Written Answers of 1 December 1994

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) how many bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;

  (2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department how many are over the advised payments date (a) by up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (d) over six months, respectively.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments, however, are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. The last survey conducted in this Department showed that 89.4 per cent. of bills were paid in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Domestic Violence
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will change the legal aid scheme to provide easier access to alleged victims of domestic violence especially in regard to injunction proceedings.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  In urgent cases, an emergency legal aid certificate may be granted over the telephone. Many of those seeking injunctions already benefit from this service. Additionally, solicitors holding franchises are able to grant emergency certificates themselves on the spot.

TRANSPORT

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department of how many are over the advised payment date by(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively;
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  (2) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months.

  Mr. Norris
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Rail Electrification (North London)
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects Railtrack to begin work on enlarging Hampstead tunnel and the electrification of the line between Mitre Bridge junction and Willesden high level junction.

  Mr. Watts
  The Secretary of State has instructed Railtrack to make sure that the necessary infrastructure is completed to allow Eurostar rail services from the regions to begin by the start of 1996. The timing of individual works to achieve this is a matter for Railtrack.

  Channel Tunnel Rail Freight
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects Railtrack to begin and to complete its study into the feasibility of using the North Downs route for channel tunnel rail freight traffic; and if he will be making a statement on the findings of the study.

  Mr. Watts
  Railtrack reported to us in August 1994 that the North Downs route was not an option for channel tunnel freight trains. The scheme proposed would bring no environmental or operational benefit which might justify grant and the works required to upgrade the route would be very expensive. The proposal is therefore not being pursued.

  Rail Privatisation
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statutory powers presently given to Railtrack and railway operators he intends to pass on to the private companies who purchase these shadow companies.

  Mr. Watts
  Our general policy is that all statutory powers transferred to Railtrack and railway operators from British Rail under the provisions of the Railways Act 1993, together with the statutory powers conferred by that Act, should be passed on when Rai1track and other railway operators move into the private sector. This will be reviewed in each case prior to disposal.

  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the current legal status of Railtrack and the railway operating companies.

  Mr. Watts
  Rai1track is a company limited by shares, incorporated under the Companies Act 1985; all the shares are owned by the Government. Six passenger train operating companies have been formed. One of these— Gatwick Express Ltd.—is a wholly owned subsidiary of the board and is operating as a separate entity. The other five have not yet had the relevant parts of the board's undertaking transferred to them.
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  In addition, five freight and parcel companies have been formed, but the relevant parts of the board's undertaking have not yet been vested in them.

  Rail Safety
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration British Rail gave in 1989 to implementing advice received from Mr. John Childs regarding the introduction for single-section track of two-way radios for train drivers and exit signals at either end of the track; if following the crash at Cowden on 15 October he will take urgent steps to implement it; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Watts
  The comments Mr. Childs expressed will be considered by the inspector in the course of his inquiry into the accident at Cowden on 15 October. The arrangements relating to single lines will be considered carefully in the light of the inspector's report.

  London Underground
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what budgetary provision has been made by London Underground Ltd. to maintain the Epping to Ongar section of the Central line over the next three years.

  Mr. Watts
  This is an operational matter for London Underground Ltd.

  Minibus Seat Belts
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the dates of all meetings or correspondence he has had with European officials and representatives in respect of his proposal to introduce regulations for minibus seat belts in advance of European action; and if he will place the minutes of meetings and copies of the correspondence in the Library.

  Mr. Norris
  The Department has had a number of contacts, both formal and informal, with the European Commission at meetings, in correspondence and by telephone on the proposal to act ahead of the European Union to introduce compulsory fitment of seat belts to all minibuses and coaches used specifically for the transport of children.

  School Crossing Patrols
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the national criteria for the provision of school crossing patrols; and what discretion the police or local authorities have over providing patrols

  Mr. Norris
  The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 specifies that school crossing patrols may be provided at"places where children cross roads on their way to or from school, or from one part of a school to another, during periods between the hours of 8.00 am in the morning and 5.30 pm in the afternoon when children are so on their way".

  Subject to these requirements, the appropriate authority has discretion over providing patrols.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the research projects undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory into school crossing patrols and the criteria for the provision or crossing patrols.

  Mr. Norris
  The only TRL research project on school crossing patrols was report No. 779, published in 1977.800
  This looked at ways in which school crossing patrol officers instruct children about crossing roads.

  Rail Track Defects
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of railway track have speed restrictions imposed as a result of track defects or insufficient maintenance.

  Mr. Watts
  Railtrack does not keep a central record of track mileage bearing temporary speed restrictions.

  Bridges and Viaducts
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the annual cost of maintaining railway bridges and viaducts in(a) north-west England and (b) England.

  Mr. Watts
  The cost of maintaining railway bridges and viaducts in Railtrack's north-west zone, which includes north Wales but excludes the west coast main line, is around £5 million a year. The cost for England and Wales is approximately £50 million. Figures excluding Wales are not available.

  Motorway Signs
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria are used to justify the addition or the removal of towns and cities from motorway direction signs.

  Mr. Watts
  The main criteria are traffic importance, the requirement to maintain continuity of signing for long-distance traffic, and the number of destinations that can be read by drivers in the time available. The principles of directional signing are explained in "The Design and Use of Directional Informatory Signs"—Local Transport Note 1/94—published by HMSO.

  Trains (Black Boxes)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the black box revealed in respect of the cause of the train crash on the 2 November on the Thames line service at Slough, Berkshire; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Watts
  The Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate is still investigating this accident.

  The results of the investigation and any recommendations made will be discussed with British Rail and/or Railtrack.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information sought is as follows:

  (a) Political advisers to the Secretary of State for Transport:

  Miss E. Buchanan; from September 1987 to November 1990.

  Mr. P. J. E. Miller; from January 1991 to March 1992.

  Mrs. E. F. Laing; from April 1992 to July 1994.

  Mr. M. G. E. Simmonds; from October 1994 to date.

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  (b) Special advisers with expert knowledge in particular fields:

  Professor B. J. Hoskins, special adviser on the global environmental aspects of transport policies, from February 1990 to November 1990.

  Sir Christopher Foster, special adviser on British rail privatisation, from June 1992 to November 1993.

  Sir Idris Pearce, special adviser on British Rail privatisation property issues, from June 1992 to July 1994.

  Mr. R. B. Salmon, special adviser on British Rail privatisation, from January 1993 to November 1993.

  Mr. J. Swift, special adviser on British Rail privatisation, from January 1993 to November 1993.

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable and the salary spine reflects this.

  Ministerial Speeches
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what occasions since 1979 civil servants in his Department have been asked to draft speeches of a constituency nature for use in a Minister's own constituency.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  None. Civil servants may provide briefing of a factual nature for Ministers on matters relating to their own departments. In addition, Ministers in preparing for a constituency speech can draw on material produced by their Department during the normal course of business.

  M11 Link Road
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the Coba 9 framework in respect of the M11 Link Road.

  Mr. Norris
  This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 1 December 1994:
  I have been asked to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Question about COBA 9 frameworks prepared for the A12 Hackney Wick to M11 Link Road since this is an operational matter for the Highways Agency.
  I have had drawn to my attention the letter which Mr. Steven Norris MP wrote to you about COBA for this road scheme on the 1 September 1993. As the Minister explained then, the evidence given at the Public Inquiries showed that the cost benefit analysis for this urban scheme, although based on COBA methodology and values, was a complex one-off exercise. The last full assessment was prepared for the 1987 Public Inquiry. It consists of several volumes which are being copied especially to meet your request. I have therefore asked our office in Bedford to send the material direct to you at the House of Commons as soon as it is available.

  Air Passenger Duty
  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the effect on(a) the number of passengers using the various airports and (b) the revenue raised of increasing the air passenger duty by £5 at Heathrow and Gatwick, and reducing it by £5
  802
  at the regional airports and at Stansted; and how much additional revenue would be raised.

  Mr. Mawhinney
  There are no detailed estimates available, and air passengers duty is not an airport charge. However, work done for the RUCATSE working group suggests that if applied to the whole of 1995 the effect increasing airport charges by £5 at Heathrow and Gatwick, and reducing it by £5 at the regional airports and Stansted, would be to leave passenger numbers al Heathrow unaltered, slightly reduced at Gatwick and al Stansted, and the regional airports for traffic to increase by some 2.5 per cent. It is not possible easily to assess the revenue effects.

  Mr. David Hernandez-Purnell
  Mr. Austin Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on the contents of his press statement of 29 April 1994, concerning a constituent of the hon. Member for Woolwich oii abiding by the statute strictly and his subsequent statement on the options open to his Department;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the case of Mr. David Hernandez-Purnell.

  Mr. Norris
  [holding answer 28 November 1994]: These are operational matters for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. John Austin-Walker dated 1 December 1994:
  The Minister promised that I would write to you about the matter you raised in your two Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State concerning Mr. David Hernandez-Purnell.
  This has proved to be a difficult case but it does appear that we are now very close to reaching an agreement with Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez- Purnell on the level of compensation for the property and its development value. That would leave claims under the heading of disturbance to be agreed, or failing agreement to be referred to the Lands Tribunal. The Treasury Solicitor has now written to Mr. Hernandez-Purnell on our behalf offering to settle at a price Mr. Hernandez-Purnell has already suggested subject only to Mr. Hernandez-Purnell agreement to legally completing the sale to the Secretary of State. I understand Mr. Hernandez-Purnell is prepared to proceed on this basis.
  You referred to a press statement by the Secretary of State. I am not aware of any press statement by the Secretary of State on 29 April or any other date in connection with Mr. Hernandez-Purnell's case. Mr. Hernandez-Purnell has invited comment on a statement he quotes in his letter of 13 November addressed to the Treasury Solicitor and which he has, I understand, copied to you. That statement is part of a fuller briefing note which was supplied on or around 29 April to a member of the press at her request by the Highways Agency. I enclose a copy of the full note from which you will see that we are dealing with the question of Mr. Hernandez-Purnell's mortgages. The strict legal position is that the Highways Agency on making an advance payment of compensation to Mr. Hernandez-Purnell (or any one else for that matter) did not, nor does not, have to discharge any existing mortgage before completion. However, in order to facilitate a practical and sensible resolution to that part of the dispute between Mr. Hernandez-Purnell and the Highways Agency, we were prepared to redeem Mr. Hernandez-Purnell's mortgages in this exceptional case. The use of the word "illegal" in briefing already referred to is unfortunate, when what was meant of course was extra statutory.

  National Road Programme
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the parliamentary constituency or
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  constituencies in which each scheme in the national road programme lies.

  Mr. Watts
  [holding answer 29 November 1994]: This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Roy Hughes, dated 1 December 1994:
  The Minister for Roads and Rail has passed to me your request for a list of parliamentary constituency or constituents for each scheme in the national programme. This is an operational matter for which the Highways Agency is responsible.
  The enclosed list includes all schemes in the Agency's preparation programme as listed in Trunk Roads in England 1994 Review.

TREASURY

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Nelson
  The following have been employed as special advisers in the Treasury during the last five years:

  Name

  Joined

  Left

  A. Ross Goobey

  1 April 1986

  10 April 1991

  W. M. Lightfoot

  1 September 1989

  10 April 1992

  P. W. Robinson

  11 April 1992

  27 May 1993

  D. W. D. Cameron

  11 May 1992

  21 June 1993

  R. Darwell

  8 February 1993

  27 May 1993

  Mrs. A. T. Keswick

  28 May 1993 to date

  D. L. Ruffley

  28 May 1993 to date

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

  Sports Clubs
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the amount of VAT illegally charged by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise on sports clubs subscriptions since 1 January 1990 which has been(a) claimed back to date by sports clubs, (b) paid back to date by sports clubs and (c) estimated in total as due back to sports clubs; and if he will provide details for (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Scotland.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Customs and Excise estimated that repayment of VAT on sporting services in respect of the period 1 January 1990 to 31 March 1994 would amount to some £42.5 million. Between 1 April 1994 and 30 September 1994, £42 million VAT plus £5 million interest was repaid to non-profit-making organisations supplying sporting services.

  To apportion this information between England, Wales and Scotland would involve disproportionate time and expense. The extent to which clubs have passed any of the repayment to their members is not a matter for the Government.

  Building Society Merger
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the proposed merger between the Halifax building society and the Leeds building society; if he proposes to refer the merger to the Director General of the Office of Fair Trading for inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Nelson
  I have discussed the proposed merger with representatives of the Halifax building society and the Building Societies Commission, in my capacity as Minister responsible for the building society sector. The decision on whether to refer the proposal to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission under the provisions of the Fair Trading Act 1973 is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, in the light of advice from the Director General of Fair Trading, who is currently considering the matter.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Banqueting Rooms
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee what was the operating surplus or deficit of the banqueting rooms for the last full 12 months for which figures are available.

  Mr. Colin Shepherd
  A net profit of some £230,000 was made from the use of private dining facilities in 1993–94.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee (1) if he will publish the names of organisations that used the banqueting rooms in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available indicating the numbers who are perceived to be(a) political, (b) commercial, (c) charitable and (d) others;

  (2) if he will list the political affiliations of all hon. Members who booked the banqueting rooms in the months of October and November.

  Mr. Colin Shepherd
  It has not hitherto been the practice to publish information of this nature. The matter is currently being reviewed by the Catering Committee.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Listed Hospitals
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what progress has been made by the task force on listed hospitals formed by his Department and the Department of Health.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The working group on historic hospitals was established by the Department of Health and by English Heritage in Autumn 1992 to provide a forum to identify and assist in resolving problems concerning historic buildings and conservation matters in the NHS. It has commissioned the preparation of good practice guidance for NHS managers in respect of both listed hospitals that will continue in use, and those that will close; this guidance is due for publication at the end of 1994. A study to review the listing of NHS institutions has been commissioned from English Heritage.

  Internet
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to provide information via Internet; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given to the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on 22 November 1994,Official Report, column 110.

  Television Licence Fees
  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will announce the television licence fees which will take effect from 1 April 1995.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Following a study by Touche Ross, my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for City of London and Westminster, South (Mr. Brooke) announced on 4 November 1993,Official Report, column 309–10, that the Government had decided to link increases in the television licence fee with the retail prices index for the remaining three years of the BBC's current royal charter.

  Licence fee increases are based on the annual RPI figure as at the previous September, in the same way as pensions and other state benefits. Application of this year's RPI figure of 2.2 per cent. for the year to September 1994 to the current unrounded figures produces new rounded totals of £86.50 for a colour licence and £28.50 for a black and white licence. The necessary regulations to bring these fees into force will be laid before the House in due course.

  County Hall
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when officials from English Heritage last inspected the riverside building in the County hall complex; and what were their findings on the condition of the building.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 29 November 1994]: The riverside building at County hall was last visited by English Heritage staff on 15 November 1994. They found the building to be in good condition.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;

  (2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department how many are over the advised payment date (a) by up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments, however, are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. For 1993–94, the Department of National Heritage paid over 85 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of 806
  receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Disabled Access
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has for amendments to the Cinema Act 1910 in relation to access to cinemas for people with disabilities.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Cinematograph (Safety) Regulations 1955 make detailed provisions for securing safety in cinemas. My hon. Friend the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People announced on 24 November a package of measures to tackle discrimination against disabled people, including a right of access to goods and services.

PRIME MINISTER

  Top Salaries
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Prime Minister what steps he is taking, other than exhortation, to make it easier for shareholders to influence the size of the salaries and perks of those at the top of British industry.

  The Prime Minister
  Shareholders already have the ability to exercise influence—for example, by raising questions at the annual general meeting or, in the case of institutional holdings, by exerting pressure behind the scenes.

  Engagements
  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 1 December.

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 1 December.

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

  Standards of Public Life Committee
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will now publish the remuneration of the board members and chairman of the Standing Committee into Standards of Public Life.

  The Prime Minister
  The chairman will receive no remuneration from public funds for his work on the committee. Three members are already in receipt of a salary from public funds and will therefore not receive any further remuneration for their work on the committee. The other six members of the committee will receive an honorarium of £1,000 per month until the first report has been published, and a per diem attendance rate of £155 after that. Their travel and subsistence expenses will be met.

  The administrative and support resources for the Nolan committee will be drawn from the Office of Public Service and Science Vote (19 Vote 1).

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Electricity
  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what further amendments to the Electricity (Class Exemptions from the Requirement for a Licence) Order 1990 are presently proposed.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Under this order, a number of companies which generated or supplied electricity before the electricity industry was vested are exempt from the requirement for a licence to generate or supply electricity for a transitional period, which ends on 31 March 1995.

  Following consultation with the electricity industry and others, I have now decided that these transitional exemptions should be extended until 31 March 1998. These exemptions would continue, as now, to be limited to the generating capacity or customer base supplied before vesting. This should not, however, be read as meaning that these companies will necessarily continue to be exempt after 1998. That will be considered in the period leading up to 1998, when the market in electricity supply will become fully competitive.

  I will lay an order bringing this amendment into effect early next year. My officials are presently considering a number of other possible amendments to the order. I shall announce our decision on these in due course.

  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for the future of electricity supply from foreign sources.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The position in relation to the French interconnector—the only present source of foreign electricity supplies—was set out in the White Paper "The Prospects for Coal" (Cm 2235). Proposals for further interconnectors are a commercial matter for the electricity companies, subject to their obtaining any necessary consents.

  Interreg 2
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give a breakdown of projected annual expenditure under Interreg 2(a) Northern Ireland, (b) Gwynedd, (c) Dyfed and (d) Kent for each year in which the programme is to run.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Allocations for the period from 1994 to 1999 are as follows, in mecu at 1994 prices:

  Mecu

  Northern Ireland

  66.9

  Gwynedd and Dyfed

  13.5

  Kent and East Sussex

  28.3

  Qualifying expenditure may extend until 2001. Annual allocations have not yet been settled.

  Monopolies and Mergers Commission
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many occasions in the last year he has received a report from the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and(a) agreed its recommendations and (b) deferred a decision.

  Mr. Eggar
  Since 1 November 1993, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has received 808
  14 reports, including one not yet published, from the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Where adverse reports have been published, he has accepted the MMC's findings. In one case during this period—The Daily Mail and General Trust plc/T. Bailey Forman Ltd.—the MMC report has been published and the final decision deferred pending further consideration of possible remedies. Before that period, there have been other examples of consultation on possible remedies after publication, notably on the MMC reports on the supply of gas, and on the distribution of newspapers.

  Nuclear Power
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to announce the result of his review into the future of nuclear power generation.

  Mr. Eggar
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping) on 19 October,Official Report, column 239.

  Fossil Fuel Levy
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what share of the fossil fuel levy is received by(a) renewable sources of energy, (b) Nuclear Electric and (c) Scottish Nuclear.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  For details of payments from the fossil fuel levy to renewable generators and Nuclear Electric, I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Industry and Energy gave to the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Ainger) on 12 July 1994,Official Report, column 518. Scottish Nuclear does not receive payments from the levy.

  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the purpose of the fossil fuel levy as paid to Nuclear Electric.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The fossil fuel levy finances the premium element of the price paid by the regional electricity companies for the electricity that they are required to purchase under the non-fossil fuel obligation. In Nuclear Electric's case, the levy payments cover the above-market costs of generating nuclear power. Together with revenues from sales of electricity at market prices, levy payments enable Nuclear Electric to cover the full costs of generating electricity from its stations, including operating costs, depreciation and provisions for the so-called "back end" liabilities.

  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of Nuclear Electric using the fossil fuel levy to help with its cash flow.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The existing arrangements to enable the full cost of nuclear power in the United Kingdom to be met, including the fossil fuel levy, are being assessed as part of the Government's review of the future prospects for nuclear power.

  Electricity Interconnector
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the purpose of the electricity interconnector with France.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The interconnector was built for mutual system support, and to trade electricity when one country could supply it more cheaply than the other.

  Riot Control Equipment
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list(a) the date and (b) the countries involved in the instances during the last 10 years when export licences have been granted for (i) riot shields, (ii) CS gas, (iii) batons and (iv) other riot control equipment.

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  This question could be answered in respect of controlled goods only at disproportionate cost.

  Building Society Merger
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to refer the proposed merger between the Halifax and the Leeds Permanent building societies to the Office of Fair Trading; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  The Director General of Fair Trading at the Office of Fair Trading is currently investigating this proposed merger and he will advise my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade in due course. A decision on whether it should be referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission will be taken once that advice is received.

  Regional Assistance, North-West
  Mr. Hutton
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 23 November,Official Report, column, 208, if he will list those development and intermediate areas in the North-West where applications for regional selective assistance have been refused.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The information is listed in the following table:

  Travel to work area

  Number rejected (1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994

  Accrington and Rossendale

  4

  Barrow-in-Furness

  4

  Blackburn

  2

  Bolton and Bury

  5

  Liverpool

  23

  Manchester

  28

  Oldham

  3

  Rochdale

  3

  Widnes and Runcorn

  5

  Wigan and St. Helens

  19

  Wirral and Chester

  12

  Workington

  5

  Project location undecided

  10

  Total

  123

  Motor Vehicle Industry
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what support or advice was given to the manufacturers of the Robin Reliant prior to the company going into receivership.

  Mr. Eggar
  My Department was advised, in confidence, of the decision to place Reliant in the hands of the receiver. My officials are in close contact with the receiver about the prospects for the business.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those United 810
  Kingdom-owned car manufacturers in 1987 and at the current date.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  At the beginning of 1987, there were 12 United Kingdom-owned manufacturers producing cars. These were: Aston Martin Lagonda, Bristol, Caterham, Ginetta, Jaguar, Marcos, Morgan, Reliant, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Rover Group, TVR Engineering and Westfield.

  Since then, Aston Martin Lagonda and Jaguar have been acquired by Ford and Rover by BMW. The others remain in the United Kingdom ownership.

  Coal Industry
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many tonnes of coal were imported by the nationalised electricity power generators in each year between 1980 and denationalisation.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The amount of coal imported by the Central Electricity Generating Board and South of Scotland Electricity Board is shown below. The Department has no records of coal imported by the power producers before 1983 or of any imports by the North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board and the Northern Ireland Electricity Service.

  Year

  Thousand tones

  19831

  1,020

  19841

  52

  19851

  2,656

  19861

  1,186

  19871

  1,358

  19882

  1,973

  19892,3

  1,963

  1 Central Electricity Generating Board only.

  2 Central Electricity Generating Board and South of Scotland Electricity Board.

  3 1989 was the last full year before denationalisation.

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the future of British Coal Enterprise following the privatisation of British Coal.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 28 November 1994]:The Government and British Coal are currently exploring options for the services provided by British Coal Enterprise. No final decisions have yet been taken about its future.

  Life Assurance
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will ask the Office of Fair Trading to institute an inquiry into the practices of insurance companies in respect of life assurance premiums for(a) heterosexuals and (b) people who have had a negative test for HIV.

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  The Association of British Insurers has recommended to its members that they do not ask questions about negative HIV tests on life and health insurance proposal forms. I have placed a copy of the association's press release in the Library of the House.

  Japanese-owned Plutonium
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what quantities of Japanese-owned plutonium exists in(a) unreprocessed nuclear fuel awaiting reprocessing

  811
  and (b) in store after reprocessing, under safeguards at Sellafield.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The stocks of civil plutonium held by British Nuclear Fuels plc at its Sellafield site were published in the annual plutonium figures for 1993–94, copies of which were placed in the Library of the House. Further details of the ownership of the stocks are an operational matter for BNFL.

  Post Office
  Ms Hoey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to give more commercial freedom to the publicly owned Post Office.

  Mr. Heseltine
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Dowd) on 23 November,Official Report, column 579.

  Floating Production Systems
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement in connection with his proposals of July 1994 to establish a working group on floating production systems for use in oil fields in the North sea and the Atlantic; if he will list the names and positions of those appointed to the working group of floating production systems; what estimate he has made of the development costs of the Foinaven and Schiehallion oil fields to the west of Shetland; and what percentage of this work he assesses will be allocated to domestically based support services.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  [holding answer 29 November 1994]: The working group on floating production systems has been set up and will report to Ministers by the end of the year. The industry members are listed below.

  The operator responsible—BP—for the development of the Foinaven and Schiehallion oil fields to the west of Shetland has estimated development costs for Foinaven to be £550 million and has estimated that around 70 per cent. of this expenditure will be allocated to the United Kingdom. Schiehallion is not yet far enough advanced to estimate development costs.

  Floating production systems working group industry membership

  Name

  Mr. Mike Baugh

  Hamilton

  Mr. Martin Fielding

  Amerada Hess

  Mr. Chris Grey

  Conoco

  Mr. Alan Hunt

  Shell

  Mr. John Hutton

  Texaco

  Dr. Rob Kenison

  BP

  Dr. Reg Potter

  Marathon

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many contracts have so far been allocated to United Kingdom-based companies in connection with research into, and development of, floating production systems.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  [holding answer 29 November 1994]: A large number of R and D projects have been sponsored by oil companies and the Government, associated with floating production systems. However, many of these projects are not unique to floating production systems. They also apply to other aspects of offshore technology so it is not possible to assign numbers in the way that hon. Lady requested.

  Konver Programme
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those local authorities and private and voluntary organisations currently in receipt of grant aid from the Konver programme.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  [holding answer 30 November 1994]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister for Industry, my right hon. Friend the Member for Hove (Mr. Sainsbury) on 10 December 1993, Official Report, column 426. The lists of grant awards under the Knover I programme available in the Library of the House show the main sponsor for each project only. I shall write to the hon. Member with a full list of project sponsors.

  Overseas Debt
  Sir Anthony Durant
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy on support for exports to countries which have rescheduled their debts and have re-established their creditworthiness.

  Mr. Needham
  Following a review of its risk assessment systems for those markets, the Export Credits Guarantee Department will now be adopting normal underwriting criteria to assess applications for support from United Kingdom exporters, the principal criterion being the ability of the overseas buyer or borrower to meet it debts on time. The main consequence of applying normal criteria will be to broaden the range of exports eligible for support, and significant reductions in premium rates on a number of markets. The Government will also be pursuing an initiative in international forums to ensure that the prime focus of export credit and other financial support in such markets will be upon goods and services which will foster and sustain their economic rehabilitation.

WALES

  Welsh Health Promotion Authority
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he plans to publish the district auditor's report on the Welsh Health Promotion Authority.

  Mr. Richards
  This report was published by the Health Promotion Authority for Wales on 8 August 1994. Copies can be obtained from the authority.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;

  (2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.
  813
  Mr. Redwood
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments, however, are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. For 1993–94, the Welsh Office paid 87 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Local Government Reorganisation
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the Staff Commission for Wales and the local authority associations in relation to the carrying over of existing staff to the new authorities on 1 April 1996.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Under-Secretary, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones) held an annual review meeting with the staff commission on 14 November: staff transfer arrangements were among the matters discussed. My officials maintain close contact with the Staff Commission and local authority associations, and are discussing with them how best to give effect to the guidance which I issued to the commission in August.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for funding the new residuary body for Wales by(a) precept and (b) other means.

  Mr. Redwood
  I have decided that the residuary body should be funded by means of borrowing under a supplementary credit approval in 1994–95 and 1995–96. It would be funded by levies on local authorities in 1996–97 and any subsequent years. It would not have any power to issue a precept. I wrote to the hon. Member for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies) on 2 November informing him of my decision. This letter was copied to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) and the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile).

  Houses in Multiple Occupation
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from(a) local authorities and (b) other organisations in relation to the responsibilities for examining health and safety standards in houses in multiple occupation with respect to (i) self-regulation and independent regulation and (ii) duties of environmental health officers and fire officers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  I have received representations from the all-Wales chief environmental health officers panel, the Wales house in multiple occupation network, the Institution of Environmental Health Officers, South Wales, Cardiff city council and Llanelli borough council about these issues as part of the interdepartmental review on fire safety legislation and enforcement. The responses are currently being considered.

  Incentive Prescribing Scheme
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those general practices approved to take part in an incentive prescribing scheme, which have(a) commenced and (b) not commenced their participation.

  Mr. Redwood
  Prescribing incentive schemes have now been approved in seven family health services 814
  authorities. Participation in schemes is a matter for local agreement and details of the numbers of participating practices are not held centrally.

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for the application of value-added school league tables to grant-maintained schools.

  Mr. Redwood
  I am committed to the principle that a readily understood measure of added value should be included in secondary school performance tables covering LEA-maintained, grant-maintained and independent schools. Work is in hand to develop such measures.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the head teachers and chairs of governors of grant-maintained schools concerning the supply of information to local authorities for the purpose of drawing up value added school league tables.

  Mr. Redwood
  None. I look to all concerned to collaborate on the important issue of how to show the extent to which schools add value to pupil performance.

  Museums and Galleries
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Cardiff Bay development corporation and the chairman of the court of governors at the National Museum of Wales, concerning(a) the expansion and relocation of the Wales Industrial and Maritime Museum, inclusive of an Imax cinema and (b) the funding of a private sector free-standing Imax cinema; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  I have had no discussions with the chairman of the Cardiff Bay development corporation regarding proposals to develop the Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum; in May the chairman did briefly explain to me the aims of the Imax venture arid how it might be associated with educational or museum institutions in the Cardiff bay area.

  In June, my right hon. Friend the Member for Conwy (Sir W. Roberts) received a presentation from the National Museum of Wales on its corporate plan, including proposals to develop the Welsh Industrial and Maritime Museum and an Imax theatre.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Redwood
  Details of special advisers employed by my Department in the last five years are as follows:

  Name

  Date joined

  Date left

  Mr. R. Richards

  5 November 1990

  14 December 1990

  Mr. M. McManus

  11 November 1992

  27 May 1993

  Mr. H. Williams

  18 October 1993

  (still in post)

  815
  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings and are confidential. The salary spine of 34 points ranges from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

  Police Authority Revenue
  Mr. Sweeney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are his proposals for police authority revenue spending in 1995–96.

  Mr. Redwood
  I propose to make £300.7 million available from total standard spending in Wales to fund police services in 1995–96. This sum comprises £153.7 million in cash-limited police grant to be paid by the Home Secretary and £147.0 million in standard spending assessments. It represents an overall increase of 6 per cent. on police revenue budgets for 1994–95. The sums for each police authority are set out in the following table:

  Police grant £ millions

  SSA £ millions

  Total £ millions

  Dyfed-Powys

  22.5

  21.7

  44.2

  Gwent

  24.1

  23.3

  47.4

  North Wales

  32.2

  30.6

  62.8

  South Wales

  74.8

  71.4

  146.2

  The Welsh Office is today writing to each of the police authorities in Wales to consult them on their provisional standard spending assessment for 1995–96.

  It is essential that police authorities budget wisely and do not impose an unreasonable burden on council taxpayers. I therefore propose provisional capping principles to inform their budget decisions.

  I will make my final decisions on capping principles in the light of budgets set by police authorities.

  I am still considering my capping proposals for county and district councils in Wales and propose to announce provisional capping principles for these authorities in mid-December, when provisional county and district SSAs are announced.

  Copies of the consultation letter will be place in the Library of the House.

  Quangos
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how members of quangos to which he is responsible for appointing members currently serve as councillors representing(a) the Conservative party, (b) the Labour party and (c) the Liberal Democrat party.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer Friday 25 November]: The information requested is as follows:

  At 1 September 1994, 31 members of public bodies appointed by me were serving district or county councillors. These represented:

  Conservative: 3

  Labour: 17

  Liberal Democrat: 0

  Independent: 11

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Construction Projects
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all the construction projects funded by Overseas Development Administration aid and awarded in whole or in part to United Kingdom construction companies in 1992–93 and 1993–94, and in each case stating the name of the United Kingdom construction company, the value of the contracts awarded to that company and the location, by country, of the project.

  Mr. Baldry
  There is no central historical record of aid-funded construction projects. Contracts for such projects are normally negotiated and let by the recipient Governments. A new reporting mechanism is now being established, but at present the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Internet
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to provide information via Internet; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  The CCTA Government information service was launched at the consultative meeting on information super-highways on 21 November. The service is designed to help Departments to make United Kingdom Government public information available electronically via the Internet, using the world wide web—WWW—hypertext information servers.

  The aims of the service are to support the objectives of the citizens charter and open government; publish Government information; and provide a means by which Government Departments can gain experience of publishing information on Internet.

  The Office of Public Service and Science has been at the forefront in exploiting the service. The hon. Member can access, via Internet, information on the citizens charter unit, the open government code of practice, a directory of Government Ministers and Whips, and HMSO's information technology catalogue. CCTA, the Government Centre for Information Systems, is talking to other parts of the Cabinet Office, and further information will become available in due course.

  CCTA's booklet for Internet users, "CCTA Government Information Service: How to access information", is available in the House of Commons Library.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will invite Departments and agencies to advise Ministers if they intend to use buildings inaccessible to disabled staff or members of the public.

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  As I informed the House on 21 November, I have already asked my officials to conduct a review of my Department's buildings, so that we know which buildings are accessible and which are not.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;

  (2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The information is not generally available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments, however, are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. Based on a sample survey carried out during 1993–94, the Cabinet Office paid 78 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days. HMSO achieved 80 per cent., and COI 83 per cent.

  Secret Files
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many(a) top secret and (b) secret files his Department holds.

  Mr. David Hunt
  Information on the Cabinet Office can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  United Nations
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what legal basis the United Nations protects the civilian population in the safe areas in cases where their inhabitants have attacked other territory.

  Mr. David Davis
  The mandate of the United Nations Protection Force—UNPROFOR—under Security Council resolution 836 enables it to deter attacks against the safe areas referred to in Security Council resolution 824. In doing so, UNPROFOR is authorised by resolution 836, acting in self-defence, to take the necessary measures, including the use of force, in reply to bombardments against the safe areas or to armed incursion into them.

  These provisions apply, even, where offensive action has been undertaken from within the safe areas.

  Sudan
  Mr. Donald Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further measures he proposes to show her Majesty's Government's disapproval of the human rights record of the Sudanese regime; and if he will further reduce the British diplomatic presence in Sudan.

  Mr. David Davis
  Monitoring human right abuses and raising concerns about these with the Sudanese authorities 818
  will remain one of the principal tasks of Her Majesty's embassy in Khartoum. We have no plans to reduce the number of staff there.

  Mr. Donald Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sudanese regime about the continued restrictions on the liberty of the former Prime Minister, Sadiq A1 Mandi.

  Mr. David Davis
  Her Majesty's embassy in Khartoum made representations to the Sudanese authorities during Sadiq Al Mandi's detention for three weeks earlier this year. Sadiq Al Mandi was released on 3 July. The embassy will continue to monitor his treatment by the authorities.

  Arms Exports
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries in Central and Latin America have been the subject of arms exports licence refusals in 1993 on the grounds of internal oppression or regional security.

  Mr. Davis
  The only country in central and Latin America to which applications for arms export licences were refused in 1993 on the grounds of internal oppression or regional security is Argentina, to which we maintain an embargo on military sales in the light of the events of 1982 and the Argentine claim to the Falkland Islands.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;

  (2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, Departments are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. For 1993–94, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, diplomatic wing paid 95 per cent. and the Overseas Development Administration 88 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Kashmir
  Mrs Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has had regarding the torture and execution of human right; activists in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  We have had no reports of the torture or execution of human rights activists in Kashmir.
  819
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has had of Kashmiris suffering human rights abuses at the hands of Indian troops; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  We are concerned by reports from international human rights groups of human rights abuses committed by the Indian security forces in Kashmir. We have regularly raised these concerns with the Indian Government.

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will call for(a) international investigations of human rights violations in Kashmir, (b) international humanitarian agencies to be allowed direct and independent access to the region, (c) the prosecution and punishment of those responsible for murdering and torturing Kashmiri people and (d) the right to self-determination for Kashmiris as promised by the United Nations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  We have consistently urged the Indian Government to allow independent human rights groups access to Kashmir. We are encouraged that they have allowed a number of such groups to visit Kashmir this year. We have also urged them to ensure that security force members are subject to the rule of law. We shall continue to support efforts to bring about a peaceful settlement in Kashmir.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The special advisers to this Department are Mr. Maurice Fraser and Mr. Michael Maclay.

  On 1 March 1989, Mr. Maurice Fraser joined the Department and is still employed here. On 1 November 1989, the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) joined the Department; he left on 15 December 1990. On 7 January 1991, Mr. Edward Bickham joined the Department; he left on 9 July 1993. On 19 July 1993, Mr Michael Maclay joined the Department and is still employed here.

  With regard to salary, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) on 25 November, Official Report, column 413.

  Overseas Students
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many overseas students are now studying in the United Kingdom in the higher and further education sectors; what the numbers were before the introduction of full cost fees in 1980; how many students are currently receiving Government scholarships; and how the United Kingdom's record on receiving overseas students compares to that of its competitors.

  Mr. Baldry
  The numbers of overseas students studying in the United Kingdom in both the higher and further education sectors in 1979–80 was some 83,000. The number in 1992–93 was 99,700, an all-time high. In 1993–94 21,000 students from overseas studying in the United Kingdom were benefiting from official support 820
  under a variety of British Government scholarship and award programmes. These included 3,043 students holding British Chevening scholarships funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

  According to available figures, the United Kingdom is fourth in the global league table of countries receiving overseas students with 92,000, against the United States, 420,000, France, 136,000 and Germany, 100,000.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Cross-border Barriers
  Mr. Enright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in dismantling the barriers to free movement across the border.

  Sir John Wheeler
  All closure orders have been rescinded. More than 40 previously closed crossing points are presently open to traffic. The great majority should be reopened within a matter of months.

  Tourism
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the potential for tourism in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Ancram
  Tourism in Northern Ireland clearly has the potential to contribute significantly to the local economy. The Northern Ireland tourist board is working closely with the tourism industry to ensure that this potential is turned into reality.

  The announcement last week of a £6.8 million joint marketing initiative by the tourism authorities in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, together with the private sector, will do much to capitalise on new opportunities.

  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to improve cross-border co-operation in tourism.

  Mr. Ancram
  The Northern Ireland tourist board works closely with its counterpart in the Republic of Ireland, Bord Failte, jointly to market the island of Ireland as a quality tourist destination. Both Governments announced last week that this co-operation will be further developed and expanded.

  Social Policy
  Mr. Wicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's social policy strategy.

  Mr. Ancram
  The Government remain committed to addressing the social needs of the people of Northern Ireland, in particular through targeting social need initiative, which is aimed at directing resources to the most disadvantaged areas and people.

  Peace Process
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent developments concerning the Downing street declaration.
  821
  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had about furthering the peace process; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the latest position over the ceasefire.

  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the peace process in Ulster.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I refer the hon. Members to the oral answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Sunderland, North (Mr. Etherington) earlier today.

  Brendan Smyth
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement as to what initiatives the Government took to effect the extradition of Brendan Smyth following the serving on the Gardai of extradition warrants by the RUC in April 1993.

  Sir John Wheeler
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General on 21 November,Official Report, columns 37–38.

  Hualon Project
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current position and future of the Hualon project in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Ancram
  All necessary approvals for the project are in place and further progress and the release of the first tranche of IDB money depends on Hualon fulfilling certain obligations contained in the agreement with the Industrial Development Board.

  The British Apparel and Textile Confederation lodged an appeal on 30 November with the European Court of Justice.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will now review his decision to proceed with grant payments to the Hualon Corporation.

  Mr. Ancram
  My right hon. and learned Friend has recently reviewed and confirmed his decision, the implementation of which will depend upon the fulfilment by Hualon of certain preconditions.

  We have no plans for a further review.

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met representatives of the Hualon Corporation.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  On 9 June 1994.

  Mr. Dowd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement regarding aid to the Hualon Corporation.

  Mr. Ancram
  The Hualon project, which will make a major reduction in unemployment, was the subject of a lengthy and detailed appraisal before the decision to offer assistance was taken.

  The advice of independent consultants was obtained and the project has received all the necessary approvals from HMG and the EC. To date no assistance has been paid, and none will be until certain pre-conditions are satisfied.

  Environmental Protection Agency
  Mr. A. Cecil Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further consideration he has given to the formation of an environmental protection agency for Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Moss
  All the functions of the Department of Environment environment service are currently the subject of a prior options study. The Government will decide whether or not any proposals for change in the implementation of environmental policy in Northern Ireland should be made when the results of the study are known. The outcome of the study is likely to be announced early in 1995.

  Unemployment
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the change in numbers of unemployed since December 1992.

  Mr. Ancram
  The latest available seasonally adjusted figures, for October 1994, show that the number of unemployed claimants has fallen by 11,500 since December 1992.

  Paramilitaries
  Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the moves that have been made by the IRA and loyalist paramilitaries to withdraw the threat of military action against people whom they have forced into exile and who are still unable to return to their homes.

  Sir John Wheeler
  Such actions are incompatible with the disavowal of the use of violence for political purposes.

  Dr. Kim Howells
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to meet members of the former loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I have no plans to do so.

  Examination Results
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the reasons for the relative success of children living in Northern Ireland in GCSE and A-level exams in comparison with other parts of the Untied Kingdom.

  Mr. Ancram
  In Northern Ireland pupils entered for GCSE and A-levels have a good record of success. I believe that the motivation of pupils, parental support and the fact that we have highly professional and dedicated teaching staff are the key elements which have contributed to those high standards.

  I have made no assessment of the reasons for differences with other parts of the United Kingdom.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department how many are over the advised payment date by(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively;

  (2) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were

  823
  paid within (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments, however, are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. For 1993–94 the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments paid 95 per cent. of their bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  Mr. Jonathan Caine was appointed special adviser by my predecessor in December 1991. He resigned in March 1992 and I re-appointed him as my special adviser in June 1992.

  No other special advisers have joined or left the Northern Ireland Office in the last five years.

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement concerning the cost to public funds of employing ministerial special advisers in his Department.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  [holding answer 23 November 1994]: My Department employs one special adviser.

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

  Industrial Development Board
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who is the chairman of the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board; when he was appointed to that position; when he is expected to retire; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ancram
  [holding answer 24 November 1994]: Mr. John B. McGuckian was appointed chairman of the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Board on 1 January 1992, having served a period of 15 months as a member of the board. His term of office as chairman is due to expire on 31 December 1994.

  Public Appointments
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy not to 824
  appoint to public office individuals described in statements resulting from hearings by the Lord Chief Justice and other Lords of Appeal as being disingenuous in their dealings with the Inland Revenue; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Wheeler
  In relation to public appointments, the prime consideration for Ministers and Departments are an individual's ability or potential to contribute to the work of a particular body and the need for each public body to have the range of experience and skills necessary to carry out its functions.

  An individual's background and overall conduct are factors taken in to account before an appointment is made.

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement setting out the background to the case presented in the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal by lawyers representing the Inland Revenue in the case relating to Mr. John McGuckian; what sums of money were involved in this case; what was the outcome; what plans he has to review recent decisions relating to the Hualon Corporation taken by Mr. McGuckian as chairman of the Northern Ireland Industrial Development Fund as a result of this case; what previous cases, and involving what sums, have been brought against Mr. McGuckian for non-payment of taxes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ancram
  [holding answer 24 November 1994]: Mr. McGuckian's personal tax affairs are not matters for my right hon. and learned Friend. Nor do they have anything to do with decisions relating to the Hualon Corporation.

HEALTH

  North-West Hospitals
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the number of employees, plus the number of volunteers currently assisting, at each hospital in the north-west; and what percentage the latter forms of the former.

  Mr. Malone
  Information on the number of employees is collected by management unit—that is, by national health service trust or directly managed unit—rather than by hospital; and information on volunteers is not available centrally.

  Benzodiazepines
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the net ingredient cost of(a) temazepam, (b) zopiclone and (c) all other benzodiazepines in the United Kingdom and each NHS region and family health service authority area for 1993–94;.and if he will express the net ingredient cost figure as expenditure per head of population in each such area.

  Mr. Malone
  The available information will be placed in the Library.

  NHS Estates
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health why the NHS Estates moved into accommodation off Boar lane, Leeds; what consideration was given to moving
  825
  into Quarry house, Leeds; what was the cost of the move; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The initial relocation plan was that NHS Estates would relocate to Quarry house with the national health service executive. Because of design and other changes during the construction of Quarry house, there was not enough room to accommodate all the posts concerned, and separate accommodation was taken for the agency in Trevelyan square, Boar lane, Leeds. The transitional costs of the move and the costs of fitting out Trevelyan square were £1.93 million.

  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the outcome of the review of the NHS Estates; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  The first review of NHS Estates Agency has recently been completed. I have today placed a summary of the review's findings in the Library.

  Professional Misconduct
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ensure that medical practitioners found guilty by the General Medical Council of serious professional misconduct be suspended with immediate effect; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Malone
  It is a matter for the professional conduct committee of the General Medical Council to decide whether a doctor is fit to continue practising after he has been found guilty of serious professional misconduct.

  Confidentiality
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will institute an inquiry into medical confidentiality in respect of members of the medical profession whose medical or psychiatric condition might result in damage to patients; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Malone
  No.

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she gives to health authorities and NHS trusts on equal opportunities policy; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  National health service authorities and trusts are expected to comply with the aims and goals of the NHS executive's "Opportunity 2000" programme, and of "Ethnic minority staff in the NHS: a programme of action". Copies of those programmes are available in the Library. In addition, the General Whitley Council has made agreements promoting equal opportunities which apply to all staff employed on national terms and conditions of service.

  NHS Managers Conference
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health who was responsible for inviting the NHS managers to attend a meeting at the Belfry on 5 to 7 December; what is the projected cost of the exercise; and from which vote the expenditure will be drawn.

  Mr. Malone
  The national health service executive intended to hold a working conference at the Belfry on 6 to 7 December. The event was cancelled in August.

  Community Care
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals were used for the care of mentally ill people before the introduction of care in the community; how many of these properties have been sold; what have been the total sums raised through the sale of such property and land; how much of this has been re-invested into care in the community; how many sales are still pending; what is the estimated value of such sales when realised; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  Care in the community of mentally ill people has been steadily introduced since the 1960s. The information requested is not available centrally.

  Mrs. Lait
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department expects to have concluded ids consideration of the second report of the National Audit Office on the implementation of community care.

  Mr. Bowis
  I understand that the Audit Commission, which monitors the implementation of community care by local authorities, plans to publish its second bulletin on progress with community care shortly.

  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she proposes to make an announcement on the future of the Government's community care policy.

  Mr. Bowis
  We have today announced the Government's plan to bring the total extra resources for community care to more than £2.5 billion by 1997–98.

  I am also today publishing indicative allocations showing each English social services authority's share of the special transitional grant for community care in 1995–96. As last year, the whole of the STG is being distributed on the basis of personal social services standard spending assessments. Authorities have until 13 January 1995 to make representations about their proposed allocations. Copies of the circular are being placed in the Library. The total STG for 1995–96 will, as previously announced, be £647.6 million.

  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she intends to retain the 85 per cent. condition associated with the special transitional grant for community care.

  Mr. Bowis
  The Government remain fully committed to a flourishing independent sector able to offer diversity, choice and value for money. We will therefore retain the condition on the special transitional grant for community care in 1995–96 whereby authorities must spend 85 per cent. of the social security transfer element—some £440 million in all—on community care services in the independent sector. The condition will be framed in a way that such independent sector spending in 1995–96 must be in addition to previous such spending in 1994–95 and 1993–94 plus one half of such spending in 1992–93.

  Rosemary Storrs
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health who authorised the ex-gratia payment to Rosemary Storrs, the former information director of Wessex regional health authority in October 1992.

  Mr. Sackville
  Although the payment was approved by the Wessex regional health authority, appropriate authorisation was not sought from my Department, and the payment was therefore ultra vires.
  827
  Such payments are in principle recoverable and the authority must consider, in the light of legal advice, whether recovery action is feasible or cost effective.

  Toxoplasmosis
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to reduce the incidence of toxoplasmosis; what is her policy towards the testing of pregnant women for toxoplasmosis; and what studies into toxoplasmosis are currently supported with public funding.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Department of Health produces a leaflet entitled "While you are Pregnant - safe eating and how to avoid infection from food and animals" which contains information on avoiding toxoplasmosis. Copies of the leaflet will be placed in the Library. The Health Education Authority produces its pregnancy book which also contains information on toxoplasmosis and which is provided to women when they attend hospital antenatal clinics; copies of this book are available in the Library. Additionally, the Department provides core funding to the Toxoplasmosis trust under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.

  The decision to test a pregnant woman who may have been exposed to toxoplasmosis for evidence of infection must be made on a case-by-case basis. In the light of current scientific knowledge, a routine screening programme cannot be justified. Screening for toxoplasmosis in pregnancy is not a standard procedure in the United Kingdom. The significance of the test, the natural history of the disease and the efficacy of the treatment are all surrounded by uncertainty. As for any screening programme, the benefits conferred by screening must clearly outweigh the risks.

  The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant in aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The MRC is currently funding research into "Seriodiagnosis of reactivating toxoplasmosis: use of cyst antigens" at St. George's Hospital medical school, London, and "Protection against toxoplasmosis: an alternative target for vaccination" at the university of Strathclyde. Universities and medical schools which are supported by public funding may also be funding research into toxoplasmosis.

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for health what response she is making to toxoplasmosis week.

  Mr. Sackville
  We welcome this initiative, which we hope will raise awareness about toxoplasmosis and how to avoid catching it, particularly in pregnant women, reinforcing advice given as part of antenatal care.

  Community Clinics
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ensure that(a) purchasing authorities retain and, where necessary, develop community clinics and (b) provider units provide a service which complements that provided by general practitioners; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  It is for general practitioners and purchasing authorities to assess local health needs and to secure the most appropriate services to meet those needs.

  Financial Information Project Ltd.
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the transfer of £300,000 to Financial Information Project Ltd. has been repaid.

  Mr. Sackville
  This is a matter for West Midlands regional health authority, which is taking action to recover the loan. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Bryan Baker, regional chairman for details.

  Christmas Expenditure
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public money will be spent on entertaining, Christmas decorations and other festive activities this Christmas season by her Department and Government agencies answerable to her Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' private offices and official residences.

  Mr. Sackville
  [pursuant to his reply, 25 November 1994, c. 408–09]: I regret that my previous reply should have read: "Disaggregrated information of this nature is not available. Any such costs which may arise are covered by the hospitality expenditure of the Department which is included in the running costs sum published in the annual report, copies of which are available in the Library."

  South Birmingham Health Authority
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will order an inquiry into the payments made to the director of finance of South Birmingham health authority and his subsequent employment as a consultant to the national health service executive at Chipping Norton; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Malone
  No. The Public Accounts Committee in its 36th report fully considered the affairs of South Birmingham health authority and the position of the former director of finance. Copies of the report and the Government's response are available in the Library.

  Midwives
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions she gave for midwives to meet out-patients in reception areas to comply with patient charter standards.

  Mr. Malone
  None. The way in which women are received in out-patients clinics is a matter for local arrangement. The patients charter standard on the named midwife is that each pregnant woman shall have a named qualified midwife allocated to her.

  Seriously Incapacitated Patients
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide guidelines to health authorities on their responsibilities to provide continuing care for seriously incapacitated patients, in the light of the findings by the health service commissioner—case Number 1 E 62/93–94—and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  Draft guidance on "NHS responsibilities for meeting long-term health care needs", copies of which are available in the Library, was issued for consultation on 12 August.

  Consultation Exercises
  Mr. Patnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (1) guidelines are issued by her Department regarding the procedure of consultation exercises on the future of hospital services; to which authorities these guidelines are issued; and if she will make a statement;

  (2) if she will list the amount of time allocated for each consultation exercise on the future of hospital services that have taken place in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement;

  (3) how many consultation exercises have been held on the future of hospital services in the last year for which figures are available; if she will list the regional health authorities involved; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  Guidance (EL(90)185) to health authorities in September 1990 reminded them of the need to consult potential users of services as an integral part of the management process. District health authorities are required by the Community Health Council Regulations 1985, as amended, to consult the relevant community health council on proposals which would result in substantial changes to services. Changes may be made without consultation if the authority has expressly decided that, in the interest of the health service, a decision has to be taken without allowing time for consultation. Except in such cases, sufficient time should be allowed for views to be taken and advice given. Consultations are a matter for local health authorities; information on numbers and duration is not available centrally. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.

  Employment Practices
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans she has to prevent the re-employment as consultants by the NHS of NHS trust directors who have left or been terminated for unacceptable professional standards;

  (2) what action she has taken, or plans to take to ensure, that directors and managers of regional health authorities and NHS trusts who have been involved in improper, dishonest or incompetent practices, cannot be further employed either directly or as consultants to other health authorities or NHS trusts.

  Mr. Malone
  None. It is for the individual employer to use its normal recruitment procedures, which will involve references from previous employers, to ensure that prospective consultants and staff are suitable for the job concerned. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 29 November,Official Report, column 590, on the employment of consultants.

  Paramedical Training
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to disallow NHS trusts from charging existing or potential staff for training in paramedical skills.

  Mr. Sackville
  Funding arrangements for paramedic training are a matter for local trusts to determine in conjunction with their purchasing health authorities.

  Financial Interests
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to require all members of health 830
  authorities and trusts to publish in public registers any relevant financial interests.

  Mr. Malone
  The "Code of Conduct and Accountability" requires chairmen and board members to declare any private interests that might be material and relevant to national health service business. Such information should then be recorded in board minutes and entered into a register which is available to the public. Copies of the code of conduct are available in the Library.

  Cornwall Healthcare Trust
  Mr. Remond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she has made a decision on the payment of libel lawsuit fees in the Cornwall Healthcare trust case; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Malone
  No. The matter is still under consideration.

  John Gunn
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when John Gunn was first appointed to a health authority/trust; and if she will list his subsequent appointments or reappointments.

  Mr. Malone
  We have no record of a John Gunn holding any non-executive appointment with a national health service authority or trust.

  Expenditure
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of Stale for Health what is the level of spending per head of population on national health service provision in each health district in England and Wales.

  Mr. Malone
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply the then Minister of Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney) gave the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 26 May, 1994,Official Report column 305. Information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Hepetitis C
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many haemophiliac patients are known to have contracted hepatitis C as a consequence of contaminated blood; how many are known to have died; what representations she has received from relatives; how she has replied; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  Figures are not available centrally for haemophilia patients who have contracted hepatitis C through contaminated blood, or for those who have died. I understand from the United Kingdom haemophilia directors that, of 126 haemophilia patients known to have died in 1993, 12 showed the cause of death as liver disease, of which hepatitis C may have been the cause. Some representations have been received seeking payments to haemophilia patients who may have been infected with hepatitis C. We have responded that the Government have no plans to make such payments.

  Consultants
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she plans to reduce the disparity in the number of consultants per head of population between regions, with particular reference to Trent regional health authority.

  Mr. Malone
  There are no central plans for modifying the number of consultants between regions. It is a matter for each employing body to determine the number of consultants needed in each specialty in the light of local needs and competing priorities.

  Limited Drug List
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated total saving for each stage in respect of the introduction of the limited drug list.

  Mr. Sackville
  It is not possible to produce estimates which separate the impact of the selected list scheme from other factors which influence the size of the drugs bill.

  NHS Employees' Complaints
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue guidance to allow national health service employees to bring to the attention of community health councils their concerns about services and patient care without the threat of disciplinary action being taken against them; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Malone
  The national health service executive's "Guidance to staff on relations with the public and the media: EL(93)51" clearly sets out the rights and duties of staff when raising issues of concern about health care matters and shows how employers may ensure these rights and duties are met. The guidance makes it plain that employees who raise their concerns in accordance with the guidance are not to be penalised in any way for doing so. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.

  NHS and NHS Trust Directors
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce legislation to render NHS and NHS trust directors liable to surcharge.

  Mr. Malone
  No.

  Ambulance Response Times
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give, by ambulance authority in England, the number of patients who died in 1993 following ambulance delays outside patients charter limits.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available.

  Patients (Failed Appointments)
  Mr. Jessel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the approximate percentage of patients failing to show up, without giving notice, for appointments with(a) consultants and (b) other hospital doctors in (i) each general hospital in the South Thames region, (ii) West Middlesex University hospital and (iii) teaching hospitals in London north of the River Thames.
  832
  Mr. Sackville
  The information requested is in "Outpatients and Ward Attenders, England, Financial Year 1993–94" copies of which are available in the Library.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) of the bills currently awaiting payment in her Department, how many are over the advised payment date by(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months respectively;

  (2) how many of the bills paid by her Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments, however, are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. For 1993, the Department of Health paid 87.1 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the special advisers employed by her Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left her Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Sackville
  The special advisers employed by the Department over the last five years are:

  Name

  Mrs. T Keswick

  January 1989 to November 1990

  Mrs. L Campey

  December 1990 to April 1992

  Mrs. K Ramsay

  December 1990 to April 1992

  Mr. R Marsh

  June 1991 to April 1992 and from April 1992 to the present day

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are however normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable and the salary spine reflects this.

  Kidney Donor Register
  Mr. Churchill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she proposes to take to publicise the new kidney donor register; and what budgetary provision she has made for this.
  833
  Mr. Sackville
  We are presently considering the next phase of publicity in support of the national health service organ donor register.

  Personal Social Services
  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific grants and capital resources she is making available to local authorities for the personal social services for 1995–96.

  Mr. Bowis
  Specific grants will again be available in 1995–96 for mental illness services—£47.3 million—HIV and AIDS—£13.4 million—alcohol and drugs misuse—£2.5 million—guardian ad litem and reporting officers—£6.2 million—and social services training—£34.6 million. The mental illness grant will increase by £11.3 million which will be targeted on people with severe mental illness. Each grant will continue to support a maximum of 70 per cent. of total expenditure.

  Annual capital guidelines of £124.3 million will be distributed to local authorities. Supplementary credit

  Hill livestock compensatory allowances and sheep annual premium expenditure 1985–1993

  Year

  HLCA £ million

  Percentage change on previous year

  SAP £ million

  Percentage change on previous year

  1985

  37.9

  —

  27.2

  —

  1986

  42.9

  +13.2

  19.4

  -28.7

  1987

  42.8

  -0.2

  23.9

  +23.2

  1988

  43.5

  +1.6

  24.4

  +2.1

  1989

  45.1

  +3.7

  28.5

  +16.8

  1990

  48.1

  +6.7

  40.3

  +41.4

  1991

  56.1

  +17.7

  65.3

  +62.0

  1992

  57.0

  +1.6

  96.2

  +47.3

  1993

  50.7

  -11.1

  99.1

  +3.0

  Highland Area Supplement
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will produce figures for the value of the special highland area supplement for the years 1992 to date; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The value of the HLCA supplements paid in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise area are unchanged since 1992. For sheep the supplement is 64p on top of the rate paid to hardy breed sheep in the severely disadvantaged areas. For cows in the severely disadvantaged areas the supplement varies according to the grading of the farm. For grade A farms, the supplement is £3.05 per cow, for grade B, £11.59 per cow and for grade C, £15.86 per cow.

  Less-favoured Areas
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the total subsidies to the less-favoured areas for each year since 1985, inclusive; and if he will indicate what the change was between successive years.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Agricultural livestock subsidies paid exclusively to the less-favoured areas are the hill livestock compensatory allowances and the sheep annual premium supplement. Expenditure for both is set out in the following table:
  834
  approvals will again be available for information technology for community care—£12.2 million—mental illness£11.4 million—and AIDS and HIV services—£3.1 million. The capital grant for secure accommodation for children will continue in 1995–96. The level of grant will be announced later.

SCOTLAND

  Farmer's Allowances
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the total cost of(a) hill livestock compensatory allowance and (b) sheep annual premium for each year since 1985; and what the percentage change was in each case on the previous year.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The information is set opt in the following table.

  Year

  HLCA Exp £ million

  Percentage change on previous year

  SAP LFA supplement £ million

  Percentage change on previous year

  1985

  37.9

  —

  —

  1986

  42.9

  +13.2

  —

  —

  1987

  42.8

  -0.2

  —

  —

  1988

  43.5

  +1.6

  —

  —

  1989

  45.1

  +3.7

  —

  —

  1990

  48.1

  +6.7

  —

  —

  1991

  56.1

  +17.7

  12.0

  —

  1992

  57.0

  +1.6

  25.0

  +108.3

  1993

  50.7

  -11.1

  19.2

  -23.2

  Winter Feed Costs
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the value of winter feed costs for hill farmers for each year since 1990; and what was the increase or decrease on the previous years.

  Sir Hector Monro
  It is not possible to identify winter feed costs but the value of total feed costs for livestock farmers in the Scottish less-favoured areas is set out in the following table:
  835

  Total Feed Cost (£ per farm)

  Change from previous year Total (£ per farm)

  Percentage

  1990–91

  9,472

  -52

  -1 per cent.

  1991–92

  9,788

  +487

  +5 per cent.

  1992–93

  10,883

  +1,106

  +11 percent.

  1993–94 (forecast)

  11,775

  +892

  +8 per cent.

  Source:

  Scottish farm accounts scheme.

  The sample of farms in the Scottish farm accounts scheme varies slightly from year to year. The total cost figures relate to the sample employed in the year in question. The change figures reflect the change from the previous year for an identical sample of farms.

  Cow Subsidies
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the current value of(a) hill cow subsidy and (b) suckler cow subsidy in (i) total and (ii) per head figures; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The current main rates of hill livestock compensatory allowances for cows in the severely disadvantaged areas is £47.50 and £23.75 in the disadvantaged areas. Expenditure on cows under the 1993 HLCA scheme was £30.2 million. The current suckler cow premium is £87.49 with a further £27.63 per cow payable to producers who qualify for an extensification premium. Expenditure under the 1993 suckler cow premium scheme was £43.5 million.

  Health Authorities and Trusts
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of health authorities and trusts as at 30 September.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  On 30 September 1994 there were 15 health boards and 39 NHS trusts in Scotland.

  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give, for each health board and trust, the number of houses on their property which are privately owned.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Life Prisoners
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisoners in Scottish prisons are serving discretionary life sentences; and how many are still in prison after serving more than 10 years.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  A total of 24 individuals are serving discretionary life sentences in Scottish prisons, seven of whom have spent more than 10 years in custody.

  Waiting times (Number of days) for first attendance at consultant out-patient clinic

  Waiting times (Number of days) for patients admitted from in-patient or day case waiting lists

  Specialty

  Mean

  Median

  In-patients Mean

  Day cases Median

  Mean

  Median

  1992

  Cardiology

  —

  —

  33

  27

  26

  21

  Dermatology

  —

  —

  21

  6

  1—

  1—

  Saughton Prison
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the membership of the preliminary review committee of Saughton prison in Edinburgh; and what overlap there is in the membership of that committee with those taking day to day responsibility for prisoners.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  No individual prison has a preliminary review committee. The preliminary review committee for life sentence prisoners is chaired by a senior Scottish Office official and its membership comprises a High Court judge, the chairman and a psychiatrist member of the Parole Board for Scotland and the deputy chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service. None of these is involved in day-to-day management of prisoners.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisoners in Saughton prison, Edinburgh, were not told of their right to make written representations to the preliminary review committee.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information is not available.

  Prisoners
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisoners in Scottish prisons have served more than 12 years of their current sentence.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The subject of the question relates to matters undertaken by the Scottish prison Service. I have asked its chief executive, Mr. E.W. Frizzell, to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. Tony Worthington, dated 1 December 1994:
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of prisoners who have served more than 12 years of their current sentence.
  There are currently 131 life sentence prisoners who have spent 12 years or more in custody. This information is not collected centrally in respect of determinate prisoners. However, with the introduction of the Scottish Prison Information Network (SPIN) next year, this type of information will be available.

  Waiting Times
  Mr. Robert Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list waiting times for patients of Aberdeen Royal Hospital NHS trust for each of the main medical specialities for the current year, for 1993 and 1992.

  Mr. Lang
  Information on waiting times for first out-patient appointments at trust level was not held centrally until 1994. The table shows the waiting times for patients treated as in-patients or day cases in selected specialties at the trust in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and the waiting times for first out-patient appointments in 1994. All 1994 figures are from 1 January to 30 September and are provisional.
  837

  Waiting times (Number of days) for first attendance at consultant out-patient clinic

  Waiting times (Number of days) for patients admitted from in-patient or day case waiting lists

  Specialty

  Mean

  Median

  In-patients Mean

  Day cases Median

  Mean

  Median

  ENT Surgery

  —

  —

  83

  65

  63

  50

  General Medicine

  —

  —

  26

  15

  16

  10

  General Surgery

  —

  —

  60

  27

  46

  31

  Gynaecology

  —

  —

  42

  28

  26

  7

  Medical

  Paediatrics

  —

  —

  20

  14

  20

  21

  Nephrology

  —

  —

  27

  14

  9

  9

  Neurosurgery

  —

  —

  36

  36

  41

  37

  Ophthalmology

  —

  —

  55

  44

  45

  34

  Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine

  —

  —

  64

  41

  10

  8

  Orthopaedic Surgery

  —

  —

  22

  14

  16

  13

  Plastic Surgery

  —

  —

  135

  56

  159

  79

  Radiotherapy (Consultative)

  —

  —

  10

  6

  11

  5

  Respiratory Medicine

  —

  —

  8

  5

  13

  9

  Surgical Paediatrics

  —

  —

  45

  31

  42

  29

  Thoracic Surgery

  —

  —

  83

  27

  30

  11

  Urology

  —

  —

  47

  32

  23

  19

  1993

  Cardiology

  —

  —

  32

  25

  35

  27

  Dermatology

  —

  —

  19

  11

  119

  119

  ENT Surgery

  —

  77

  63

  60

  49

  General Medicine

  —

  —

  26

  14

  21

  13

  General Surgery

  —

  —

  51

  29

  55

  35

  Gynaecology

  —

  —

  43

  37

  20

  6

  Medical Paediatrics

  27

  18

  26

  21

  Nephrology

  —

  —

  16

  8

  11

  7

  Neurosurgery

  —

  —

  39

  31

  32

  25

  Ophthalmology

  —

  —

  55

  46

  38

  35

  Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine

  —

  —

  74

  45

  45

  26

  Orthopaedic Surgery

  —

  —

  35

  22

  28

  9

  Plastic Surgery

  —

  —

  158

  68

  151

  78

  Radiotherapy (Consultative)

  —

  —

  12

  7

  9

  8

  Respiratory Medicine

  —

  —

  8

  5

  13

  9

  Surgical Paediatrics

  —

  —

  31

  23

  28

  25

  Thoracic Surgery

  —

  —

  57

  29

  21

  11

  Urology

  —

  —

  48

  34

  31

  26

  1994

  Cardiology

  51

  45

  34

  26

  39

  33

  Dermatology

  77

  77

  25

  15

  1—

  1—

  ENT Surgery

  54

  49

  80

  66

  70

  57

  General Medicine

  55

  58

  25

  15

  19

  14

  General Surgery

  42

  37

  60

  28

  70

  43

  Gynaecology

  46

  44

  43

  35

  21

  7

  Medical Paediatrics

  57

  56

  24

  13

  14

  10

  Nephrology

  24

  18

  16

  8

  6

  7

  Neurosurgery

  31

  31

  31

  28

  26

  16

  Ophthalmology

  58

  60

  47

  39

  34

  30

  Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine

  124

  112

  72

  29

  87

  84

  Orthopaedic Surgery

  91

  92

  38

  29

  27

  24

  Plastic Surgery

  12S

  77

  175

  67

  213

  86

  Radiotherapy (Consultative)

  20

  15

  10

  6

  4

  4

  Respiratory Medicine

  16

  14

  6

  5

  10

  7

  838 839

  Waiting times (Number of days) for first attendance at consultant out-patient clinic

  Waiting times (Number of days) for patients admitted from in-patient or day case waiting lists

  Specialty

  Mean

  Median

  In-patients Mean

  Day cases Median

  Mean

  Median

  Surgical Paediatrics

  29

  24

  45

  38

  40

  36

  Thoracic Surgery

  34

  34

  61

  35

  6

  6

  Urology

  81

  71

  60

  51

  34

  28

  1 —No service.

  Note:

  Median—the number of days within which 50 per cent. of patients had waited for treatment.

  Beef Exports
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has met European Commission officials to discuss amendments to Decision 94/474; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 25 November 1994]: On 12 October the Scientific Veterinary Committee reviewed the six-year rule applying to the export of meat from young cattle and agreed that it should be removed. We are now pressing the Commission to bring forward a decision on this quickly.

  Main specialties

  Establishment

  Number in post

  All specialties

  473

  (455)

  424

  Accident and emergency

  11

  (10)

  7

  Anaesthetics

  55

  (50)

  51

  Clinical laboratory specialties

  54

  (60)

  59

  Medical specialties

  125

  (117)

  108

  Obstetrics and gynaecology

  24

  (24)

  23

  Occupational health

  2

  (2)

  1

  Psychiatric specialties

  71

  (68)

  61

  Radiology

  31

  (30)

  28

  Surgical specialties

  99

  (93)

  86

  Other specialties

  1

  (1)

  0

  The 1993 establishment of hospital medical posts is given in brackets.

  The establishment of public health medicine which covers both the senior registrar and the registrar grades is 33 posts. At 30 September 1993, there were 34 doctors in the two grades.

  No senior registrar posts were reported as having been vacant for six months or more in the year ended 30 September 1993. Information is not collected centrally on posts vacant for less than six months.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department how many are over the advised payment date by(a) up to one month, (b). up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively;

  (2) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within (a) up to one month, (b). up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up

  Medical Staff
  Mr. Robert Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the medical staff complements in each of the main specialities, the numbers in post, the vacancies and the length of time that vacancies have been unfilled.

  Mr. Lang
  The only grade of hospital doctor for which a central establishment is set is senior registrar. The establishment for the main specialities for 1994 and the numbers of posts filled at 30 September 1993, the latest date for which the information is available, are as follows:

  to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months.

  Mr. Lang
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) on 10 May 1994 at column 94, which provides information about payment performance.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Lang
  My Department has employed two full-time special advisers over the last five years, although only one, Mr. Gregor Mackay, is in post at present.

  Of the previous special advisers to my Department, Mr. Graeme Carter was appointed on 7 August 1987 and re-appointed on 28 November 1990. He resigned on 31 December 1990. Mr Alan Young was first appointed on 22 December 1989 and was subsequently re-appointed twice—on 29 November 1989 and 8 May 1992. He resigned on 2 November 1994.
  841
  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special adviser's salary spine of 34 points, which starts at £19,503. Appointments are non-pensionable and the salary spine reflects this.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Domestic Violence
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to institute a new strategy to combat domestic violence; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and the Lord Chancellor on this subject.

  Mr. Maclean
  In their reply to the 1993 Home Affairs Select Committee report on domestic violence, the Government made it clear that domestic violence must be tackled vigorously. Action is being taken to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice; that victims and their children receive the necessary practical and emotional support and that preventive strategies to help reduce violence and suffering are identified and promoted. The aim of the Government's public awareness campaign on domestic violence, which was launched on 24 October, is to send a clear message that domestic violence is a crime and no one should stand for it.

  The Department for Education and the Lord Chancellor's Department are represented on the ministerial group on domestic violence.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence were recorded in the latest year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Maclean
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton) on 26 October,Official Report, columns 638–39.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively;

  (2) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from the receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, Departments are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. In its 1995 annual report, the Home Office expects to report payment performance in excess of 90 per cent. in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual 842
  conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Juvenile Offenders
  Mr. Byers
  : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost of the research project carried out by the Policy Studies Institute into persistent juvenile offenders; what definition they used; what areas of the United Kingdom were covered by the study; what conclusions and recommendations were made; and what response his Department has made to the study.

  Mr. Maclean
  The scope and nature of the research, and the findings, are set out in the published report, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. The research cost approximately £68,000. The report has helped to inform Government policy on juvenile crime.

  Stop and Search Statistics
  Mr. Bernie Grant
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were stopped and searched in each police authority in each quarter since 1990; for what reasons these searches were carried out; in how many cases an arrest was made; and if he will provide an ethnic breakdown of those stopped and searched.

  Mr. Maclean
  The readily available information is published in Home Office statistical bulletin "Operation of certain police powers under PACE, England and Wales 1993"—issue 15/94—table 1, a copy of which can be found in the Library. The bulletin references for earlier years are 14/91, 15/92, and 21/93.

  Quarterly data in the form requested would be available only at disproportionate cost.

  The available statistics on ethnic breakdown of those stopped and searched relate to the fiscal year 1993–94 and are given in the table. The data should be treated with caution. This is the first time that this information has been collected. Two forces could not provide the data and a further five forces had to provide an estimate.

  Searches of persons under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 by ethnic group

  Searches made: of ethnic minority

  Police force area

  of white persons

  persons

  Avon and Somerset

  3,657

  282

  Bedfordshire

  1,381

  324

  Cambridgeshire

  2,480

  179

  Cheshire

  502

  5

  Cleveland

  2,240

  31

  Cumbria

  3,954

  30

  Derbyshire

  3,313

  149

  Devon and Cornwall

  947

  11

  Dorset

  1,640

  —

  Durham

  1,430

  14

  1Essex

  4,182

  136

  Gloucestershire

  2—

  2—

  Greater Manchester

  38.376

  4,134

  Hampshire

  2,515

  53

  Hertfordshire

  3,807

  351

  1Humberside

  1,063

  26

  Kent

  3,550

  103

  1Lancashire

  6,432

  462

  Leicestershire

  10,378

  1,414

  Lincolnshire

  2,280

  18

  London, City of

  1,611

  500

  Merseyside

  15,075

  662

  843

  Searches of persons under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 by ethnic group

  Searches made: of ethnic minority

  Police force area

  of white persons

  persons

  Metropolitan

  Police District

  132,565

  95,751

  Norfolk

  6,410

  53

  Northamptonshire

  2,840

  137

  Northumbria

  8,064

  70

  North Yorkshire

  2,253

  25

  Nottinghamshire

  1,817

  175

  South Yorkshire

  5,054

  404

  Staffordshire

  1,567

  106

  Suffolk

  2,016

  91

  Surrey

  12,544

  870

  1Sussex

  4,118

  213

  Thames Valley

  3,817

  615

  Warwickshire

  3,138

  219

  West Mercia

  7,500

  366

  1West Midlands

  4,098

  1,927

  West Yorkshire

  2,636

  386

  Wiltshire

  1,534

  71

  Dyfed-Powys

  7,720

  37

  Gwent

  2,087

  110

  North Wales

  8,792

  12

  South Wales

  2—

  2—

  1= estimated

  2= not available

  Mr. Bernie Grant
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if information relating to stop and search incidents where no arrest is made is stored on police computers.

  Mr. Maclean
  A written record must be made of all stop and searches by police officers whether or not an arrest is made. The method of retention of such records is a matter for the chief officer of the force concerned.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Howard
  The information is as follows:

  Year

  Names

  1990

  Mr. M. Simmonds

  23 October 1989—July 1990

  Mr. J. Taylor

  19 February 1990—November 1990

  Mr. A. Kerpel

  1 December 1990–10 April 1992

  1991

  Mr. A. Kerpel

  (see above)

  Mr. C. Grantham

  18 February 1991–10 April 1992

  Mr. A. Kerpel

  (see above)

  1992

  Mr. C. Grantham

  (see above)

  Mrs. A. Keswick

  11 April 1992–28 May 1993

  Mr. D. Ruffley

  11 April 1992–28 May 1993

  1993

  Mrs. A. Keswick

  (see above)

  Mr. D. Ruffley

  (see above)

  Mr. P. Rock

  28 May 1993—to date

  Mr. D. Cameron

  21 June 1993–31 August 1994

  1994

  Mr. P. Rock

  (see above)

  844

  Year

  Names

  Mr. D. Cameron

  (see above)

  Miss R. Whetstone

  5 September 1994—to date

  I regret that, in the reply I gave on 20 July 1994, Official Report, columns 274–75, to an earlier question from the hon. Member, I said that only one special adviser joined the Department in 1990.

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, currently ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

  Police Authorities (Funding)
  Mr. Shersby
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to announce the allocations of police grant for individual police authorities in 1995–96; and what are the implications of this for the overall funding of police authorities in that year.

  Mr. Howard
  I have today put a copy of my proposals for the allocation of police grant for 1995–96 in the Library.

  Proposals are also being announced today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment for police standard spending assessments and special grants in England and by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales for police standard spending assessments in Wales.

  The table below shows by police force area the total effect of all these proposals for 1995–96.

  Police Force Area

  1995–96 Funding £ million

  English Forces

  Avon and Somerset

  146.67

  Bedfordshire

  55.28

  Cambridgeshire

  62.24

  Cheshire

  93.49

  Cleveland

  70.17

  Cumbria

  54.33

  Derbyshire

  87.71

  Devon and Cornwall

  145.14

  Dorset

  62.24

  Durham

  68.09

  Essex

  146.27

  Gloucestershire

  55.93

  Hampshire

  168.17

  Hertfordshire

  87.24

  Humberside

  92.27

  Kent

  157.89

  Lancashire

  157.62

  Leicestershire

  89.34

  Lincolnshire

  57.08

  Norfolk

  70.36

  North Yorkshire

  66.71

  Northamptonshire

  55.80

  Nottinghamshire

  109.51

  Staffordshire

  100.51

  Suffolk

  57.95

  Surrey

  85.06

  Sussex

  144.78

  Thames Valley

  192.72

  Warwickshire

  47.67

  West Mercia

  97.22

  845

  Police Force Area

  1995–96 Funding £ million

  Wiltshire

  58.67

  English Shires Total

  2,949.13

  English Metropolitan Forces

  Greater Manchester

  324.38

  Merseyside

  214.73

  Northumbria

  177.97

  South Yorkshire

  146.22

  West Midlands

  326.90

  West Yorkshire

  249.30

  English Metropolitan Total

  1,439.50

  Metropolitan Police

  1,628.56

  City of London

  57.27

  English Total

  6,074.46

  Welsh Forces

  Dyfed-Powys

  44.22

  Gwent

  47.40

  North Wales

  62.85

  South Wales

  146.24

  Welsh Total

  300.71

  Total

  6,375.17

  (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10,000.

  Police Officers
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) men and (b) women from an ethnic minority background are police officers in England and Wales.

  Mr. Maclean
  As of 31 August 1994, the latest date for which this information is readily available, there were 1,590 men and 438 women from an ethnic minority background serving as police officers in England and Wales.

  Metropolitan Police
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to contract out operational support services of the Metropolitan police; and what conditions are being placed on the contractors concerning their employees.

  Mr. Maclean
  Police forces do not contract out operational police duties. Support functions, however, may be suitable for contracting out. The Commissioner informs me that the Metropolitan police contracted out catering, cleaning, security guarding, building maintenance, vehicle repair and other support services to the value of more than £100 million in 1993–94.

  The Metropolitan police has an extensive programme of market testing. Work valued at more than £110 million a year is being examined to see if greater value for money could be achieved if all or part of this work were undertaken by the private sector.

  In certain cases, contractors are required to meet special security conditions.

  Remand
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of people on remand 846
  (a) untried, (b) convicted unsentenced and (c) in total at the end of each month in 1994.

  Mr. Maclean
  Information on remand data for 1994 will not be available until autumn 1995.

  Remands data include estimates for a number of police forces where data are of a questionable quality. It is not appropriate, for this reason, to give a monthly breakdown of remand figures.

  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of custody per inmate per month for those on remand in custody.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Jack Straw, dated 1 December 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the average monthly cost of custody for prisoners on remand.
  In 1993–94 the average monthly cost per prisoner place was £1,893. This excludes exceptional items—the costs of holding prisoners in police cells and compensation for abandonment of plans to relocate the Prison Service headquarters to Derby.
  It is not possible to distinguish the cost of keeping different types of offenders in custody.

  Truncheons
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in full the results of tests made to assess the alternatives to the traditional truncheon for use by the police in London.

  Mr. Maclean
  A report of the scientific evaluation of the alternative batons which have been approved for the Metropolitan police has been sent to the Association of Chief Police Officers, and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Policing Costs
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the cost to police authorities in England of dealing with demands of(a) the Crown Prosecution Service, (b) the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and (c) traffic management schemes.

  Mr. Maclean
  There has been no central assessment of the overall cost to police authorities of dealing with any of these areas.

  Prisoners (Police Cells)
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoner nights have been spent in police cells in each month of 1994 to date.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Jack Straw, dared 1 December 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of prisoner nights spent in police cells in each month of 1994 to date.

  847
  The latest information, up to and including 27 November, is given below:

  Number

  January

  16

  February

  4,439

  March

  12,178

  April

  9,178

  May

  4,795

  June

  2,100

  July

  1,890

  August

  4,512

  September

  4,255

  October

  4,418

  November (to 27)

  2,910

  Total

  51,252

  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost to his Department of keeping prisoners in police cells, broken down by police authority in 1994 to date.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewes to Mr. Jack Straw, dated 1 December 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the cost of keeping prisoners in police cells, broken down by police authority.
  The following table gives police cell costs for each police authority for 1 January 1994–30 November 1994.

  Police Authority

  Amount £

  Cumbria

  13,385.44

  Greater Manchester

  7,937,323.17

  Humberside

  202,700.87

  Lancashire

  696,288.29

  Merseyside

  1,032,697.68

  Northamptonshire

  9,190.90

  Northumbria

  218,916.32

  South Yorkshire

  270,742.53

  West Yorkshire

  346,807.06

  Total

  10,728,052.26

  The above amounts exclude invoices not yet submitted.

  Police Houses
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police houses there are in each police authority; and how many are empty.

  Mr. Maclean
  The information is set out in the table.

  Stock of police houses at 31 March 1994

  Police authorities

  Total stock

  Vacant

  Avon and Somerset

  346

  32

  Bedfordshire

  107

  3

  Cambridgeshire

  154

  5

  Cheshire

  142

  30

  City of London

  65

  5

  Cleveland

  7

  1

  Cumbria

  239

  64

  Derbyshire

  119

  59

  Devon and Cornwall

  139

  63

  Dorset

  159

  21

  Durham

  53

  5

  Dyfed-Powys

  187

  27

  Essex

  353

  41

  Gloucestershire

  165

  22

  Greater Manchester

  340

  41

  Gwent

  52

  8

  Hampshire

  314

  22

  Hertfordshire

  433

  44

  Humberside

  125

  15

  Kent

  479

  25

  Lancashire

  256

  27

  Leicestershire

  72

  7

  Lincolnshire

  109

  25

  Merseyside

  86

  1

  Norfolk

  81

  10

  Northamptonshire

  135

  12

  Northumbria

  288

  27

  North Wales

  276

  145

  North Yorkshire

  286

  52

  Nottinghamshire

  74

  9

  South Wales

  197

  35

  South Yorkshire

  78

  10

  Staffordshire

  120

  14

  Suffolk

  122

  37

  Surrey

  455

  17

  Sussex

  510

  10

  Thames valley

  611

  84

  Warwickshire

  135

  19

  West Mercia

  182

  34

  West Midlands

  403

  23

  West Yorkshire

  126

  29

  Wiltshire

  123

  27

  Metropolitan Police

  2,181

  156

  Total

  10,884

  1,343

  Immigration Applicants
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last year the immigration service has failed to meet its target that no applicant for entry into the United Kingdom should spend more than 24 hours in a police cell; what was the length of time individuals were so incarcerated in such cases; and when he expects the target to be met.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  Information about periods of detention in police cells is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Plans to provide additional immigration detention accommodation over the next 18 months should assist in reducing the time spent in police cells.

  Spitalfields Market Constabulary
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the authority for the operation of Spitalfields Market constabulary; who controls them; what is their relationship with(a) the Metropolitan police and (b) the City of London police; what is the involvement of the Home Office in their work; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  Responsibility for Spitalfields Market constabulary rests with the Corporation of the City of London.

  Police Car Maintenance Units
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a summary of the financial findings from the study his Department conducted in 1988 into the proposed privatisation of police car maintenance units.

  Mr. Maclean
  No such study has ever been undertaken by the Home Office. The Audit Commission published a study in May 1989, however, entitled "Improving Vehicle Fleet Management in the Police Service"—police papers number 3—which made a number of recommendations aimed at reducing the repair and maintenance costs of police vehicles. It did not consider the question of privatisation.

  Internet
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide information via Internet; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  My Department's press notices are passed to the Central Office of Information, through which they are made generally available to users of Internet. We are considering using Internet to provide other public information.

  Mr. Stephen Smith
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken to date over the allegations made by Mr. Stephen Smith that he suffered medical negligence while an inmate at Doncaster prison; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
  850
  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 1 December 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the case of Stephen Smith.
  Mr. Smith received medical attention at Doncaster prison and was subsequently referred to Doncaster Royal Infirmary for further treatment. Whilst receiving treatment for his condition in Doncaster it is recorded that he refused to follow medical advice.

  Private Security Companies
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list(a) by month for the last 48 months, the private security companies that his Department has employed that are not registered with either of the industry's watchdog bodies and (b) those companies currently employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  During the period specified, the Home Office has let contracts to the following private security companies which are not registered with either the British Security Industry Association or the International Professional Trade Association:

  Contractor

  Contract duration

  COEX Limited

  February 1991–September 1992

  Grundig International Limited

  July 1992–December 1992

  Johnson Control Systems Limited

  February 1992–March 1994

  Knogo UK Limited

  December 1991–June 1992

  3 DIS (Europe)

  March 1994–March 1994

  The Home Office currently employs the following private security companies which are not registered with either the British Security Industry Association or the International Professional Trade Association:

  Contractor

  Airline Security Consultants Limited

  Aviation Defence International

  Defence Security Services

  Insight Consulting

  Security Wales Limited

  A number of factors are considered when awarding contracts, which may include certification of compliance with relevant British standards and membership of an established trade association.

  Prison Escapes
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) men and (b) women who were serving a prison sentence have escaped and are still at large; and on what dates and in what circumstances they absconded.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewes to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 1 December 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of sentenced prisoners who have escaped and who are still at large.
  Of the sentenced population, 67 male and two female prisoners are still at large. A table showing the dated and circumstanct of

  851
  each escape is enclosed, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
  Many of the escapes have been through a breach of the perimeter of category C prison. We are part way through a major programme to upgrade the perimeter fences of such prisons which will make escape significantly more difficult.
  A substantial proportion of escapes in the past have also been from escort. As a result of a range of initiatives, the number of escapes from escort is falling. If current trends continue, such escapes will be over 50 per cent. lower in 1994–95 than in 1992–93.

  Date

  Male or Female

  Circumstances of Escape

  3 November 1988

  F

  From Crown Court (escort)

  10 February 1989

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Aldington

  31 October 1989

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Northeye

  17 November 1989

  M

  Through the fence at HMYOI and RC Feltharn

  7 December 1989

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Oxford

  1 April 1990

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Send

  4 August 1990

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Littlehey

  20 February 1991

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Aldington

  15 May 1991

  M

  From outside hospital (escort)

  14 June 1991

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Aldington

  23 June 1991

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Aldington

  29 June 1991

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Norwich

  6 August 1991

  M

  Through the fence at HMP The Mount

  6 August 1991

  M

  Through the fence at HMP The Mount

  22 September 1991

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Bedford

  24 October 1991

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Wayland

  2 February 1992

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Downview

  11 February 1992

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Channings Wood

  11 February 1992

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Channings Wood

  17 February 1992

  M

  From Crown Court (escort)

  21 March 1992

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Wellingborough

  24 April 1992

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Featherstone

  25 May 1992

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Blantyre House

  6 June 1992

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Highpoint

  1 July 1992

  F

  From outside hospital (escort)

  3 August 1992

  M

  Hidden in laundry van at HMP Elmley

  3 August 1992

  M

  Hidden in laundry van at HMP Elmley

  11 September 1992

  M

  From family visit (escort)

  26 September 1992

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Highpoint

  26 September 1992

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Highpoint

  4 October 1992

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Highpoint

  4 October 1992

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Highpoint

  8 November 1992

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Downview

  852

  Date

  Male or Female

  Circumstances of Escape

  12 November 1992

  M

  From outside hospital (escort)

  30 November 1992

  M

  From outside hospital (escort)

  1 April 1993

  M

  From coach on route to prison (escort)

  7 April 1993

  M

  Through fence at HMP Wellingborough

  2 June 1993

  M

  Escape from HMP Channings Wood—method unknown

  25 June 1993

  M

  From outside hospital (escort)

  2 August 1993

  M

  Escape from HMP Blantyre House—method unknown

  4 September 1993

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Downview

  13 October 1993

  M

  Escape from HMP Ranby—method unknown

  23 October 1993

  M

  Escape from HMYOI and RC Feltham—method unknown

  29 November 1993

  M

  Through fence at HMP Featherstone

  16 December 1993

  M

  From family visit (escort)

  20 December 1993

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Wellingborough

  20 December 1993

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Wellingborough

  10 February 1994

  M

  From coach en route to prison (escort)

  23 March 1994

  M

  From outside hospital (escort)

  11 April 1994

  M

  From family visit (escort)

  22 May 1994

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Wellingborough

  12 June 1994

  M

  From outside hospital (escort)

  21 June 1994

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Lindholme

  21 June 1994

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Lindholme

  8 July 1994

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Wellingborough

  24 July 1994

  M

  Through the fence at HMYOI Wetherby

  24 July 1994

  M

  Through the fence at HMYOI Wetherby

  28 July 1994

  M

  Escape from HMP Littlehey—method unknown

  30 July 1994

  M

  From visits at HMP Swaleside

  3 August 1994

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Downview

  22 August 1994

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Send

  25 August 1994

  M

  Through the fence at HMP Lindholme

  30 August 1994

  M

  Over the wall HMP Featherstone

  18 September 1994

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Camp Hill

  22 October 1994

  M

  Over the fence at HMP Blantyre House

  15 November 1994

  M

  From outside hospital (escort)

  15 November 1994

  M

  Escape from HMP Blantyre House—method unknown

  16 November 1994

  M

  Over the fence at HMP The Mount

  16 November 1994

  M

  Over the fence at HMP The Mount

  Prisoner Transfers
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the policy of his Department as to the transfer of prison inmates from
  853
  prisons in England and Wales to prisons in other areas of the United Kingdom and overseas; and when this policy was last reviewed.

  Mr. Howard
  The Criminal Justice Act 1961 provides for prisoners, on request, to be transferred between United Kingdom jurisdictions and the Channel Islands, either permanently or temporarily. Requests are considered on an individual basis under criteria announced to Parliament on 23 November 1992,Official Report, columns 481–82.

  The Repatriation of Prisoners Act 1984 enables the United Kingdom to enter into international agreements for the repatriation of prisoners. Along with 27 other countries, the United Kingdom has ratified the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons. In addition, we have been joined in the Commonwealth repatriation scheme by five countries and bi-lateral agreement has been concluded with Thailand.

  These arrangements are kept under constant review.

  Home Leave
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prisoners who were granted home leave were still at large having failed to return at the latest date for which figures are available;

  (2) how many prisoners (a) applied for home leave and (b) were granted home leave in each of the first six months of 1994;

  (3) how many prisoners who were granted home leave during (a) 1992, (b) 1993 and (c) the first six months of 1994 were subsequently (i) charged and (ii) convicted of an offence while on home leave;

  (4) how many prisoners who had been refused parole during the last 12 months were granted home leave within the next 56 days.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answers 21 November 1994]: Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewes to Mr. George Howarth, dated 1 December 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about home leave for prisoners.
  I regret that the statistical information you have requested is either not collated centrally or is not held within the Prison Service and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
  Following the review of home leave and temporary release we are establishing a system to monitor release on temporary licence and the impact of the new arrangements. The system will provide a more comprehensive picture than is currently available, although it will not be capable of answering all of your questions.

  Ethnic Minority Funding
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask he Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is his policy that the assistance provided currently under section 11 grant posts to Rotherham ethnic minority children who need help with English will be maintained under the single regeneration budget process.

  Mr. Curry
  I have been asked to reply.

  The single regeneration budget has a range of objectives, including enhancing the employment prospects, education and skills of local people, particularly the young and those at a disadvantage, and promoting equality of opportunity. It is also intended to
  854
  promote initiatives of benefit to ethnic minorities. In line with these objectives, on-going commitments under section 11, part of which has been absorbed within the SRB from 1 April 1994, will continue to be honoured. In addition, the SRB will be able to provide support for new education and other projects aimed at ethnic minority communities through the bidding arrangements introduced for 1995–96 and later years.

  Rotherham is also eligible to bid for section 11 resources under the terms of a circular issued by the Home Office on 7 September. My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary announced on 22 November that section 11 funding for the current bidding round is to be doubled from £15 million to £30 million, and that the deadline for applications for funding is to be extended to 30 December 1994.

  Private Security Services
  Mr. William O' Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met representatives from private security services to discuss their role in respect of policing of streets; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  No Home Office Ministers have ever met the private security industry specifically to discuss street patrolling. Policing of our streets is a matter for the police service.

EDUCATION

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list all grant-maintained schools, with their DFE reference numbers by local education authority area, in separate lists for primary, secondary and special schools, with voluntary schools separately identified by denomination; if she will give for each school (i) the actual expenditure for the year 1993–94 and (ii) the allocations made for the year 1994–95 together with, in each case, the number of pupils used for calculations, the transitional grant awarded, the direct.annual maintenance grant, the AMG central costs allocation, the AMG meal subsidies, the AMG carry-forward from the previous financial year, the special-purpose grant for curriculum and staff-development grant, the special-purpose grant for VAT and rate-relief grant, the special-purpose grant for premises insurance grant, the special-purpose grant for staff-restructuring grant, the capital grant for formula allocation, the capital grant for named projects, other grants from public funds, the total of above grants for each school (1) excluding and (2) including capital grants for named projects, the total of the above for each school excluding capital grants expressed per head of school population, the total of the above for each school including capital grants expressed per head of school population, and the total for each of primary, secondary and special grant-maintained schools; and if, in respect of each school, she will list its standard 'A' number multiplied by number of year groups and capacity according to open enrolment calculation.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Matters concerning the determination and payment of grant to grant-maintained schools are now the responsibility of the Funding Agency
  855
  for Schools. It also holds grant information relating to last year. I have asked the chairman of the funding agency to write to the hon. Member.

  The remaining information requested is being collated. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as it is ready.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many of the bills paid by her Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;

  (2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in her Department, how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.

  Mr. Forth
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department will be providing details of its annual payment performance in its departmental report. For the invoices submitted to central accounts in October, 94.7 per cent. had been paid within one month of receipt, 99.0 per cent. within two months, 99.7 per cent. within three months and 99.8 per cent within six months.

  Capital Expenditure
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what amounts have been requested by way of capital spending in 1995–96 by each local education authority; and what has been the total amount requested in England.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The information requested is set out in the following table:

  Capital bids for LEAs in England for 1995–96 (per thousand)

  LEA

  Total bids

  Barking

  7,389

  Barnet

  8,616

  Bexley

  4,648

  Brent

  4,044

  Bromley

  8,068

  Croydon

  11,134

  Ealing

  38,064

  Enfield

  16,103

  Haringey

  15,138

  Harrow

  12,442

  Havering

  9,955

  Hillingdon

  9,563

  Hounslow

  14,373

  Kingston

  6,427

  Merton

  9,155

  Newham

  16,459

  Redbridge

  5,997

  Richmond

  5,820

  Sutton

  6,179

  Waltham

  12,379

  City

  —

  Camden

  5,516

  Westminster

  769

  Greenwich

  11,250

  Hackney

  8,672

  Hammersmith

  3,047

  Islington

  8,711

  856

  Capital bids for LEAs in England for 1995–96 (per thousand)

  LEA

  Total bids

  Kensington

  3,248

  Lambeth

  12,293

  Lewisham

  22,953

  Southwark

  5,983

  Wandsworth

  10,349

  Tower Hamlets

  22,132

  Birmingham

  40,926

  Coventry

  5,726

  Dudley

  6,278

  Sandwell

  9,249

  Solihull

  5,115

  Walsall

  7,743

  Wolverham

  11,515

  Knowsley

  14,793

  Liverpool

  18,676

  St. Helens

  6,195

  Sefton

  4,439

  Wirral

  7,343

  Bolton

  5,769

  Bury

  3,141

  Manchester

  57,840

  Oldham

  9,119

  Rochdale

  8,645

  Salford

  21,263

  Stockport

  3,608

  Tameside

  4,498

  Trafford

  7,392

  Wigan

  9,043

  Barnsley

  5,371

  Doncaster

  9,347

  Rotherham

  4,380

  Sheffield

  43,690

  Bradford

  41,166

  Calderdale

  6,003

  Kirklees

  9,762

  Leeds

  28,958

  Wakefield

  27,740

  Gateshead

  6,206

  Newcastle

  26,189

  North Tyneside

  8,028

  South Tyneside

  5,708

  Sunderland

  10,113

  Isle of Scilly

  37

  Avon

  24,893

  Bedfordshire

  11,126

  Berkshire

  15,538

  Bucks

  25,345

  Cambridge

  26,329

  Cheshire

  31,409

  Cleveland

  10,639

  Cornwall

  15,975

  Cumbria

  25,244

  Derbyshire

  36,975

  Devon

  34,680

  Dorset

  24,149

  Durham

  53,984

  East Sussex

  34,916

  Essex

  76,527

  Gloucester

  45,828

  Hampshire

  33,718

  Hereford and West

  15,718

  Hertford

  16,872

  Humberside

  19,679

  Isle of Wight

  10,225

  Kent

  67,632

  Lancashire

  40,337

  Leicester

  9,611

  Lincoln

  16,197

  Norfolk

  17,677

  North Yorkshire

  32,232

  Northampton

  17,345

  857

  Capital bids for LEAs in England for 1995–96 (per thousand)

  LEA

  Total bids

  Northumber

  5,178

  Nottingshire

  18,680

  Oxfordshire

  30,531

  Shropshire

  9,928

  Somerset

  11,959

  Staffordshire

  26,649

  Suffolk

  20,132

  Surrey

  22,842

  Warwick

  17,307

  West Sussex

  18,539

  Wiltshire

  7,732

  Total

  1,818,167

  Appeals by parents against non-admission of their children to maintained (including Grant Maintained) primary and secondary schools in each local education authority area in England—Academic year 1992–93

  Appeals Committee outcome

  Local Education Authority Area

  Total appeals lodged

  Withdrawn before reaching Appeals Committee

  Settled to mutual satisfaction

  Decided in parents favour

  Rejected

  Corporation of London

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  Camden

  378

  24

  46

  61

  247

  Greenwich

  393

  73

  50

  140

  129

  Hackney

  371

  26

  103

  101

  141

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  231

  13

  6

  25

  187

  Islington

  392

  0

  93

  81

  218

  Kensington and Chelsea

  58

  5

  7

  18

  28

  Lambeth

  380

  68

  89

  64

  159

  Lewisham

  784

  61

  154

  125

  444

  Southwark

  352

  16

  83

  79

  174

  Tower Hamlets

  596

  13

  150

  72

  361

  Wandsworth

  154

  35

  19

  48

  52

  Westminster

  227

  34

  20

  23

  150

  Barking and Dagenham

  174

  0

  60

  55

  59

  Barnet

  918

  189

  156

  189

  381

  Bexley

  434

  46

  91

  208

  89

  Brent

  145

  9

  66

  18

  52

  Bromley

  879

  221

  134

  138

  386

  Croydon

  831

  83

  95

  250

  402

  Ealing

  288

  6

  15

  90

  169

  Enfield

  710

  111

  131

  169

  299

  Haringey

  340

  5

  119

  55

  161

  Harrow

  372

  66

  47

  80

  179

  Havering

  388

  8

  43

  92

  245

  Hillingdon

  314

  16

  64

  31

  203

  Hounslow

  318

  40

  10

  93

  175

  Kingston-upon-Thames1

  125

  4

  11

  30

  79

  Merton

  233

  78

  79

  23

  53

  Newham

  39

  3

  12

  10

  14

  Redbridge

  503

  0

  0

  100

  403

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  227

  24

  1

  80

  122

  Sutton

  572

  16

  129

  111

  314

  Waltham Forest

  511

  26

  20

  263

  202

  Birmingham

  1,957

  157

  240

  539

  1,021

  Coventry

  437

  92

  1

  164

  180

  Dudley

  193

  17

  77

  21

  78

  Sandwell

  161

  58

  31

  59

  13

  Solihull

  258

  23

  89

  27

  119

  Walsall

  39

  13

  4

  9

  13

  Wolverhampton

  75

  16

  1

  22

  36

  Knowsley

  34

  0

  0

  15

  19

  Liverpool

  897

  0

  128

  340

  429

  St. Helens

  134

  12

  18

  59

  45

  Sefton

  123

  11

  50

  38

  24

  Wirral

  438

  0

  136

  70

  232

  Bolton

  233

  1

  22

  113

  97

  Bury

  619

  46

  303

  138

  130

  Manchester

  1,263

  86

  91

  561

  525

  Oldham

  378

  6

  204

  46

  122

  Rochdale

  262

  18

  69

  69

  106

  Admission Appeals
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will state in total and for each local education authority for 1992–93 and 1993–94 the number of parents who made admission appeals which were(a) withdrawn before appeal committee stage, (b) settled to the mutual satisfaction of both parties before appeal committee stage, (c) heard by appeal committee and rejected and (d) heard and decided in the parents' favour.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Information on appeals lodged by parents against the non-admission of their children to the maintained school of their choice for each local education authority area for 1992–93 is given in the table. Information for 1993–94 is not yet available.
  859

  Appeals by parents against non-admission of their children to maintained (including Grant Maintained) primary and secondary schools in each local education authority area in England—Academic year 1992–93

  Appeals Committee outcome

  Local Education Authority Area

  Total appeals lodged

  Withdrawn before reaching Appeals Committee

  Settled to mutual satisfaction

  Decided in parents favour

  Rejected

  Salford

  134

  0

  64

  34

  36

  Stockport

  92

  0

  0

  40

  52

  Tameside

  173

  12

  3

  97

  61

  Trafford

  237

  12

  45

  46

  134

  Wigan

  158

  6

  59

  39

  54

  Barnsley

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Doncaster

  55

  4

  8

  10

  33

  Rotherham

  140

  10

  18

  43

  69

  Sheffield

  595

  135

  306

  99

  55

  Bradford

  1,457

  91

  463

  339

  564

  Calderdale

  1138

  52

  24

  13

  48

  Kirklees

  221

  18

  90

  61

  52

  Leeds

  2,360

  47

  1,496

  444

  373

  Wakefield

  '93

  2

  28

  30

  33

  Gateshead

  29

  1

  12

  3

  13

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  136

  3

  58

  58

  17

  North Tyneside

  16

  1

  4

  1

  10

  South Tyneside

  45

  3

  16

  10

  16

  Sunderland

  73

  4

  0

  28

  41

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Avon

  1,115

  149

  94

  462

  410

  Bedfordshire

  92

  0

  11

  39

  42

  Berkshire

  625

  34

  20

  202

  369

  Buckinghamshire2

  580

  24

  10

  161

  385

  Cambridge

  315

  12

  58

  121

  124

  Cheshire

  147

  38

  2

  20

  87

  Cleveland

  80

  10

  10

  14

  46

  Cornwall

  51

  2

  8

  19

  22

  Cumbria

  99

  11

  29

  34

  25

  Derbyshire

  485

  27

  65

  175

  218

  Devon

  541

  51

  119

  99

  272

  Dorset

  340

  6

  35

  136

  163

  Durham

  392

  19

  117

  142

  114

  East Sussex

  298

  16

  45

  85

  151

  Essex

  440

  32

  128

  102

  178

  Gloucestershire

  279

  17

  63

  87

  112

  Hampshire

  148

  55

  6

  28

  59

  Hereford and Worcester

  273

  18

  48

  62

  145

  Hertfordshire

  1,071

  127

  86

  275

  583

  Humberside

  457

  42

  49

  180

  186

  Isle of Wight

  37

  3

  8

  13

  13

  Kent2

  975

  203

  355

  142

  275

  Lancashire

  2,400

  425

  63

  1,132

  780

  Leicestershire

  373

  22

  31

  78

  242

  Lincolnshire

  240

  33

  20

  113

  74

  Norfolk

  183

  19

  46

  43

  75

  North Yorkshire

  533

  32

  0

  311

  190

  Northamptonshire

  103

  4

  29

  27

  43

  Northumberland

  51

  0

  0

  30

  21

  Nottinghamshire

  322

  84

  11

  91

  136

  Oxfordshire

  374

  9

  6

  202

  157

  Shropshire

  360

  5

  23

  297

  35

  Somerset

  379

  5

  144

  120

  110

  Staffordshire

  190

  18

  6

  72

  94

  Suffolk

  150

  17

  40

  60

  33

  Surrey

  640

  75

  160

  180

  225

  Warwickshire

  160

  13

  49

  60

  38

  West Sussex

  187

  29

  14

  39

  105

  Wiltshire

  151

  43

  25

  20

  63

  England Total3

  41,927

  4,005

  8,295

  12,080

  17,527

  Notes:

  1 One appeal was withdrawn after being heard by the appeals committee but before the outcome was decided.

  2 LEAs which did not submit a complete return.

  3 The total number of appeals lodged includes 19 appeals which were heard by the outcome of which had not been decided when the information was collected.

  860

  Higher Education Funding Council
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what percentage of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's teaching allocations was set aside in 1993–94 to compensate for the change in the balance between core and tuition fees; and what was the total sum allocated for compensation and the total funds allocated for research;

  (2) how many institutions received marginal funding for teaching above £300,000 from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 1993–94 and 1994–95; and what was the amount of money allocated in each case;

  (3) what proportion of Higher Education Funding Council for England research funds in 1993–94 and 1994–95 was employed in the category of development research, supporting technical development of new forms of teaching and learning; which of the old universities received allocations in this category and what was the maximum and minimum allocation made to any institution in this category;

  (4) in which separate categories of the allocations itemised by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 1993–94 and 1994–95 the sums distributed by the council amounted to less than 1 per cent. of the total;

  (5) if she will list the amounts allocated for research to the 10 institutions receiving least in research funds from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 1993–94 and 1994–95;

  (6) how many institutions received research funds from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (a) above £20 million, (b) less than £20 million but above £1 million, (c) less than £1 million but greater than zero or (d) zero research funds for 1993–94 and 1994–95;

  (7) what was the maximum total research allocation by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to any single institution in 1993–94 and 1994–95.

  (8) if she will list separately the funds provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England for teaching and for research for (a) the Open University, (b) the old universities, (c) the former polytechnics and (d) colleges for 1993–94 and 1994–95.

  Mr. Boswell
  The figures requested are published in the Higher Education Funding Council for England's circulars 35/93 and 31/94, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms the Higher Education Funding Council for England uses to identify best practice in teaching; and what financial incentives are used to encourage it.

  Mr. Boswell
  The Higher Education Funding Council for England recruits appropriate academics to undertake quality assessments of teaching and learning in specific subjects at higher education institutions. An unsatisfactory assessment risks the withdrawal of funds unless corrected during a specified period. Reports of individual assessments are published and, as the assessments for each subject area are completed, an overview report for the whole subject area is published. This peer review identifies best practice and reports on it in the detailed assessment and overview reports.
  862
  The HEFCE, jointly with the other funding councils and the Department of Education for Northern Ireland, also supports a teaching and learning technology programme which aims to promote best practice, flexibility and efficiency in teaching within higher education through the greater use of new technology.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether she has carried out a review into the effectiveness of the funding methodology applied by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in achieving the objectives given to the council by the Government; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  The effectiveness of funding policy, including the funding methodology of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, in achieving the Government's objectives for higher education is kept under constant review.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the maximum and minimum full-time undergraduate average unit of Higher Education Funding Council for England funding by academic subject category for 1993–94 and 1994–95; and which institutions received these figures in each case.

  Mr. Boswell
  Details of the average units of council funding for 1993–94 are published in the Higher Education Funding Council for England's report 1/94, a copy of which is available in the Library. Details for 1994–95 are not yet available.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what evidence she has received on trends in teaching costs in higher education institutions; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  The higher education sector has achieved significant reductions in unit costs in recent years. Up to 1993–94, the scale of the productivity gains in terms of unit public funding exceeded those planned by the Government as a result of institutions' decisions to recruit at above the level of the Government's plans.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what mechanisms exist to ensure that funds allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England for research are not used for other purposes;

  (2) what measures are in place to ensure that the expenditure in institutions funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England reflects the allocations made by the Higher Education Funding Council for England relating to research and teaching.

  Mr. Boswell
  The majority of recurrent funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England is provided in the form of a block grant. Higher education institutions, being autonomous, are free to deploy the grant to meet their own needs and priorities, subject to the terms of their financial memoranda with the HEFCE.

  The HEFCE has asked institutions to account annually for their allocation of research funds to individual departments, though not to account for how those funds are spent. This will enable higher education institutions to plan their research better and provide improved public accountability.

  League Tables
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proposals she has for the supply of information to local authorities by grant-maintained schools for the purpose of drawing up value-added school league tables.

  Mr. Forth
  The report of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority on the development of value added by schools will be published shortly. The implications for the collection and aggregation of data to permit the inclusion of value-added measures in school performance tables will need to be considered against the various options for comparing pupils' actual achievements at different ages. Whatever approach is adopted will need to produce measures which are straightforward to calculate and intelligible to parents.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the special advisers employed by her Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Forth
  Five special advisers have been employed by the Department in the last five years: Eleanor Laing, Tessa Keswick, David Ruffley, Clifford Grantham, and, most recently, Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell.

  Information on special advisers is not retained in the Department once they leave, and dates of joining and leaving are not therefore available.

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

  Students (Financial Support)
  Mr. Sumberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will give details of the support that will be available to students through mandatory awards and student loans in the academic year 1995–96.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  I have today laid before Parliament the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations 1994 and, together with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Education (Student Loans) Regulations 1994.

  These regulations provide for new rates of grant and loan for the academic year 1995–96 and for the various changes I announced on 29 November, Official Report, columns 675–80. The total level of support available to students through the main rates of grant and loan together in 1995–96 will be 2.5 per cent. higher than for 1994–95 in line with forecast price increases. I am placing a memorandum in the Library giving full details of the new rates.

  Specialist Institutions
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education in what circumstances it is the responsibility(a) of local education authorities to buy placements at independent specialist institutions for young people aged 16 to 19 years who have a statement and (b) of the Further
  864
  Education Funding Council for buying placements if there is not a statement and if the college is educationally appropriate; if Doncaster college for the deaf is classed as educationally appropriate; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  Under the Education Act 1993, LEAs have a duty, in consultation with the parents, to determine the special education provision required for young people for whom they are responsible. Where an LEA maintains a statement, it must also arrange for the special educational provision specified in the statement. LEAs have a statutory duty to pay for the provision at an independent institution specified in a statement when it is further education provided at a school catering for under-16s as well as over-16s.

  In circumstances where there is no LEA duty to fund provision, it falls upon the Further Education Funding Council to do so in respect of students over compulsory school age and under 25 years of age who have learning difficulties and disabilities. Where the council has satisfied itself that suitable provision is not available in the further and higher education sectors and judges that it is in the students' best interests to do so, it has a duty to buy provision outside these sectors.

  The Further Education Funding Council has confirmed that it will continue to fund places for students with learning difficulties and disabilities at Doncaster college for the deaf in cases which meet the council's published criteria for such placements.

  Christmas Expenditure
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much public money will be spent on entertaining, Christmas decorations and other festive activities this Christmas season by her Department and Government agencies answerable to her Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' private offices and official residences.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  This information is not available as it is not possible to disaggregate costs of this nature from the Department's running cost expenditure, details of which are published in the annual departmental report [CM 2510].

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many official Christmas cards she and her Ministers intend to send in 1994; how much these cards will cost(a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if she will place in the Library a sample copy of the official Christmas card she intends to send this year.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  My Ministers and I intend to send about 950 official Christmas cards in 1994. They will cost some £800 to purchase and £180 to post. Information on the cost in staff time to address cards and place them in envelopes is not available. When my cards are available, I will place copies in the Libraries of the House.

EMPLOYMENT

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 24 November,
  865
  Official Report, column 266, if he will provide a regional breakdown of the spring 1994 labour force survey figure to identify separately the numbers of employed and self-employed people in part-time work who could not find full-time work, by percentage, gender and age.

  Part-time employees who could not find a full-time job by region and gender—Spring 1994 (not seasonally adjusted)

  Region of residence

  Thousands

  As a percentage of all part-time employees

  All Persons

  Men

  Women

  All Persons

  Men

  Women

  Great Britain

  706

  194

  512

  13

  26

  11

  England

  590

  167

  423

  13

  26

  10

  South East

  201

  57

  144

  13

  23

  11

  —Greater London

  83

  26

  57

  16

  28

  14

  —ROSE

  118

  31

  87

  11

  21

  9

  East Anglia

  31

  1—

  21

  14

  1—

  11

  South West

  67

  20

  47

  13

  26

  11

  West Midlands

  66

  18

  47

  13

  29

  10

  East Midlands

  41

  12

  29

  10

  25

  8

  Yorks and Humberside

  62

  17

  45

  12

  25

  10

  North West

  77

  23

  54

  13

  28

  10

  North

  45

  11

  34

  15

  27

  13

  Wales

  43

  11

  32

  17

  42

  14

  Scotland

  73

  15

  57

  16

  29

  14

  1 Estimates below 10,000 and so not shown.

  Part-time employees who could not find a full-time job by gender and age—Spring 1994 (not seasonally adjusted)

  Thousands

  As a percentage of all part-time employees

  All persons

  Men

  Women

  All persons

  Men

  Women

  Great Britain

  All 16+

  706

  194

  512

  13

  26

  11

  16–19

  57

  17

  41

  10

  6

  13

  20–24

  106

  40

  66

  29

  37

  2.6

  25–34

  154

  45

  109

  14

  60

  10

  35–49

  223

  41

  182

  12

  54

  10

  50–59/64

  140

  47

  93

  14

  37

  11

  60/65+

  26

  1—

  21

  6

  1—

  7

  Note:

  1 Estimates below 10,000 and so not shown.

  Source:

  Labour force survey.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 24 November,Official Report, column 266, if he will provide a breakdown by region and gender of (a) the 587,000 employees in temporary jobs because they could not find permanent employment and (b) the total number of employees in temporary jobs.

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The following tables give the information available from the spring 1994 labour force survey:

  (a) Employees in temporary jobs because they could not find full-time work by sex and region of residence Spring 1994 (not seasonally adjusted)

  Thousands

  Sex

  Region of residence

  All persons

  Men

  Women

  Great Britain

  587

  303

  284

  North

  41

  26

  15

  866
  Mr. Oppenheim
  The following tables give the information available from the spring 1994 labour force survey. The same size used in the survey is not large enough to provide reliable estimates for self-employed people, nor for an age analysis by region.

  (a) Employees in temporary jobs because they could not find full-time work by sex and region of residence Spring 1994 (not easonally adjusted)

  Thousands

  Sex

  Region of residence

  All persons

  Men

  Women

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  54

  31

  22

  East Midlands

  33

  16

  17

  East Anglia

  25

  13

  11

  South East

  191

  94

  96

  —Greater London

  77

  34

  43

  —Rest of South East

  113

  60

  53

  South West West Midlands

  42

  18

  24

  North West

  63

  33

  30

  Wales

  32

  17

  15

  Scotland

  63

  32

  31

  Source:

  Labour force survey.
  867

  (b) Employees in temporary jobs by sex and region of residence Spring 1994 (not seasonally adjusted)

  Thousands

  Sex

  Region of residence

  All persons

  Men

  Women

  Great Britain

  1,373

  607

  765

  North

  84

  43

  42

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  118

  56

  62

  East Midlands

  90

  35

  55

  East Anglia

  56

  23

  33

  South East

  480

  205

  275

  —Greater London

  184

  79

  105

  —Rest of South East

  296

  126

  170

  South West

  101

  42

  59

  West Midlands

  112

  48

  65

  North West

  140

  67

  73

  Wales

  66

  28

  38

  Scotland

  125

  62

  63

  Source:

  Labour force survey.

  Part-time Workers
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide the latest estimate of the number of employees who are in temporary part-time work because they have been unable to find full-time permanent employment, broken down by region, gender and age.

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The following table gives the information available from the spring 1994 labour force survey. The sample size used for the survey is not large enough to provide reliable estimates for regions.

  Employees in temporary part-time jobs because they could not find full-time permanent work.

  Spring 1994 (not seasonally adjusted) thousands Great Britain

  Age

  Men

  Women

  16–24

  19

  14

  25–34

  11

  20

  35–49

  12

  27

  50 and over

  1—

  13

  Total

  49

  74

  Note:

  1 Under 10,000 and so not shown.

  Source:

  Labour force survey.

  Merchant Seafarers
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the provisions of current employment legislation which do not apply to United Kingdom merchant seafarers.

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Provisions which exclude seafarers of various descriptions in some circumstances from certain of the provisions of general employment legislation include:

  Section 10 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975;

  Sections 8 and 9 of the Race Relations Act 1976;

  Sections 141 and 144 of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978;

  Section 30 of the Wages Act 1986;

  Sections 284 and 285 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

  Training
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much training was provided by each training and enterprise council in Greater London in respect of(a) employment training, (b) youth training and (c) other programmes in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will show the proportions of each that were provided by further education colleges.

  Mr. Paice
  Training figures information by training and enterprise councils in Greater London is set out in the following table. Information on training provided by further education colleges is not available in the form requested.

  London TECs-1993–94 Starts, Average Participants and Training Weeks Delivered

  Youth Training (Excluding Credits)

  Starts

  Average Participants1

  Training weeks delivered

  Aztec

  1,581

  1,267

  64,937

  Centec

  2,336

  1,898

  96,912

  Cilntec

  3,079

  2,234

  114,316

  Letec

  4,538

  4,484

  232,527

  NLtec

  1,730

  1,323

  72,343

  NWtec

  1,193

  832

  49,638

  Solotec

  4

  256

  18,253

  Sttec

  51

  1,605

  80,686

  Wltec

  2,140

  2,351

  122,360

  Region

  16,652

  16,250

  851,972

  Source:

  TEC Annex J Management Information (Actuals).

  Note:

  The figure for average participants is the average of the participants on the scheme at the end of each four-weekly period in 1993–94. (For LFW the average of the participants at the end of the seven periods when scheme was run).

  Youth Credits

  Starts

  Average Participants1

  Training weeks delivered

  Aztec

  0

  0

  0

  Centec

  0

  0

  0

  Cilntec

  0

  0

  0

  Letec

  0

  0

  0

  NLtec

  0

  0

  0

  NWtec

  0

  0

  0

  Solotec

  2,629

  2,063

  101,394

  Sttec

  3,896

  1,236

  57,594

  Wltec

  0

  0

  0

  Region

  6,525

  3,299

  158,988

  Source:

  TEC Annex 1 Management Information (Actuals)

  Note:

  1 The figure for average participants is the average of the participants on the scheme at the end of each four-weekly period in 1993–94. (For LFW the average of the participants at the end of the seven periods when scheme was run).

  Youth training and credits

  Starts

  Average participants1

  Aztec

  1,581

  1,267

  Centec

  2,336

  1,898

  Cilntec

  3,079

  2,234

  Letec

  4,538

  4,484

  NLtec

  1,730

  1,323

  NWtec

  1,193

  832

  869

  Youth traning and credits

  Starts

  Average participants1

  Solotec

  2,633

  2,318

  Sttec

  3,947

  2,841

  WLtec

  2,140

  2,351

  Region

  23,177

  19,549

  Source:

  TEC Annex J Management Information (Actuals).

  Note:

  1 The figure for average participants is the average of the participants on the scheme at the end of each four-weekly period in 1993–94. (For LFW the average participants at the end of seven periods when scheme was run).

  Training for Work

  Starts

  Average Participants1

  Training weeks delivered

  Aztec

  3,214

  1,234

  60,388

  Centec

  6,265

  2,471

  125,093

  Cilntec

  4,609

  2,156

  112,555

  Letec

  7,460

  3,492

  176,820

  NLtec

  5,506

  2,224

  118,267

  NWtec

  3,518

  1,219

  61,494

  Solotec

  3,587

  1,469

  78,852

  Sttec

  8,436

  3,762

  188,696

  Wltec

  3,149

  1,200

  62,138

  Region

  45,744

  19,228

  984,303

  Source:

  TEC Annex J Management Information (Actuals).

  Note:

  1 The figure for average participants is the average of the participants on the scheme at the end of each four-weekly period in 1993–94. (For LFW the average participants at the end of seven periods when scheme was run).

  Business Start up Scheme2

  Starts

  Average Participants1

  Aztec

  371

  487

  Centec

  366

  178

  Cilntec

  387

  337

  Letec

  363

  341

  NLtec

  549

  272

  NWtec

  242

  227

  Solotec

  567

  513

  Sttec

  516

  502

  WLtec

  425

  516

  Region

  3,786

  3,374

  Source:

  TEC Annex J Management Information (Actuals).

  Notes:

  1 The figure for average participants is the average of the participants on the scheme at the end of each four-weekly period in 1993–94. (For LFW the average participants at the end of seven periods when scheme was run).

  2 Anex J figures are not collected for BSUS and LFW training weeks delivered.

  Learning for Work2

  Starts

  Average Participants1

  Aztec

  230

  194

  Centec

  267

  120

  Cilntec

  235

  92

  Letec

  331

  202

  870

  Learning for Work2

  Starts

  Average Participants1

  NLtec

  212

  147

  NWtec

  51

  39

  Solotec

  138

  87

  Sttec

  421

  234

  WLtec

  158

  64

  Region

  2,043

  1,178

  Source:

  TEC Annex J Management Information (Actuals).

  Notes:

  1 The figure for average participants is the average of the participants on the scheme at the end of each four-weekly period in 1993–94. (For LFW the average participants at the end of seven periods when scheme was run).

  2 Anex J figures are not collected for BSUS and LFW training weeks delivered.

  Training Schemes (Wales)
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of those referred to employment training in Wales by his Department did not arrive; and what percentage of those in Wales who started a scheme completed their training in the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Redwood
  I have been asked to reply.

  Some 53.5 per cent. of those referred by the Employment Service to employment training in Wales did not arrive for their training in 1993–94. The ET national follow-up survey show that from April 1992 to March 1993, 58 per cent. of those on employment training completed agreed training.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months respectively;

  (2) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  However, Departments are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. Recent figures for 1994 indicate that the Employment Department, the Employment Service and the Health and Safety Executive paid, respectively, 96.3, 83.4 and 90.3 per cent. of their bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual condition existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The following special advisers have been employed by the Employment Department, in the last five years:

  Alison Broom: from 21 July 1994 to date

  Michael McManus: from 28 May 1993 to 20 July 1994

  Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell: from 14 April 1992 to 27 May 1993

  Iain Wilton: from 13 January 1992 to 13 March 1992

  Tim Collins: from 1 February 1990 to 10 January 1992

  Warwick Lightfoot: from 2 November 1987 to 31 August 1989

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are however, normally paid on a special advisers salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19.503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

  Jobseekers
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what will be the cost to the Benefits Agency of the jobseeker's agreement per individual with whom it is negotiated.

  Miss Widdecombe
  This matter is still under consideration.

ENVIRONMENT

  Business Start-up
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if it is his policy that support for business start-up in Rotherham and similar schemes will be maintained in the single regeneration budget process.

  Mr. Curry
  The single regeneration budget has a range of objectives, including the encouragement of sustainable economic growth and wealth creation by improving the competitiveness of the local economy, including business support. On-going commitments under the business start-up scheme, which has been absorbed within the SRB from 1 April 1994, will continue to be honoured. In addition, the SRB will be able to provide support for new and existing businesses through the bidding arrangements introduced for 1995–96 and later years.

  Pit Data
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to make provision for the recording by experts of all relevant data in respect of the workings of(a) shafts, (b) drainage channels and (c) other elements of industrial archaeology which are found at pits being turned into opencast workings; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  No; PPG16 "Archaeology and Planning" already gives general guidance on the handling of archaeological remains and discoveries under the development plan and control systems, including the steps that should be taken for their preservation or recording.872
  In addition, MPG12 requires local planning authorities to identify, where possible, the location of mine entries and openings in surveys of their areas.

  Quarrying
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received, and what assessment his Department has made, of the impact of the proposed new planning guidelines on quarrying for aggregates upon environmentally important and sensitive sites.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  In drawing up the new planning guidelines contained in minerals planning guidance "Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England", MPG6, the department consulted a wide range of interested bodies including those concerned about the impact of quarrying in environmentally important and sensitive areas. The responses from those bodies were taken into account and we have had no specific representations since the guidelines were published in April this year.

  The guidelines are designed to ensure that the construction industry receives an adequate and steady supply of material at the best balance of social, environmental and economic cost. The environmental impacts of particular proposals are given due consideration during the processing of the planning application.

  Departmental Payments
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average and the median time his Department has taken to pay suppliers in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion of bills took more than six weeks to pay.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, Departments are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. For 1993, my Department paid 90 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Non-domestic Rates
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the effect on rate bills in the northern region of the 1995 property revaluation on each category of property divided between small and large, assuming no change in real terms rate poundage and(a) with and (b) without the effect of transitional relief, on the basis of his answer of 1 November to the hon. Member for Coventry, South-West (Mr. Butcher), Official Report, columns 1003–6.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The information about properties in the northern region is contained in the table below and takes account of the most recent information available. The effects of the 1995 revaluation taking account of the transitional arrangements are calculated on the basis of the limits on increases and decreases in rate bills announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment in his answer of 29 November to my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr.
  873
  Garnier), Official Report, columns 649–50. The effects, taking no account of transitional relief, are shown in parentheses.

  Percentage changes in rate bills for the northern region following the 1995 revaluation.

  Northern Region: percentage change

  Small properties1

  Large properties

  Total

  Shops

  +8 (+40)

  +11 (+37)

  +10 (+37)

  Offices

  +9 (+52)

  +12 (+55)

  +11 (+54)

  Factories

  +9 (+48)

  +8 (+48)

  +8 (+48)

  Warehouses

  +9 (+47)

  +12 (+28)

  +11 (+30)

  Other

  +7 (+36)

  +7 (+19)

  +7 (+21)

  Total

  +8(+42)

  +8 (+29)

  +8 (+31)

  1 Small properties have a 1 April 1995 rateable value of less than £10,000.

  Nuclear Waste
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the landfill sites in the counties of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Cleveland and Durham where the controlled burial of low-level nuclear waste is licensed; and, in each case, what is the ceiling on the amounts involved.

  Mr. Atkins
  The following four sites, High Urpeth, Kibblesworth, Ryton and Cowpen Bewley, have in the past received low-level radioactive waste for disposal by controlled burial. The first three mentioned are now closed, leaving Cowpen Bewley as the only site which may receive such waste.

  This site may receive waste from a small number of locally based organisations. Authority to make controlled burials is granted only after an assessment of the waste producer's application and of the site it proposes to use. The certificates of authorisation issued to those organisations, which now use Cowpen Bewley, contain detailed limits on both volume and activity of waste which may be disposed of, and on the disposal conditions. These authorisations permit the disposal of no more than 200 MBq of radium and thorium and of 2 GBq of other radionuclides, which are not alpha emitters, each month at Cowpen Bewley.

  County Archives
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he is taking to prevent the deterioration of written records in county archives; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  All principal local authorities have a duty under the Local Government Act 1972 to make proper arrangements for any documents in their custody. Responsibility for the care of county archives therefore lies with the county councils and any successor authorities. A working group has, however, been established for the purpose of drawing up and promulgating central guidance for the future of archive collections, with particular reference to the needs of any new authorities established as a consequence of local government reorganisation. Its members are drawn from the Public Record Office, the Society of Archivists, the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts and the Association of County Archivists as well as representatives of my Department and the Department of 874
  National Heritage. It is intended to have the guidance in place early next year.

  CITES
  Mr. Patrick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the ninth conference of the parties of CITES.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Environment and Countryside to the hon. Members for Ceredigion and Pembroke, North (Mr. Dafis) and for Newham North-West (Mr. Banks) on 24 November,Official Report, columns 241–42.

  Rural Challenge Competition
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will set out the basic features of the successful bids to the Rural Development Commission which enabled them to win the rural challenge competition.

  Mr. Atkins
  I launched rural challenge on 14 February 1994. Detailed bidding guidance was issued on 29 March. In judging the 17 finalists, the panel gave particular priority to bids which involved partnerships drawn from the private, public and voluntary sectors and the local community; demonstrated innovative approaches which could be replicated more widely; respected and enhanced the environment and promoted good design; levered in a high proportion of private sector investment; and offered good value for money. The six winners which Lord Shuttleworth and I announced on 24 November clearly demonstrated those features.

  Local Authority Housing
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if a homeless family in a temporary tenancy and who are on the local authority housing list will have to accept any property of a suitable size for which they would be eligible under the proposals contained in the statement on access to local authority housing.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Any applicant for local authority or housing association housing could decline to take up a tenancy offered to him through the housing waiting list. As now, it would be for local authorities to decide whether refusal of such an offer would affect the applicant's eligibility for further offers.

  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to bring forward legislation based on the statement on access to local authority housing.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-East (Mr. Timms) on 28 November,Official Report, column 479.

  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the position of a homeless family granted a temporary tenancy who became eligible for a permanent local authority tenancy while they were temporary tenants following implementation of the proposals contained in his statement on access to local authority housing.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  As the then Minister for Housing, Inner Cities and Construction, my right hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, Action (Sir G. Young) said
  875
  in his statement to the House on 18 July, Official Report, columns 21–23, in most parts of the country a 12-month period on the housing waiting list will be long enough for someone with real housing needs to obtain a local authority or housing association tenancy.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;

  (2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, Departments are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. For 1993, my Department paid 90 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Waste Shipments
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his Department's policy concerning trans-border shipment of toxic and hazardous waste from(a) developed and (b) other countries.

  Mr. Atkins
  I welcome this opportunity to reiterate the Government's policy, outlined earlier this year, when a new control regime on waste shipments was introduced.

  The EC waste shipments regulation and the United Kingdom's associated Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 1994 came into effect on 6 May. This legislation enabled the United Kingdom to fulfil its obligations under the Basel convention, to which the United Kingdom became a party on 8 May.

  These obligations are based on the principle of national self-sufficiency in waste disposal. This principle is the means by which countries can be encouraged to take responsibility for disposing of the wastes they generate. Thereby they are encouraged to minimise wastes—especially hazardous wastes—and to reuse and recycle, and to pursue policies of sustainable development.

  We must also have regard for other environmental responsibilities arising from our membership of the European Union and the global community. In implementing the Basel convention, we should not lose sight of these wider considerations.

  As a developed country, with ample disposal facilities to meet our waste arisings, we will have no need to export wastes for final disposal in other countries. The EC regulation prohibits such exports to countries outside the EC and EFTA. We shall go further by proposing a complete prohibition on such exports to all countries.
  876
  There is no equivalent case for a general ban on exports of wastes for recovery, but special considerations apply to the export of hazardous wastes for recovery in developing countries and countries in transition. At the second conference of the Basel convention in March, it was recognised that there is a high risk that such exports will not be managed in environmentally sound ways in the country of receipt. It was decided that, except in exceptional circumstances, trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes from OECD to non-OECD states for the purposes of recovery should be prohibited. In the Government's opinion this decision has now taken effect.

  Our policy towards imports is based on similar principles. In future, the presumption will be that wastes should not be imported for final disposal in this country. This applies both to landfill, either directly and indirectly, and to incineration without energy recovery, and also to disposal under the guise of recovery—so called "sham recovery". However, imports for genuine recovery operations will continue to be allowed.

  For most other wastes, all other countries should now develop final disposal facilities and there seems no reason to delay a prohibition on imports. There may, however, be special circumstances where imports for specialist disposal processes—and in particular for high temperature incineration—might be justified on wider environmental grounds for very limited periods and quantities. This would apply on a transitional and reducing basis where a country had not yet completed specialist disposal capacity or was dealing with a backlog inherited from a former communist regime in eastern Europe. We propose to develop strict criteria which would regulate any such continued imports. Our criteria would take account of the technical and environmental characteristics of the waste stream, and the circumstances of the exporting country. Except for small quantities particularly from developing countries, we would propose that the transitional period should not exceed three years at most.

  We do not contemplate importing from countries in a position to develop their own disposal facilities, but taking no action to do so. That would be quite contrary to our policy towards self-sufficiency. Nor would we allow imports which could not be safely handled and managed within the existing disposal capacity in the United Kingdom.

  We shall be making more detailed proposals on exports and imports in the form of a draft waste management plan, which will incorporate technical guidance designed to assist competent authorities in making decisions. There will be a full opportunity for consultation on the draft plan, and I hope this will proceed soon.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The information requested is as follows:

  Mrs. Katherine Ramsay
  Political Adviser; joined in 1986, left in November 1989.

  Mr. Patrick Rock
  Political Adviser; joined on 13 July 1987, left on 28 November 1990; joined on 1 May 1992, left on 27 May 1993.
  877
  Mr. Tim Collins
  Political Adviser; joined on 28 September 1989, left on 29 January 1990.

  Professor David Pearce
  Expert Adviser on Economic Environmental Matters; joined on 26 July 1989, left on 10 April 1992.

  Mr. Richard Marsh
  Political Adviser; joined on 29 January 1990, left on 3 June 1991.

  Dr. Alan Kemp
  Political Adviser; joined on 28 January 1991, left on 10 April 1992.

  Sir Peter Levene
  Expert Adviser on commercial and financial affairs; joined in February 1991, left on 10 April 1992.

  Lady Eileen Strathnaver
  Political Adviser; joined on 4 February 1991, left on 10 April 1992.

  Professor Peter Hall
  Expert Adviser on Planning; joined in March 1991, left on 31 January 1994.

  Mr. Tom Burke
  Expert Adviser on the Environment; joined on 18 March 1991. Still with the Department.

  Miss Alison Broom
  Political Adviser; joined on 17 June 1991, left on 10 April 1992.

  Mr. James Gray
  Political Adviser; joined on 3 June 1992. Still with the Department.

  Mr. Keith Adams
  Political Adviser; joined on 28 May 1993. Still with the Department.

  Mr. Liam O Connor
  Expert Adviser on Architecture; joined on 14 March 1994. Still with the Department.

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special adviser's salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary reflects this.

  Direct Services Organisation, Liverpool
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has now received a report from the district auditor into the losses by Liverpool city council's direct services organisation during its handling of the city's cable television contract; what action will be taken against those responsible for these losses; whether he will publish the report and his response; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has not yet received the district auditor's report. We will consider very carefully all the facts informing the district auditor's conclusions before making a decision on statutory action. Publication of the report is not a matter for my right hon. Friend.

  Green List Wastes
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the quantity of green list wastes exported to non-OECD countries since 6 May 1994 and the companies to which this waste was exported in the receiving countries.
  878
  Mr. Atkins
  This information cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

  Waste Exports
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the United Kingdom has entered into any bilateral agreements with non-OECD countries for the export of hazardous waste for recovery and recycling; and if the European Commission has begun any negotiations on such bilateral agreements on the United Kingdom's behalf.

  Mr. Atkins
  The United Kingdom has not entered into any bilateral agreements with non-OECD countries for the export of hazardous waste for recovery and recycling. The European Commission is considering requests from certain non-OECD countries for such agreements.

  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will detail the procedure used since 6 May 1994 to ensure that exports of hazardous waste for recycling or recovery are processed in an environmentally sound manner in the destination country.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Government's advice on the procedures to be followed is given in part 3 of Department of Environment circular 13/94, copies of which are in the Library. Day-to-day control over trans-frontier shipments of waste is a matter for waste regulation authorities.

  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list(a) the commodity code number, (b) the destination countries, (c) the month of export, (d) the United Kingdom port of exit, (e) the importing companies and (f) the tonnages of hazardous waste exported for recycling or recovery to non-OECD countries since 6 May 1994.

  Mr. Atkins
  This information is not available centrally.

  Standard Spending Assessments
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the standard spending assessment methodology handbook.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  I hope that it will be possible to publish it in January.

  Fire Services, Isle of Wight
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received relating to the standard spending assessment for fire services for the Isle of Wight; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  We have received a number of representations on the standard spending assessment from the relevant authorities on the Isle of Wight and my hon. Friend, most recently in a meeting with the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Urban Regeneration on 25 October.

  We have listened to the arguments that my hon. Friend and others have put forward and we propose a change to the fire formula to recognise that coastal authorities cannot draw on reinforcements as easily as those inland.

  Local Authority Services
  Mr. Faber
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his proposals for bringing competition to bear on local authorities' corporate and administrative services.
  879
  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Corporate and administrative work comprises a number of distinct administrative support services as diverse as printing and reprographics, and building facilities management. These are provided to all parts of the authority. Local authorities' increasing recognition of the importance of gaining value for money for these services has meant that much of this work is already being exposed to market pressures. Most local authorities will re-charge in-house users for administrative support services. Those users, particularly where they themselves are exposed to CCT, will be keen to keep overhead costs down and will exert pressure for cost-effective and efficient support services.

  Customers for administrative support increasingly have the freedom to go elsewhere if in the in-house service is inadequate. A significant proportion of administrative support services are already provided by external contractors, and some authorities have dispensed entirely with in-house support staff for much of the work.

  The Government's discussions with local authority representatives have led me and my colleagues in Government to conclude that our objective of increasing

  National non-domestic rate—calculation of distributable amounts

  £ millions

  1990–91 Outturn

  1991–92 Outturn

  1992–93 Outturn

  1993–94 Provisional outturn

  1994–95 in-year contribution

  1995–96 estimated in-year contribution

  (1) Income from local lists

  Multiplier

  0.348

  0.386

  0.402

  0.416

  0.423

  0.423

  Gross Rate Yield

  10,301

  12,033

  12,270

  12,357

  12,491

  12,908

  (i)Reliefs

  (a) Net Transitional Relief

  -182

  -142

  -395

  -480

  -548

  -477

  (b) Empty properties

  -710

  -964

  -1,162

  -1,174

  -1,214

  -1,303

  (c) Charitable

  -240

  -305

  -318

  -352

  -402

  -435

  (d) Discretionary

  -12

  -16

  -20

  -21

  -19

  -20

  Net Yield after reliefs

  9,157

  10,607

  10,374

  10,329

  10,308

  10,673

  (ii) Collection Costs/Reductions to Contributions

  (a) Costs of collection

  -43

  -46

  -67

  -68

  -69

  -75

  (b) Losses on collection

  -121

  -203

  -200

  -192

  -170

  -190

  (c) City of London offset

  -29

  -30

  -31

  -25

  -7

  -7

  Total contribution in respect of year

  8,964

  10,329

  10,075

  10,045

  10,063

  10,401

  (iii) Adjustments

  (a) Repayments/interest/ Late rating adjustments

  —

  27

  -254

  -957

  -888

  -349

  (b) Revisions to contributions at outturn (1994–95 only)

  —

  —

  —

  —

  -211

  —

  Total adjustments

  —

  27

  -254

  -957

  -1,100

  -349

  Net Local Yield

  8,964

  10,355

  9,821

  9,088

  8,963

  10,052

  (2) Income from Central List

  Net Central List Yield

  1,016

  1,100

  1,098

  1,095

  1,118

  1,151

  (3) Income from Crown Contributions in Aid

  Net Crown Yield

  610

  463

  462

  445

  507

  540

  Total NDR Yield

  10,590

  11,918

  11,381

  10,627

  10,588

  11,743

  (4) Exchequer Contributions

  (a) Local List Transition

  —

  —

  271

  591

  435

  477

  (b) Central List/ Crown

  —

  —

  27

  42

  20

  28

  Total Exchequer contributions

  —

  —

  298

  633

  455

  505

  Total NNDR pool payments (1+2+3+4)

  10,590

  11,918

  11,679

  11,261

  11,043

  12,248

  880
  competition in corporate and administrative support services is already being met though these means, and that extension of CCT to take this work would not bring sufficient additional benefits. We have, therefore, decided not to proceed with proposals to introduce CCT for local authority corporate and administrative services.

  Non-domestic Rates
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will explain the basis of his calculations of the distributable amount of non-domestic rates for 1995–96.

  Mr. Curry
  The distributable amount of non-domestic rates in England for 1995–96 will be £11,354 million. This is based on a non-domestic rate multiplier of 0.432 and includes an allowance of £505 million for an Exchequer payment to the non-domestic rates pool to compensate for the shortfall which would otherwise occur as a result of regulations to be made under section 58 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 which will phase in the effects of the 1995 revaluation on rate bills.

  The calculation for 1995–96, and the prior-year figures on which this is based, are set out in the following table:
  881

  National non-domestic rate—calculation of distributable amounts

  £ millions

  1990–91 Outturn

  1991–92 Outturn

  1992–93 Outturn

  1993–94 Provisional outturn

  1994–95 in-year contribution

  1995–96 estimated in-year contribution

  (5) Adjustments

  Surplus brought forward

  —

  162

  -328

  -954

  -1,253

  -894

  Combined total

  10,590

  12,080

  11,352

  10,306

  9,790

  11,354

  Distributable amount

  10,429

  12,048

  12,306

  11,559

  10,685

  11,354

  Surplus carried forward

  162

  -328

  -954

  -1,253

  -894

  —

  Notes:

  (1) Item 1: The gross calculated rate yield represents the average value of non-domestic hereditaments on local rating lists times the multiplier. For 1990–91 to 1993–94 the yield is the amount recorded in the post-end year (NNDR3) returns. For 1994–95 it is the amount underlying authorities' provisional contributions to the non-domestic rating pool including the prescribed amount for Enterprise Zones.

  (2) Item 1(i)(a): The Transitional decrease adjustment includes the estimated amount of rates that will not be recouped locally due to the revised transitional arrangements under the provisions of the Non-Domestic Rating Acts 1992, 1993 and 1994.

  (3) Item 1(i)(b): The empty property relief adjustments include voids and partially occupied hereditaments. Figures up to 1994–95 are as reported by authorities. The 1995–96 figure includes allowances for the increase in the gross rates yield and for economic recovery.

  (4) Item 1(i)(c): Charitable rate relief for 1995–96 includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.

  (5) Item 1(i)(d): Discretionary relief granted to charities non-profit making organisations and for other reasons, for 1995–96 includes an allowance for the increase in the gross rates yield.

  (6) Item 1(ii)(a) and (b): The allowances for the costs and losses incurred by local authorities in collecting non-domestic rates from ratepayers, including the latest estimates of additional billing and software costs arising from the Non-Domestic Rating Acts.

  (7) Item 1(ii)(c): City Offset-a preliminary estimate for 1995–96 (£6.5 million) of the amount which the City of London will not be required to pay into the non-domestic rating pool on account of the local rate in the City. It is the amount which will be retained by the authority to meet its own expenditure.

  (8) Item 1(iii)(a): Net adjustment in respect of appeals and other amendments to the rating list affecting liability for previous year's rates settled in that year.

  (9) Item 1(iii)(b): The revisions to contributions line applies only to estimated outturn revisions to the provisional contributions for 1994–95. For earlier years all figures are already based upon the outturn contributions.

  (10) Item 2: The rateable value of non-domestic hereditaments on the central rating list times the multiplier, and adjusted for appeals and other changes in respect of previous years. The 1995–96 figure is calculated as the estimated Rateable Value of £2,803 million times the multiplier, less the effect of the transitional arrangements.

  (11) Item 3: The 1995–96 figure for crown properties includes and allowance for the effect of transition.

  (12) Item 4(a) and (b): The contribution from central government to offset the amount of the Secretary of State's estimate of income forgone arising from the provisions of the Non-Domestic Rating Acts 1992, 1993 and 1994.

  (13) Where figures have been rounded there may be a small discrepancy between totals and the sum of constituent items.

  Support Services
  Mr. Sumberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has for establishing an accounting framework for local authority support service costs, as proposed in the White Paper, "Competing for Quality: Competition in the Provision of Local Authority Services."

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  I have today tabled regulations under the Local Government Finance Act 1982 which will require local authorities to publish annually a statement of support service costs. This will illustrate the full costs of the professional support services to which the Government are extending compulsory competitive tendering, and will show the costs of these services to authorities' front-line service departments.

  The proposals for SSSCs have been developed in close and productive consultation with the local authority associations, the Audit Commission, the Accounts Commission for Scotland, and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. A consultation draft of the regulations was issued by my Department on 22 February 1994. Comments were received from 194 local authorities and other interested parties.

  In the light of those comments, I have decided that the first SSSCs will be required for 1995–96, rather than 1994–95 as proposed in February, to ensure that authorities have good time to prepare. The regulations also incorporate other technical improvements responding to comments and suggestions received.
  882
  Five support services are to become subject to CCT—legal services, construction and property services, IT, finance and personnel services. Parliament has already approved orders under section 2(3) of the Local Government Act 1988 making legal services and construction property services "defined activities", for the purposes of CCT. The SSSC regulations which I have tabled today relate to these services, designating them as "specified activities" to be covered in SSSCs. The Government will, over the next few months, place before Parliament CCT orders for the other three support services. Subject to Parliament's approval of the orders, the Government will table further SSSC regulations bringing them also into the scope of SSSCs.

  London boroughs, metropolitan authorities, and joint committees of these authorities are required to produce an SSSC from 1995–96 onwards. Shire authorities, and joint committees of shire authorities, will be required to produce a SSSC from 1996–97, or the second financial year after the coming into being of an authority newly established or reorganised following local government review, should that be later. SSSCs will also be produced by unitary authorities in Wales and by new police authorities established under the Police and Magistrates Courts Act 1994 in due course. SSSCs will be introduced in Scotland under separate legislative procedures.

  Local authorities' support services cost more than £4 billion a year. SSSCs will make available authoritative information on these costs, and will be of value to local

  883
  taxpayers, local authority members, and those responsible for the front-line local authority services, who are the customers for support services and bear the costs. The information will enable informed discussion of support service costs, and promote efficiency and value for money.

  I have placed a list of responses to the consultation proposals in the Library, through which copies of individual responses may be obtained.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Data Cross-matching
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what savings he expects from the scheme involving the cross-matching of council tax and housing benefits data obtained from London local authorities with data held by his Department; and what estimate he has made of the number of(a) records to be matched, (b) the likely number of mismatches and (c) withdrawn applications for benefits; and if he will place in the Library the background reports on the implementation of the scheme.

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  A pilot exercise is currently taking place involving 24 London boroughs. The savings from the pilot are expected significantly to outweigh the costs. Around 800,000 records have been received and matched against departmental records. Three per cent. of the records have been classified as containing inconsistent data and have been referred for further consideration prior to any investigation. No estimate has been made of the numbers of applications withdrawn as a result of the pilot. A full evaluation will take place before a decision is taken on future developments. A copy of the feasibility report will be placed in the Library.

  Habitual Residence Test
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many social security applicants have been refused benefits under the habitual residence test since it came into operation; and how many of these were born in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Provisional figures from the Benefits Agency indicate that 6,388 applicants failed to satisfy the habitual residence test. Approximately 2,300 of these were asylum seekers and were entitled to income support under the urgent cases provisions. The other information is not available because the place of birth is not recorded when benefit is claimed.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many social fund applicants for(a) grants and (b) loans have been turned down in each region in each year since the social fund came into operation.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The information that is readily available is set out in the tables.

  The figures are for the number of applications that have been refused; some applicants will have made more than one application in any given year.
  884

  Social fund applications—refusals Southern Territory

  Year

  Application

  Number of nil awards

  1990–91

  Grants

  95,104

  Loans

  121,362

  1991–92

  Grants

  207,478

  Loans

  168,874

  1992–93

  Grants

  265,458

  Loans

  204,929

  1993–94

  Grants

  283,003

  Loans

  215,964

  1994 to October

  Grants

  170,103

  Loans

  134,979

  Wales and Central Territory

  Year

  Application

  Number of nil awards

  1990–91

  Grants

  133,568

  Loans

  164,674

  1991–92

  Grants

  270,366

  Loans

  214,148

  1992–93

  Grants

  316,298

  Loans

  247,881

  1993–94

  Grants

  337,620

  Loans

  260,557

  1994 to October

  Grants

  211,637

  Loans

  163,287

  Scotland and Northern Territory

  Year

  Application

  Number of nil awards

  1990–91

  Grants

  140,711

  Loans

  174,961

  1991–92

  Grants

  257,970

  Loans

  231,969

  1992–93

  Grants

  283,006

  Loans

  257,510

  1993–94

  Grants

  302,330

  Loans

  276,582

  1994 to October

  Grants

  178,716

  Loans

  171,425

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many social fund applications in each region in each year since the fund was established were turned down even though the applicant fulfilled qualifying criteria due to local budgeting restriction for(a) community care grants and (b) social fund loans.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The information requested is not readily available prior to 1990–91. Such information as is available is set out in the tables. It is for Benefits Agency territories.

  Social Fund applications—refusals on grounds of insufficient priority

  Southern Territory

  Year

  Application

  Reason for refusal insufficient priority

  1990–91

  Grants

  13,527

  Loans

  31,867

  1991–92

  Grants

  21,352

  Loans

  42,353

  1992–93

  Grants

  24,971

  Loans

  61,478

  885

  Wales and Central Territory

  Year

  Application

  Reason for refusal insufficient priority

  1990–91

  Grants

  15,942

  Loans

  50,605

  1991–92

  Grants

  28,813

  Loans

  62,579

  1992–93

  Grants

  32,401

  Loans

  89,139

  Scotland and Northern Territory

  Year

  Application

  Reason for refusal insufficient priority

  1990–91

  Grants

  16,449

  Loans

  57,486

  1991–92

  Grants

  29,437

  Loans

  81,056

  1992–93

  Grants

  27,021

  Loans

  98,969

  Notes:

  (1) Figures for 1993–94 have not been provided. This is because information at the level requested could only be derived from a mixture of refusal data by application held under the old computer system and item level data reported by the new system. National refusal statistics by item are provided in the Secretary of State's Annual Report on the Social Fund 1993–94, a copy of which is available in the library.

  (2) Statistics on reasons for refusal for the current year are only available by individual item refused. The national figures for April to October 1994 are:

  Grants: 211,770

  Loans: 1,096,649

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many applications for social fund assistance have been made in each regional office area in each year

  Number of applications received by each area directorate (AD) 1991 to 1994 financial years—Annex B

  Territory

  Area

  Type

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Southern

  AD1 Anglia

  Loans

  76,567

  88,760

  91,757

  Grants

  41,876

  55,820

  51,964

  AD2 Chilterns

  Loans

  75,065

  93,266

  101,752

  Grants

  39,681

  48,105

  50,312

  AD3 South London and West Sussex

  Loans

  93,657

  108,796

  111,128

  Grants

  40,899

  48,912

  53,612

  AD4 West Country

  Loans

  109,242

  127,886

  135,631

  Grants

  50,442

  60,894

  64,150

  AD5 East London and Essex

  Loans

  85,554

  99,496

  109,885

  Grants

  46,837

  58,933

  62,690

  AD6 South East

  Loans

  88,306

  110,935

  121,672

  Grants

  41,401

  50,228

  56,883

  AD7 Wessex

  Loans

  81,167

  95,204

  101,384

  Grants

  36,461

  44,668

  46,173

  Number of applications received by each area directorate 1991 to 1994 financial years

  Territory

  Area

  Type

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Wales and Central

  AD1 East Midlands

  Loans

  86,209

  100,383

  104,915

  Grants

  45,886

  53,895

  57,532

  886
  since the social fund came into operation in terms of (a) community care grants and (b) social fund loans.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, dated 30 November 1994:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about applications to the Social Fund (SF) for grants and loans by regional office for each year since the SF began.
  Since the formation of the Benefits Agency (BA) in April 1991, BA offices are grouped into Districts and these Districts are grouped into Area Directorates within three Territorial Directorates. Prior to April 1991 Departmental local offices were organised into seven regional areas.
  Information for the years 1988–89 and 1989–90 is not available by regional area. Details of the number of applications for grants and loans by regional area for the period April 1990 to March 1991 are provided at Annex A. Details of the number of applications for grants and loans by Area Directorate from April 1991 to March 1994 are provided at Annex B.
  I hope you find this information helpful.

  Number of applications received by each regional area 1990–91—Annex A

  Region name

  Grants

  Loans

  London north

  74,430

  194,169

  London south

  58,947

  178,050

  Midlands

  90,970

  231,065

  North east

  111,314

  303,822

  North west

  100,896

  272,924

  Scotland

  122,830

  308,619

  Wales and south-west

  69,928

  199,776

  887

  Number of applications received by each area directorate 1991 to 1994 financial years

  Territory

  Area

  Type

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  AD2 Midlands South West

  Loans

  91,453

  99,525

  95,142

  Grants

  52,312

  59,072

  59,604

  AD3 West Mercia

  Loans

  100,381

  118,941

  118,822

  Grants

  52,486

  62,353

  63,983

  AD4 Wales

  Loans

  123,634

  139,730

  141,972

  Grams

  64,247

  75,638

  81,996

  AD5 Merseyside

  Loans

  139,001

  150,964

  156,066

  Grants

  62,143

  68,081

  72,964

  AD6 Greater

  Loans

  111,396

  128,973

  135,130

  Manchester

  Grants

  54,445

  61,649

  64,386

  AD7 Lancashire

  Loans

  89,175

  102,281

  106,323

  and Cumbria

  Grants

  46,099

  53,800

  55,932

  Number of applications received by each area directorate 1991 to 1994 financial years

  Territory

  Area

  Type

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Scotland and Northern

  AD1 Tyne Tees

  Loans

  147,134

  153,145

  160,140

  Grants

  76,849

  83,435

  87,584

  AD2 South

  Loans

  120,638

  133,953

  135,633

  Yorkshire

  Grants

  59,813

  65,935

  66,562

  AD3 North and

  Loans

  99,605

  111,045

  117,657

  West Yorkshire

  Grants

  48,621

  58,335

  62,877

  AD4 Glasgow and Paisley

  Loans

  146,928

  151,623

  154,914

  Grants

  66,716

  68,317

  74,739

  AD5 North, Central

  Loans

  114,691

  120,823

  125,576

  and West Scotland

  Grants

  57,533

  60,878

  63,185

  AD6 East Scotland

  Loans

  90,524

  99,574

  104,136

  Grants

  42,637

  46,294

  46,741

  Hostel Accommodation
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many residents for whom social security hostel accommodation payments are made are currently housed in sheds, garages and tents at such hostels.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  I am not aware of any case for which housing benefit is in payment in such circumstances.

  Invalidity Benefit
  Mr. McAvoy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the number of current invalidity benefit claimants with post codes of(a) G72, (b) G73 and (c) the Toryglen residents of G42.

  Mr. Hague
  The administration of invalidity benefit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.
  888
  Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Thomas McAvoy, dated 30 November 1994:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about Invalidity Benefit (IVB) recipients in certain Glasgow postal areas.
  Information is not available in the exact format requested. This is because Benefits Agency District areas do not correspond with postcode boundaries.
  Residents within Glasgow postcode areas G72 and G73 are dealt with by the Agency's East Kilbride Benefit Office. Residents within the G42 postcode area are dealt with by the Glasgow Laurieston District Office.
  Prior to 14 November 1994, Rutherglen Benefit Office dealt with postcode areas G45, G72 and G73. With effect from 14 November 1994, IVB cases formerly dealt with by the Rutherglen office were transferred to either Laurieston District Office for residents of postal area G45 or East Kilbride Benefit Office for residents of postal areas G72 and G73.
  The latest available figures, at 31 October 1994, are prior to that change and I have therefore provided at Annex A a table giving the number of IVB customers at the Laurieston, East Kilbride and Rutherglen offices on that date.
  The offices in question have responsibility for a far wider geographical area covering other postcode areas. Figures could be obtained relating specifically to those areas you require only at a disproportionate cost.
  I hope you find this reply helpful.
  889

  Number of IVB customers at offices within Glasgow (Laurieston) District at 31 October 1994—Annex A

  Laurieston

  7,395

  East Kilbride

  3,735

  Rutherglen

  4,281

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the cost so far to the Child Support Agency of its legal advice.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, dated 30 November 1994:
  I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the cost of legal advice to the Child Support Agency.
  The Agency incurs no legal costs as legal advice and other legal services are absorbed by the Department of Social Security central budgets.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many complaints the Child Support Agency has received from people and their representatives about the working operations of the agency.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Miss Ann Chant, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, dated 30 November 1994:
  I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of complaints received by the Child Support Agency.
  From 5 April 1993 to 31 March 1994 the Agency recorded 10,886 complaints. Latest figures available show that the Agency has received a further 9,700 complaints since April 1994. The Agency does not distinguish between complaints against the operations of the Agency and those concerning child support legislation.
  I hope that this reply is helpful.

  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social.Security (1) how many parents with care in receipt of.family credit at each child support agency reporting centre have received any maintenance(a) direct from the non-custodial parent and (b) via the Child Support Agency;

  (2) how many parents with care not in receipt of benefit at each reporting centre have received any maintenance (a) direct from the non-custodial parent and (b) via the Child Support Agency;

  (3) how many parents with care in receipt of income support at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have received any maintenance (a) direct from the non-custodial parents and (b) via the Child Support Agency;

  (4) how many parents with care in receipt of disability working allowance at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have received any maintenance (a) direct from the non-custodial parent and (b) via the Child Support Agency.

  Mr. Burt
  The information requested is not a business requirement of the agency and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
  890
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many parents with care at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have been taken off income support after receiving maintenance payments;

  (2) how many parents with care at each Child Support Agency reporting centre have been taken off income support and are now in receipt of family credit after receiving maintenance payments.

  Mr. Burt
  The information the hon. Gentleman requires could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to implement the recommendations contained in the fifth report of the Social Security Committee of Session 1993–94, HC 470, on the operation of the Child Support Act.

  Mr. Burt
  We are still evaluating the contents of the Select Committee's report and we will respond in clue course with proposals for change. No final decisions have yet been taken.

  Unemployment Benefit
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security to what level the £35 limit above which occupational pensions are deducted from unemployment benefit could be raised without the cost exceeding the estimated saving from extending such deductions to people aged under 55 years.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 29 November,Official Report, column 631.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Hague
  The information is as follows:

  Name

  Joining date

  Leaving dale

  Melinda Libby

  3 May 1988

  24 July 1989

  Charles Hendry

  25 July 1989

  15 December 1989

  Ian Stewart

  16 August 1990

  10 April 1992

  Jeremy Mayhew

  27 April 1992

  12 April 1993

  Peter Barnes

  4 May 1993

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, currently ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable and the salary spine reflects this.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;
  891
  (2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.

  Mr. Hague
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments are, however, required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. For 1993–94, the Department of Social Security paid 94 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Quarantine Regulations
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to alter the quarantine regulations for dogs entering the United Kingdom.

  Mrs. Browning
  The Agriculture Select Committee has recently published a report recommending changes to the rabies quarantine regulations.

  The Government share the concern of the committee that it would never support a change which would increase the likelihood of rabies entering the United Kingdom. The question of whether any other arrangements can offer the same or better protection than quarantine is essentially a technical one which the Government will need to consider carefully. The onus is one those recommending change to demonstrate that it offers at least as good a protection as quarantine.

  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how a dog or cat has to comply with the new import regulations for traded animals as far as vaccination and identification are concerned.

  Mrs. Browning
  The regulations require that a dog or cat must have been vaccinated against rabies using an inactivated vaccine after the age of three months and at least six months before dispatch to the United Kingdom. In addition, at least one month after vaccination a blood sample must be taken and tested to confirm that the vaccine has been effective. The only approved method of identification for such imports is by an implanted microchip transponder.

  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether all registered animals entering the country since the introduction of the traded animal legislation last summer have complied with the requirements of the new importation rules.

  Mrs. Browning
  Of the two dog s and one cat imported under the new arrangements set out in article 10(3) of EC directive 92/65 one dog has been put into quarantine, because the necessary microchip identification was absent.

  Internet
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to 892
  provide information via Internet; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  MAFF has placed selected statistical information on Internet, as part of its participation in the pilot CCTA Government information service launched on 10 November. As a result, up to 20 years of agriculture and food statistics are now accessible on Internet. A range of background information about the Department's work and publications is also available, and the MAFF helpline has enhanced its service by introducing an E-mail address for communicating with Internet users.

  Common Agricultural Policy
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what prosecutions have resulted in each of the last five years from fraud against the CAP; how much has been recovered; what fines have been imposed; and what equivalent information he has in respect of(a) Italy, (b) Greece and (c) Spain.

  Mr. Jack
  The information for the United Kingdom for the four years 1990 to 1993 is as follows. Information for earlier years is not readily available.

  Year

  Numbers of prosecutions

  Amounts recovered £

  Fines £

  1990

  26

  3,136

  23,100

  1991

  20

  70,349

  223,650

  1992

  31

  301,601

  557,170

  1993

  31

  14,955

  309,795

  We have no equivalent data available relating to other member states.

  Rabies
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will estimate the results of the oral vaccination of foxes in the Federal Republic of Germany in 1993 and the first half of 1994; and if he will give the number of cases of rabies in both domestic animals and wild animals in Germany during the same period.

  (2) how many cases of rabies in human beings were reported in eastern Europe during 1993 and in the first half of 1994.

  Mrs. Browning
  The information the hon. Member requires can be found in the "Rabies Bulletin Europe", compiled by the World Health Organisation collaborating centre for rabies surveillance and research. This is published on a quarterly basis with a consolidated report issued at the end of each year. Copies of the consolidated reports for the last five years and the two quarterly reports issued so far this year have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Spongiform Encephalopathies
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many confirmed cases of spongiform encephalopathies in canines there have been; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Browning
  Transmissible spongiform encephalopathy has never been confirmed in canines in the United Kingdom, or as far as the Ministry is aware, anywhere else in the world.

  Fisheries Council
  Mr. Harris
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the Council of Fisheries Ministers held in Brussels on 23 November.

  Mr. Jack
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 24 November to the Member for Harborough (Mr. Gamier),Official Report, columns 316–17.

  Milk Prices
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to examine milk price rises and the role of the Milk Marque.

  Mr. Jack
  My right hon. Friends the Minister, the Secretary of State for Wales and the President of the Board of Trade examined the outcome of Milk Marque's selling arrangements when they turned down the Dairy Trade Federation's request for a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in the summer. Now that the milk marketing scheme has come to an end the milk market is subject to the normal competition rules. Scrutiny of the trading behaviour of Milk Marque is now a matter for the competition authorities.

  Salmonella
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress so far made to eradicate salmonella from eggs.

  Mrs. Browning
  Following a report of the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food on Salmonella in Eggs, the Government ceased to require the monitoring of commercial egg laying flocks for salmonella and the compulsory slaughter of those infected with salmonella enteritidis in February 1993. Controls on breeding flocks were brought into line with those required under Council directive 92/117/EEC later that year. A survey of home produced eggs carried out by the Public Health Laboratory Service in 1991 revealed that 99.3 per cent. of six-egg packs tested were found not to contain salmonella enteritidis. The steering group for the microbiological safety of food is considering the need for a further survey in 1995. The Government continue to fund research into the control of salmonella in poultry and the survival of salmonella in eggs. The egg industry is actively consolidating best practice for the transport, handling and storage of eggs into an industry code of practice. Much of the industry already had adopted such procedures.

  Common Agricultural Policy
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the high cost of the common agricultural policy prior to the introduction of the European Communities (Finance) Bill.

  Mr. Jack
  My right hon. Friend is in regular contact with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on matters concerning the cost of the common agricultural policy.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the implications of the European Communities 894
  (Finance) Bill for the future of the common agricultural policy.

  Mr. Jack
  The European Communities (Finance) Bill does not of itself have direct implications for the future of the common agricultural policy. CAP expenditure is constrained by the agricultural guideline, a legally binding ceiling. Its growth is restricted to 74 per cent. of the growth in EC GNP. As a result, CAP expenditure as a proportion of the total EC budget will continue to fall. It currently represents 50 per cent. of the total EC budget, as compared with 70 per cent. when the guideline was first introduced in 1988.

  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will place a copy of the European Commission report on reform of the common agricultural policy in the Library.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  This report, entitled "EC Agriculture in the 21st Century", has now been published in the Journal "European Economy" on behalf of the European Commission's Directorate-General II (Economy and Finance) Copies have been placed in the House Libraries.

  I welcome the Commission's decision to publish this radical look at the common argriculture policy and shall be study it with interest.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively;

  (2) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months, respectively.

  Mr. Jack
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, Departments are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their departmental reports. For 1993–94, MAFF paid 85 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the special advisers employed by his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they(a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Jack
  The names of special advisers who have joined or left the Department in the last five years is as follows:
  895

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  Joined

  Keith Adams

  —

  —

  Elizabeth Cottrell, Ken Leggett

  David Rutley

  Left

  Richard Gueterbock

  —

  —

  Keith Adams

  Elizabeth Cottrell, Ken Leggett

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

  Hill Farming
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what acreage has been put into regeneration of the natural habitat in hill farming; and if he will evaluate the effect this will have on hill farm incomes.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 24 November 1994]: The environmentally sensitive areas scheme includes provisions for annual payments to farmers for the regeneration of heather moorland and other upland habitats. Some 16,000 hectares of land are being managed under those tiers of the scheme in England. Other schemes also provide assistance to hill farmers for habitat enhancement but it is not possible to quantify the area of land benefiting from those schemes. It is not possible to isolate the effect which any of these measures will have on hill farm incomes.

  Live Animal Exports
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if any of those holding the licences to export live animals from Plymouth on the night of 21 November have any previous convictions for animal cruelty; who are these people; and what their specific convictions are for.

  Mrs. Browing
  [holding answer 24 November 1994]: There is no requirement for such persons to be licensed. We are aware that some involved recently in the export of animals may have past convictions for welfare offences, but prohibition from engaging in the trade is not a penalty provided for by statute.

  Secret Files
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many(a) top secret and (b) secret files his Department holds.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 24 November 1994]: This Department operates a de-centralised record-keeping system and no central records, either of files or of its individual classification, are kept. There is unlikely to be a great number of top secret and secret files but because no central record is kept in MAFF to obtain this information by a departmental inquiry to all the various registries would be time consuming and at a disproportionate cost.

DEFENCE

  Market Testing
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out the basis of calculating savings on his Department's competing for quality programme; and if he will have a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  Savings and efficiency gains against the Department's competing for quality programme are calculated against a baseline of the annual cost of the existing activities before market testing. For costing purposes, it would be expected that full costs, representing the total cost of resources used in providing a particular service, including the direct costs of the service and a proportional share of overhead costs, would be used.

  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 22 November 1994,Official Report, column 135, if he will list the 82 support activities which have been examined in relation to the competing for quality programme.

  Mr. Freeman
  I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.

  Counselling
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will set out his Department's arrangements for counselling service personnel and ex-service personnel; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  There are many forms of counselling, ranging from an interview or discussion with a commanding officer or chaplain to a series of sessions with a doctor, professional social or welfare worker or counsellor, and covering the whole range of personal and professional problems. Illustrative examples would be: the provision of marriage guidance counselling for serving members of the forces and their dependants in Germany through a grant to Relate—to replicate facilities in the United Kingdom— active programmes for the prevention and treatment of the condition known as post-traumatic stress disorder; and a comprehensive system of education and treatment in relation to alcohol abuse. Counselling of former service personnel would generally be through those channels available to the population at large, for example, the national health service or local authorities.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list(a) by grade those members of his Department who have left his Department in the last two years to join defence or defence-related companies, (b) the companies involved and (c) the number joining each company.
  897
  Mr. Freeman
  I have placed a list in the House of Commons Library answering this question and have written to the hon. Member with the details.

  Indonesia
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list(a) the value, (b) the source of finance and (c) the work carried out over the last five years by the Defence Research Agency for the Government of Indonesia.

  Mr. Freeman
  Responsibility for such matters rests with the chief executive of the Defence Research Agency. I have therefore asked him to reply.

  Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Derek Fatchett, dated 1 December 1994:
  In today's written answer the Minister of State for Defence Procurement informed you that I would be replying to your question concerning work carried out by the Defence Research Agency for the government of Indonesia over the last five years.
  The Defence Research Agency was established in April 1991 by bringing together the Royal Aerospace Establishment, Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment, Royal Signals and Radar Establishment and the Admiralty Research Establishment. Since that date the DRA has undertaken no work for the government of Indonesia
  Complete records are not available for the period prior to April 1991, but a check of those that are still held has not come up with any instances of work being carried out for the government of Indonesia during the two years in question.

  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on which dates the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff visited Indonesia last year; at whose invitation and at whose expense.

  Mr. Soames
  Neither the Chief of Defence Staff nor the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff visited Indonesia in 1993. The Chief of Defence Staff visited Indonesia from 8 to 12 October 1994. The Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff visited Indonesia from 27 February to 2 March 1994. Both visits were at the invitation of their Indonesia counterparts. Travel costs arising from both visits were met by my Department; accommodation was provided by the hosts.

  Animal Testing
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list(a) the Ministry of Defence establishments at which tests are carried out using animals and (b) the total number of tests at each establishment over the last five years.

  Mr. Soames
  Experiments using animals were carried out in the period 1989–1993 at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, the Defence Research Agency at Alverstoke and the Institute of Aviation Medicine, now the Centre for Human Sciences.

  Experiments are carried out only when it is judged essential, and fully meet both the spirit and letter of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The locations are registered places under that Act with relevant staff being licensed by the Home Office and subject at all times to Home Office inspection. The total number of experiments for the past five years is as follows:

  1989: 9,129

  1990: 8,146

  1991: 6,100

  1992: 4,500

  1993: 6,796

  Lockheed
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 22 November,Official Report, columns 138–9, if he will list (a) the meetings held with Market Access International and (b) the representations received from Market Access International regarding the Lockheed C130-J by his ministerial colleagues or staff.

  Mr. Freeman
  To the best of my knowledge, neither I nor any of my ministerial colleagues, or our staff, have either received representations from Market Access International, or met any of its personnel in connection with the Hercules rolling replacement programme.

  Late Payments
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence: (1) how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within(a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice; and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month, (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months;

  (2) of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months, respectively.

  Mr. Freeman
  Responsibility for such matters rests with the chief executive of the Defence Accounts Agency. I have therefore asked him to reply.

  Letter from M. J. Dymond to Mr. Clive Betts, dated 1 December 1994:
  You asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the bills paid by his Department during the last month for which figures are available were paid within (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months from receipt of invoice, and how many were over the date for payment by (i) up to one month (ii) up to two months, (iii) up to three months, (iv) up to six months and (v) over six months.
  You also asked the Secretary of State for Defence, of the bills currently awaiting payment in his Department, how many are over the advised payment date by (a) up to one month, (b) up to two months, (c) up to three months, (d) up to six months and (e) over six months respectively. These matters fall to me, as Chief Executive of the Defence Accounts Agency, for reply.
  The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Departments, however, are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in the Departmental Reports. For financial year 1993–94 Ministry of Defence paid 99.99 per cent. of its bills in accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of the presentation of a valid invoice.
  The MOD bill payment office at Liverpool also measure their performance against the higher departmental standard of payment within eleven working days of receipt of a valid invoice. They are currently achieving 97 per cent.

  Armoured Vehicles
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of each type of armoured personnel carrier and light tank surplus to his Department's requirements have been or are to be sold in the 1994–95 financial year.

  Mr. Freeman
  The information requested is as follows:
  899

  Vehicle Type

  Quantity

  CENTURION Armoured Recovery Vehicle MK2

  54

  HUMBER 1 TON PIG Armoured Personnel Carrier

  109

  CHIEFTAIN Main Battle Tank MK10

  29

  CHIEFTAIN Armoured Vehicle Recce

  1

  ABBOT 105mm Self Propelled Gun

  15

  SULTAN Armoured Command Vehicle

  17

  FOX 30 mm Gunned Combat Vehicle Recce (Wheeled)

  2

  SCORPION 76mm Gunned Combat Recce (Tracked)

  40

  FERRET Scout Car

  35

  SARACEN Armoured Personnel Carrier (Wheeled)

  16

  432 Armoured Personnel Carrier

  78

  SALADIN 76mm Gunned Armoured Car

  1

  434 Tracked Engineer Support Vehicle

  8

  M109 GUNS 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer

  117

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to whom, and under what procedure, armoured personnel carriers and light tanks surplus to his Department's requirements have been sold since 1985; and what financial gain has resulted for Her Majesty's Government.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Disposals Sales Agency as a general rule sells surplus armoured fighting vehicles, of all types, by invitation to tender. Occasionally, private treaty sales have been agreed, normally to collectors/museums or companies involved in refurbishment and update work aiming to sell similar vehicles overseas. More recently, vehicles have been sold to companies for smelting. Sales to acceptable foreign Governments are either by direct contract or through an agent accredited to the purchaser. Any vehicle which is to be exported requires an export licence from the Department of Trade and Industry. Vehicles which have ordnance fitted are either demilitarised prior to sale or sold to companies which intend to market them for export and have appropriate firearms licences.

  Details of financial gain to HMG would require disproportionate effort to establish as previous records are not readily available. It is not our policy to reveal the details of purchasers without their written permission.

  Military Contracts
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will take steps to prevent military personnel from evading the terms of their military contracts by deliberate law-breaking;

  (2) what evidence he has received of deliberate law-breaking by young Army personnel in order to be dismissed from the service and evade their service contract obligation.

  Mr. Soames
  Although statistical evidence is not available, it is well known that soldiers do on occasion attempt to gain release from their engagement early by committing a disciplinary offence.

  Service personnel do not have contracts but serve under the royal prerogative. All service personnel are made aware that if they are found to have committed an offence under service law, they will be liable for the appropriate punishment. This may not necessarily include administrative discharge or dismissal even if that is the aim of the individual concerned. However, any personnel who commit offences under service or civilian law, for whatever reasons, risk incurring a criminal record.

  Military Corrective Training Centre,Colchester
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what dates since 1992 his Ministers have visited the military corrective training centre at Colchester;

  (2) when he last visited the military corrective training centre based in Colchester.

  Mr. Soames
  My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not visited the centre, but the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Sir A. Hamilton) visited it on 7 December 1992, and the Under-Secretary of State for Defence visited it on 22 June this year.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans there are for privatising the military corrective training centre at Colchester;

  (2) what plans he has to further reduce staffing levels at the military corrective training centre based at Colchester;

  (3) what changes in manpower and costs have accompanied the evaluation currently taking place at the Colchester military corrective training centre;

  (4) what consideration he is giving to the further privatisation of any services connected with the military corrective training centre in Colchester;

  (5) what reports he has commissioned into the possible privatisation of the military corrective training centre based at Colchester or any of its services therein;

  (6) what discussions his Department has held aimed at the possibility of handing over to another body responsibility for the military corrective training centre based at Colchester.

  Mr. Soames
  A feasibility study has been conducted into market testing of the functions of the centre, the results of which are currently being considered by my Department. Appropriate consultation with trades unions and others will be undertaken before any final decisions are taken.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received against the privatisation of the catering services at the military corrective training centre at Colchester.

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

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he is giving to the closure of the Colchester military corrective training centre.

  Mr. Soames
  There are no plans to close the centre.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the military equipment used for training for prisoners serving sentences at the military corrective training centre at Colchester.

  Mr. Soames
  The military equipment used for the training of detainees in "A" wing are as follows:

  Various weapons

  Radios

  Webbing and clothing

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what were the levels of staffing by definition and grade of the military corrective training centre in Colchester since 1992.
  901
  Mr. Soames
  The levels of staffing at the military corrective training centre since 1992 are:

  Number

  Rank/Grade

  Definition

  Military

  1

  Lieutenant Colonel

  Commanding Officer

  5

  Majors

  Section Managers

  3

  Captains

  1

  Flight Lieutenant

  3

  Warrant Officers

  Supervisors

  Class 1

  8

  Warrant Officers

  Security NCO

  Class 1

  1

  Warrant Officer

  APTC

  Class 2

  1

  Warrant Officer

  Catering

  Class 2

  5

  Warrant Officer

  Security NCO

  (Female)

  19

  Staff Sergeants

  Security NCO

  66

  Staff Sergeants

  Security NCO

  1

  Sergeant

  Medical

  1

  Sergeant

  Armoury

  1

  Sergeant

  Pay

  1

  Sergeant

  Pioneer

  9

  Se rgeants (RAF)

  Security NCO

  2

  Petty Officers (Male)

  Security NCO

  1

  Sergeant (RM)

  Security NCO

  1

  Sergeant

  Catering

  4

  Sergeant (Female)

  Security NCO

  6

  Sergeants (WRAF)

  Security NCO

  4

  Corporals

  Catering

  6

  Corporals

  PTI

  1

  Corporal Storeman

  Armoury

  2

  Corporals

  General Duties

  1

  Corporal

  Driver

  3

  Lance Corporals

  Medical

  2

  Lance Corporals

  Stores

  7

  Lance Corporals

  Catering

  Civilian

  1

  Retired Officer

  2

  Burnham Lecturers

  1

  Civil Servant

  Executive Officer

  4

  Instructional Officers

  5

  Administrative Officers (Civil Servants)

  2

  Administrative Assistants (Civil Servants)

  2

  Typists

  2

  Storekeepers

  The catering services were contractorised on 1 September 1994. All military catering staff, except for the W02 (Catering), left MCTC during the period June to September 1994.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will state what armaments and live ammunition, by category, are stored at the military corrective training centre in Colchester;

  (2) whether the military corrective training centre based at Colchester has a fully operational and stocked armoury on site;

  (3) whether prisoners at the military corrective training centre at Colchester have any contact during their incarceration with issued weapons and live ammunition.

  Mr. Soames
  The centre has a fully operational and stocked armoury. The weapons are for the use of detainees who will be returning to their units at the end of their 902
  period of detention. Detainees who are to be dismissed or discharged after serving their period of detention are not given weapon training.

  The following weapons are held at the centre, including personal weapons of members of staff:

  121 × 5.56 mm rifles

  35 × 9 mm pistols

  8 × 22" conversion kit

  15 × 7.62 mm rifles

  24 × 5.56 mm SUSAT rifles

  24 × 5.56 mm Iron rifles

  4 × 5.6 mm light support weapon (machine gun)

  The quantity of ammunition held for these weapons is small and varies on a daily basis depending on training programme.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give the ranks held by all prisoners prior to their convictions and subsequent detention at the military corrective training centre in Colchester since 1987.

  Mr. Soames
  This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Service personnel under sentence arrive at the military corrective training centre in the rank of private, or equivalent.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the director of Prison Services has paid a visit to the military corrective training centre at Colchester.

  Mr. Soames
  The director of Prison Services, Mr. Derek Lewis, visited the military corrective training centre, Colchester, on 24 March 1994.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he is giving to closing the present discharge wing at the Colchester military corrective training centre.

  Mr. Soames
  There are no plans at present to close the discharge wing at the centre.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will give the numbers and ages of prisoners in military goals dismissed from the services for drug taking since 1992;

  (2) if he will give the numbers, ages and convictions of prisoners currently jailed at the military corrective training centre in Colchester since 1992;

  (3) when the decision was made to privatise the catering services establishment at the military corrective training centre in Colchester and what was the date of its commencement.

  Mr. Soames
  My noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member on those subjects.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the responsibilities of the Colchester military corrective training centre with regard to the rehabilitation of offenders into civilian life.

  Mr. Soames
  Personnel who are to be dismissed from the service or discharged after serving their period of detention undergo four weeks resettlement training in various trades. The training is designed to prepare them for civilian life by improving their trade skills and developing their self reliance and self respect.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the special advisers employed by
  903
  his Department in each of the last five years indicating when they (a) joined and (b) left his Department and the annual salary they received.

  Mr. Freeman
  A list of the special advisers employed by my Department in each of the last five years is give below:

  Name

  Joined the Department

  Left the Department

  Keith Simpson

  July 1988

  December 1990

  John Gardner

  June 1991

  March 1992

  Perry Miller

  April 1992

  February 1993

  Crispin Blunt

  February 1993

  Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.

  Compensation Payments
  Mr. Churchill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from what vote and subhead compensation payments to former service women dismissed on grounds of pregnancy are currently made; how much has been allowed for in the 1994–95 supply estimates; what recourse has been made to the contingencies fund; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  Compensation payments to former service women dismissed on grounds of pregnancy are made from class 1 vote 1—defence operational and support costs—subhead item J2(2). Within this, provision in the supply estimates for 1994–95 is £25 million. No recourse has been made to the contingencies fund. Some 70 per cent. of these cases have now been settled for an average of about £10,000 each.

  Commemorative and Memorial Services, Arnhem
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department made a financial charge to members of the armed forces to participate in the commemorative and memorial services at Arnhem.

  Mr. Soames
  Essential costs associated with the presence of service men in Arnhem were met from the public purse. The main British presence was provided by the Parachute Regiment. Each soldier and officer who attended was asked to pay £5 to cover the cost of recreational transport provided by the Dutch authorities. This arrangement was considerably cheaper and more convenient than if individuals had been left to find alternative means of transport.

  Defence Contracts
  Mr. Hutton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what payments his Department made and to which United Kingdom warship builders, to encourage or support the submission of tenders for the replacement programme for 904
  HMS Fearless and HMS Intrepid; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  None.

  Historic Aviation Buildings
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken to preserve the historic aviation buildings at Farnborough, Hampshire from demolition; and if he will make statement.

  Mr. Soames
  On current plans, the buildings occupied at present by the Defence Research Agency at Farnborough will be vacated in the latter part of 1996. We are in the process of defining a strategy for the future of the site. There are at present no plans to demolish any historic aviation buildings at Farnborough.

  Gulf War
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration was given to issuing protective clothing to British service personnel in the Gulf conflict using malathion sprays on captured Iraqi service men; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  Standard instructions are the MOD personnel applying dusting powder containing 1 per cent. malathion need not wear protective clothing unless performing lengthy collective treatment procedures. The relatively small number of Iraqi prisoners of war infested.with lice meant that individual.administration with dusting powder could take place and that collective spraying and protective clothing were not necessary. Protective clothing was, however, available had collective treatment taken place.

  Convoy, A1 Highway
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the mission of his Department's vehicle, registration number 16 AY 60, which formed part of a convoy that travelled on the A 1 highway on 28 October; at what location the convoy(a) commenced and (b) terminated its journey; what was the total number of vehicles in the convoy; what was the cargo of each vehicle; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  The military convoy in question was undertaking a routine transport movement. It is not our policy, however, to discuss operational details of military movements.

  Aircraft
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force(a) Hawker Siddley Buccaneer, (b) English Electric Canberra and (c) Hawker Hunter aircraft are currently being preserved; what type marks they have; where they are currently based; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  At present there are four Buccaneers, type mark 2B, in storage and 1 Canberra, type mark T4, held in storage at RAF St Athan. There are no Hawker Hunter aircraft being held in storage by the Royal Air Force. The Buccanneer aircraft have been purchased by Hanifield Metals and are being held for collection by the purchaser. The Canberra is held at present in the Fleet Management Reserve long-term reserve category.

  Low Flying
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about low flying in each year since 1988 have led to an RAF police investigation being initiated; and how many of the investigations carried out in each year since 1988 have concluded that a breach of low flying regulations had occurred.

  Mr. Soames
  The information is not available in the format requested. The table below details the total number of investigations carried out by the RAF police flying complaints flight each year from 1988 to the end of 1993; and the number of those where the police confirmed a breach of flying regulations. The 1988 figure for the latter is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost. It should be noted that, in addition to low flying incidents, the figures for the number of investigations include other military aircraft activity examined by the RAF police.

  Year

  Number of RAF Police FCF investigations

  Number of cases in which a breach was confirmed

  1988

  331

  not available

  1989

  423

  43

  1990

  571

  13

  1991

  411

  12

  1992

  718

  40

  1993

  686

  47

  The above figure of 47 confirmed breaches in 1993 is six more than was listed in the House of Commons Defence Committee Report, HC 314 of Session 1993–94, on low flying. Of these, three were omitted in error from the evidence provided to the Committee; in the other three cases details of the RAF police investigations were not known until after this evidence has been provided.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the 41 low flying avoidance breaches during 1993 listed in his Department's evidence to the Defence Select Committee—HC 314 of Session 1993–94 pp. 35–36—were found by the RAF police investigation not to have been inadvertent.

  Mr. Soames
  It is not the responsibility of the RAF police to determine whether a breach is inadvertent or deliberate. On receipt of an RAF police report, this is a matter for consideration by the commanding officer of the aircrew concerned, who will take into account the circumstances of the breach, and any factors such as bad weather or flight safety considerations which might be relevant, in determining whether disciplinary or other action is necessary.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the recent use of Tornado aircraft from Royal Air Force Cottesmore to perform low-level passes over a prison establishment.

  Mr. Soames
  Several low level passes over HM prison Stocken were made on 27 September 1994 at the request of HM Prison Service. This provided a noise distraction and assisted in resolving an incident at the prison.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many breaches of the Eshott avoidance area have taken place in each year since 1989; what measures have been taken to discourage microlight flying from this site on weekdays; and if he will list the measures taken 906
  since 1989 to reduce the incidence of breaches of this avoidance area.

  Mr. Soames
  The numbers of confirmed breaches of.the Eshott avoidance area for each year since 1989 are.as follows:

  1989: 0

  1990: 0

  1991: 2

  1992: 8

  1993: 3

  The operating times of the airfield, and the use to which it is put, are matters for the civil operator.

  In order to reduce the incidence of breaches, notices to airmen have been issued reminding military aircrews of the airfield's avoidance, which is marked on navigation charts and listed in the UK military low flying handbook. In addition, at the end of 1992, changes were made to instructions to foreign aircraft using RAF Spadeadam to ensure they avoid the airfield by a wider margin than previously.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the minimum authorised altitude of the flight by two Belgian air force Mirages which infringed the Sizewell power station avoidance area on 23 August 1993; and at what height the aircraft were flying at the time of the breach.

  Mr. Soames
  The two aircraft were authorised to operate at a minimum altitude of 2,000 ft minimum separation distance; the RAF police estimated the aircraft were flying at approx 1,000 ft above ground level at the time of the breach.

  Air Show (Bratislava)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British military aircraft, and of what types, took part in the air show at Bratislava airport, Slovakia, on 20 and 21 August; what were the aims of British participation in the event; and what was the total cost of this participation.

  Mr. Soames
  The following RAF aircraft were present at the airshow in question:

  9 Hawks (Red Arrows)

  2 Hawks

  4 Tornado GR1

  2 Harrier

  1 Chinook

  1 Hercules

  Displays were flown by the Red Arrows and two of the Tornado GR1s. The other aircraft were on static display. All extra costs for accommodation, food and fuel were met by the organisers of the airshow.

  Attendance at this airshow was part of my Department's wider policy of enhancing military relations with countries of central and eastern Europe.

  RAF Bentwaters
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has held with British
  907
  Aerospace concerning the use of RAF Bentwaters as a base in connection with the showground air combat range.

  Mr. Soames
  None.

  Aircraft Accidents
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the air crash at Boscombe Down airfield on the evening of 26 September.

  Mr. Soames
  I am aware of a press report of such an incident. Staff at Boscombe Down have confirmed, however, that there was no crash at the unit on that date or, indeed, so far this year. The only flying which took place that night was the launch of two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters in support of an exercise.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many man hours were spent on repairs to Tornado ZA611 following its accident in December 1986; and on what dates the aircraft has been flown since its accident.

  Mr. Soames
  Tornado ZA611 was repaired in industry, and the details of the contract covering the repair remain commercially confidential. Since its accident, the aircraft was flown on 19, 22 and 28 January 1993. The aircraft has since been held in storage pending its entry into a modification programme, after which it will return to active service.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the date and circumstances of the accident to Tornado F.3 serial number carried out on the aircraft since its accident, and by which unit; what is the estimated additional number of man hours required to complete repairs to the aircraft; and what is the estimated total cost of restoring the aircraft to front line service following its accident.

  Mr. Soames
  Tornado F3 ZE250 was damaged on 27 March 1992 during engine ground runs. To date, RAF tradesman have expended 9,025 man hours on the repair, and it is estimated that a further 7,090 man hours will be required before the aircraft can be restored to service. The labour costs of returning the aircraft to service are estimated at approximately £800,000. The cost of spares and materials, which have been provided from existing stocks, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  International Chart Service
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the International Chart Service North sea-southern sheet 1:750,000 2182A, INT.1043, published at Taunton on 10 August 1973.

  Mr. Soames
  It is not our usual practice to lay such charts in the Library. They are widely available, however, from commercial sources.

  Hercules Fleet
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be able to make an announcement on the future of the RAF's Hercules fleet.

  Mr. Freeman
  We hope to be able to make an announcement shortly.

  Staffing
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a breakdown by military rank and civilian grade of the number of service personnel and civilian staff employed in(a) the personnel and training command and (b) the logistics command.

  Mr. Soames
  The strength of the two commands as at 1 October 1994 is as follows:

  Military Personnel

  Personnel and Training Command

  Logistics Command

  Officer Ranks

  1 Air Chief Marshal

  2

  1

  Air Marshal

  —

  1

  Air Vice-Marshal

  9

  3

  Air Commodore

  29

  15

  Group Captain

  110

  56

  Wing Commander

  322

  182

  Squadron Leader

  802

  514

  Flight Lieutenant

  1,764

  565

  Flying Officer/Pilot Officer

  905

  59

  Senior Medical Officer

  152

  6

  Junior Medical Officer

  129

  4

  Dentist

  113

  —

  Chaplains

  89

  —

  Officer Total

  4,426

  1,406

  Airmen Ranks

  Master Aircrew Warrant Officer

  284

  215

  Flight Sergeant/Chief Technician

  764

  1,054

  Sergeant

  1,733

  1,463

  Corporal

  2,320

  2,434

  Junior Technician/Senior Aircraftman/Leading Aircraftman

  3,436

  3,344

  Aircraftman

  400

  —

  Officer Designate

  73

  —

  Airmen Total

  9,010

  8,510

  Overall Total

  13,436

  9,916

  Note:

  1 One of these officers (Chief of the Air Staff) appears on the strength of Personnel and Training Command but is employed elsewhere. This is the case for a number of other personnel, but separate figures could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  Civilian Personnel

  Personnel and Training Command

  Logistics Command

  Non-industrial grades

  G31

  —

  1.0

  G52

  2.0

  5.0

  G63

  3.5

  12.0

  G74

  9.0

  46.0

  Senior Executive Officer

  31.0

  59.0

  Higher Executive Officer/Higher Executive Officer (D)

  95.5

  224.0

  Executive Officer

  260.0

  479.5

  Administrative Officer

  576.5

  1,186.0

  Administrative Assistant

  479.5

  642.5

  Co-ordinator Anglo/American Relations

  0.5

  —

  Community Relations Adviser

  7.0

  —

  Mess Manager A

  1.0

  4.0

  Mess Manager B

  2.0

  1.0

  Retired Officer (Principal)

  9.0

  —

  909

  Civilian Personnel

  Personnel and Training Command

  Logistics Command

  Retired Officer 1

  27.0

  3.0

  Retired Officer 2

  100.0

  20.0

  Retired Officer 3

  42.0

  14.0

  Senior Personal Secretary

  1.0

  1.0

  Personal Secretary

  46.0

  25

  Chief Typing Manager

  1.0

  2.0

  Typing Manager

  19.0

  13.0

  Typist

  282.0

  165.0

  Senior Scientific Officer

  4.0

  8.0

  Higher Scientific Officer

  4.0

  12.0

  Scientific Officer

  4.0

  11.0

  Assistant Scientific Officer

  2.0

  1.0

  Graduate Trainee

  —

  3.0

  Senior Instructional Officer

  18.0

  —

  Higher Instructional Officer

  93.0

  —

  Instructional Officer 1

  237.0

  3.5

  Instructional Officer 2

  39.0

  —

  Senior Professional and Technology Officer

  4.0

  158.0

  Higher Professional and Technology Officer

  16.0

  257.0

  Professional and Technology Officer

  11.0

  425.0

  Technician Grade 1

  19.0

  81.0

  Technician Grade 2

  2.5

  3.0

  Senior Telecommunication Technical Officer

  —

  36.0

  Higher Telecommunication Technical Officer

  2.0

  110.0

  Telecommunication Technical Officer

  2.0

  301.5

  Assistant Telecommunication Technical Officer

  5.0

  366.5

  Senior Librarian

  2.0

  —

  Librarian

  2.0

  —

  Assistant Librarian

  4.0

  —

  Historian 2

  2.5

  —

  Senior Information Officer

  4.0

  1.0

  Information Officer

  8.0

  —

  Curatorial Officer E

  3.0

  —

  Curatorial Officer F

  1.0

  —

  Senior Medical Officer

  1.0

  —

  Civilian Medical Practitioner

  5.0

  3.0

  Civilian Consultant

  5.0

  —

  Registrar

  1.0

  —

  Senior Psychologist

  3.0

  —

  Psychologist (Grade T)

  1.0

  —

  Senior Radiographer 2

  1.5

  —

  Senior Physiotherapist 1

  7.0

  1.0

  Senior Physiotherapist 2

  5.0

  —

  Senior Occupational Therapist 1

  1.0

  —

  Senior Occupational Therapist 2

  1.0

  —

  Head Occupational Therapist

  1.0

  —

  Occupational Therapist

  1.0

  —

  Senior Ophthalmic Optician

  1.0

  —

  Senior Orthoptist

  1.0

  —

  Speech Therapist 2

  1.0

  —

  Speech Therapist 3

  1.0

  —

  Dental Auxiliary 1

  6.0

  1.0

  Senior Optometrist C

  1.0

  —

  Staff Grade Practitioner

  1.0

  —

  Pharmacist E

  1.0

  —

  Nurse A

  5.0

  —

  Nurse D

  11.5

  —

  Nurse F

  2.0

  1.5

  Nurse G

  2.0

  2.0

  Chaplains Assistant

  4.0

  —

  Senior Social Worker

  2.0

  —

  910

  Civilian Personnel

  Personnel and Training Command

  Logistics Command

  Senior Investigating Officer

  1.0

  —

  Investigating Officer 1

  10.0

  —

  Investigating Officer 2

  35.0

  —

  Civilian Security Officer 3

  1.0

  —

  Civilian Security Officer 4

  3.0

  9.0

  Civilian Security Officer 5

  38.0

  81.0

  Radio Officer

  3.0

  —

  Communications Officer 2

  —

  2.0

  Communications Officer 3

  —

  11.0

  Communications Officer 4

  2.0

  15.0

  Chef/Chief Cook 1

  —

  1.0

  Senior Lecturer

  5.0

  5.0

  Lecturer

  35.0

  10.0

  Head Teacher 1

  2.0

  —

  Deputy Head Teacher 1

  1.0

  —

  Teacher

  4.0

  —

  Senior Graphics Officer

  1.0

  1.0

  Higher Graphics Officer

  5.0

  3.0

  Graphics Officer

  20.0

  11.0

  Mapping and Charting Officer

  —

  2.0

  Fire Service Officer 1

  1.0

  2.0

  Fire Service Officer 2

  2.0

  —

  Fire Service Officer 3

  3.0

  5.0

  Stores Officer Grade A

  —

  1.0

  Stores Officer Grade B

  —

  8.5

  Stores Officer Grade C

  —

  36.0

  Stores Officer Grade D

  1.0

  76.0

  Process and General Supervisory Class B

  —

  1.0

  Process and General Supervisory Class C

  —

  36.0

  Process and General Supervisory Class D

  1.0

  13.0

  Process and General Supervisory Class E

  1.0

  1.0

  Families Officer

  7.0

  5.0

  Station Warden

  19.0

  22.0

  Support Manager 2

  —

  2.0

  Support Manager 3

  9.0

  12.0

  Support Grade Band 1

  59.5

  61.0

  Support Grade Band 2

  83.0

  46.0

  Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer 1

  2.0

  —

  Medical Laboratory Scientific Officer 2

  1.0

  —

  Higher Professional Photographer

  1.0

  —

  Professional Photographer

  5.0

  5.0

  Total

  2,918.0

  5,139.5

  Industrial grades

  Carpenter

  8.0

  46.0

  Craftsman Instrument Worker

  —

  1.0

  Electrician

  —

  3.0

  Electronic Assembler 1

  —

  5.0

  Electronic Assembler 2

  —

  7.0

  Electronic Assembler 3

  —

  5.0

  Electroplater

  —

  2.0

  Fitter Aero Engine

  —

  141.0

  Fitter Airframe

  —

  277.0

  Fitter Avionics

  —

  7.0

  Fitter Electronics

  1.0

  186.0

  Fitter Engine

  —

  95.0

  Fitter General

  4.0

  132.0

  Fitter Motor Transport

  4.0

  58.0

  Fitter Ex Research and Development

  —

  1.0

  911

  Civilian Personnel

  Personnel and Training Command

  Logistics Command

  Fitter Turner

  1.0

  22.0

  Instrument Maker

  —

  98.0

  Machinist Woodworker

  —

  5.0

  Painter

  1.0

  19.0

  Spray Painter

  1.0

  1.0

  Aircraft Surface Finisher

  —

  21.0

  Sheet Metalworker

  —

  15.0

  Technician

  —

  61.0

  Turner

  —

  1.0

  Upholster

  —

  3.0

  Welder

  —

  6.0

  Armourer

  1.0

  13.0

  Chief Steward 1

  4.0

  1.0

  Chief Steward 2

  4.0

  2.0

  Steward 1

  27.0

  11.0

  Steward 2

  280.5

  122.5

  Mess Hand

  395.0

  177.5

  Head Cook

  12.0

  3.0

  Cook

  57.0

  31.0

  Cinema Projectionist

  4.0

  —

  Labourer Unskilled

  —

  2.0

  Explosive Maintenance Assistant

  —

  13.0

  Battery Charging Hand

  —

  1.0

  Cable Layer

  —

  12.0

  Cleaner

  4.0

  5.5

  Caretaker Keys

  1.0

  —

  Caretaker

  1.0

  —

  Craft Auxiliary A

  —

  7.0

  Craft Auxiliary B

  —

  32.0

  Driver Ambulance

  —

  1.0

  Driver Articulated

  —

  180.0

  Driver Crane

  3.0

  3.0

  Driver Non-Articulated

  49.0

  34.0

  Driver Passenger Vehicle

  35.0

  32.0

  Driver Winch Operator

  1.0

  —

  Driver Locomotive

  —

  5.0

  Crane Driver Overhead Travelling

  —

  1.0

  Fork Lift Truck Operator

  —

  14.0

  Experimental Worker

  1.5

  2.0

  Fabric Worker A

  —

  1.0

  Fabric Worker B

  —

  1.0

  Gardener/Groundsman

  4.0

  1.0

  Gardener/Groundsman 2

  4.0

  2.0

  Gardener/Groundsman Assistant

  2.0

  —

  Gas Plant Overseer

  —

  2.0

  Examiner 2

  —

  8.0

  Examiner 3

  —

  2.0

  Patrolman

  5.0

  —

  Handyman/Woman

  1.0

  1.0

  Hydraulic Test Wall Operator

  —

  3.0

  General Hand (Superior Duties)

  15.0

  54.0

  Labourer

  83.5

  29.5

  Machine Operator

  —

  3.0

  Medical Attendant

  —

  0.5

  Messenger

  17.5

  16.0

  Museum Attendant

  —

  1.0

  Metalliser

  —

  1.0

  Packing Case Maker 1

  —

  6.0

  Rangewarden

  9.5

  2.0

  Refuse Collector

  4.0

  4.0

  Safety Equipment Worker B

  —

  3.0

  Sewage Plant Attendant

  9.0

  2.0

  Shotblaster

  —

  6.0

  Slinger

  —

  6.0

  Senior Storekeeper

  20.0

  172.0

  Storekeeper

  69.5

  390.0

  Storekeeping Assistant 1

  9.00

  103.0

  Storekeeping Assistant 2

  18.0

  103.0

  Sub Officer

  7.0

  6.0

  Leading Fireman

  30.0

  21.0

  Fireman

  105.0

  75.0

  912

  Civilian Personnel

  Personnel and Training Command

  Logistics Command

  Hospital Porter

  10.0

  —

  Seamstress

  0.5

  —

  Servant 1

  1.0

  —

  Sterilising Assistant

  6.0

  —

  Tyre Refitter/Vulcaniser

  —

  2.0

  Total

  1,330.5

  2,950.5

  Notes:

  1 Grade 3 includes: Assistant Under Secretary.

  2 Grade 5 includes: Assistant Secretary, Deputy Chief Scientific Officer and Professional and Technology Director B.

  3 Grade 6 includes: Senior Principal, Academic Professor of Music, Senior Principal Scientific Officer and Professional and Technology Superintending Grade.

  4 Grade 7 includes: Principal, Statistician, Psychologist, Principal Professional and Technology Officer and Head Historian B.

  Footnote:

  Casual staff have not been included in the above figures.

  Bosnia
  Mr. Elletson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effects the recently launched offensives by Bosnian Government troops in Bosnia-Herzegovina have had on the safety of British personnel serving under United Nations command; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  We do not assess that British personnel serving under United Nations command have been placed in any significantly greater danger by the recent Bosnian Government offensives. However, we remain very concerned about the upsurge in the fighting and are monitoring the situation closely.

  Bombing (Bihac)
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evidence he has that Croatian Serb aircraft based in Udbira have bombed Bihac; and if he will publish that evidence.

  Mr. Soames
  On 19 November 1994, UN military observers observed two ORAO jet fighters in the vicinity of Bihac. One aircraft dropped its bombs and headed south; the other struck a building and crashed. This and other attacks were widely reported. Croatia is not known to possess ORAO aircraft and no Bosnian-Serb ORAO was reported to have been airborne at the time of attack. The Croatian Serb—Republic of Serb Krajina—airfield at Udbina lies to the south of Bihac and some of its armed ORAO aircraft were reported to have been airborne prior to the attacks at Bihac.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evidence he has of the dropping of napalm bombs on Bihac; and if he will publish that evidence.

  Mr. Soames
  A UN military observer reported that on 18 November 1994 a fixed-wing aircraft dropped three bombs on Bihac. From evidence collected by UNMOs at the impact points, one of the bombs was identified as a napalm bomb, but this was unexploded. The others were cluster bombs.

  Departmental Payments
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average and the median time his Department has taken to pay suppliers in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion of bills took more than six weeks to pay.

  Mr. Freeman
  Responsibility for such matters rests with the chief executive of the Defence Accounts Agency. I have therefore asked him to reply.

  Letter from M. J. Dymond to Mr. Austin Mitchell, dated 1 December 1994:
  You asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the average and the median time his Department has taken to pay suppliers in each of the last 12 months, and what proportion of bills took more than 6 weeks

  Month

  Number of bills received

  Percentage paid within 11 days

  Percentage paid within 30 days

  Number paid after 30 days

  October 1993

  258,459

  97.94

  99.99

  15

  November 1993

  277,925

  96.96

  99.98

  32

  December 1993

  258,203

  96.10

  98.09

  31

  January 1994

  249,488

  97.72

  99.99

  21

  February 1994

  244,325

  98.86

  99.99

  12

  March 1994

  283,141

  97.67

  99.98

  43

  April 1994

  272,224

  95.6

  99.99

  10

  May 1994

  272,133

  95.19

  99.98

  31

  June 1994

  250,732

  96.9

  99.99

  16

  July 1994

  244,214

  96.28

  99.91

  208

  August 1994

  231,125

  96.38

  99.99

  1

  September 1994

  209,821

  97.73

  99.99

  3

  3,051,790

  423

  All bills were paid wihtin six weeks of receipt at Liverpool.

  Internet
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to provide information via Internet; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  My Department already uses Internet to make information widely available. In particular, press releases are made available electronically through the.Central Office of Information to be accessible to users of Internet via data-star dialog (Europe) or Mead/Lexis/
  914
  to pay. This matter falls to me, as Chief Executive of the Defence Accounts Agency, for reply.
  2. Departments are required to provide details of their annual payment performance in their Departmental Reports. For financial year 1993/94, Ministry of Defence paid 99.9 percent of its bills In accordance with agreed contractual conditions or, where no such contractual conditions existed, within 30 days of the presentation of a valid invoice.
  3. The MOD bill payment office at Liverpool also measure their performance against the higher departmental standard of payment within 11 working days of receipt of a valid invoice. They are currently achieving 97 percent.
  4. As the vast majority of bills are paid within the 11 day target the average and median over the last 12 months would not be meaningful, but I have listed below, for each of the last 12 months for which figures are available, information which I hope you find useful.

  Nexis. My Department was involved, with the US Department of Defense, in the early development of Internet and has used Internet facilities for research purposes for many years. Security considerations prevent its widespread use within my Department but we are currently considering extending our use of Internet, to include the provision of a facility for making some Defence information, currently published in open literature, available electronically in a similar format to.that adopted by the Central Computers and.Telecommunications Agency and HM Treasury.

  ROYAL PREROGATIVE: POWERS
  ROYAL PREROGATIVE: POWERS
  HOUSING BENEFIT
  HOUSING BENEFIT
  ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE: COMPENSATION RECOVERY
  ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE: COMPENSATION RECOVERY
  PUBLIC LIBRARY SPENDING
  PUBLIC LIBRARY SPENDING
  PUBLIC GENERAL ACTS
  PUBLIC GENERAL ACTS
  PRIVITY OF CONTRACT: LAW REFORM
  PRIVITY OF CONTRACT: LAW REFORM
  A.127 ROAD IMPROVEMENTS
  A.127 ROAD IMPROVEMENTS
  EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION
  EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION
  LOCAL AUTHORITIES: COST EFFECTIVE SUPPORT SERVICES
  LOCAL AUTHORITIES: COST EFFECTIVE SUPPORT SERVICES
  LOCAL AUTHORITIES: SUPPORT SERVICE COST REGULATIONS
  LOCAL AUTHORITIES: SUPPORT SERVICE COST REGULATIONS
  RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT CONSULTATION DOCUMENT: RESPONSE
  RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT CONSULTATION DOCUMENT: RESPONSE
  COUNCIL TAXES
  COUNCIL TAXES
  ELECTION CANDIDATES: BALLOT PAPER DESCRIPTION
  ELECTION CANDIDATES: BALLOT PAPER DESCRIPTION
  POLICE GRANTS: PROPOSALS
  POLICE GRANTS: PROPOSALS
  NON-DOMESTIC RATES: DISTRIBUTABLE AMOUNT
  NON-DOMESTIC RATES: DISTRIBUTABLE AMOUNT