Written Answers of 31 March 1993

DEFENCE

  Depleted Uranium
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if any of Her Majesty's armed forces(a) have been equipped since 1963 or (b) are currently equipped with United States weapons tipped with depleted uranium; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The only equipment which falls into this category is the US-manufactured Vulcan phalanx close-in weapons system which uses US-manufactured depleted uranium tipped ammunition, and which has been fitted in some Royal Navy surface ships since 1982.

  The Army has United Kingdom-manufactured depleted uranium tank ammunition which was procured for, and used during, the Gulf conflict.

  Army Static Workshop Productivity Scheme
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Touche Ross was given the task of reviewing the Army static workshop productivity scheme by means of competitive tender.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  Yes. Touche Ross provided the winning bid from six competitors.

  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of the Touche Ross Army static workshop productivity scheme review.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The fees paid for the report are a matter of commercial confidence between the Ministry of Defence and the company. It is not our practice to disclose such costs.

  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the defence establishments which were covered by the Touche Ross Army static workshop productivity scheme review.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The review was conducted at a representative sample of three sites:

  34 Base Workshop REME, Donnington

  35 Base Workshop REME, Old Dalby

  31 District Workshop REME, Catterick

  A further seven sites will be affected by the review:

  18 Base Workshop REME, Bovington

  26 District Workshop REME, Stirling

  27 District Workshop REME, Warminster

  36 District Workshop REME, Colchester

  43 District Workshop REME, Aldershot

  44 District Workshop REME, Ashford

  Engineer Resources Workship REME, Long Marston

  Dr. Liam Fox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about defence agency status for the Army static workshops.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The Army static workshops in Great Britain are to be established as a defence agency of 194
  the Ministry of Defence on 1 April 1993, under the new title of the Army base repair organisation. The Army base repair organisation comprises its headquarters at Andover, a contract repair branch and a network of base and district workshops. Together they employ some 3,581 civilian and 219 military staff.

  The role of the Army base repair organisation ranges from minor repair to full refurbishment of equipment for the Army. The chief executive has to ensure that the service is available in peacetime and that it has the capacity to cope immediately with increased workloads in times of crisis and war.

  Strategically placed workshops will provide a 24-hour, 365 days a year recovery service in direct support of Army units together with a repair facility to effect repairs beyond the capability of local units. Four workshops will provide an in-depth refurbishment and modification service, which is essential to the operational readiness of Army equipment. In addition, a separate division of the agency will provide a complementary service by contracting with industry for repair and refurbishment of equipments.

  As the first chief executive, Brigadier J. R. Drew will be offered new opportunities to build on the current organisation's professional expertise and high performance standards. Through a more commercial approach, the chief executive will actively seek to improve the efficiency and value for money of his organisation.

  The chief executive has been set the following targets for 1993–94.

  1. To complete the repair programme to plan.

  2. By 1 April 1994, to conduct a customer survey of quality and to institute a system for measuring the timeliness of the agency's output and to set improving targets for both.

  3. To complete the market test of 18 base workshop by 1 April 1994.

  4. To reduce by 5 per cent. the ratio of labour costs to hours of production by 1 April 1994.

  5. By 1 October 1993, establish the value and the proportion of risk price contracts placed by the agency, and by 1 April 1994 set targets for increases in 1994–95.

  6. To operate a full cost, accruals accounting system by 1 April 1994.

  I have arranged for copies of the agency's framework document to be placed in the Library of both Houses.

  Management Consultants
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which expenditure heading within his Department's budget includes the cost of employing management consultants; and what has been the total expenditure under this heading, for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Aitken
  The costs of management consultancy contracts can be attributed to various vote sub-items of the Defence budget. The total costs of employing management consultants for each of the last five years have been as follows:

  Financial year

  £ million

  1987–88

  5·140

  1988–89

  3·109

  1989–90

  5·292

  1990–91

  3·935

  1991–92

  5·700

  Heavy Airlift Capability
  Mr. George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Ministry had with the United States Department of Defense on the latter's building up of military heavy airlift capability.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  We maintain regular routine contacts with the United States Department of Defense on a range of issues including discussion of plans for military airlift capability.

  Nuclear-powered Warships (Safety Committee)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now make it his practice to list the Departments and agencies of Her Majesty's Government which are represented on the nuclear-powered warships safety committee.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  The membership of the nuclear-powered warships safety committee includes experts from the Ministry of Defence, Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Health, Her Majesty's industrial pollution inspectorate (Scottish Office), the Atomic Energy Authority, the National Radiological Protection Board and the nuclear installations inspectorate.

  Married Quarters
  Dr. Blackburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on future plans for the defence married quarters estate.

  Mr. Archie Hamilton
  In February 1992, my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Defence announced that the Ministry of Defence's housing task force had recommended that in order to provide a more responsive and cost-effective housing service for service personnel, the ownership and management of the Department's stock of married quarters in mainland Great Britain should be transferred to a new, non-profit making body in the private sector. The prospective transfer offered the prospect of providing a better planned, better maintained married quarters estate for our service men and service women. Service men and service women would continue to pay rents for their married quarters at levels recommended by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. My Department has been giving this proposal detailed consideration. I now propose to establish a non-profit making housing trust with a view to negotiating the terms of any eventual transfer to it of a long lease of the married quarters estate. Further detailed work will be required to evaluate and develop the concept before a final decision is taken on how best to proceed.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Landlord and Tenant Law
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to implement the recommendations in the Law Commission's report "Landlord and Tenant Law, Privity of Contract and Estate" (Law Com. No. 174).
  196
  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Government have decided to implement these recommendations for the future leases but not for existing leases. This decision will affect only those agreements entered into after the commencement date of the necessary legislation, which will also provide for a statutory requirement in respect of both future and existing leases to encourage landlords to act promptly when suing for arrears of rent or service charges. Notice of any such claims against a former tenant will in future have to be served within nine months after the money becomes due.

  Commercial Court
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of how the dates set for commercial court cases are affected by the changes in the number of judges.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Day-to-day deployment of High Court judges in the Queen's Bench Division is a matter for the Lord Chief Justice, but dates set for cases are affected by a number of factors apart from the availability of judges, including the length of case, interruptions of unplanned emergency business and cases overrunning the time estimates of the parties. In the recent announcement of plans to appoint additional High Court judges it was made clear that the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice had agreed that additional judge power would be made available to address any continuing problems in the commercial court.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the number of commercial court judges in each of the last four years.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Under section 6 of the Supreme Court Act 1981, the Lord Chancellor nominates the High Court judges who may be deployed to sit in the commercial court. Apart from the commercial judge himself, who is in charge of the list and who sits full time, the others who sit there are drawn according to need and availability from that pool of nominated judges. The number in the pool fluctuates from time to time because of promotions or retirements. In January 1990 there were 11 nominees and in July 1991 there were 12. At the end of December 1992 there were 10 nominees and at the present time there are 11. Throughout the period the equivalent of either five or six nominated judges have been deployed from the pool by the Lord Chief Justice to sit in the commercial court.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate the time it would take to recover the delays of cases taken from the commercial court list if there were available(a) five, (b) six and (c) seven specialist judges.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  There is no fixed time within which cases before the commercial court are expected to come to trial. Dates set for cases are affected by factors beyond the number of judges sitting, including the readiness and availability of the parties and their witnesses. The commercial court operates a system of providing fixed dates and cases are generally listed for dates when parties have indicated they will be ready for trial. Though there has had to be some replanning of lists
  197
  recently, in relating cases the convenience of the parties has been taken into account, particularly as many parties and their witnesses are from overseas. It is planned to make additional judge power available to the commercial court and there will be additional flexibility in the range of dates which may be offered to parties.

  Land Registration
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of land acreage in(a) England and (b) Wales which is not currently officially registered.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The hon. Member's question concerns a specific matter on which the chief executive of her Majesty's Land Registry is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the chief executive to reply direct.

  Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Dafydd Wigley, dated 30 March 1993.
  As Chief Executive, it is my responsibility to answer questions on operational matters concerning HM Land Registry. The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, has consequently asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question to him concerning the percentage of land acreage in (a) England and (b) Wales which is not currently officially registered.
  >I regret that statistics relating to registered land acreage are not maintained by the Registry. However, out of an estimated 19·7 million titles in England, 13·6 million are registered and out of an estimated 1·3 million titles in Wales 0·6 million are registered. The majority of registered titles relate to residential properties in urban areas.
  I hope you will find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the House library.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to bring forward legislation to secure that compulsory registration of all land is undertaken in England and Wales.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Under the existing provisions of the Land Registration Acts, land is compulsorily registered on sale throughout England and Wales. Over 14 million titles are now registered at Her Majesty's Land Registry and this will increase progressively as transactions occur.

  In the citizens charter White Paper in November 1992 the Government announced their intention to explore

  Court building

  Scheme

  Service

  Company

  Docklands

  Feasibility and design Estate surveying Quantity surveying

  Kyle Stewart Knight Frank and Rutley C. F. Baker & Partners

  Cardiff

  Project management

  W. S. Atkins

  Crawley

  Feasibility and design

  PSA Projects

  Staines

  Feasibility and design

  Kyle Stewart

  Neath

  Project management Design Civil engineering

  W. S. Atkins Powell Dobson Travers Morgan

  198
  ideas for completing the land register. Her Majesty's Land Registry has now issued a consultation document, "Completing the Land Register in England and Wales", which seeks views on whether the Land Registration Acts should be amended to speed up eventual completion of the register.

  Market Testing
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which professional services within his Department have been subjected to market testing within the last 12 months and with what result; and which will be subjected to market testing within the next 12 months.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  In the last 12 months the Lord Chancellor's Department has let 29 commissions for the professional services required to manage its accommodation and develop new court buildings. Previously these services were provided by PSA Services. Lists of the commissions let follow.

  The Department is currently market testing its internal audit services. The results will be known in the next few months.

  The Lord Chancellor's Department's plans for next year are still under consideration.

  The Lord Chancellor is also responsible for two executive agencies, the Public Record Office and Her Majesty's Land Registry. These are separate Government Departments and questions should normally, therefore, refer specifically to them. In this instance, as the questions concern an operational matter on which the chief executives of the agencies are best placed to provide an answer, I have asked them to reply direct.

  Estate Management

  Group/Circuit

  Managing Agent

  Kingston Group

  Drivers Jonas

  M. & O. Circuit

  E. C. Harris

  M. & O. Circuit

  Bernard Thorpe

  N. E. Circuit

  Bernard Thorpe

  HQ Building

  PSA (BM) SE

  London Group

  McBains

  N. Circuit

  Grimley J. R. Eve

  Maidstone Group

  McBains

  RCJ

  Turner & Townsend

  Wales & Chester

  Torpy

  199

  Scheme

  Service

  Company

  Pontypridd

  Project management Design Structural engineering Civil engineering

  W. S. Atkins Alex Gordon Veryard and Partners Hubert Jenkins

  Leicester

  Project management Design and engineering Quantity surveying

  CS Project Management W. F. Johnson and Partners Silk and Frazier

  Newport, Isle of Wight

  Project management Design

  TT Project management Rainey Petrie

  Bournemouth

  Project management

  Widnell Project management

  Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Spencer Batiste, dated 25 March 1993:
  As part of his reply to your recent Parliamentary Question as set out below, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to write to you about market testing in the Public Record Office.
  Parliamentary Question: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, which professional services within his Department have been subjected to market testing within the last 12 months and with what result; and which will be subject to market testing within the next 12 months.
  Date appeared: 24 March 1993. For Written Answer: 31 March 1993. PQ reference No. 93/261.
  No professional services have been market tested at the Public Record Office within the last 12 months. The only professional service the Office is proposing to test within the next 12 months is internal audit.
  If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask me.

  Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Spencer Batiste, dated 30 March 1993:
  As Chief Executive, it is my responsibility to answer questions on operational matters concerning Her Majesty's Land Registry. The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department has consequently asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question to him concerning the Agency's market testing of professional services.
  Within the last 12 months, market testing exercises have been concluded on professional Building Management and Estates services and on certain professional legal services provided to the Land Registry. In both cases, contracts were awarded to organisations from the private sector.
  The surveying services provided by both the Ordnance Survey and the Land Registry are currently being market tested but the review has not yet been concluded.
  No further professional services are the subject of market testing in the current programme which ends on 30 September 1993. The Registry's programme for the following twelve months has not yet been finalised.
  I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will be placed in the House Library.

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department within what period he expects to introduce competitive tendering for legal aid franchises.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Any such developments will be discussed with the Legal Aid Board and the legal profession. No timetable has been set.

  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on how many occasions the issue of competitive tendering for franchises to undertake legal 200
  aid work has been discussed with members and officials of the Legal Aid Board (a) by Ministers in the Lord Chancellor's Department and (b) officials.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The board has been kept in touch with the Lord Chancellor's thinking on the development of the legal aid scheme in the longer term, but no formal discussions have been held on competitive tendering.

  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether it is the intention of the Lord Chancellor to seek compulsory competitive tendering of legal aid work.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Competitive tendering may be an appropriate longer-term arrangement for the provision of certain publicly funded legal services. The Legal Aid Board and the legal profession will be consulted at the appropriate time.

  Mary Winch
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) if he will order a full investigation into the case of Mary Winch previously of Caernarfon now of Eastbourne; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) when he expects to be able to reply to letters concerning Miss Mary Winch dated June 1991, 12 August 1991, 26 September 1991, 11 October 1991, 26 October 1991 and 16 May 1992; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Miss Mary Winch has taken legal action against the public trustee which has not yet concluded. It would not be appropriate to comment whilst those proceedings are before the courts.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Prosecutions
  Mr. Waterson
  To ask the Attorney-General what amendment he proposes to make to the undertaking given by the Solicitor-General on 25 April 1986 in relation to the reinstitution of proceedings which have been terminated, consequent upon the post of deputy Director of Public Prosecutions being put into abeyance.

  The Attorney-General
  The hon. Member refers to an assurance given during the course of the debate on 25 April 1986, at column 640, on prosecution policy.

  The fundamental consideration remains that individuals should be able to rely on decisions taken by the prosecuting authorities. The policy of the Director of

  201
  Public Prosecutions is that a decision to terminate proceedings or not to prosecute should not, in the absence of special circumstances, be altered once it has been communicated to the defendant or prospective defendant unless it was taken and expressed to be taken because the evidence was insufficient. In such a case it would be appropriate to reconsider the decision if further significant evidence were to become available at a later date—especially if the alleged offence is a serious one.

  Special circumstances which might justify departure from this policy include:

  (1) rare cases where reconsiderations of the original decision show that it was not justified and the maintenance of confidence in the criminal justice system requires that a prosecution be brought notwithstanding the earlier decision; and

  (2) those cases where termination has been effected specifically with a view to the collection and preparation of the necessary evidence which is thought likely to become available in the fairly near future. In such circumstances the CPS will advise the defendant of the possibility that proceedings will be re-instituted.

  In the circumstances described at 1 and 2 the decision will be taken at chief crown prosecutor level with effect from 1 April 1993.

PRIME MINISTER

  Public Appointments
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the report of the review of public appointments.

  The Prime Minister
  I will arrange for a copy of the latest report of the review of public appointments (1969) to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will now publish the report of the Central Policy Review Staff in 1973 on the system of public appointments.

  Grants1 to British Coal and payments under the Redundant Mineworkers Payments Scheme2

  Financial year

  Deficit and Deficiency Grants £ million

  Operating Grants £ million

  Social and Restructuring Grants £ million

  Redundant Mineworkers Payments Scheme2£ million

  Total£ million

  1979–80

  159

  30

  62

  15

  266

  1980–81

  149

  26

  79

  15

  269

  1981–82

  428

  27

  120

  48

  623

  1982–83

  374

  12

  134

  80

  600

  1983–84

  875

  —

  270

  190

  1,335

  1984–85

  2,225

  —

  189

  200

  2,614

  1985–86

  50

  —

  513

  563

  1,126

  1986–87

  288

  —

  594

  610

  1,492

  1987–88

  200

  —

  477

  295

  972

  1988–89

  0

  —

  297

  168

  465

  1989–90

  6,153

  —

  1,090

  126

  7,369

  1990–91

  0

  —

  141

  93

  234

  1991–92

  0

  —

  457

  61

  518

  1992–933

  0

  —

  622

  43

  665

  TOTAL

  10,901

  95

  5,045

  2,507

  18,548

  1 Grants to British Coal are at outturn prices, on an accruals basis, taken from British Coal's Annual Report and Accounts.

  2 Redundant Mineworkers Payments Scheme. Figures exclude administration costs.

  3 1992–93 figures provisional.

  202
  The Prime Minister
  I do not know of such a report. The hon. Member may have in mind an interdepartmental working party of officials in 1974 which studied certain aspects of appointments in the public sector. Their advice recommended the establishment of the public appointments unit. I will arrange for a copy of the working party's report to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Non-departmental Public Bodies
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list those non-departmental public bodies which(a) have been abolished since 1979 and (b) have been established since 1979.

  The Prime Minister
  A full list of non-departmental public bodies in existence for each year since 1979 is available in the following publications: "Report on Non-Departmental Public Bodies" (Pliatzky Report, Cmnd 7797, January 1980), "Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Facts and Figures 1980", "Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Facts and Figures 1981", and "Public Bodies" published annually from 1982. Copies of these publications are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

  For each year since 1986, a press notice has listed separately public bodies which have been created and abolished. Copies are being sent to the hon. Member, and to the Libraries of both Houses. Such summary data for the years 1979 to 1985 do not exist, and could be reconstructed only at disproportionate cost.

  Coal Industry
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer to the right hon. and learned Member for Monklands, East (Mr. Smith) on 25 March,Official Report, column 1223, if he will set out a detailed itemised breakdown of the annual expenditure of 18 billion invested in the British coal industry since 1979.

  The Prime Minister
  Grant aid made available to the coal industry since 1979 is set out in the table:

  Nuclear Tests
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 22 March,Official Report, column 467, if it is Her Majesty's Government's policy that a cessation of United Kingdom underground nuclear tests is dependent on the negotiations of a comprehensive test ban treaty.

  The Prime Minister
  Our policy has always been to keep our testing programme to the minimum necessary to maintain the safety and credibility of our deterrent. In the absence of a comprehensive test ban, whether we continued to test would naturally depend on our needs at the time, and whether they could be met by means other than testing. We believe any restraints on testing should be negotiated and verifiable.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect on the United Kingdom of legal and other restrictions applying to states to prevent their conducting nuclear tests.

  The Prime Minister
  The effect would depend on the scope and nature of such restrictions. If backed by effective verification and inspection mechanisms they could play a useful part in strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime. In our approach to these issues we shall be seeking an outcome which ensures this objective is achieved, but which enables us to maintain the safety and credibility of our deterrent.

  Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister what detailed measures he is taking to satisfy himself that Her Majesty's Customs and Excise possess the expertise in timber technology to assess whether imports come from legal or illegal sources in relation to CITES.

  The Prime Minister
  In their enforcement of the CITES controls Her Majesty's Customs and Excise are assisted by a wide range of qualified experts from outside the Department. Where the identification of particular specimens of timber and their sources is necessary Customs will continue to seek the advice of qualified experts in this field.

  Council Tax (Care Homes)
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Prime Minister what consultation there has been between the Department of the Environment and the Department of Health on the imposition of council tax on charitable residential care accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  The two Departments have discussed a number of representations which have argued that residential care homes should be exempted from the council tax. Care homes will receive a number of reliefs, which will together mean that their council tax bills will be small. These bills represent a reasonable contribution to the cost of the local authority services from which care homes and their residents benefit.

  Security Service
  Mr. Hayes
  To ask the Prime Minister when the annual report of the commissioner appointed under the Security Service Act 1989 will be laid before the House; and if he will make a statement.
  204
  The Prime Minister
  A copy of Lord Justice Stuart-Smith's third annual report, for 1992, has been laid before the House today in accordance with section 4(6) of the Security Service Act 1989. The confidential appendix to the report has been excluded from that copy in accordance with section 4(7) of the 1989 Act. I am grateful to the commissioner for his work in reviewing the issue of warrants and in providing assistance to the tribunal as provided in the Act. I note that he is satisfied that the Secretaries of State have properly exercised their powers under the Act and that the arrangements in force for ensuring that the service discloses information only in accordance with the provisions of the 1989 Act are working satisfactorily.

  Interception of Communications
  Mr. Hayes
  To ask the Prime Minister when the annual report of the commissioner appointed under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 will be laid before the House; and if he will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  A copy of the right hon. Sir Thomas Bingham's first report, covering 1992, has been laid before the House today in accordance with section 8(7) of the Interception of Communications Act 1985. The confidential appendix to the report has been excluded from that copy in accordance with section 8(8) of the 1985 Act. I am grateful to the commissioner for his report. I note in particular his observations that the Secretaries of State take great care to satisfy themselves that the warrants are necessary for the purposes stated in the Act, and that the system for the issue of warrants is working as intended by Parliament.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Advertisements
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to produce a code of practice on the use of women in advertisements.

  Mr. Leigh
  The codes of advertising practice administered by the advertisting industry's self-regulatory bodies require that advertisements be legal, decent. honest and truthful. Complaints about advertisements are judged against the prevailing standards of decency and acceptability and a separate code concerning the portrayal of women in advertising is unnecessary.

  British Approvals Board for Telecommunications
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how long is the average time taken for a modem to receive BABT approval; and what steps he intends to take about misleading advertisements which do not clearly state when advertised modems are unapproved.

  Mr. Leigh
  The time taken for a modem to receive British Approvals Board of Telecommunications approval will vary greatly according to the design and complexity of the equipment, whether or not it complies with the standards, or requires further work by the applicant before compliance is achieved. BABT statistics indicate that a fully compliant "standard" modem, requiring no alteration at the testing stage, will take six to eight weeks from the date of acceptance of the test sample by the
  205
  laboratory to the issue by BABT of the type approval. BABT would expect to take two weeks of that period to evaluate test results, manufacturing details and documentation and, if satisfied, issue the certificate. The minimum recorded time is three weeks from application to approval.

  Advertisement and display of the approval status of telecommunications terminal equipment is a matter for the Director General of Telecommunications. He takes whatever action is appropriate to enforce the orders. The Department and Oftel, in consultation with manufacturers, operators and users, will continue to monitor and review the operation of the advertising orders.

  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the current procedures for the obtaining of BABT approval for devices connected to the public telephone network, the length of time such approvals take and on his assessment of the need for the approval system as it currently operates.

  Mr. Leigh
  In common with virtually all developed countries, telecommunications terminal equipment must be approved before it can be legally connected to the United Kingdom public telecommunications network in order to protect the PTN, and its operators and users, from harm.

  The British Approvals Board for Telecommunications is the approval authority in the United Kingdom for all types of telecommunications terminal equipment. It evaluates the applications, accompanying documentation, manufacturing details and test results on the equipment and, if satisfied, issues a type approval. As far as categorisation is possible, a "typical" type approval, for a single-line apparatus, would be expected to take eight to 12 weeks from the date the applicant submits a sample of the product to one of the five designated laboratories, to the issue of the type approval by BABT. The time spent at the test laboratory, in particular, necessarily varies greatly; major determinants include the complexity of the equipment and the level of testing required, whether the equipment passes first time or fails part of the testing schedule, needs adjustment by the manufacturer and testing again. For its part, BABT will normally carry out evaluation and issue of the approval within two weeks for a compliant product.

  The United Kingdom is an acknowledged leader in Europe in liberalisation of equipment approvals procedures. Consistent with our EC obligations, we will continue to review, with BABT, Oftel and terminal manufacturers, network operators and users, ways of simplifying the United Kingdom approvals regime.

  Assisted Area Status (Portsmouth)
  Mr. David Martin
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to make an announcement on the result of the application by Portsmouth for assisted area status.

  Mr. Heseltine
  The needs and circumstances of all areas are being carefully considered in the assisted areas map review. The results will be announced as soon as possible, after the necessary clearance of the European Commission.

  Cohesion Instrument and Fund
  Mr. Milligan
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he will take to ensure that all projects supported by the EC cohesion instrument and fund comply with EC environmental legislation and policy.

  Mr. Eggar
  The regulation governing the cohesion financial instrument will require the Commission to satisfy itself, before approving a project and during its implementation, that it complies with EC environmental legislation and policies, including where appropriate the carrying out of environmental impact assessments.

  Energy Technology
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish the criteria by which his Department assesses which energy technologies should receive research and development funding from his Department.

  Mr. Eggar
  My Department is currently carrying out a review of the basis of its support for science, technology, and innovation. Pending the outcome of that review, the aims of the Department in funding R and D into energy technologies remain broadly as they were for the former Department of Energy:

  (a) to support work which would not otherwise be undertaken on an appropriate timescale or to the necessary extent to:

  (i) contribute to the maximum economic exploitation of the United Kingdom's energy resources;

  (ii) establish and develop economic options for energy supply and distribution;

  (iii) enable the Department to carry out its statutory and regulatory responsibilities;

  (b) to encourage United Kingdom industry to develop capabilities, services, and technologies which will enable them to compete successfully in energy markets;

  (c) to ensure the effective dissemination of the results of R and D work.

  Trading Standards
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to transfer responsibility for the enforcement of part 2 of the Fair Trading Act 1973 from his departmental officials to local trading standards officers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Leigh
  Part 2 of the Fair Trading Act concerns references to the Consumer Protection Advisory Committee and contains no enforcement provisions.

  Direct Selling
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made as to the enforcement of the current legislation covering direct selling; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Leigh
  We are reviewing the legislation governing pyramid selling and similar trading schemes.

  EC Regional Funds
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will now give his support to Britain seeking objective 2 status for the London region from the European Community.
  207
  Mr. Heseltine
  The criteria for eligibility under objective 2 for the period from 1994 will be decided during the review of the structural funds regulations which has just begun. I do not expect decisions on the designation of specific areas to arise before the summer. It would therefore be premature to state now to which, if any, particular areas, we can give support.

  Car Industry
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will meet a delegation of Ford representatives of employees, hon. Members and Members of the European Parliament at an early opportunity to discuss the future of the British car industry.

  Mr. Heseltine
  I have regular contact with people throughout the British motor industry. In particular my right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and I met Ford senior management in January and discussed a wide range of issues with them. Further, last October my right hon. Friend met a delegation of Ford representatives and others led by the hon. Member for Warrington, North (Mr. Hoyle) and Carole Tongue, MEP for London East.

  If the hon. Member, however, has specific issues about the industry that he wishes to raise I suggest that he write to me setting out his concerns.

  Insurance Companies
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether any insurance company is currently in breach of its solvency margin.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Yes, and those that are in breach are the focus of regulatory action.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what exemptions from normal Companies Acts disclosures are allowed to insurance companies.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  They are entitled to draw up their accounts in accordance with schedule 9A of the 1985 Companies Act, instead of the usual schedule 4, and may obtain various exemptions from disclosure in that way.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the required solvency margins of insurance companies; what monitoring of these margins is undertaken by his Department; and in what form the results of this monitoring are published.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The margin of solvency for each insurance company is determined in accordance with part II of the Insurance Companies Regulations 1981. The principal method of monitoring the margin is the examination of the annual accounts and statements submitted in accordance with the Insurance Companies (Accounts and Statements) Regulations 1983. Copies of these accounts and statements, which include the solvency margin calculation, are available from Companies House. The Department's own monitoring results are not published.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether insurance companies are required to show equity assets at current market values in their accounts.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  In their accounts filed under the Companies Act 1985, schedule 9A allows equity assets to 208
  be valued at either cost or market value. In the annual returns made under the Insurance Companies Act 1982 it is normal to show equity assets at middle market value in accordance with section 46 of the Insurance Companies Regulations 1981.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action his Department takes when it discovers an insurance company has breached its solvency margin.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The Department issues a notice in accordance with either section 32 or section 33 of the Insurance Companies Act 1982 requiring the company to submit a plan to restore a sound financial position or, in the case of the latter, a short-term financial scheme. It is also usual practice to hold a meeting with the company as a matter of urgency to try and establish what has caused the breach and to discuss remedies.

  Sub-Post Offices
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many sub-post offices have been proposed for closure since 1 October 1992; and how many were proposed for closure in the period between 1 April 1992 and 1 October 1992.

  Mr. Leigh
  Post Office Counters Ltd. has proposed 16 sub-post offices for closure since 1 October 1992, of which five have closed to date. Between 1 April 1992 and 1 October 1992, 25 sub-post offices were proposed for closure of which 23 have closed to date.

  In addition, closures may occur, particularly in rural areas, where it has not been possible to find suitable replacement candidates for sub-postmasterships.

  Wind Energy
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to promote participation in the one-day workshop on local community wind energy projects being held at the Open university on 22 April, sponsored by his Department.

  Mr. Eggar
  My Department has agreed to provide £2,000 towards the running costs of this workshop, which is being organised by the British Wind Energy Association and the Energy and Environment Research Unit of the Open university. The promotion of participation in the workshop is the joint responsibility of those organisations.

  Nuclear Installations
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the reasons why it is not practicable to supply full design information questionnaires on nuclear installations for the purpose of safeguards as stated in departmental memorandum EC/4140/93 on SEC(92)2360, at paragraph 5.1, dated 5 March.

  Mr. Eggar
  Much of the safeguards design information, which the present amendment envisages operators providing for new nuclear installations under the proposed new article 2 to the Regulation (Euratom) 3227/76, may not be available nine months before commencement of construction of an installation.

  Electrical Goods
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to implement compulsory electro-magnetic compatibility testing for certain electrical goods; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  I have no plans to implement compulsory electromagnetic compatibility testing for electrical/ electronic products. The European Community directive on electromagnetic compatibility (89/336/EEC) was adopted in May 1989 and the United Kingdom regulations (SI 1992/2372) came into force in October 1992. They set down the basis for satisfying the essential protection requirements of the directive and the routes for demonstrating compliance. The most common route is likely to be by reference to harmonised standards and these determine, among other things, the tests which manufacturers may wish to conduct or have conducted on their behalf.

  It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to decide which route to compliance is the most appropriate to ensure that the performance of his product satisfies the protection requirements of the directive.

  Fuel Cell Technology
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the value of current assistance provided to British firms to help the development of fuel cell technology; and what forms such assistance takes.

  Mr. Eggar
  My Department promotes the development of solid oxide and solid polymer fuel cell systems through its advanced fuel cell R and D programme. Under this programme financial assistance is available for appropriate projects and the results are disseminated in order to guide future work. The programme budget for 1993–94 is £1·1 million.

  South Africa
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on how British companies have complied with the European Community code of conduct for companies with interests in South Africa during the 12-month period to 30 June 1992.

  Mr. Heseltine
  By 1 March 1993, 100 companies had submitted reports to the DTI under the code of conduct. Copies of the reports and of the Department's analysis and summary have, as in previous years, been placed in the Library of each House. These documents may also be inspected at the Department's export market information centre, at the British embassy in Pretoria, at the British consulate-general in Johannesburg, and at the British consulates in Cape Town and Durban.

  The analysis and summary is the seventh since the adoption of the revised code of conduct by EC Foreign Ministers in November 1985. Reports were received from all British companies, except two, whose interests are known or believed to warrant a full report under the code. The two companies not reporting were reminded of the existence of the code and of the importance the Government attach to it.

  The reporting period under review has seen a further decrease in the number of black employees of British
  210
  subsidiaries being paid below the code's recommended minimum level. Companies' reports indicated that nearly 99 per cent. of employees were paid above this level.

  The level of companies' involvement with trade unions representing black workers was maintained, with the majority of companies reporting formal involvement with the trades unions. Many companies have taken steps to alleviate the particular hardships experienced by their migrant workers.

  As in previous years, all companies provided "on-the-job" training and many provided additional training facilities. Companies continued to report impressive levels of involvement in projects benefiting not only their employees and their families but the wider communities from which their work forces were drawn. Companies also continued to encourage the growth of black business.

  The period covered by the report has seen the continuation of the recession in South Africa, with unemployment steadily increasing. Progress on the political front has been slower than expected. However, positive steps have been taken towards the achievement of a new democratic constitution and we hope that this will be taken forward when multi-party talks resume early next month.

  The Government are once more grateful to companies for their continued co-operation in providing reports and urge them to maintain this performance and to comply fully with the code.

  Export Intelligence Service
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will announce the results of his review of his Department's export intelligence service; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  A study was conducted for my Department by consultants KPMG and I am grateful to all those who contributed to it. I have accepted the key finding of the review that the present system of matching United Kingdom firms expressed export interests with business opportunities reported from abroad does not fully meet the needs either of the United Kingdom which subscribe to it or of the potential foreign buyers seeking a United Kingdom source of supply of goods and services. But the review did conclude that the system generated some £200 million of extra exports annually. I have therefore decided that these sales justify continuation of export intelligence, but with operational improvements and the creation of a parallel source of supply system to answer foreign buyers' inquiries.

  The contract signed in 1989, now with Prelink Ltd., to operate the marketing, matching and distribution of export intelligence has generally worked well. Consequently, I have decided to accept its proposal for introducing the changes to export intelligence and for setting up a new source of supply service from 1 April 1993. I am extending its contract to 31 March 1998.

  Opencast Coal Mining
  Mr. Dover
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was(a) the contribution to British Coal from privately operated opencast sites and (b) the subsidy to British Coal from the Exchequer for the latest year for which both figures are available.
  211
  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 24 March 1993]: The contribution to British Coal from private sector licensed opencast sites is not recorded separately in their accounts. However, the total royalties receivable from licensed opencast sites and deep mines amounted to £14 million in 1991–92. The corporation's opencast sites are operated by private sector contractors and generated an operating profit of £171 million in that year. Government grant income credited to the corporation's accounts in that year was £457 million.

  Fuel Costs
  Mr. O'Neill
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment his Department has made of the expected effect of the imposition of value added tax for domestic fuel bills on(a) energy consumption, (b) the demand for electricity and (c) the market for coal-fired electricity.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 25 March 1993]: The impact of introducing VAT at the standard rate would reduce energy consumption and electricity demand in the aggregate by less than 1 per cent. Decisions in the market place would determine the effect on coal-fired among sources of electricity.

  Aviation Committee
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how often Ministry of Defence representatives have attended meetings of the aviation committee in each of the last three years.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: Representatives of the Ministry of Defence or its agencies have attended every meeting of the aviation committee held over the last three years.

  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the aviation committee was established within his Department.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: The answer is 1986.

  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade on how many occasions in each year the aviation committee has met.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: The Aviation Committee has met on three occasions each year except for 1986 when it met twice, 1987 when it met on four occasions, and 1989 when it met once.

  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the current membership of the aviation committee.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry gave on 11 February 1993, Official Report, column 720.

  Manufacturing Industry
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the launch aid given to each sector of the manufacturing industry in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: Launch aid is provided under the Civil Aviation Act 1982 and is
  212
  available only to the aerospace industry. Launch aid received by the aerospace industry in each of the last five years is as follows:

  £ million

  1992–93

  31·3

  1991–92

  78·7

  1990–91

  141·1

  1989–90

  133·6

  1988–89

  98·4

  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the projected launch aid to be given to each sector of the manufacturing industry for each of the next two financial years.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: Launch aid is provided under the Civil Aviation Act 1982 and is available only to the aerospace industry. Projected launch aid to be given in 1993–94 is £2·6 million. At this stage there are no plans to provide launch aid in 1994–95.

  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the repayments of launch aid made by each sector of manufacturing industry for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Leigh
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: Launch aid is provided under the Civil Aviation Act 1982 and is only available to the aerospace industry. Repayments of launch aid received by the aerospace industry in each of the last five years is as follows:

  £ millions

  1992–93

  69·5

  1991–92

  82·9

  1990–91

  51·8

  1989–90

  41·9

  1988–89

  19·9

  Coal Mines
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will ensure that, as part of any deregulation steps being taken by the Government in relation to the coal mines, there is full discussion with the trade unions on questions relating to safety standards in private coal mines; and if he will consult the Health and Safety Executive before taking any final decisions.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: The Government are determined that there should be no lowering of safety standards in coal mines. It is for the Health and Safety Commission and its executive to regulate safety in the coal industry in consultation with all interested bodies, including the trade unions. My Department will continue to keep the Commission informed about developments in the industry.

  Timber and Paper Products
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many prosecutions have been brought under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, concerning claims of the environmental friendliness and sustainability of timber and paper products in each of the last five years; and how many such prosecutions have been successful in each year.
  213
  Mr. Leigh
  [pursuant to his answer, 28 January 1993, column 817]: It has been brought to my attention that the statistics provided in that answer were incorrect. Regrettably, those statistics, which were produced by the Office of Fair Trading, concerned prosecutions under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 involving all types of statement, rather than only environmental claims, about timber and paper products. In fact, none of the
  214
  prosecutions covered by the statistics involved environmental claims. Thus, my reply should have stated that the OFT has not been notified of any prosecutions by local authorities under the TDA concerning claims of the environmental friendliness and sustainability of timber and paper products over the last five years–1988 to 1992 inclusive. I offer my apologies to the House for giving incorrect information in my original reply.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Market Testing
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Departments appointed consultants or accountancy firms as advisers on market testing after seeking competitive bids.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  This information is not held centrally.

  European Social Science Project
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his answer of 24 March,Official Report, column 604, on costs of European science projects, if he will list the annual costs of the four largest European social science research projects.

  Mr. Jackson
  Full information is not available. The following are the four largest social science research projects within Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded centres which have received European Community (EC) funding and which have a European dimension:

  1. The ELSNET (Network of Excellence in Language and Speech), operated by the ESRC-funded Research Centre in Human Communication at the University of Edinburgh, is wholly supported by European Community (EC) funding at a cost of £162,000 per annum.

  2. The ESRC-funded Research Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics received £118,000 from November 1991 to August 1992 from the EC for its Technical Assistance Programme to the Russian Government.

  3. The ESRC-funded Research Centre for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford attracted direct funding from the EC of £63,000 for a project "Sixth European Development Fund: MSc teaching at Addis Ababa University".

  4. An ESRC-funded project entitled "Farm Structures and Household Pluriactivity in Europe" is being undertaken by Arkleton Trust Research Ltd. over a period of three years and nine months, at a cost of £45,932 per annum.

EDUCATION

  English Tests
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) pursuant to his answer of 19 March,Official Report, column 408, if he will publish the name of the agency, commissioned by the School Examinations and Assessment Council, to undertake an internal evaluation of the 1992 pilot English tests for 14-year-olds; and what was the cost of the evaluation;

  (2) pursuant to his answer of 19 March, Official Report, column 408, if he will place a copy of the report of the evaluation commissioned by the School Examinations and Assessment Council, of the 1992 pilot English tests in the Library.

  Mr. Forth
  The evaluation was undertaken by the Northern Examinations and Assessment Board (NEAB) as part of its contract with SEAC to write tests for 14-year-olds in English. The total cost of the contract was £206,000, covering the period September 1991 to September 1992. It is not possible to disaggregate the cost of the evaluation in particular.

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are(a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people.

  Mr. Boswell
  The number and percentage of women and disabled staff in each grade requested and the overall number in the Department as at 1 March 1993 are as follows:

  Grade

  Women

  Per cent.

  Disabled

  Per cent.

  1–4

  0

  0

  0

  0

  5

  14

  32

  1

  2

  6

  1

  6

  0

  0

  7

  49

  29

  0

  0

  Overall

  1,280

  59

  68

  3

  The figures for disabled staff cover only those registered as disabled. The Department also has members of staff with disabilities who have chosen not to register.

  We do not hold information on the ethnic origin of all our staff but of those who have responded to date to the ethnic monitoring survey—98·5 per cent.—those from ethnic minorities are as follows:

  Grade

  Number

  Per cent.

  1–6

  0

  0

  7

  6

  4

  Overall

  173

  8

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department last conducted surveys of(a) ethnic origins and (b) the number of women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  A survey of the ethnic origins of staff was undertaken in 1990, since when our database has been continuously updated as new staff join the Department. We currently hold ethnic origin data on 98.5 per cent. of our staff. The number of women in the Department is monitored annually in December.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people, respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.

  Mr. Boswell
  Recruitment of grades above administrative officer is undertaken by the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency on behalf of the civil service commissioners. Recruits to the senior grades, as to any grade in the civil service, are selected on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under the Civil Service Orders in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the civil service commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community. These steps include extending links with institutions of higher education; equal opportunities training for those involved in selection; and using validated selection procedures.

  Undergraduates (Tuition Fees)
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total expenditure in respect of tuition fees for undergraduate courses in universities and
  217
  polytechnics for 1991–92; and how much of this was for students not qualifying for a mandatory maintenance award on grounds of high parental income.

  Mr. Boswell
  The total expenditure in the academic year 1991–92 by local education authorities in England and Wales on fees paid by them as part of mandatory awards for students attending first degree courses is provisionally estimated at £1,021 million. It is not possible to estimate how much of this expenditure was for students not qualifying for a mandatory maintenance award on the ground of high parental income. However, about 27 per cent. of all first degree students in receipt of a mandatory award received no maintenance grant as a result of means-testing.

  Further Education
  Mr. Bowis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what conditions are attached to the disposal of Exchequer-funded land and buildings by colleges In the new further education sector.

  Mr. Patten
  The conditions will be the same as those which have applied to universities since 1985, and to institutions in the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council sector since 1989—Official Report, 15 January 1985, columns 91–92 and 26 March 1991, column 359. They will similarly allow colleges in the further education sector to retain the proceeds of sale of Exchequer-funded land and buildings, within specified limits agreed by the Secretary of State, without reference to the annual supply procedures. These conditions are among those set out in the financial memorandum between the Department and the Further Education Funding Council, a copy of which I will be placing in the Library.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Squatting
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take to change the law on squatting; and what conclusions he has reached as a result of responses made last year to his consultative paper on unlawful occupation of property.

  Mr. Jack
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) on 3 February 1993 at column 203.

  Keith Twitchell
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will be in a position to conclude whether there are grounds to refer the conviction of Keith Twitchell to the Court of Appeal under section 17(1)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 following representations made by Mr. Twitchell's solicitors in June 1991; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  My right hon. and learned Friend expects to be in a position to reach a decision shortly.

  Data Protection
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in reaching a common position with respect to the European 218
  Commission's proposals for a data protection directive; and what level of support the United Kingdom Government have obtained from other member states with respect to (a) the inclusion of manual files, (b) data subject consent, (c) restrictions on the processing of sensitive personal data and (d) notification to the data subject of the first disclosure made by a third party.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The council working party has not yet concluded its initial consideration of the revised text of the draft directive. The range of views expressed on each of the matters mentioned by the hon. Member is very wide, but it would not be appropriate for me to disclose the negotiating position of individual member states. The extent of agreement with the United Kingdom position varies from issue to issue. A closer alignment of views may be expected as negotiations continue.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has which relates to the costs already experienced by other member states who have extended data protection to(a) include manual files, (b) require data subject consent, (c) place restrictions on the processing of sensitive personal data and (d) include notification to the data subject of the first disclosure made by a third party.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I have no such information.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the estimated costs of the United Kingdom satisfying the European Commission's data protection directive in relation to(a) the inclusion of manual files, (b) data subject consent, (c) restrictions on the processing of sensitive personal data and (d) notification to the data subject of the first disclosure made by a third party.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Home Office has asked a wide range of organisations for their views on, and estimates of the cost of complying with, the draft directive. Only a proportion have felt able to make such estimates, and there is insufficient consistency in the methods used for any composite figures to be meaningful. It is clear, nevertheless, that the cost implications for many sectors would be substantial.

  Data Protection
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect the cancellation of the Taurus computer system by the stock exchange has had on the need for the Data Protection (Regulation of Financial Services etc.) (Subject Access Exemption) (Amendment) Order 1992; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter LLoyd
  The continuing need for the order will be considered following the report of the task force on securities settlement which has been set up by the Bank of England to consider the way forward following the cancellation of the Taurus project.

  Police Forces (Wales)
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consultations he has had in Wales with (i) the Magistrates Association, (ii) chief police officers and (iii) the Assembly of Welsh Councils, concerning changes in the organisation of police forces;
  219
  (2) if he will meet the Assembly of Welsh Councils; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  My right hon. and learned Friend made a statement about the future of the police service in England and Wales on 23 March. On the same day he met the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers and the chairman of the Association of County Councils to discuss the proposals which were set out in his statement. He has no plans at present to meet the Assembly of Welsh Counties, the Magistrates Association or individual chief police officers.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police headquarters he has visited in Wales.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  None.

  Dog Attacks
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his best estimate of the number of attacks carried out by dogs on(a) human beings and (b) other animals each year; and what information is available on the type of dog responsible in each case.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Magistrates Association
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he met the Magistrates Association.

  Mr. Jack
  My right hon. and learned Friend last met members of the Magistrates Association at its Nottinghamshire branch on 19 February. He will be meeting the chairman and other representatives of the association shortly.

  Coroners
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been made about coroners in 1992.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  We have received 25 such complaints.

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are(a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  On the most recent figures for those who have responded to ethnic origin surveys carried out by the Department, in the unified grades 1 to 7, 42 —that is 10 (5·2 per cent.) at grade 5; 24 (10·5 per cent.) at grade 6; and eight (0·7 per cent.) at grade 7—classified themselves as being of ethnic minority origin, representing 0·2 per cent. of the total number who responded in all main grades.

  On 25 March 1993, 180 staff in the unified grades 1 to 7 were women, representing some 22 per cent. of staff in
  220
  those grades. In the unified grades, 7 (28 per cent.) staff at grade 3, 22 (23 per cent.) at grade 5, 10 (10 per cent.) at grade 6 and 141 (25 per cent.) at grade 7 were women. There are no women in grades 1, 2 or 4.

  On 1 July 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, 185 members of staff in the Home Office were registered disabled, representing 0·4 per cent. of all staff. There were no registered disabled staff at grades 1 to 7. The Department employs many other people with disabilities who have chosen not to register, but no record has been kept of such staff.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people, respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  Most senior posts in the Department are filled internally by promotion. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that all staff—regardless of race, gender, disability or any other relevant factor—have equal access to opportunities for training, promotion and career development. A wide range of measures is in place to give effect to this policy.

  Recruitment direct to specific senior posts is generally conducted by the Recruitment and Assessment Services on behalf of the Home Office, on the basis of fair and open competition.

  In the prison service, particular efforts have been made in recent years to recruit women and members of the ethnic minorities to the accelerated promotion scheme, which prepares staff for senior positions in the service.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department last conducted surveys of(a) ethnic origins and (b) the number of women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  All non-industrial staff in the Home Office who had not responded to earlier surveys were asked to state their ethnic origin in a further voluntary survey, conducted over the past 12 months. This has significantly increased the database of staff ethnic backgrounds, which now covers 90 per cent. of staff in the Home Office (non-prisons) and 74 per cent. of non-industrial staff in the prison service. Further steps will be taken to maintain and increase the database. People seeking posts in the Department are asked to state their ethnic origins when making their applications. No survey of industrial staff in the Department has yet been carried out, but measures are in hand to address this. There is no need for a survey of women since the gender of employees is identified in staff records.

  Crime
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proposals he has to reduce the level of crime committed by those of school age in the north-west region;

  (2) what action he proposes to take to combat crime in the north-west region of the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Jack
  The Government have encouraged the police and other agencies in the development of effective crime prevention programmes and have funded a number of
  221
  initiatives aimed at tackling crime, including youth crime. The Home Office safer cities projects in the north-west—Rochdale, Salford and Wirral—are major crime prevention initiatives which include schemes aimed at diverting the young away from crime. We have also established local drugs prevention teams in Manchester, Salford and the Wirral with the aim of tackling the spread of misuse, particularly amongst the young. In addition the probation service grant scheme provides funding for eight projects in the north-west region, which in the main provide programmes of supervision or support for young offenders and defendants. There are also over 16,000 neighbourhood watch schemes in the region covering almost 500,000 households.

  The Department for Education announced recently that Lancashire and Manchester are each to receive £147,000 under its grants for education support and training (GEST) programme for youth crime prevention schemes in 1993–94. School community action teams are also in operation in secondary schools in Lancashire carrying out a range of crime prevention activity. Diversionary projects for young people and other schemes to reduce crime and the fear of crime, including property security measures, will be financed under the Department of the Environment's city challenge programme in Wirral, Manchester, Liverpool, Blackburn, Wigan, Sefton and Bolton.

  Under its estate action programme Lancashire will receive £7·9 million, Greater Manchester £29 million and Merseyside £36·8 million in 1992–93 for improvements to run down council estates. These improvements will, among other things, led to reduction in crime and vandalism.

  As part of its programme of action on youth crime for 1993, the Government-supported independent organisation Crime Concern is planning a series of regional seminars, one of which is to be held in the north-west, on best practice in diverting young people away from crime. The Government recently announced plans to introduce a new sentence of detention to secure facilities for 12 to 15-year-old boys and girls who persistently re-offend and for whom supervision in the community has been ineffective.

  Violence Against Women
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to adopt the draft international declaration on violence against women into British law.

  Mr. Jack
  The Government take very seriously the need to tackle violence in society and have taken a number of steps in recent years against violence against women. A summary was given in my reply to the hon. Member for Redcar (Ms Mowlam) on 29 March at columns 103–04. We have strongly supported the development of the draft United Nations declaration on the elimination of violence against women, and share its aims of encouraging internationally both condemnation of violence against women and commitment to its elimination. Any implications of the final declaration for the law in this country will be considered carefully.
  222

  Domestic Violence
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish arrest rates for cases of domestic violence for each police authority area.

  Mr. Jack
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Market Testing
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which professional services within his Department have been subjected to market testing within the last 12 months and with what result; and which will be subjected to market testing within the next 12 months.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  My Department is in the process of market testing its internal audit and accountancy advice services and we expect to reach conclusions by the end of September.

  The market testing programme for 1993–94 has yet to be settled.

  Sexual Crimes
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statutory commitments are currently in place to help victims of sexual crimes to resume a normal life; and what plans he has to extend such statutory provision.

  Mr. Jack
  Some of the most important means of helping victims of all crimes recover from their experiences are non-statutory. These include the work of the national charity Victim Support which, with Home Office funding, provides much-appreciated emotional support and practical help to victims, including victims of rape and other serious crimes of violence. Victims of sexual offences, as of other crimes of violence, are also eligible for compensation from the non-statutory criminal injuries compensation scheme.

  Statutory provisions, in addition to the national health service—which may be able to provide counselling for victims—and Department of Social Security benefits, include the power of courts to order offenders to pay compensation to their victims, and protection—for the complainants' lifetime—from publicity in cases of rape and sexual assault.

  There are no plans to extend statutory powers in this area.

  Royal Households (Police Protection)
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to make the police officers assigned to protecting royal households supernumerary to the force establishment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  No. Where there is a permanent need for protection duties, additional posts are approved and incorporated into force establishments.

  Gloucestershire Constabulary
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that Gloucestershire constabulary is staffed to the level recommended by the chief constable; and if he will make a statement.
  223
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Under the present system, approvals of bids for extra posts for police forces are given on the basis of relative need. As a result of current economic circumstances, no increases have been approved for the coming financial year.

  Parole
  Sir John Wheeler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been given for the Parole Board to take into account when considering the release, transfer to open conditions and recall of mandatory life sentence prisoners.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  For reviews of mandatory life sentence prisoners which begin at the prison from 1 April, the parole board will be giving reasons for recommendations and Ministers will be giving reasons for their decisions. It is important, therefore, that the board and prisoners have a clear understanding of the criteria against which recommendations and decisions are made. I have, therefore, written to the chairman of the parole board giving him directions under section 32(6) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 setting out the matters which the parole board should take into account when discharging its functions. I have also provided the board with guidance for the training of its members. Copies of the letter, the directions and training guidance have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Rave Parties
  Sir John Wheeler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he intends to take to tackle the problems caused by illegal raves and by mass trespass on land.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment today announced a package of proposals designed to tackle illegal camping as a consequence of his review of the Caravan Sites Act 1968.

  The Government recognise that these measures alone will not be sufficient to deal with all types of illegal camping. Since the enactment of the Public Order Act 1986 there has been special provision for dealing with aggravated trespass: that is, trespass where, either because of the sheer numbers involved or because of the behaviour of trespassers, it is right that the police should have powers to intervene. Section 39 of the 1986 Act has worked well, but the Government believe that it can be made more effective. Therefore, we propose to apply section 39 to a wider range of circumstances, principally extending it to minor highways—including green lanes and byways open to all traffic—and reducing the number of vehicles required to trigger the powers from 12 to six.

  We also propose to take additional measures to deal with the illegal large raves which made life so miserable for so many people last summer. We propose to provide new powers to enable the police, where they reasonably believe that 10 or more people have gathered on a site and that a rave will take place with the result that a local community
  224
  will suffer serious distress on account of music played during the night, to direct those people to leave. Failure to heed such a direction will be a criminal offence. In order that the police may enforce this effectively, we propose to provide them additionally with powers to turn back within a radius of five miles anyone they reasonably believe is intending to go to the rave site.

  These measures are unusual, but the Government believe that they are justified in the light of the serious mischief they are seeking to prevent and that they will be welcomed by law-abiding citizens throughout the country.

  Immigration
  Sir John Wheeler
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for introducing an independent element into the procedures for handling complaints against the Immigration and Nationality Department.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Complaints against the Immigration and Nationality Department—including those involving the immigration service—are thoroughly investigated, and complainants informed of the outcome. My right hon. and learned Friend has, however, decided that confidence in the complaints system would be enhanced if there were an independent means of monitoring the health of the system. He intends to appoint a complaints audit committee, comprising three members. The committee's remit will be to satisfy itself as to the effectiveness of the procedures for investigating complaints; to draw IND management's attention to any weakness; and to make an annual report to my right hon. and learned Friend. The committee will have access to ail papers on complaints investigations, but will not be involved in the investigation of individual complaints or decisions in individual cases. The powers of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration are unaffected.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Indirect Taxes
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update his answer of 25 November,Official Report, column 684, on the level of indirect taxes, giving figures for 1993–94.

  Sir John Cope
  At this time it is possible to give the answer only in respect of current duty levels. The figures in the table therefore relate to duty rates immediately after the Budget. This is different from the method used in the previous answer which covered the whole financial year, so for comparison the equivalent figures for 1992–93 are also shown. These differ from the answer of 25 November also because the method of calculating real increases has been adjusted. Ad valorem taxes have not been covered, except for cigarettes where the ad valorem element is included in addition to the specific duty. Aviation gasoline was not subject to duty in 1978–79.
  225

  Duty Unit

  Post-Budget Duty Rate:

  Percentage increase in real terms from 1978 to:

  1987

  1992

  1993

  1992

  1993

  Hydrocarbon Oils

  Leaded petrol

  Pence per litre

  6·60

  27·79

  30·58

  49·6

  61·6

  Unleaded petrol

  Pence per litre

  6·60

  23·42

  25·76

  26·1

  36·1

  Derv

  Pence per litre

  7·70

  22·85

  25·14

  5·4

  13·9

  Made Wine

  not exceeding 18 per cent.

  £ per hectolitre

  76·45

  217·25

  220·43

  11·0

  10·6

  exceeding 18 per cent.

  £ per hectolitre

  84·14

  250·59

  220·43

  16·4

  0·6

  Spirits

  £ per litre

  5·96

  19·81

  19·81

  18·1

  15·9

  Beer

  £ per hectolitre for each degree above 1,000

  0·35

  1·108

  1·163

  12·5

  15·9

  Cider and Perry

  £ per hectolitre

  5·32

  21·32

  22·39

  42·4

  46·8

  Tobacco

  cigarettes

  £ per 1,000

  17·70

  67·53

  72·45

  35·5

  42·8

  cigars

  £ per kilogram

  20·94

  67·89

  72·30

  15·2

  20·4

  hand rolling tabacco

  £ per kilogram

  20·28

  71·63

  76·29

  25·5

  31·2

  Bank of England
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions since 1963 the Treasury has exercised its power under section 4 of the Bank of England Act 1946 to give directions to the Bank of England.

  Mr. Nelson
  None.

  Family Expenditure Survey
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he hopes to publish the results of his Department's family expenditure survey; what has been the cost of carrying out this survey; if he will send the hon. Member for Don Valley a copy of the questionnaire that interviewees were asked to complete over a two-week period; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Nelson
  I hope to publish the 1992 family expenditure survey in October 1993. The running cost of the family expenditure survey for the year 1992–93 is approximately £3·4 million. A copy of the 1992 questionnaire and diary has been sent to the hon. Member and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Market Testing
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which professional services within his Department have been subjected to market testing within the last 12 months and with what result; and which will be subjected to market testing within the next 12 months.

  Mr. Nelson
  No such services have been tested within the last 12 months. The Treasury's market testing programme for the period up to 30 September 1993 was set out on page 64 of the first report on the citizens charter (Cm 2010) and covers a number of professional services including economic model building and development, internal audit and consultancy inspection services. No decisions have been taken about market testing in 1993–94.

  National Debt
  Mr. Shore
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current ratio of United Kingdom national debt to gross domestic product; and what it will be in 1997–98 on the assumption that the public sector borrowing requirement will increase as set out in table 2B.5 of the financial statement for 1993–94.
  226
  Mr. Lamont
  I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Jopling) on 29 March 1993 at column 17.

  Overseas Securities
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what regulations he intends to introduce to implement the legislation for the lending of overseas securities and for payments of manufactured overseas dividends on such securities.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Regulations are being laid today to bring into effect the new legislation on payments of manufactured overseas dividends in section 58 and schedule 13 of the Finance Act 1991. Further regulations will shortly be made under the provisions contained in schedule 23A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act —introduced by schedule 13 of the Finance Act 1991—to set out the arrangements for accounting for tax on manufactured overseas dividends. Regulations will also be made at the same time to bring into effect, for overseas securities, the amendments to the stock lending rules contained in section 57 of the Finance Act 1991.

  The amendments to the stock lending rules will allow lending chains to contain more than three parties without tax charges arising on disposals of securities from one party to the next. This relaxation is designed to enhance the liquidity of the London market in overseas securities and the role of London as a major financial centre.

  The arrangements for accounting for tax on manufactured overseas dividends have been discussed in detail with market representatives over the past two years. They differ from the proposals outlined by my predecessor in the Committee stage debate on schedule 13—introduced as schedule 12—of the 1991 Finance Bill. However, the new arrangements, like those originally envisaged, aim to balance freedom for the markets with adequate protection for the Exchequer against the main risks of tax loss.

  Inheritence Tax
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many landowners in(a) Pendle, (b) Lancashire and (c) England have been conditionally exempted from inheritance tax.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Figures are not available on a constituency basis but in Lancashire six properties have benefited from conditional exemption from inheritance tax or capital
  227
  transfer tax. There have been 121 designations of land for conditional exemption from inheritance tax or capital transfer tax in England and 104 designations of historic buildings in England.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 March,Official Report, column 418, what criteria are used in determining the extent of the publicity on public access to land where the owners are claiming exemption from inheritance tax by virtue of section 31 of the Inheritance Taxes Act 1984.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The heritage advisory agencies will discuss, with each owner, the appropriate level of publicity

  Registrations

  Deregistrations

  Local VAT Office

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Aberdeen

  2,440

  2,378

  2,021

  2,036

  1,862

  1,818

  2,080

  1,832

  Accrington

  2,807

  2,680

  2,298

  2,114

  2,200

  2,050

  2,911

  2,369

  Balham

  3,959

  3,097

  2,791

  2,545

  2,304

  2,468

  3,282

  3,282

  Bath

  3,259

  2,545

  2,168

  2,297

  2,103

  2,114

  2,848

  2,912

  Bedford

  3,222

  2,909

  2,160

  1,784

  1,742

  2,359

  2,550

  2,389

  Belfast

  1,497

  1,611

  1,273

  1,343

  1,190

  1,165

  1,413

  1,557

  Birmingham North

  2,631

  2,372

  2,068

  1,983

  1,747

  1,729

  2,470

  2,552

  Birmingham South

  2,246

  2,080

  1,840

  1,842

  1,651

  1,560

  2,116

  2,168

  Bradford

  2,781

  2,584

  2,160

  2,162

  1,937

  2,007

  2,857

  2,434

  Brighton

  4,317

  3,448

  2,756

  2,646

  2,848

  2,682

  4,268

  3,513

  Bristol

  3,387

  2,908

  2,416

  2,049

  1,982

  2,338

  3,221

  2,479

  Bury

  2,312

  1,980

  2,086

  1,893

  1,767

  1,575

  2,333

  2,163

  Cambridge

  0

  0

  2,094

  2,056

  0

  0

  2,673

  2,726

  Canterbury

  3,610

  3,062

  1,931

  1,668

  2,612

  2,662

  3,322

  2,779

  Cardiff

  3,171

  2,841

  2,209

  3,029

  2,124

  2,090

  3,168

  3,334

  Carlisle

  2,040

  1,783

  1,466

  1,351

  1,596

  1,462

  1,932

  1,743

  Carmarthen

  1,492

  1,285

  1,023

  0

  1,044

  1,136

  1,586

  79

  Cheadle

  3,177

  2,803

  2,873

  2,532

  2,108

  1,965

  2,763

  3,005

  Chester

  3,033

  2,852

  2,736

  2,501

  2,211

  2,259

  3,334

  3,269

  Chesterfield

  2,787

  2,320

  2,198

  1,980

  2,026

  1,982

  2,519

  2,607

  City

  2,590

  2,510

  2,146

  4,750

  2,110

  2,414

  2,318

  4,525

  Colchester

  3,484

  3,243

  2,588

  2,556

  2,224

  2,489

  3,760

  3,482

  Coleraine

  1,195

  1,218

  1,014

  1,354

  1,008

  937

  1,158

  1,088

  Colwyn Bay

  1,835

  1,699

  1,415

  1,247

  1,367

  1,369

  1,960

  1,739

  Coventry

  2,607

  2,439

  2,203

  1,993

  1,708

  1,895

  2,540

  2,560

  Croydon

  3,428

  3,076

  2,303

  2,120

  2,122

  2,070

  3,220

  3,077

  Derby

  2,643

  2,310

  1,978

  1,805

  1,892

  1,652

  2,475

  2,168

  Doncaster

  2,877

  2,389

  2,081

  1,989

  2,231

  1,949

  2,590

  2,464

  Droitwich

  3,023

  2,528

  2,275

  2,016

  2,182

  1,880

  2,672

  2,440

  Dudley

  2,738

  2,131

  1,889

  1,730

  1,871

  1,748

  2,475

  2,424

  Dundee

  2,693

  2,645

  2,152

  2,080

  1,996

  2,099

  2,372

  2,384

  Edinburgh

  3,095

  2,850

  2,494

  2,488

  2,184

  2,148

  2,988

  2,541

  Enfield

  3,583

  3,087

  2,459

  2,595

  2,367

  2,575

  3,263

  3,533

  Euston

  1,429

  1,493

  1,264

  22

  1,034

  1,081

  1,399

  184

  Exeter

  3,160

  2,771

  2,165

  1,886

  2,229

  2,341

  3,397

  3,049

  Finchley

  3,635

  3,124

  2,575

  2,287

  2,063

  2,342

  2,964

  3,070

  Glasgow North

  3,454

  3,129

  2,615

  2,526

  2,599

  2,492

  2,987

  2,818

  Glasgow South

  2,327

  2,172

  2,138

  1,840

  1,642

  1,569

  2,612

  2,160

  Gloucester

  3,532

  3,102

  2,746

  2,261

  2,305

  2,465

  3,417

  2,680

  Greenock

  2,516

  2,176

  1,975

  1,822

  2,038

  2,117

  2,436

  2,055

  Grimsby

  3,190

  2,657

  2,073

  1,924

  2,347

  2,254

  2,930

  2,840

  Halifax

  3,284

  2,646

  2,486

  2,147

  2,256

  2,318

  3,043

  2,652

  Hammersmith

  2,435

  2,363

  1,967

  2,043

  1,481

  1,660

  2,038

  2,807

  Harlow

  3,409

  2,981

  2,008

  1,917

  1,803

  2,009

  2,510

  2,333

  Hastings

  0

  684

  2,371

  2,180

  0

  554

  3,229

  3,251

  Holborn

  1,327

  1,287

  1,204

  0

  1,088

  958

  960

  130

  Hull

  2,739

  2,483

  2,164

  1,954

  1,939

  2,039

  2,746

  2,416

  Ipswich

  2,820

  2,463

  1,811

  1,634

  1,930

  2,141

  2,457

  2,211

  Kennington

  2,676

  2,173

  2,114

  2,025

  1,750

  1,916

  2,720

  2,436

  Kingston

  2,842

  2,956

  2,614

  2,523

  1,850

  2,157

  3,004

  2,875

  Leeds

  2,443

  2,394

  2,144

  2,004

  1,678

  1,971

  2,385

  2,417

  Leicester

  3,216

  2,879

  2,161

  2,072

  2,229

  2,121

  2,792

  2,536

  Lisburn

  1,682

  1,397

  1,320

  977

  1,026

  1,011

  1,212

  950

  Liverpool

  2,309

  2,217

  1,868

  1,761

  2,068

  1,790

  2,273

  2,531

  Luton

  2,574

  2,200

  2,320

  2,166

  1,510

  1,549

  2,708

  2,544

  Lytham

  3,243

  3,084

  2,596

  2,382

  2,472

  2,476

  3,167

  2,976

  Maidenhead

  3,033

  2,630

  2,189

  2,285

  1,806

  1,783

  2,581

  2,515

  Maidstone

  3,942

  3,358

  2,273

  2,011

  2,340

  2,520

  3,214

  2,885

  Manchester

  2,903

  3,358

  2,646

  2,452

  2,041

  2,223

  2,903

  2,774

  Middlesbrough

  3,156

  2,631

  2,158

  2,212

  2,102

  2,416

  2,825

  2,818

  Newcastle Under Lyme

  2,909

  2,806

  2,081

  2,064

  2,018

  2,089

  2,567

  2,653

  228
  to be given to public access arrangements agreed in return for conditional exemption from inheritance tax or capital transfer tax. Each case is considered individually and all relevant factors, including the existing level of publicity, are taken into account.

  VAT
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each VAT office the number of registrations and deregistrations for each year since 1989.

  Sir John Cope
  The information requested is as follows:
  229

  Registrations

  Deregistrations

  Local VAT Office

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Newcastle Upon Tyne

  2,349

  2,041

  1,744

  1,624

  1,743

  1,681

  2,119

  2,061

  Northampton

  3,523

  3,051

  2,134

  1,957

  2,211

  2,219

  2,785

  2,544

  Norwich

  3,321

  2,769

  2,071

  1,815

  2,369

  2,524

  3,133

  2,676

  Nottingham

  2,793

  2,535

  2,155

  1,730

  1,752

  2,080

  2,909

  2,209

  Oldham

  2,814

  2,756

  2,196

  2,268

  2,132

  1,828

  2,661

  3,076

  Orpington

  3,572

  3,149

  2,383

  2,213

  1,921

  1,824

  3,752

  3,535

  Oxford

  2,907

  2,439

  2,370

  2,081

  1,813

  1,871

  2,684

  2,529

  Peterborough

  3,136

  3,325

  2,446

  2,191

  2,282

  2,600

  3,106

  2,797

  Plymouth

  4,019

  3,139

  2,671

  2,390

  2,765

  2,702

  3,955

  3,981

  Poole

  3,791

  2,941

  2,304

  2,116

  2,615

  2,360

  2,943

  3,583

  Portsmouth

  4,344

  3,409

  2,876

  2,641

  2,601

  2,260

  3,872

  3,688

  Reading

  3,303

  3,238

  2,728

  2,603

  1,906

  2,151

  3,137

  2,961

  Redhill

  2,946

  2,793

  2,301

  2,211

  1,933

  2,018

  2,913

  2,782

  Romford

  3,413

  3,071

  2,596

  2,210

  2,094

  2,104

  3,738

  3,697

  Sheffield

  2,941

  2,278

  2,188

  1,990

  1,763

  2,058

  2,425

  2,411

  Shrewsbury

  3,008

  2,579

  2,238

  2,198

  1,996

  2,018

  2,692

  2,787

  Southampton

  3,809

  3,105

  2,772

  2,255

  2,377

  2,437

  3,393

  2,999

  Southend

  3,839

  2,900

  2,179

  1,899

  1,993

  2,035

  3,701

  2,852

  Staines

  2,554

  2,755

  2,430

  2,145

  1,484

  2,141

  2,757

  2,648

  Stratford

  3,000

  2,216

  2,205

  2,573

  2,370

  1,774

  2,836

  3,499

  Swansea

  3,421

  3,135

  2,366

  2,141

  2,827

  2,728

  3,531

  3,022

  Taunton

  2,997

  2,440

  2,261

  2,343

  2,234

  2,256

  3,040

  3,390

  Uxbridge

  3,155

  2,865

  2,077

  1,923

  1,926

  2,002

  2,652

  2,515

  Washington

  2,904

  2,618

  2,040

  1,920

  2,153

  2,260

  2,742

  2,363

  Wembley

  3,093

  2,866

  2,369

  2,108

  2,101

  2,108

  2,848

  3,145

  West End

  4,160

  4,033

  3,113

  2,949

  2,948

  3,102

  3,245

  3,271

  Westminster

  2,414

  2,423

  2,054

  1,967

  1,592

  1,522

  2,039

  2,089

  Wigan

  2,819

  2,696

  2,082

  1,924

  1,943

  2,108

  2,473

  2,476

  Woking

  3,556

  3,412

  2,979

  2,767

  2,161

  2,070

  3,224

  3,514

  Wolverhampton

  2,015

  1,941

  1,688

  1,663

  1,470

  1,618

  2,123

  2,205

  "Other Receipts"
  Ms Harman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will, provide a table disaggregating the series "other receipts" published in table 2B.4 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1993–94" into its principal components together with a table indicating how these figures compare with the equivalent series in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1992–93".

  Mr. Portillo
  A detailed breakdown of "other receipts" for 1992–93 and 1993–94 can be found in the general government column of table 6.9 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" (FSBR). They comprise lines 6, 7, 10, 11, and 28 to 31. The 1992–93 figures can be directly compared with projections made in the same table in the 1992–93 FSBR. For the medium term, 1994–95 and beyond in the 1993–94 FSBR, 1993–94 and beyond in last year's FSBR, the figures are stylised projections.

  Lloyd's Names
  Mr. Adley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect the changes in tax treatment for Lloyd's invested premium, set out in his Budget, will have for names currently benefiting from capital gains tax indexation allowances under current arrangements.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Under my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's proposals gains and losses on assets held by Lloyd's names in a premiums trust fund will be brought within the computation of trading profits chargeable to income tax. Capital gains tax treatment, including the availability of indexation allowances, will therefore no longer apply.
  230

  Taxpayers
  Mr. Rooker
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the numbers of additional income tax payers in 1993–94 as a result of freezing rates of personal allowances; and how much extra income tax will be raised as a result.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Compared with statutory indexation, the revenue yield from not changing personal allowances will be about £700 million in 1993–94, and about 300,000 more people will pay tax.

  Gilt-edged Securities
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about purchases of gilt-edged securities by individuals.

  Mr. Nelson
  Over recent months, there has been an increase in interest among personal investors in finding out about the gilt market and the investment opportunities in gilts.

  The Government have decided to respond to that interest in two ways.

  First, the Bank of England will be issuing on 5 April a new booklet providing clear information for the personal investor about the gilt market and how it works.

  Secondly, the Department for National Savings will be improving the service it offers to personal investors through the National Savings Stock Register (NSSR), with effect from 7 April. The upper limit on the amount that may be invested in any one existing stock which can be bought on any one day will go up from £10,000 to £25,000. This is the first increase in this limit for 10 years. The upper limit on the nominal amount of stock bought in a public offering which personal investors may ask to have registered on the NSSR will also go up from £10,000 to £25,000. The increase in this limit is the first for over five

  231
  years. The order to put these changes into effect was laid before the House on 18 March. And in future, DNS will arrange for all existing stocks to be available through its system.

  The costs of producing the booklet will fall to the Treasury's 1993–94 vote (class XVII, vote 1). Parliamentary approval for this new expenditure will be sought in a supplementary estimate for this vote. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure of £309,000 will be met by repayable advances from the contingencies fund. The resulting increases in the Treasury's cash limit and gross running costs limit will be fully offset by a reduction in the Bank of England's cash limit and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

  Customs and Excise
  Mr. Channon
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the relocation of HM Customs and Excise headquarters work from the south-east to the north-west is proceeding to timetable; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Cope
  To date 350 Customs and Excise headquarters posts have been relocated on schedule to Liverpool and 270 to Manchester from London and Southend. But organisational changes, efficiency savings and market testing are significantly reducing the size of the Department's central operations and particularly its ability to absorb surplus staff in Southend. In addition, turnover of the Department's staff at Southend is at an historic low and the planned changes would therefore lead to considerable compulsory redundancy. The board of Customs and Excise has therefore reviewed its relocation programme. The board and I have decided to rephase the programme by creating in Liverpool some 300 more posts in the next phase rather than the 850 extra posts previously planned.

  This rephasing not only represents best value for money for the taxpayer but also strikes a balance between the need for jobs both in Southend and Liverpool and the business needs of Customs and Excise. The position in Southend will, however, be reviewed in four years' time, in 1997, in the light of the economic situation and job prospects in both Southend and Liverpool.

  I recognise that this decision will be disappointing for the people of Merseyside and for the many organisations which have worked with Customs and Excise to make a success of relocation. But I do not believe that it would have been acceptable to have continued with a relocation programme which would have created new jobs in Liverpool but which in the changed circumstances would have left some hundreds of people in Southend facing compulsory redundancy. Customs and Excise will still be a major employer on Merseyside with more than 1,000 staff and a major headquarters office.

  The number of households with negative equity (thousand)

  1988Q4

  1989Q4

  1990Q4

  1991Q4

  1992Q4

  North

  —

  —

  0

  20

  100

  South

  —

  20

  190

  320

  930

  Total

  —

  20

  190

  340

  1,030

  Note: The South is defined as Greater London, South East, East Anglia, South West, East and West Midlands. The North includes the rest of the United Kingdom.
  232

  National Insurance and Income Tax
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the total revenue raised from(a) national insurance contributions and (b) income tax in each year from 1978–79 to 1996–97 in (i) cash prices and (ii) 1978–79 prices.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 29 March 1993]: Available information on receipts of income tax and national insurance contributions is as follows:

  £ billion

  National Insurance contributions1

  Income Tax

  prices2

  Current prices

  1978–79 prices2

  Current prices 1978–79

  1978–79

  10·1

  10·1

  18·7

  18·7

  1979–80

  11·8

  10·1

  20·6

  17·7

  1980–81

  14·0

  10·1

  24·3

  17·6

  1981–82

  16·0

  10·6

  28·7

  19·0

  1982–83

  18·9

  11·7

  30·4

  18·7

  1983–84

  20·8

  12·3

  31·1

  18·3

  1984–85

  22·3

  12·5

  32·5

  18·2

  1985–86

  24–5

  13·0

  35·4

  18·8

  1986–87

  26·5

  13·7

  38·5

  19·8

  1987–88

  29·1

  14·2

  41·4

  20·2

  1988–89

  32·4

  14·8

  43·4

  19·8

  1989–90

  32·9

  14·1

  48·8

  20·8

  1990–91

  35·0

  13·8

  55·3

  21·9

  1991–92

  36·3

  13·5

  57·5

  21·3

  1992–933

  37·4

  13·4

  56·5

  20·3

  1993–943

  39·1

  13·6

  57·5

  20·1

  1994–953

  44

  14¾

  —

  —

  1995–963

  47

  15¼

  —

  —

  1996–973

  50

  15¾

  —

  —

  1 Excluding national insurance surcharge.

  2 Using the GDP deflator at market prices.

  3 1993–94 Financial Statement and Budget Report estimates or forecasts.

  Households (Negative Equity)
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of households with negative equity in each region in each year since 1987.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 9 March 1993]: There is considerable variation in estimates of the number of households with negative equity, reflecting the uncertainties involved in such calculations. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 February to my hon. Friend the member for Hazel Grove (Sir Tom Arnold) by the Minister for Housing and Planning at column 522. The following table provides figures for the north and south calculated on the same basis, which excludes those who have increased their indebtedness since buying their house, and those who have since sold or had their house repossessed; it is based on the DOE house price index. It would not be possible to produce a more detailed regional breakdown without disproportionate cost.
  233

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Sports Aid Foundation
  Mrs. Lait
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what support his Department is giving to the Sports Aid Foundation Charitable Trust in 1992–93.

  Mr. Brooke
  We have paid to the Sports Aid Foundation Charitable Trust grant of £17,000 for the current year in respect of its administration costs. This is a new service to be provided within class XII, vote 5 of my Department's estimates provision for 1992–93. The full amount of the grant will be met from savings made from other sub-heads within vote 5.

  Items in Lieu of Tax
  Mr. Andrew Hargreaves
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what offers in lieu of tax have been accepted or allocated since his last announcement on 26 March,Official Report.column 729.

  Mr. Brooke
  Since my last announcement on 26 March,Official Report.column 729, I am pleased to inform the House of the acceptance of two offers in lieu of taxation. The offers consist of the Barrington archive together with a model gun ship which will satisfy £147,000 tax and a group of chattels from Nostell priory which will satisfy £30,820 tax.

  The Nostell priory chattels will be allocated to the National Trust and will remain "in situ" at Nostell priory. This allocation is in accordance with the conditions on which the offer was made. No decision has yet been made on the allocation of the Barrington archive, or on the model gun ship.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  South Africa (Nuclear Devices)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information Her Majesty's Government have on the nuclear devices produced by South Africa in the 1970s.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 29 March 1993 to the honourable Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) at column 46.

  UAE
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the British embassy in the United Arab Emirates made regarding the two men recently sentenced to have an arm and a leg amputated for theft.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Her Majesty's Consul-General raised with the Fujairah authorities on 23 March the case of two men convicted of piracy and sentenced to have an arm and a leg amputated. He was informed that the case is going to appeal. A final decision on sentencing will be taken only then. While the sentences were passed in accordance with UAE federal criminal judicial procedure, the Government of the United Arab Emirates can be in no doubt as to our views on such punishments and on human rights generally.

  Embassy Staff
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy in relation to the appointment to the staff of British embassies of individuals with experience in manufacturing industry.

  Mr. Goodlad
  We attach great importance to strengthening the diplomatic service's links with industry and to our programme of interchanges with the private sector. It is also our policy to recruit as locally engaged commercial officers business men with appropriate experience, including those from the manufacturing industry.

  Hong Kong
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many retired civil servants of the Hong Kong Government were registered at the latest available date.

  Mr. Goodlad
  There are some 41,000 retired Hong Kong Government civil servants.

HEALTH

  Information Technology
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the total bill to the national health service for computer systems including software in the last 10 years; what is the current projected budget for computers over the public expenditure planning period; and what is the nature and cost of each child surveillance computer system for each region in the last 10 years;

  (2) what were the total amounts written off in respect of ineffective computer systems in each of the last three years per region.

  Mr. Sackville
  Expenditure incurred by health authorities in England on computers and related costs became separately identifiable in their annual accounts from 1983–84. Figures for the financial years 1983–84 to 1991–92, which cover all relevant expenditure incurred by the health authorities in their management and direct provision of all hospital and community health services (HCHS), are shown in the table.

  Comprehensive information on health authorities' projected expenditure on computers, on the costs incurred on child surveillance computer systems, and on any ineffective computer systems is not available centrally.

  Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS)— Expenditure on computers and computing

  Revenue Purchase of hardware and operational software £000 (cash)

  Revenue Maintenance of hardware and software (including licensing fees)£000 (cash)

  Revenue Contract Services £000 (cash)

  Capital Purchase of hardware and operational software £000 (cash)

  1983–84

  6,311

  5,715

  2,980

  21,335

  1984–85

  9,658

  7,469

  4,750

  35,523

  1985–86

  12,414

  11,198

  5,618

  47,175

  1986–87

  16,347

  15,365

  9,041

  65,025

  1987–88

  19,657

  32,129

  7,576

  68,892

  235

  Revenue Purchase of hardware and operational software £000 (cash)

  Revenue Maintenance of hardware and software (including licensing fees) £000 (cash)

  Revenue Contract Services£000 (cash)

  Capital Purchase of hardware and operational software£000 (cash)

  1988–89

  26,603

  28,893

  8,800

  62,465

  1989–90

  41,357

  32,261

  13,091

  94,522

  1990–91

  61,538

  44,216

  28,809

  119,233

  1991–92

  49,871

  65,268

  35,281

  131,710

  1 Main frame systems only. Excludes an element within a total of £103·5 million for office and information technology equipment. (Note 3 to the table refers).

  Sources:

  (a) Annual accounts (1983–84 to 1990–91) and annual financial returns (1991–92) of regional and district health authorities in England and those of the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals.

  (b) 1991–92 annual financial returns of the first wave NHS trusts.

  Notes:

  1. HCHS covers all services directly managed or accounted for by the health authorities and NHS Trusts including hospital, community health, patient transport (ie ambulance), blood transfusion and other services.

  2. Revenue "purchases" may include elements for rent and leasing. There is some discontinuity in the series of figures for "maintenance" and "contract services" as since 1987–88, the latter category is intended to include only expenditure incurred on contracts for data processing services.

  3. The figures for 1991–92 (which are derived from annual financial returns rather than accounts) are provisional. Following the introduction of capital asset accounting and changes to the analyses provided in annual financial returns the figure for capital expenditure is not comparable to those for earlier years. It represents expenditure only on mainframe information technology (IT) systems and excludes additional expenditure on computers within a total of some £103·5 million for "office and IT equipment" and which is not separately identifiable centrally.

  4. The table excludes the comparatively small costs incurred by family health services authorities and special health authorities providing central services to the National Health Service.

  Ethnic Minorities
  Mr. Kevin Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the strategy for implementing "The Health of the Nation" is going to take into account the needs of people from black and ethnic minority groups.

  Mr. Sackville
  The White Paper "The Health of the Nation" (Cm. 1986) and the supporting key area handbooks, copies of which are available in the Library, identify particular health needs of people from black and ethnic minorities and indicate that health authorities and others must concentrate efforts on such needs if the White Paper's targets are to be achieved. I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Bury, South (Mr. Sumberg) on 23 March at column 589,which stated that we have set up a task force to examine and recommend action at all levels in the Department, and in the national health service to ensure the application of current best practice in the provision of health services for black and ethnic minorities.

  Image Training
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the budget of the management training for women in the health service is to be spent on image training; how many women this involves; and at what levels in the health service.

  Mr. Sackville
  Individual positive image sessions are no longer available through the women in the national health service management development programme.

  Prescription Charges
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on evidence which compares chronic conditions related to the pre-payment certificate scheme.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Prescription pre-payment certificates, which offer real savings to anyone who needs more than 14 prescribed items in a year, or more than five in a four-month period, are not linked to any medical conditions. They are available to anyone who is not entitled to free prescriptions on application, and payment of the required fee, to their local family health services authority.

  Market Testing
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which professional services within her Department have been subjected to market testing within the last 12 months and with what result; and which will be subjected to market testing within the next 12 months.

  Mr. Sackville
  The citizens charter first report published Departments' plans for their initial market testing programmes covering the period to 30 September 1993. The Department's programme includes the following professional and related services:

  —internal audit

  —the Department of Health library service

  —certain statistical support functions

  The market testing process for these services has begun.

  Infertility Treatment
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what amount of money has been allocated in each of the financial years ended March 1991, 1992 and 1993 by Waltham Forest health authority for the treatment of patients requiring IVF; how many patients have been refused IVF because of insufficient funds on(a)primary cycle and (b)subsequent cycles; and what is the current waiting time from referral to primary treatment and from primary to subsequent treatment.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to write to Miss Delva Patman, chairman of Redbridge and Waltham Forest health authority, for details.

  GP Fund Holders
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library copies of letters and reports sent by the Audit Commission to her Department on fund holding in 1991–92.
  237
  Dr. Mawhinney
  Formal audit reports covering matters of major concern, which are reports in the public interest (RIPI), are issued under section 20(3) of the 1990 National Health Service and Community Care Act and are public documents. No RIPIs have been issued concerning general practitioner fundholding in 1991–92. Management letters, summarising matters arising during the course of an audit are routinely sent to each family health services authority. These are not available centrally.

  Paracetemol Overdoses
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on the number of suicides and suicide attempts arising from overdoses of paracetemol in the latest period for which figures are available.

  Mr. Sackville
  The latest available figures for the number of people who have been recorded as having committed suicide and where paracetemol is mentioned in the records is shown in table 1. Table 2 combines the information provided in table 1 with statistics on the number of people where paracetemol is mentioned in the records and where it was undetermined whether death was accidentally or purposely inflicted. Information on the number of people who have attempted suicide by use of paracetemol is not available centrally.

  A recent article1 published by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, suggests that a significant number of the undetermined deaths are in fact suicides. A copy of this article is available in the Library.
  1 Charlton J, Kelly S, Evans B, Jenkins R, Wallis R, (1992). Trends in suicide deaths in England and Wales. Population Trends, 69 10–16.

  Table 1

  Numbers of recorded deaths from suicide where paracetamol is mentioned in the records. England and Wales, 1990, persons only

  Total

  Paracetamol

  101 (51)

  Paracetamol Prothiaden

  1

  Paracetamol Salicylate (NOS)

  1

  Paracetamol Temazepam Tricyclic Anti Depressant (NOS)

  1

  Paracetamol Triazolam

  1

  Paracetamol Warfarin

  1

  Table 2

  Numbers of recorded deaths from suicide and undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted where paracetamol is mentioned in the records. England and Wales, 1990, persons only

  Total

  Paracetamol

  185 (131)

  Paracetamol Propoxyphene

  5 (11)

  Paracetamol Propranolol

  1

  Paracetamol Prothiaden

  1

  Paracetamol Salicylate (NOS)

  5 (11)

  Paracetamol Temazepam Tricyclic Anti Depressant (NOS)

  1

  Paracetamol Triazolam

  1

  Paracetamol Warfarin

  1

  Paracetamol Verapamil

  1

  1 Number of deaths with mention of alcohol. NOS Not otherwise stated.

  The inclusion of a substance in this list does not imply that it is necessarily toxic. Where two or more substances
  238
  are mentioned together the contribution, if any, of each to the death is unknown; even where one substance is listed alone there may well be other factors with an important bearing on the death.

  Drug Prescribing
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her Department's timetable for introducing the new selected list regulations to cover 10 additional therapeutic categories of NHS medicines; and what parliamentary procedures will be applicable for debating the new regulations before they are enacted.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Orders to amend the list of drugs which cannot be prescribed under the national health service are made under the negative resolution procedure. They are normally made twice a year. We expect the next order to be made before the summer recess.

  Blindness
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on the incidence of blindness caused by unsatisfactory contact lenses; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Three per cent. of the population in the United Kingdom use contact lenses. There are no available figures to indicate that using contact lenses may cause blindness. There are indications that although the risk is low, contact lens wearers do have an enhanced exposure to factors that can result in ocular infection and keratitis.

  The Department, in co-operation with the professional bodies concerned, is producing information documents to help wearers of contact lenses and eye care practitioners.

  Mental Health Review Tribunals
  Mrs. Browning
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how members of mental health review tribunals are appointed; what training they are given; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Yeo
  The Mental Health Act 1983 provides for the appointment of legal, medical and lay members of mental health review tribunals (MHRTs) by the Lord Chancellor, after consultation with the Secretary of State for Health in respect of medical and lay members. Candidates are appointed on the basis of their professional background, qualifications and other relevant experience. Training includes courses provided by the Judicial Studies Board in tribunal practice generally; MHRT induction training and peer conferences provided under the auspices of regional MHRT chairmen; and observation of hearings. All training takes account of the detailed rules of procedure laid down in the MHRT Rules 1983, made under the 1983 Act by the Lord Chancellor.

  Medicines
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the proposed new regulations to limit the number of medicines available to NHS patients in 10 new therapeutic categories will apply to hospital doctors.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The regulations giving effect to the selected list scheme apply to prescriptions issued by hospital doctors for dispensing in community pharmacies, but not to prescriptions dispensed in hospital pharmacies.

  Limited List Prescribing
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from patient, consumer and medical groups in respect of the proposal to extend the NHS limited list regulations to 10 new therapeutic categories; and if she will place copies of her replies in the Library.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  We have received and replied to a number of such representations. It is for the parties concerned to decide whether such correspondence should be made public.

  Census Data
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current position on the statement of policies governing the confidentiality and security of personal data held within the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Registrar General for England and Wales and I attach the greatest importance to maintaining the confidentiality and security of personal data about members of the public held within the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS). A comprehensive review of how this could best be achieved was completed in 1992. A draft statement of policies was produced, and a copy was placed in the Library. The Registrar General has sought the views of a range of outside bodies before formally adopting the statement. In particular the Data Protection Registrar has commented that it serves to confirm the ongoing OPCS commitment to maintain high standards in the handling of information about individuals. The consultation process is now complete, with the statement reciving general support. The statement as adopted has been published today, and a copy placed in the Library.

  London Ambulance Service
  Mr. Tracey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her response to the proposals made by the South West Thames regional health authority for improved accountability arrangements for the London Ambulance Service; and if she will make the proposals public.

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  Following publication of the independent Inquiry into the operation of the computer aided dispatch system of the London ambulance service (LAS), I asked the South West Thames regional health authority chairman, Professor Marian Hicks, urgently to draw up proposals to strengthen lines of management accountability for the LAS. I have decided to accept the proposals she has put to me.

  Under the new arrangements, the LAS board will be replaced by direct managerial accountability to the regional health authority. The LAS chief executive will be directly answerable to the regional health authority for all aspects of the performance and management of the LAS. Through the existing lines of national health service accountability the regional health authority will report to me. I shall expect to be kept in close touch with developments and have asked the authority to publish a report in the autumn on progress in implementing the recommendations of the independent inquiry into the LAS.

  A special sub-committee of the regional health authority is to be established to assist in the oversight of
  240
  LAS performance. The sub-committee will have available to it the expertise of a small group of external specialists who will be appointed to advise the LAS on matters such as information technology. These advisers will have direct access to the regional chairman in the event of their having any concerns they believe are not being addressed by the line management system.

  The LAS will also be open to greater public scrutiny. Its performance will be regularly considered in the public meetings of the regional health authority and it will publish an annual report. Regular performance reports will also be made available to Members, community health councils and other interested public bodies.

  I am satisfied that these arrangements will provide an effective framework for accounting to the public for the performance of the LAS. Details of the arrangements are being placed today in the Library.

  Archives (Microfiche)
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to place information regarding births, marriages and deaths on microfiche and make it available at archive houses; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  All but the more recent indexes held in the public search room of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys are already available in microfiche form in many local libraries and record offices.

  The Government White Paper, "Registration: proposals for change" (Cm 939) published in 1990, recommends that in England and Wales the civil registration records older than 75 years should be opened to public scrutiny. These records are held in hardcopy form and on microfilm. The Government proposed in the White Paper that the provision of a central record library should be offered as a contract to those who might wish to run it outside government, either as a non profit-making trust.or a commercial concern. A decision on whether the microfilm should be converted to microfiche and/or other media would have to await the outcome of negotiations with interested bodies. Open public access to the information contained in these records requires legislative change which the Government will introduce when a suitable opportunity occurs.

  Dentistry
  Mr. Dover
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are proposed for those who are unable to obtain a national health service dentistry service to be recompensed for the additional costs of treatment and travel involved in obtaining alternative dental treatment.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  There is no need for any patient to seek alternatives to national health service dentistry. Patients experiencing any difficulty in obtaining NHS dental treatment should contact their local family health services authority, which will be able to help.

  Royal Marsden Hospital
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Charity Commission over the refurbishment of offices at the Royal Marsden hospital; and if she will make a statement.
  241
  Mr. Sackville
  The Charity Commission has been in contact with my officials concerning the refurbishing of the reception area at the Royal Marsden hospital.

  Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in the home 1980–1990 England and Wales

  ICD Codes

  1980

  11981

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  E868·0

  5

  4

  2

  8

  2

  5

  5

  2

  3

  0

  8

  E868·1

  3

  2

  1

  0

  2

  4

  11

  8

  9

  5

  5

  E868·3

  34

  23

  30

  36

  16

  23

  32

  23

  22

  10

  11

  E868·8

  2

  0

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  2

  1

  E868·9

  7

  41

  18

  0

  4

  2

  7

  3

  0

  3

  5

  E982·1

  9

  6

  11

  3

  4

  3

  3

  2

  7

  9

  5

  Total

  60

  76

  62

  49

  28

  37

  58

  38

  42

  29

  35

  1 The data for 1981 were affected by Industrial action by registration officers.

  Note:Excludes deaths from motor vehicle exhaust.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Veterinary Medicines Directorate
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the current membership and outline the constitution of the veterinary medicines directorate.

  Mr. Soames
  Membership of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, together with its aims and objectives, is set out in the VMD annual report and accounts for 1991–92, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has concerning the current level of costs associated with submitting an application by a manufacturer for a licence from the veterinary medicines directorate for a product licence.

  Mr. Soames
  The level of costs associated with submitting an application for a veterinary medicine product licence will vary considerably, dependent on the target species, active ingredient, indications for use, and type of application. In some cases, the simplified licensing procedure introduced in 1990 may be appropriate. As a consequence, no information is held centrally on such costs. Ultimately, it is for the individual pharmaceutical company to decide what investment may be needed to meet the licensing requirements of safety, quality and efficacy, and whether that can be justified bearing in mind the likely return from the market.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what information he has concerning the number of applications for a veterinary medicine product licence which have been considered in total by the veterinary medicines directorate in connection with the implementation of the European directive on these matters; how many of those applications were accepted; how many were withdrawn; and how many were declined;

  (2) what information he has concerning the number of veterinary medicinal products which were formerly available in the United Kingdom but for which

  Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in the home have occured in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Sackville
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]:The information is given in the table.

  manufacturers have not applied for a product licence from the veterinary medicines directorate either on the grounds of the cost of making such an application, or upon other grounds.

  Mr. Soames
  I assume my hon. Friend is referring to the EC wide review of pharmaceutical veterinary product licences issued before 1984, which is currently being undertaken in the United Kingdom in accordance with directive 81/851/EEC. At 2 March 1993, 2,731 products had been called for review. Of these, 504 reviewed licences have been issued, 506 applications are still under assessment, and 1,721 licences have been withdrawn or expired at companies request. The grounds for decisions either to apply for, or to withdraw, licences are a commercial matter for the companies concerned.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that the interests of the relevant industries and professions are fully represented among the membership of the veterinary medicines directorate.

  Mr. Soames
  The veterinary medicines directorate holds regular meetings with representatives of consumer organisations, the National Office of Animal Health, the British Veterinary Association, and other representative organisations and professional bodies to ensure that their views are fully represented.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total cost of the veterinary medicines directorate in each year since its establishment; and what percentage of these costs have been raised by fees from industry in each of those years.

  Mr. Soames
  The veterinary medicines directorate (VMD) was established on 3 April 1989, and as a next steps agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 2 April 1990. The total annual costs of the VMD, and the percentage raised by licence fees, have been as follows:
  243

  £'000

  Per cent. raised by licence fees

  1989–90

  2,300

  65

  1990–91

  3,100

  68

  1991–92

  3,700

  65

  1992–931

  3,800

  63

  1 Forecast.

  Medicinal Products
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that British farmers and veterinary surgeons continue to have access to the full range of medicinal products which are available in the United Kingdom and in other member countries of the European Community.

  Mr. Soames
  Community law currently requires that no medicinal product may be marketed in a member state, unless there is a market authorisation issued in that member state. In the United Kingdom that means a United Kingdom product licence. Subject to that requirement, the licensing authority will continue to take advantage of any developments in the EC arrangements for the control of veterinary medicines, intended to make it easier for applicants to obtain licences to market products not previously available in the United Kingdom.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those veterinary medicinal products of which he is aware for which a licence has been given by the French authorities, but for which a licence has been either declined, or not sought in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Soames
  I understand that the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) has identified approximately 70 veterinary medicinal products available in other member states but not licensed in the United Kingdom. For reasons of commercial sensitivity, however, NOAH has felt unable to identify the individual products concerned so that the circumstances can be explored. I regret therefore that such a list cannot be compiled, although I remain willing to look into any specific examples of products licensed in one member state but not in the United Kingdom.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress which has been made since 1981 in implementing the European requirement for all veterinary medicinal products to be licensed.

  Mr. Soames
  It has been a requirement of United Kingdom law since 1972 that all veterinary medicinal products must be licensed before they can be marketed.

  VMD
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the National Office of Animal Health about alternative ways of meeting the costs of the veterinary medicines directorate.

  Mr. Soames
  I regularly receive representations from the National Office of Animal Health about alternative 244
  ways of meeting the licensing costs of the veterinary medicines directorate. The latest have been in response to a consultation letter on options for 1993–94 fee levels issued in December 1992. As with previous representations these are being given full and careful consideration. I hope to announce my decision shortly.

  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set for the veterinary medicines directorate in 1993–94; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  The chief executive of the veterinary medicines directorate (VMD) has submitted his proposals to me and I have agreed that the VMD should be set the following performance targets for 1993–94:—full cost recovery for the three business activities of licensing, policy work and residues monitoring;
  —70 per cent. of new licence applications to be issued within 120 clock days; 95 per cent. within 200 days;
  —an overall efficiency gain of 2 per cent.

  These are challenging targets, given the increased volumes being forecast for the VMD's business. They will build on the improvements already made in the efficiency and quality of service provided by the directorate since its establishment as a next steps agency, and for which I commend the chief executive and his staff. In addition, I have agreed the VMD's corporate plan for 1993–94–1995–96, and copies are being placed in the Library of the House and the Public Information Office.

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people, respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.

  Mr. Curry
  Recruits to the senior grades as to any grade in the civil service are selected on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under Civil Service Order in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the civil service commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community including:

  (a) extending links with institutions of higher education;

  (b) equal opportunities training for those involved in selection;

  and

  (c) using validated selection procedures.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his Department last conducted surveys of(a)ethnic origins and (b)the number of women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  The Department completed its survey of the ethnic origin of staff in 1987 and keeps this up to date with information on new staff and leavers. Some 96 per cent. of staff have volunteered information on their ethnic origin. The Department's personnel records include details of the number of men and women and there is, therefore, no need to undertake particular surveys on the number of women employed. The Department is fully committed to the programmes for action to achieve equality of opportunity in the civil service for people of ethnic minority origin and women.
  245
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are(a)women, (b)from ethnic minorities and (c)disabled people.

  Grade equivalent

  Women

  From Ethnic Minorities

  Registered Disabled People

  Number

  Per cent, of total staff

  Number of respondents to question-naire

  Per cent, to-tal of all res-pondents to questionnaire

  Number

  Per cent, of total staff

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  1

  14·3

  —

  —

  1

  14·3

  3

  1

  4·2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  5

  9

  7·8

  1

  0·9

  1

  0·9

  6

  13

  7·9

  1

  0·6

  1

  0·6

  7

  134

  14·5

  13

  1·5

  2

  0·2

  All staff

  4,519

  46·1

  416

  4·4

  138·5

  1·4

  Badger Setts
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of badger setts, by county, closed or otherwise, seriously interfered with by or under licence from his Department's officials in each month from October 1991.

  Mr. Soames
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on Tuesday 30 March 1993.

  Milk Development Council
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to create a milk development council; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  The Government will consider any proposals from the milk industry for the establishment of a development council. Ministers would decide whether to make an order establishing such a development council in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Organisation and Development Act 1947. This requires them, among other things, to be satisfied that this is desired by a substantial number of persons engaged in the industry.

  The Agriculture Bill would enable an agricultural development council to collect a levy through intermediaries. This provision is designed to facilitate the efficient operation of such a council. The industry may, therefore, wish to consider making proposals after the enactment of the Bill.

  Dairy Crest
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to change the status of Dairy Crest to a private limited company; if he will allow it to have access to outside equity; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  Dairy Crest Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the England and Wales milk marketing board. The Agriculture Bill would enable the board to apply to Ministers for approval of formal proposals for the future ownership of its assets. The board currently intends that Dairy Crest should be established as an independent company listed on the stock exchange. This would enable it to raise equity capital.
  246
  Mr. Curry
  The information for MAFF and its executive agencies is as follows:

  Integrated Administration and Control System
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who will have access to the information stored in the computer database which is to be set up under the integrated administration and control system; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  Access to the information held on the IACS computer database will be restricted to officials who need to have access. All officials with access to the information will be bound by the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984. If external contractors were to be used, they would be bound by the normal rules of confidentiality.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will accept integrated administration and control system forms submitted by farmers where they have calculated their land size in acres rather than hectares; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  The explanatory booklet explains clearly that farmers are required to submit details of areas in hectares and not in acres. If a farmer nevertheless gives the figures in acres, we shall be able to accept the application only if we are satisfied that it meets the rules relating to genuine errors referred to in the explanatory booklet.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what funds he will make available to help farmers who incur costs when having to complete the integrated administration and control system forms; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  No funds are available for this purpose. The costs incurred in completing the IACS forms and supplying supporting information will, for most farmers, represent a small proportion of the payments for which they are applying. They are a normal expense of the farm business.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what circumstances farmers will be allowed extensions to the deadline for completing their integrated administration and control system forms; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  The EC regulations do not include provision for any extensions to the deadline of 15 May for the receipt of IACS applications. The rules provide that,
  247
  except in cases of force majeure, farmers whose applications are received after the deadline will lose 1 per cent. of the aid to which they would otherwise be entitled for each working day that the application is late. However, if the application is received 20 or more calendar days after the closing date, no aid will be payable under the affected schemes.

  Central Science Laboratory
  Dr Twinn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set for the central science laboratory in 1993–94; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  The efficiency of the agency will continue to be judged primarily through cost recovery. Additional performance measures relating to the objectives of the agency will also be used to measure operating efficiency and quality of service.

  The financial targets for the central science laboratory for 1993–94 will be:

  100 per cent. cost recovery of full costs;

  an overall efficiency gain of 2·5 per cent;

  a reduction of 5 per cent. in real term of representation unit costs for services;

  The targets for delivery of services by the central science laboratory will be:

  at least 90 per cent. of work completed to time and within budget;

  at least 95 per cent. of contracts delivered to the customer's satisfaction;

  The central science laboratory will continue to implement during 1993–94 arrangements for the independent assessment of the quality of the scientific work and publications. The measures of performance for the agency are set out in the central science laboratory framework document.

  Central Veterinary Laboratory
  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set for the central veterinary laboratory in 1993–94; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  The chief executive of the central veterinary laboratory has submitted his proposals to me and I have agreed that the laboratory should be set the following strategic performance target for 1993–94:

  Financial Performance—full cost recovery for all CVL services

  Efficiency—an overall efficiency gain of 2·5 per cent.

  Service Delivery—80 per cent. of ROAME R & D milestones achieved

  Service Quality—achievement of a satisfactory report from a Visiting Group

  —achievement of laboratory accredi-tations of the Quality Control Unit

  These are demanding targets which challenge the laboratory to build on its achievements to date. I commend the chief executive and his staff for the improvements they have already made and wish them well in their endeavours in 1993–94.

  Pesticides Safety Division
  Mr. Faber
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made towards establishing the pesticides safety division as an executive agency; and if he will make a statement.
  248
  Mr. Gummer
  I am pleased to confirm that pesticides safety division is to be established as an executive agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 1 April 1993, when it will become the pesticides safety directorate.

  I have set the directorate the following targets for 1993–94, relating to financial performance, efficiency and the delivery of pesticide approval services.

  The financial and efficiency targets will be:

  100 per cent. recovery of full costs; and

  an overall efficiency gain of 2 per cent.

  The targets for delivery of pesticide approval services will be:

  Type of approval

  Applications completed

  Maximum processing time (working days)

  Technical secretariat stream

  Normal

  400

  450

  Administrative fast

  250

  20

  Fast

  370

  125

  Experimental permits

  70

  200

  Off label (emergency)

  150

  60

  Rapid

  75

  125

  Upgrade

  100

  —

  Committee stream

  Sift

  21

  120

  Active ingredient

  15

  250–290

  For 1993–94, the targets for maximum processing time will apply to 75 per cent. of the applications received in the year. This percentage is planned to increase progressively in future years.

  In addition, the scientific quality of the directorate's work on the evaluation of pesticides will be monitored by the chairman of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides.

  A copy of the directorate's framework document is being placed in the Library of the House.

  Food Science Laboratories
  Mr. Faber
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made in his review of the status of the laboratories dealing with food science.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have concluded that it would be right for the food science laboratory, Norwich and the Torry research station, Aberdeen to achieve agency status. The best and most efficient mechanism is to merge both laboratories with the existing central science laboratory agency with effect from 1 April 1994. I intend to proceed accordingly. There are no plans to move the laboratories at Norwich and Aberdeen from their present locations. Both will continue to support the food safety work of the Department.

  Slaughterhouses
  Mr. Nicholls
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is able to report on the outcome of the independent review of slaughterhouses, and of the recent consultations on the Government's proposals to limit meat inspection charges; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gummer
  I am pleased to announce three measures to ensure that veterinary supervision of slaughterhouses is
  249
  provided in a manner which will enable small slaughterhouses to meet proper hygiene requirements without placing unnecessary burdens on them.

  I am determined that cost-effective, consistent and proportionate arrangements for veterinary supervision should be put in place so that public health is protected and the whole industry given the best chance to provide an efficient and competitive service.

  There has been considerable concern about the cost of veterinary supervision which has been widely quoted at sums of £40 or more per hour. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary (Commons) in my Department has been consulting closely with the British Veterinary Association about the fees being charged by veterinary surgeons. The House will be interested in the results of a survey of veterinary costs recently carried out by the Association. This survey attracted responses covering over 400 official veterinary surgeons working in more than 600 plants in over 200 local authority districts. The average hourly rate being charged was £25·70. This yardstick will ensure that industry and local authorities can more easily check that they are obtaining a cost-effective service.

  Up to now, the arrangements for supervising hygiene in slaughterhouses have been carried out by local authorities. It is obviously important that they should provide this service at a reasonable cost. In small slaughterhouses in particular it is an appreciable component of the overheads. We issued proposals on these costs for consultation on 14 January. Although in most cases inspection services are being provided within reasonable limits, the Government are concerned to protect the interests of slaughterhouses where charges have been unnecessarily high. As a result we are introducing a strict upper limit of £40 for up to four livestock units and £6.30 per livestock unit thereafter. Where the cost of existing or prospective arrangements would exceed the limit, local authorities will have the option of renegotiating contracts with veterinary practitioners. They will no doubt find the British Veterinary Association survey useful in this.

  The third measure I am announcing today will enable small slaughterhouses to make use of local large-animal practitioners to provide the veterinary supervision service. Already, the Government have issued guidance to enable large-animal practitioners to carry out ante-mortem inspection work. We will shortly issue additional guidance to help them carry out the full veterinary supervision of low throughput slaughterhouses. Most small abattoirs have at least one such veterinary practice within five miles. Slaughterhouses will be able to seek a service from practitioners who are willing to provide it, and this alternative ought to ensure cost-effective and competitive provision. Above all, a great deal of expensive waiting and travelling time will be avoided. In the rare event that a local authority is not prepared to sanction such an arrangement, there can be a direct appeal to the Minister.

  The Government will shortly consult on proposals on monitoring hygiene standards in meat plants, The proposed monitoring system is intended to assist local authorities in ensuring that the level of veterinary supervision is proportionate to the risk arising at the individual premises, so that plants operating to high standards can benefit from lower levels of supervision.

  I have also received the report I commissioned from two independent experts, Dr. Johnston and Mr. Spurr, on hygiene and structural standards in slaughterhouses. This has been placed in the Library and I commend it to the
  250
  House. The authors concluded that overall the improvements being required by the state veterinary service do not go beyond what is necessary to rectify structure-related hygiene problems. I shall continue to ensure that we do not ask anything more of the industry than is essential to achieve this end. I shall also seek to carry forward the other recommendations of the Johnston/Spurr report.

  Ministers are taking the closest possible personal interest in the way these regulations are enforced. We are very conscious of the importance of slaughterhouses to the local economy of the countryside. As I have made clear on many occasions, there is no question of any slaughter-house being refused a licence under the new regulations without a personal decision by myself or my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales.

  We recognise that the process of implementing these regulations has been a difficult one for the industry and enforcement authorities. In applying them, we will continue to seek practical solutions to problems and to avoid placing unnecessary burdens on businesses. In this context as in all areas of food law, the Government are committed to ensuring that the requirements imposed by the legislation are proportionate to the risk involved. We propose where necessary to continue discussions between slaughterhouse operators, local authorities, veterinary surgeons and meat inspectors with a view to achieving high standards and harmonious working relationships during the transition to the proposed national meat hygiene service.

  Farmers (Suicides)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from Wales on the levels of suicides among farmers and their families.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I have been asked to reply. None.

EMPLOYMENT

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in her Department are(a)women, (b)from ethnic minorities and (c)disabled people.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The numbers and percentages of women and ethnic minority officers in grades 1 to 7 and overall in the Department at 1 April 1992 are set out in the tables. Information on disabled people cannot be provided in the form requested, but overall numbers were 2,066 registered disabled people, or 3·4 per cent., at 1 July 1992.

  Table 1

  Women in the Employment Department Group (Grades 1 to 7) at 1 April 1992

  Grade

  Number

  Percentage

  Grade 1

  0

  0

  Grade 2

  1

  20·0

  Grade 3

  2

  7·1

  Grade 4

  0

  0

  Grade 5

  22

  15·6

  Grade 6

  31

  13·4

  Grade 7

  165

  15·6

  251
  The Department employed 41,555 women who comprised 66·5 per cent. of the total staff.

  Table 2

  Ethnic minority staff in the Employment Department Group (Grades 1 to 7) at 1 April 1992

  Grade

  Number

  Percentage

  Grade 1

  0

  0

  Grade 2

  0

  0

  Grade 3

  0

  0

  Grade 4

  0

  0

  Grade 5

  0

  0

  Grade 6

  0

  0

  Grade 7

  9

  0·9

  The Department employed 3,607 staff from the ethnic minorities who comprised 6·4 per cent. of respondents to the ethnic origin survey.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps she has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people, respectively, in top grades of employment at her Department.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Recruits to the senior grades, as to any grade in the civil service, are selected on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under the Civil Service Order in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the Civil Service Commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community including:extending links with institutions of higher education;
  equal opportunities training for those involved in selection;
  using validated selection procedures.

  Additionally, the Department:
  has developed and run pre-recruitment training for ethnic minority candidates to its Management Trainee Scheme; was one of the first employers to join the Opportunity 2000 campaign;
  has signed up to the 15 per cent. benchmark figure for the proportion of women holding posts in the Senior Open Structure by 2000.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when her Department last conducted surveys of(a)ethnic origins and (b)the number of women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether she will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The survey of the ethnic origin of staff which took place in 1986 is continually updated to take account of those entering and leaving the Department. No survey for women is needed as the gender of employees is identified in staff records.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average number of unemployed in each travel-to-work area in Gloucestershire in each year since 1979; and what percentage of the work force this represented.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The information requested is available from 1983 and can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.

  Travel-to-work-areas do not correspond exactly to county boundaries. Gloucestershire is made up of the
  252
  TTWAs of Gloucester, Stroud, Cirencester plus parts of Cheltenham, Evesham, Cinderford and Ross-on-Wye, Malvern and Ledbury and Swindon.

  Miners' Redundancy Payments
  Dr. Liam Fox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when she plans to start the £75 million package of additional assistance for redundant miners announced in October 1992.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Contingency plans drawn up by TECs for additional assistance for redundant mineworkers and others will be implemented if we reach a position where two thirds of the work force employed at the pit in October 1992 have left.

  This arrangement will apply to collieries on which British Coal is already consulting about closure and to collieries announced as being put on a care and maintenance basis. This will also apply to two collieries which are remaining open, but making substantial redundancies for which contingency plans were originally drawn up and to the colliery which will be put under development.

  European Regional Development Fund
  Mr. Moss
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what public expenditure cover will be made available in 1993–94 for European regional development fund projects relating to her responsibilities.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  This Department will be providing public expenditure cover in 1993–94 for applications for European regional development fund support in respect of the Department's responsibilities. The amount of cover necessary is estimated to be £4 million in 1993–94.

  Restart
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for each region and for Great Britain as a whole how many unemployed people were referred to Restart courses by Employment Service counsellors(a)between April 1991 and March 1992 and (b)from April 1992 to the latest available date, showing for each period how many of them were unemployed for over two years, how many attended and completed the course, what were the outcomes of the participants and how many had benefit penalties imposed for not attending or failing to complete their attendance at the Restart course; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  [pursuant to his answer, 12 March 1993, Official Report, col 747–48]:The chief executive has written further to the hon. Member.

  Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Ms Clare Short, dated 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 to her about Restart Courses. These are matters which fall within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
  Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, our reply of 12 March did not include the figures about Restart courses. This reply now contains the tables; please accept my apologies for any inconvenience caused.
  As you will know from our previous correspondence, Restart Courses are short courses aimed at helping people

  253
  who are having the most difficulty returning to work. They are not an alternative to regular job search or other employment or training programmes. Essentially they provide people with the opportunity to explore all the options open to them and give them confidence to take the next step back to work.
  Since 1990, people who have been unemployed for 2 years or more who refuse or fail to take up a place on an Employment Department employment or training programme at their Restart interview, are asked to attend a Restart Course.
  As your question has raised a number of specific points, I am setting out the information you have asked for in the four tables attached. Tables 1 and 2 deal with all Restart Course attenders, and tables 3 and 4 refer to those covered by the requirement to attend. As explained in previous replies, we

  Table 1

  All restart course attenders April 1991 to March 1992

  Northern

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  East Midlands and Eastern

  London and South East

  South West

  Wales

  West Midlands

  North West

  Scotland

  Total

  1. People referred to Restart courses

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  2. Starters

  12,807

  14,631

  9,591

  21,358

  6,608

  6,929

  15,489

  26,239

  20,188

  133,840

  3. Total completers

  12,084

  13,492

  8,439

  19,046

  5,744

  6,166

  13,226

  24,017

  18,208

  120,422

  Completers who agreed to follow up:

  Jobs

  2,519

  3,357

  2,529

  3,838

  1,080

  1,612

  3,273

  5,133

  9,633

  32,974

  Employment training

  1,079

  1,433

  1,081

  3,747

  927

  1,124

  3,237

  3,423

  1,921

  17,972

  Jobclub

  971

  937

  995

  3,602

  772

  1,007

  1,517

  2,752

  1,126

  13,679

  Other employment, training and related opportunities

  7,545

  7,745

  5,157

  10,755

  3,043

  3,107

  6,057

  12,065

  7,509

  62,983

  4. Total number of people with an outcome to follow up1

  10,636

  11,028

  7,537

  16,943

  4,782

  5,175

  11,805

  20,648

  16,177

  104,731

  N/a—Not available.

  1 Some people will be referred to more than one option.

  Table 2

  All restart course attenders April 1992 to December 1992

  Northern

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  East Midlands and Eastern

  London and South East

  South West

  Wales

  West Midlands

  North West

  Scotland

  Total

  1. People referred to Restart courses

  N/a

  N/a.

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  2. Starters

  6,430

  8,631

  7,085

  20,903

  5,150

  4,556

  10,850

  15,175

  8,537

  87,317

  3. Total completers

  6,031

  7,871

  6,346

  18,605

  4,551

  4,050

  9,487

  13,639

  7,518

  78,098

  Completers who agreed to follow up:

  Jobs

  1,944

  2,127

  1,901

  3,680

  861

  818

  2,482

  2,791

  4,643

  21,247

  Employment training

  659

  1,095

  930

  3,449

  654

  833

  2,333

  2,156

  795

  12,904

  Jobclub

  560

  741

  803

  2,823

  508

  623

  891

  1,455

  464

  8,868

  Other employment, training and related opportunities

  3,535

  5,705

  4,923

  13,878

  2,981

  2,720

  4,695

  8,141

  3,925

  50,503

  4. Total number of people with an outcome to follow up1

  5,493

  7,118

  5,812

  16,829

  3,699

  3,645

  8,538

  12,212

  6,860

  70,206

  N/a—Not available.

  1 Some people will be referred to more than one option.

  254
  collect at a Regional level the number of people who are referred to the course who are also unemployed for 2 years or more. We have not, however, felt it necessary to keep similar figures for all those referred. The Benefits Agency (BA) make the decision on whether an individual's benefit should be reduced for failure to attend or complete the course. Their figures are compiled by BA Districts which have different boundaries to our own Regions. To avoid confusion, I have given the national figure only.

  I hope that 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.
  255

  Table 3

  Restart course attenders unemployed for two years or more April 1991 to March 1992

  Northern

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  East Midlands and Eastern

  London and South East

  South West

  Wales

  West Midlands

  North West

  Scotland

  Total

  1. People referred to Restart courses

  17,768

  21,950

  10,218

  24,367

  6,487

  7,589

  17,240

  41,141

  34,078

  180,838

  2. Starters

  11,526

  12,989

  6,587

  13,540

  4,011

  4,760

  10,011

  23,243

  18,395

  105,062

  3. Total completers

  10,915

  12,030

  5,765

  12,100

  3,508

  4,287

  8,616

  21,354

  16,688

  95,263

  Completers who agreed to follow up:

  Jobs

  2,248

  2,837

  1,762

  2,324

  553

  1,088

  2,079

  4,443

  8,919

  26,253

  Employment training

  910

  1,236

  622

  2,139

  416

  624

  1,794

  2,940

  1,659

  12,340

  Jobclub

  859

  799

  545

  1,997

  249

  607

  772

  2,402

  949

  9,179

  Other employment, training and related opportunities

  6,811

  7,011

  3,524

  6,675

  1,483

  2,140

  3,911

  9,821

  6,754

  48,130

  4. Total number of people with an outcome to follow up1

  9,561

  9,725

  5,035

  10,578

  2,787

  3,449

  7,584

  18,317

  14,815

  81,851

  5. People for whom a reduction in Income Support was made by Benefits Agency

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  3,804

  1 Some people will be referred to more than one option.

  2 Not available by Employment Service region.

  Table 4

  Restart course attenders unemployed for two years or more April 1992 to December 1992

  Northern

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  East Midlands and Eastern

  London and South East

  South West

  Wales

  West Midlands

  North West

  Scotland

  Total

  1. People referred to Restart courses

  9,285

  12,463

  8,606

  26,748

  5,603

  6,084

  10,848

  24,326

  15,649

  119,612

  2. Starters

  5,804

  7,213

  4,708

  14,567

  3,396

  3,164

  6,774

  12,770

  7,297

  65,693

  3. Total completers

  5,427

  6,560

  4,253

  13,098

  2,994

  2,781

  5,962

  11,481

  6,481

  59,037

  Completers who agreed to follow up:

  Jobs

  1,723

  1,781

  1,305

  2,583

  585

  454

  1,472

  2,290

  4,082

  16,275

  Employment training

  579

  894

  606

  2,328

  334

  499

  1,316

  1,736

  624

  8,916

  Jobclub

  511

  548

  452

  1,702

  265

  345

  438

  1,211

  323

  5,795

  Other employment, training and related opportunities

  3,188

  4,867

  3,181

  9,622

  1,815

  1,974

  2,854

  6,813

  3,329

  37,643

  4. Total number of people with an outcome to follow up1

  4,947

  5,919

  3,880

  11,846

  2,318

  2,416

  5,249

  10,279

  5,929

  52,783

  5. People for whom a reduction in Income Support was made by the Benefits Agency

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  3,098

  1 Some people will be referred to more than one option.

  2 Not available by Employment Service region.

  Health and Safety
  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the successful prosecutions undertaken at the Crown court for breaches of the Health

  Successful prosecution action taken by Health and Safely Executive (HSE) inspectorates in the Crown court 1 January 1992 to 31 March 1992

  Company

  Crown court

  Date of hearing

  Sentence £

  Ashby Demolition1

  Knightsbridge

  2 January 1992

  7,500

  St. Regis Paper Co.

  Newport

  2 January 1992

  2,000

  Lye Spencer Steel Services

  Newport

  31 January 1992

  20,000

  Senior Bigwood Ltd.

  Newport

  31 January 1992

  10,000

  256
  and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 during 1992 and in 1993 to the most recent practicable date together with the sentences imposed.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  [pursuant to his reply, 5 February 1993]: I regret that in my original reply the table of prosecutions was incomplete. The revised table is as follows:
  257

  Company

  Crown court

  Date of hearing

  Sentence £

  Pro Footwear

  Burnley

  5 February 1992

  2700

  Sansoms (Newport) Ltd.1

  Newport

  6 February 1992

  2,500

  Michael Poulter

  Portsmouth

  24 February 1992

  3C/d

  D. Short Ltd.

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  26 February 1992

  9,000

  Leeds City Council

  Leeds

  28 February 1992

  15,000

  British Gas

  Liverpool

  3 March 1992

  100,000

  Caird Environment Ltd.1

  Birmingham

  23 March 1992

  50,000

  Fletchers Bakeries Ltd.1

  Sheffield

  25 March 1992

  10,000

  1 Case given in origin reply.

  2 Case heard in Magistrate's court, company appealed against sentence to the Crown court.

  3 Conditional discharge.

  In my original reply I also undertook to make available information covering the period 1 April 1992 to 31 January 1993 once it had been checked for accuracy. This

  Successful prosecution action taken by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectorates in the Crown court 1 April 1992 to 31 January 1993

  Company

  Crown court

  Date of hearing

  Sentence £

  Paul Anthony Rooney

  Wolverhampton

  3 April 1992

  4,000

  Lyons Bakery

  Sheffield

  27 April 1992

  10,000

  Midlands Petfood Canners Ltd.

  Northampton

  27 April 1992

  10,000

  Balmoral Group

  Sheffield

  27 April 1992

  10,000

  Tarmac Construction

  Maidstone

  27 April 1992

  18,000

  Taylor Woodrow

  Maidstone

  27 April 1992

  18,000

  Wimpey Construction (UK) Ltd.

  Maidstone

  27 April 1992

  18,000

  Balfour Beattie

  Maidstone

  27 April 1992

  18,000

  Costain

  Maidstone

  27 April 1992

  18,000

  Shell UK Oils Ltd.

  Chelmsford

  14 May 1992

  100,000

  A. S. Dunn

  Doncaster

  19 May 1992

  1750

  Adrian William Bull

  Bristol

  16 June 1992

  300

  Lionel Whitnell t/a Whitnell Plan

  St. Albans

  6 July 1992

  30,000

  Eugena Ltd.

  Knightsbridge

  13 July 1992

  21,000

  MWH Leisure Ltd.

  Lewes

  24 July 1992

  40,000

  Barris Fire Protection Ltd.

  Kensington

  12 August 1992

  8,000

  Chapmans Chalk Supplies Ltd.

  Lewes

  18 August 1992

  310,000

  Mr. G. F. Thompson

  Winchester

  18 August 1992

  5,000

  D. J. and S. J. Hutchinson

  Teeside

  21 August 1992

  500

  Mr. Stanley Davis

  Knightsbridge

  28 August 1992

  200

  Courtaulds Ltd.

  Bolton

  11 September 1992

  5,000

  Mr. G. I. Gardner

  Haverford West

  28 September 1992

  150 hours community service

  Michael Kendray

  Carlisle

  28 September 1992

  7,000

  Bank of England

  Chelmsford

  9 October 1992

  5,000

  Courtaulds Fibres Ltd.

  Grimsby

  23 October 1992

  100,000

  Deborah Grayson Scaffolding

  Wolverhampton

  26 October 1992

  12,000

  Hertz Equipment Rental (UK)

  Wolverhampton

  26 October 1992

  12,000

  A. M. Marks and Co. Ltd.

  Leeds

  6 November 1992

  7,600

  P. Colohan and Co. Ltd.

  Kingston

  6 November 1992

  2,500

  F. J. Sloan and Co. Ltd.

  Kingston

  6 November 1992

  1,100

  Profelt

  Northampton

  13 November 1992

  3,000

  Gerry Jones Transport

  Hereford

  20 November 1992

  21,000

  McEdward Franklin

  Inner London

  11 December 1992

  2,500

  Lodge Sturtevant Ltd.

  Chelmsford

  5 January 1993

  21,000

  Michael Stephen Grove

  Bradford

  13 January 1993

  2,000

  Mowlem Civil Engineering Ltd.

  Manchester

  19 January 1993

  10,000

  Sedgely Construction Co. Ltd.

  Manchester

  19 January 1993

  2,000

  W. Reidy and Son. Ltd.

  Manchester

  25 January 1993

  40,000

  Allied Colloids plc

  Bradford

  29 January 1993

  100,000

  T. and S. Rix Ltd.

  Hull

  29 January 1993

  4,000

  1 £750, plus a six month prison sentence suspended for two years.

  2 Cases heard in the Magistrate's court but where the company appealed against sentence to the Crown court.

  3 Mr. Chapman was also disqualified for two years under the Companies Act from working as a director. He has appealed against the sentence.

  258
  information is set out in the following table. The data should still be regarded as provisional as they include cases referred to the Crown court on appeal.

WALES

  Hepatitis B
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total cost of recall for hepatitis B screening of patients treated by the surgeon in Wrexham, both at his current and previous hospitals of employment.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The estimated cost to date of screening these patients is of the order of £27,000.

  Welsh Development Agency
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of Welsh Development Agency factory floorspace is currently not in productive use.

  Mr. David Hunt
  At the end of February 1993, 15·7 per cent. of the agency's property portfolio was vacant and available for letting.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give the percentage of unused lettable floorspace in Welsh Development Agency factories for every year since 1986.

  Mr. David Hunt
  This information is published in the Welsh Office departmental reports Cmnd 1916 and 2215, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what will be the changes in real terms of the Welsh Development Agency financial allocations for the next year; and what projects will be undertaken to provide work due to the closures of coal mines.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams) on 11 March 1993,Official Report,column 653.

  Last week I announced that a further £660,000 would be made available in addition to the £43 million which I announced last October to support an integrated programme of regeneration in the areas affected by the coal review.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish details of the land reclamation schemes undertaken by the Welsh Development Agency during 1991–92.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Details of land reclamation schemes to be undertaken in 1991–92 were published by the Welsh Development Agency in the document "Landscape Wales". The agency's report and accounts for 1991–92 described the progress made.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table of capital expenditure allocated for the Welsh Development Agency for each year since 1985.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The information is set out in he following table:

  Capital expenditure cash (£ million)

  1985–86

  49·9

  1986–87

  45·5

  1987–88

  63·1

  260

  Capital expenditure cash (£ million)

  1988–89

  74·1

  1989–90

  94·6

  1990–91

  115·0

  1991–92

  120·5

  11992–93

  126·3

  21993–94

  124·3

  1 Forecast Outturn

  2 Plans

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the change in real terms of financial allocation for the Welsh Development Agency for each financial year since 1986–87.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The information is set out in the following table:

  Gross Allocation cash (£ million)

  Gross Allocation 1993–94 prices1 (£ million)

  1986–87

  72·0

  107·4

  1987–88

  98·6

  139·4

  1988–89

  115·1

  151·7

  1989–90

  133·4

  165·0

  1990–91

  149·2

  170·9

  1991–92

  158·3

  169·6

  21992–93

  166·8

  171·3

  31993–94

  171·4

  171·4

  1 1993–94 prices derived using latest GDP deflator

  2 Forecast Outturn

  3 Plans

  Child Care
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what plans he has to provide extra funds for the new unitary authorities taking on extra professionals to deal with child care when responsibility is transferred from the police and health;

  (2) what plans he has to lessen the management costs of independent providers of child care who will cover several of the new unitary authority areas;

  (3) whether the new unitary authorities will buy in the full range of child protection services;

  (4) how the liaison work between police, health and the new unitary authorities in Gwent will operate in relation to area child protection committees.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The full legislative requirements concerning child protection currently met by the social services departments of county councils will become the responsibility of the new unitary authorities. How they will carry out these functions, including the extent to which they secure services from other providers, will be for the new authorities to determine in the light of their own needs and resources.

  It will be for the new unitary authorities to decide on what liaison arrangements they should have with other agencies including the police, health authorities and the voluntary sector.

  Disability
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many disabled people in Wales are currently living in(a)the community, (b)mental illness hospitals and units and (c)mental handicap hospitals and units.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Information held centrally does not cover all categories of disability. The latest available data held centrally, on the means of accommodation of people on local authority registers of mentally handicapped individuals, are shown in the table:

  Number of persons on register at 31 March 1991

  Place of residence

  Number

  In the community

  7,349

  In health service accommodation (including hospitals and hostels)

  1,397

  In other accommodation (including local authority, private and voluntary residential accommodation)

  1,640

  Total

  10,386

  Down's Syndrome
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many children have been born in(a)Clwyd and (b)Wales, with Down's syndrome in each year since 1983.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The number of notifications of children born with Down's syndrome to residents of Clwyd and Wales in each year since 1983 are shown in the table:

  Clwyd

  Wales

  1983

  4

  20

  1984

  8

  30

  1985

  10

  26

  1986

  7

  27

  1987

  7

  23

  1988

  4

  30

  1989

  6

  22

  1990

  5

  25

  1991

  5

  22

  Source:Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the number of Down's syndrome sufferers in permanent state care in Wales.

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

  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what screening measures are available to detect Down's syndrome in the early stages of foetal development; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The screening measures available to pregnant women are determined by the local health authority. Authorities are guided by the targets of the "Protocol for Investment in Health Gain: Maternal and Early Child Health", which was issued in August 1991 by the Welsh Health Planning Forum, in particular that by 1995 all pregnant women at high risk should be identified and offered an opportunity for pre-natal testing.

  A national Down's syndrome screening group is currently looking at ways of setting guidelines for a screening programme.
  262
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what funds the Welsh Office has made available in each year since 1983 to help with the care of Down's syndrome sufferers in Wales;

  (2) what provision is made for Down's syndrome sufferers and their families in Wales.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Under the mental handicap strategy earmarked special funds have been allocated, annually to counties to support the development of a comprehensive range of new services.

  While Down's syndrome has been indentified as the cause of mental handicap in approximately 26·5 per cent. of those affected, funds are not indentified specifically for individuals with this condition.

  The following table gives details of strategy allocations to date.

  Welsh Office funds, for mental handicap strategy

  £ million

  1983–84

  1·6

  1984–85

  3·6

  1985–86

  5·0

  1986–87

  7·0

  1987–88

  9·6

  1988–89

  13·4

  1989–90

  18·5

  1990–91

  26·1

  1991–92

  34·2

  1992–93

  41·5

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when his Department last conducted surveys of(a) ethnic origins and (b) the number of women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Hunt
  There has never been a need to undertake a survey of female staff in my Department as the sex of employees is evident from staff records.

  A survey of the ethnic origin of staff in my Department was carried out in May 1988. There is no need for another survey since the ethnic origin of all the entrants and leavers has been monitored since that time.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from one to seven and overall in his Department are(a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The details, based on staff in post figures at 1 July 1992, are given in the following tables.

  Women

  Grade

  Number

  Percentage

  1

  —

  —

  2

  —

  —

  3

  1

  10

  4

  1

  14

  5

  11

  18

  6

  17

  19

  7

  39

  22

  Departmental Total

  1,222

  49

  263

  Numbers of ethnic minorities

  Grade

  Number

  Percentage

  Grades 1–6

  —

  —

  Grade 7

  2

  1·1

  Departmental Total

  30

  1·2

  Registered disabled people

  Grade

  Number

  Percentage

  Grades 1–5

  —

  —

  Grade 6

  2

  2

  Grade 7

  1

  0·6

  Departmental Total

  38

  1·6

  My Department also employs several unregistered disabled people.

  Note:

  1 Part-time staff count as one unit

  2 Includes equivalent and professional grades

  3 Includes Agency and industrial staff

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people, respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Most recruitment into senior grades in my Department is undertaken by the Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency acting on behalf of the civil service commissioners. Recruits to senior grades are selected on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under the civil service Order in Council 1991 applies. The commissioners have taken various steps to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community including extending links with higher education establishments to attract a wider range of applicants and using validated selection procedures. They also encourage equal opportunities training for those involved in selection.

  Heads of the Valleys (Unitary Authority)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answers of 16 March to the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (Mr.

  General Dental Practitioners1

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Clwyd

  87

  97

  99

  108

  111

  105

  102

  Dyfed

  83

  89

  91

  96

  98

  101

  105

  Gwent

  107

  114

  116

  123

  125

  139

  135

  Gwynedd

  65

  66

  63

  66

  69

  65

  66

  Mid Glamorgan

  121

  130

  131

  135

  134

  123

  133

  Powys

  32

  34

  35

  34

  34

  36

  35

  South Glamorgan

  125

  127

  130

  132

  131

  129

  127

  West Glamorgan

  120

  123

  133

  133

  135

  134

  128

  1 At 30 September.

  General Dental Practitioners per 1,000 population1

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  Clwyd

  0·22

  0·24

  0·24

  0·26

  0·27

  0·25

  Dyfed

  0·24

  0·26

  0·26

  0·27

  0·28

  0·29

  Gwent

  0·24

  0·26

  0·26

  0·28

  0·28

  0·31

  Gwynedd

  0·28

  0·28

  0·26

  0·27

  0·29

  0·27

  Mid Glamorgan

  0·23

  0·24

  0·24

  0·25

  0·25

  0·23

  Powys

  0·28

  0·30

  0·30

  0·29

  0·29

  0·30

  264
  Rowlands), Official Report,columns 186–87,how many and what proportion of the responses to which he refers were in favour of a unitary authority for the Heads of the Valleys; and if he will make copies of all responses received available in public libraries in Cardiff, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil, Rymney, Darran Valley and New Tredegar.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Following my statement on 3 March 1992 I received 252 written representations about possible unitary authority boundaries in the valleys. Of these, one referred to the possibility of a heads of the valley authority. This proposal emerged primarily from my consideration of the other conflicting views I had received and my discussion of these with interested parties. Copies of the responses received to the earlier consultations are available for inspection in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament and, upon request, at the Welsh Office in Cardiff.

  Disability
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much additional funding has been made available to local authorities in Wales in real terms each year since the coming into force of the Disabled Person Act 1986 to enable them to carry out its provisions.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The annual local authority revenue and capital settlements cover all local authority expenditure. It is for individual authorities to decide how to apportion those resources between and within services in accordance with their statutory obligations, including those arising under this Act, and their own priorities.

  Dental Care
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was(a)the number of general dental practitioners and (b)the number of general dental practitioners per 1,000 of the population in each Welsh health authority area since 1986.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information requested is given in the following tables:
  265

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  South Glamorgan

  0·32

  0·32

  0·32

  0·33

  0·32

  0·32

  West Glamorgan

  0·33

  0·34

  0·37

  0·37

  0·37

  0·36

  1 General Dental Practitioners at 30 September and mid year estimates of population.

  Estimates of population are provisional for 1991 and not yet available for 1992.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many courses of dental treatment under the national health service were undertaken in each Welsh health authority area per 1,000 of the population in each year since 1986.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information is not readily available and I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.

  Employment Projects
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many unemployed people have taken part in the voluntary projects programme in Wales each year since 1986–87.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The voluntary projects programme (VPP) ceased in 1988 when it was subsumed by employment training.

  Details of the number of participants are available only for 1987–88 when 11,000 participated in the scheme on 24 projects.

  Welsh Language
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of school children in each local authority area in Wales does not receive Welsh language lessons.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The percentages of pupils who are not taught Welsh in maintained primary and secondary schools are given in the following tables.

  Table 1. Primary schools1

  Percentage1

  Clwyd

  3·5

  Dyfed

  12·0

  Gwent

  85·1

  Gwynedd

  0·0

  Mid Glamorgan

  1·8

  Powys

  3·3

  South Glamorgan

  26·4

  West Glamorgan

  2·2

  Table 2.Secondary schools1 2

  Percentage1

  Clwyd

  28·5

  Dyfed

  19·4

  Gwent

  82·8

  Gwynedd

  1·2

  Mid Glamorgan

  30·4

  Powys

  30·6

  South Glamorgan

  39·2

  West Glamorgan

  30·0

  1 At September 1991.

  2 Includes Grant maintained schools.

  Domestic Violence
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will make it his policy to develop a national policy for the provision of refuges and support services to women and children who are the victims of domestic violence.

  Mr. Donald Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of whether the number of women's refuges in Wales is sufficient for the demand; and if he will consider further funding.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The Government are already supporting such provision and services. In 1992–93 the Welsh Office provided over £235,000 to Welsh Women's Aid and over £438,000 for projects in individual refuges and advice centres.

  Mr. Donald Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many refuges for women fleeing from domestic violence are available in Wales; and what is their total capacity.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  This information is not held centrally.

  Foreign Language Teaching
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many primary schools offer a language, other than English and Wales to their pupils and to what extent the numbers have varied over the last 10 years.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Information on the number of primary schools offering a language other than English and Welsh to their pupils is not collected centrally.

  Sealand Estate
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will include the Sealand estate, Deeside, in the estate partnership initiative.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I shall give careful consideration to all applications I receive by 1 June for support under this programme during the coming financial year. Estate Partnership is designed to address problems in the local authority stock.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit the Sealand estate, Deeside.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I have no present plans to do so.

  University Colleges
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what response he has made to the proposals set out in the report, "The case for University Colleges," prepared by the Standing Conference of Principals, a copy of which has been sent to him.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I have received a copy of the report from the Standing Conference of Principals. I will be considering with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education how to respond to the report.

  Stoneleigh Food Fair
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what support has been provided by his Department to Welsh food producers to exhibit their produce at the Stoneleigh food fair on 31 March.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Welsh Food Promotions Ltd., a company established on my initiative and partly funded by the Welsh Development Agency, the Development Board for Rural Wales and the Wales tourist board, will be at Stoneleigh in support of individual Welsh food producers.

  Class Sizes
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will issue advice to schools on best practice in relation to class size in primary and secondary schools.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  This is a matter for determination by school governors and head teachers in the light of local circumstances.

  Welsh Centre for International Affairs
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last paid a visit to the Welsh centre for international affairs in Cardiff; and what future plans he has to make a visit.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Although I have met the director of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs twice, I have not visited the centre and have no present plans to do so.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the appointed bodies within Wales performing delegated Government functions.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Executive, advisory and NHS bodies and tribunals in Wales all have roles in the process of government and therefore to a greater or lesser extent have some functions of government delegated to them. These bodies are set out in "Public Bodies 1992" a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

  I also refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mr. Griffiths) on 23 March 1993 at column 549–50 listing the current and complete list of public bodies to which I make appointments.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he next proposes to visit Brussels.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Friday.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by Department the numbers of civil servants employed in Swansea.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The number of civil servants currently employed by my Department in Swansea is 10. Information on the number of staff in other Government Departments and agencies in particular locations in Wales is not held by my Department, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
  268
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by Department and location the numbers of civil service jobs which have been relocated to or created in South Wales since 1979.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The information requested is not held by my Department.

  Key Stage 3 Tests
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on the difficulties of informing parents of the assessment of their children at key stage 3 of the national curriculum before the end of the summer term.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Formal representations about this year's key stage 3 reporting arrangements have not been received. My officials have, however, established a small working group comprising representatives of the Welsh Joint Education Committee, local education authorities and the School Examinations and Assessment Council to develop the most efficient method of providing schools in Wales with the national curriculum assessment results to be used for reporting purposes.

  Hill Livestock Farmers
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to bring forward measures to secure that hill livestock producers do not suffer any penalty for failing to meet the threshold of yearling ewes per flock within the current calendar year.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The hill livestock compensatory allowances scheme rules have always required a reasonable element of shearlings in flocks qualifying for the highest rate of allowance. Where this rule is breached without good reason we shall continue to impose penalties.

  European Commission
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 23 March,Official Report,column 549,how many of those who have completed their secondment to the European Commission are still employed by his Department.

  Mr. David Hunt
  All of them.

  Badger Setts
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of badger setts, by county, closed or otherwise, seriously interfered with by or under licence from his Department's officials in each month from October 1991.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The information requested is as follows:

  Month

  Number of setts

  County

  November 1991

  2

  Gwynedd

  March 1992

  1

  Dyfed

  May 1992

  1

  Powys

  June 1992

  1

  Gwynedd

  July 1992

  3

  Gwent. Clwyd and Powys

  September 1992

  2

  Powys and Clwyd

  October 1992

  2

  Dyfed and Powys

  269

  Month

  Number of setts

  County

  November 1992

  2

  Dyfed and Powys

  December 1992

  1

  Powys

  January 1993

  2

  Gwynedd and Powys

  March 1993

  2

  Clwyd and Gwent

  Farming Friends Scheme
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make funds available for a farming friends scheme in Wales to help farmers with psychological and social problems; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I have no plans to do so, but a reduction in these problems will be an important health gain target for health authorities.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Housing Associations
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dwellings have been completed by the housing associations in Northern Ireland in each year since 1 April 1982 to 31 March 1992.

  Mr. Atkins
  The number of dwellings completed by registered housing associations is as follows:

  Year

  Newbuild

  Rehabilitation

  Total

  1982–83

  557

  243

  800

  1983–84

  576

  244

  820

  1984–85

  646

  368

  1,014

  1985–86

  777

  271

  1,048

  1986–87

  314

  390

  704

  1987–88

  694

  330

  1,024

  1988–89

  764

  110

  874

  1989–91

  563

  74

  637

  1990–91

  533

  249

  782

  1991–92

  838

  94

  932

  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many tenants allocated houses with the housing associations come from the Housing Executive waiting list; and, of these, how many were on the priority waiting list and non-priority waiting list.

  Mr. Atkins
  This information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of the registered housing associations in Northern Ireland; what was the date of registration of each association; and what are the numbers of staff currently employed by each association in respect of (i) management, (ii) administration/clerical, (iii) development, (iv) housing and (v) management/maintenance.

  Mr. Atkins
  The names and registration dates of each registered housing association, are set out in the table. Information on staffing in the form requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.270

  Association

  Date registered with DOE (NI)

  Abbeyfield NI Development Society Limited

  22 June 1981

  Ballymacarrett Housing Association Limited

  21 February 1979

  Ballynafeigh Housing Association Limited

  3 February 1977

  Baptist Union of Ireland Housing Association Limited

  29 October 1982

  Belfast Community Housing Association Limited

  12 October 1977

  Belfast Improved Houses Limited

  20 January 1977

  Ben Madigan Housing Association Limited

  27 July 1978

  Botanic Housing Association Limited

  31 January 1977

  Broadway Housing Association Limited

  16 November 1979

  Church of Ireland Housing Association (NI) Limited

  16 September 1977

  Clonard Housing Association Limited

  21 April 1978

  Connswater Housing Association Limited

  4 March 1977

  Coral Crescent Housing Association Limited

  26 October 1978

  Covenanter Residential Association Limited

  23 February 1977

  Craigavon and District Housing Association Limited

  19 September 1979

  Craigowen Housing Association Limited

  14 October 1977

  Derry Housing Association Limited

  24 August 1977

  Donacloney Housing Association Limited

  16 August 1977

  Down and Connor Housing Association Limited

  2 July 1987

  Dungannon and District Housing Association Limited

  24 March 1977

  Flax Housing Association Limited

  12 February 1987

  Fold Housing Association Limited

  14 December 1976

  Gosford Housing Association (Armagh) Limited

  5 December 1977

  Grove Housing Association Limited

  5 May 1977

  Habinteg Housing Association (Ulster) Limited

  24 May 1977

  Hearth

  10 February 1978

  Larne and District Housing Association Limited

  4 July 1978

  Lisnagarvey Housing Association Limited

  5 August 1977

  Malone Housing Association Limited

  28 February 1980

  Masonic Housing Association (NI) Limited

  13 May 1977

  Newington Housing Association (1975) Limited

  27 April 1977

  Northern Ireland Co-ownership Housing Association Limited

  11 April 1978

  North Belfast Mission Housing Society Limited

  22 February 1979

  Oaklee Housing Association Limited

  4 November 1991

  Open Door Housing Association (NI) Limited

  31 July 1978

  Presbyterian Housing Association (NI) Limited

  23 February 1977

  Royal British Legion Housing Association (NI) Limited

  4 March 1977

  Rural Housing Association Limited

  19 March 1992

  St Matthews Housing Association Limited

  8 June 1977

  Students Housing Association Co-op Limited

  27 September 1977

  Tennent Street District Housing Association Limited

  8 May 1979

  Triangle Women's Housing Association Limited

  20 March 1978

  Ulidia Housing Association Limited

  10 March 1978

  Ulster Homemaker Limited

  30 August 1984

  Willowfield Parish Church Housing Association Limited

  27 April 1977

  Woodvale and Shankill Housing Association Limited

  3 May 1977

  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the selection schemes of each registered housing association; and if he will list the
  271
  reports produced by registered housing associations describing and measuring the need which they are seeking to address.

  Mr. Atkins
  Copies of the selection scheme approved by the Department of the Environment (NI) for each association have been placed in the Library.

  The tenants guarantee, introduced in December 1992, requires associations to make available from 1 April 1993 information on the allocation of accommodation, application procedures for tenancies and policies and procedures for deciding on priority between applicants. Associations will also be required to prepare annual summaries of their letting activities which will include a report on the number and types of lettings to different types of applicant. These summaries will be made available to inquirers.

  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been the budgetary allocation to housing associations in each year since 1 April 1982 to 31 March 1992; and how much of the allocation in each year has been devoted to new build.

  Mr. Atkins
  Total allocation to housing associations, including the Northern Ireland Co-ownership Housing Association, were:

  HAs (exclud-ing NICHA) £000

  NICHA £000

  Total £000

  1982–83

  21,000

  8,500

  29,500

  1983–84

  23,000

  15,600

  38,600

  1984–85

  25,800

  14,400

  40,200

  1985–86

  27,600

  12,000

  39,600

  1986–87

  29,800

  11,500

  41,300

  1987–88

  30,400

  13,000

  43,400

  1988–89

  32,000

  13,400

  45,400

  1989–90

  29,200

  8,700

  37,900

  1990–91

  28,200

  8,600

  36,800

  1991–92

  33,800

  6,400

  40,200

  The new-build element of housing association expenditure, excluding NICHA, in 1990–91 and 1991–92 was £21·9 million and £28·3 million respectively. Information on capital funding to housing associations for previous years is not available on a basis which distinguishes new build from other types of expenditure.

  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidelines have been issued to housing associations for the selection of tenants.

  Mr. Atkins
  In the circular issued to all registered housing associations on 24 July 1979 the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland advised associations of the guidelines to be followed in tenant selection. A copy of the circular has been placed in the Library. The guidelines are currently under review.

  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the numbers and types of dwellings each housing association has constructed under the terms of the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 during each financial year since 1976–77.

  Mr. Atkins
  A copy of the information requested has been placed in the Library.
  272
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current level of applications on the waiting list of each registered housing association; and how many are on priority lists A and B, respectively.

  Mr. Atkins
  This information is collected annually by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland and the position at 31 March 1992 was as follows:

  Association

  A applicants

  B applicants

  Abbeyfield Northern Ireland Development Society Limited

  —

  —

  Ballymacarrett Housing Association Ltd

  —

  —

  Ballynafeigh Housing Association Ltd

  4

  6

  Baptist Union of Ireland Housing Association Ltd

  —

  112

  Belfast Community Housing Association Ltd

  1

  46

  Belfast Improved Houses Ltd

  135

  1369

  Ben Madigan Housing Association Ltd

  2

  16

  Botanic Housing Association Ltd

  5

  37

  Church of Ireland Housing Association (NI) Ltd

  —

  1324

  Clonard Housing Association Ltd

  16

  43

  Connswater Housing Association Ltd

  —

  20

  Coral Crescent Housing Association Ltd

  —

  —

  Covenanter Residential Association Ltd

  —

  2

  Craigavon and District Housing Association Ltd

  84

  416

  Craigowen Housing Association Ltd

  —

  2—

  Derry Housing Association Ltd

  85

  1370

  Donacloney Housing Association Ltd

  —

  11

  Dungannon and District Housing Association Ltd

  —

  1439

  Fold Housing Association Ltd

  —

  2,985

  Gosford Housing Association (Armagh) Ltd

  1

  27

  Grove Housing Association Ltd

  4

  54

  Habinteg Housing Association (Ulster) Ltd

  222

  1—

  Hearth

  1

  3

  Larne and District Housing Association Ltd

  46

  66

  Lisnagarvey Housing Association Ltd

  5

  83

  Malone Housing Association Ltd

  8

  26

  Masonic Housing Association (NI) Ltd

  27

  198

  Newington Housing Association (1975) Ltd

  34

  156

  North Belfast Mission Housing Society Ltd

  1

  3

  Oaklee Housing Association Ltd

  34

  1146

  Open Door Housing Association (NI) Ltd

  70

  129

  Presbyterian Housing Association (NI) Ltd

  116

  278

  Royal British Legion Housing Association (NI) Ltd

  5

  606

  St. Matthews Housing Association Ltd

  6

  31

  Students Housing Association Co-op Ltd

  145

  489

  Tennent St. District Housing Association Ltd

  16

  27

  Triangle Women's Housing Association Ltd

  —

  1—

  Ulidia Housing Association Ltd

  14

  126

  273

  Association

  A applicants

  B applicants

  Willowfield Parish Church Housing Association Ltd

  4

  37

  Woodvale and Shankill Housing Association Ltd

  8

  46

  Note: A substantial number of special needs schemes are managed by voluntary agencies on behalf of the associations marked1 and information on the waiting lists held by those agencies is not available.

  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the role of(a)the Housing Executive, in relation to individual housing associations and the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations and (b)the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Housing Executive's main role in relation to housing associations is the assessment of overall housing need and confirmation of need for each proposed housing association scheme. In its enabling role the executive ma. y assist in the development plans of housing associations by the transfer of land and property.

  The executive works closely with the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations to produce the housing association element of the housing development strategy, which is submitted annually to the Department of the Environment (NI) to support the bid for housing investment in Northern Ireland. I understand that the executive also meets regularly at board level with the federation to discuss matters of mutual interest.

  The role of the Northern Ireland Federation is to promote, establish, encourage and assist the formation and the conduct and activities of housing associations in Northern Ireland; to make representations and negotiate on behalf of the federation, housing associations, and other bodies with regard to housing policy and administration; to ensure that maximum co-operation and efficiency is attained among housing associations in Northern Ireland and to ensure a close and harmonious liaison and relationship with the National Federation of Housing Associations and other bodies involved in housing activity.

  Homelessness
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to ensure that the housing associations assist the Housing Executive in meetings its duties to the homeless under the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1988.

  Mr. Atkins
  Registered associations are required to give priority on their waiting lists to applicants who qualify for group A status under the executive's selection scheme. This includes applicants who are accepted as homeless by the Housing Executive.

  The Department regularly monitors the management of each assocation's day-to-day affairs, including the operation of their selection schemes to ensure that tenancies are allocated in accordance with approved schemes.

  Homelessness
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many units of temporary accommodation and move on accommodation have been 274
  provided by housing associations for homeless people since 1990; and how many are in the Housing Association Development Programme.

  Mr. Atkins
  In addition to temporary housing provided for special needs groups such as ex-offenders, women and children at risk, registered housing associations in Northern Ireland have provided 110 units of temporary accommodation for homeless people since 1 January 1990.

  The 1993–94 to 1995–96 development programme includes proposals to provide 135 bed spaces for people who may require temporary accommodation.

  Housing associations do not provide accommodation designated specifically for allocation to people "moving on" from temporary accommodation.

  Nephrops
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when a decision was made to exempt the one net rule for nephrops trawlers; in which fishing areas this exemption will apply; whether the Northern Ireland fleet fish for nephrops in these areas; what consultation was undertaken with the Northern Ireland fishing industry prior to the decision; and if he will make a statement about the implications of this decision for the Northern Ireland fishing industry.

  Mr. Hanley
  The decision to exempt the one rule for nephrops trawlers was made on 5 March; it applies in areas IV, North sea, and VI, west Scotland, north of latitude 56°N. Any fishing by Northern Ireland vessels for nephrops in these areas is minimal and there was no consultation with the Northern Ireland industry prior to the decision, which has little or no direct impact on the Northern Ireland fishing industry.

  Electricity Supply
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will require the regulator and Northern Ireland Electricity to obtain an independent cost/benefit study for Northern Ireland of all alternative power sources prior to awarding future power purchase agreements; and if he will require the most economic supply identified taking account of economic, social and environmental issues as well as security of supply to be purchased by Northern Ireland Electricity.

  Mr. Atkins
  The term under which NIE will award future power purchase agreements are governed by its licence which contains an economic purchasing obligation. In entering into any such agreement NIE will have to satisfy the Director General of Electricity Supply for Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Stott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what studies his Department has made of the impact on domestic electricity prices of the Scottish-Northern Ireland interconnector becoming operational; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  An economic evaluation of generating options was commissioned by the Department and this showed interconnection with Scotland to be the most attractive option available for meeting the need for new capacity in the late 1990s.

  Electricity Prices
  Mr. Stott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what studies his Department has made of the price differences between domestic electricity prices in Northern Ireland and in the rest of the United Kingdom; what assessment has been made of the effect the increases in value-added tax on fuel will have on the average home fuel bills; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  Domestic electricity tariffs in 1992–93 are broadly comparable to those in the rest of the United Kingdom.

  It is estimated that the extension of VAT to domestic fuel and power will add about £1·20 in 1994–95 and £2·70 in 1995–96 to households' average weekly fuel bills in Northern Ireland, at 1991 prices. This estimate takes no account of the effects of any energy-saving measures by householders.

  International Fund for Ireland
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish details of financial assistance provided by the International Fund for Ireland in each of the last four years to date for(a)construction of new hotels and (b)refurbishment of existing hotels, together with details of the purpose for which each qualifying hotel project was assisted.

  Mr. Mates
  The International Fund for Ireland is administered by an independent board appointed by the United Kingdom and Irish Governments. All questions pertaining to the disbursement of funds are a matter for the board and accordingly I have arranged to pass the hon. Gentleman's question to the chairman for reply.

  Employees (Religious Affiliation)
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of each department of the Northern Ireland civil service;

  (2) what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of the Industrial Development Board.

  Mr. Atkins
  Monitoring of religious affiliation of the employees of the Northern Ireland Departments and the Industrial Development Board is undertaken centrally by the Northern Ireland civil service equal opportunities unit located in the Department of Finance and Personnel. I would therefore refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 19 March 1993,Official Report,Volume 221, column 150.

  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the annual cost of monitoring the religious affiliation of the employees of each district council in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Atkins
  This information is not held centrally. It is a matter for each district council in Northern Ireland to monitor the religious composition of its work force in accordance with section 27 of the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1989.

  The Local Government Staff Commission for Northern Ireland also monitors the fair employment practices of
  276
  district councils under section 35 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 1992, but does not identify separately expenditure on specific activities on this type, which would be negligible.

  Health Boards (Staff Bonuses)
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give details of the nature and purpose of performance bonuses paid to staff of each health board within the past 12 months.

  Mr. Hanley
  Incentive bonus payments are made to certain ancillary and general staff employed by health and social services boards in return for increased productivity. In each instance the bonus is the result of the application of a measured day work scheme. Such a scheme is where a given number of staff agree, on a group basis, to work to a predetermined incentive performance level in carrying out their duties at specific standards. In return they are paid a fixed percentage bonus which is calculated on the staff group basis. All schemes must be self-financing.

  A performance-related pay scheme is in operation for general managers, unit general managers, senior managers and senior nurse managers. This is a scheme for relating rewards to quantifiable achievement rather than to subjective judgments of personal qualities. This scheme enables management to reward staff who have attained a high level of achievement against individual performance review targets set on an annual basis.

ENVIRONMENT

  Waste Management
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he expects expenditure on waste management and contaminated land to vary in real terms over the next three years.

  Mr. Maclean
  My Department does not hold general information on past trends or future plans for expenditure of this sort.

  Landfill Gas
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much less will be spent in real terms in the present estimates compared with the 1992 estimates on the problem of landfill gas.

  Mr. Maclean
  Information is not held in the form requested. However, local authorities are currently expected to spend some £12· 8 million in the financial year 1992–93 on schemes wholly or partly to deal with gas from former landfills and which the Government are supporting with supplementary credit approvals. A total of £12 million has been set aside for 1993–94 for supplementary credit approvals covering landfill gas and other types of contaminated land.

  Waste Recycling
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much his Department will spend on waste recycling in the current year and each of the next two years in real terms.

  Mr. Maclean
  The resources allocated for waste recycling in 1992–93 and the amounts currently proposed
  277
  for 1993–94 and 1994–95 within the expenditure plans described in the Department's 1993 annual report (Cm 2207), including supplementary credit approvals to support local authorities' capital expenditure on waste recycling projects, are as follows:

  1992–93 £000

  1993–945 £000

  1994–955 £000

  UK 20001

  168

  —

  —

  Environmental Grant Fund/Environmental Action Fund

  289

  2376

  2216

  Consultancies/Research

  470

  3320

  384

  Publicity

  4312

  318

  6—

  Special Grants Programme

  80

  —

  —

  Staff resources

  106

  111

  6—

  TOTAL

  1,425

  825

  300

  Supplementary Credit Approvals

  15,000

  14,598

  15,358

  Notes:

  1 A substantial part of this grant to Friends of the Earth was used for work to encourage waste minimisation and the recycling and composting of waste.

  2 Grants offered.

  3 Current plans, not yet confirmed.

  4 Forecast expenditure.

  5 Deflated to 1992–93 prices.

  6 Not yet known.

  The Department of Trade and Industry also has expenditure on this subject.

  Toxic Waste (Broadcast)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library a copy of a transcript of his interview on the import of toxic waste broadcast on Radio Four's "World At One" on 23 March.

  Mr. Howard
  I have arranged for a copy of the transcript of this interview to be placed in the Library.

  Nuclear Waste
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what report he has received from the chairman of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee following the recent meeting to discuss its 20-year review of nuclear waste policy.

  Mr. Maclean
  None. The meeting referred to was a first step in the review by the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee which is to look at radioactive waste disposal issues likely to arise over the next 20 years.

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when his Department last conducted surveys of(a)ethnic origins and (b)the number of women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  The Department first undertook a voluntary survey of the ethnic origins of staff in 1987. This has been supplemented by further surveys and a continuous survey of job applicants. The most recent re-survey of the remaining staff for whom there is no ethnic record was completed earlier this month.
  278
  The Department analyses data on the number of women in the Department on a quarterly basis.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are(a)women, (b)from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people.

  Mr. Howard
  The numbers and percentages of women at grades 1 to 7 and overall in the Department are:

  Grade

  Female

  Percentage

  1

  —

  —

  2

  3

  43

  3

  5

  15

  4

  —

  —

  5

  18

  13

  6

  24

  18

  7

  130

  16

  Overall

  2,741

  41

  There are no staff from ethnic minorities in grades 1 to 4. The number and percentage of ethnic minority staff at grade 5 is 2 (1·4 per cent. of grade), at grade 6 there is 1 (0·3 per cent.) and at grade 7 there are 9 (1·1 per cent.) Overall, 504 (7·5 per cent.) of the Department's staff are from ethnic minorities.

  There are no disabled staff in grades 1 to 6. The Department employs three grade 7s who are known to be disabled but who are not registered, representing 0·4 per cent. of the grade. Overall, the Department employs 98 (1·5 per cent.) disabled staff (registered and non-registered).

  Housing Grants
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those organisations which have received grants under section 429A of the Housing Act 1985; as amended, in 1992–93 showing in such cases the value of the grant and the purpose for which it was made.

  Mr. Baldry
  In the financial year 1992–93, my Department approved 117 grants totalling £7,411,393 under section 429A of the Housing Act 1985 (as amended by section 16 of the Housing and Planning Act 1986). These grants were issued for a variety of purposes.

  Promotion and feasibility grants
  Grants were made to consultancies, housing associations and secondary co-operatives to enable them to promote to local authority tenants the full range of housing management and tenure options available to them. Further grant is made available, on an estate-specific basis, to enable these organisations to undertake a feasibility study leading to a report outlining future options for the management of the estate.

  Agency name

  Grant offered £

  Birmingham CHS

  67,627

  Banks of the Wear

  161,197

  Catch

  269,260

  CDS (Liverpool)

  198,613

  Chapman Hendy

  19,176

  Chisel

  90,671

  CHS (NW)

  98,160

  English Churches HA

  112,203

  Community Projects Trust

  53,931

  279

  Agency name

  Grant offered £

  Devon CDA

  4,980

  Federation of Hackney Tenants' and Residents 'Associations

  51,678

  Hexagon HA

  85,901

  Leicester Housing Association

  166,071

  Liverpool Housing Trust

  138,125

  Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation

  48,869

  Paddington Churches HA

  50,209

  Priority Estates Project

  614,135

  Pic Services

  75,559

  Pieda

  78,164

  Public Participation, Consultation and Research Ltd.

  126,055

  Raynsford Dallison Associates

  29,254

  Safe Neighbourhoods Unit

  89,228

  Solon CHS

  134,734

  South London Families' HA

  78,613

  Tenant Action

  50,805

  Tide

  112,431

  Tenant Paricipation Advisory Service

  1,051,288

  Tricare

  11,745

  Yorkshire CHS

  44,874

  Total

  4,113,596

  Development Grants
  Development grants were made to tenant steering groups or tenants' and residents' associations which were able to evidence sufficient interest in forming a tenant management organisation, either an estate management board [EMB], or a tenant management co-operative [TMC], following an estate-wide ballot or poll on completion of a feasibility study.

  Tenant group

  EMB

  TMC

  Offered £

  Angell Town

  1

  —

  31,739

  Arica Co-op

  —

  1

  8,713

  Atholl & Braemar

  —

  1

  10,585

  Blackbrook

  1

  —

  12,838

  Botcherby

  1

  —

  21,976

  Browning

  1

  —

  16,508

  Burrows St/Green Lane

  —

  1

  18,290

  Clapton Park

  1

  —

  32,140

  Claybrow

  —

  1

  8,326

  Chalkhill

  1

  —

  29,536

  Chelsea Manor Ct

  —

  1

  9,776

  Chuckery

  —

  1

  10,726

  Church Court

  —

  1

  17,006

  Colwell

  —

  1

  16,296

  Cottington Close

  —

  1

  9,598

  Crusader

  —

  1

  9,791

  De Beauvoir

  1

  —

  26,317

  Five Ways

  —

  1

  5,809

  Gascoyne

  1

  —

  19,594

  Haslingden

  1

  —

  3,567

  Higgingshaw Village

  1

  —

  20,295

  Holland Rise/Whitebeam Close

  1

  —

  18,788

  Holland Town

  —

  1

  5,645

  Kilburn Square

  —

  1

  7,898

  Lancaster West

  1

  —

  23,771

  Magdalen

  —

  1

  1,000

  Old/New Loughborough

  1

  —

  35,500

  Mowmacre Hill

  1

  —

  22,821

  New Park Village

  —

  1

  10,762

  North Peckham

  1

  —

  37,485

  Parkwood

  —

  1

  20,693

  Pembroke

  1

  —

  14,046

  Pleck

  1

  —

  11,246

  Ridings Way

  —

  1

  24,711

  Scotland Gate

  —

  1

  9,011

  Springfield Horseshoe

  —

  1

  16,931

  Suffolk Estate

  —

  1

  3,094

  Sutton Park 'A'

  —

  1

  13,238

  280

  Tenant group

  EMB

  TMC

  Offered £

  St. Mark's

  —

  1

  23,372

  St. Pancras Court

  —

  1

  1,666

  St. Paul's

  —

  1

  11,195

  Tabard Gardens

  —

  1

  45,697

  Trowbridge

  —

  1

  17,658

  Tustin

  —

  1

  25,119

  Warwick Crescent

  —

  1

  8,019

  West Houghton

  1

  —

  23,044

  West View

  1

  —

  23,850

  Whitworth Valley

  1

  —

  1,752

  Wyke Estate

  —

  1

  3,333

  Wyncote

  —

  1

  7,795

  Total

  —

  1

  808,569

  "Recommendation 9" Grants
  The Government's report "Tenants in the Lead" (DoE, 1989) recommended, inter alia, a series pilot demonstra-tion projects which linked decentralisation of housing management services to increased tenant involvement. 1992–93 was the second and final year of this two-year programme.

  Local authority

  Grant offered £

  Basildon

  35,200

  Birmingham City

  50,000

  Bolton Metro

  36,740

  Cambridge City

  50,000

  Camden

  49,985

  Derby City

  50,000

  Gateshead

  22,687

  Globe Town (Tower Hamlets)

  50,000

  Greenwich

  50,000

  Harlow

  43,086

  Lambeth

  49,900

  Rochdale

  33,146

  Rossendale

  31,430

  Salford

  32,638

  Sandwell

  50,000

  Southampton

  21,250

  West Lancashire

  26,470

  Westminster

  50,000

  Wolverhampton

  50,237

  Total

  782,769

  National Tenants' Resource Centre
  Grant of £70,363 was offered to this project, which seeks to establish a dedicated residential training facility for tenants at Trafford hall, near Chester, to support its fund-raising and planning programme.

  Grant offered £

  National Tenants' Resource Centre

  70,363

  Housing Management Grants
  Grants were made to various organisations on an individual basis for projects which contribute towards innovation in housing management.

  281

  Organisation

  Grant Offered £

  Association of Community Technical Aid Centres (13 Training events and I conference for tenants and professionals)

  24,398

  Toby Graves (Salary for housing post graduate trainee)

  2,600

  Aldbourne Associates (Review to establish a general picture of current practice in education and training in social housing)

  37,876

  Specialist Information Training Resource Agency (Specialist needs housing training for NVQs)

  39,857

  Federation of Black Housing Organisations (Raise awareness of and provide information on NVQs via written materials, presentations, advice and guidance)

  26,442

  Safe Neighbourhoods Unit (Development of crime prevention modules and production of video)

  27,000

  Tower Blocks Directory (Helps management of tower blocks through best practice information)

  11,142

  West Midlands Special Needs Consortium (Set up and run management development programme arid development NVQs)

  20,483

  Northern Consortium of Housing Authorities (Development of low cost training and conference programme, leading to the production of a training package)

  24,536

  Total

  214,334

  Research Grants
  Small research grants are occasionally made available to provide feedback and data on aspects of grant policy which would be difficult or impossible to determine by other methods. In 1992–93, two grants were made available, to investigate the role of training in the development of TMOs (Glasgow university) and to ascertain the impact of the two-year recommendation 9 programme (LSE).

  Organisation

  Offered £

  Glasgow University

  28,030

  LSE Housing

  23,797

  Total

  51,827

  Studentships and Bursaries
  Grants are made annually, via the Economic and Social Research Council, to provide resources to support students following university courses leading to the Institute of Housing's professional qualifications. From 1 January 1993 bursaries have been available to assist tenants following the Institute of Housing's new national certificate in tenant participation (NCTP). These discretionary bursaries are paid via the tenant participation advisory service (TPAS).

  £

  Economic and Social Research Council

  1,053,000

  TPAS

  30,000

  Total

  1,083,000

  Contract Payments
  Priority Estates Project Ltd. received contract payments to undertake training and action research into tenant participation. 1992–93 is the last year of the contract.

  £

  Priority Estates Project

  286,935

  Total

  286,935

  Tenants' Choice Legislation
  Mrs. Gorman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answers of 15 March,Official Report,columns 76 to 78, if the answer covers transfers to tenants' management boards with the estates remaining in the ownership of the local council; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  Grants offered in 1992–93 under section 429A of the Housing Act 1985, as amended, include grants paid to tenants' organisations for the purpose of developing tenant management organisations (TMOs): either estate management boards (EMBs) or tenant management co-operatives (TMCs).

  Both kinds of TMO are able to take on the management of their housing through a management agreement negotiated with the local authority under the provisions of section 27 of the Housing Act 1985, as amended, though ownership of the houses remains with the local authority. Since April 1990, when grants were first made available directly to tenants' organisations, 66 TMOs have been established, with a further 50 in their development phase.

  The Government now propose, through powers which will be taken in the Housing and Urban Development Bill, to introduce a new right to manage for local authority tenants. Providing they are able to meet certain criteria, tenants' organisations will be able to serve on the local authority a notice of their intention to exercise the right to manage. Regulations will provide a framework for the procedures which must be followed by tenants' organisations and local authorities in circumstances where the right to manage is exercised. If these are successfully carried through, the local authority will be required to enter into a management agreement—the form of which will be specified by the Secretary of State—with the TMO. The Government's recent consultation paper "Tenant Involvement and the Right to Manage" (DOE/Welsh Office 1992) sets out in more detail the policy background and procedural arrangements for this important new right.

  Market Testing
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which professional services within his Department have been subjected to market testing within the last 12 months and with what result; and which will be subjected to market testing within the next 12 months.

  Mr. Howard
  Within the last 12 months market testing within the Department, apart from the Property Services Agency, has been commenced in the following specialist services which are currently provided in-house for the Department's own benefit:

  Training Services

  Accommodation Facilities Management

  283

  Design, Drawing and Print Services

  Registry Services

  Statistical Services

  Research and Research Services (Phase 1)

  Office Cleaning for Government Car Service and Inter-departmental Despatch Service

  Accounts Support for Government Car Service and Inter-departmental Despatch Service

  Engineering Workshops at Building Research Establishment (BRE).

  Stores at BRE.

  The forward programme, from October 1993 onwards, has yet to be determined.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many local authorities pay the client contribution element of the home energy efficiency scheme; and what proportion of the total this represents;

  (2) how many network installers operate hardship funds; and what proportion of the total this represents.

  Mr. Maclean
  These figures are not available centrally.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the relationship between financial allocations to network installers and the estimated number of households eligible for grants under the home energy efficiency scheme within that network installer's area;

  (2) what plans he has to ensure that financial allocations under the home energy efficiency scheme from 1993–94 relate to local need rather than the previous performance of a network installer.

  Mr. Maclean
  Eligibility for grant under the home energy efficiency scheme depends upon receipt of one of five passportable benefits: housing benefit, income support, family credit, community charge benefit—council tax benefit from 1 April 1993—or disability working allowance. In addition the property must meet certain criteria concerning both existing insulation and whether or not grant has been paid for similar work under previous schemes. It is not possible to estimate the numbers that might be eligible in a particular area at a particular time.

  The present allocation system takes into account the proven ability of an installer to carry out work, thus avoiding sterilisation of funds. For listed contractors, allocations are intended to ensure that similar levels of funding are available in each area.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 1992,Official Report,column 836,how he accounts for the lower take-up of home energy efficiency grants in the London area; and what measures he proposes to resolve the situation.

  Mr. Maclean
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) on 4 March 1993 at column 263.

  Market Charters
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many complaints his Department has received regarding market charters.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  My Department has received 15 such complaints since 1 January 1991.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance his Department gives to local 284
  authority charter holders as to the terms they can require for the granting of their consent for a new market within their charter area.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  None. Any such terms are a matter for negotiation between the franchise holder and the operator of such a new market. We are, however, concerned that the existence of market franchise rights may impose undue restriction on the development of local enterprise and are reviewing these rights as part of the Department's deregulation programme.

  London Forum
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what level of public funding is being made available to the London Forum.

  Sir George Young
  The forum will seek funds mainly from the private sector. The Department has met the costs of launching the forum. But we have no plans to fund the forum's activities in promoting London.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a breakdown of the cost of the London Forum's breakfast launch on 29 March.

  Sir George Young
  The total cost of organising and staging the launch of the London Forum on 29 March was approximately £15,000.This includes some £4,900 for hire of the venue and catering, £4,600 for the design and production of printed material and £4,900 for administration.

  Elderly People's Homes
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps have been taken by his Department within the last two years to improve the advice and information available on the thermal efficiency of elderly people's homes.

  Mr. Maclean
  The introduction of the home energy efficiency scheme on 1 January 1991 made grants available for the first time for the provision of basic energy efficiency advice for those on low incomes. Compulsory qualifica-tions for those giving advice under the scheme were introduced in April 1992 to ensure a high standard of advice provision. Information and advice on energy efficiency in the home is also available through my Department's "Helping the Earth Begins at Home" campaign.

  Elderly People's Homes
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to instigate a survey to ascertain the number of elderly people suffering as a result of cold homes and low body temperatures during the winter months.

  Mr. Yeo
  I have been asked to reply. We are awaiting the results of research by the Medical Research Council on the relationship between cold weather and excess winter sickness.

  Market Charters
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many proposed new market developments have failed to take place because of(a)

  285
  injunctions taken out by charter holders or (b)financial demands by charter holders for the granting of their consent;

  (2) how many, and which, market charter holders have over the last five years sought a court injunction to restrain a proposed market within their charter area.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  We do not have this information.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many business people he has appointed to public bodies since 1987.

  Mr. Howard
  Such information is not available centrally, but appointments to my Department's public bodies are made from people from all backgrounds and all walks of life.

  Toxic Waste
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the specific length of time for which Her Majesty's Government have been opposed to the import of the toxic waste from developed countries to which he made general reference in his interview on "The World at One" on 23 March.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government's policy that developed countries should become self-sufficient in disposing of their own waste was set out in the Environment White Paper "This Common Inheritance" in September 1990.

  Recycling
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities will receive sup-plementary credit approvals for recycling; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment is today announcing the allocation of £15 million in supplementary credit approvals for recycling investment by English local authorities. Local authorities are now more involved in recycling than ever before. Today's announcement continues our programme of support for recycling which is very important in helping authorities to implement their recycling strategies.

  Now that the vast majority of waste collection authorities have prepared their recycling plans, many are keen to start implementing them. Many waste disposal authorities are also eager to do more. So it is no surprise that the demand for supplementary credit approvals (SCAs) for recycling has been higher than ever this year.

  Under our environmental partnership scheme, the aim is to maximise investment in recycling by combining SCAs with authorities' own capital receipts and private sector contributions. Schemes which do this have done best in this year's allocations.

  But many other schemes have also received support. We have given particular priority to schemes to collect waste oil and CFCs for recycling. Altogether supplemen-tary credit approvals have been distributed to 161 authorities for 307 schemes, ranging from home composing projects to mini recycling centres.

  We received bids totalling £35 million so we have had to take some tough decisions in making allocations. Each
  286
  authority is today being notified of the outcome of its bid. Authorities whose bids were not successful, due to the heavy demand on the funds available, will naturally be disappointed.

  Some authorities are keen to develop large capital-intensive projects such as central compositing plants and materials reclamation facilities. Others want to introduce extensive kerbside collection schemes. If we had given approvals to many such schemes, we would have had very few resources left for other authorities. We have generally not been able to give approvals to schemes of this sort except where they are being partly funded from authorities' own capital contributions or by the private sector or where they continue a programme which we have funded in previous years.

  The following authorities have been issued supplemen-tary credit approvals for recycling for 1993–94:

  Authority

  Allocation £000

  London Boroughs

  Barnet

  200

  Bromley

  13·5

  Croydon

  155

  Ealing

  1·175

  Enfield

  50

  Hackney

  170

  Haringey

  20

  Hillingdon

  5

  Kingston upon Thames

  48

  Lambeth

  112·25

  Merton

  97

  Newham

  100

  Redbridge

  168

  Richmond

  70

  Southwark

  30

  Sutton

  365

  Tower Hamlets

  53

  Waltham Forest

  150

  Wandsworth

  20

  Metropolitan Authorities

  Barnsley

  135

  Bolton

  75

  Bury

  30

  Calderdale

  30

  Doncaster

  16

  Dudley

  100

  Gateshead

  35·5

  Kirklees

  35

  Knowsley

  110

  Leeds

  1,410

  Liverpool

  270

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  600

  Oldham

  98

  Rochdale

  36

  Rotherham

  19

  St. Helens

  7·7

  Sandwell

  20

  South Tyneside

  7

  Stockport

  55·575

  Wakefield

  340

  West Yorkshire Waste Management

  1,137

  Wirral

  24

  Wolverhampton

  53

  County Councils

  Cambridgeshire

  240

  Cheshire

  20

  Cornwall

  40

  Cumbria

  105

  Devon

  240

  Durham

  50

  Hampshire

  517

  Hereford and Worcester

  11

  Hertfordshire

  20

  287

  Authority

  Allocation £000

  Leicestershire

  106

  Lincolnshire

  175

  Northumberland

  7

  North Yorkshire

  76·5

  Nottinghamshire

  175

  Oxfordshire

  150

  Somerset

  78·5

  Suffolk

  48

  Wiltshire

  20

  District Councils

  Adur

  40

  Allerdale

  75

  Alnwick

  33

  Amber Valley

  20

  Bassetlaw

  8

  Bath

  20·4

  Beverley

  20

  Blaby

  40

  Bournemouth

  29

  Brighton

  60

  Bristol

  248·75

  Broxbourne

  105

  Browtowe

  77

  Burnley

  45

  Carlisle

  20

  Chelmsford

  20

  Cheltenham

  60

  Cherwell

  15

  Chester

  200

  Chesterfield

  28

  Chiltern

  50

  Copeland

  48

  Craven

  50

  Darlington

  6

  Derby

  70

  Derbyshire Dales

  20·75

  Easington

  7·8

  East Dorset

  15

  East Hertfordshire

  42

  Eden

  13

  Ellesmere Port and Neston

  10

  Gedling

  13

  Great Grimsby

  70

  Guildford

  60

  Harborough

  30

  Harlow

  17

  Hartlepool

  150

  Hastings

  50

  Havant

  17·5

  Hinckley and Bosworth

  20

  Hull

  175

  Hyndburn

  30

  Kerrier

  125

  Lancaster

  20

  Lanbaugh on Tees

  64

  Leicester

  90

  Melton

  40

  Mid Bedfordshire

  35

  Mid Suffolk

  60·5

  Middlesborough

  23

  Milton Keynes

  1,400

  Newark and Sherwood

  50

  North Dorset

  25

  North Hertfordshire

  12

  Norwich

  20

  Nottingham

  71·8

  Nuneaton and Bedworth

  37

  Oswestry

  65

  Oxford

  205

  Pendle

  15

  Peterborough

  12·35

  Plymouth

  160

  Poole

  37·5

  Portsmouth

  10

  Preston

  10

  Reading

  15

  288

  Authority

  Allocation £000

  Ribble Valley

  7

  Rochester upon Medway

  145

  Rother

  40

  Rushmoor

  70

  Scarborough

  25

  Selby

  30

  Shrewsbury and Atcham

  50

  South Derbyshire

  50

  South Herefordshire

  20

  South Lakeland

  28·75

  South Norfolk

  50

  South Northamptonshire

  75

  South Somerset

  100

  St. Albans

  70

  St. Edmundsbury

  26·5

  Stockton on Tees

  96·5

  Surrey Heath

  42

  Tendring

  4

  Test Valley

  91·5

  Tewkesbury

  30

  Vale of White Horse

  20

  Watford

  30

  Waverley

  30

  Wealdon

  100

  Welwyn Hatfield

  40

  West Devon

  75

  West Dorset

  20

  West Wiltshire

  116

  Winchester

  26

  Woking

  33·7

  Wokingham

  40

  Woodspring

  10

  Wrekin

  90

  Wychavon

  15

  Wycombe

  20

  Council Tax
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what estimate he has made of the total cost to charities, which were formerly exempt from local taxes on residential care homes, of the imposition of council tax;

  (2) what effect the imposition of council tax on charities with residential care homes will have on modifying residential care accommodation in line with the Government's community care principles; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) what representations the Joint Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has had from the Charities Tax Reform Group about the effect of imposing council tax on charitable residential care accommodation; what reply is being sent; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  I have received a letter from the charities tax reform group which follows up a meeting and correspondence I have had with one of their members. My replies have explained that the council tax is a tax paid by residents, whether directly or through their landlords. There is no reason why one group of residents should be advantaged simply because their landlord is a charity. Instead we are targeting help by reference to the circumstances of residents, through the discount, disabled reduction, council tax benefit and transitional relief systems.

  We have been particularly concerned to ensure that residents of residential care homes—whether or not run by charities—should not face unreasonable council tax

  289
  burdens. Many homes will receive a one-band reduction in respect of features required for their disabled residents. Care homes without resident staff will not pay the personal element of the tax, which will mean a 50 per cent. discount. And many care homes will qualify for substantial amounts of transitional relief. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security took account of the costs of the council tax in his uprating of benefits for care home residents, which will take effect on 1 April. Such benefits were generally increased by more than the rate of inflation.

  Because we do not know the circumstances of each individual care home, including the council tax band into which it falls, we cannot estimate the total amount of council tax which they will pay. But a care home in the highest band receiving a reduction for disability and a 50 per cent. discount might pay about £9 per week, even without the transitional reduction scheme. With that scheme the cost might he as little as £3·25 a week. Care homes in lower bands would pay even less. These amounts equate to a few tens of pence per resident.

  Care home residents, like those in the community, will be asked to make a contribution to the costs of local authority services from which they benefit. I believe that these contributions are eminently reasonable; because of the structure of the tax, they are likely to be rather smaller than those made by people living in the community.

  Commission for the New Towns
  Mr. Peter Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements he intends to make to codify and publicise the financial management relation-ship between his Department and the Commission for the New Towns.

  Mr. Baldry
  I am pleased to announce that I have today issued a management statement which has been agreed with the Commission for the New Towns. This comes into force on 1 April 1993, and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House. This document sets out the main objectives of the Commission and the structure of financial accountability between my Department and the Commission.

  Travellers
  Sir Cranley Onslow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures the Government propose to tackle the problem of illegal camping by gipsies.

  Mr. Baldry
  My Department and the Welsh Office issued a consultation paper "Reform of the Caravan Sites Act 1968", on 18 August 1992. The paper set out our proposals for reducing illegal camping. It was widely circulated, and we have received 939 formal responses, copies of which are in the Department's library. A list of the responses is in the Library of the House.

  Responses were received from local authorities, police authorities, the churches, farmers, landowners, members of the public and, not least, gipsies and other travellers. Most respondents acknowledged the deficiencies of the present arrangements for providing caravan sites for gipsies, although few made any constructive suggestions for change.

  The existing system of local authorities' providing caravan sites has not yielded sufficient accommodation for gipsies. Nor has it reduced the incidence of illegal camping, which can be an intolerable nuisance for residents of the
  290
  settled community. The Government consider that local authorities should have stronger powers to deal quickly and effectively with illegal camping, and that the Exchequer should no longer have an open-ended commitment to meet gipsies' accommodation needs; more gipsies should be encouraged to find their own sites.

  Accordingly, as soon as parliamentary time allows, my right hon. and learned Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales propose to give local authorities in England and Wales a new power to direct trespassers to remove their caravans from land; failure to comply with such a direction would be a criminal offence. They also propose that it would be a criminal offence if, having left, the traveller returns to the same land as a trespasser within three months. Local authorities would then have the power to evict on receipt of a magistrate's order. They propose that the duty which the 1968 Act places on local authorities to provide caravan sites for gipsies will be repealed although local authorities would be given a discretionary power to do so. They also propose the repeal of the Secretary of State's powers to direct and designate local authorities, and to provide grant for sites.

  After consideration of the responses to the consultation paper they have decided that it is not necessary to give authorities a power to seize caravans. Nor do they now propose to offer financial assistance to gipsies to move into conventional housing, although they continue to believe that gipsy families who wish to make that move should be encouraged to do so.

  Finally, they will issue for public consultation shortly new draft guidance to local planning authorities. Their intention is that the draft guidance and their legislative proposals should put gipsies in the same position as other developers under the planning system; but also should ensure that the system recognises gipsies' special accommodation needs. It should enhance gipsies' confidence in the planning system, and lead to the provision of more sites to gipsies requirements.

  The Government believe that these changes will serve better the original objectives of the 1968 Act, to provide legal sites for gipsies and to eliminate illegal camping.

  Dioxin Contamination
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further investigations have been made of dioxin contamination of soils and herbage in Derbyshire.

  Mr. Maclean
  Investigations have continued following the publication of reports by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on dioxin contamination in the Bolsover area of Derbyshire. These have identified slightly elevated levels of dioxins in a number of samples of soils and herbage at Staveley. The pattern of dioxins differs from that found in previous samples near Bolsover, suggesting a different source. Further inquiries by the inspectorate at industrial processes in the area suggest that emissions from a foundry at Staveley may be responsible. The management of the foundry have given the inspectorate their full co-operation.

  The foundry comes within the scope of local authority air pollution control under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and these findings have been conveyed to Chesterfield borough council. A copy of the findings has been placed in the Library of the House.
  291
  Human exposure to dioxin contamination in the area would be most likely to arise through consumption of locally produced fatty foods, such as milk. Samples of milk from two farms close to the plant, taken in 1991, were well within the normal range for urban/industrial areas, and not a cause for concern. There is no reason at present to suppose that the manner of operation of the plant has changed significantly since 1991, but as a precautionary measure my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is now arranging for further milk samples to be taken.

  Departmental Cash Limits
  Mr. Trend
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes he proposes to make to his Department's cash limits for 1992–93 and 1993–94.

  Mr. Howard
  I propose to make the following changes:(i) The DOE/OES non-voted cash limit for 1992–93 will be increased by £48,083,000 from £109,016,000 to £157,099,000. The provision of additional supplementary credit approvals will enable local authorities to raise finance to fulfil their obligations to contribute part of the cost of certain roads built by the Commission for the New Towns in England. The increase, which is exceptionally high as it includes provision for the capitalisation of contributions from Buckinghamshire County Council in respect of earlier years, will be wholly offset by a counterbalancing Commission for the New Towns receipt (see (iii) (c) below).
  (ii) The DOE/LACAP non-voted cash limit for 1992–93 will be increased by £7,881,000 from £2,943,088,000 to £2,950,969,000. The provision of £6,231,000 additional supplementary credit approvals will enable Warrington BC, Milton Keynes BC and The Wrekin BC to purchase residual rented housing stock from the Commission for the New Towns in England; this increase is wholly offset by a counterbalancing receipt for the Commission. It also includes a transfer of £150,00 in respect of essential repairs to a number of properties included in the bulk transfer of housing to Warrington BC. It also includes £1,500,000 of supplementary credit approvals transferred from 1993–94 to take account of a revised forecast of the profile of supplementary credit approvals to offset some categories of commutation losses.
  (iii) The DOE/NT (New Towns) non-voted cash limit for 1992–93 will be increased by £137,186,000 from minus £293,636,000 to minus £156,450,000. This net increase is the result of the following individual changes:

  (a) an increase of £191,650,000, reflecting the effect on receipts of the present state of the property market;

  (b) a reduction of £150,000 resulting from the need to finance essential repairs to properties transferred to Warrington BC as described in (ii) above; and

  (c) reductions of £48,083,000 and £6,231,000 resulting from additional receipts from local authorities financed by the cash limit increases described in (i) and (ii) above respectively

  (iv) The External Finance Limit for Letchworth Garden City Corporation in 1992–93 will be increased by £650,000 from minus £650,000 to zero. This reflects changes in the Corporation's financing profile as a result of the continuing depression in the property market.
  (v) The DOE/LACAP non-voted cash limit for 1993–94 will be reduced by £1,500,000 from £2,462,975,000 to £2,461,475,000, reflecting the revised forecast of the profile of supplementary credit approvals to offset some categories of commutation losses.
  These changes will either be offset or charged to the Reserve, and will not therefore add to the planning total of public expenditure.

  Commercial Property Leases
  Mr. Thomason
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals the Government have to reform the basis for commercial property leases.
  292
  Sir George Young
  My right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor has today announced that the Government propose to implement the Law Commission Report (No. 174) "Landlord and Tenant Law: Privity of Contract and Estate" for future, but not for existing leases.

  The Government have been conscious of other concerns about the operation of commercial property leases. They have no intention of legislating in any way that would alter the terms in existing contracts. However, the Government will shortly produce a consultation paper inviting views on three aspects of commercial leasing which have been causing concern:
  Upward Only Rent Reviews;
  Confidentiality clauses;
  and dispute resolution procedures.

  We will consult widely with interested bodies and will carefully consider the outcome before deciding whether it would be appropriate to introduce legislation on these issues in relation to new leases.

  Hazardous Waste Incineration
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment 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.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 22 March 1993]: Since the draft directive was adopted by the European Commission in March last year, there have been several discussions between the Commission and experts from member states, including the United Kingdom, on the draft. I attended a meeting of the Environment Council on 23 March at which the Council took note of a progress report on the draft.

  Quality Assurance
  Mr. Dover
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider requiring consultants used directly or indirectly by his Department to achieve BS 5750 quality assurance, and to provide appropriate warranties, where structural safety, ground stabilisation, treatment of ground pollution contamination, methane and radon are concerned.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 26 March 1993]: It is for each consultant who chooses to tender for contracts let by, on behalf of, or in connection with grant-aid from my Department to establish in his or her own way his or her ability to carry out the work specified and to arrange whatever indemnities or warranties are appropriate. BS 5750 is not necessarily the appropriate way to demonstrate "quality assurance" in every case.

  Rechem Plant, Pontypool
  Mr. Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for Wales of 17 March,Official Report,column 259,what was the outcome of Her Majesty's Government's representations to the German Government concerning the import of toxic waste to the Rechem plant at Pontypool.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]:I have nothing to add to the answer which I give the hon. Member on 30 March 1993.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which local authorities are known to his Department(a)to be debt free and (b)to have become debt free in 1992–93.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]:I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Teignbridge (Mr. Nicholls) on 30 March 1993.

  Information on those authorities which have eliminated their longer-term, external debt during 1992–93 and will become debt free for capital control purposes in 1993–94 is not yet available.

  Wildlife Trade (Italy)
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what guidance the United Kingdom Government have received from the EC secretariat of CITES regarding wildlife trade with Italy.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: The CITES secretariat, which is not linked to the EC, informed us in February of the suspension of the Standing Committee's earlier recommendations that sanctions should be taken against Italy. The United Kingdom was an observer when the Committee met earlier this month and accepted the secretariat's advice that sanctions could be lifted permanently.

  CITES
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment following the relaxation of border controls within the EC on 1 January, what action he will take to ensure that the United Kingdom does not contravene guidance issued by the EC secretariat of CITES.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: My Department will continue to act upon relevant guidance from the CITES secretariat in Lausanne. I am not aware of any specific guidance directed towards the United Kingdom about the introduction of the single market.

  Council Tax
  Mr. Henderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing in each authority and by region(a)the number of people and (b)the number of households gaining and losing from the introduction of the council tax.

  Mr. Howard
  I estimate that, before taking account of council tax benefit, some 9 million households in England will be paying less under the council tax than under the community charge.

  More households will gain when allowance is made for council tax benefit. At present I expect that, after allowing for council tax benefit, about six out of 10 households will gain. I am placing in the Library tables showing council tax levels and budgets for local authorities in England with community charge and rates comparisons. I will write to the hon. Member shortly giving detailed information on gainers and losers net of council tax benefit by area.

TRANSPORT

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department last conducted surveys of(a)the ethnic origins and (b)women among its employees; when it next plans to do so; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  A survey was conducted into the ethnic origins of all employees of the Department of Transport and its agencies for whom this information was not already known in October 1992. Surveys into the ethnic origin of new entrants to the Department are conducted every month.

  The gender of employees is recorded for all staff on the Department's computerised personnel information system.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are(a)women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c)disabled people.

  Mr. Norris
  At 24 March 1993 the following numbers and percentages of(a)women, (b)ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people were employed in the Department of Transport and its agencies.

  (a) Women

  (b) Ethnic Minorities

  (c) Registered Disabled People

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.1

  Number

  Per cent.

  Grade 1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Grade 2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Grade 3

  3

  9·4

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Grade 4

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Grade 5

  8

  7·3

  1

  1·0

  0

  0

  Grade 6

  7

  4·7

  6

  4·2

  0

  0

  Grade 7

  74

  9·5

  23

  3·2

  0

  0

  Overall in the Department

  7,144

  45·9

  731

  5·2

  202

  1·3

  1 Figures show ethnic minority staff as a percentage of those whose ethnic origin is known.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people, respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.

  Mr. Norris
  Recruitment to top grades in the Department of Transport is undertaken on its behalf by the civil service commissioners. Recruits to the senior grades, as to any grade in the civil service, are selected on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under the Civil Service Order in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the civil service commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community including:extending links with institutions of higher education;
  equal opportunities training for those involved in selection;
  using validated selection procedures.

  Dock Labour
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he takes to monitor the extent of the use of casual employment in former scheme ports after the end of the dock labour scheme and its compliance with the provisions of the Dock Work Act 1989; and if he will make a statement.
  295
  Mr. Norris
  It is a matter for the port employers to decide what work force they need for their operations. There is no requirement under the Dock Work Act 1989 for information on casual employment to be made available to the Government.

  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the number of(a)full-time, (b)trained and (c)casual dock workers working in each of the former scheme ports in each of the last five years and as of 1 March.

  Mr. Norris
  Numbers of permanent employed dock workers and cargo handlers, and the number of temporary

  Dockers and Cargo Handlers at Scheme and Ex-Scheme Ports 1989–92

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Port

  Permanent dock workers

  Temporary dock workers

  Total

  Permanent dock workers

  Temporary dock workers

  Total

  Permanent dock workers

  Temporary dock workers

  Total

  Permanent dock workers

  Temporary dock workers

  Total

  London

  2,179

  0

  2,179

  1,596

  0

  1,596

  1,245

  0

  1,245

  1,128

  0

  1,128

  Medway

  697

  2

  699

  580

  64

  644

  524

  47

  571

  487

  8

  495

  Whistable

  5

  0

  5

  4

  1

  5

  7

  0

  7

  5

  12

  17

  Southampton

  1,090

  9

  1,099

  882

  9

  891

  852

  22

  874

  623

  7

  630

  Poole

  109

  0

  109

  104

  0

  104

  100

  0

  100

  98

  0

  98

  Plymouth

  48

  0

  48

  46

  0

  46

  39

  0

  39

  46

  0

  46

  Fowey

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4

  0

  4

  2

  0

  2

  Par

  98

  0

  98

  37

  0

  37

  30

  0

  30

  35

  0

  35

  Falmouth

  7

  0

  7

  7

  0

  7

  6

  0

  6

  37

  0

  37

  Portland

  19

  2

  21

  5

  5

  10

  4

  0

  4

  10

  6

  16

  Charlestown

  3

  0

  3

  3

  0

  3

  3

  0

  3

  2

  0

  2

  Truro

  5

  0

  5

  5

  0

  5

  4

  0

  4

  4

  0

  4

  Penzance

  17

  4

  21

  5

  0

  5

  13

  0

  13

  11

  0

  11

  Newlyn

  4

  0

  4

  4

  0

  4

  5

  0

  5

  —

  —

  —

  Bristol

  557

  0

  557

  476

  0

  476

  187

  0

  187

  205

  0

  205

  Sharpness and Gloucester

  69

  14

  83

  58

  0

  58

  51

  0

  51

  41

  0

  41

  Newport

  244

  0

  244

  154

  10

  164

  66

  0

  66

  48

  0

  48

  Cardiff

  224

  0

  224

  59

  0

  59

  52

  0

  52

  55

  0

  55

  Barry

  116

  0

  116

  95

  0

  95

  91

  0

  91

  90

  0

  90

  Port Talbot

  40

  0

  40

  40

  0

  40

  36

  0

  36

  34

  0

  34

  Swansea

  129

  0

  129

  40

  11

  51

  40

  11

  51

  103

  41

  144

  Liverpool

  1,266

  4

  1,270

  753

  5

  758

  475

  6

  481

  573

  17

  590

  Manchester

  338

  6

  344

  237

  8

  245

  179

  0

  179

  150

  0

  150

  Fleetwood

  49

  0

  49

  1

  0

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Whitehaven

  24

  0

  24

  14

  0

  14

  15

  0

  15

  15

  0

  15

  Workington

  28

  0

  28

  21

  0

  21

  25

  0

  25

  22

  0

  22

  Silloth

  3

  3

  6

  1

  0

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Garston

  112

  0

  112

  82

  3

  85

  58

  4

  62

  56

  0

  56

  Barrow

  14

  4

  18

  14

  4

  18

  13

  10

  23

  16

  0

  16

  Ayr

  26

  0

  26

  12

  0

  12

  12

  0

  12

  10

  0

  10

  Clyde

  262

  0

  262

  185

  9

  194

  146

  0

  146

  113

  0

  113

  Irvine

  3

  0

  3

  6

  0

  6

  6

  0

  6

  3

  0

  3

  Greenock

  37

  0

  37

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Aberdeen

  286

  0

  286

  149

  34

  183

  170

  37

  207

  167

  19

  186

  Dundee

  113

  7

  120

  58

  8

  66

  53

  7

  60

  25

  8

  33

  Forth

  380

  0

  380

  348

  0

  348

  301

  0

  301

  374

  0

  374

  Blyth

  88

  0

  88

  48

  0

  48

  57

  1

  58

  42

  0

  42

  Tyne

  246

  3

  249

  165

  3

  168

  136

  0

  136

  230

  0

  230

  Sunderland

  71

  7

  78

  48

  7

  55

  53

  7

  60

  50

  7

  57

  Seaham

  26

  0

  26

  15

  0

  15

  18

  0

  18

  12

  0

  12

  Tees and Hartlepool

  702

  6

  708

  617

  12

  629

  497

  24

  521

  457

  16

  473

  Hull

  842

  60

  902

  532

  121

  653

  381

  121

  502

  381

  110

  491

  Goole

  201

  0

  201

  129

  2

  131

  75

  17

  92

  52

  3

  55

  Grimsby and Immingham

  867

  50

  917

  467

  60

  527

  394

  66

  460

  429

  65

  494

  Boston

  111

  0

  111

  74

  0

  74

  75

  0

  75

  59

  0

  59

  Wisbech

  13

  0

  13

  7

  0

  7

  7

  0

  7

  —

  —

  —

  Kings Lynn

  88

  0

  88

  20

  0

  20

  27

  1

  28

  30

  0

  30

  Great Yarmouth

  193

  5

  198

  122

  9

  131

  206

  9

  215

  163

  9

  172

  Lowestoft

  55

  0

  55

  24

  0

  24

  22

  3

  25

  25

  2

  27

  Ipswich

  366

  0

  366

  249

  10

  259

  222

  6

  228

  204

  14

  218

  Total

  12,470

  186

  12,656

  8,598

  395

  8,993

  6,982

  399

  7,381

  6,722

  344

  7,066

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many dock workers were employed at the time of the 296
  dock workers, recorded in the annual survey of port manpower carried out by the British Ports Federation, are shown in the table. The figures for permanent employees include others in addition to registered dock workers, and all figures refer to the number of employees in employment on a specified day in March or April each year. The annual survey is no longer carried out, and thus figures are not available for 1 March 1993.

  Statistics on numbers of trained employees are not centrally available. It is the responsibility of port employers to ensure that both permanent and temporary staff are adequately trained.

  abolition of the dock labour scheme; what percentage of dock workers have since been made redundant; and what is the total cost of redundancy payments to date.
  297
  Mr. Norris
  At the time of the abolition of the dock labour scheme there were 9,220 registered dock workers. Of these, 7,074, or 76·7 per cent., subsequently received redundancy payments under the terms of the Dock Work (Compensation Payments Scheme) Regulations 1989. The total cost of these payments has amounted to £231·3 million, of which my Department's contribution was £132 million.

  Civil Aviation Authority (Licences)
  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, in relation to any application by a new airline for a licence to fly from a United Kingdom airport or airstrip, (1) he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to consider whether any of the promoters of a new airline have been criticised by any public body on a previous occasion for their stewardship of private or public assets or concerns and to publish their findings in full;

  (2) he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to consider the appropriateness of the safety precautions available and in use at the particular airport or airstrip, taking specifically into account the population density around the proposed touchdown and takeoff points and to publish their findings and the reasons therefor;

  (3) he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to consider the extent of studies made by the applicant into the environmental effects of the particular services it proposes to operate and to publish their findings and the reasons therefor;

  (4) he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to consider the financial backgrounds and reputations of both the operator and its promoters and to publish both their findings and the reasons therefor;

  (5) he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to consider the extent to which the proposed licensed service is duplicated from the same or nearby airport or airstrip and to publish their findings and the reasons therefor;

  (6) he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to consider the extent of the studies made by the applicant into the suitability of the particular airport or airstrip for taking off or landing in full or partial darkness, and to publish their findings and the reasons therefor;

  (7) he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to consider the maximum load factor for any of the range of aircraft that might be usable under the proposed licence and to publish their findings and the reasons therefor;

  (8) he will direct the Civil Aviation Authority to publish full details as supplied to it of any application by a new airline, or by an existing airline to fly from or to a new location in the United Kingdom for a licence for a scheduled service, with effect from 24 March;

  (9) if, in relation to any application by a new airline for a licence to fly from a United Kingdom airport or airstrip, he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to consider the appropriateness of the noise levels of the aircraft proposed to be used for the service to be licensed to the airport or airstrip concerned and to publish their findings and the reasons therefor;

  (10) if, in relation to any application by a new airline for a licence to fly from a United Kingdom airport or airstrip, he will request the Civil Aviation Authority to consider whether any of the promoters of a new airline have a criminal record and to publish their findings in full.

  Mr. Norris
  No. The process of licensing airlines in the United Kingdom is covered by EC Regulation 2407/92 on 298
  the licensing of air carriers. This has been implemented in the United Kingdom by the Licensing of Air Carriers Regulations 1992. Any carrier satisfying the requirements laid down is entitled to an operating licence and becomes a Community air carrier. Duly licensed Community air carriers are entitled to virtually unrestricted access to all intra-EC air routes where the airports concerned are open for civil aviation, irrespective of whether a similar service is already available. Where environmental problems exist member states may impose transparent and non-discriminatory restrictions on the operation of particular routes.

  There are no routes in the United Kingdom for which the use of this provision has been requested. Such matters as aircraft load limitations, aerodrome safety and aerodrome opening hours are considered by the CAA, but not as part of the licensing process. All aircraft landing or taking off in the United Kingdom have to meet the requirements of the Air Navigation (Noise Certification) Order 1990.

  Ferries (Licensing)
  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the role of his Department in the licensing of scheduled ferries to any destination in balancing demand and provision.

  Mr. Norris
  The Department has no such role. However, surveyors from the Department's Surveyor General's Organisation carry out surveys on United Kingdom-flagged ferries to ensure compliance with statutory safety standards. Foreign-flagged ferries are also inspected under the port state control arrangements for compliance with international standards.

  Channel Tunnel Rail Link
  Mr. Trotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the difference in journey time for passenger trains between the north of the country and the continent if they are routed to St. Pancras rather than King's Cross.

  Mr. Freeman
  There is no appreciable difference. Journey times are similar on the rail link routes into St. Pancras and King's Cross, and between the stations and the east coast main line and the west coast main line. All trains have to stop so that officials undertaking on-train border controls can join or depart and for train crews to be changed. No additional time would be taken at St. Pancras as a result of the trains leaving the station in the same direction as they arrive.

  Rose Grove to Colne Rail Line
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make finance available to British Rail to allow the track between Rose Grove and Colne in Lancashire to be maintained to a standard which will enable speed restrictions to be lifted.

  Mr. Freeman
  Decisions on railway maintenance are entirely matters for the management of British Rail. Subsidy is made available to British Rail as a lump sum. It is for British Rail to allocate this money to particular lines and services.

  Rail Speed Restrictions
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of British Rail track are subject to speed restrictions caused by reduced maintenance resulting from reductions in the public service obligation grant.

  Mr. Freeman
  PSO grant has not been reduced. £1,150 million is being paid for 1992–93, compared with £900 million for 1991–92 and £600 million for 1990–91.

  A66-A1 Intersection
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the feasibility study into a four-way intersection between the A66(M) and the A1(M) will be completed and published.

  Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
  There is no feasibility study being undertaken specifically into a four-way intersection between the A66(M) and the A1(M).

  A study to inform the Secretary of State of the longer-term requirements of the Al (M) between Barton and Birtley will be completed in the near future. An assessment of all the interchanges on this section of motorway is being carried out as part of the study.

  Search and Rescue
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria his Department uses in its recommendations for coverage for search and rescue helicopter deployments for(a)day time and (b)night time.

  Mr. Norris
  The Department of Transport uses criteria agreed by the United Kingdom Search and Rescue committee which states that search and rescue helicopters should be deployed so that points 40 nautical miles from the coast can be reached within one hour by day in good weather and those at 100 nautical miles from the coast can be reached within two hours by night or in bad weather.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Missing Giros
  Sir John Wheeler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the value is of stolen or missing giro payments from the Department of Social Security for the most recent 12-month period.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The administration of the payment of benefit by girochdque is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will reply to my hon. Friend with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.

  Letter from David Riggs to Sir John Wheeler, dated 30 March 1993.
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is the responsibility of Mr. Michael Bichard to answer questions about relevant operational matters. However, as Mr. Bichard is away at the moment, I am replying on his behalf to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what the value is of stolen or missing girocheque payments from the Department of Social Security for the most recent 12 month period.
  300
  The most recent period for which figures are available is from April 1991 to March 1992. During this period just over 36 million girocheques were issued by the Department of Social Security of which 86,000 or 0·237% were stolen or missing. Those stolen or missing had a value of £8,156,619.
  Additionally, the Employment Service acts as our agent in the issue of girocheques to those who are unemployed and claiming income support. However the Employment Service is not able to separately identify these; the figures cannot therefore be included.
  I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report.A copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects that Mrs. Ralia J.L. Cox, 1 Ronald place, Ely, Cardiff, NI number ZP 553255D, will receive a copy of her medical records requested on 25 September 1992 in relation to her claim for disability living allowance.

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

  Letter from David Riggs to Mr. Rhodri Morgan, dated 30 March 1993.
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is the responsibility of Mr. Michael Bichard to answer questions about relevant operational matters. However, as Mr. Richard is away at the moment I am replying on his behalf to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking when he expects that Mrs. Ralia J.L. Cox, 1 Ronald Place, Ely, Cardiff, NI Number ZP553255D, will receive a copy of her medical records requested on 25th September 1992 in relation to her claim for disability living allowance.
  I understand that the Disability Living Allowance Unit has already written to you separately and in greater detail about this matter on 5 March 1993. I can now confirm that copies of the medical records that are currently available to us were sent to Mrs. Cox on 25 March 1993.
  I am sorry for the delay in sending the records to Mrs. Cox. Staff are aware of the need to respond quickly to requests from our customers for such information. You will be aware from Mr. Bichard's letter of 19 October 1992 to all MPs of the problems the Benefits Agency has faced since the launch of DLA and the positive steps taken to improve the service to our customers so that we will be able to give the standard of service to which every customer is entitled and which we want to deliver.
  I hope that you will find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Charter Standard Statement
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much it cost to produce the charter standard statement recently distributed by the Benefits Agency.

  Mr. Burt
  The Benefits Agency charter Standard statement is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.

  Letter from David Riggs to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 30 March 1993.
  As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is the responsibility of Mr. Michael Bichard to answer questions about relevant operational matters. However, as Mr. Richard is away at the moment, I am replying on his behalf to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for

  301
  Social Security asking how much it cost to produce the Charter Standard Statement recently distributed by the Benefits Agency.
  There have been three hundred and twelve thousand (312,000) copies of the Charter Standard Statement produced and distributed at a cost of £136,273.
  I hope that you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.

  Marginal net income deduction rales including social security.Numbers with marginal deduction rates at or above each level.1993–94 Estimates1

  (000s)

  100 per cent.

  90 per cent.

  80 per cent

  70 per cent

  60 per cent

  50 per cent

  40 per cent.

  nil

  100

  215

  545

  565

  565

  610

  Note: Calculated for benefit units in receipt of income related benefits where at least one partner works 16 hours a week or more. Estimates are cumulative and rounded to the nearest 5,000.

  Estimated number of taxpayers liable to income lax above basic rates.

  Tax payers liable at higher rate (000s)

  Percentage

  1990–91

  1991–922

  1992–932

  1993–942

  40 per cent

  1,700

  1,600

  1,600

  1,600

  Notes;

  1 1992–93 figures based 1988, 1989 and 1990 Family Expenditure Surveys.

  2 Provisional estimates projected from the 1990–91 Survey of Personal Income.

  Income-related Benefits
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the full-year cost of increasing all income-related benefits by(a)2·4 per cent. and (b)1·1 per cent. in 1993–94.

  Mr. Burt
  The estimated cost is in the table:

  Table 1

  Average weekly1 earnings (adults) £

  Weekly upper3 profits limit £ (UPL)

  UPL as a percentage of average earnings Per cent.

  Number of people4 Thousands

  Estimated effect on NI revenues5 £ Million

  April 1978

  78·60

  120·00

  152·7

  —

  —

  April 1992

  304·60

  405·00

  133·0

  150

  -100

  April 1993

  2320·00

  420·00

  131·3

  150

  -100

  Table 2

  Average weekly1 earnings (adults) £

  Weekly lower3 profits limit (LPL) £

  LPL as a percentage of average earnings Per cent.

  Estimated number6 of additional contributors Thousands

  Estimated effect on NI revenues5 £ Million

  April 1978

  78·60

  38·50

  49·0

  —

  —

  April 1992

  304·60

  117·70

  38·6

  300

  +150

  April 1993

  2320·00

  121·90

  38·1

  300

  +150

  1 Average weekly full time earnings of all adults.Source: New Earnings Survey

  2 Assumes a rise in average earnings of 5 per cent. rounded to the nearest £.

  3 The LPL and UPL are annual limits, but for the purpose of comparison with the earlier replies they have been converted into weekly limits.

  4 The estimated number of people with earnings above the UPL but below the level which would have applied had the UPL been increased in line with average earnings since 1978–79.

  Marginal Tax Rates
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update the answer of 25 February,Official Report,column 682,on the numbers of people facing different marginal tax rates, giving an estimate for 1993–94.

  Mr. Burt
  The information is in the tables.

  Percentage increase in income-related benefits

  Cost for all income-related benefits £ million

  2·4

  820

  1·1

  380

  Notes:

  Modelled using 1988–89–90 Family Expenditure Survey, uprated to 1993–94 levels of income, prices and benefit rates.

  National Insurance Contributions
  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 19 January,Official Report,column 210,if he will give similar figures on the effect of levels of the lower and upper profits limits for national insurance contributions on the numbers of contributors and the revenues raised.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The information requested is in the tables.
  303
  5 The estimated effect on NI revenue as a result of increases in the LPL and UPL since 1978–79 by the level of prices rather than earnings.

  6 The estimated additional number of people who pay Class 4 National Insurance contributions as a result of increases in the lower profits limit since 1978–79 by the level of prices rather than earnings.

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the Child Support Agency will start operations; what its performance targets will be; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The Child Support Agency, the latest next steps executive agency of the Department of Social Security, will start operations on 5 April 1993, providing a comprehensive child maintenance service. I have set the agency the following performance targets for 1993–94:60 per cent. of people with care of children making eligible applications to the Agency to have maintenance arranged.
  Annual benefit savings—£530 million.
  65 per cent. of clients to regard the service as satisfactory.
  To manage the Agency's resources so as to deliver its business plan within a total budget of £115 million.

  I have today placed in the Library the agency's framework document, business plan for 1993–94 Child Support Agency charter. I have also placed in the Library the child support manual and field operations guide which will provide the operational guidance used by child support officers and staff.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans there are for the child support adjudication guide to be published; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The child support adjudication guide is being published by HMSO today and copies will be placed in the Library of the House. The guide contains detailed guidance from the chief child support officer on how child support officers should interpret the new laws on maintenance assessments from 5 April. This will be invaluable to child support officers in interpreting the law, but it should also prove useful to outside agencies in providing help and advice to their clients.

  The publication of the guidance reflects our commitment to being open about the working of the new child support legislation. In line with the citizen's charter, it represents another move towards greater openness generally in the Department.

  Low Incomes
  Mrs. Currie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he intends to provide a response to the Social Security Select Committee second report, "Low Income Statistics: Low Income Families 1979 to 1989".

  Mr. Burt
  I have today laid before Parliament Command Paper Cm. 2172 which forms the Government response to the Select Committee report.

  National insurance contributions as a percentage of total household income by region

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  United Kingdom

  4·2

  4·1

  4·0

  4·0

  4·0

  3·6

  3·1

  North

  4·2

  4·2

  4·1

  4·2

  4·2

  3·8

  3·3

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  4·2

  4·2

  4·0

  4·1

  4·1

  3·7

  3·2

  East Midlands

  4·4

  4·3

  4·2

  4·2

  4·2

  3·7

  3·2

  East Anglia

  4·0

  4·0

  3·8

  3·8

  3·9

  3·4

  3·0

  Departmental Travel Costs
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is the total sum spent from his Department's budget on Ministers' travel costs and expenses for travel between Britain and France since April 1992;

  (2) what is the total sum spent from his Department's budget on travel costs and expenses (a)for foreign travel overall and (b)for travel between Britain and France since April 1992.

  Mr. Lilley
  The sum spent by the Department of Social Security since April 1992 on foreign travel costs is as follows:

  (a) Foreign travel costs and expenses overall = £403,600

  (b) The travel costs between Britain and France since April 1992 = £26,735

  Spending on fares for Ministers' travel between Britain and France amounts to £4,688. Information about related expenses is not readily available.

  Smoke Detectors
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what priority is given to battery and mains-operated smoke detectors in relation to applications for community care grants from the social fund for the purchase of essential furnishings; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  The priority given to any application will depend on the circumstances of each case. A social fund officer has to take account of the general guidance on priorities issued by the Secretary of State and the local guidance issued by the area social fund officer. The guidance helps social fund officers but is not binding; social fund officers must use their discretion and decide each case on its merits. A copy of the Secretary of State's guidance is available in the Library.

  In practice, since smoke alarms are usually inexpensive, most applications would fall outside the £30 minimum award for grants.

  National Insurance
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the proportion of average household income in each region being paid through national insurance contributions in each year from 1978–79 to 1996–97.

  Miss Widdecombe
  [holding answer 29 March 1993]:The table shows the available information, relating to employees' national insurance contributions as a percentage of household income by region, for the calendar years 1984 to 1990. Regional estimates of household income have not been compiled for years prior to 1984, and estimates for 1991 will be published in the May 1993 issue of "Economic Trends".
  305

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  South East of which:

  4·2

  4·1

  4·0

  4·0

  3·9

  3·5

  3·1

  Greater London

  4·3

  4·3

  4·1

  4·1

  4·1

  3·6

  3·2

  Rest of South East

  4·1

  4·0

  3·9

  3·9

  3·8

  3·4

  3·0

  South West

  3·8

  3·7

  3·5

  3·6

  3·7

  3·4

  2·9

  West Midlands

  4·4

  4·4

  4·2

  4·2

  4·3

  3·8

  3·3

  North West

  4·3

  4·2

  4·1

  4·2

  4·2

  3·7

  3·2

  England

  4·2

  4·1

  4·0

  4·0

  4·0

  3·6

  3·1

  Wales

  3·9

  4·0

  3·9

  3·9

  4·0

  3·5

  3·1

  Scotland

  4·2

  4·1

  4·0

  4·0

  4·2

  3·7

  3·2

  Northern Ireland

  4·4

  4·0

  3·8

  3·8

  3·8

  3·2

  2·9

  Notes:

  1. Total household income based on the National Accounts definition of household income.

  2. Regional estimates consistent with the data published in the Regiona national estimates published in the 1991 Blue Book.

  3. Regional breakdown of employees' national insurance contributions based on one per cent. sample of records held by Department of Social Security.

  Source:Central Statistical Office.

SCOTLAND

  North Ayrshire Hospitals Trust
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the ancillary staffing levels of North Ayrshire hospitals trust.

  Mr. Stewart
  There were 508 ancillary staff in post at 30 September 1992 in the hospitals that will, from 1 April 1993, gain the status of a trust under the North Ayrshire hospitals trust.

  Excluded from this total are staff working for contracted-out services.

  Mr. McKelvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to meet Ayrshire and Arran health board to discusss transfer of North Ayrshire hospital to trust status.

  Mr. Stewart
  Responsibility for the transfer of the North Ayrshire hospitals to the North Ayrshire and Arran NHS trust is primarily a matter for the trust and Ayrshire and Arran health board. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make the appropriate orders in due course.

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to introduce grant-maintained schools in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The legislative frame-work is in place and schools have been encouraged to consider the advantages of self-governing status. At St. Mary's Episcopal primary school, Dunblane the parents voted in favour of self-government status. The school board now has one month to submit proposals to the Secretary of State.

  Community Care
  Mr. Eric Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the level of provision for community care for patients with chronic diseases.

  Mr. Stewart
  The level of provision for community care for patients with chronic diseases will vary for every 306
  patient and in all cases will reflect and respond to the needs of the individual. The aim is to secure the most effective package of services that meets the patients' and carers' needs.

  Borders Structure Plan
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received following the publication of his proposed amendments to the Borders regional structure plan.

  Mr. Stewart
  By the closing date for representations, my right hon. Friend had received 195 letters commenting on the draft modifications to the Borders regional structure plan.

  Committee of the Regions
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements he plans to make for Scottish representation on the Committee of the Regions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  The Government are still considering arrangements for Scottish representation on the Committee of the Regions.

  Water Rates (Rural Areas)
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to reduce the level of water rates in rural areas.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The level of water charges is a matter for water authorities. However grants are available under the Rural Water Supplies and Sewerage Acts 1944 to 1970 to assist capital expenditure by water authorities in rural areas. The effect can be to keep charge levels down.

  Public Expenditure
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average level of public expenditure per head in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  The level of identifiable general Government expenditure per head in Scotland in 1991–92 was £3,506. Identifiable public expenditure comprises expenditure identified as being of direct benefit to Scottish inhabitants. Other expenditure, principally on defence, is of equal
  307
  benefit to all the inhabitants of the United Kingdom. That amounted to £716 per head across the United Kingdom in 1991–92.

  European Year of Older People
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his Department's involvement and participation in the 1993 European Year of Older People; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  The Scottish Office is participating fully with other Government Departments and voluntary organisations to plan and promote a wide-ranging programme of events for the European Year of Older People and Solidarity Between Generations. A diary of events taking place in Scotland has been produced and is being added to all the time. Funding to assist with the promotion of the year in Scotland is being made available by the Scottish Office.

  Public Bodies (Safeguards)
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to give citizens legally enforceable safeguards against the abuse of power by public bodies.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  We have published Scottish charters setting out citizens' rights and entitlements. Some rights, such as the appeals procedures outlined in the parents charter, are statutory. The Housing and Urban Development Bill contains provisions which will strengthen tenants' statutory rights. We have no plans at present to add to these rights.

  There are also ordinary remedies available to citizens before the courts and through the various ombudsmen arrangements.

  Local Government Reform
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of the Touche Ross report on the costs of local government reform.

  Mr. Stewart
  The sum paid to Touche Ross for its report, the IPF survey of local authorities and subsequent work on the costs of local government reform was £55,000.

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact on trading standards and consumer protection depart-ments of his proposals for reorganising local government.

  Mr. Stewart
  A number of respondents to our recent consultation paper on local government reform have commented on the future of the trading standards service in a single-tier structure. We are giving careful consideration to all these comments.

  School Building (Gordon)
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will visit Gordon constituency to examine future school building needs.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to visit the Gordon area in connection. with school building issues.

  Beef Special Premium
  Mr. Kynoch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much he expects to pay to farmers in Scotland under the beef special premium scheme in 1993–94.

  Sir Hector Monro
  We expect to pay approximately £12·5 million to Scottish farmers under the beef special premium scheme in the financial year 1993–94.

  Scottish Government
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has had on his White Paper on "Scotland in the Union".

  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what response he has received on the White Paper, "Scotland in the Union—a Partnership for Good" (Cm 2225).

  Mr. Ian Lang
  I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave today to the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. McAllion).

  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in implementing the proposals in his recent White Paper, "Scotland in the Union—a Partnership for Good" (Cm 2225); and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  Implementation of a number of the proposals contained in the White Paper is already in hand. For example local information points and a public inquiry unit should be operational by the summer; the new oil and gas office will be opened in Aberdeen later this year; preparatory work for the various transfers of responsibility from Whitehall to the Scottish Office is proceeding. As regards parliamentary aspects of the White Paper, proposals for the amendment of Standing Orders will be brought forward in due course.

  Inverclyde Enterprise Zones
  Graham
  31.Mr. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the Inverclyde enterprise zones.

  Mr. Stewart
  The need for site clearance, servicing and infrastructure works on most of the sites, and the general economic situation, has meant that progress on the zone has been a little slower than we might have hoped. There have also been local difficulties which have contributed to delays in bringing forward sites for development.

  Nevertheless, there are extremely encouraging develop-ments on the zone. The proposed development by MIMTEC at Faulds park in particular is expected to create 400 new jobs and bring £20 million of investment to Inverclyde. The zone partners are working, with the Scottish Office, to build on this and earlier successful developments; and to ensure that the zone meets its target of creating 3,200 new jobs in the area.

  Water Investment
  Chisholm
  33. Mr. To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his policy on the continued funding of water investment by public borrowing.
  309
  Sir Hector Monro
  Under the present administrative arrangements, capital expenditure by water authorities will continue to be subject to public expenditure controls. In addition to the capital consent allocations issued by the Secretary of State, which in effect limit the extent to which authorities may borrow to fund capital expenditure, authorities can augment capital spending by the use of capital receipts and by revenue and private sector contributions. Beyond this, funding arrangements will depend on the future structure of the water and sewerage services, which my right hon. Friend is presently considering.

  Health Boards and NHS Trusts
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what scrutiny he gives to the curricula vitae of people nominated for health boards and NHS trusts.

  Mr. Stewart
  The curricula vitae of people nominated for appointment to health boards and NHS trusts receive close scrutiny as they help to identify those likely to be able to contribute to the effective running of the NHS in Scotland.

  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many ancillary workers are employed by(a)health boards and (b)hospital trusts in Scotland.

  Mr. Stewart
  At 30 September 1992 there were 20,106 ancillary staff representing 13,033 whole-time equivalents employed by health boards in Scotland. National health service trusts in Scotland employed 1,384 ancillary staff representing 938 whole-time equivalents at that date.

  Local Government (Employment)
  Mr. Oppenheim
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the current levels of employment in local government.

  Mr. Stewart
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 3 March 1993 at column 173.

  Car Theft (Strathclyde)
  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people were convicted for car theft in Strathclyde region during 1992.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information is not available in the form requested. In 1991—the latest year for which data are available—there were 1,220 persons convicted in Strathclyde police force area on a main charge of theft of a motor vehicle.

  Ambulance Service
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will place in the Library the assessments made of the likely effectiveness of the paramedic ambulance service before its introduction;

  (2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the paramedic ambulance service on mortality and morbidity of the patients previously managed by the ambulance service;

  (3) what assessments are currently being made of the effectiveness of the paramedic ambulance service; and if they will be made public.
  310
  Mr. Stewart
  Pre-hospital care is provided by GPs, ambulance staff or hospital outreach teams and research has shown that rapid response by skilled staff to a seriously ill patient enhances recovery and survival. Ambulance staff are generally the first NHS response to patients in an emergency and it was for this reason that training in more advanced lifesaving techniques was introduced to provide a better standard of pre-hospital care for patients.

  The Scottish ambulance service has appointed a consultant medical director who is an experienced consultant in accident and emergency medicine. He is responsible for supervising the training arrangements for all extended trained ambulance staff throughout Scotland and for the audit of the outcomes of their interventions in individual cases. Arrangements are in place for measuring the outcome of patients defibrillated by SAS staff. Measuring the outcome of ambulance staff intervention in other types of cases requires link-up with hospital records and and the consultant medical director is involved in identifying the means of linking the ambulance patient report form with the Scottish NHS clinical information systems.

  In line with the rest of United Kingdom, records are kept of procedures which paramedics carry out in attending to patients, but these are not as yet linked to outcome. The intention is to measure clinical outcomes as part of quality assurance of ambulance service work. When the systems allow the results will be published.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of ambulance provision in Angus district, for each hospital, in each of the past five years.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: Ambulance provision to any part of Scotland is not based on the number of hospitals in any particular district. In 1992–93 the annual direct cost of ambulance provision in the Angus area will be £840,000. Information relating to earlier years is not readily available.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what extra ambulance provision is planned as a consequence of Tayside health board's acute services review.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: 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 how many single and double-manned ambulances are currently available in Angus district.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: There are eight double-manned and two single-manned accident and emergency ambulances and seven single-manned non-emergency patient transport vehicles.

  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions have taken place with Tayside health board on the subject of ambulance services in connection with Tayside health board's acute services review.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: Officials from the Scottish Office Home and Health Department, Tayside health board and the Scottish ambulance service met on 10 February to discuss the impact on ambulance services in Angus of the options set out in the board's consultation document on its review of acute services.
  311
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many ambulances and ambulance crews are currently available in Angus district; and what were the comparable figures for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: There are currently 17 ambulances and 35 ambulance staff serving the Angus area. Staffing levels have increased by 30 per cent. since 1991. Other information over the past five years is not readily available.

  Angus Hospitals
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the value of bequests attached to each Angus hospital.

  Mr. Stewart
  The information available from the 1991–92 endowment fund report from Tayside health board shows the value of endowments at 31 March 1992 for Angus hospitals, which includes donations, bequests, endowments and revenue from endowments is as follows:

  Hospital

  Amount (£)

  Arbroath Infirmary

  19,522

  Rosemount Day Hospital

  593

  Brechin Infirmary

  1,283

  Forfar Infirmary

  10,823

  Fyfe Jamieson

  764

  Little Cairne

  9,775

  Montrose Royal Infirmary

  15,389

  Stracathro

  41,124

  Sunnyside Royal

  8,903

  Whitehills Hospital

  3,019

  Total

  111,195

  In addition to these endowments, £5,044 is held for community care units provided by the health board in the Angus area and a further £1,269,252 is held in a general fund not associated with particular hospitals.

  Hospital Admissions
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for each health board the percentage of admissions to acute beds that are(a)elective and (b)emergency.

  Mr. Stewart
  The table shows discharges in 1991, the latest year for which figures are available, from Scottish NHS hospitals by type of admmission and health board area within which treatment was received.

  Health Board of Treatment

  Admission Type Elective per cent.

  Emergency per cent.

  Argyll and Clyde

  46·0

  48·3

  Ayrshire and Arran

  51·1

  42·9

  Borders

  40·1

  51·6

  Dumfries and Galloway

  43·6

  45·1

  Fife

  52·5

  38·7

  Forth Valley

  53·9

  40·8

  Grampian

  46·1

  43·2

  Greater Glasgow

  52·8

  35·8

  Highland

  49·8

  42·8

  Lanarkshire

  43·7

  46·5

  Lothian

  47·9

  40·7

  Orkney

  42·5

  53·5

  Shetland

  54·0

  44·1

  Tayside

  45·2

  43·7

  312

  Health Board of Treatment

  Admission Type Elective per cent.

  Emergency per cent.

  Western Isles

  44·4

  51·8

  Scotland

  48·7

  51·6

  Inter-hospital transfers are not included.

  Psychiatric Beds
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many psychiatric beds are projected to close in each Scottish health board in each of the next nine years.

  Mr. Stewart
  Health boards are constantly reviewing their assessment of need and as a consequence no figures for future years are available. It remains the case that every admission to and discharge from hospital is based on individual clinical assessment.

  Electoral Rolls
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the total electorate in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland as at 16 February.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The total electorate for each parliamentary constituency in Scotland, as at 16 February 1993, is as follows:

  Parliamentary Electors: 1993 Register: by constituency (alphabetical order)

  Constituency

  Total

  SCOTLAND

  3,931,429

  Aberdeen North

  60,242

  Aberdeen South

  59,389

  Angus East

  64,223

  Argyll and Bute

  48,995

  Ayr

  66,495

  Banff and Buchan

  66,721

  Caithness and Sutherland

  31,113

  Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley

  55,821

  Central Fife

  56,491

  Clackmannan

  49,538

  Clydebank and Milngavie

  47,900

  Clydesdale

  62,978

  Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

  47,422

  Cunninghame North

  55,564

  Cunninghame South

  49,644

  Dumbarton

  57,525

  Dumfries

  61,876

  Dundee East

  58,570

  Dundee West

  59,624

  Dunfermline East

  50,700

  Dunfermline West

  51,713

  East Kilbride

  65,051

  East Lothian

  67,541

  Eastwood

  64,506

  Edinburgh Central

  57,127

  Edinburgh East

  45,779

  Edinburgh Leith

  56,662

  Edinburgh Pentlands

  56,171

  Edinburgh South

  62,330

  Edinburgh West

  59,331

  Falkirk East

  52,550

  Falkirk West

  50,220

  Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

  55,074

  Glasgow Cathcart

  44,623

  Glasgow Central

  47,963

  Glasgow Garscadden

  40,975

  Glasgow Govan

  45,629

  Glasgow Hillhead

  57,524

  Glasgow Maryhill

  48,109

  313

  Constituency

  Total

  Glasgow Pollok

  45,786

  Glasgow Provan

  36,625

  Glasgow Rutherglen

  52,903

  Glasgow Shettleston

  52,263

  Glasgow Springburn

  46,016

  Gordon

  82,654

  Greenock and Port Glasgow

  52,185

  Hamilton

  62,364

  Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber

  70,955

  Kilmarnock and Loudoun

  62,638

  Kincardine and Deeside

  68,218

  Kirkcaldy

  52,322

  Linlithgow

  61,884

  Livingston

  61,905

  Midlothian

  60,831

  Monklands East

  49,041

  Monklands West

  49,903

  Moray

  64,592

  Motherwell North

  57,955

  Motherwell South

  50,327

  North East Fife

  55,657

  North Tayside

  57,135

  Orkney and Shetland

  32,052

  Paisley North

  46,491

  Paisley South

  47,937

  Perth and Kinross

  66,672

  Renfrew West and Inverclyde

  59,430

  Ross, Cromarty and Skye

  56,967

  Roxburgh and Berwickshire

  44,201

  Stirling

  58,786

  Strathkelvin and Bearsden

  61,678

  Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale

  40,220

  Western Isles

  23,127

  Local Enterprise Companies
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in what ways the eligibility, financial and operating rules which apply to coal enterprise companies in Scotland differ from those outlined in the 1993–94 training and enterprise council operating agreement for(a)youth training and training credits, (b)training for work and (c)business start-up allowance; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  The rules which govern the delivery by local enterprise companies in Scotland of the principal Government-funded training and enterprise programmes for 1993–94 are set out in an operating agreement between Scottish Enterprise/Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the local enterprise companies which follows closely that for training and enterprise councils.

  Badger Setts
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of badger setts, by county, closed or otherwise, seriously interfered with by or under licence from his Department's officials in each month from October 1991.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The information requested is as follows:

  Month

  Number of setts

  District council area

  November 1992

  2

  Clydesdale Moray

  January 1993

  1

  Nairn

  Fisheries Protection Agency
  Mr. Gallie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about performance targets for the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency for 1993–94.

  Mr. Lang
  For the financial year 1993–94 I have set the following targets:

  Target

  Aerial surveillance—per cent, of hours flown on task

  85

  Aerial surveillance—cost per aircraft sighting (£)

  95

  Marine surveillance—number of boardings at sea

  2,500

  Marine surveillance—cost per boarding (£)

  2,625

  Sea Fisheries Inspectorate—cost per log sheet check (£)

  57

  50 per cent, of cases for prosecution to be reported within six weeks of offence being detected and 90 per cent, within eight weeks

  Number of cases where court proceedings are taken as percentage of offences reported to prosecuting authorities (per cent.)

  75

  In order to ensure that the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency uses its resources efficiently, I have set it a target to achieve cash releasing efficiency gains of 1½ per cent. over 1992–93.

  The chief executive will be directly accountable to me for the achievement of these targets, which will be reported in the agency's annual report.

  Prison Service
  Mr. Gallie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what targets he will set the Scottish prison service on achieving executive agency status; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  I have decided that, under the next steps initiative, the Scottish prison service will become an executive agency on 1 April 1993. I am arranging for copies of the framework document to be placed in the Vote Office and in the Libraries of the House. I shall remain accountable to Parliament for the activities of the Scottish prison service. I am delegating to the chief executive full managerial authority for the agency and its day-to-day operation. For the future I envisage greater flexibilities to help the Scottish prison service meet increasingly demanding targets and further improve its standards of service.

  I have set the following key performance targets for the Scottish prison service for 1993–94:

  Target

  1. The number of prisoners unlawfully at large.

  1. No 'A' category prisoners should escape.

  2. The number of escapes by 'B' category prisoners should not be higher than 2·5 per 1,000 prisoners

  2. The number of significant incidents.

  A database will be devloped and a target set from 1994–95.

  315

  Target

  3. The number of serious assaults on staff and prisoners.

  1. The number of serious assaults on staff should not be higher than 6 per 1,000 staff.

  2. The number of serious assaults on prisoners should not be higher than 11 per 1,000 prisoners.

  4. Basic quality of life for prisoners.

  By April 1994 52 per cent, of prisoners will have access to forms of night sanitation.

  5. The amount of available opportunities for prisoners' self development.

  That 80 per cent, of convicted prisoners should have the opportunity of at least 6·5 hours per working day of programmed activities.

  6. Time out of cell for unconvicted prisoners.

  On average 25 per cent, of unconvicted prisoner hours should be available for out of cell activities.

  7. Average annual cost per prisoner place.

  To keep costs within £26,170 per place available for use.

  8. The level of absence through staff sickness.

  To reduce the average number of days lost per person per year through staff sickness to 16.

  School Management
  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about devolved school management.

  Mr. Lang
  When I launched the draft guidelines for consultation in November, I said that I believed that devolving the management of schools as far as possible to the schools themselves would provide new opportunities to improve the quality of the education our children receive. I also said then that no single scheme could cover the diversity of our schools and regional differences and that that was why I was asking education authorities to devise their own schemes to suit the particular schools and the particular circumstances in their areas.

  We received well over 1,000 responses during and just after the consultation period. I am grateful to all those who responded and also to those who gave of their time to attend the working group which was set up following a suggestion in the consultation paper and which met on three occasions to consider in detail the workings of the new arrangements.

  Having carefully considered the responses made and the very helpful and constructive suggestions put, we have clarified and revised the guidelines in a number of important respects. In particular, we have recognised the concerns of many about the very tight timescale under which implementation is to proceed. That is why we have extended to end September 1993 the period within which education authorities are to submit draft schemes and why we have extended to 1 April 1997 the period in which devolved school management is to be introduced in special schools. Devolved management is still to be introduced in all primary and secondary schools by 1 April 1996.
  316
  We have also extended the number of categories which need not require to be devolved to school level to include, for example, home-to-school transport, school meals and milk and, importantly, provision for special educational needs. These measures will safeguard resources in these special areas which are pupil-led rather than school led. And we have also recognised the concerns of many school boards by building greater flexibility into the arrange-ments for consultation with head teachers on spending decisions and participation in arrangements for school staff appointments.

  I have said all along that the arrangements for devolved school management must build on the strengths of our education system. To do so most effectively they will require to forge an even stronger partnership between education authorities, head teachers, school boards, school staff, parents and pupils. That can only be to the benefit of all.

  Experience here and abroad shows conclusively that there are real benefits to be gained by devolving responsibility for day-to-day decisions down to school level. Not only is each school better able to judge its own priorities, but each education authority is also free to concentrate on the important tasks of strategic planning, quality assurance and in providing an enabling and support role for its schools. That is why I look to all sides to make the new arrangements work for the benefit of our children's education and the education of our children's children.

  Registers of Scotland
  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the targets he expects the Registers of Scotland to achieve in 1993–94.

  Mr. Lang
  I have set the registers of Scotland the following key targets for 1993–94:to reduce turnround times for recording writs on the Sasines Register from 10 to 8 weeks.
  to reduce turnround times for dealings on the Land Register not attached to a First Registration or Transfer of Part from 15·5 to 12 weeks.
  to implement the agreed Land Register extension programme.
  to reduce unit costs in real terms for each of its main categories of work by 2 per cent.

  Higher Education Funding Council
  Mr. Kynoch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in applying the next steps management approach to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The Secretary of State has now agreed a management statement with the council. This is an important part of the application of the next steps approach to executive non-departmental public bodies. The management statement describes the council's aims and objectives and their relationship with the Secretary of State and provides the broad policy and managerial framework within which the council will operate. A copy of the management statement has been placed in the Library.

  Cash Limits
  Mr. Kynoch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes he intends to make to the cash limits for 1992–93 to class XV, vote 12.

  Mr. Lang
  I intend to decrease the cash limit for class XV, vote 12: law, order, miscellaneous health and social work services, Scotland by £312,000 from £249,628,000 to £249,316,000. This is required due to increased expenditure on class XV, vote 10: police grant, legal aid, criminal injuries compensation and welfare food, Scotland which will be contained within the planning total.

  Agricultural Science Agency
  Mr. Kynoch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the performance of the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency against its targets for 1992–93 and the setting of targets for 1993–94.

  Mr. Lang
  The agency has very largely achieved the key performance targets for 1992–93, the first year of its operation, which I set out in my answer of 9 March 1992 at column 397.

  For 1993–94 I have set the agency the following key performance targets.
  completion of 95 per cent. of all scientific tests and analyses within the timescale set by the customers;
  evaluation of quality assurance schemes for all major services leading to candidature for accreditation during 1994–95;
  improvement of the quantitative indices of performance of the Agency (ie its unit costs) by at least 1·5 per cent.;
  recovery of full economic costs for charged services;
  formal consultation of the views of all customers on the quality of the work done by the Agency in 1993–94;
  completion of the first annual cycle of the accruals accounting system developed in 1992–93.

  Scottish Record Office
  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about his plans to establish the Scottish Record Office as a next steps agency.

  Mr. Lang
  I informed the House on 5 February that the Scottish Record Office was to be established as a next steps agency. It is to be launched as an agency on 1 April.

  I have set the Scottish Record Office the following key targets for its first year of operation:

  Efficiency
  to reduce the unit cost of preserving and making available the records of Scotland by 8 per cent.;

  Quality of Service
  to increase the number of catalogue pages available for public scrutiny on the electronic system from 24,600 in 1992–93 to 30,740 in 1993–94;
  to maintain the recently achieved standards of reader services: material produced for readers in 30 minutes or less in 90 per cent. of cases.
  90 per cent. of photocopying for legal customers produced in 24 hours,
  95 per cent. of correspondence dealt with in 10 days, while absorbing an expected 2 per cent. increase in demand.

  Effectiveness
  to survey the electronic and paper based information systems as a first step towards agreeing standards for the transfer of electronic records to the SRO.
  The Keeper of the Records of Scotland as the agency's chief executive will be directly accountable to me for the agency's achievements.
  I have placed a copy of the agency's framework document in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Superannuation Division
  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further statement about establishing the Scottish Office superannuation division as an executive agency.

  Mr. Lang
  As I announced on 20 November 1992 the Scottish Office superannuation division will become an executive agency on 1 April. Its main role is to administer the occupational pension schemes covering the national health service and the teaching service in Scotland, on my behalf, and to advise me on the regulation of these schemes and other superannuation schemes for which I am responsible. The agency will be known as the Scottish Office Pensions Agency (SOPA) and will continue to be part of the Scottish Office Home and Health Department.

  For 1993–94, the first year of its operation, I have set the following key targets for the agency:

  1. To complete by August 1993 an exercise to verify the accuracy and completeness of the computer based members' records.

  2. To develop an improved system for measuring customer satisfaction.

  3. To ensure that awards and transfer payments are accurate to within 2 per cent. of their value in 97 per cent. of cases.

  4. To pay on time 99 per cent. of all pensions and lump sums where the target date for receipt of claims is met.

  5. To respond to all enquiries within 3 weeks.

  6. To progress specification, procurement and implementation of new integrated IT systems to completion of tender evaluation stage.

  7. To optimise use of budgetary provision while keeping within direct running costs limits.

  8. To provide policy advice which is consistent with public service pension policy and takes account of operational objectives of Scottish Office departments, within the required timescales.

  Community Midwives
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the qualifications and training required for a local community midwife.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]:A local community midwife must have the appropriate profession-al qualifications required by section II of the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979, as amended, for admission to part 10 of the register maintained by the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC). In addition under the council's rules regulating the practice of midwives, registered midwives are required to attend courses of instruction from time to time in accordance with these rules.

  Local Government Electoral Boundaries
  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about progress in the current review of the boundaries of local government electoral areas, stating whether public inquiries can still be held and whether there will be future opportunities for making representations to the appropriate authorities before final decisions are taken.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]:To date my right hon. Friend has received reports from the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland for the three islands councils

  319
  and all regional councils other than Strathclyde. The Commission has recently commenced its programme of reviews of the 53 district councils.

  No further public inquiries can be held for the islands and regions. However, in the case of the districts, where the reviews are in progress, the commission will publish in the local press the time limits for lodging of representations and details of any public inquiries to be held. When the commission submits its reports to the Secretary of State there is a further opportunity for representations to be made about the commission's final recommendations.

  M80
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from Cumbernauld development corporation on the line of route for the M80 extension between Stepps and Haggs; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: Discussions have taken place with Cumbernauld development corporation over a number of years on the line of route for the M80 extension. A formal presention of the road proposals was made to members and officials in August 1992 and shortly afterwards the corporation expressed its strong support for the route through the Kelvin valley.

  Legal Aid
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what representations he has received from the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland concerning the proposed changes to the contributary schemes for legal aid and legal advice and assistance; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what representations he has received from the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland concerning the proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for legal aid and legal advice and assistance; and if he will make a statement;

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: The social work commissioner of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland wrote to the Scottish Office Home and Health Department on 15 March about the effect on the mentally disordered of the Government's proposed changes in eligibility for civil legal aid and advice and assistance.
  320
  The Government's intention is to ensure, in the face of considerable rises in expenditure on legal aid, that legal aid will continue to be available to the most needy. The financial circumstances of mentally disordered people will vary considerably, but it is likely that the great majority will remain eligible for civil legal aid or advice and assistance, either free of charge or with an income-related contribution.

  NHS Pay Review
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made towards the pay review for national health service workers due to take effect on 1 April; and if he will make a statement of Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the review.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: The Government's policy on pay in the public sector including the national health service was set out in my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement in the House on 12 November 1992.

  Doctors and dentists have accepted an offer of a 1·5 per cent. increase in pay and allowances with effect from 1 April 1993. Representatives of all other staff groups except clinical scientists, clinical psychologists and pharmacists are consulting their members about similar offers. Staff representatives are aware that these are final offers.

  Smoke Alarms
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Paisley, south, (Mr. McMaster) on 19 January,Official Report,column 238,if he will bring forward regulations to require smoke alarms to be fitted to existing dwellings; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 30 March 1993]: Under the Building (Scotland) Act 1959, building control operates on the principle that a warrant must be obtained before work is carried out. The Building Standards Regulations and the technical standards which support them cannot therefore be applied retrospectively. Under amendments to the regulations and standards which my right hon. Friend intends shortly to lay before Parliament the fitting of mains-operated smoke alarms will become compulsory in all new dwellings.

  AGGRAVATED TRESPASS: ILLEGAL RAVES
  AGGRAVATED TRESPASS: ILLEGAL RAVES
  IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY DEPARTMENT: COMPLAINTS
  IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY DEPARTMENT: COMPLAINTS
  MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS: PAROLE BOARD REVIEWS
  MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS: PAROLE BOARD REVIEWS
  REGIONAL CRIME SQUADS
  REGIONAL CRIME SQUADS
  YSTRADGYNLAIS AND TAWE UCHAF: POPULATION
  YSTRADGYNLAIS AND TAWE UCHAF: POPULATION
  YSTRADGYNLAIS AND TAWE UCHAF: AREA
  YSTRADGYNLAIS AND TAWE UCHAF: AREA
  LLANSILYN LLANRHAEADR YM MOCHNANT LLANGEDWYN: AREA
  LLANSILYN LLANRHAEADR YM MOCHNANT LLANGEDWYN: AREA
  LLANSILYN, LLANRHAEADR YM MOCHNANT AND LLANGEDWYN: POPULATION
  LLANSILYN, LLANRHAEADR YM MOCHNANT AND LLANGEDWYN: POPULATION
  CHANNEL RAIL LINK: TUNNELLING
  CHANNEL RAIL LINK: TUNNELLING
  COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES: MONITORING
  COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES: MONITORING
  FIRE ESCAPES: LISTED BUILDINGS
  FIRE ESCAPES: LISTED BUILDINGS
  KENYA: AID AND HUMAN RIGHTS
  KENYA: AID AND HUMAN RIGHTS
  AFGHANISTAN: UK AID
  AFGHANISTAN: UK AID
  CAMEROON: AID
  CAMEROON: AID
  SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT: RATIFICATION
  SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT: RATIFICATION
  NORTH KOREA AND THE NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
  NORTH KOREA AND THE NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
  TEAM SPIRIT EXERCISE: KOREAN PENINSULA
  TEAM SPIRIT EXERCISE: KOREAN PENINSULA
  ISRAELI BOMBING OF IRAQI NUCLEAR FACILITIES
  ISRAELI BOMBING OF IRAQI NUCLEAR FACILITIES
  ISRAELI NUCLEAR WEAPONS STOCKPILE
  ISRAELI NUCLEAR WEAPONS STOCKPILE
  MIDDLE EAST: SECURITY
  MIDDLE EAST: SECURITY
  ISRAEL: PALESTINIAN DEPORTEES
  ISRAEL: PALESTINIAN DEPORTEES
  PRIVITY OF CONTRACT AND ESTATE: REPORT
  PRIVITY OF CONTRACT AND ESTATE: REPORT
  WIDOWERS: CHILD CARE RESPONSIBILITIES
  WIDOWERS: CHILD CARE RESPONSIBILITIES
  CONSULTANCY FIRMS EMPLOYED BY MAFF
  CONSULTANCY FIRMS EMPLOYED BY MAFF
  THE DEFENCE MARRIED QUARTERS ESTATE
  THE DEFENCE MARRIED QUARTERS ESTATE
  ARMY STATIC WORKSHOPS: FUTURE
  ARMY STATIC WORKSHOPS: FUTURE
  RECYCLING: SUPPLEMENTARY CREDIT APPROVALS
  RECYCLING: SUPPLEMENTARY CREDIT APPROVALS