1982

  284·46

  2·7

  1983

  288·06

  1·3

  1984

  303·09

  5·2

  1985

  309·67

  2·2

  1986

  325·30

  5·0

  1987

  350·46

  7·8

  1988

  375·70

  7·2

  1989

  406·88

  8·3

  1990

  410·84

  1·0

  1991

  411·58

  0·2

  11992

  404·60

  -1·7

  1 Provisional estimate.

  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the number of licensed motor vehicles on the roads(a) in 1983 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Key
  The information requested was published recently by HMSO in "Vehicle Licensing Statistics 1992". This shows that the total number of motor vehicles licensed in Great Britain as at 31 December 1983 were
  525
  20,209,000. As at 31 December 1992, the latest year available, the number of licensed motor vehicles had increased by 23 per cent. to 24,851,000.

  Trunk Roads
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provision has been made for expenditure on trunk roads in each of the next three years.

  Mr. Key
  The provision for expenditure on trunk roads in England is £2,092 million in 1993–94, £2,151 million in 1994–95 and £2,059 million in 1995–96.

  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the total number of jobs involved in current highway projects on the trunk road network.

  Mr. Key
  Some 50 new construction schemes are under construction and many major maintenance projects are under way on the English trunk road network. The number of jobs on these sites varies from day to day. In addition, there are people working in the industries supplying aggregates, steel, communications equipment, and other materials. On the basis of comments by independent bodies, it is estimated that, each £30,000 of capital expenditure directly supports one job. On this basis, the £1,932 million we plan to spend on new construction and capital maintenance in 1993–94 will directly support 60,000 to 70,000 jobs, and a good many more besides in supplying industries.

  London Underground
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has for the relief of traffic congestion on London Underground;

  (2) what proposals he has to reduce passenger overcrowding on the London Underground.

  Mr. Norris
  London Transport and London Underground Ltd. are responsible for the management of the underground system, including decisions on measures to relieve overcrowding and congestion. Such measures currently include both improvements to the existing network such as the £750 million modernisation of the Central line and the £28 million modernisation of Bank/Monument station, and plans for new lines, notably the Jubilee line extension and crossrail.

  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much central Government expenditure is allocated to improving safety standards on the London Underground.

  Mr. Norris
  The Government provide a block grant to London Transport—LT—as a whole. We do not allocate specific amounts either to London Underground Ltd—LUL—or to expenditure on improving safety standards. Decisions on such matters are taken by LT and LUL.

  Light Rail Projects
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many light rail projects are planned in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Freeman
  Local authorities are primarily respon-sible for initiating light rail projects, and I am aware of 526
  around 30 that are planning or considering such projects for their area. These are in addition to the schemes towards which the Government has provided resources, the Manchester Metrolink scheme, which opened last year, and the South Yorkshire Supertram scheme, which is under construction and the first phase of which is due to open in early 1994. The Government have also provided funds towards the development of the Midland Metro scheme.

  Wheel Clamping
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of wheel clamping on levels of illegal parking.

  Mr. Key
  Research carried out by the Road Research Laboratory indicates that wheel clamping on public roads significantly increases the degree of compliance with parking regulations, which in turn allows traffic to flow more freely.

  Carbon Dioxide Emissions
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from motor vehicles in order to help fulfil the commitments the Government gave at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

  Mr. Key
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. Friend to the hon. Members for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) and for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Mr. Miller) on 24 May,Official Report, columns 417–18.

  Birmingham Relief Road
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications for the tolling design of the Birmingham northern relief road of "Paying for Better Motorways", Cm. 2200.

  Mr. Key
  "Paying for Better Motorways" makes it clear that no decisions have been taken on whether to charge directly for the use of existing motorways. Legislation would be required for any form of charging. We see no need to revise the current plans for the Birmingham northern relief road. The private sector has already taken on responsibility for costs and risks associated with the scheme.

  Road Surfaces
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made, in respect of each stretch of motorway and trunk road, of the likelihood of the road surface being damaged by hot weather; and, in respect of each, what repairs will be carried out and when.

  Mr. Key
  The standards and specifications used by the Department of Transport for the design and construction of all motorways and trunk roads make due allowance for the effect of hot weather. However, damage does sometimes occur in exceptional circumstances. In addition to normal monitoring, during periods of unusual weather conditions extra monitoring is undertaken. Problems are rectified as quickly as possible and in such a way as to cause minimum inconvenience to road users.
  527
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost of repair in respect of each stretch of motorway and trunk road of repairing damage caused, or likely to be caused, by defective concrete and reinforced steel construction; and what plans he has to undertake repair work to ensure minimum disruption to motorists.

  Mr. Key
  The Department of Transport spends some, £16 million each year on the rehabilitation of concrete roads. This is mainly to rectify the effects of many years of wear and tear from heavy traffic; only a very small proportion of the work is to remedy defective materials and workmanship. Concrete roads are regularly inspected and any necessary repair work is carefully planned and co-ordinated to ensure minimum disruption to road users, by working at night, for example.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which stretches of(a) motorway and (b) trunk road, with the number of miles in each case, have been constructed with concrete and reinforced steel.

  Mr. Key
  Of the 250 miles of motorway with a concrete surface, about 65 miles are reinforced with steel. For all-purpose trunk roads, there are 210 miles of which 80 are reinforced. Many roads have concrete as part of the pavement but have a blacktop surface. Taking these into account, approximately 20 per cent. of motorways and 8 per cent. of all-purpose trunk roads have concrete as a part of the structural pavement layers. Roads with long— above 10 miles, but not necessarily continuous—lengths of concrete carriageway are:

  Lengths (miles)

  M20 in Kent

  38

  M40 in Oxfordshire/Warwickshire

  38

  M 11 in Essex

  30

  Al2 in Essex

  29

  M25 in Surrey

  22

  M42 in Warwickshire

  19

  M27 in Hampshire

  16

  A1 in Nottinghamshire

  16

  M5 in Somerset

  15

  M6 in Lancashire

  13

  A45 in Suffolk

  13

  M2 in Kent

  12

  M25 in Essex

  12

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give full details of the design specification required of contractors who(a) build and (b) repair roads; and what plans he has to review the specification required of the tenderer.

  Mr. Key
  Contractors involved in the construction and repair of the Department's roads are required to carry out their work in accordance with the specification for highway works which forms part of the manual of contract documents for highway works. The content is subject to continual review with the publication of an update approximately annually. Designs for road construction are based on standards set out in the design manual for roads and bridges. Copies of both documents are being made available in the Library of the House.

  MV Tigris
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what response he has received from the Greek authorities in respect of representations made to them by his Department regarding the alleged dumping of coal residue in international waters west of Foula in 1992, by the MV Tigris; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  The response from the Greek authorities received last month states that the competent Greek authorities have investigated the matter and questioned the master of the vessel. He confirmed that:

  a. MV Tigris was on 13 May 1992 and at 1445 GMT in the position mentioned and the Captain was on the bridge;

  b. A crew member was on the starboard side where he was piling coal dust after a clean up of the hold of the ship;

  c. Competent officers under Captain's orders ensured that remainders of cargo were not shovelled into the sea;

  d. The Captain issued the order since the vessel was in a Special Area;

  e. The crew member on the starboard side did not shovel coal dust over the side of the vessel.

  The Greek authorities did not impose a penalty.

  We remain concerned about this matter and are considering how to take it further.

  Cyprus Turkish Airlines
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to prevent the traffic of Cyprus Turkish Airlines between Stansted and Heathrow.

  Mr. Norris
  [ holding answer 14 June 1993]: If Cyprus Turkish Airlines were to fly to or from the United Kingdom they would require the permission of the Secretary of State under article 88 of the Air Navigation Order 1989. It is an offence to operate without this and an airline would be liable to prosecution.

  No applications have been received from Cyprus Turkish Airlines.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Poverty Passports
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if Her Majesty's Government support the proposal by the President of the European Commission for the issue of poverty passports to enable disadvantaged EC citizens to claim a range of benefits in order to lift them out of poverty; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hague
  Disadvantage takes different forms in different countries and, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, it is accepted that action lies primarily with member states. Community-wide "poverty passports" would not, therefore, be appropriate. Mechanisms already exist to deal with the portability of benefits between member states.

  War Pensioners
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what recent changes there have been to the treatment allowance available to war pensioners suffering from chronic illnesses; and how much was spent on treatment allowances for pensioners in 1991, 1992 and in 1993 to date.
  529
  Mr. Hague
  Treatment allowance, which in effect brings a war pension up to the 100 per cent. rate, is payable where the pensioner is receiving treatment, in hospital or elsewhere, for his war-pensioned disablement. Legislation has been amended recently so that, from 12 April 1993, new awards of treatment allowance will be made only when the war pensioner incurs a loss of earnings as a result of the treatment. The Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions was consulted about this change.

  Information on expenditure on treatment allowance is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Retirement Pensions
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of(a) men and (b) women in the latest year for which figures are available reached retirement age with entitlement to (i) the full basic state pension, (ii) some state earnings-related pension or additional pension, (iii) an occupational pension and (iv) a personal pension.

  Mr. Hague
  The information is not available in the form requested.

  The available information regarding recipients of basic retirement pension and additional pension resident in Great Britain at 30 September 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, is in the table.

  Men aged 65 1Per cent.

  Women aged 60 1Per cent.

  Full category A retirement pension

  68·0

  16·0

  Full category B retirement pension (widow/widower).

  —

  1·5

  Full category B retirement pension (married women)2

  n/a

  7·5

  Notional additional pension3

  71·5

  32·0

  1 Figures expressed as percentages of the 1991 based population projections for mid-1992 rounded to the nearest 0·5 per cent. The following main categories of benefit recipients are not shown in the table:

  People receiving pension at less than the full rate;

  Women receiving pension partly on their own and partly on their husband's contributions;

  People receiving invalidity benefit post-pensionable age.

  2 The standard rate of category B retirement pension payable to a married woman is approximately 60 per cent. of the full category A rate.

  3 The figures relate to notional entitlement to additional pension with retirement pension prior to any contracted-out deduction in respect of guaranteed minimum pension or protected rights payment arising from membership of a contracted-out pension scheme or a personal pension scheme used in place of the additional pension. The numbers therefore include cases where only guaranteed minimum pension or protected rights is in payment.

  In 1989, the most recent year for which figures are available, it is estimated that 66 per cent. of men aged 65 to 69, and 36 per cent. of women aged 60 to 64, had entitlement to some occupational pension. Information on numbers of men and women reaching retirement age with a personal pension is not available.

  Income Support
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the cost in a full year of restoring income support entitlement to those aged 16 and 17 years.
  530
  Mr. Burt
  Information is not available to calculate the cost of restoring entitlement to income support for 16 and 17-year-olds.

  Copenhagen Conference
  Ms Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the level of British Government participation in the conference in Copenhagen organised by the Danish EC presidency on 3 and 4 June, entitled, "Fighting Against Social Exclusion—A Challenge to the 1990s"; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hague
  The British Government was represented at this conference by two officials from the policy group in the Department.

  Disability Benefits
  Mr. Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many claims have been received to date by his Department for(a) compensation, (b) an ex-gratia payment or (c) both from people who claimed disability living allowance, attendance allowance or mobility allowance on or after 3 February 1992; how many in each category were (i) accepted or (ii) refused; and what is the total cost to his Department for such payments over this period;

  (2) how many people are expected to receive a special compensatory payment under the special arrangements for people who claimed disability living allowance, attendance allowance or mobility allowance on or after 3 February 1992 in total; how many of those will receive (a) £10, (b) £20, (c) £30, (d) £40, (e) £50, (f) £60, (g) £70 and (h) over £70 compensation; and what is the expected overall cost to his Department;

  (3) how many people whose attendance allowance or mobility allowance (a) came up for renewal or (b) was being reviewed on or after 3 February 1992 experienced interruption in their benefit for a period exceeding three months; and how many of these have been awarded compensation;

  (4) how many people who claimed disability living allowance, attendance allowance or mobility allowance between 3 February 1992 and 31 March 1993 would have been eligible for compensation had the new compensation arrangements linking the scheme to Benefits Agency performance targets been brought into effect from 3 February 1992.

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

  Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Keith Bradley, dated 14 June 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 Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about compensation and ex gratia payments for people who have claimed Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance (AA) and Mobility Allowance (MobA). I will deal with each of your points in turn.

  Firstly, I should explain the effect of the revised arrangements and special retrospective scheme, which was recently announced.
  531
  Until 1 April 1993, compensation, for delays in payment of benefit, is only considered when the delay in payment of benefit in new claims was at least 12 months. The delay had to have been caused by official error and the arrears of benefit had to be £50 or more.

  From 1 April 1993, the date from which compensation may be paid has been brought forward, whilst the other criteria remain the same. Compensation will be considered where a payment of benefit is delayed for 6 months beyond the target set for clearing the bulk of claims.

  In recognition that this improvement will be too late for people who claimed DLA last year and suffered unacceptable delay due to the exceptional problems following its introduction, a special compensatory payment will be made.

  This will apply to those people who made a claim to DLA, or MobA on or after 3 February 1992, were paid before 1 April 1993 and suffered a delay in the payment of benefit of more than 8 months. Payment will be made at the rate of £10 per month for each month in excess of this 8 month period.

  The number of people who have received payments of compensation for late payment of benefit on or after 3 February, having claimed DLA, AA or MobA, is 186 at a cost of £25,779·84. The number of people who have received an ex gratia payment, made in respect of, for example, telephone bills is 162 at a cost of £9,316·96. These numbers will however include claims to benefit made prior to 3 February 1992. In the same period 129 people were refused a compensation payment and 74 people were refused an ex gratia payment. We have no record of people who claimed both. These figures are provisional and may be subject to amendment.

  It is not possible to predict how many people will receive each of the amounts you quoted by way of special compensatory payments. It is anticipated that some 80,000 to 90,000 people will benefit from the scheme at a cost of around £3 million.

  Arrangements for compensation for those people who have experienced an interruption in the payment of their benefit exceeding three months remain the same. These people would originally have made a claim to AA or MobA, which at renewal would have been paid as one of the components of DLA. Since 3 February 1992, 141 people experienced an interruption of this duration or more and have received a payment of compensation. The amount of compensation paid is £5,204·43. These figures are provisional and may be subject to amendment.

  Requests for review are not subject to this three-month period, which applies to interruptions in payment. They are subject to the same period as new claims.

  The information on how many people would have been eligible for compensation, had the new arrangements been brought into effect from 3 February 1992, is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However these claims would have been subject to consideration of a payment of compensation where payment of benefit had been delayed for six months beyond the target date set for clearing the bulk of claims. In addition, the delay would have to have been caused by official error and the arrears of benefit would have had to be £50 or more.

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

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were claiming sickness or invalidity benefit in each month in each of the last three years(a) in the area covered by the Wales area directorate and (b) in each of the districts in Wales.

  Mr. Scott
  The administration of sickness benefit and invalidity benefit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.

  Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Nick Ainger, dated 14 June 1993:
  532
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many people were claiming Sickness or Invalidity Benefit in each month in each of the last three years (a) in the area covered by the Wales Area Directorate and (b) in each of the districts in Wales.

  The information has been obtained in the format requested. The statistics for the number of people claiming Sickness or Invalidity Benefit at the last working day of each month of the last three years in the area covered by the Wales Area Directorate (Wales as part of the former Wales and South West Region prior to April 1991) are provided on the table. The statistics for each of the districts in Wales are provided on appendix 1.

  Last working day of

  Number of people claiming in- validity be-nefit (IVB)

  Number of people claiming sickness be-nefit (SB)

  Total number of people claiming SB and IVB

  April 1990

  1—

  1—

  171,767

  May 1990

  1—

  1—

  171,716

  June 1990

  1—

  1—

  171,644

  July 1990

  1—

  1—

  173,030

  August 1990

  1—

  1—

  173,258

  September 1990

  1—

  1—

  173,387

  October 1990

  1—

  1—

  174,612

  November 1990

  1—

  1—

  175,662

  December 1990

  1—

  1—

  176,918

  January 1991

  1—

  1—

  178,524

  February 1991

  1—

  1—

  179,758

  March 1991

  1—

  1—

  180,456

  April 1991

  1—

  1—

  182,037

  May 1991

  148,915

  32,381

  181,296

  June 1991

  150,016

  32,808

  182,824

  July 1991

  150,676

  33,699

  184,375

  August 1991

  151,462

  34,563

  186,025

  September 1991

  152,129

  34,374

  186,503

  October 1991

  153,838

  33,982

  187,820

  November 1991

  154,320

  34,367

  188,687

  December 1991

  156,002

  34,218

  190,220

  January 1992

  156,984

  35,215

  192,199

  February 1992

  158,327

  35,309

  193,636

  March 1992

  159,225

  36,187

  195,412

  April 1992

  159,836

  35,951

  195,787

  May 1992

  160,937

  36,101

  197,038

  June 1992

  162,174

  36,754

  198,928

  July 1992

  162,668

  37,469

  200,137

  August 1992

  164,479

  36,862

  201,341

  September 1992

  165,462

  37,559

  203,021

  October 1992

  167,218

  38,969

  206,187

  November 1992

  168,443

  39,654

  208,097

  December 1992

  169,737

  40,929

  210,666

  January 1993

  170,369

  40,807

  211,176

  February 1993

  171,761

  41,729

  213,490

  March 1993

  173,066

  41,679

  214,745

  1 Note SB and IVB claimants were counted together up to April 1991.

  It should also be noted that the figures include customers who may have claimed Sickness Benefit and Invalidity Benefit but who may not be in receipt of the benefit. These cases will be "credits only" cases where the person is registered sick and receiving National Insurance credits, also cases where termination action has not been completed. The figures are based on a 100 per cent. clerical count of cases in the local office and are therefore subject to amendment.

  I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
  533

  Appendix 1

  April 1990 to March 1991

  District

  April

  May

  June

  July

  August

  September

  October

  November

  December

  January

  February

  March

  Gwyneddigion

  9,364

  9,368

  9,425

  9,458

  9,459

  9,560

  9,677

  9,816

  9,901

  9,900

  10,193

  10,078

  Mid Wales and Maelor

  8,896

  8,847

  9,005

  9,004

  9,062

  9,197

  9,246

  9,440

  9,492

  9,623

  9,881

  9,895

  Cynon Merthyr and Rhymney Valley

  22,107

  22,000

  21,785

  22,095

  22,188

  22,225

  22,437

  22,465

  22,725

  22,852

  23,263

  23,412

  South Glamorgan

  16,136

  16,091

  16,123

  16,620

  16,675

  16,472

  16,550

  16,604

  16,826

  17,085

  17,138

  17,252

  West Wales

  18,422

  18,376

  18,526

  18,676

  18,660

  18,589

  18,606

  18,879

  19,100

  19,489

  19,435

  19,803

  Swansea

  15,965

  16,042

  16,034

  16,189

  16,285

  16,306

  16,360

  16,421

  16,559

  16,672

  16,774

  17,003

  North Wales Coast

  12,002

  11,970

  12,094

  12,188

  12,311

  12,302

  12,463

  12,521

  12,534

  12,879

  12,968

  12,922

  Ogwr Afan Nedd

  21,370

  21,704

  21,214

  21,329

  21,253

  21,617

  21,690

  21,995

  22,179

  21,789

  22,346

  22,456

  Taff Rhondda

  17,380

  17,354

  17,367

  17,460

  17,429

  17,482

  17,520

  17,623

  17,636

  18,146

  18,040

  17,911

  South Gwent and Islwyn

  13,995

  14,098

  14,446

  14,455

  14,408

  14,226

  14,181

  14,197

  14,158

  13,992

  13,571

  13,621

  North Gwent and Brecon

  16,130

  15,866

  15,625

  15,556

  15,528

  15,411

  15,882

  15,701

  15,808

  16,177

  16,149

  16,103

  April 1991 to March 1992

  District

  April

  May

  June

  July

  August

  September

  October

  November

  December

  January

  February

  March

  Gwyneddigion

  10,275

  10,204

  10,416

  10,386

  10,434

  10,553

  10,761

  10,855

  10,931

  11,055

  11,237

  11,321

  Mid Wales and Maelor

  9,901

  9,818

  9,869

  9,992

  10,067

  10,208

  10,224

  10,369

  10,422

  10,457

  10,714

  10,854

  Cynon Merthyr and Rhymney Valley

  23,427

  23,495

  23,967

  23,895

  24,417

  24,373

  24,695

  24,569

  24,460

  24,521

  25,191

  25,358

  South Glamorgan

  17,605

  17,378

  17,188

  17,493

  17,512

  17,595

  17,607

  17,823

  17,931

  18,262

  18,229

  18,513

  West Wales

  20,017

  19,672

  19,751

  19,494

  19,951

  19,973

  20,127

  20,365

  20,535

  20,728

  20,880

  20,988

  Swansea

  17,127

  17,231

  17,419

  17,614

  17,656

  17,744

  17,854

  17,958

  17,985

  18,202

  18,242

  18,518

  North Wales Coast

  13,010

  13,149

  13,250

  13,375

  13,532

  13,694

  13,862

  13,912

  14,070

  14,103

  14,273

  14,329

  Ogwr Afan Nedd

  22,600

  22,007

  22,329

  22,798

  22,913

  22,800

  22,620

  22,849

  23,201

  23,533

  23,458

  23,860

  Taff Rhondda

  18,068

  18,244

  18,180

  18,321

  18,468

  18,311

  18,637

  18,635

  18,925

  19,259

  19,276

  19,210

  South Gwent and Islwyn

  13,779

  13,687

  13,924

  14,164

  14,178

  14,119

  14,261

  14,413

  14,996

  15,117

  14,688

  14,977

  North Gwent and Brecon

  16,228

  16,411

  16,531

  16,843

  16,897

  17,133

  17,173

  16,939

  17,185

  17,421

  17,448

  17,484

  April 1992 to March 1993

  District

  April

  May

  June

  July

  August

  September

  October

  November

  December

  January

  February

  March

  Gwyneddigion

  11,003

  11,250

  11,164

  11,255

  11,310

  11,571

  11,666

  11,747

  11,961

  11,978

  12,111

  12,421

  Mid Wales and Maelor

  11,069

  11,153

  10,831

  11,534

  11,625

  11,653

  11,851

  12,143

  12,295

  12,167

  12,271

  12,197

  Cynon Merthyr and Rhymney Valley

  25,387

  25,998

  25,993

  26,051

  25,917

  26,191

  27,035

  27,478

  27,672

  28,041

  28,258

  28,111

  South Glamorgan

  18,613

  18,598

  18,857

  19,063

  19,260

  19,453

  19,539

  19,807

  19,977

  20,172

  20,318

  20,478

  West Wales

  21,389

  21,340

  21,506

  21,635

  21,874

  22,062

  22,346

  22,341

  22,779

  22,705

  23,188

  23,080

  Swansea

  18,862

  19,057

  19,185

  19,236

  19,420

  19,748

  19,869

  20,006

  20,215

  20,389

  20,655

  20,818

  North Wales Coast

  14,467

  14,543

  14,561

  14,784

  14,859

  14,996

  14,996

  14,996

  15,534

  15,560

  15,560

  15,853

  Ogwr Afan Nedd

  23,648

  23,731

  23,997

  23,338

  23,392

  23,354

  24,442

  24,705

  25,121

  24,786

  24,957

  25,532

  Taff Rhondda

  19,188

  19,105

  19,305

  19,782

  19,955

  20,040

  19,899

  19,944

  20,279

  20,533

  20,579

  20,953

  South Gwent and Islwyn

  15,150

  15,248

  15,554

  15,446

  15,501

  15,458

  15,804

  16,025

  15,941

  16,184

  16,284

  16,387

  North Gwent and Brecon

  17,011

  17,015

  17,975

  18,013

  18,228

  18,504

  18,748

  18,913

  18,892

  18,661

  19,309

  18,915

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in Wales received(a) sickness benefit and (b) invalidity benefit in (i) March 1990 and (ii) March 1993.

  Mr. Scott
  The administration of sickness and invalidity benefit 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 Michael Bichard to Mr. Barry Jones, dated 14 June 1993:

  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many people in Wales received (a) sickness benefit and (b) invalidity benefit in (i) March 1990 and (ii) March 1993.
  534
  Figures are not yet available showing the number of recipients of Invalidity Benefit (IVB) and Sickness Benefit (SB) in Wales in March 1993. However, I am able to tell you that as at 30 March 1990 10,300 people in Wales were in receipt of SB and 137,500 people were in receipt of IVB.

  This information has been obtained from a one per cent sample of claimants.

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

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Performance Targets
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people working in public services now have their remuneration linked to performance targets as a result of the citizens charter programme.
  535
  Mr. David Davis
  Information on the number of public servants with their remuneration linked to performance targets is not held centrally.

  As the citizens charter first report: 1992 (Cm 2101) explained, performance-related pay is progressively becoming established as a feature of public sector pay schemes. Performance pay schemes cover half a million civil servants; discretionary allowances are available for primary school teachers; 40 per cent. of local authorities have performance-related pay schemes; London Underground managers have a proportion of their pay linked to performance; quality of service affects London Executive Board members' pay by up to 35 per cent.; and British Rail's performance against quality of service objectives affects all executive board members' pay by up to 20 per cent.

ENVIRONMENT

  Environment Summit
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the events, and give full details, scheduled to take place at the environment summit in Manchester in September which specifically involve children; and on what basis children will be invited to participate.

  Mr. Yeo
  The children's environment summit will be held in Manchester on Saturday 18 September. The children attending will be invited to put forward ideas for a long-term environmental initiative.

  A competition will be launched later this month to select 60 children aged between eight and 15 to participate.

  Climate Change
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the organisations which responded to his departmental consultation document on climate change; and what action he has taken in response to the comments received.

  Mr. Yeo
  We received more than 250 responses to the discussion document: "Climate Change—Our National Programme for CO2 Emissions." A list of the respondents has been placed in the Library of the House. Copies of all the responses have been placed in the library of my Department. They have all been read very carefully and will be taken into account in finalising the national CO2 programme. The programme will be published later this year.

  Council Tax Registers
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those public utilities, organisations or companies which currently have direct access to council tax registers.

  Mr. Baldry
  None of these bodies has rights of access to information about the state of a council tax valuation list going beyond those available to all persons under section 28 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to extend the scope of access to council tax registers; and if he will make a statement.
  536
  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend has no plans to extend access to information in council tax valuation lists.

  Homeless Elderly
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the night shelters or hostels within the Greater London area that are specifically allocated for use by homeless elderly people within the Greater London area.

  Mr. Baldry
  This information is not held centrally, although the Department part-funds resource information services to publish an annual London hostels directory, which lists hostel accommodation in London. The entry for each hostel shows, inter alia, any age restrictions on residents. I am placing copies of the directory in the Library.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what survey has been undertaken by his Department on the welfare of elderly homeless people sleeping rough in London during the first three months of 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Department has not undertaken such a survey. The age breakdown of people sleeping rough in central London is given in the report of independent research into the effectiveness of the rough sleepers initiative, commissioned by the Department from Geoffrey Randall and Susan Brown, entitled "The Rough Sleepers Initiative: an Evaluation", published in January 1993. Copies of this report are in the Library.

  Landfill Management
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to examine the issue of criminal liability of private sector companies which take over the management of local authority landfill sites under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the Water Act 1989, which then cause pollution as a direct result of waste deposited in the past.

  Mr. Yeo
  We have no plans to examine the issue of criminal liability in these circumstances.

  However, my right hon. and learned Friend the then Secretary of State announced on 24 March 1993 at column 633 a wide-ranging review by an interdepartmental group of officials, under the chairmanship of his Department, of the problems associated with contaminative uses of land. Among the issues to be covered by this review will be civil liability for contamination.

  Mobile Home Owners
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to amend the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 to extend compensation payable under it to mobile home owners affected by motorways completed in the last 10 years.

  Mr. Baldry
  Under a provision inserted by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport intends later this year to make regulations enabling highway authorities to make payments to the owners of mobile homes which are affected by a specified level of noise arising from the construction or use of new or altered roads. The powers
  537
  apply only to cases where the works giving rise to noise came into use no earlier than 12 months before commencement of the provision. The regulations which my right hon. Friend proposes to make will accordingly apply to new or altered road schemes which first came into use on or after 25 September 1990. We are not persuaded of the case for any extension in the scope of the powers.

  Water Prices
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the heads of the regional water companies to discuss the basis for water price structure; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  My right hon. Friend's predecessors have from time to time met chairmen of the water companies. The basis for restrictions on water charges is set out in the water companies' instruments of appointment, compendia of which are available in the Library. Under the Water Industry Act 1991, the Director General of Water Services has the duty to set limits to the prices companies may charge. The director general has published a number of consultation papers concerning his approach to setting price limits at the first full review in 1994 which will take effect from 1 April 1995. Under section 2 of the Water Industry Act 1991, the director general must enable companies to obtain the funds to finance their duties while protecting the interests of their customers.

  Radon Gas
  Sir Roger Moate
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what grants are available to help househol-ders pay the cost of remedial work in their homes to prevent contamination by radon gas; how many grants he estimates have been made; and how many houses are estimated to be at risk.

  Mr. Yeo
  Local authorities have powers under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to award discretionary renovation grants to help home owners with radon remedial measures. Information on the number of grants given for this purpose is not collected by the Department. The National Radiological Protection Board estimates that 100,000 houses are above the Government action level.

  Company Relocations, Merseyside
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many companies from outside Merseyside have relocated within the Merseyside development corporation area since 1991.

  Mr. Baldry
  A recent survey carried out on behalf of MDC has indicated that approximately 200 companies have been established within MDC's area since 1991. Ten of these companies moved into MDC owned premises from outside Merseyside. In addition, there have been relocations by three Government organisations into the MDC area.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the cost to Government of relocating companies to the Merseyside development corporation area since 1991.

  Mr. Baldry
  It is not possible to put a figure on cost to Government in relocating companies to the MDC area 538
  since 1991 as much of the information is commercial in confidence. However, since 1991 MDC has given grant assistance of more than £3 million to companies within MDC's area, thereby creating or retaining jobs.

  Red List Substances
  Mr. Garrett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the United Kingdom input figures, and their dates, for each of the 23 red list substances, which are to be used as the baseline for the Government's commitment to reduce riverine, estuarial and direct coastal aqueous discharges to the sea by 50 per cent.; and if he will disaggregate inputs of each substance to the North sea and other coastal waters of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Yeo
  The available information is contained in "The Implementation of the Ministerial Declaration of the Second International Conference on the Protection of the North Sea," published by my Department in February 1990, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Discharges of red list substances in Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.

  Mr. Garrett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest available figures relating to riverine, estuarial and direct coastal discharges of the red list substances; and what are their dates, disaggregating the data to provide input figures of each substance to the North sea and other coastal waters of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Yeo
  The latest available information is contained in "Controlling the Inputs of Persistent Chemicals to Marine Waters from Land-Based Sources", a paper by the chief scientist of the National Rivers Authority given to the British Association for the Advancement of Science at its Southampton meeting in August 1992. A copy of this is in the Library of the House. Discharges of red list substances in Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.

  Forestry
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the Government will publish their response to the Environment Select Committee's first report of the current Session on "Foresty and the Environment"; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  The Government are today publishing their response to the Environment Select Committee's report on "Forestry and the Environment". We welcome the Committee's report as a valuable contribution to the debate on this important topic.

  The Government welcome the Committee's recognition of the important role of forestry in meeting a wide range of environmental, economic and social objectives. The Government also welcome the Committee's support for the continued expansion of forestry cover.

  In taking forward the relevant policies, the aim of the Government is to ensure that encouragement of increased woodland cover complements the goal of conserving and enhancing the environment. The statement published by the Forestry Commission on behalf of forestry Ministers

  539
  in September 1991 set out the broad policy framework: the present response to the Committee's report highlights various developments which have occurred since then. These include the publication of additional environmental guidelines with which applicants for the woodland grant scheme have to comply, the publication last year of guidance to local authorities on the preparation of indicative forestry strategies to assist landowners and others drawing up new planting schemes, and provision by the Forestry Commission of a public register of grant applications io improve the public's awareness of forestry planting proposals.

  In the wider policy context, the response confirms the Government's commitment to publish by the end of this year a national plan for implementing the statement of forest principles agreed last year at the Earth summit in Rio de Janiero. The Forestry Commission is co-ordinating the preparation of this plan, and will seek the views of non-governmental organisations before it is completed. The plan will set out the arrangements for implementing forestry policy, including the delivery of multiple objectives in forests throughout the United Kingdom.

  The response points to the Government's current review of the effectiveness of existing incentives for forestry investment and options for the ownership and management of the Forestry Commission's woodlands with a view to possible changes which would improve the effectiveness of the delivery of the Government's forestry policy objectives.

  The response announces the Government's intention to review existing consultation arrangements for planting and felling proposals; and it confirms that a review of current procedures to maintain public access where appropriate to forests and woodlands sold by the Forestry Commission as part of its disposals programme will take place later this year.

  The response also announces the Forestry Commission's intention to devote a greater proportion of its resources to the community and national forest initiatives, and to undertake a study of the extent of neglected and derelict woodlands with a view to making recommendations on any additional action required.

  Copies of the Government response are being laid before the House and will be available in the Library.

  Displaced Persons
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give details of the special financial assistance to be given to local authorities in respect of displaced persons from the former Yugoslavia and unaccompanied refugee and asylum-seeking children.

  Mr. Curry
  Financial assistance is to be given to local authorities under two special grant schemes. Details are contained in "Special Grant Report (No. 8)" which has been laid before the House of Commons for approval. These two grant schemes will provide support to those authorities which are most affected by the influx of displaced persons from the former Yugoslavia and by the pressure on local services caused by the arrival at major ports of entry of refugee and asylum-seeking children from other parts of the world.

  Local Government Staff Commission
  Mr. Tredinnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to issue policy guidance to the Local Government Staff Commission (England).

  Mr. Baldry
  I am placing in the Library a copy of the policy guidance which we are issuing to the Local Government Staff Commission (England).

  The Government recognise the anxieties which many local authority staff have about their future when reorganisation of local government in the shire counties takes place over the next few years.

  We are keen to ensure that the staff commission looks carefully at all the staff issues involved. The policy guidance provides a framework for the commission to consider the complex arrangements relating to staff which will need to be resolved by local authorities.

  The commission will focus specifically on mechanisms for staff transfer to, and recruitment by, the new authorities, and on the scope for any prior consideration arrangements for staff whose posts are lost in reorganisation.

  Over the coming months, the staff commission will be talking extensively to local governments at all levels: the local authority associations, individual local authorities directly affected—their staff and their representatives—and listening to their views and concerns.

  Compulsory Competitive Tendering
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to introduce a de minimis threshold to exempt smaller local authorities from compulsory competitive tendering for construction-related and corporate services.

  Mr. Curry
  Competition provides many benefits to local authorities: better managed services, higher quality work and significant financial savings. However, the Government recognise that CCT involves additional administrative requirements, which need to be taken into account.

  For this reason we introduced de-minimis thresholds for the services subject to CCT under the Local Government Planning and Land Act 1980 and the Local Government Act 1988. Where the amount of work falls below these thresholds, authorities are not obliged to seek competitive tenders—though they can do so voluntarily if they wish.

  During our joint discussions on the implementation of white-collar CCT, local authority representatives have proposed that de-minimis thresholds should similarly be adopted for professional and corporate services.

  I have considered these comments, and accept the principle. I have asked my officials to discuss with local authority representatives the appropriate form and amounts of the thresholds which will achieve broadly the same objectives as those thresholds already in place for manual services. I have also accepted the argument that a local authority needs a satisfactory staffing level to perform adequately the core client roles which may not be suitable for competitive tendering.

  White collar CCT covers a range of different services. The deminimis thresholds adopted will need to reflect these differences. For some services, a threshold based on the total value of the service may be appropriate, for others

  541
  one based on the number of staff employed, or a combination of the two, may better meet authorities' needs. I am anxious that we consider all options.

  I will make further announcements on the proposed thresholds for individual services in due course.

  As with the existing services, local authorities will of course be free to tender services below threshold levels voluntarily. Authorities should take every opportunity to improve services and reduce costs through market testing.

  Meantime, I hope this early announcement about the decision in principle to adopt deminimis thresholds for the white collar services will be helpful to local authorities.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of the written submission appeals submitted by Castle Point borough council, Harlow district council and Gloucestershire county council against his proposed cap of their budgets.

  Mr. Baldry
  I have today placed copies of these documents in the Library.

  Executive Bodies
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment to whom each executive non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department is statutorily or legally responsible; and which such bodies are subject to(a) surcharge, (b) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (c) scrutiny by the Audit Commission or National Audit Office, (d) the statutory provisions for open Government which apply to local authorities, (e) performance indicators, and (f) any provisions under the citizens charters.

  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 10 June 1993]: The Department of the Environment currently sponsors 29 executive non-departmental public bodies, details of which are in "Public Bodies" and the Department's 1993 annual report (Cm. 2207). The functions and responsibilities of each non-departmental public body are specified in its founding legislation. I appoint and specify the terms of service of the members of the board of each non-departmental public body and am responsible for non-departmental public bodies' use of resources and the general framework within which they are required to operate. The chief executive of most non-departmental public bodies is designated as the non-departmental public body's accounting officer and, together with the departmental accounting officer, is liable to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to account for the use of public funds.

  (a) The concept of surcharge as used in the Local Government Finance Act 1982 applies only to local authorities.

  (b) The non-departmental public bodies subject to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration are:

  Commission for the New Towns (excluding housing functions)

  Countryside Commission

  Housing Corporation

  Local Government Commission

  London Residuary Body

  National Rivers Authority (excluding flood defence functions)

  542

  Nature Conservancy Council for England (English Nature)

  Rural Development Commission

  United Kingdom Eco-Labelling Board

  Urban Development Corporations (excluding town and country planning functions)

  (c) The Comptroller and Auditor General, as head of the National Audit Office, is the statutory external auditor of:

  Audit Commission

  Countryside Commission

  Nature Conservancy Council for England

  Joint Nature Conservation Committee

  Rural Development Commission

  The Comptroller and Auditor General also has a statutory right to inspect the books of the National Rivers Authority and, by agreement, those of other NDPBs. Under the provisions of the National Audit Act 1983 he may also carry out examinations into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of NDPBs for which he is the external auditor or which receive more than half their income from public funds.

  The Audit Commission is the statutory external auditor of the London Pensions Fund Authority and the London residuary body.

  (d) The provisions of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 apply only to those local authorities specified in the Act.

  (e) As a matter of policy, all NDPBs are required to develop and use performance indicators both for their own internal management and to inform the public about their work.

  (f) All NDPBs are required to apply the principles of the citizens charter in their dealings with the public.

  Essex Coast
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to make an announcement about the Essex coast protection scheme; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has overall policy responsibility for coast protection in England. Grant aid is available under the Coast Protection Act 1949 to maritime district councils for carrying out works to protect land from erosion or encroachment by the sea. Such works must be technically sound, economically worthwhile and environmentally acceptable to qualify for approval and grant aid. There are a number of works currently under construction or consideration by the maritime district councils in Essex.

SCOTLAND

  Energy Saving Trust
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings he has had with the chairman and chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, what resources his Department has committed to the trust to date; and if he will make a statement on the progress made in achieving the aims of the trust to date in Scotland.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 9 June 1993]: The prime responsibility for promoting energy efficiency rests with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment who provides support for the Energy

  543
  Saving Trust. It would be a matter for the trust to make any progress report. Meantime there has been no meeting between either the chairman or chief executive of the trust and the Secretary of State for Scotland.

  HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the allocations for each health board in respect of(a) misuse in drugs services and (b) HIV/AIDS service operations in (i) 1993–94, (ii) 1992–93 and (iii) 1991–92.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 7 June 1993]: The allocation of moneys to each health board in Scotland for drugs and HIV/AIDS services is shown in the tables.

  Drugs

  1991–91

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Argyll and Clyde

  78,416

  96,381

  100,000

  Ayrshire and Arran

  170,703

  189,572

  195,000

  Borders

  18,387

  23,862

  25,000

  Dumfries and Galloway

  30,068

  34,377

  37,000

  Fife

  57,865

  70,395

  75,000

  Forth Valley

  53,755

  56,094

  63,000

  Grampian

  101,562

  102,863

  107,000

  Greater Glasgow

  777,043

  772,956

  788,000

  Highland

  43,156

  46,949

  36,000

  Lanarkshire

  90,205

  109,480

  115,000

  Lothian

  616,989

  629,456

  640,000

  Orkney

  3,353

  4,876

  5,500

  Shetland

  4,002

  5,404

  6,500

  Tayside

  259,762

  260,795

  265,000

  Western Isles

  5,841

  8,650

  9,000

  Total

  2,311,107

  2,412,110

  2,467,000

  HIV/AIDS

  £ millions

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Argyll and Clyde

  468,000

  592,328

  620,729

  Ayrshire and Arran

  250,000

  460,032

  543,936

  Borders

  139,550

  147,846

  153,000

  Dumfries and Galloway

  229,000

  207,767

  235,222

  Fife

  438,070

  465,235

  481,773

  Forth Valley

  402,000

  473,000

  449,000

  Grampian

  648,000

  1,233,067

  1,235,000

  Greater Glasgow

  3,959,000

  4,188,787

  4,559,968

  Highland

  295,400

  288,595

  324,940

  Lanarkshire

  422,000

  657,667

  708,000

  Lothian

  17,856,000

  7,592,400

  7,300,000

  Orkney

  5,000

  26,739

  28,454

  Shetland

  25,000

  30,892

  13,392

  Tayside

  2,361,000

  2,589,583

  2,643,000

  Health board of residence

  All pregnancies1

  Spontaneous abortions (miscarriage)

  Per cent.

  Ratio spontaneous losses: live births

  Argyll and Clyde

  7,368

  950

  12·9

  1:5·9

  Ayrshire and Arran

  6,376

  799

  12·5

  1:6·1

  Borders

  1,649

  207

  12·6

  1:6·1

  Dumfries and Galloway

  2,293

  255

  11·1

  1:7·0

  Fife

  5,837

  606

  10·4

  1:7·2

  Forth Valley

  4,552

  460

  10·1

  1:7·8

  Grampian

  9,213

  1,078

  11·7

  1:6·3

  Greater Glasgow

  16,883

  2,160

  12·8

  1:5·9

  Highland

  3,513

  406

  11·6

  1:6·5

  Lanarkshire

  9,564

  1,094

  11·4

  1:7·0

  Lothian

  13,740

  1,604

  11·7

  1:6·2

  Tayside

  6,735

  634

  9·4

  1:7·7

  Orkney

  298

  36

  12·1

  1:6·6

  Shetland

  392

  44

  11·2

  1:7·4

  Western Isles

  394

  35

  8·9

  1:9·4

  544

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Western Isles

  42,000

  47,062

  47,062

  State Hospital

  —

  —

  34,000

  Total

  17,540,000

  219,001,000

  19,397,476

  1 This figure includes a capital payment of £542,000.

  2 Includes £500,000 to enable health boards to implement recommendations of the ministerial AIDS task force.

  Miscarriages
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what provision he has made to help those who have suffered miscarriage;

  (2) whether he will provide guidance on best practice for hospitals to help those suffering a miscarriage or recurrent miscarriage.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 14 June 1993]: Grant aid is provided towards the core costs of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) and also to assist it to develop a self-help network providing support to bereaved parents, their families and friends.

  The SANDS publication "Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Neonatal Death. Guidelines for Professionals"; the Scottish Health Service Advisory Council report "Everybody's Death Should Matter to Somebody; the Care of the Dying in Scotland" and the Department of Health publication "Welfare of Children and Young People in Hospital", all of which include good practice guidance for the care of those who have suffered a miscarriage, were issued to health boards and health and social care professionals during 1991. Guidance leaflets published by the Miscarriage Association and Support After Termination for Abnormality (SATFA) have also been recommended for use by NHS professional staff.

  Counselling of bereaved parents or families is, of course, included in the curriculum for medical and nursing education.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of pregnancies end in miscarriage; and what is the ratio of miscarriages to live births in(a) Scotland as a whole and (b) each of the health board areas.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 14 June 1993]: The information for known pregnancies in 1991, the latest year for which figures are available, is as follows:
  545

  Health board of residence

  All pregnancies1

  Spontaneous abortions (miscarriage)

  Per cent.

  Ratio spontaneous losses: live births

  Resident elsewhere but miscarried in Scotland

  119

  119

  —

  —

  SCOTLAND

  88.926

  10,487

  11·8

  1:6·4

  1 Includes births (live and still), spontaneous and therapeutic abortions.

  Infertility
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps are taken to ensure health boards are provided with guidance on the provision of infertility treatment and counselling.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 14 June 1993]: Good practice guidance and advice on the organisation and management of all aspects of infertility treatment, including counselling, is contained in the National Medical Advisory Committee's report on infertility services in Scotland, which was published on 10 March. This report has been issued to health boards and commended to them for implementation.

  Guidance to licensed centres on the provision of treatment, again covering counselling, is also contained in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's code of practice.

  NHS Staff: WTE for selected groups at 30 September 1988–1992

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  District nurses1

  1,190·5

  1,226·4

  1,211·5

  1,713·4

  1,691·8

  Community midwives

  172·4

  194·0

  208·2

  276·7

  272·7

  Health visitors1

  1,517·9

  1,559·6

  1,508·6

  1,546·2

  1,497·3

  Community psychiatric nurses

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  342·6

  356·3

  Practice nurses2

  205·2

  295·3

  583·5

  646·8

  743·6

  1 Data include registered and enrolled nurses working in district nursing/health visiting but not qualified as district nurses or health visitors.

  2 Data for 1988–91 are at 1 April whereas that for 1992 is at 1 October.

  n/a = Data not available.

  There are also combined duty staff as below

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Health visitor/district nurse

  3·0

  3·0

  7·0

  31·9

  30·2

  Health visitor/district nurse—community midwife

  121·3

  113·7

  114·7

  134·2

  127·7

  District nurse/community midwife

  447·7

  438·3

  415·3

  359·8

  350·7

  Health visitor/community midwife

  15·0

  19·0

  23·3

  39·0

  38·1

  Enterprise zone
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobs have been(a) created and (b) lost in each of the enterprise zones on an annual basis; and how many jobs were lost in the area of each enterprise zone in each of the three years before its creation.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 8 June 1993]: Comprehensive information on job losses and redundan-cies is not held centrally. The information on jobs created and lost on enterprise zones is not available in the form

  Electoral Registration Statistics
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the latest estimates of those aged 17 years and over, plus 63 per cent. of those aged 16 years, for each district council area and parliamentary constituency, together in each case with the equivalent year's electoral registration figures, also expressed as a percentage of these population estimates.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 14 June 1993]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 9 February, at columns 516–17.

  Health Staff
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) district nurses, (b) community midwives, (c) health visitors, (d) community psychiatric nurses and (e) practice nurses were employed in the NHS in Scotland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 7 June 1993]: The information requested is shown in the table:

  requested. However, following is the information available on net job creation in each of the Scottish enterprise zones (and which takes account of job losses in the zone):

  Enterprise zone

  Date of designation

  Estimated net job creation since designation

  Clydebank

  August 1981

  3,700

  Invergordon

  October 1983

  700

  Tayside

  January 1984

  3,700

  Inverclyde

  March 1989

  1800

  1 Revised figure based on recent survey of businesses. Includes 76 which were in the zone at the date of its establishment; excludes jobs expected to be created by Mimtec Services Ltd at Faulds Park.

  Cervical Cancer
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many women aged(a) 20 to 40 years, (b) 41 to 60 years and (c) 61 years and over (i) have had cervical

  Cancer of the cervix in Scotland

  Year

  All registrations

  Hospital registrations

  Deaths

  One-year survival rate

  Three-year survival rate

  Age <40

  1985

  129

  129

  24

  0·93

  0·85

  1986

  129

  129

  31

  0·94

  0·80

  1987

  120

  120

  23

  0·98

  0·83

  1988

  144

  143

  30

  0·89

  0·78

  1989

  88

  88

  11

  0·91

  —

  1990

  134

  134

  5

  —

  —

  1991

  127

  127

  —

  —

  —

  Age 40–59

  1985

  150

  150

  58

  0·83

  0·66

  1986

  158

  158

  59

  0·85

  0·70

  1987

  159

  158

  53

  0·82

  0·69

  1988

  176

  175

  44

  0·87

  0·73

  1989

  142

  140

  33

  0·79

  —

  1990

  187

  186

  4

  —

  —

  1991

  175

  173

  —

  —

  —

  Age 60+

  1985

  163

  155

  100

  0·63

  0·41

  1986

  179

  177

  112

  0·66

  0·42

  1987

  182

  180

  108

  0·61

  0·41

  1988

  139

  135

  78

  0·61

  0·39

  1989

  146

  139

  56

  0·68

  —

  1990

  169

  167

  41

  —

  —

  1991

  151

  148

  —

  —

  —

  Notes:

  Cancer of the cervix (ICD-9 1801) in Scotland: numbers of new cases registered, numbers of cases registered from hospital records2, numbers of deaths up to 31 December 1990 and one and three year survival rates3 by age and year treatment commenced.

  1 International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision—Code 180.

  2 Most registrations are made on the basis of medical records or pathology reports. Selecting cases registered from hospital records excludes a small number of cases notified to the registration system only at the time of death. Most of the such cases will be of persons, usually elderly, who were not treated.

  3 The survival rates were calculated using the 'life table' method and represent the proportions of survivors at the first and third anniversary of the date treatment commenced.

  Passive Smoking
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what statutory provisions govern the extent to which, or means by which, a person can sue for damages or compensation for illnesses caused by passive smoking in the workplace; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 8 June 1993]: There are no statutory provisions expressly dealing with illnesses caused
  548
  cancer diagnosed, (ii) have died from cervical cancer and (iii) have undergone treatment and survived, in each of the past seven years.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 8 June 1993]: The information requested is detailed in the table:

  by passive smoking in the workplace. However, regulation 6 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, section 4 of the Factories Act 1961 and section 7 of the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963 make provision for the ventilation of workplaces. Regulation 25(3) of the 1992 regulations also deals with the provision of suitable arrangements in rest rooms and rest areas to protect non-smokers from discomfort caused by tobacco smoke.

  Breaches of duty under these provisions are actionable in so far as they cause damage.

  FORESTRY AND ENVIRONMENT REPORT: GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
  FORESTRY AND ENVIRONMENT REPORT: GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
  AGRICULTURE COUNCIL, 14TH JUNE
  AGRICULTURE COUNCIL, 14TH JUNE
  MOTORWAYS: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
  MOTORWAYS: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
  ROAD PROGRAMME: EFFECTS
  ROAD PROGRAMME: EFFECTS
  VALUES OF ROAD TRAVEL TIME SAVINGS: STUDIES
  VALUES OF ROAD TRAVEL TIME SAVINGS: STUDIES
  ROAD DEVELOPMENT PLANS: REGIONAL GUIDANCE
  ROAD DEVELOPMENT PLANS: REGIONAL GUIDANCE
  MoT CERTIFICATES: MEASURES TO COMBAT FRAUD
  MoT CERTIFICATES: MEASURES TO COMBAT FRAUD
  MoT CERTIFICATES: THEFTS
  MoT CERTIFICATES: THEFTS
  PORT RECEPTION FACILITIES: OIL AND GARBAGE
  PORT RECEPTION FACILITIES: OIL AND GARBAGE
  HUMANITIES RESEARCH
  HUMANITIES RESEARCH
  TUZLA AIRFIELD AND RELIEF SUPPLIES
  TUZLA AIRFIELD AND RELIEF SUPPLIES