Written Answers of 11 March 1993

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Plutonium
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many individual movements of plutonium were involved in post-irradiation examination experiments at Berkeley nuclear laboratories and Winfrith nuclear research establishment to which reference is made in note (2) to section A of his departmental press release P/93/51 of 4 February on annual plutonium production and stockpile figures.

  Mr. Eggar
  Dispatches for post-irradiation examination involve movements of spent fuel, details of which are an operational matter for the owner of the fuel in question.

  Technology Imports
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will bring forward proposals to place a duty on those importing technology into the United Kingdom to provide environmental impact information as part of the import licensing procedure.

  Mr. Needham
  No.

  Tractors and Earth-moving Equipment
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the import, export, balance of payments and import penetration figures for tractors and earth-moving equipment since 1987.

  Mr. Needham
  Information on trade in, and sales of, earth-moving equipment is regularly published in the Central Statistical Office's business monitor PAS3254, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. However, because product sales information is collected only from large firms, it is not comparable with the trade data and reliable import penetration figures cannot therefore be derived.

  Anthracite
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the annual production of anthracite in each year since 1985; and what has been the cost of its production in 1992 prices.

  Mr. Eggar
  The annual production of anthracite in the United Kingdom since 1985 was:

  Thousand tonnes

  1985

  2,142

  1986

  1,985

  1987

  2,091

  1988

  1,798

  1989

  2,060

  634

  Thousand tonnes

  1990

  1,945

  1991

  1,864

  1992

  2,029

  Information on the cost of anthracite production is not held centrally.

  Coal Industry
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the average cost of British Coal's production in each year since 1985 in 1992 prices.

  Mr. Eggar
  Information on British Coal's production costs are published in British Coal Corporation's report and accounts. Figures in 1992 prices are as follows:

  Financial year

  Cost per tonne2

  Deep-mined

  Opencast

  11985–86

  66·95

  40·85

  1986–87

  57·52

  37·48

  1987–88

  56·07

  35·70

  1988–89

  48·91

  33·75

  1989–90

  50·59

  33·99

  1990–91

  45·45

  35·09

  31991–92

  42·13

  33·99

  1 Figures for 1985–86 exclude release of 1984–85 provisions for strike recovery costs.

  2 Cash figures adjusted to 1992 price levels by excluding the effect of general inflation as measured by the GDP deflator.

  3 The GDP deflator for 1992 has been estimated.

  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the estimated percentage market share of British Coal in(a) the industrial steam coal market, (b) the domestic coal market, and (c) the market for electricity generation in Britain during 1992.

  Mr. Eggar
  British Coal's percentage shares of the respective coal markets during 1992 are estimated at 85 per cent. for electricity generation, 45 per cent. for industrial steam coal and 75 per cent. for domestic coal.

  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much coal has been produced by the private sector of(a) opencast and (b) deep mined, annually since 1987; and what proportion of private sector production was sold to (i) the power generators, (ii) industrial users, (iii) the domestic home market and (iv) abroad.

  Mr. Eggar
  The amount of opencast and deep-mined coal produced by private sector licensed mines since 1987 was:

  Thousand tonnes

  Opencast

  Deep mined

  1987

  1,155

  855

  1988

  1,130

  875

  1989

  1,093

  1,013

  1990

  1,109

  1,006

  1991

  1,987

  1,102

  11992

  2,592

  1,099

  1 Provisional.

  635
  About a tenth of this coal is sold back to British Coal, while most of the remainder is sold for power generation. Small amounts are also sold to domestic and industrial users or exported.

  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total tonnage of coal used for electricity generation in Britain in each year since 1987; and how much of this was obtained from(a) opencast coal mining, (b) Britain's deep mines and (c) imports of foreign coal.

  Mr. Eggar
  The amounts of coal used for electricity generation from 1987 were:

  Million tonnes

  Major generating companies

  Other generating companies1

  Overall total

  Open-cast

  Deep mined

  Imports

  Total

  1987

  12·2

  67·8

  1·4

  81·4

  6·6

  88·0

  1988

  10·2

  65·2

  2·0

  77·4

  6·9

  84·2

  1989

  10·0

  65·3

  2·0

  77·3

  5·3

  82·6

  1990

  11·3

  62·4

  4·7

  78·4

  6·1

  84·5

  1991

  11·9

  61·9

  7·3

  81·1

  2·9

  84·0

  19922

  10·3

  57·1

  7·6

  75·0

  4·0

  79·0

  1 Information on the source of coal used by other generating companies is not collected centrally.

  2 Provisional.

  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the annual change in labour productivity, output per man shift, in British Coal's deep mine pits since 1985.

  Mr. Eggar
  The annual change in labour productivity, as measured by average output per man shift worked, in British Coal's deep mines since 1985 are as follows:

  Percentage change over previous year

  Output per manshift, tonnes

  1985

  11

  2·49

  1986

  27

  3·15

  1987

  14

  3·59

  1988

  11

  3·97

  1989

  9

  4·33

  1990

  5

  4·53

  1991

  13

  5·11

  11992

  18

  6·01

  1 Provisional.

  Source: Table 7 in Energy Trends.

  Coal Exports
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the estimated annual tonnages of British Coal exports to(a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Ireland, (d) Spain, (e) the European Community total and (f) total world wide during 1990, 1991 and 1992.

  Mr. Eggar
  The figures requested are given in the table:

  Thousand tonnes

  1990

  1991

  19921

  France

  276

  327

  155

  Germany

  282

  274

  63

  Ireland

  198

  154

  107

  636

  1990

  1991

  19921

  Spain

  131

  207

  52

  European Communities2

  1,739

  1,390

  614

  All countries

  2,533

  1,672

  668

  1 Provisional

  2 Including France, Germany, Spain and Ireland

  Source: British Coal

  Nuclear Safety
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will request Her Majesty's chief inspector of nuclear installations to investigate the problems discovered in the status nuclear safety computer system developed for Nuclear Electric's Magnox plants.

  Mr. Eggar
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 10 March 1993,Official Report, column 582.

  AEA Technology
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a list of the contracts by AEA Technology(a) completed and (b) currently under negotiation with foreign companies or other nuclear organisations for the reprocessing or storage of materials, test reactor and research reactor nuclear fuels at Dounreay; and what is the total value of this business to AEA Technology to date.

  Mr. Eggar
  These are commercial matters for the AEA.

  Renewable Energy
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when his Department commenced formal discussions with the European Commission on the question of support for renewable energy beyond 1998.

  Mr. Eggar
  My Department first raised this matter with the Commission in autumn 1991.

  Bio-diesel Fuel
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much subsidy was given to companies producing bio-diesel fuel in the United Kingdom in the last year; what information he has as to subsidies given by other EC Governments to companies producing bio-diesel fuel; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  The United Kingdom Presidency of the European Community secured agreement to directive 92/81/EEC on the harmonisation of the structures of excise duties on mineral oils on 19 October 1992. This directive provides that member states may apply total or partial exemptions or reductions in the rate of duty to mineral oils used under fiscal control, inter alia, in the field of pilot projects for the technological development of more environmentally friendly products and in particular in relation to fuels from renewable resources. No such exemptions have so far been granted in the United Kingdom and data concerning other member states are not recorded in the United Kingdom.

  Electricity Imports
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what payments have been made since 1990 on imports of electricity from France as an equivalent to the fossil fuel levy.

  Mr. Eggar
  This is a commercial matter for those regional electricity companies that have contracts requiring them to make such payments to Electricité de France.

  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what specific contributions the United Kingdom has made to discussions in the OECD joint sessions of trade and environment experts; what further contributions are planned; and what plans exist for the issue of guidelines on the use of trade and environment policies.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: The United Kingdom participates actively in the work of the OECD trade and environment group, in close collaboration with the European Commission and other EC member states. The Government attach high priority to the development of criteria, including possible OECD guidelines, to govern the proper use of trade measures for environmental purposes. The Government are therefore committed to bringing this work to a positive conclusion as soon as possible. It is not yet possible, however, to say when guidelines might be issued.

  As this work has developed, the United Kingdom has tabled a number of informal analytical papers dealing with detailed technical questions.

  Textiles
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will carry out an examination of the effect on the United Kingdom textile industry of the double pricing by overseas countries of raw materials such as cotton and cashmere; if he will consider the compatibility of such measures with GATT; what remedies exist to protect the United Kingdom industry from their effect; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 8 March 1993]: Although double pricing of raw materials is incompatible with GATT rules, developing countries which are GATT members are allowed derogations from the rules. Since many of the countries which practice double pricing fall into this category, it is not possible to take action against them. However, the draft GATT Uruguay round textiles agreement contains provisions which, if implemented, will make it easier to act against any member country on this issue. Remedies under GATT are available only if the country practising double pricing is a GATT member. If not, a remedy may be sought bilaterally through the appropriate mechanisms of any bilateral agreement that exists between the country concerned and the European Community.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Care Funding
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of total funding for health and social care during the 1993–94 financial year is to be spent on community care; which Department is responsible for deciding the provision for community care; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Community care expenditure is not separately identified within the 1993–94 provision of £1,318 million for the health and personal social services in Northern Ireland. However, this total includes £29·452 million from which the management executive of the Department of Health and Social Services will make available the necessary funds to health and social services boards for their new community care responsibilities from 1 April 1993.

  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funds have been allocated to Northern Ireland for health and social care for the financial years 1993–94 and 1995–96; and if he will break the figures down by(a) health board, (b) county and (c) the proportion to be spent on (i) health and social care and (ii) community care.

  Mr. Hanley
  Expenditure on the health and personal social services in Northern Ireland is estimated at £1,318 million for 1993–94 with planned expenditure rising to £1,504 million in 1995–96.

  Expenditure on the health and personal social services cannot be attributed by county and community care expenditure is not separately identified within the HPSS programme resources. However, the totals above include £29·452 milllion in 1993–94 and £105·152 million in 1995–96 for the new community care responsibilities from 1 April 1993.

  The breakdown of 1995–96 planned expenditure has not yet been determined but in terms of the initial 1993–94 revenue budgets for the health and social services boards the provision for hospital, community health and personal social services expenditure and the amount subsumed therein for their new community care responsibilities is shown in the following table:

  £ millions

  Health and social services board

  Revenue budget

  New community care responsiblities

  Northern

  195·872

  6·957

  Southern

  155·688

  5·414

  Eastern

  374·781

  12·089

  Western

  141·267

  4·932

  Total

  867·608

  29·392

  Community Care Trusts
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what options his Department has considered for reforming existing Northern Ireland legislation on(a) mental health and (b) care of children, in connection with the creation of community care trusts; and if he will make a statement.
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  Mr. Hanley
  The Government intend to publish a proposal for legislation later this year which will enable boards to delegate certain statutory functions to health and social services trusts.

  In bringing forward new legislation, the Government's objectives are to enable as many units as possible to take advantage of the significant benefits that trust status offers, whilst also preserving the integrated structure of the health and social services in Northern Ireland.

  Social Security
  Sir James Kilfedder
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the application of the Social Security Revaluation of Earnings Factors (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 as it applies to additional pension paid with invalidity benefit.

  Mr. Hanley
  The policy intention has been that the Revaluation Order should apply to additional pensions paid with invalidity benefit. Legal advice is that provisions enacted in the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1990, and carried forward into the Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, have not given full effect to this. This means an estimated £228,000 paid between April 1992 and April 1993 will have been paid on a basis which is incorrect on the strict interpretation of the law. We intend to continue payments on an extra-statutory basis to ensure that claimants receive a level of benefits in line with the policy intention. Appropriate primary authority will be obtained in due course. The total amount paid on this basis, initially estimated at a cost of £20,000 (rounded) per month, will be reported in a note to the Department of Health and Social Services appropriation account.

  Market Testing
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 to the market testing of public services in Northern Ireland.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has today placed in the Library guidance on the implications for market testing of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations. I hope that all those engaged in market testing, including contractors, will consider the guidance helpful.

  Emergency Provisions Act 1991
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements he has made to review the operation of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  Viscount Colville of Culross, QC has accepted my invitation to prepare a report on the operation in 1992 of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991. As with previous reviews, the intention is that the report should enable both Houses of Parliament to discharge effectively their responsibility to scrutinise the operation of the Act on the occasion of the annual debates on the continuance orders, and to determine whether any of the Act's temporary provisions could be allowed to lapse.
  640
  As the temporary provisions of the Act will lapse on 15 June 1993 unless continued in force by order, I have asked Viscount Colville to submit his report in sufficient time to facilitate the House's consideration of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act.

  Health and Social Services Boards
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 4 March,Official Report, column 247, whether employees of the health and social security boards can define themselves as British or United Kingdom citizens.

  Mr. Hanley
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: There is no provision for employees of the health and social services boards to indicate whether they are British or United Kingdom citizens.

  Police Interview Notes
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many requests have been made to the Royal Ulster Constabulary in each of the past three years for the disclosure of original interview notes in cases where criminal charges have been brought; in how many instances these requests have been denied; and for what reasons.

  Mr. Mates
  [holding answer 5 March 1993]: This is a matter for the chief constable. However, I understand that statistical records on the number of requests for access to original interview notes are not maintained by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Prevention of Terrorism Acts
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have had their period of detention under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts extended pending the results of forensic tests.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  [holding answer 3 March 1993]: I consider each application to extend the 48-hour period for which a person may be detained under section 14 of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 very carefully, and I take into account all the relevant circumstances of each case, which frequently include the need for further forensic work. It would only be possible to provide details of these cases at disproportionate cost. It is worthy of note that, in his most recent report on the operation of the Act in 1992, Lord Colville who looked at all the extension order files was able to conclude that
  "the proper criteria are being carefully observed in considering whether extensions should be granted".

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many legal aid certificates have been issued for(a) criminal cases and (b) civil cases in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The number of criminal legal aid orders and civil legal aid certificates issued for each of the last 10 years is given in the table.
  641

  Legal aid certificates issued 1982–83 to 1991–92

  Year

  (a) Legal aid orders granted in criminal cases

  Year

  (b) Legal aid certificates issued in civil cases (thousands)

  1982

  428,494

  1982–83

  189·6

  1983

  446,654

  1983–84

  205·9

  1984

  471,186

  1984–85

  222·2

  1985

  525,248

  1985–86

  232·4

  1986

  518,202

  1986–87

  245·7

  1987

  575,649

  1987–88

  245·4

  1988

  594,297

  1988–89

  226·0

  1989

  608,962

  1989–90

  259·2

  1990

  623,554

  1990–91

  297·6

  1991

  638,305

  1991–92

  337·3

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary Lord Chancellor's Department how many legal aid certificates have been issued for(a) criminal cases and (b) civil cases in each of the last 24 months.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Table(a) gives numbers of legal aid certificates issued in civil cases in each month from January 1991 to February 1993. Statistics for the issue of legal aid orders in criminal cases are collected quarterly, and the numbers of such orders issued during each quarter in 1991 and 1992 are shown in table (b).

  Table (a)

  Month

  Number of civil legal aid certificates issued

  1991

  January

  28,937

  February

  26,165

  March

  25,365

  April

  25,191

  May

  31,257

  June

  28,959

  July

  22,151

  August

  31,264

  September

  26,967

  October

  31,658

  November

  31,648

  December

  24,820

  1992

  January

  33,287

  February

  30,632

  March

  35,679

  April

  32,249

  May

  26,896

  June

  34,166

  July

  39,099

  August

  31,852

  September

  35,594

  October

  36,868

  November

  39,439

  December

  31,210

  1993

  January

  33,906

  February

  36,704

  642

  Table(b)

  Quarter

  Number of legal aid orders issued in criminal cases

  January to March 1991

  149,148

  April to June 1991

  150,004

  July to September 1991

  163,920

  October to December 1991

  162,073

  January to March 1992

  167,432

  April to June 1992

  155,916

  July to September 1992

  151,925

  October to December 1992

  143,319

  The Department's statistical returns from magistrates courts are, however, incomplete and the above figures for criminal legal aid orders have been estimated based on the information available.

  Family Perspective and Life Circle
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on how his Department takes account of the family perspective and the life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  One of the Departments' aims is to establish a single body of family law applied within a unified jurisdictional structure by specialist courts and supported by appropriate services. As an employer, the Department seeks to support those with dependant carer responsibilities by offering a range of flexible working conditions, including job-sharing, working at home and term-time working.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in which publication, speech or statement his Department has described how it takes account of the family perspective and the life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Department's strategic plan, which is to be published on 22 April, includes a description of the developments and initiatives in the fields of family law and departmental personnel policy. The plan will set out objectives and targets relating to both of these areas. "Judicial Statistics" and the "Court Service Annual Report" are the principal publications giving statistical information about the Department. Both publications are produced in July each year and placed in the Libraries.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Television Programmes
  Mr. Stephen
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will take action to ensure that the Parliament and courts of the United Kingdom have sole right to decide whether violent or pornographic television programmes may be received on television sets in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Brooke
  Responsibility for television programmes originating in the United Kingdom falls to the independent regulatory authorities—the BBC governors,
  643
  the Independent Television Commission and the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority (S4C). It is for these bodies to ensure that nothing is included in programmes which is likely to encourage or incite to crime or lead to disorder or be offensive to public feeling. Broadcasts originating elsewhere in the EC must meet the standards set out in the EC Television Without Frontiers Directive (89/552/EEC), and any action which the Government take in relation to such broadcasts must he in accordance with our international obligations.

  Television Licences
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what estimate has been made of the number of unlicensed television sets in use in(a) Belfast, (b) Londonderry and (c) the remainder of Northern Ireland in each of the past five years; and how many households have been prosecuted for use of an unlicensed television;

  (2) what estimate has been made of the number of unlicensed television sets in use in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales in each of the past five years; and how many households have been prosecuted for use of an unlicensed television.

  Mr. Brooke
  Under section 180 and schedule 18 of the Broadcasting Act 1990, responsibility for administration of the television licensing system, including enforcement of the licensing requirement, passed to the BBC with effect from 1 April 1991. I understand from the BBC that statistics for estimated television licence evasion and prosecution rates in Northern Ireland are not broken down by area. Estimated evasion and actual prosecution rates for the financial years 1988–89 to 1992–93 for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are given in the table. The number of evaders is based on a percentage evasion rate applied to the total number of licences in force.

  Estimated Number of evaders

  Prosecutions

  1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989

  England

  1,291,642

  153,219

  Scotland

  146,216

  9,062

  Wales

  84,024

  10,568

  Northern Ireland

  158,147

  967

  1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990

  England

  1,190,241

  149,724

  Scotland

  143,056

  9,686

  Wales

  82,205

  11,094

  Northern Ireland

  144,447

  1,868

  1 April 1990 to 31 March 1991

  England

  1,318,517

  159,131

  Scotland

  155,351

  11,275

  Wales

  94,894

  10,283

  Northern Ireland

  150.265

  2,032

  1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992

  England

  1,337,908

  182,869

  Scotland

  146,173

  12,791

  Wales

  97,088

  10,898

  Northern Ireland

  129,829

  2,508

  1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993

  England

  1,381,430

  166,206

  Scotland

  147,392

  11,082

  Wales

  96,274

  11,605

  Northern Ireland

  137,743

  1,634

  Official Entertainment
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department in 1991–92 and 1992–93 to date.

  Mr. Key
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: My Department was formed in April 1992 and has incurred expenditure of £23,260 to date on official entertainment. A comparable figure for 1991–92 is not available.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Market Testing
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list all those services or functions that have been contracted out from his Department since November 1991 without market testing an in-house bid against external competition, with, in each instance the successful contractor and the reasons for the decision to exclude an in-house bid.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The Civil Service college has contracted out the distribution of the college prospectus to JBS Mailing Services, without in-house comparison. The service represented a small part of the activities of several in-house units and it was considered unproductive to continue with this arrangement.

  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will issue guidance on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 to the Government's market testing initiative.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The 1991 White Paper "Competing for Quality" set out the Government's plans for achieving more effective competition, and thereby better value for money, through an expanded market testing programme in central Government. Department's current market testing targets for the period up to September 1993 cover work costing about £1·5 billion and employing 44,000 staff. This work will be offered to outside contractors, for the most part in competition with the in-house teams currently providing the service.

  I am today placing in the Library guidance on the implications for market testing of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981. In some cases where work is awarded to an outside contractor following market testing that may constitute the transfer of an undertaking in the terms of the regulations. If so, the regulations provide that the new employer takes over responsibility for the employment contracts of the employees, who would transfer on their previous terms and conditions of service. The guidance sets out circumstances in which the regulations are, and are not, likely to apply, and explains their effect where they do. It is intended for information only, to help those engaged in market testing, including potential contractors, to understand the issues involved. It is not designed as a complete statement of the law, and does not obviate the need for legal advice to be taken. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment, for Scotland,

  645
  for Wales, for Northern Ireland and for Health are making separate statements on the application of the regulations to their areas of responsibility.

  The guidance makes clear that, as has been the case for over 10 years, contracting out is not affected by the regulations unless it involves enough of the elements of the original operation; such as premises, staff, good will or customer base, to constitute the transfer of a going concern. Whether this applies in any particular case will depend on the nature of the work awarded and the contractors' own proposals for carrying it out.

  The Government intend that market testing should proceed without delay. The Government look to bidders, both external and in-house, to put forward innovative proposals for carrying out the work. Bidders will be given access to information about the numbers of posts in the in-house operation, and the terms and conditions of service which attach to the posts, where they need it in order to submit a bid based on a proposal to which the Regulations might apply.

  The Government will specify requirements for services being market tested in terms of the outputs to be delivered rather than the structure or methods used to deliver them, and without prejudging whether or not the regulations will apply. Where the regulations would not otherwise apply, it would be inconsistent with our policy to seek to require contractors to adopt particular employment terms and conditions or use particular employees to do the work. It would also be inconsistent with our policy to reorganise in-house operations prior to market testing with the purpose of bringing any subsequent transfer within the scope of the regulations or to dictate the contractor's organisational structure except for reasons strictly related to the performance of the service in question. Bids will be evaluated against the specification on the basis of quality and value for money.

  Departments will take account of the costs of redundancies, if any, involved in the respective tender proposals. Some contractors have expressed concern about the possible additional costs involved in a tender proposal falling within the scope of the Regulations compared with a proposal which does not do so. Whilst the basic cost of the former may be higher, the latter is more likely to involve redundancy or redeployment costs which would be taken into account in comparing the respective tender bids. Genuinely innovative proposals should still enable contractors to offer good value for money to Departments, whether or not the regulations apply.

  Research Vessels Services
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish the cruise programme of Research Vessels Services (Barry) for 1993–94; and how the programme will be funded.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  As in previous years, the cruise programme of Research Vessels Services for 1993–94 will be funded from the science Vote, supplemented by commissioned research and charter income.

  I have placed copies of the cruise programme for 1993–94 in the Library.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Police (Assaults)
  Mr. Ian Taylor
  To ask the Attorney-General how many charges for assaults on police officers in 1992 were reduced by the Crown prosecution service from the original to a lesser charge.

  The Attorney-General
  The information sought by the hon. Member is not centrally recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  European Court of Justice
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions in the past five years(a) a magistrates court, (b) a crown court, (c) a high court, (d) a court of appeal and (e) the House of Lords requested the European Court of Justice to provide a ruling as provided in article 177 of the treaty of Rome.

  The Attorney-General
  A magistrates court has requested the European Court of Justice to provide a ruling under article 177 of the treaty on nine occasions in the past five years. A Crown Court has sought a ruling on four occasions, the High Court on 22 occasions, the Court of Appeal on 10 occasions and the House of Lords on five occasions during that period.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  International Development Association
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 2.4 February,Official Report, column 601, on the United Kingdom's contribution to the International Development Association, if he will set out the United Kingdom's contribution in constant 1992 prices.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The information requested is set out in the table.

  United Kingdom contributions to IDA replenishments

  £ million Cash

  £ million 1992 prices

  Replenishments

  IDA 1

  47

  532

  Supplementary

  34

  334

  IDA 2

  56

  510

  Supplementary

  43

  330

  IDA 3

  128

  896

  IDA 4

  206

  1,045

  IDA 5

  475

  1,485

  IDA 6

  555

  1,132

  Special contribution

  105

  174

  IDA 7

  402

  634

  IDA 8

  524

  721

  IDA 9

  619

  645

  IDA 101

  620

  603

  1 Proposed contribution.

  Note

  Commitments to IDA 1–3 were in US$. The current price figures have been converted to at the exchange rate prevailing at the start of the relevant commitment period. The constant price series was formed by deflating the total amount committed by the UK GDP deflator, based on the start of the relevant commitment period. For IDA 10 this will be 1 July 1993.

  Cambodia
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which United Kingdom representatives attended the donors conference convened by the United Nations held in Phnom Penh on 25 February; what issues were raised; what further funding Her Majesty's Government have committed to Cambodia; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The donor meeting in Phnom Penh on 25 February, called to review progress and enable co-ordination, was attended by the United Kingdon head of mission in Phnom Penh and his deputy. The meeting focused on the need for donors to accelerate aid expenditure and to give attention to the geographical and sectoral distribution of their programmes and the particular needs of the health and education sectors.

  We announced further assistance for repatriation (£400,000 through UNHCR), food aid (£100,000 through the World Food Programme), human rights education (£71,000) and well-drilling (£90,000). The latter will cover schemes in areas controlled by all three factions participating n the peace process.

  Food Aid
  Mr. Enright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with United Nations bodies, the OECD and the EC with a view to rationalising the accounts required by donor countries of recipient countries in their use of food aid.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We have regular discussions on the uses of food aid with our EC partners and with other members of the world food programme. We are always ready to discuss specific problems that may arise in accounting for United Kingdom food aid with the organisation through which the aid is channeled.

  Somali Refugees
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Kenyan Government on financial assistance to help with the Somali refugees in Kenya; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Overseas Development discussed the burden imposed on Kenya by Somali refugees with President Moi last September. It was also raised when Baroness Chalker visited Kenya in February. In 1992, we provided almost £2·5 million, including 5,000 tonnes of food, for projects in northern Kenya to help refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Nuclear Non-proliferation
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposals for security assurances tabled by the delegation of the Nigerian Government at the fourth review conference of the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.
  648
  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We have noted the proposals tabled by the Nigerian Government.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what security assurances have been given by Her Majesty's Government to non-nuclear weapon states.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) which are parties to the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) benefit from both our positive security assurance (PSA) and our negative security assurance (NSA). NNWS, not party to the NPT but party to other similar internationally binding commitments are also covered by our NSA.

  Cambodia
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial, military and other support Her Majesty's Government have provided for the UNTAC in Cambodia.

  Mr. Goodlad
  As well as our assessed contribution to the UNTAC budget (6·102 per cent. of the estimated $1·69 billion costs, ie $103 million), we have provided 122 personnel to UNTAC's military component. We will also be providing a number of polling station officers for the elections due to take place in May.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will recommend to the United Nations Security Council a strengthening of the UNTAC mandate; what progress has been made in planning development assistance for Cambodia following elections; and which sectors have been prioritised.

  Mr. Goodlad
  We have no plans to propose a change to UNTAC's mandate. UNTAC has made considerable progress towards implementing the Paris agreements under difficult circumstances. Elections are planned for May; electoral registration has been completed, with 4·6 million Cambodians registered to vote; and more than 320,000 refugees have returned to Cambodia. The international community has pledged some $880 million to Cambodia, within which the United Kingdom has pledged some $30 million, to be used for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Cambodia. There is continuing co-ordination between donors who have agreed that in allocating resources priority will be given to the health and education sectors.

  Palestine Liberation Organisation
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Minister of State's meeting with representatives of the PLO; and what assurances were sought from the PLO concerning the abandonment of the Intifada.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Faisal Husseini, head of the Palestinian negotiating team, called on me on 9 March, accompanied by two PLO officials. I explained the importance of an early resumption of the peace process. I told Mr. Husseini that we recognised the need for Israeli moves to lighten the weight of the occupation, but that it would be an enormous help if the Palestinian leadership were able to take steps to reduce violence by Palestinians.

WALES

  Welsh Development Agency
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is(a) the amount of grant in aid and (b) the total budget at 1993 of the Welsh Development Agency at 1993 prices in each year since 1987–88; and what amount is planned for each year until 1996–97.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Figures for the period 1987–88 to 1993–94 are set out in the table:

  Grant in aid 1993–94 prices3 £ million

  Total gross budget 1993–94 prices3 £ million

  1987–88

  73·9

  139·4

  1988–89

  81·6

  151·7

  1989–90

  86·3

  165·0

  1990–91

  93·0

  170·9

  1991–92

  93·4

  169·6

  1992–931

  80·6

  171·3

  1993–942

  59·6

  171·4

  1 Forecast outturn.

  2 Plans.

  3 1993–94 prices derived using latest GDP deflator.

  Total budgets and grant in aid for the years 1994–95 to 1996–97 will be decided during the course of future public expenditure surveys, although indicative levels of central Government expenditure cash plans are shown in "The Government Expenditure Plans 1993–94 to 1995–96-A Report by the Welsh Office", a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Radiological Protection Board Survey
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to announce the results of the Radiological Protection Board survey of Wales.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The results of the next phase of the survey of radon levels in Wales are expected in spring 1994.

  ReChem International Ltd.
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received regarding ReChem International Ltd. in Pontypool; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Over the last year, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales has received a petition and a number of letters from the residents of the Pontypool area about various issues relevant to ReChem International Ltd. The three main themes have been the company's plans to build a new (replacement) incinerator at its Pontypool site; the question of environmental pollution and the import of toxic waste. The first of these issues is currently the subject of an application to Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. The second is being addressed in the major study the Welsh Office has commissioned from the university of East Anglia, and which is now drawing to a close. As regards the third, the Government is committed to the principle of self-sufficiency in waste disposal within the international community, which is incorporated in the European Community Waste Shipment Regulation, agreed at Council on 20 October 1992.

  Schools Expenditure
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of spending in maintained schools has been met by the Welsh Office in(a) each of the last five years and (b) 1978–79.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Local authority schools are funded through the annual local government revenue and capital settlements. Resources provided by the Welsh Office are not hypothecated to particular services. For 1993–94 Government plans will provide local authorities with 90 per cent. central Government support for revenue expenditure, including loan charges. Grant maintained schools are fully funded by the Welsh Office but are free to generate additional income.

  Special Educational Needs
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many places for children with special educational needs are purchased in non-maintained and independent special schools by local education authorities(a) in total and (b) in each local education authority.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Information on the number of places purchased for children with special educational needs in non-maintained and independent special schools is not available centrally. Information relating to the number of pupils with statements of special educational needs, by local education authority and place of education, is given in table 12·01 of "Statistics of Education and Training in Wales: Schools No. 1 1993".

  Health Promotion Authority
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the budget for the Health Promotion Authority for Wales in 1993–94.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Subject to parliamentary approval, in 1993–94 £3,619,000 will be made available to the Health Promotion Authority for Wales including £384,000 for new projects, £20,000 to fund the authority's capital expenditure and £126,000 for the authority's life education centres project. The allocation will be conditional upon satisfactory completion of annual performance review. It represents a further and substantial commitment of resources to the authority.

  Market Testing
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will issue guidance to contractors and public authorities on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 to the market testing of public services in Wales.

  Mr. David Hunt
  My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster—has today placed in the Library of the House guidance on the implications for market testing of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations.

  I hope that all those engaged in market testing, including contractors, will find the guidance helpful.

PRIME MINISTER

  Matrix Churchill
  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with members of the United States Congress on his recent visit to Washington about Matrix Churchill.

  The Prime Minister
  None.

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 11 March.

  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 11 March.

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

  Knighthoods
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Prime Minister if it is now his policy that the Lord Mayor of the City of London corporation will no longer be recommended automatically for a knighthood.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Yes.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Prime Minister how many hon. Members have received knighthoods since 1979.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: One hundred and seven Members of Parliament have received knighthoods since May 1979.

  Prerogative Powers
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 1 March,Official Report, column 19, if he will give examples of areas where the prerogative powers residing in the Crown are not exercisable by Ministers.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: There is a variety of situations in which the Queen may exercise the prerogative directly or on the basis of advice, including the advice of Ministers. These include the Dissolution of Parliament and certain appointments—for example, those of Ministers, the Archbishop of Canterbury, other ecclesiastical appointments, lords lieutenant and certain other office holders. In the matter of honours, the Queen would normally make appointments herself in the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of Merit and in the Royal Victorian Order, but for the rest would receive recommendations from her Ministers here and in the Commonwealth.

  Manufacturers
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his Government's policy on the level of support and encouragement which should be given to British manufacturers.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: The Government's commitment to industry is at the heart
  652
  of our policies, where it will remain. I refer my hon. Friend to the detailed answers that he received from my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment on 26 January at column 659, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry on 27 January at columns, 735–36, and my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary on 29 January at column 894 for details of specific measures that the Government have recently taken.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Sterling (Devaluation)
  Mr. Alan W. Williams
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the extent of the devaluation of the pound sterling against(a) the deutschmark, (b) the US dollar and (c) the basket of international currencies since the close of trading in London on Tuesday 15 September 1992 on the latest available figures.

  Mr. Nelson
  Between the close of business in London on 15 September 1992 and opening 8 March 1993 the £ sterling has declined against the deutschmark by 13·9 per cent., against the dollar by 23·6 per cent. and against its exchange rate index by 13·5 per cent.

  Council Tax
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the cost of carrying out the valuation of properties in Wales for the council tax; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Nelson
  The cost of the valuation banding of domestic properties in Wales was £2,899,149.

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with representatives of charities and voluntary bodies on the possible imposition of VAT on their activities.

  Sir John Cope
  [pursuant to the answer, 4 March 1993, Official Report, c. 242]: While neither the Economic Secretary nor the Chancellor of the Exchequer has had recent discussions with representatives of charities and voluntary bodies about VAT, I met representatives of the Charities Tax Reform Group for a general discussion on 3 March 1993.

ENVIRONMENT

  Ruddy Duck
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the organisations which are currently involved with Her Majesty's Government's working group into the Ruddy duck problem; what preliminary conclusions have been reached by the group; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  The working group referred to by the hon. Member is drawing up a strategy to control the Ruddy duck, an introduced species, which has spread from Britain to mainland Europe and is hybridising with and putting at risk the survival of the globally threatened White-headed duck.
  653
  The working group is chaired by the Government's statutory scientific advisers, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The other organisations represented are the Department of the Environment, the Welsh Office, English Nature, the Countryside Council for Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the International Council for Bird Preservation, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the British Trust for Ornithology.

  My Department, in partnership with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau organised an international workshop at Arundel, Sussex on I and 2 March of more than 50 delegates from 10 countries. The workshop helped to foster mutual understanding about the scale of the problem and a recognition that international co-operation was needed to tackle it. The agreed objective was to develop a strategy to stop and reverse the population and range expansion of the Ruddy duck in order to safeguard the White-headed duck. Delegates were asked to take back to their countries recomendations for action in a number of areas including legislation, monitoring, research, control measures, public relations and captive birds. The problems can be resolved only on the basis of mutual understanding and effort.

  In Spain, the Ruddy duck is undermining conservation efforts to save the White-headed duck. I am very pleased to learn that the Spanish delegation at the workshop found the proceedings helpful and that they were encouraged by the positive action being taken in Britain to address the problem.

  Ozone Levels, Lerwick
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what levels of high-level ozone were recorded at Lerwick during the week 22 to 28 February, and what was the degree of deviation from normal recorded levels.

  Mr. Maclean
  Dobson spectrophotometer measurements of total ozone at Lerwick for the week 22 to 28 February were:

  Date (1993)

  Ozone Dobson units

  22 February

  230

  23 February

  256

  24 February

  1 no data

  25 February

  1 no data

  26 February

  351

  27 February

  362

  28 February

  312

  1 Due to weather conditions.

  The average February measurement over the period 1981 to 1992 is 365 DU. The monthly average for February 1993 was 286 DU, just outside the range of previous February monthly averages which is 290 to 466 DU.

  Housing Subsidy
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many local authorities show a negative housing entitlement under the Government's housing subsidy scheme;
  654
  (2) how many local authorities receive no Government housing subsidies and made contributions from their housing revenue to the general fund for their local authority for the years (a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) for 1993–94.

  Mr. Baldry
  Housing revenue account (HRA) subsidy is distributed on the basis of each local housing authority's need to spend relative to other authorities. This involves making sensible assumptions about each authority's income and expenditure, with HRA subsidy making up any shortfall between those assumptions. If an authority's rental and other income is assumed to exceed its housing expenditure, it is required to make a contribution towards its rent rebate expenditure. If an authority's assumed income exceeds all of its housing expenditure and its rent rebate expenditure, it must transfer the surplus to its general fund.

  On the basis of provisional claim forms from authorities in respect of the current financial year, 273 authorities are assumed to have a negative housing entitlement, and therefore make contributions to their rent rebates expenditure; 22 of those authorities are not claiming HRA subsidy and anticipate making contributions to their general funds. On the basis of final claim forms received for 1991–92, 18 authorities received no HRA subsidy and made contributions to their general funds. Information for 1993–94 is not yet available.

  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average rent for a three-bedroomed council house in(a) an authority that does not receive housing subsidy and (b) in an area where housing subsidy is paid.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Department does not collect information on rents for local authority dwellings of different sizes.

  The average weekly unrebated rent for all English authorities is £30·70. There are considerable variations in local authority rents in different areas due to the varying nature of the dwelling stock and its age. In the current financial year, 1992–93, the average weekly unrebated rent for all council dwellings in those authorities which make a contribution towards rent rebate expenditure is £30·37. The average rent in the authorities which receive full HRA subsidy is £31·03.

  Self-build Projects
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the self-build projects which will benefit from loans or grants from the Housing Corporation for the building of houses in England in the current financial year.

  Sir George Young
  The details of individual schemes are a matter for the Housing Corporation.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 19 January,Official Report, column 162, which Government Department holds information on how many completed self-build units are achieved in the United Kingdom each year; and if there are any comparable figures available to illustrate how the United Kingdom compares with other European countries.

  Sir George Young
  The Department of the Environment collects a range of house-building data but
  655
  this does not separately distinguish self-build activity. Information on completions of self-build housing is not collected by any other Government Department. Comparable official figures for other European countries are not known, nor is any unofficial source for such figures known.

  Housing Market Package
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many properties were purchased under the housing market package from the Ministry of Defence.

  Sir George Young
  Sixty six properties have been purchased from the Ministry of Defence under the housing market package, and approvals have been granted for a further 12.

  Transport and the Environment
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he has made to consult business, voluntary groups, local authorities and others with interests and expertise in transport and the environment concerning the United Kingdom's report to the Sustainable Development Commission.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government are committed to widespread consultation in the preparation of the United Kingdom report to the Sustainable Development Commission. We have written to more than 150 organisations and individuals inviting views of submissions, and welcome the views of anyone who would like to contribute. We will be holding a seminar at Green college, Oxford, this month to discuss the key issues, and we will continue consultation through further meetings and correspondence throughout the year. Organisations with an interest in transport are being fully involved in all these consultations.

  Housing Overcrowding
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence his Department has of the extent of overcrowding in(a) owner-occupied properties and (b) low-cost home ownership schemes.

  Sir George Young
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for housing and planning on 8 February 1993,Official Report, column 519, to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones).

  Ministers' Appointments
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 2 March,Official Report, column 219, if he will give the dates between which all the stated Ministers held their appointments.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The dates between which the stated Ministers held their appointments are:

  Secretary of State

  Mr. Michael Heseltine—May 1979 to 6 January 1983 and 28 November 1990 to 11 April 1992

  Mr. Tom King—6 January 1983 to 8 June 1983

  Mr. Patrick Jenkin—9 June 1983 to 2 September 1985

  656

  Mr. Kenneth Baker—2 September 1985 to 21 May 1986

  Mr. Nicholas Ridley—21 May 1986 to 24 July 1989

  Mr. Chris Patten—24 July 1989 to 28 November 1990

  Mr. Michael Howard—11 April 1992 to

  Minister of State

  Mr. Tom King—May 1979 to 6 January 1983

  Lord Bellwin—6 January 1983 to 10 September 1984

  Mr. Kenneth Baker—10 September 1984 to 2 September 1985

  Mr. John Patten—2 September 1985 to 15 June 1987

  Dr. Rhodes Boyson—11 September 1986 to 15 June 1987

  Mr. Michael Howard—15 June 1987 to 25 July 1988

  Mr. John Gummer—25 July 1988 to 24 July 1989

  David Hunt—25 July 1989 to 4 May 1990

  Mr. Michael Portillo—4 May 1990 to 13 April 1992

  Mr. John Redwood—14 April 1992 to

  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

  Lord Bellwin—May 1979 to 6 January 1983

  The Hon. William Waldegrave—9 June 1983 to 2 September 1985

  Mrs. Angela Rumbold—2 September 1985 to 10 September 1986

  Mr. Christopher Chope—11 September 1986 to 23 July 1990

  The Hon. Colin Moynihan—15 June 1987 to 23 July 1990

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley—25 July 1988 to 27 October 1989

  Lord Hesketh—1 February 1989 to 23 July 1990

  Mr. David Heathcoat-Amory—27 October 1989 to 30 November 1990

  Mr. Robert Atkins—23 July 1990 to 30 November 1990

  Mr. Patrick Nicholls—23 July 1990 to 11 October 1990

  Lady Blatch—7 September 1990 to 21 May 1991

  Mr. Robert Key—11 October 1990 to 13 April 1992

  Mr. Robin Squire—14 April 1992 to

  Homelessness
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what investigation he has made into the causes of the change in the numbers of households recorded as homeless at home after acceptance by local authorities in England as homeless under part III of the Housing Act 1985.

  Sir George Young
  Local authorities report the number of households for whom they accept responsibility to secure permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985 in their quarterly P1(E) return.

  In the second quarter of 1991 the return was revised to identify households who after acceptance remain temporarily in their existing accommodation until permanent accommodation can be found. Latest estimates of such "homeless at home" households at the end of each quarter are as follows:

  "Homeless at Home" households

  Q2 1991

  110,020

  Q3 1991

  19,970

  Q4 1991

  18,700

  Q1 1992

  18,460

  Q2 1992

  111,080

  Q3 1992

  10,670

  1 Estimates for these quarters have been revised since first published.

  The variations between quarters in these estimates are likely to represent both seasonal and other fluctuations in homeless acceptances and in the availability of permanent rehousing.

  Flats over Shops
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment hat been made of the drop-out rate for schemes to promote increased residential use in town centres where the living over the shop database information has not been utilised.

  Sir George Young
  The flats over shops scheme is based on competitive bids submitted by local authorities. This Department does not monitor whether bids have been compiled using the local knowledge and experiences of authorities and their housing association partners or from information supplied by the living over the shop project or any other agency active in the field.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been allocated to promote the "living over the shop" project within his Department.

  Sir George Young
  Taking into account moneys provisionally allocated for 1993–94, some £113,075 has been made available by this Department and the Housing Corporation in support of the "living over the shop" project. The project has also received resources from other funding agencies and from its own income generation.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many properties have been made available as a result of the flats over shops initiative; and if he will make a statement about its future; (2) what representations he has received about the flats over shops initiative;

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the value of the applications for funds in each(a) local authority and (b) region under the flats over shops initiative for England in 1992–93.

  (2) how many properties have been made available as a result of the flats over shops initiative; and if he will make a statement about its future.

  (3) what representations he has received about the flats over shops initiative.

  Sir George Young
  For 1992–93 we received applications worth over £41 million for the £5 million worth of supplementary credit approvals available under the flats over shops initiative. A list of all applications has been placed in the Library. The number of properties made available will not be clear until all end of year claims have been made. An announcement has already been made about the future of this scheme with 132 authorities receiving a share of the £10 million available in 1993–94. A further £10 million will be allocated for 1994–95. We are pleased with the progress made to date under this promotion scheme in an area which we believe has significant potential. We shall continue to review its development in the light of experiences to date and to this end have been in discussion with a wide range of interested parties.

  Publicity
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was his Department's(a) publicity expenditure for each year from 1979 to 1992, (b) current outturn estimate for publicity expenditure for 1992–93 and (c) budgeted publicity expenditure for 1993–94.
  658
  Mr. Howard
  The information in respect of publicity expenditure and associated staff costs for my Department including agencies is:

  £ million

  1985–86

  3·5

  1986–87

  4·2

  1987–88

  4·8

  1988–89

  6·9

  1989–90

  31·5

  1990–91

  7·5

  1991–92

  8·1

  1992–93

  118·3

  1 Estimate.

  Information relating to financial years 1979–80 to 1984–85 inclusive is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

  The budgets for publicity expenditure for 1993–94 are not yet available.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, when he will take his capping decisions for 1993–94; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  My right hon. and learned Friend intends to take his capping decisions for 1993–94 once he has considered all the budget information which authorities are required to submit to him no later than 16 March 1993.

  However, on the basis of the information currently available to him it remains my right hon. and learned Friend's firm intention to adopt as the capping criteria for 1993–94 the provisional criteria which he announced on 26 November 1992. It is now open to any authority which has budgeted above the limit implied by those provisional criteria to set a new lower budget within that limit.

  Competitive Tendering
  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 to compulsory competitive tendering.

  Mr. Howard
  My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has today issued and placed in the Library guidance on the implcations of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) ("TUPE") Regulations 1981 for the market testing of public services.

  The principal provision of the TUPE Regulations is that where a "relevant transfer of an undertaking" has taken place, the new employer takes over responsibility for the employment contracts of the employees, who would transfer on their previous terms and conditions of service.

  My right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General, in a statement to the Standing Committee on the Trade Union Reform and Employment Rights Bill on 21 January, set out the principles regarding the "transfer of an undertaking" as follows:
  "It is clear from the case law that under both the [EC Acquired Rights] Directive and the [TUPE] Regulations, [transfer of an undertaking] means the transfer of an economic entity which is capable of operating as a going concern and which retains its identity. The contracting out of service is not a transfer of an undertaking unless it involves

  659
  enough of the elements of the original operation such as premises, staff, goodwill or customer base to constitute the transfer of a going concern."
  "But no single one of these [elements] is essential for there to be a transfer. The case law makes clear that it is the overall sum of what is transferred which determines whether there has been a transfer of an undetaking."

  I am aware from many complaints which I have received from hon. Members, local businesses and industry, that a number of local authorities have been including conditions in their CCT tender material which require the contractor to take on the employment of existing staff on the same terms and conditions.

  This is a matter of concern, for the following reasons. The objective of CCT is to ensure that local authority services are provided in the best and most cost-effective way, for the benefit of local residents and council taxpayers. CCT gives both in-house teams and prospective private contractors the opportunity to develop and offer innovative and improved ways of providing services, enabling local authorities to choose the best option from all the possible approaches.

  It is an essential part of the process of competition that local authorities are prepared to consider all possible options, without setting prior restrictions on the arrangements which prospective contractors or in-house teams must adopt, other than on matters relevant to the performance of the service.

  The CCT legislation therefore requires that in seeking tenders for services, authorities must not act "in a matter
  660
  having the effect or intended or likely to have effect of restricting, distorting or preventing competition." [Local Government Act 1988, section 7(7)].

  Where, therefore an authority seeks in a tender invitation to ensure that tenderers will be required to take over responsibility for all existing staff and observe existing terms and conditions of service, either by:
  specifying expressly that he should make offers of employment, without economic or operational justification; or
  specifying that TUPE must apply to the contract where it is not clear at the point of inviting tenders that this would necessarily be the case; or
  seeking to achieve the same purpose by specifying requirements relating to matters other than employment of staff, without economic or operational justification;
  the effect of this action is to restrict the flexibility of prospective contractors and prevent them from offering alternative arrangements for providing the service.

  In the Government's view, any such requirement may deter some prospective contractors from tendering and is likely to constitute a "restriction of competition" in the terms of the legislation, and the Secretary of State will, subject to the facts of each case, take action through the notice and direction powers provided in the legislation to require the authority to remove such restrictions.

  In this way, we will ensure that all local authorities conduct compulsory competitive tendering in the manner which this House provided for in the legislation, and will ensure that all authorities, residents and taxpayers continue to secure the benefits of new, more flexible, and more economical ways of providing services.

ENVIRONMENT

  New-build Properties
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) on what basis he calculates and allocates the numbers of new-build residential properties for which local authorities are asked to make provision within their local plans; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what consultations he has with (a) local authorities, (b) constituency members and (c) others prior to announcing the allocations of the numbers of new-build residential properties for which local authorities are asked to make provision within their local plans;

  (3) if he will give a breakdown by local authority of the numbers of new-build residential properties for which those local authorities have currently been asked to make provision within their local plans.

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Local plans have to be prepared by non-metropolitan districts and national parks in general conformity with structure plans. Their housing policies and proposals have to conform with the structure plan's housing allocation for each district. Structure plans are prepared by the county councils, having regard to the indicative housing allocations for each county contained in the Secretary of State's regional guidance where this has been published. All current county structure plans were approved by the Secretary of State, although revised arrangements will apply under the 1991 Act in respect of future reviews.

  In drawing up regional guidance, the Secretary of State takes into account advice provided by local authority regional groupings. Both this advice and the subsequent draft guidance are subject to full public consultation.

  The statutory procedures for drawing up and adopting development plans require full public consultation. They also provide an opportunity for objections to be made and for the issues and to be debated at an examination-in-public (EIP) before policies are adopted.

  In Cheshire the structure plans allocation for each district between 1986 and 2001, to be taken into account in local plan preparation, is:

  District

  Number

  Warrington

  about 12,000

  Halton

  about 7,400

  Ellesmere Port and Neston

  about 3,600

  Vale Royal

  about 8,000

  Macclesfield

  about 7,600

  Chester

  about 6,100

  Crewe and Nantwich

  about 8,000

  Congleton

  about 6,000

  This total includes both new units and conversions of existing buildings.

  Because the structure plans have been prepared to cover different time scales, we cannot provide comparable data for other areas.

  I will provide similar information for other counties if my hon. Friend would care to write to me.

  Official Entertainment
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much was spent on official entertainment in his Department in 1991–92 and 1992–93 to date.
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  Mr. Howard
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Total expenditure by my Department (including the Building Research Establishment Agency, the Planning Inspectorate Agency, the Buying Agency and the Queen Elizabeth II Agency) was £0·096 million in 1991–92 and is estimated to be £0·122 million in 1992–93.

  Radiation Leak, Sellafield
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many members of the public were visiting Sellafield during the period of the recent radioactive leak; and whether they were examined to determine their contact with any radioactive material or informed of possible risks to their health or welfare.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 2 March 1993]: I have been asked to reply.

  The actual number of visitors at Sellafield is a matter for British Nuclear Fuels plc as operators of the site. The higher than normal discharges of radioactivity during the week ending on 13 February resulted in doses through inhalation to the most exposed persons of about 1 microsievert. The dose to a member of the public visiting Sellafield at the time would have been less than this and less than the dose received from background radiation during a visit to Cornwall for a comparable period. The very low levels of radioactivity involved meant that no special arrangements were appropriate for visitors. Radiation alarms are in place at Sellafield and appropriate action would have been taken if necessary.

EDUCATION

  Pupils (Exclusion)
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what education alternatives are available to pupils who have been permanently excluded from schools.

  Mr. Forth
  Once a pupil has been permanently excluded from a school, it is open to the parents to seek a place for their child at another school within a reasonable distance from their home. In most instances a school would not be able to refuse to admit the child unless by so doing it would exceed its standard number. LEAs also have the power under section 56 of the Education Act 1944 to provide education otherwise than at school where necessary to meet a pupil's needs. It is also open to the LEA to consider whether the child has special educational needs which call for the authority to determine the special educational provision that should be made for him.

  Class Sizes
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of single-teacher classes in(a) Birmingham and (b) England comprised more than 30 children in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Forth
  The information requested is shown in the table.
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  Percentages of single-teacher classes with 31 or more pupils in maintained primary and secondary schools.1Position as at January each year

  Primary

  Secondary

  Birmingham LEA

  England

  Birmingham LEA

  England

  1992

  21

  20

  7

  4

  1991

  24

  21

  8

  4

  1990

  26

  19

  7

  4

  1989

  24

  18

  8

  4

  1988

  26

  18

  7

  5

  1987

  27

  19

  8

  5

  1986

  28

  20

  10

  6

  1985

  25

  19

  11

  7

  1984

  26

  19

  10

  7

  1983

  38

  20

  12

  8

  1982

  31

  22

  11

  8

  1981

  32

  23

  11

  8

  1980

  32

  24

  12

  9

  1979

  39

  27

  12

  10

  1 Secondary school figures for 1990, 1991 and 1992 include self-governing state schools (GM) as do primary school figures for 1992

  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what has been the average size of class taught by one teacher in primary schools in(a) Birmingham and (b) England in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Forth
  The information requested is shown in the table.

  Average size of classes taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools1

  Position as at January each year

  Birmingham LEA

  England

  1992

  27·6

  26·4

  1991

  27·9

  26·3

  1990

  27·8

  25·9

  1989

  27·4

  25·7

  1988

  27·3

  25·4

  1987

  27·1

  25·4

  1986

  26·6

  25·5

  1985

  25·8

  24·9

  1984

  25·7

  24·7

  1983

  26·9

  24·8

  1982

  26·2

  25·1

  1981

  26·2

  25·2

  1980

  26·4

  25·4

  1979

  27·1

  25·9

  1 Figures for January 1992 include self-governing state schools (GM).

  Education Reform Act 1988
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints from parents under section 23 of the Education Reform Act 1988 have been outstanding for(a) three months and (b) six months since their receipt.

  Mr. Forth
  Five complaints which have been considered by local education authorities or school governing bodies under section 23 of the Education Reform Act 1988 are now before the Secretary of State.

  Of these:

  (a) Three have been outstanding at the Department for Education for between three and six months and

  (b) Two have been outstanding for more than six months.

  Most complaints call for lengthy consultation with interested parties.

  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education in 1992 how many complaints from parents under section 664
  23 of the Education Reform Act 1988 were determined by the Secretary of State within (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months, (d) four months, (e) six months and (f) more than six months of receipt.

  Mr. Forth
  Of the 10 section 23 complaints that have been determined by my right hon. Friend since the Education Reform Act came into force:

  (a) none was determined within one month,

  (b) none was determined within two months,

  (c) one was determined within three months,

  (d) none was determined within four months,

  (e) two were determined within six months, and

  (f) seven took over six months to determine.

  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the target period in the citizens charter for the response time for him to decide upon complaints from parents under section 23 of the Education Reform Act 1988.

  Mr. Forth
  The citizens charter does not state a target period for my right hon. Friend to dispose of such complaints.

  Truancy
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 3 March,Official Report, columns 147–48, if he will place in the Library each of the submissions being funded under the programme to reduce truancy out of the grants for education support and training scheme 1993–94.

  Mr. Forth
  No. The submissions included information supplied by LEAs in confidence. The Department will shortly be publishing a directory giving very brief details of each of the approved projects. I will arrange for a copy of that directory to be placed in the Library.

  Special Needs
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many places are available for children with special educational needs in(a) non-maintained and (b) independent special schools; and how many places are purchased by local education authorities in each type of school.

  Mr. Forth
  As at January 1992, there were some 7,100 places in non-maintained special schools and some 6,700 places in those independent schools catering wholly or mainly for pupils with special educational needs.

  At that time, there were some 5,800 pupils occupying places at non-maintained special schools, the majority of whom were funded by local education authorities. Information is not kept centrally on the number of such independent school places funded by local education authorities.

  Spending Statistics
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of the national income has been spent on education in(a) each of the last five years and (b) 1978–79.

  Mr. Forth
  The information requested is as follows:
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  United Kingdom general Government expenditure on education as percentage of GDP

  Financial year

  Per cent.

  1978–79

  5·4

  1987–88

  4·8

  1988–89

  4·6

  1989–90

  4·8

  1990–91

  4·8

  1991–92

  5·1

  Source: Cm 2219 Public Expenditure Analyses to 1995–96, table 2.4.

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of spending in maintained schools was met by his Department in(a) each of the last five years and (b) 1978–79.

  Mr. Forth
  Most central Government support for local authorities is in the form of revenue support grant, which is not hypothecated to individual services. Grants paid by the Department over the last five years to support expenditure in maintained schools as a percentage of total recurrent spending on maintained schools is given in the following table:

  Per cent.

  1988–89

  1·4

  1989–90

  1·9

  1990–91

  2·2

  1991–92

  2·8

  1992–93

  4·4

  Notes:

  i. Percentages calculated by expressing grants for education support and training (GEST), section 210 grant and grants to self governing state (grant-maintained) schools as a proportion of total net recurrent spending on LEA maintained and Self Governing State (Grant-maintained) schools.

  ii. Net recurrent spending on schools includes institutional spending on LEA maintained and self-governing (grant-maintained) schools, and related central support services such as the school meals service, home to school transport, teacher centres, child guidance and pupil support. Also included is a pro rata share of LEA expenditure on central administration and recreational services and research. 1990–91 figure excludes balances held by schools and carried over into the 1991–92 financial year. Spending in 1991–92 and 1992–93 estimated and budgeted outturn respectively. Figures taken from 1993 DFE/OSTEND departmental report (ref: Cm 2210), except for those in respect of annual maintenance grant paid to self-governing state schools, which are taken from DFE records.

  iii. Grants paid by other Government Departments to support expenditure in schools excluded from above calculations.

  iv. Figures for 1978–79 not available on a comparable basis.

  Cash Limits
  Dr. Liam Fox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to announce any further changes to cash limits on votes within his responsibility for 1992–93.

  Dr. Patten
  [pursuant to his replies, 4 February 1993, cols. 275–76 and 15 February 1993, col. 52]: The cash limit for class XI, vote 1 will be changed as follows:

  Class and vote

  Curent cash limit£

  Change£

  Revised cash limit£

  XI.1

  745,895,000

  -108,000

  745,787,000

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  The reduction in the cash limit for class Xl, vote 1 is to offset wholly payment to the university of Hull in respect of a grant from the European regional development fund to be made in 1992–93 towards a project for the construction of a research centre in surface engineering. A net token subhead will be added to class Xl, vote 2, with the agreement of Her Majesty's Treasury, in the appropriation accounts for 1992–93 in due course, to enable the transaction to be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. These changes will not add to the planned total for public expenditure.

TRANSPORT

  Disturbance Claim
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the disturbance claim of Mr. and Mrs. Casey, Uplands, Landkcy road, Barnstaple, lodged in January 1991, is to be resolved.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  I am writing to the hon. Member.

  Road Safety
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the scope and duration of the Transport Research Laboratory's study of the best methods for the signpostings of red light cameras for road safety purposes; and if he will indicate what conclusions have been reached in that study.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Studies are being undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory and by independent consultants into the effectiveness of red light camera signs. Early results indicate that the signs add to the effectiveness of the cameras. We hope to issue advice shortly which will enable these signs to be used more widely in conjunction with cameras.

  Family Perspective and Life Cycle
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on how his Department takes account of the family perspective and life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department;

  (2) in which publication, speech or statement his Department has described how it takes account of the family perspective and life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department.

  Mr. MacGregor
  My Department seeks to take account of the needs of all transport users, including families and those of different age groups. In particular, a clear priority within the Government's long-term programme of casualty reduction is to improve the safety of vulnerable road users such as children and the elderly. For example, we are continuing to encourage traffic calming measures, to keep speeds low and improve driver behaviour, especially in sensitive locations such as residential areas and near schools and shops.

  Initiatives to improve family mobility include trials of low floor buses, due to begin later this year in London and north Tyneside, which will improve access for parents with young children.

  The Department has issued various publications and launched a number of campaigns on these themes,

  667
  including some aimed at specific age groups. The Department's national travel survey records both household travel and the age and sex of household members; it also records the relationship of household members to each other, allowing households of various kinds to be identified.

  Motorways
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the total number of motorway sites in the United Kingdom providing toilet facilities(a) in 1989, (b) currently and (c) planned for 1994.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Toilets are provided at all motorway service areas (MSAs), while other locations where toilets are available have also been signed from motorways from time to time. In 1989 there were 42 MSAs in England and three other facilities signed from motorways. Corresponding figures for March 1993 are 44 and five respectively. We expect at least three further MSAs to have opened by the end of 1994, and a number of others to be under construction. Since 6 August, development of future MSAs has been a matter for the private sector.

  Motorway services in Scotland and Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales.

  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what further action he will take to ensure that litter is removed from motorways.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  I am determined to ensure that the standards and response times for litter clearance specified in the code of practice on litter and refuse are met. Motorway patrols are required to report accumulations of litter so that action can be put in hand to clear them quickly. More than £3 million will be spent on sweeping and removing litter from motorways this year.

  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about increasing the 70 mph limit on motorways.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  I receive few representations for an increase in the motorway speed limit; most relate to the desirability of a lower limit or increased enforcement of the existing limit.

  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the suitability of the 70 mph speed limit in regard to safety.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Such an assessment was made as part of the speed limit review in July 1991, which concluded that the 70 mph limit continued to strike the right balance between the need for efficient travel and road safety. The policy document "Killing Speed and Saving Lives" published on 13 January 1993 provided information on the relationship between speed and road accidents on which that conclusion was based. A copy is available in the Library of the House.
  668
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has commissioned on the possible effects of closing entrances and exits on the M25.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  A major review carried out in 1988–89 considered the control of access to the M25 as a traffic management measure to maximise the operational efficiency of the motorway. It was concluded that, although closure of junctions might relieve congestion on the M25, the overall effect of increased traffic on local roads would be to create congestion, accidents and environmental disbenefits.

  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the length of the motorway where the M6 and M42 run in parallel.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The M6 and M42 motorways run in parallel for approximately two and a quarter miles.

  Coaches and Buses (Safety)
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 24 February,Official Report, column 586–87, if he will make it his policy to reduce the maximum permitted speed for coaches and large buses which are not fitted with anti-lock brakes or seat belts on exposed seats and will not have to comply with European superstructure strength requirements from 1 April.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  No. There is no evidence that the current maximum speed for such vehicles constitutes a road safety risk.

  Contracting Out
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all those services or functions that have been contracted out from his Department since November 1991 without market testing an in-house bid against external competition, with, in each instance, the successful contractor and the reasons for the decision to exclude an in-house bid.

  Mr. Norris
  None since the two cases to which I referred in my answer on 12 February,Official Report, columns 864–65: those cases were dealt with under the procedures which pre-dated the publication of "Competing for Quality" (Cm. 1730)).

  Trunk Roads Manchester
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list(a) the planned trunk road schemes for Greater Manchester, (b) the construction costs at 1993 prices and (c) the expected date of commencement for each scheme.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The information is given in the table.
  669

  Greater Manchester

  Scheme

  Construction cost excluding VAT1£ million

  Next stage2

  M56 widening junction 4–6

  15·2

  Works start spring 1993

  M62 widening and improvement junctions 14–17

  11·1

  Works start spring 1993

  M62 widening and improvement junctions 18–24

  256·0

  Public consultation summer 1993

  M63 widening junctions 6–9

  46·3

  Order publication

  M66 MORR (Denton to Middleton) contract 4—M62 to River Irk diversion

  27·6

  Works start spring 1993

  M66 MORR (Denton to Middleton) contract 2—Advance side roads

  38·1

  Works start spring 1994

  M66 MORR (Denton to Middleton) contract 1—Denton to River Medlock

  54·2

  Works start spring 1995

  M66 MORR (Denton to Middleton) contract 3—River Medlock to River Irk

  40·6

  Works start spring 1996

  A6(M) Stockport north-south bypass

  53·0

  Supplementary orders published. Offerton road junction under review

  A6(M)—M56 (Manchester airport) link (central section)

  13·6

  Works start summer 1993

  A6(M)—M56 (Manchester airport) link (western section)

  10·6

  Public consultation summer 1993

  A6 Disley and High lane bypass

  55·4

  Order publication

  A57/A628 Mottram, Hollingworth, Tintwistle bypass

  14·8

  Preferred route announcement summer 1993

  A5225 Wigan Hindley and Westhoughton bypass

  103·0

  Order publication summer 1993

  Greater Manchester western and northern relief road—M56 to M62

  140·8

  Preferred route announcement

  Greater Manchester western and northern relief road—M62 to M66

  205·0

  Public consultation 1993

  1 Costs are at quarter 1 1992 prices; the latest date for which firm prices are available.

  2 Details of next stage are given as timing of construction largely depends upon the outcome of that stage.

  Cycling
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to set targets to increase cycle use.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  No. It is for local authorities to decide what provision for cycling is appropriate in their areas.

  Seat Belts
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made as to the effectiveness of rear seat belts of the half-belt type.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Statistics on the effectiveness of rear lap belts in the United Kingdom are not available, but research in the United States indicates that lap belts reduce death and serious injury by 25 to 40 per cent. and three-point belts by 40 to 55 per cent. Although there is no current research specifically into lap belts, the Department is monitoring the effectiveness of all seat belts in its accident crash investigations.

  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure that rear seat belts in cars are all of the full-belt type.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  I expect agreement to be reached shortly in the European Community permitting member states to require the compulsory fitment of three point belts for the rear outer seats of new cars from 1 January 1995 and obliging them to do so from 1 January 1996. There are at present no plans to extend this requirement to three point belts for the centre rear seat as fitting such belts can be technically complex. I believe the quickest and most effective way forward is for manufacturers voluntarily to introduce three-point belts for centre rear seats wherever technically possible. I will continue to encourage this.

  Road Mileage
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated mileage of(a) major trunk roads, (b) motorways, (c) local highways and (d) cycle routes.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The latest available figures for Great Britain are for 1 April 1992 when there were 7,669 miles of major trunk road, 1,955 miles of motorway, 22,180 miles of other major roads and 193,338 miles of minor roads. Figures for cycle routes in Great Britain are not available, however, there were 512 miles of purpose-built cycleways.

  Car Furnishings (Safety)
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what materials are used in the air bags being installed in cars; what gas is used to inflate these bags; and what assessment has been made of the environmental and health effects of the release of gas in the event of a bag bursting or catching fire.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  A typical airbag is constructed of nylon coated with a rubber compound. The gas source is normally sodium azide, which is hermetically sealed within a strong metal container in the steering wheel hub. When the bag is deployed, the sodium azide converts into harmless nitrogen to inflate the bag; in some cases, there will be a small residue of sodium hydroxide present, which may cause skin irritation.

  In the case of a fire, most systems are designed to inflate normally when the temperature reaches 300°F. There should be no risk of the inflator exploding.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what controls exist over the materials used in the interior furnishings of cars including sound proofing and foams used in car seats.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The Motor Vehicles (Type Approval) (Great Britain) Regulations 1984 prescribe standards for interior fittings which all new cars must
  671
  meet. These standards cover the minimum dimensional and/or energy absorbing properties of certain components.

  Following consultation with the Department, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has made a number of recommendations to its members on fire risk. One of those recommendations covers the flammability of the materials used in the interior furnishings of cars.

  Roads, West Yorkshire
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will monitor the air quality along the route of the M62 and the Al through the Ferrybridge and Pontefract areas in West Yorkshire.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  Measurements of air quality will be undertaken at selected locations along these routes as part of detailed scheme preparation for the upgrading of the A1 to motorway.

  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the proposed distance between the new Al route through Ferrybridge and the Ferrybridge junior and infants school.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  On present plans the minimum distance of the proposed A1 motorway from the Ferrybridge junior and infants school would be about 250 yards. A proposed junction slip road would be located about 180 yards away.

  Transport Supplementary Grant
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice has been issued to local authorities in respect of submissions for transport supplementary grant.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  We are consulting the local authority associations about the drafting of this year's circular, which we expect to issue during April.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what share of the latest transport supplementary grant settlements was allocated to(a) road construction, (b) road maintenance, (c) bus priority measures, (d) measures specifically introduced to improve road safety, (e) improvements to rail services and (f) light rail.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: Of the £1,046·7 million available for the local roads capital settlement for 1993–94, £659·5 million was allocated for road construction, £172·8 million for structural maintenance of principal roads, £4·7 million for bus measures, and £50 million for local safety schemes. No resources were allocated for rail or light rail, as transport supplementary grant is limited by statute in England to expenditure in connection with highways or the regulation of traffic.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will require cycle route networks in all proposals submitted to transport supplementary grant approval.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  No. It will be for local authorities to decide whether to include a specific section on cycling in their 1994–95 transport policies and programmes submission.

  Hazardous Substances
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has commissioned or carried out in each of the last five years into the transportation of hazardous substances.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  My Department commissioned surveys of the transport into and out of British ports of dangerous goods in packages, in 1989, and of bulk chemicals and gases, in 1992. It has commissioned, sometimes jointly with the Health and Safety Executive, a number of reports from the National Radiological Protection Board into aspects of the transport of radioactive material. My Department also took part in an important study, under the aegis of the Health and Safety Commission's advisory committee on dangerous substances, of the major hazards aspects of the transport of dangerous substances: its report was published in 1991. Copies of these reports are in the Library, except for those on the port movements, which contained commercially confidential information.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to apply the control of Major Accident Hazards regulations to the transportation of hazardous materials to and from existing CIMAH sites.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1984 (CIMAH) implement EC directives on the major accident hazards of certain industrial activities. They apply where specific dangerous substances are stored in more than specified quantities and require the preparation of emergency plans by both the operator of the site and by local authorities. It would be inappropriate and confusing to attempt to apply the CIMAH regulations to transport operations.

  Regulations for the transport of dangerous goods by road apply from the commencement of loading until the vehicle is unloaded and made safe. Furthermore, the wide ranging general requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 cover all aspects of interface activities including loading and unloading from all modes of transport, storage and arrangements for emergencies. The Dangerous Substances in Harbour Areas Regulations 1987 apply in harbour areas.

  The transport of dangerous goods internationally is covered by long established conventions, principally under United Kingdom aegis. The European Commission is currently considering the direct application of the international rail and road rules within member states. It would be for the Community to decide in due course whether supplementing transport requirements, similar to those under the CIMAH Regulations, might be needed.

  A1 (Bypasses)
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the towns and villages that are planned to be bypassed in the route of the new A1; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The sections of the A1 for which preferred routes have been announced, for upgrading to motorway, provide for the communities of Brotherton, Fairburn and Ferrybridge to be bypassed.

  Mr. William: O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a breakdown of the estimated
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  operational costs for the additional three quarters of a mile of motorway if the new Al was diverted to bypass Knottingley in West Yorkshire.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  The first year operational costs of £100 million in respect of a route for the A1 motorway from Redhouse to Hook Moor, including a bypass to the east of Knottingley, is broken down as follows:

  Costs

  £millions

  (i) time

  29·827

  (ii) fuel

  18·013

  (iii) other vehicle costs such as depreciation and maintance

  51·502

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

  0·347

  Total

  199·689

  1 Rounded to £100 million.

  Heathrow Rail Link
  Sir Keith Speed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the earliest date, assuming the satisfactory completion of all procedures, that the Paddington to Heathrow rail link could be open to passenger traffic.

  Mr. Freeman
  I understand that the earliest date at which the Paddington to Heathrow link could be open to passenger traffic is 1997.

  Landscaping
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the criteria for inviting people to become members of the landscape advisory committee; and if he will list the qualifications of each of the current members.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: My right hon. Friend has set no specific criteria for inviting members to serve on the landscape advisory committee. Appointments are made so as to maintain a wide range of interests and expertise in landscape matters. Some of the qualifications of the current members are as follows:

  Professor David K. C. Jones, BSc, FRGS appointed Chairman 1993
  Professor of physical geography at the London School of Economics; consultant geomorphologist specialising in engineering, geomorphological mapping and landslide studies.

  Sir Henry E. Aubrey-Fletcher
  Member of the council of Country Landowners Association; member of Agricultural Land Tribunal South East Area and the Bucks and Oxon Naturalist Trust Conservation Group.

  Professor Mary Benwell B.A., PH.D., F.C.I.T.
  Head of School of Business at Oxford Brookes University; previously a Reader in Transport at Cranfield and a Research Director of a transport consultancy.

  Dr. John A. Bergg BSc phD C.ENG FICE
  Recently retired from the post of County Engineer for Surrey County Council; currently a part time consultant for a civil enginering firm.

  Professor Gordon E. Cherry BA DSc (Hon) FRICS
  Recently retired from the post of Head of the Geography Department at the University of Birmingham; now an independent traffic/planning consultant.
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  Mr. Len J. Clark CBE
  Chairman of the Youth Hostels Trust (Vice President Youth Hostel Association); member of Council for National Parks and Countryside Link; member of National Trust Council & Committees.

  Professor Monica M. Cole BSc Phd FIMM FRCS FGS
  Retired Professor of Geography and Director of Research in Geobotany, Terrain Analysis and related resource use at the Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, Surrey.

  Mr. Geoffrey P. Crow BSc DipTE CEng FIHT MICE
  Independent Transportation Planning Consultant and Senior Lecturer in Transport (part time) at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.

  Ms E. Evans AA Dipl (Hons) SADG RIBA TP
  Partner in firm of architects; architect and town planner with experience in urban planning.

  Mr John V S Evans Dip.Arch DipLA RIBA ALI
  Registered architect; consultant to the Travers Morgan Group since 1991; Former Partner of Travers Morgan Planning and Chairman of Travers Morgan Landscape; member of the Landscape Institute External Affairs Committee.

  Mr C Richard Ferens MA (CANTAB) FRICS
  Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors; Consultant with firm of Surveyors & valuers; a Vice-President of the Royal Agricultural Society of England; valuer for the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation and the Lord Chancellor's panel of Agricultural Arbitrators.

  Professor Peter J Fowler MA PHd FSA FRHistS MIFA
  Professor of Archaeology, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne; former Secretary to the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England; currently Forestry Commission archaeological consultant; member of National Trust Council and Executive & Properties Committees.

  Mrs Elizabeth J Garland BA
  Secretary of the Council for the Protection of Rural England (Sheffield, Peak District and South Yorkshire Branch); executive member for Council of National Parks (CNP); Chair of Development Panel of CNP.

  Mr Hugh J R Geddes MA RIBA MLA (USA)
  Partner and director in firm of architects; Director Pilot Properties, specialising in housing schemes on derelict urban land.

  Mr Arthur D Gill
  Vice-President of the Petersfield Society; member of the executive Committee of the Gwent Farming, Forestry and Wild Life Advisory Group; Director of RAC and is the nominee of the Joint Standing Committee of the RAC, AA and RSAC on the National Executive of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW); member of the Executive Committee of the Gwent branch of the CPRW.

  Mrs Janet Jack AA Dipl RIBA TP ALI
  Former partner, now consultant to architect's practice; was responsible for the architectural and landscape proposals for the Channel Tunnel project.

  Mrs Patricia E Lunn CGLI FRSA
  Head of Horticulture, Derbyshire College of Agriculture and Horticulture; working Partner in landscape and nursery business; independent member of Horticultural Development Council and Convenor of its Levy Appeals Panel since its formation in 1986; former member of the Women's National Commission and past National President, UK Federation of Business and Professional Women.

  Ms Wendy M Lutley MSc Adel (Eton Geol), BSc Lond (Geol)
  Previously employed by the National Trust in management plan preparation for its open space properties and as a member of its biological survey team; more recently assistant

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  general secretary of the Open Spaces Society working on common land, urban open space and community action in the environment; author of the society's book "Making Space—protecting and creating open space for local communities'; now Co-director of Folk South West.

  Mr. Jim M. McCluskey BSc (Civil Engineering) MICE MISTRUCT MINT ALI
  Director of McCluskey Associates, a landscape architectural and planning consultancy; experienced civil structural engineer and landscape architect; author of a number of books on environmental design including "Road Form and Townscape" and "Parking: An Environmental Design Handbook".

  Professor Margaret A. Mackeith MA PHD DIP TP DIP ARCH CONS FRTPI FRGS
  Dean of the Faculty of Design and Technology, University of Central Lancashire, Preston; Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society; Member of Institute of Environmental Science.

  Mr. Michael R. Porter OBE DIPLA FLI
  Former Landscape Adviser to the Department of Transport which he served for 25 years.

  Miss Kay S. Powell BSc MSc MRTPI MINT
  Corporate Support Officer, Chief Executive's Department South Glamorgan County Council.

  Miss Wendy E. Powell MLA FLI
  In private practice as landscape architect and part time lecturer; nationally elected member of the Council of the Landscape Institute.

  Mrs. Valerie Russell BA (Hons)
  Former Chair of the Council for National Parks; former Wealden District Councillor (Chair of the Personnel and Central Services Sub-Committee); member of the Institute of Directors, the British Institute of Management, Women in Management and the Sussex Archaeological Society.

  Mr. Martin O. Slocock BA
  Director of Nursery business; former President of the Horticultural Trade Association 1967–70; member of the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society since 1984; Chairman of the BSI Committee for Nursery Stock Production.

  Mr. Michael E. G. Taylor FCIT
  Former Managing Director of transportation company; currently consultant to firm of parcels carriers; member of Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment, four Road Haulage Association committees and the Advisory Committee on Telecommunications for Small Business.

  Mrs. Victoria R. Wakefield
  Member of Committee `A' Royal Horticultural Society;
  Trustee Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.

  Mr. Roy W. Winter RIBA ALI DipArch DipLD
  In private practice as a landscape architect; formerly landscape architect to Redditch new town development corporation; now course director of the diploma/MA in landscape architecture at Birmingham polytechnic.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that the maintenance period for landscaping on new schemes should be 36 months and that statutory environmental and heritage bodies should be consulted at the project brief stage of a road proposal.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: It has been our policy for more than 10 years that the maintenance period for landscaping on new schemes should be 36 months. Consultation with the statutory environmental and heritage bodies already begins at a very early stage of scheme development.
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  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make freely available to both statutory and non-statutory objectors to road schemes the recommendations of the landscape advisory committee.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: Committee reports on individual road schemes have for many years been available to any objector at public inquiry. Reports are now available, on request, to any interested party following the announcement of a preferred route.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that environmental consultants should be appointed as part of the consultancy team on all major schemes at the point at which the head engineering consultant is appointed.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: Before we appoint consultants for major schemes we always ensure that they will have the necessary environmental expertise available.

  Minibuses (Accidents)
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 26 February,Official Report, column 763, what are the numbers of minibus passengers and drivers killed and seriously injured in road accidents in Britain in each year since 1989.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: Police reports on personal injury road accidents classify minibuses together with motor caravans. Driver and passenger fatalities and serious casualties in this broad group are shown in table A. Casualties in vehicles with nine to 35 seats in the Hackney taxation class are shown in table B.

  Table A

  Casualties in vehicle type "Minibuses and Motor Caravans": Police reports

  Driver

  Passenger

  Killed

  Seriously injured

  Killed

  Seriously injured

  1989

  6

  82

  22

  251

  1990

  2

  79

  23

  216

  1991

  2

  69

  18

  189

  1. Includes other types of small bus and motor caravans.

  Table B

  Casualties in Hackney taxation class (9 to 35 seats): estimates based on DVLA data

  Driver

  Passenger

  Killed

  Seriously injured

  Killed

  Seriously injured

  1989

  1

  6

  1

  67

  1990

  1

  10

  3

  80

  1991

  0

  18

  3

  80

  1. Excludes non-public service vehicle buses (9–35 seats) which are taxed for private use, and are not separately identifiable.

  Driver and Vehicle Office of Information Technology (Sale)
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations he has had with KPMG Corporate Finance regarding the error in the advertisement for sale of the Driver and Vehicle Office of
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  Information Technology in the Financial Times of Tuesday 16 February; what effect this error will have on the closing date for replies expressing an interest; and what consultations he has had in relation to the impact of the error on the rules of compliance of the European Commission for the advertisement of public procurement contracts in the Official Journal.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: Consultations with KPMG Corporate Finance, and other advisers on the privatisation of DVOIT, have not revealed any error in the Financial Times advertisement, so there would be no effect on the closing date for replies, or doubt about compliance with EC requirements.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Criminal Justice Act 1988
  Mrs. Angela Knight
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to amend the Criminal Justice Act 1988; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  We keep the workings of this Act under review, but we have no current plans to amend it.

  Prison Population
  Mr. Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were in prison at the most recent count.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The prison population in England and Wales on Wednesday 10 March was 43,077.

  Obscene Publications Acts
  Mr. Faber
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he had received concerning the Obscene Publications Act 1964; and what plans he has to seek to amend it.

  Mr. Jack
  I have received no representations specifically concerning the Obscene Publications Act 1964, which amended the Obscene Publications Act 1959 in order to create an additional offence of possessing an obscene article for publication for gain. We have received a variety of representations on the general subject of obscenity and we are currently considering what improvements might be made in the enforcement of both Acts.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the text of the letters which have been sent by his Department to representatives of the police inviting their comment on enforcement questions.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 25 February 1993]: As the hon. Member is aware, the Government are currently considering what measures might be taken to help improve the enforcement of the Obscene Publication Acts 1959 and 1964. This is not a matter for public consultation, but we have sought the views of members of the police service in order to assist in developing policy proposals in this area. We will make the results of our consideration public as soon as possible.
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  In the meantime, I can confirm that letters have been sent to the chairman of the crime committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers and to the heads of the obscene publications branch of two police forces. These letters sought views about the effectiveness of the provisions of the Obscene Publications Acts 1959 and 1964 about ways which the enforcements of those and other legal provisions relating to pornography might be improved. Correspondents were asked if they were aware of any particular aspects of law which give rise to difficulties, what those difficulties might be and, how widespread they seemed to be; and whether they had any views on how they might be overcome. They were also asked for their assessment of the extent of the problem posed by the availability of obscene material on computer disk and for any views they might have on procedural or legal changes which might alleviate any difficulties experienced in investigating offences involving such material.

  Terrorism
  Mr. Elletson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about IRA terrorism in mainland Britain.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  The Government are determined to overcome terrorism in all its forms throughout the United Kingdom. The police have achieved a number of sucesses recently and they have my full support in their continuing efforts to ensure that those responsible for terrorist crime are brought to justice.

  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the security arrangements for those who are likely to be most at risk from terrorism.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Protective security arrangements are kept under constant review and adjusted as necessary to meet the assessed level of threat.

  Immigration Services, Prestwick
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the provision of immigration services a t Prestwick airport.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  In addition to representations from the hon. Member, my right hon. and learned Friend has received representations from my hon. Friend the Member for Ayr (Mr. Gallie), the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South (Mr. Donohoe), the Lord Younger of Prestwick and the Earl of Selkirk. He has also received representations from the management of PIK, and various local community groups and representative bodies.

  Immigration
  Mr. Jim Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received concerning his proposals to change expenditure under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Up to 9 March, some 266 letters had been received. As we have made clear, we remain fully committed to tackling the causes of disadvantage amongst
  679
  ethnic minorities and section 11 grant will continue to play a major role in our programme to combat such disadvantage. It is with much regret, therefore, that due to general economic circumstances we shall be unable to sustain the level of expenditure over the next three years which had earlier been planned. We have also made it clear that we are anxious to work closely with local authorities and other interested parties to ensure that the available funding achieves maximum benefit for members of ethnic minorities, and we have invited them to let us have their observations by the end of March.

  Electoral Register
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is now in a position to announce changes in the election law in order to increase the numbers on the electoral register; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  As I stated in my reply to a question from the hon. Member for Derbyshire, North-East (Mr. Barnes) on 11 February, we have set up a working group of Home Office officials and representatives of electoral registration officers and local authorities to look at all aspects of electoral registration. We shall consider the working group's findings once it has concluded its work.

  Juvenile Crime
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has in relation to the reduction of juvenile crime.

  Mr. Jack
  As my right hon. and learned Friend said in his Statement to the House on 2 March, he and my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Education and for Health have drawn up proposals to tackle juvenile crime on a broad front.

  For the small hard core of persistent juvenile offenders who commit a disproportionate amount of crime we will be introducing a new secure training order for sentencing the juvenile offender who has not responded to supervision in the community.

  Sir John Hannam
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if will introduce legislation to allow magistrates to have access to the records of offences committed by juvenile offenders.

  Mr. Jack
  There is nothing in the existing law which prevents courts having access to the previous convictions of either juvenile or adult offenders.

  Violent Crime
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new initiatives he is currently considering in order to abate the incidence of violent crime; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  The Government continue to pursue vigorously their existing policies, the objective of which is to reduce opportunities for violent crime, to ensure that the police have the necessary powers and resources to deter and apprehend violent offenders, to provide the courts with adequate powers to sentence them after conviction and to offer support to victims.

  Custodial Sentences
  Mr. Booth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the proportion of sentences to be served in custody; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  We have received representations on all aspects of the sentencing framework introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 1991, including some about the new arrangements for the release from custody of sentenced prisoners under which no prisoner may now be released before he or she has served at least half of the sentence imposed by the court. The effects of these and other changes, introduced by the Act and brought into effect on I October 1992, are still being monitored.

  Special Constables
  Dr. Goodson-Wickes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent studies have been made on the establishment of special constables; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  There have been no recent studies on this specific subject. The current publicity campaign, which was launched in 1991, responds to general concern about falling numbers of special constables. In the first year of the campaign numbers increased by 14 per cent. to 18,072 at 31 December 1991.

  Crime (Inner-city Estates)
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to meet the chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers to discuss the problems of crime on inner-city estates.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Although my right hon. and learned Friend has no plans to meet the president of ACPO to discuss these particular matters at the moment, I am aware that chief officers of police have put additional resources into dealing with crime on many inner-city estates. This complements, of course, the significant work being undertaken by the government in preventing crime in these areas.

  Car Crime
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he intends to take to deal with car crime in Staffordshire.

  Mr. Jack
  The themes of our Car Crime Prevention Year 1992 campaign continue to play a significant part in all police areas in encouraging action to combat car crime. In Staffordshire, the police are engaged in a number of car crime prevention promotional activities and are participating in the national secured car parks initiative. A force-wide vehicle watch scheme is being planned.

  Mr. Lester
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from residents of Nottinghamshire about actions taken to help reduce car crime.

  Mr. Jack
  I receive many representations on car crime from relevant organisations, hon. Members and members of the public, including a number from residents of Nottinghamshire.
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  Mr. Trend
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 with regard to the referral of lenient sentences.

  Mr. Jack
  The power contained in the Act of 1988 under which the Attorney-General may refer to the Court of Appeal sentences which he considers to be unduly lenient is now widely accepted as important and necessary. The careful and discriminating use of this power by successive holders of that office has proved the wisdom of the Government's decision to introduce this provision.

  Juvenile Offenders
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review whether police officers have sufficient powers to detain juvenile offenders between the time of arrest and their appearance in court.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  My right hon. and learned Friend is satisfied with the police powers to detain juveniles. The criteria for transferring juveniles to local authority accommodation will, however, be kept under review.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his proposals on juveniles in care and on juvenile offenders affect schemes like the Children's Society central London project.

  Mr. Jack
  As my right hon. and learned Friend made clear in his statement to the House on 2 March,Official Report, columns 139–42, his proposals related to a current gap in courts' powers to deal with persistent juvenile offenders. They will complement rather than replace the policy of initially aiming to divert young people from the penal system. The Children's Society closed its central London project in September 1991 but similar schemes, planned by the Children's Society, in Bournemouth, Leeds and Manchester should play an important part in steering troublesome youngsters away from further offending and custody. The Children's Society are one of a number of children's charities with whom the Home Secretary will shortly be meeting to discuss his proposals on juvenile offenders.

  Children In Care (Offences)
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to provide that a social services department will not be subject to a fine for acts committed by children in its care unless those acts are the result of proven negligence by the department.

  Mr. Jack
  The introduction of a power for the court to order a parent or guardian to pay their children's fines reflects the importance which the Government attach to ensuring that parents take responsibility for the behaviour of their children. When a local authority is in the position of a parent, we believe that it is right that the same principle should apply. But the power is permissive. A court is not required to make such an order if it considers that it would be unreasonable to do so in a particular case.

  Child Sex Abuse
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Thai Government concerning the prosecution in the United Kingdom of British tourists found committing child sexual abuse in Thailand; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 8 March 1993]: The Home Secretary (or Home Office) has had no direct discussion with the Thai Government on this matter.

  Our courts have no jurisdiction to try those who commit child sexual abuse in Thailand, who properly fall to be dealt with by the Thai authorities under Thai law.

  We are willing to assist in this by extraditing British nationals back to Thailand where appropriate, and also by offering other forms of legal assistance under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act (International Cooperation) Act 1990.

  However, I understand that our ambassador in Bangkok has raised our concerns about the problem of prostitution recently with Thai Ministers, including the Prime Minister and the Interior Minister. They have assured him that the Thai Government are looking urgently at ways of combating this problem, particularly as it affects children.

  Safer Cities Initiative
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those cities currently in receipt of safer cities funding, together with the budget for each designated safer city.

  Mr. Jack
  The following is a list of 20 local authority areas in which safer cities projects have been established, showing the grants budget allocated to each in 1993–94 to support local crime prevention activity:

  Project

  Grants budget in 1993–94£

  Birmingham

  100,000

  Bradford

  100,000

  Bristol

  100,000

  Coventry

  100,000

  Derby

  250,000

  Hammersmith and fulham

  250,000

  Hartlepool

  100,000

  Hull

  100,000

  Islington

  100,000

  Leicester

  250,000

  Lewisham

  100,000

  Middlesborough

  250,000

  Nottingham

  100,000

  Rochdale

  100,000

  Salford

  100,000

  Sunderland

  100,000

  Tower Hamlets

  100,000

  Wandsworth

  100,000

  Wirral

  100,000

  Wolverhampton

  100,000

  Home Office funding is due to end in March 1994 for the 16 projects with grants budgets of £100,000. These projects will also have access to a central budget of £500,000 to assist the development of continuing structures for the maintenance of multi-agency crime

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  prevention work. It is intended that the remaining four projects will continue to receive Home Office funding into 1995–96.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of his plans for crime prevention initiatives outside the scope of the safer cities initiative.

  Mr. Jack
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Mr. Hendry) on 4 March 1993,Official Report, cols 274–75.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to a letter dated 15 December 1992 from Mr. Rodgers on behalf of the Tyneside engineering branch of MSF with regard to the Winston Silcott case.

  Mr. Jack
  We have been unable to find any trace of a letter from Mr. Rodgers. My officials have tried to contact him but without success. I would be grateful if he would send me a copy of his letter so that I can ensure that it is dealt with quickly.

  Family Perspective and Life Cycle
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in which publication, speech or statement the Department has described how it takes account of the family perspective and the life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department;

  (2) if he will make a statement on how his Department takes account of the family perspective and the life cycle in the targets, activities and statistics of his Department.

  Mr. Jack
  The objectives, activities and expenditure plans of the Department are set out in the annual report (Cm 2208). Based on what is known from research and statistics, full account is taken of the interests of families in developing and operating a wide range of policies and programmes. These include: crime prevention; penal policy; immigration and nationality; liquor licensing; reducing drugs misuse; and others. Account is taken also of the likely impact on families of policy changes. Through its programme development unit, the Home Office is currently funding projects in a number of local areas to develop innovative approaches to family violence and to work with young people and their families aimed at reducing criminality, from which lessons should be learned and disseminated widely.

  Daylight Saving
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce daylight saving.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Our current summer time arrangements already make some daylight saving. As I explained on 30 November in reply to the hon. Member for Cannock and Burntwood, a review of its own position on summer time by the European Commission may affect the options for our future arrangements—including options for further extension of daylight hours at the end of the day —and we shall bring forward our own proposals when the Commission's approach is clear.

  Attacks on Horses
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is being taken to apprehend those who are or have been guilty of mutilating horses; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  My right hon. and learned Friend shares the abhorrence felt over these vicious attacks. The Hampshire Constabulary has set up a special squad of officers, which is co-operating with other forces, the RSPCA, veterinary surgeons and the Pony Club, in a determined effort to stop these crimes.

  Police
  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further consultations his Department has undertaken on the future structure of police forces in England and Wales.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  My right hon. and learned Friend is considering what reforms in police organisation and structure may be needed and will announce his proposals as soon as possible. The interested parties will be consulted before final decisions are reached.

  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his letter following his answer of 14 January,Official Report, column 796, on civil action which results either in court awards or in out-of-court settlements against Metropolitan police officers, what action was taken against officers involved in the cases where either the settlement or damages amounted to £10,000 or more.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Disciplinary action taken against Metropolitan police officers is a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

  Ms Rachel Squire
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new initiatives he is currently considering to improve equal opportunities within the police force.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  HM inspectorate of constabularly continues to monitor the implementation by forces of guidance issued by the Home Office on equal opportunities policies, including career development and staff appraisal systems.

  Secure Accommodation
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his oral statement of 2 March,Official Report, column 139, (1) if he will outline the regime that will be applied within the secure units;

  (2) what estimate he has made of the weekly cost of a place in one of his proposed secure units; and who will meet that cost.

  Mr. Jack
  As my right hon. and learned Friend indicated in his statement on 2 March,Official Report, columns 139–42, we are now working up detailed plans for the introduction of a new secure training order for persistent juvenile offenders between the ages of 12 and 15. It was intended that this statement should provide a basis for future detailed discussion and consultation with a wide range of interested parties. This process has begun, but it

  685
  would be premature at this stage to attempt to describe in detail the regime which will be provided for persons made subject to secure training orders; it is also too early either to estimate or to apportion the weekly cost of a placement made for this purpose.

  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his statement to the House on 2 March,Official Report, column 139, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing secure facilities for young people.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: The Government have concluded that existing court powers to make use of secure facilities have not proved to be effective in respect of a small group of persistent juvenile offenders. The recently announced decision to introduce a new secure training order reflects that view. The new secure places will build on what has proved most effective among existing and past facilities.

  Magistrates Courts
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the figure of £294 million for the costs for magistrates courts identified in his 1992 publication, "Costs of the Criminal Justice System", includes value-added tax.

  Mr. Jack
  Yes, although only a small proportion of magistrates courts' expenses involves items which attract value added tax.

  Defendants (No Fixed Abode)
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many defendants brought before magistrates courts in Greater London were of no fixed abode in the latest year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Information in not collected centrally on the residential status of defendants brought before the magistrates courts in England and Wales.

  In 1991, within the Metropolitan police district and the City of London, there were 1,497 defendants prosecuted for begging offences and five for sleeping rought offences under the Vagrancy Act 1824.

  Acquired Rights Directive
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of all circulars and other advice issued by his Department concerning the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and the acquired rights directive.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  [holding answer 8 March 1993]: We have issued no circulars nor general advice concerning the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations 1981 and the Acquired Rights Directive. We have given advice to managers on dealing with staff enquiries and a brief description of the effect of the regulations in introductory guidance for managers but this is internal management guidance which I do not intend to place in the Library.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Surplus Food
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 25 February,Official Report, column 718, on EC surplus food, when he expects to complete his review of the operation of the distribution scheme in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Curry
  After the Easter recess.

  Flood Protection
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what proposals he has for the funding of flood protection work in the vicinity of Maryport harbour;

  (2) if he will carry out a review of flood prevention arrangements in the vicinity of Maryport harbour.

  Mr. Curry
  In the first instance, it is for the local flood or coastal defence authority concerned to consider the need for works in its area. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food makes grant available towards the cost of schemes which are technically sound, economically worthwhile and environmentally acceptable. In this case, I understand that Allerdale district council has indicated an intention to carry out work in 1993–94 in the Maryport area but as yet no formal application for grant has been received by MAFF. The Ministry is liaising with the council and any scheme put forward will be considered against the criteria mentioned earlier.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what moneys have been spent in West Cumbria on flood protection in the last five years.

  Mr. Curry
  In the last five years, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has grant aided some £4·7 million of capital expenditure incurred by local authorities and by the National Rivers Authority on flood defence and coast protection schemes in West Cumbria.

  Training Board, Wales
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what further representations he has received regarding the future of the agriculture training board in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  Representations have been made direct to Welsh Office both by ATB Cymru and by the national ATB chairman. We intend to make a statement on the future of the ATB shortly.

  Area Aid Application Forms
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to how many farmers he intends to distribute the area aid application form in England and Wales; and when he expects to distribute them.

  Mr. Curry
  The area aid application form, together with an explanatory booklet, will be distributed to some 240,000 farmers in England and Wales. I expect it to be distributed in early April.
  687
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how he proposes to treat area aid application forms which are returned incomplete by reason of the inadequacy of Ordnance Survey map data for the farms in question.

  Mr. Curry
  The rules require farmers to lodge their area aid application forms by 15 May if they are to avoid financial penalty. If, exceptionally, they are genuinely unable to obtain all the mapping data, they will have a little longer provided that the application form including areas and locations of fields is received by 15 May.

  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will seek an extension of the EC's deadline of 15 May for farmers to return the area aid application form.

  Mr. Curry
  I have no plans to seek such an extension.

  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the effect of submitting an incorrect or incomplete area aid application form, before 15 May, on eligibility for area payments of the individuals concerned.

  Mr. Curry
  There will be an opportunity to correct or complete area aid applications before 15 May.

  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with the Ordnance Survey on the agency's ability to provide all the map data required by farmers in all parts of the country to complete the area aid application form by 15 May.

  Mr. Curry
  Officials have had a number of discussions with the Ordnance Survey, both before the mapping requirements were announced in September 1992, and subsequently in relation to the area aid application form.

  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what special arrangements he is making within his Department to respond to farmers' inquiries to assist them in completing the area aid application form by 15 May.

  Mr. Curry
  The responsibility for completing the area aid application form rests with individual farmers. The services of the nine regional service centres will, of course, be available to farmers and officials will offer what help they can.

  Set-aside Land
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the position of the United Kingdom in order of rank among EC states in respect of the proportion of arable farmers who will have to put land into set-aside; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for this.

  Mr. Curry
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 22 February,Official Report, column 472.

  Farmers in all member states must set aside 15 per cent. of the land on which they are claiming arable area payments, unless they join the simplified scheme for small producers. There is no set-aside requirement under the simplified scheme but area payments will only be made at the lowest rate. The majority of United Kingdom farmers
  688
  are expected to join the main scheme, whereas in some member states a significantly higher proportion of farmers are likely to choose the simplified scheme.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Heating
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will give details of the current heating maintenance undertaken by the engineers department; and what changes there have been in the last 12 months.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms, and I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee if he will give details of when the heating is turned on and off in each of the workplaces in the Palace of Westminster; and how many complaints have been received in each of the last 12 months relating to heating.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms, and I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.

  Light Fittings
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee how many infra-red detectors have been attached to light fittings in the Palace of Westminster to save electricity costs; what was the cost; and what is the country of manufacture.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms, and I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.

  Great Clock (Maintenance)
  Mr. Mudie
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what maintenance work is to be undertaken on the Great Clock; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  The Director of Works advises that routine inspection has revealed the need to replace a gear wheel on the chiming mechanism. This work will mean that the chimes of the Great Clock will be silenced for about eight weeks, commencing on 15 March. The hour strike will be unaffected.

  Engineers Department
  Ms Walley
  To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many stokers have been removed from the jobs of routine heating maintenance in the last year.

  Mr. Beith
  This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms and I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will list all the employment changes which have taken place in the engineers department, including redundancies, relocations and changes in working conditions.
  689
  Mr. Beith
  This is a matter for the Serjeant at Arms and I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.

DEFENCE

  Export Contracts
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the conclusions reached by the conference jointly organised on 24 February by his Department's Defence Export Services Organisation and the Electronics Engineering Association on(a) United Kingdom and (b) international export contracts; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  I have nothing to add to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 8 March,Official Report, column 448.

  Inflatable Model Tanks
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by(a) date, (b) location and (c) cost, for the last 24 months, the number of inflatable tanks that have been stolen; how many have been recovered; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 12 June 1992,Official Report, column 318.

  Anti-ballistic Missiles (Defence System)
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reach a decision on United Kingdom participation in an anti-ballistic missile defence system.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  I have nothing to add to the answer that my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement gave to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 11 November,Official Report, column 821.

  Vulcan Bomber
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the cost of training flights in the Vulcan bomber since September 1992; and what is the estimated cost of keeping the Vulcan in a flightworthy condition until September 1993.

  Mr. Aitken
  The additional cost of operating and maintaining the aircraft between 20 September 1992 (the date of its last display) and 26 February 1993 (its most recent flight) was approximately £3,600. The Vulcan would require a major service to continue display flying. This would cost at least £2·5 million and the aircraft would not be available for the 1993 display season.

  Publicity
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 2 June 1992 to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson),Official Report, columns 538–40, what is his Department's (a) current outturn estimate for publicity expenditure for 1992–93 and (b) budgeted publicity expenditure for 1993–94.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  [holding answer 25 February 1993]: My Department's current outturn estimate for
  690
  1992–93 and provisional budget for 1993–94 for centrally controlled expenditure on advertising, broken down into media categories, and on other promotional material are as follows:

  £ million

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Television advertising

  2·521

  2·872

  Radio advertising

  0·001

  Nil

  Newspaper advertising

  8·375

  9·594

  Other promotional material

  4·577

  5·114

  Total

  15·474

  17·580

  In addition, the outturn estimate of publicity expenditure (excluding staff and operating costs) by MOD press and public relations for 1992–93 is £2·98 million and the provisional budget for 1993–94 is £2·93 million broken down as follows:

  £ million

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Films/TV

  0·298

  0·558

  Exhibitions and displays

  0·876

  0·894

  Publications

  0·788

  0·668

  Equipment

  0·152

  0·104

  Miscellaneous items

  0·870

  0·688

EMPLOYMENT

  Deregulation
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list consultants advising her Department on the deregulation of the labour market.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Department does not employ consultants to advise on the deregulation of the labour market. Consultation with a wide range of interested parties is carried out for individual deregulatory measures. In addition, the new deregulation task forces will examine interdepartmental deregulation issues, including those affecting the labour market.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate she has made of the number of job vacancies registered with jobcentres as a result of the drive she announced on 13 August 1992.

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

  Letter from Mr. M. Fogden to Mr. Frank Dobson, dated 11 March 1993:
  As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question about the number of vacancies notified to Jobcentres as a result of her announcement on 13 August 1992. This falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
  The national employer advertising campaign was designed to promote positive messages about ES services, and was aimed particularly at employers who had not used ES services before or in recent years. The intention was to attract vacancies from employers for our unemployed clients.

  691
  For the 1992–93 year from April 1992 to 5 February 1993 the total number of vacancies notified was 1,673,413 (90·3 per cent of the previous year).

  Vacancies Notified

  (Vacancy Date of Return)

  1991–92

  1992–93

  September

  211,562

  164,046

  October

  183,830

  184,774

  November

  204,396

  203,211

  December

  148,880

  154,993

  January

  78,492

  105,984

  TOTALS

  827,160

  813,008

  It can be seen that there was a marginal reduction in the vacancies notified. This is disappointing but not really surprising when set against the current economic climate. Feedback from my offices around the country suggests that there has been a high proportion of contracts from new or lapsed employer users during the campaign. We hope that when employers start recruiting again the goodwill generated by the campaign will encourage them to give their vacancies to Jobcentres.
  Regular tracking research has been carried out amongst employers. Employers were interviewed before and after the first phase of the campaign in the autumn of 1992.

  Results showed that we achieved a significant improvement in employer attitudes:
  Jobcentres were the only major source of recruitment to experience an increase in usage;
  employer usage of Jobcentres rose by 4 per cent.—from 63 to 67 per cent.;
  15 per cent. of non users said they were more likely to use Jobcentres having seen an advertisement;
  attitudes towards Jobcentres improved.
  I hope this is helpful.
  As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report. I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Market Testing
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all those services or functions that have been contracted out from' -his Department since November 1991 without market testing an in-house bid against external competition with, in each instance, the successful contractor and the reasons for the decision to exclude an in-house bid.

  Mr. Burt
  The following services have been contracted out without market testing an in-house bid:

  Service

  Contractor

  Benefits Agency

  Travel services to the Department

  Wagons-Lite

  Child Support Agency

  Customer Services Training

  Coopers and Lybrand

  Specialist Interviewing Skills

  Relate

  Facilities Management Dudley Centre

  Procord Ltd

  Facilities Management Falkirk Centre

  Drake and Scull Technical Services

  Security and Reception Dudley Centre

  Security Express Guards

  Security and Reception Falkirk Centre

  Centuryan Security Ltd

  Catering Dudley Centre

  Gardener Merchant

  Day Care Nursery Dudley Centre

  Kinderquest Ltd

  Day Care Nursery Hastings Centre

  Kinderquest Ltd

  Typing and Secretarial Falkirk Centre

  Manpower PLC

  Messenger/Telephonists Falkirk Centre

  Manpower PLC

  692
  No in-house bid was invited for Benefits Agency travel services because the few clerical staff involved could not provide the professional, accredited, national travel service to the Department for which tenders were being sought.

  The child support agency, which will be operational from April 1993, is a completely new agency and services have been contracted out where in-house operations did not exist. Customer services training was contracted out because limited capacity was available in-house to develop and deliver the service required in the time available.

  Invalidity Benefit
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many women aged 60 years and over have had the amount of invalidity benefit reduced on reaching the retirement age of 60 years in the latest year for which figures are available.

  Miss Widdecombe
  This information is not available. For women aged 60–64, the rate of invalidity benefit (IVB) is based on their retirement pension entitlement. This may be higher or lower than the previous rate of IVB. As at 30 March 1991, the latest date for which figures are available, 37,100 women between 60 and 64 were assessed for invalidity benefit at their pension rate.

  Source: Information from a 1 per cent. sample of claimants as at 30 March 1991.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update his reply of 16 March 1992,Official Report, column 896, of his estimate of the number of households, by tenure, whose housing benefit is reduced because of non-dependants' deductions, sub-divided into (a) those aged 16 and 17 years, (b) 18 to 24 years, and (c) 25 years and over.

  Mr. Burt
  The information is in the table:

  Claimants whose housing benefit is reduced through non–dependant deductions: May 1991

  Age of claimant

  LA tenants

  Private tenants

  Total

  (i) Housing benefit cases where income support is payable

  16–17

  —

  0

  —

  18–24

  7,000

  1,000

  8,000

  25 and over

  173,000

  27,000

  200,000

  (ii) Housing benefit only cases

  16–17

  0

  0

  0

  18–241

  —

  —

  —

  25 and over

  137,000

  16,000

  153,000

  (iii) All cases

  16–17

  —

  0

  —

  18–24

  7,000

  1,000

  8,000

  25 and over

  310,000

  44,000

  353,000

  1 Indicates less than 500 cases.

  Source: The Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefit Management Information System annual I per cent. sample for May 1991. Figures are rounded.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to review tariff income levels for capital resources over £3,000 when assessing entitlement to housing benefit and community charge benefit.
  693
  Mr. Scott
  Although these levels are kept under review, we have no plans to change the present arrangements.

  Child Support Act 1991
  Ms Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what arrangements he has made to exempt women resident in refuges for battered women from having to go through Child Support Act 1991 procedures in order to give evidence that harm and undue distress may result from the fathers of their children being pursued for maintenance.

  Mr. Burt
  Where a parent with care is in a women's refuge, this in itself will be sufficient to demonstrate that she has good cause to fear that she or her children may be harmed. However, it would be wrong to have a blanket exemption from the procedures of the Act for particular groups since some mothers may wish to pursue maintenance notwithstanding the circumstances surrounding the breakdown of their relationship. Each case will therefore be dealt with individually, but staff will be sensitive to the concerns of the parent with care and in no circumstances would her whereabouts be revealed to the father.

  Income Support
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons without accommodation were income support recipients in England at May 1991 and at the latest available date, breaking down the figures by age and by whether or not they were unemployed at the time.

  Mr. Burt
  The latest available information is in the table. It is not possible to provide figures which distinguish between those without accommodation for a significant period and those who may be only temporarily so.

  Income Support recipients Persons without accommodation (England)

  Age of claimant

  Total

  Unemployed

  Other

  16–19

  700

  400

  300

  20–29

  4,900

  4,800

  100

  30–39

  1,500

  1,200

  300

  40–49

  900

  900

  —

  50–59

  600

  400

  200

  Total

  8,600

  7,700

  900

  Notes:

  1. Source: Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiry, May 1991.

  2. All figures rounded to the nearest hundred.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many persons without accommodation were income support recipients at May 1991, and at the latest available date, in Birmingham, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Kingston upon Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Stoke on Trent and each London borough.

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

  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what communication he has received from 694
  a constituent of the hon. Member for Woolwich, national insurance No. YZ 83 86 39B; when it was received; and what was his response.

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

  Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. John Austin-Walker, dated 10 March 1993
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking "what communication he has received from a constituent of the honourable Member for Woolwich, NI. No. YZ838639B; when it was received; and what was his response."
  It may help if I explain that correspondence addressed to Ministers or the Chief Executive from customers concerning their individual circumstances is referred to the appropriate District Office for investigation and response.
  Your constituent has addressed a number of such letters which have been passed to the appropriate District for response. The papers in this case show without doubt that there has been unacceptable delay in the issuing of responses to your constituent. Indeed, more generally, it is very clear that the service provided by the Agency's office fell well short of the standard your constituent had every right to expect. For this I offer my sincere apologies.
  District management has now contacted your constituent regarding his enquiries and apologised for the delay. A full summary of Income Support paid has been sent to him and a meeting with the Agency's Customer Service Manager, is to be arranged, to resolve any remaining issues.
  I do regret the unsatisfactory standard of service that your constituent has received and add my apologies to those provided already. I trust that the response provided and any meeting with the Customer Services Manager will bring the issues to a satisfactory conclusion. I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 2 March,Official Report, column 113, how many redundant workers have been refused income support by the Chesterfield and Worksop benefits agency within the past year under the deprivation of capital regulations after paying off part or all of their mortgage.

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

  Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Harry Barnes, dated 10 March 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, pursuant to his Answer of 2 March, column 113, how many redundant workers have been refused Income Support by the Chesterfield and Worksop Benefits Agency within the past year under the deprivation of capital regulations after paying off part or all of their mortgage.
  The complete range of information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. This is because statistics relating to the reason that benefit is refused are not normally collected.

  695
  However, information relating to British Coal redundancies, where former workers have been refused Income Support on grounds of deprivation of resources, has been collected nationally since November 1992. I am therefore able to let you know that, since 16 November 1992, there have been a total of five refusals on these grounds. All of these have been made at the Chesterfield and Worksop Benefits Agency offices.
  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.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by year for the last five years(a) the number of people employed by grade and (b) the annual cost of the contributory benefits section at his Department's offices at Castle house, Doncaster, classified by (i) sickness benefit, (ii) invalidity benefit, (iii) severe disablement allowance and (iv) maternity benefit.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of benefits is a matter for Mr Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency and 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. Martin Redmond, dated 10 March 1993.
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking if he will list by year for the last five years (a) the number of people employed by grade and (b) the annual costs of the Contributory Benefits Section at his Department's offices at Castle House, Doncaster; classified by (i) sickness benefit, (ii) invalidity benefit, (iii) severe disablement allowance and (iv) maternity benefit.
  For operational reasons it is not possible to identify separately staff on sickness benefit and invalidity benefit or between severe disablement allowance and maternity benefit because the work is merged within staff sections. Figures are also only available for 1991–92 and 1992–93 since the Benefits Agency was formed.
  The information available is set out below:

  Sickness and Invalidity Benefit

  Year

  1991–92

  Staff

  LO1

  5·5

  Staff

  LO2

  17·5

  Staff

  AA

  3·0

  Total Cost

  £306,000

  1992–93

  Staff

  LO1

  5·5

  Staff

  LO2

  22·5

  Staff

  AA

  3·0

  Total Cost

  £366,000

  Severe Disablement Allowance and Maternity Benefit—1991–92 and 1992–93.

  LO2 1·5 staff at a cost of £17,000.

  Note: All totals are rounded to the nearest £1,000.

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

  Pensions
  Mr. Carrington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be the savings to the national insurance fund if both men and women started to receive the state retirement pension at(a) 65 years, (b) 66 years, (c) 67 years, (d) 68 years, (e) 69 years and (f) 70 years.
  696
  Miss Widdecombe
  On the same basis as the estimates set out in the discussion documents, "Options for Equality in State Pension Age", the savings to the national insurance fund from equalising state pension age at 65 and 67 are as follows:

  2025

  2035

  Age 65

  5·1

  4·3

  Age 67

  9·3

  8·5

  Estimates for the remaining ages are not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the proportion of pensioners receiving income from occupational pensions identified as(a) all pensioners, (b) single male pensioners aged under 75 years, (c) single female pensioners aged under 75 years, (d) pensioner couples aged under 75 years, (e) single female pensioners aged 75 years or over, (f) single male pensioners aged 75 years or over and (g) couples where at least one partner is aged 75 years or over, and the median amount received.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Estimates for 1989—the latest year for which information is available—are in the table.

  Per cent. With income from occupational pension

  Median occupational pension for those in receipt £ per week

  All pensioner units

  56

  27·20

  Single male pensioners aged under 75

  58

  23·10

  Single female pensioners aged under 75

  59

  27·40

  Pensioner couples where both are aged under 75

  77

  35·90

  Single female pensioners aged 75 or over

  30

  14·40

  Single male pensioners aged 75 or over

  50

  21·80

  Pensioner couples where at least one is aged 75

  64

  30·80

  Notes:

  1. Estimates are based on the 1989 Family Expenditure Survey and the 1987 GAD Survey of Occupational Pensions.

  2. A pensioner unit is defined to be a single person aged above State Pensionable Age (SPA) or a couple where the head is aged above SPA.

  Unemployment Benefit
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what impact denial of unemployment benefit to persons over the age of 55 years due to interaction with pension provision has on unemployment statistics.

  Mr. Burt
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 10 March 1993 to the hon. Member for Halifax (Mrs. Mahon).

  War Pensions
  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to increase war pensions.

  Miss Widdecombe
  An amendment order, which increases in line with the retail prices index, war pensions
  697
  and allowances in respect of ex-service men and women, and which introduces some changes which will help simplify the scheme, was made yesterday by the Privy Council. The order will be laid before Parliament for information on 22 March. Legislation to make similar amendments to the scheme for civilians was laid today. The main element of the changes is that, in addition to the uprating from 12 April, the basic war disablement pension has been increased by £5 a week; this change will result in considerable cash gains for some 200,000 pensioners.

  Order Books
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will give the cost of issuing a Department of Social Security additional order book;

  (2) in what circumstances additional order books are issued in respect of one payment only; how many have been issued in the last 12 months in respect of payments of 35 pence or less; and what consideration is given to incorporating such payments into the main order book.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration and payments of benefits is the responsibility of 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 Ms Joan Walley, dated 10 March 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 Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what is the cost of issuing a Department of Social Security additional order book; in what circumstances additional order books are issued in respect of one payment only; how many have been issued in the last 12 months in respect of payments of 35 pence or less; and what consideration is given to incorporating such payments into the main order book.
  Additional order books in respect of one payment only are sometimes necessary in connection with the uprating announcement.
  Order books normally cover a period of 20 weeks and renewal books are issued some 4 or 5 weeks in advance of the first order. If uprating details are not available when books are prepared, any which span the uprating date will not include the new rates. When the uprating date coincides with the date of the last order in an order book, an additional book covering just one payment is necessary.
  Normally, the number of additional books issued with one order is negligible but the date of the latest uprating announcement was such that a more significant number of additional Child Benefit books were issued. It is estimated that the number of order books issued in the last 12 months for payments of 35p or less is 110,000.
  The decision to issue additional order books rather than include arrears in the next main book was based on customer service and economic grounds.
  Issue of the additional book ensured that the correct rate of benefit was available to all customers on the due date. The child benefit computer system already has in place a facility to issue additional order books in such circumstances and to introduce a facility to include the increase in the next renewal book would have involved substantial computer reprogramming costs.
  The estimated cost of issuing, centrally, an additional order book is estimated, from the latest available data, to be approximately 2p (two pence), plus the cost of second class postage. There are no figures currently available for the cost of a locally produced additional order book.
  I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Departmental Staff
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list by year for the last five years(a) the number of persons employed by grade and (b) the annual cost of the pensions section at his Department's offices in Castle house, Doncaster, classified by (i) income support pension, (ii) retirement pension, (iii) widow's benefit and (iv) death grant.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, who 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. Martin Redmond, dated 10 March 1993.
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking if he will list by year for the last five years (a) the number of persons employed by grade and (b) the annual cost of the Pensions Section at his Department's offices in Castle House, Doncaster, classified by (i) income support pension, (ii) retirement pension, (iii) widow's benefit and (iv) death grant.
  For operational reasons it is not possible to identify separately staff on Retirement Pensions and Widow's Benefit because the work is merged within staff sections and figures are not available on the Death Grant because it has been abolished.
  The figures available are only for 1991–1992 and 1992–93 since the Benefits Agency was formed.

  The information available is set out below:

  Year

  Retirement Pension and Widow's Benefit

  1991–92

  Staff

  LO1

  1

  Staff

  LO2

  4

  Staff

  AA

  1

  Total cost

  £69,000

  1992–93

  Staff

  LO1

  1

  Staff

  LO2

  6

  Staff

  AA

  1

  Total cost

  £92,000

  Income Support Pensions

  1991–92

  Staff

  LO1

  0·5

  Staff

  LO2

  2

  Total cost

  £30,000

  1992–93

  Staff

  LO1

  0·5

  Staff

  LO2

  2

  Total cost

  £31,000

  Note: All costings are subject to rounding to the nearest £1,000.

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

HEALTH

  Elderly People (Care)
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance she has given to district health authorities regarding the contracting out of continuing elderly care; and if she will make a statement;
  699
  (2) how many health authorities have contracted out the provision of continuing elderly care in the last year; and if she will list them, stating the number of patients affected.

  Mr. Yeo
  In purchasing continuing care, health authorities are expected to consider the whole range of available services, including those in the independent sector. The extent of such provision, including any purchased from independent providers, is a matter for individual health authorities to determine in the light of local needs and priorities.

  Cannabis
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to investigate the use of cannabis for certain medical conditions.

  Mr. Sackville
  None.

  Women
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of women doctors were obstetricians and gynaecologists in each of the last five years.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information is set out in the table.

  Women doctors (whole time equivalent England)

  All hospital doctors

  Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

  Obstetricians and gynaecologists as percentage of all hospital doctors

  1987

  9,049·9

  805·5

  8·9

  1988

  9,693·3

  907·8

  9·4

  1989

  10,126·6

  912·8

  9·0

  1990

  10,736·3

  954·5

  8·9

  1991

  11,232·8

  1,000·9

  8·9

  Dental Treatment
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost of dental treatment in(a) the north west and (b) England for the latest year for which figures are available.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The table shows the average payments for registered patients in the general dental services (GDS) in 1991–92, the latest year for which figures are available.

  Gross payments 1991–92 in1£ million

  Number of patients registered at 30 September 19912

  Average gross payments 1991–92 per registered patient£

  North western region

  108·20

  1,881,311

  57·51

  England

  1,210·06

  21,570,226

  56·10

  Notes:

  1 The total of payments scheduled by the Dental Practice Board in

  Product licences with chlorofluorocarbons as active

  Product Licence No.

  Product Name

  Licence Holder

  00189/0018

  Deep freeze aerosol spray

  Mentholatum Co. Ltd.

  00327/5910R

  PR freeze spray (liquid aerosol)

  Crookes Healthcare Ltd.

  00347/0001

  Pain relief spray

  Aerosols International Ltd.

  00424/0068

  Spreeze aerosol (formerly Relcram aerosol)

  Tillott JB Ltd. T/A Tillotts Laboratories

  00457/0010

  Stingo (aerosol spray)

  Potter and Clarke Ltd.

  700

  respect of child and adult items of servie fees, continuing care and capitation payments, and weighted entry payments. Taken together, these payments represent about 95 per cent. of the total gross cost of the GDS. The figures include charge income collected from patients.

  2 The figures do not include patients who received "occasional treatment", that is, without registering with the dentist.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists are in practice in(a) Pendle, (b) the north-west standard region and (c) England who (i) take NHS patients, (ii) take private patients only and (iii) until 1990 took NHS patients but no longer do so.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information in not held centrally. The table shows the number of national health service dentists by family health service authority (FHSA), regional health authority (RHA) and for England as a whole.

  30 September 1990

  30 September 1992

  Lancashire FHSA

  400

  421

  North West RHA

  1,232

  1,258

  England

  15,480

  15,411

  Dentists are independent contractors and are free to practice privately if they wish. Information is not held about those who decide to do so.

  Prescription Errors
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the information held by her Department on the scale of general practitioners prescribing errors, together with the response of her Department.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not collected.

  Chlorofluorocarbons
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the drugs in the British National Formulary containing chlorofluorocarbons.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available in the form requested but records held by the Medicines Control Agency show there are 119 products containing chlorofluorocarbons, licensed under the Medicines Act for human use at present. A small number, which are listed, contain chlorofluorocarbons as active ingredients including inhalational and anaesthetic agents.

  The remainder of the licensed products (104) contain chlorofluorocarbons used as excipients usually in the form of a propellant.

  It is not normal practice to disclose excipients since to do so could prejudice companies' commercially sensitive information which they are required to provide to obtain a product licence.
  701

  Product Licence No.

  Product Name

  Licence Holder

  00484/0009R

  Astroplast burn spray

  Dalmuir Trading Co. Ltd.

  00504/5001R

  Ultrakool aerosol spray

  Wallace Cameron and Co. Ltd.

  03873/0003

  Gola freeze spray

  Gola Sports Ltd.

  08313/0030

  Pharmaethyl (pressurised gas—aerosol presentation)

  Deproco UK Ltd.

  10655/0001

  Burnzap

  Health Foundation Ltd.

  00029/5058R

  Fluothane

  Imperial Chemical Industries PLC

  00037/0053

  Ethrane or Enflurane (generic name)

  Abbott Laboratories Ltd.

  00037/0115

  Forane or Isoflurane (generic name)

  Abbott Laboratories Ltd.

  02240/0001

  Isoflurane

  I S C Chemicals Ltd.

  05247/0001

  Alyrane (nonflammable liquid)

  Anaquest Ltd.

  Passive Smoking
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the leaflet on passive smoking to become available again.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  There are four main booklets concerning passive smoking—the Department of the Environment's "Code of Practice on Smoking in Public Places"; the Health and Safety Executive's booklet "Passive Smoking at Work"; a booklet "Passive Smoking A Health Hazard" produced by a coalition of statutory and voluntary organisations; and "Passive Smoking Questions and Answers", published by the Health Education Authority (HEA).

  The first three booklets are in print and copies are available from the Library. The HEA booklet "Passive Smoking Questions and Answers" is currently being reprinted and will be available again shortly. A copy will be placed in the Library.

  Hospital Meals
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines she issues to national health service management regarding the minimal nutritional standards of meals in hospitals; what monitoring there is of in-patient meals to see whether they meet nutritional criteria; and when the guidelines were last reviewed.

  Mr. Sackville
  None. Hospitals and other national health service units are required to ensure that adequate meals are provided and that they meet the nutritional requirements of all their patients.

  Aycliffe Secure Unit
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the results of the inquiry into the Aycliffe local authority secure unit, the number of visits her inspectors have made to this unit in the last two years and the conclusions they reached; and how many children from Newcastle upon Tyne have been placed in the unit.

  Mr. Yeo
  Durham area child protection committee inquired into a number of allegations of child abuse at Aycliffe community home in 1992 and produced a report of their findings which was published in November 1992.

  Formal inspections of Aycliffe were carried out by the social services inspectorate in March and July 1989 and in March 1991. Reports on these inspections were published in 1990 and 1991. Copies are available in the Library. A further visit, not resulting in a published report, to review the findings of the earlier inspections was made in March 1992.
  702
  Others visits are made to units such as Aycliffe. They are not inspections or assessments of practice and no reports are published.

  Information about placements of children by local authorities in individual secure units is in the annual statistical publication "Children Accommodated in Secure Units during the year ending 31 March", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Health Education Authority Leaflets
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what charges are made for Health Education Authority leaflets.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Health Education Authority's policy is to produce and distribute leaflets free of charge to the general public, through local health promotion units, to general practitioners' waiting rooms for example. Charges on a cost-recovery basis only are made to non-national health service organisations seeking bulk orders.

  Local Authority Homes
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what will be the payment made to voluntary and private sector residential and nursing homes for the aged made in respect of individual residents each week from 1 April;

  (2) what account she takes of the capital costs incurred by private and voluntary sector residential care and nursing homes in calculating the payments for the care of residents in those homes.

  Mr. Yeo
  The price paid by local authorities for places in residential care and nursing homes is a matter for negotiation between the homes and authorities locally.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what will be the payment to local authority homes for the aged made in respect of individual residents each week from 1 April;

  (2) what account she takes of the capital costs incurred in construction of local authorities' residential care homes in calculating the payments for the care of residents in those homes; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  Each local social services authority sets a standard rate for the provision of residential care in its own homes which it is required to seek to recover from each resident, subject to their ability to pay. The standard rate takes into account local factors, including capital expenditure, and is based upon a formula produced by the local authority associations. From 1 April 1993 local authorities will be required, by section 22(2) of the National Assistance Act 1948, to set the standard rate at an amount which represents the full cost to the authority
  703
  of providing the accommodation. In addition to income from charges, resources for local social services authorities for these purposes are available through the revenue support grant, the business rate and the council tax, when introduced.

  Ethnic Minorities
  Mr. Kevin Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the research currently being funded by her Department on the incidence of mental disorder in ethnic minority groups;

  (2) what research is being funded by her Department into the provision of mental health services to meet the needs of black and ethnic minority communities.

  Mr. Yeo
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mrs. Fyfe) on 23 February at column 544.

  Psychotropic Medicines
  Mr. Kevin Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of prescriptions for psychotropic medicines were issued to women in the last available year.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Information is not held centrally on the gender of patients for whom prescriptions are issued.

  Mental Health Services
  Mr. Kevin Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to ensure that users of mental health services are actively involved in discussions about who should be their care manager.

  Mr. Yeo
  The White Paper, "Caring for People" stresses the importance of consulting mentally ill people, their relatives and carers about their care. The "Caring for People" policy guidance (HMSO ISBN 0 11 321338 7) specifies that the individual service user, and with his or her agreement any carers, should be involved throughout the assessment and care management process.

  The "Health of the Nation" mental illness key area handbook for health and social services managers published in January this year gives managers practical advice on involving users and seeking their views. Copies of all the documents are available in the Library.

  Hospital Travel Costs
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hospital travel costs scheme was established; what are the arrangements for payments to claimants; and what records there are of the number of claimants for travel costs under the scheme for each of the last three years.

  Mr. Sackville
  There have been arrangements for the reimbursement of national health service travel costs to hospital since 1948. Under the current scheme, which has been in place since 1988, assistance with the costs of travel to hospital for treatment is available to patients on income support or family credit or who are otherwise assessed to be on a low income. Patients who can demonstrate entitlement are usually able to obtain their travel expenses at the hospital when they attend for treatment; otherwise payment is subject to confirmation of entitlement. Information on the number of claims made is not held centrally.

  Low Income Scheme
  Mrs. Lait
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes are planned in the future administration of the NHS low income scheme and the health benefits unit.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The future of the health benefits unit at Newcastle which assesses claims for charge remission under the national health service low income scheme has been under consideration for some time in parallel with a wide ranging review of the scheme itself. I have now concluded that the best option for improving administration is to transfer responsibility for the scheme to the Prescription Pricing Authority (PPA), a special health authority within the NHS. This transfer will take effect on 1 April 1993. Some 360 Department of Social Security (DSS) staff currently employed at the unit and who handle approximately 1·2 million claims per annum on behalf of the Department of Health will be seconded to the PPA from that date. Thereafter, they will be given the opportunity either to transfer to the NHS on a permanent basis or return to DSS as vacancies arise. There are no plans for either voluntary or compulsory redundancy. DSS Ministers have agreed the planned transfer.

  Transferring responsibility to the PPA generates significant opportunities for improving the administration of the scheme, and will enable progress to be made towards computerisation of both record keeping and the claims assessment process. The extent to which the recommendations made following the review of the scheme's administration, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced on 22 May 1991, might contribute to these opportunities is receiving careful study. In reaching final decisions we shall need to take account of current public expenditure constraints, but I hope to make a further announcement soon.

  Arrangements have been made with the Scottish and Welsh Offices that claims from these countries should, for the present, continue to be handled by the PPA.

  National Blood Authority
  Mr. Ian Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in establishing the national blood authority.

  Mr. Sackville
  I have today laid before the House an order to establish the national blood authority from 1 April 1993. From that date it will replace the Central Blood Laboratories Authority and the national directorate of the National Blood Transfusion Service. We propose that the new authority should assume responsibility for managing the regional transfusion centres from 1 April 1994.

  I am pleased to announce that Mr. Lawrence Banks, a director of Robert Fleming Holdings Limited and Mr. Dennis Allison, general manager of the North Western regional health authority have agreed to serve as non-executive members of the new national blood authority. Mr. John Adey, former managing director of Baxter Healthcare Ltd, has been appointed to be the chief executive of the new authority. Additional appointments will be made shortly.

  Medical Advisers
  Sir Michael Grylls
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of family health service authority medical advisers in post; and what is the total salary cost for the financial year 1991–92 and the projected cost for the current financial year.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 10 March 1993.

  Suicide
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many suicides there have been by(a) women and (b) women in rural areas in each year since 1979; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The exact information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information for the years 1979, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989 and 1991 however are available and are shown in the table.

  Number of female suicides and undetermined deaths1 (E950-E959, E980-E989 combined) in England and Wales and, in remoter, largely rural areas (normal area of residence) for the years 1979, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991.

  England and Wales

  Rural areas

  1979

  2,335

  207

  1983

  2,109

  195

  1985

  1,859

  195

  1989

  1,686

  179

  1991

  1,585

  153

  1 Undetermined deaths (whether accidentally or purposely inflicted).

  One of the ways in which OPCS classifies areas is in terms of an urban/rural distinction. County districts are classified in the following groups.

  Greater London:

  Inner London

  Outer London

  Metropolitan Districts:

  Principal Cities

  Others

  Non-Metropolitan:

  Cities

  Industrial

  With new towns

  Resort and seaside retirement

  Mixed urban rural

  Remoter largely rural

  Further details are available in appendix 5 of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys publication "Key population and vital statistics" series VS no.17, PP1 no.13; a copy of which is in the Library.

  Health Promotion Clinics
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health promotion clinics were functioning on 1 June 1992; what was their annual cost; and if she will publish a breakdown of the services and therapies being provided through those clinics at that time.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Information on the number of health promotion clinics is not collected centrally in the form requested. The number of claims made by partnerships in England for health promotion clinic sessions in the preceding 12 months at 1 April 1992 was 1,331,277. The 706
  forecast total expenditure on health promotion clinics in 1992–93 is £74·448 million. Information on services and therapies provided through health promotion clinics are not collected centrally.

  Insulin Needles
  Sir Keith Speed
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she has completed her Department's consideration of the supply of suitable needles on NHS prescription for pen-type insulin injections.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Burnley (Mr. Pike) on 10 March.

  Private Sector Finance
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list all those NHS projects which have been financed by private sector money over the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  Measures announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the autumn statement will increase the scope for national health service use of private finance to improve and extend services. We aim to ensure that NHS patients will benefit from these new freedoms to the greatest possible extent. NHS directors of finance have been encouraged to use private finance if this is cost-effective.

  NHS projects using private finance need approval by the Department of Health and the Treasury if the capital assets involved have a value of £250,000 or more. Projects which have been approved in the last 12 months are shown in the table.

  NHS projects using private capital worth over £0–25 million approved in the 12 months to end of February 1993

  1. Sheffield Northern General Hospital NHS Trust: contracting for the provision of satellite dialysis facilities at Rotherham Hospital.

  2. NHS Supplies Authority: lease of offices for HQ in Reading.

  3. NHS Supplies Authority: lease of offices for North East Divisional HQ in Harrogate.

  4. Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust: lease of magnetic resonance imager.

  5. Standing Committee on Postgraduate Medical Education: lease of offices in London.

  6. South East London Commissioning Agency: lease of offices in London.

  7. King's College Hospital, Camberwell: new clinical waste incineration facilities.

  8. The Royal Oldham Hospital NHS Trust: new clinical waste incineration facilities.

  9. Royal Liverpool University Hospital NHS Trust: proposed joint venture patient hotel.

  Nursing and Midwifery Board
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the present members of the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

  Mr. Sackville
  Present members of the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting are as follows:

  Mr. R. G. Adams

  Prof. J. A. Akinsanya

  Mr. C. J. Allison

  Mrs. A. Ashton

  Mr. R. D. Atlay

  Mrs. C. Atwell

  707

  Ms B. S. Bailey

  Miss S. Barlow

  Mrs. Y. E. Baxter

  Miss J. A. Beak

  Mrs. A. P. Burrows

  Mrs. J. A. Byrne

  Ms V. Chapman

  Mrs. C. A. Christophe

  Mrs. J. M. Collacott

  Mrs. L. Cutler

  Ms E. Davenhall

  Ms S. Downe

  Ms H. Foale

  Mrs E. H. Fradd

  Miss C. Gilling

  Mrs. J. Green

  Ms M. Gribbin

  Mr. A. Grocott

  Ms W. E. R. Harris

  Mr. S. J. Holder

  Prof. J. E. Hooper, CBE

  Miss N. Hunt

  Miss B. I. Hyde

  Mr. J. James

  Mr. K. Jarrold

  Ms R. Lowe

  Mr. J. McIntegart

  Mrs. S. Moore

  Ms G. D. Quick

  Miss S. E. G. Roch

  Prof. P. Seager

  Mr. P. Tuddenham

  Prof. A. L. Webb

  Prof. J. Wilson-Barnett

  Mrs. L. S. Worthington

  Dr. P. Yerrell

  Drinamyl
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information has been received, and what guidance has been issued, by her Department regarding the side-effects of the drug, Drinamyl.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Drinamyl is the proprietary name for a product containing dexamphetamine and amylobarbitone. This was indicated for mild temporary emotional disturbances but was withdrawn from the market in 1978. The Committee on Safety of Medicines received nine reports of suspected adverse reactions to Drinamyl. A report of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean that the reaction was caused by the drug. The most important side effects of Drinamyl are dependence and psychosis, and the abuse potential of this type of drug is well recognised. The Department has not issued any specific guidance about the side-effects of Drinamyl.

  General Practitioners
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was(a) the total number of general practitioners and the whole-time equivalent and (b) the total number of, and the amount paid to, general practitioners receiving deprivation payments in each of the low, medium and high categories for 1991–92 and 1993–94; and what are the comparable figures in each case for fund holding general practitioners.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  (a) The total number of general practitioners and the whole time equivalents for England in 1991–92 and 1992–93 is as follows:
  708

  Number of GPs

  Whole Time Equivalent

  1 October 1991

  25,686

  25,039·05

  1 April 1992

  25,823

  25,108·25

  (b) The total number of GPs receiving deprivation payments in each of the low, medium and high categories in England for 1991–92 and 1992–93 is as follows:

  Low

  Medium

  High

  Total

  1 October 1991

  10,035

  6,200

  4,272

  11,485

  1 April 1992

  10,363

  6,431

  4,584

  11,833

  It is possible for a GP to have patients in a combination of deprived areas. The sum of the three areas is not, therefore, equal to the total number of GPs. The figure given in the "Total" column is the number of GPs with patients in any deprived area.

  The total amounts of deprivation payments in each of these categories for 1991–92 is as follows:

  £

  Lower

  8,341,614·68

  Medium

  8,749,245·27

  High

  13,803,269·91

  Notes:

  Figures are not yet available for 1992–93.

  Separate figures are not available for fundholding GPs.

  Tobacco Advertising
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the total number and list the names of those organisations and individuals who have made submissions(a) in favour of a tobacco advertising ban and (b) against a tobacco advertising ban, in relation to the publication "Effect of Tobacco Advertising on Tobacco Consumption", a discussion document reviewing the evidence.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  [holding answer 8 March 1993]: Comments were invited on the overall analysis, methodology and original pieces of work in the Department of Health discussion document. Respondents were not asked to indicate their position on a tobacco advertising ban. A total of 275 representations have been received which make reference to the discussion document. Of these 232 include statements in favour of a ban and 13 include statements against a ban. A copy of the list of names of organisations and individuals who have made representations has been placed in the Library.

  Contracting-out
  Mr. Wells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate of cumulative savings to the national health service from the contracting-out of support services; and what plans she has to extend contracting-out.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  [pursuant to the reply, 16 February 1993, column 160]: The national health service has since its early days been a substantial purchaser of supplies from commercial contractors. Building construction, building maintenance, computer and

  709
  medical equipment maintenance, for example, have been bought in from external sources and subjected to market testing procedures. Since 1983, the market testing of NHS support services has been extended by the introduction of the management requirement for regular market testing of domestic cleaning, catering and linen and laundry services. More than 20 other support services have also been market tested, resulting in a saving in 1990–91 in excess of £125 million in NHS overhead costs. Market testing in the NHS is being further extended to all areas of support services as set out in the November 1991 White Paper "Competing for Quality".

  My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is today placing in the Library guidance on the implications for market testing of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981. In some cases where work is awarded to an outside contractor following market testing that may constitute the transfer of an undertaking in the terms of the regulations. If so, the regulations provide that the new employer takes over responsibility for the employment contracts of the employees, who would transfer on their previous terms and condition of service. The guidance sets out circumstances in which the regulations are, and are not, likely to apply, and explains their effect where they do.

  This guidance will be equally relevant to the NHS market testing programme and I hope that national health service managers and contractors will find the guidance helpful.

  percentages

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  Sheriff Court

  (Civil Proceedings)

  57·2

  69·8

  69·8

  77·7

  70·4

  (Summary Criminal Proceedings)

  86·6

  92·6

  90·8

  94·6

  93·1

  District Court

  (Summary Criminal Proceedings)

  86·9

  92·7

  84·2

  88·3

  87·5

  Tayside Health Services
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment has been made of the number of job losses in each hospital following the implementation of current Tayside health board acute services review.

  Mr. Stewart
  Following Tayside health board's acute services review the number of job losses at each hospital in each area has been assessed as follows:

  (a) Perth and Kinross
  About 20 whole time equivalent posts will be lost when services transfer from Bridge of Earn hospital to the new Perth royal infirmary in June 1993. These changes are independent of the board's acute services review.

  (b) Angus
  The exact number of job losses will not be known until the public consultation period is complete and decisions reached.

  The maximum reductions in whole-time equivalent staff are expected to be:

  Number

  Forfar Infirmary

  18·7

  Stracathro Hospital

  9·2

  Arbroath Infirmary

  12·6

  Total

  40·5

  (c) Dundee
  The impact on jobs is dependent on the extent of development required at Ninewells hospital to replace
  710
  The NHS will press ahead with its challenging programme of market testing in the expectation that this will lead to both improvements in quality of service and financial savings, thereby releasing resources for direct patient care.

SCOTLAND

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Chisholm
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the legal aid budget is taken up by civil legal aid.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Civil legal aid payments represented 20·8 per cent. of the total amounts paid to solicitors and counsel by the Scottish Legal Aid Board in 1991–92.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of legal aid applications have been granted in each district court, sheriff court, and the high court in Scotland for each of the past five years.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Information on the proportion of successful legal aid applications for summary criminal proceedings in the sheriff and district courts and for civil proceedings in the sheriff court is set out in the table. Criminal legal aid in solemn procedures is granted directly by the courts and that information is not held centrally.

  Proportion of legal aid applications granted:
  Dundee royal infirmary. Until decisions are reached on the board's review it is not possible to begin detailed work on assessing the implications for that hospital. As a result, the board is not yet able to assess future staff numbers in Dundee.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the capital allocations made to Tayside health board in each of the past four years and the amount of additional allocation made this year; and what is their relationship to Scottish health services revenue equalisation parity.

  Mr. Stewart
  The capital allocation to Tayside health board in each of the last four years was:

  £ million

  1989–90

  11·144

  1990–91

  11·856

  1991–92

  16·607

  1992–93

  18·928

  In 1992–93 a supplementary allocation was made to health boards and, of this, Tayside was allocated £600,000.

  Unlike revenue allocations to health boards capital allocations are not distributed on a "SHARE" formula basis. Health boards and NHS trusts submit their proposals for capital projects to the Scottish Office Home and Health Department. These are reviewed and

  711
  allocations are made, primarily on the basis of local and national strategic objectives and priorities. The total capital programme for the NHS in Scotland in 1992–93 was £229·588 million.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the current numbers of ambulances and ambulance staff serving the Angus area; and what increases are planned to meet the changes in hospital services proposed by Tayside health board.

  Mr. Stewart
  There are currently 17 ambulances and 35 ambulance staff serving the Angus area.

  Until the board has made a decision on the future of acute services in the area it is not possible to determine what changes might be required to the ambulance service.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has had or plans to have with Tayside health board regarding provision of ambulance services in consequence of proposed changes in Angus hospital services.

  Mr. Stewart
  My right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Health and Home Affairs met the chairman and general manager of Tayside health board on 29 January. During the meeting, the board outlined the remaining work programme for its review of acute services, inlcuding its plans to hold discussions with the Scottish ambulance service. These were to establish the implications for the ambulance service in Angus of the board's options for acute services in that area.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the services closed and reduced at(a) Stracathro and (b) Arbroath infirmary over the past 10 years, stating the reduction in manpower and buildings.

  Mr. Stewart
  The following changes have been introduced at Stracathro hospital and Arbroath infirmary during the last 10 years.

  Stracathro Hospital

  In 1987 in-patient gynaecology services were withdrawn and replaced by a day-case only service. The resources were reallocated to another speciality and there was no effect on staff or buildings.

  During 1990 surgical paediatric bed numbers were reduced by eight; orthopaedic surgery decreased by four to 96; and general surgery from 41 to 37. The changes had no effect on staff or buildings.

  In 1991, Grampian health board ceased referring patients to the orthopaedic service at Stracathro. This resulted in a reduction of 49 available orthopaedic beds at the hospital. This service change resulted in the following staff reductions:

  Reduction per cent.

  Physiotherapy

  0·5

  Catering

  3·0

  Cleaning

  2·6

  Nursing

  136·7

  1 Whole-time equivalents

  Arbroath Infirmary
  In August 1989, gynaecology day surgery services were withdrawn, but this had no effect on staff numbers.
  In 1990 the number of maternity beds were reduced from 18 to 9, reflecting actual usage. There was no effect on staff numbers.
  712
  Between 1985 and 1987 specialist gynaecology, general surgery and medical paediatrics services transferred to Dundee or Stracathro hospital and a day ward was created for minor surgery. The surgical bed complement was also reduced from 34 to 13 day beds.
  Some staff transferred to Stracathro along with general surgical beds, while others were redeployed at Little Cairnie, or lost through natural wastage.
  All the above changes were carried out by redeployment of staff.

  Local Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the budget for each local enterprise company in Scotland for 1992–93.

  Mr. Stewart
  The allocation of resources to the local enterprise companies is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I have asked the chairmen of these bodies to write to my hon. Friend.

  Edinburgh University Dental School
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what representations he has received regarding the future of the University of Edinburgh dental school; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what arrangements have been made for specialist care and continuing education following the closure of the University of Edinburgh dental school; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Discussions between the University of Edinburgh and Lothian health board and the Scottish Office Home and Health Department about the proposed new Edinburgh dental hospital continue. My right hon. Friend remains fully committed to providing such capital investment as is necessary to establish the dental hospital. It will be for the Edinburgh royal infirmary NHS trust, if its application for trust status is approved, to take forward plans for a new dental hospital and for continuing dental education and to negotiate contracts for the provision of specialised dental services with prospective purchasing health boards.

  Market Testing
  Mr Kynoch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will make a statement on the application of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 to the market testing of public services in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has today placed in the Library guidance on the implications for market testing of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations. I also refer my hon. Friend to the separate statements which my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health are making on specific issues raised by the application of the regulations to their areas of responsibility.

  I hope that the guidance and statements will be helpful to all those involved in market testing, including compulsory competitive tendering, to the extent that they set out circumstances in which the regulations are, and are

  713
  not, likely to apply, and explain their effect where they do. My Departments and the NHS in Scotland are pressing ahead with their extensive programmes of market testing. I am confident that innovative proposals will be produced, offering good value for money, whether or not the regulations apply.

  Local authorities, of course, must conduct compulsory competitive tendering according to the relevant legislation. If in the light of all the circumstances of any individual case, it appears to me that a local authority has behaved so as to unlawfully restrict, distort or prevent competition, I will consider taking statutory action.

  Sites of Special Scientific Interest
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions since 1991 compensation has been paid in respect of not planting conifers in sites of special scientific interest; and what has been the sum paid out in each year.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 9 February 1993]: The information supplied by Scottish Natural Heritage is as follows:

  Agreements involving lump sum payments

  Agreements involving annual payments

  Year1

  No.

  Amount £

  No.

  Amount£

  Interest paid2£

  Total £

  1991–92

  15

  1,085,773

  2

  18,060

  450,159

  1,553,992

  31992–93

  5

  674,014

  3

  8,800

  158,298

  841,112

  1 Financial year, April to March inclusive.

  2 Interest on the agreed compensation is payable over the period during which the arbitration agreement is concluded.

  3 Year to date. The final outturn is not expected to be substantially different.

  Prison Escapes
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many inmates have escaped from Scottish prisons each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 2 March 1993]: The information is as follows:

  Year

  Number of inmates

  1979

  38

  1980

  41

  1981

  61

  1982

  45

  1983

  39

  1984

  27

  1985

  46

  1986

  18

  1987

  40

  1988–89

  96

  1989–90

  67

  1990–91

  42

  1991–92

  35

  11992–93

  41

  1 to 28 February.

  Note: Figures from 1979–87 are for calendar years. The 1988–89 figure represents a transitional period of 15 months.

  Prison Statistics
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the prisons in Scotland, giving the number of inmates and prison officers at each for each year since 1979.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 2 March 1993]: The information requested is included in reports "Prisons in Scotland" and for 1991–92 "Scottish Prison Service" presented to Parliament annually by my right hon. Friend. Details are as follows:

  Year

  Command No

  Average Daily Number of Prisoners or Inmates

  Staff (Full-Time and Part-Time)

  1979

  8037

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 20

  1980

  8421

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 14

  1981

  8618

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 17

  1982

  8980

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 17

  1983

  9400

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 7

  1984

  9670

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 7

  1985

  1

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 7

  1986

  223

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 7

  1987

  551

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 7

  1988–89

  998

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 9

  1989–90

  1499

  Page No. 13

  Page No. 23

  1990–91

  1633

  Page No. 20

  Page No. 24

  1991–92

  2143

  Appendix No. 1

  Appendix No. 8

  Potatoes
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to obtain comparative information about EC member state intervention into the potato market; and if he will give figures showing assisted purchases of potatoes in 1992 for the United Kingdom, France and Spain.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: Information about EC member state intervention in the potato market is not formally obtained by my Department.

  We are aware that certain other member states—for example, France, Italy, Spain and Portugal—may operate ad hoc intervention and other support measures in times of over-supply. In addition, the Netherlands operates a seed support scheme. Specific figures of assisted purchases by France and Spain are not however available.

  The amount of the United Kingdom Government contribution towards the Potato Marketing Board's joint support buying scheme during 1992–93 has not yet been determined, but a contribution will be made in accordance with the terms of the Government's financial agreement with the board.

  Winter Deaths
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of excess winter deaths in Scotland in each year since 1987.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: The information available is given in the table.
  715

  Number of deaths by quarter, Scotland, 1987–92

  Year (Quarters)

  Number of deaths

  1987 1

  16,881

  2

  14,925

  3

  14,096

  4

  16,112

  1988 1

  16,533

  2

  15,300

  3

  14,252

  4

  15,872

  1989 1

  16,427

  2

  15,165

  3

  14,134

  4

  19,291

  1990 1

  16,933

  2

  15,105

  3

  13,737

  4

  15,752

  1991 1

  16,278

  2

  14,891

  3

  13,814

  4

  16,058

  1992 1

  16,510

  2

  14,673

  3

  14,030

  4

  15,732

  The 1992 figures are still provisional.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what plans he has to amend the advice offered by his Department on 1 December 1992 to Ayrshire and Arran health board in connection with the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981;

  (2) what advice he has given to health boards on the effect of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 in relation to the transfer of services to opt-out trusts.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 5 March 1993]: Advice was given on 1 December by the central legal office for the national health service in Scotland, which is a division of the Common Services Agency. That advice was given to Ayrshire and Arran health board and was intended to offer general guidance in relation to the regulations.

  The National Health Service Act (Scotland) 1978, as amended, makes express provision in relation to the transfer of health board staff to NHS trust on existing terms and conditions of their employment.

  Forestry
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the amount spent in each of the last 10 years on supporting British forestry in both cash and real terms; what is his estimate of future costs; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 8 March 1993]: The bulk of public funding for forestry is channelled through the Forestry Commission. Figures showing the Commission's total net expenditure for the past 10 years, and estimates for the next four years, are given in the table. These include the net cost of managing the commission's forests, the net cost of forestry research, and grants paid to private forest owners. They do not take account of the Government's support for forestry through tax relief,
  716
  which will no longer be available after the end of the current tax year, nor the income from disposals of Forestry Commission land.

  Year ended 31 March

  Cash £ million

  Real £ (1992–93) million

  1983

  55·7

  97·5

  1984

  56·8

  94·7

  1985

  54·0

  85·1

  1986

  51·4

  77·3

  1987

  51·2

  74·5

  1988

  48·1

  66·3

  1989

  53·4

  68·7

  1990

  58·2

  70·4

  1991

  74·4

  82·9

  1992

  76·5

  79·8

  1993

  198

  —

  1994

  194

  —

  1995

  196

  —

  1996

  196

  —

  1 Estimates.

  Hazardous Waste
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has held with other member states of the European Community concerning the draft directive on the incineration of hazardous waste; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 8 March 1993]: None. In accordance with normal practice it is my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment who has the lead in discussions and negotiations with other member states in connection with this directive.

  Qualifications and Skills
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to meet representatives of the Engineering Employers Federation, the Confederation of British Industry, or the Manufacturing and Construction Industries Alliance to discuss ways in which his policies can more effectively encourage individuals in Scotland to improve their qualifications and skills.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: My right hon. Friend will continue to hold frequent meetings with industry representatives to discuss policies relating to skills and qualifications, and the way individuals might make best use of them.

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement giving the details of those policies which have been introduced by his Department in each of the last five years in order positively to encourage individuals in Scotland to improve their skills and qualifications.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: The Government have taken a number of significant steps in the last five years to encourage individuals to improve their skills and qualifications.

  These steps include: introduction of youth training and youth credits; introduction of employment training which merges, with employment action, into training for work from 1 April 1993; continued rapid development of the system of Scottish vocational qualifications and other measures to secure parity of esteem with academic

  717
  qualifications; and introduction of Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and their networks of local enterprise companies.

  Further details for each year can be found in the relevant departmental reports and from the period from April 1991 from the annual reports of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

  Fishing Industry
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been(a) the tonnage of landings for first sale and importing and (b) the levy collected by the Sea Fish Industry Authority on these landings in respect of (i) white fish, (ii) pelagic fish, (iii) shellfish and (iv) roe and other fish products at Peterhead in each of the last five years.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: The information on landings by fishing vessels and imports into Peterhead is set out in the following tables:

  Tonnes

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Landings

  Whitefish

  87,012

  75,858

  69,481

  71,592

  64,828

  Pelagic

  29,922

  24,329

  33,092

  46,853

  45,043

  Shellfish

  196

  607

  633

  762

  860

  Livers/Roes

  42

  53

  36

  48

  51

  Imports

  Whitefish

  314

  704

  103

  121

  267

  Pelagic

  —

  —

  —

  3,119

  2,709

  Shellfish

  —

  —

  —

  —

  153

  Livers/Roes

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  The question of the levy collected by the Sea Fish Industry Authority on these landings and imports is a matter for the chief executive of the authority and I have asked him to write to the hon. Member.

  Legal Aid and Advice
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his current estimate of the proportion of the adult population of Scotland which after I April will be eligible for(a) legal advice and assistance and (b) legal aid, for civil purposes on a nil contribution; what is his current estimate of the proportion of the adult population of Scotland which after 1 April will be eligible for (i) legal advice and assistance and (ii) legal aid for civil purposes irrespective of the level of contribution; what is the current proportion of the adult population of Scotland currently eligible for (1) legal advice and assistance and (2) legal aid for civil purposes on a nil contribution; and what current proportion of the adult population of Scotland is eligible for (y) legal advice and assistance and (z) legal aid, for civil purposes irrespective of the level of contribution.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Given the variations over time in individuals' circumstances it is not possible to estimate with any precision the proportion of the adult population eligible for legal aid.

  Further analyses of data from the family expenditure survey have been undertaken since my reply of 20 January, Official Report, column 228, to the hon. and learned Member. These suggest that in Scotland the percentage of households which would be eligible for civil legal aid under
  718
  the new proposed changes to eligibility criteria, as announced in my reply of 17 February, Official Report, column 226, to the hon. Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Robertson), would be in the range of 50 to 60 per cent., with between 15 to 25 per cent. free of contributions. A similar number would be eligible for advice and assistance, with between 25 to 30 per cent. free of contributions. This represents no substantive change in the total numbers eligible, but a drop of between 5 and 10 per cent. of households currently eligible for free civil legal aid or advice and assistance.

  Community Care
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements and decisions remain to be finalised in connection with the transfer of community care responsibilities to social work departments.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will shortly make statutory directions on consultations on plans and on choice of residential accommodation. He will issue the following regulations relating to the funding arrangements for people in residential care and nursing homes:

  1. The National Assistance (Sums for Personal Requirements) Regulations 1993.

  2. The Residential Accommodation (Relevant Premises, Ordinary Residence and Exceptions) Regulations 1993.

  3. The Charging Order (Residential Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 1993.

  My right hon. Friend will also issue guidance on these regulations and on sections 21 to 24 of the Health and Social Services and Social Security Adjudications Act 1983 and the successor arrangements to the independent living fund.

  Training
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of young people eligible for the Government's youth training guarantee in each local enterprise company area; and what is the number of young people receiving youth training.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Information about the number of young people eligible for the youth training guarantee in each local enterprise company area is unavailable. Local enterprise companies estimate demand in their areas for the purpose of planning provision and keep in touch with demand through liaison with the careers service, so that supply can be adjusted to ensure that the guarantee is met. The number of young people receiving youth training in Scotland as at December 1992 was 34,332.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish information on the meeting of the youth training guarantee by local enterprise company area.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have assured Ministers that within their respective networks each local enterprise company is meeting the youth training guarantee; and will continue to meet it. More detailed information about supply and demand in relation to youth training is being refined, in consultation with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and

  719
  the careers service. It is my intention that appropriate information should be published once that process is complete.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people qualify for employment training; and how many are receiving employment training in Scotland.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Given that the unemployed are eligible for a wide range of assistance from Government-funded sources, within which employment training is one option, it would not be meaningful to seek to identify the number of people in Scotland who qualify for employment training. As at December 1992 there were 14,813 people receiving employment training in Scotland.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what research his Department has conducted into the quality and range of youth training and employment training schemes in Scotland; and if he will publish the results.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: The Scottish Office does not conduct such research at its own hand. The long-running evaluation studies of the effectiveness of youth training and employment training organised by the Department of Employment continue to cover Scotland. In addition it has been, since 1991, the responsibility of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to keep under continuous review the suitability and adequacy of training provided under these schemes.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the comparative expenditure per youth training and employment training place in each year since the commencement of these schemes.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Expenditure in Scotland per youth training and employment training participant is as follows:

  1991–92 (actual) £

  1992–93 (estimated outturn) £

  Youth Training

  2,671

  2,791

  Employment Training

  5,902

  6,291

  Note: No separate Scottish data exist prior to 1991–92.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what citizens charter provisions apply to the rights of youth training, employment training and employment action participants.
  720
  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 10 March 1993]: Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have drawn up statements of charter standards which they aim to apply to all their dealings with members of the public; and local enterprise companies have either adopted statements of charter standards or are considering doing so. In addition, the Government have stated clearly their commitment to fulfilling the youth training and employment training guarantees and to ensuring that those groups at which the training for work scheme is aimed receive an appropriate standard of treatment.

  Staphylococcus Aureus
  Mr. Andrew Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many reported staphylococcus aureus cases have occurred in each health board area in the past five years; and what advice his Department gives as to how cases should be dealt with.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: The number of cases of multiple-resistant staphylococcus aureus confirmed by microbiological testing and reported to the communicable diseases (Scotland) unit in each of the last five years was as follows:

  Health Board

  Number of cases reported

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Argyll and Clyde

  2

  4

  8

  33

  43

  Ayrshire and Arran

  3

  6

  7

  18

  29

  Borders

  —

  —

  4

  1

  3

  Dumfries and Galloway

  —

  1

  1

  1

  1

  Fife

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Forth Valley

  —

  —

  —

  —

  15

  Grampian

  —

  —

  1

  12

  6

  Greater Glasgow

  89

  45

  49

  163

  185

  Highland

  —

  1

  —

  —

  4

  Lanarkshire

  11

  22

  28

  35

  83

  Lothian

  10

  13

  8

  15

  22

  Orkney

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Shetland

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Tayside

  7

  19

  26

  62

  73

  Western Isles

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Totals

  122

  111

  132

  340

  464

  The hospital infection manual, which has been made available for use in both the national health service and the private sector in Scotland, includes detailed guidance on procedures for dealing with any outbreak of this infection in hospitals. I have arranged for copies of the manual to be placed in the Library.

  LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS
  LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS
  TRANSPORT AND ROAD RESEARCH LABORATORY PROGRAMME: CYCLING
  TRANSPORT AND ROAD RESEARCH LABORATORY PROGRAMME: CYCLING
  TRANSPORT: EXPENDITURE PLANS
  TRANSPORT: EXPENDITURE PLANS
  CYCLE TRACKS
  CYCLE TRACKS
  ECONOMIC FORECASTING AND THE UNEMPLOYMENT VARIABLE
  ECONOMIC FORECASTING AND THE UNEMPLOYMENT VARIABLE
  TWH MANAGEMENT LTD: LICENSED DEALER TRIBUNAL REPORT
  TWH MANAGEMENT LTD: LICENSED DEALER TRIBUNAL REPORT
  RUDDY DUCK: POPULATION CONTROL
  RUDDY DUCK: POPULATION CONTROL
  ACUTE SERVICES, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW AND LIVERPOOL
  ACUTE SERVICES, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW AND LIVERPOOL