Written Answers of 11 January 1994

ENVIRONMENT

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the name and job description of each special ministerial adviser employed in his Department, showing any particular outputs for which each adviser is responsible.

  Mr. Gummer
  Mr. Keith Adams is my personal special adviser and Mr. James Gray is special adviser to the Ministers of State in my Department. Mr. Tom Burke provides expert advice to Ministers and senior officials on environmental affairs and Professor Peter Hall similarly provides expert advice on planning affairs.

  Net current expenditure on public transport1

  £ thousand

  1989–90 outturn

  1990–91 outturn

  1991–92 outturn

  1992–93 revised estimate

  1993–94 budget

  Shire counties

  87,943

  100,769

  109,215

  105,394

  104,842

  Passenger transport authorities

  313,321

  350,296

  381,501

  405,125

  408,893

  1 Includes expenditure on public transport support, concessionary fares for elderly, blind, disabled and children (excluding school travel), public airport companies. Excludes expenditure and income incurred by the PTA levy.

  Water
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) pursuant to his answer of 6 December 1993,Official Report, column 13, what consultations he has had with the water regulator and the National Rivers Authority on the use of targets for each water company in respect of the reduction of leakage from water company pipes;

  (2) if he will consider giving power to the water companies through the regulator to fit water conservation devices in homes.

  Mr. Atkins
  We are considering these matters following consultation, including with the Director General of Water Services and the National Rivers Authority, on our paper, "Using Water Wisely".

  Local Authority Legislation
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many Acts resulting from Bills introduced by his Department have altered the powers of local authorities in each year since 1990;

  (2) how many Acts of Parliament have resulted from Government Bills that affect the powers of local authorities for each year since 1990.

  Mr. Baldry
  Since
  anuary 1990 those Acts of Parliament which have resulted from Government Bills and which affect local authorities in England include:

  Smoke Control Areas
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will issue regulations to control the sale of unauthorised fuels in smoke control areas and prohibit the sale of high-sulphur solid fuel.

  Mr. Atkins
  Since the proposals were presented, levels of smoke and sulphur dioxide in the United Kingdom have continued to decline. Last year, annual average concentrations were 5 per cent. lower than in 1991–92 and only one site exceeded the European Community directive limit value. The need for these regulations is therefore being reconsidered.

  Transport Expenditure
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the annual expenditure on transport by county councils and passenger transport authorities since 1989.

  Mr. Baldry
  The information is as follows:

  Environmental Protection Act 1990

  Food Safety Act 1990

  National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990

  Caravans (Standard Community Charge and Rating) Act 1991

  Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991

  Community Charges (Substitute Setting) Act 1991

  Local Government Finance and Valuation Act 1991

  Planning and Compensation Act 1991

  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991

  New Roads and Street Works Act 1991

  Road Traffic Act 1991

  Further and Higher Education Act 1992

  Local Government Act 1992

  Local Government Finance Act 1992

  Severn Bridges Act 1992

  Boundary Commissions Act 1992

  Education (Schools) Act 1992

  Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act 1992

  Education Act 1993

  Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993

  This list does not include consolidation Acts.

  Water Quality
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement outlining the steps which have been taken to repeal the water quality directives following the European Council meeting; and what obligations will remain relevant to the United Kingdom in respect of water quality.

  Mr. Atkins
  We welcome the European Council's decision to make water legislation consistent with subsidiarity and up-to-date science. It is now important that the Commission and the Council should, in giving effect to this decision, ensure that the details of new and revised
  3
  directives really are consistent with subsidiarity and are confined to essential quality and health parameters. Existing directives will remain in place until the Commission has brought forward proposals, and substitute directives have been agreed by the Council after consultation with the European Parliament.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people are homeless in the parliamentary constituency of Cheltenham.

  Sir George Young
  Information is reported quarterly by local authorities in England on the number of households for whom they accept responsibility, to secure permanent accommodation, under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985.

  This is not available for the Cheltenham parliamentary constituency but Cheltenham district council reported that they had accepted 39 households as homeless in the quarter ending 30 September 1993.

  Anderton Boat Lift
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assistance he will give to the Trent and Mersey Canal Society Ltd. towards the restoration and reopening of the Anderton boat lift; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  The lift is the responsibility of British Waterways which receives substantial grant-in-aid from this Department. It is for BW to determine what funds it can commit to a restoration scheme in line with its statutory responsibilities. I welcome the initiative between British Waterways, local authorities and the private and voluntary sectors to explore the potential for a joint funding and management scheme. This would enable costs to be apportioned according to benefits, particularly those accruing to local interests.

  Derelict land grant may be able to assist in enhancing surrounding land, depending on the competing claims on limited resources, and what funding can be secured from other sources.

  Bathing Beaches
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library the full details of the test results collected by the National Rivers Authority on bathing beaches in England, Wales and Scotland in the 1993 bathing season.

  Mr. Atkins
  The customary detailed summary of results for all United Kingdom bathing waters will be placed in the Library early in the year. Full results are available from the monitoring authorities.

  Regional Development Fund
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide for full additionality for European regional development fund schemes by extending the automatic cover available for European regional development fund receipts to include the matching local authority contribution; and if he will make it his policy to maintain the levels in other areas of local authority capital spending.
  4
  Mr. Baldry
  The Government already provide for the full additionality of European regional development fund —ERDF—receipts.

  Matching funds can come from a variety of sources including:

  —Local Authorities

  —City Challenge

  —Derelict Land Grant

  —DTI Funds for Regional Assistance

  —British Rail, water companies

  —voluntary bodies and Charities

  —Economic Regeneration Bodies

  —TECs

  —private sector.

  From 1 April 1994, an important source of matching funding for ERDF projects will be the single regeneration budget, which will merge 20 separate domestic public expenditure programmes.

  Local authorities are required to provide matching funding from within their existing resources, as are all ERDF beneficiaries. It is important that local authorities continue not to be treated differently from other beneficiaries in this respect. They must determine their own priorities in deciding whether or not to allocate resources to ERDF programmes. They must consider all the options available to them, with or without ERDF funds, and must decide which will offer the best value for money, whilst meeting local priorities. But they do have a further active contribution to make to the effective delivery of ERDF programmes to their areas, through their membership of partnership committees.

  To increase local authority financial resources in the manner requested would act as a disincentive to resources being spent judiciously and would be contrary to the Government's policy of firm control over all United Kingdom public expenditure.

  Research and Development
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the spending on research and development in each of the last five years given in 1992–93 prices in his Department.

  Mr. Gummer
  Expenditure by my Department on research in the last five years based on 1992–93 prices in £ million is as follows:

  £ million

  1988–89

  72·1

  1989–90

  77·1

  1990–91

  88·3

  1991–92

  103·5

  1992–93

  104·9

  Squatters
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are his Department's responsibilities in the matter of problems arising from squatters; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir George Young
  Policy on squatting is primarily the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary. This Department does, however, have an interest in the problems arising from squatting in both residential and commercial property, in particular the implications for housing stock management and the effects on private property owners.
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  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to designate squatters as being statutory homeless.

  Sir George Young
  Under the present homelessness legislation—part HI of the Housing Act 1985—squatters could be accepted as statutorily homeless if, on application to the appropriate local authority, the authority was satisfied that they were homeless, had become homeless unintentionally, and had a priority need for accommodation, as specified in the Act.

  As I said in an earlier reply to the hon. Member for Greenwich (Mr. Raynsford)—Official Report, 21 October 1993, column 281—the Government propose to reform the homelessness legislation. We intend that the new legislation should continue to provide that suitable accommodation is available for vulnerable people who are genuinely homeless through no fault of their own. We will announce our proposals shortly.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has held with local authorities during the last 12 months about the occupation of council housing stock by squatters; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir George Young
  My Department discusses housing management issues regularly with the local authority associations. These have not focussed specifically on squatting, but the associations responded to my right hon. and learned Friend's consultation paper on the proposals in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill.

  Defective Houses
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take further measures to aid financially persons who knowingly purchased defective houses under the right-to-buy scheme and who now find they cannot sell them on.

  Sir George Young
  No. The housing defects legislation —part XVI of the Housing Act 1985—compensates people who purchased designated defective house types from public sector landlords before it was known that they contained serious inherent structural defects, and who paid a price which did not reflect the existence of the defects. People who knowingly purchase defective houses do so at their own risk, and the purchase price should take account of the defects.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes, classified as defective under the Housing Act 1985, have been sold under the right-to-buy scheme.

  Sir George Young
  Local authority returns do not identify how many dwellings designated defective under part XVI of the Housing Act 1985 have been sold under the right-to-buy scheme. However, local authorities report that some 31,000 designated dwellings were sold by public sector bodies to people qualifying for assistance under the housing defects scheme.

  Home Energy Efficiency Scheme
  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what target he has set for take-up by pensioners of the home energy efficiency scheme over the first year of its extension to all pensioner households.
  6
  Mr. Atkins
  The target for the home energy efficiency scheme in 1994–95 is to treat 440,000 homes. My Department does not set a separate target for pensioner households.

  Water Charges
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the level of water charges in the north-west.

  Mr. Atkins
  The regulation of water charges is a matter for the Director General of Water Services. But my right hon. Friend has received representations from a number of hon. Members and members of the public about North West Water's charges.

  North West Water's average household bill in 1993–94 for unmeasured water and sewerage services is £169. The equivalent average for England and Wales is £185.

  Radioactive Waste
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what criteria he intends to use to judge whether or not the option of high for low-level waste substitution of radioactive reprocessing wastes wall produce an environmental detriment to the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee has been asked to identify the environmental implications resulting from substitution and to advise in what circumstances these may be significant.

  Carbon Dioxide Emissions
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the annual increase in global carbon dioxide emissions which will result from the additional production resulting from the latest round in the general agreement on tariffs and trade.

  Mr. Atkins
  The intergovernmental panel on climate change will be evaluating projections of world greenhouse gas emissions, including the impact of the GATT, for its second assessment report to be published in 1995. The implications are not solely for increased emissions. Increased trade and prosperity offer the opportunity for investment in more efficient production and use of energy generally in both developed and developing countries. The obligations for developed countries under the Framework Convention on Climate Change to take measures aimed at returning greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2000, and for all parties to the convention to review the adequacy of provisions by the end of the decade, remain.

  Departmental Representations
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 15 December regarding representations to his Department, in what format records relating to such representations are kept.

  Mr. Baldry
  Since 1991 we have received a large number of representations of various types about the review of local government structure. Those received in response to departmental consultation exercises are retained separately, as are those about individual reviews in progress. Correspondence dealing with particular local
  7
  government functions is also kept together. Formal representations to the Secretary of State on the Local Government Commission's final reports are of course recorded with particular care. Other representations are generally retained according to their origin.

  Nuclear Fuel Storage
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to the matters raised in and recommendations of the report of July, presented by the European Parliament's Environment Committee on the environmental and public health aspects of the storage, transport and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel (A3–0220/93) a copy of which was sent to Her Majesty's Government by the President of the Parliament.

  Mr. Atkins
  The conclusions of the report have been noted.

  Council Tax
  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his best estimate of the percentage take-up of the single person's discount for the council tax by all pensioner households which would be eligible.

  Mr. Baldry
  I have no information about the take-up rate for discounts.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals against council tax valuations from York residents(a) have been heard since April and (b) are currently outstanding.

  Mr. Baldry
  As at 31 December 1993, of the 1,425 proposals to alter the valuation list received in the area of York district council, two had been heard by the valuation tribunal as appeals and 958 were outstanding. A total of 465 had therefore been settled by discussion between the listing officer and the taxpayer, and we expect most proposals to be resolved in this way.

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to publicise the extension to all pensioners of the home energy efficiency scheme.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Energy Action Grants —AgencyEAGA—is responsible for administering the home energy efficiency scheme. EAGA supply HEES leaflets free of charge to local authorities, Housing benefit offices, housing associations, citizens advice bureaux, the Benefits Agency, job centres, Age Concern and other organisations which have contact with the HEES client group. EAGA also encourages installers to promote HEES locally by means of advertising, press publicity and distribution of its own leaflets.

  Negative Equity
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the number of households with negative equity in each region in each year since 1987.

  Sir George Young
  Estimates of the number of households with negative equity are not available for all regions and all years since 1987. Estimates made for the third quarter of 1993, are as follows:8

  Number

  Greater London

  140,000

  South East excluding London

  340,000

  South West and East Anglia

  160,000

  East Midlands and West Midlands

  100,000

  Yorkshire and Humberside, North West, North

  60,000

  England

  800,000

  Changes in the value of houses between the quarter in which they were purchased and the third quarter of 1993 are estimated from the DoE mix-adjusted index of prices of second hand dwellings. Mortgage debt is as at the time of purchase, as there is no direct information about subsequent changes. Ratios of mortgage advances to price, and the distribution of purchases between regions as derived from the building societies mortgage survey are assumed to have applied to house purchase loans by other lenders as well, in the absence of specific information about them.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment in respect of how many boards, authorities, committees and other public bodies he is responsible, in whole or in part, for appointments; what is the total number of such appointments; and what is the total public spending by such boards, authorities, committees and other public bodies.

  Mr. Gummer
  Information about the nationalised industries and non-departmental public bodies for which I am responsible is contained in "Public Bodies 1993". A copy is available in the House of Commons Library and shows the number of bodies, their gross expenditure and the number of appointments to each body.

  "Public Bodies" includes the Commons Commissioners and valuation tribunals, for which I am responsible but to which appointments are made by the Lord Chancellor and local authorities respectively.

  I also appoint one-third of the members of the seven national park authorities in England and nine of the 35 members of the Broads Authority. Departmental support for these bodies in 1992–93 was £16·4 million.

  No central record is maintained of departmental committees and boards not listed in "Public Bodies".

  Coventry Cyrenians and Norton House
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will consider the provision of emergency help to Coventry Cyrenians and Norton House in Coventry;

  (2) what long-term plans he has to provide increases in grants to Coventry Cyrenians and Norton House;

  (3) what representations he has received from Coventry Cyrenians and Norton House about the effect of recent cuts in grants.

  Sir George Young
  My Department has received no request for emergency help from the Coventry day centre —Norton House—or from Coventry Cyrenians; nor has either organisation made formal representations about the level of grant it is receiving in 1993–94 under section 73 of the Housing Act 1985 as revenue funding for homelessness
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  projects. Coventry day centre has sought to vary the terms of its current grant agreement, and we will consider that request when we have received further information.

  I will be considering shortly, on their merits, the applications which both organisations have made for grant under section 73 in 1994–95. Any future applications will be treated similarly.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Name of body

  Postholder

  Position

  Annual salary (£)

  First appointed to board

  Present appointment

  From

  To

  Commission for the New Towns

  Lord Finsberg

  Deputy Chairman

  9,790

  1 September 1992

  1 September 1992

  31 August 1996

  Lord Bellwin

  Member

  5,310

  1 April 1985

  1 April 1993

  31 March 1995

  Countryside Commission

  Lord Denham

  Member

  5,050

  1 August 1993

  1 August 1993

  30 June 1996

  English Nature

  Earl of Cranbrook

  Chairman

  35,150

  5 November 1990

  5 November 1990

  31 March 1994

  Earl Peel

  Member

  6,310

  5 November 1990

  1 April 1993

  31 March 1996

  Housing Action Trust North Hull

  Lord Bellwin

  Chairman

  25,315

  20 July 1993

  20 July 1993

  19 July 1995

  Joint Nature Conservation Committee

  Lord Selborne

  Chairman

  23,435

  4 September 1991

  4 September 1991

  31 March 94

  National Rivers Authority

  Lord Crickhowell

  Chairman

  52,945

  10 July 1989

  10 July 1989

  30 June 1994

  Lord Gregson

  Member

  8,090

  1 July 1991

  1 November 1992

  31 October 1995

  Rural Development Commission

  Lord Shuttleworth

  Chairman

  31,360

  1 May 1990

  1 May 1990

  30 April 1994

  Urban Development Corporation Leeds

  Baroness Lockwood

  Member

  5,030

  30 June 1988

  30 June 1991

  29 June 1994

  Urban Development Corporation London Docklands

  Lord Cocks

  Deputy Chairman

  23,175

  1 November 1988

  2 March 1992

  1 March 1995

  Urban Development Corporation

  Lord Dormand

  Deputy Chairman

  8,590

  22 June 1987

  22 June 1993

  21 June 1995

  Teesside

  Baroness Eccles

  Member

  5,030

  22 June 1987

  22 June 1993

  21 June 1995

  Urban Regeneration Agency

  Lord Walker

  Chairman

  1—

  10 November 1993

  10 November 1993

  9 November 1996

  1 Salary declined.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, ex-cluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Baldry
  Such information is not available centrally.

  Nuclear Issues
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many meetings he or Ministers or officials of his Department had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs or Ministers or officials of his Department in regard to nuclear proliferation or nuclear security issues since 16 November 1992;

  (2) how many meetings he held with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food between 21 May and 28 June on the reports submitted by the pollution and agriculture inspectorate on THORP—the thermal oxide reprocessing plant.
  10
  Mr. Baldry
  Such information is not available centrally.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Baldry
  The following members of the House of Lords currently serving on the boards of executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department. Information on previous appointments is not available centrally.

  Mr. Atkins
  Ministerial colleagues and officials have had a number of meetings with Ministers and officials from other Government Departments on issues relating to the revised draft authorisations for the disposal of radioactive waste from the Sellafield site.

  Community Charge
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the number of people with outstanding community charge liability; and what is the average sum involved.

  Mr. Baldry
  The information requested is not available.

  THORP
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many copies of his decision on the application by British Nuclear Fuels for authorisations to discharge radioactive wastes from the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield as issued on 15 December were published; at what cost; and to which organisation and individuals they were circulated.
  11
  Mr. Atkins
  Copies of the decision document were placed in the House Libraries and the Vote Office and sent to all those who were consulted, at no charge.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account he took of the concerns raised by the group of United States Congress members, Japanese Diet members and hon. and right hon. Members, over the proliferation risk of THORP, before deciding on support for THORP at Sellafield.

  Mr. Atkins
  My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food took into account all responses to the consultation before reaching their decisions.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the total cost of consultation with other departments of Her Majesty's Government seeking interdepartmental advice on THORP as part of the review of the submissions to the THORP consultation process referred to at paragraph 19 of his decision document on THORP of 15 December.

  Mr. Atkins
  These costs have not been separately identified.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the application of article 14 of the 1978 tripartite UK-Euratom-IAEA Safeguards Agreement to the safeguards for the thermal oxide reprocessing plant set out in paragraphs 142–43 of the decision document on THORP.

  Mr. Eggar
  I have been asked to reply.

  Article 14 of the 1978 tripartite UK-Euratom-IAEA safeguards agreement describes provisions for the exclusion of nuclear material from safeguards by the United Kingdom on the grounds of national security and applies to safeguarded material at all United Kingdom facilities subject to the agreement. The thermal oxide reprocessing plant—THORP—at Sellafield will be used for the reprocessing of civil nuclear material only.

  Wildlife and Countryside (Management Agreements)
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many management agreements have been entered into under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in England where payments have been in each band of £10,000 up to £60,000 or £60,000 and over; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  Fifteen management agreements involving payments of between £10,000 and £60,000 and one involving payments of over £60,000 were made in England by English Nature in the financial year 1992–93. Figures for the years 1986–87 to 1991–92 have been given to the House by English Nature and its predecessor the Nature Conservancy Council in annual reports to Parliament which are available in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much has been spent on management agreements in England under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for sites of special scientific interest in each year since the Act came into force; if for each year he will give the number of agreements, the hectarages involved, and what the threats of damage were; and if he will make a statement.
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  Mr. Atkins
  Details of annual expenditure on management agreements in England and the hectarage involved are given by English Nature and its predecessor the Nature Conservancy Council in annual reports to Parliament which are available in the Library of the House. Details of the threats in each individual case could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

  Nuclear Reprocessing (Discharges)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has received from the National Radioactive Protection Board regarding the comparative exposure levels to carbon 14 arising from the operation of nuclear reprocessing in the United Kingdom against the levels of discharges abroad.

  Mr. Atkins
  Copies of the National Radiological Protection Board's letter of 25 November about Sellafield collective dose assessments are in the House Library.

  Hedgerows and Ponds
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the remit, the name of the organisation conducting the work, the publication date and the cost of the survey he has commissioned into hedgerows and ponds in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The current hedgerow survey aims to assess the type and amount of changes to hedgerows and ponds which occurred between 1984, 1990 and 1993 in England and Wales. The work is being undertaken by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology and will be completed by 31 March 1994. The results will be published as soon as possible thereafter. The Department's maximum total liability for the work is £87,988.

  Caravan Sites Act 1968
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress of his review of the Caravan Sites Act 1968.

  Mr. Baldry
  I announced our legislative proposals on 31 March 1993 at column 291. The Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill, introduced on 17 December, includes provisions to implement those proposals.

  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will designate Wychavon district council under the Caravan Sites Act 1968; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  Wychavon district council and Hereford and Worcester county council have submitted to my Department a joint application for the designation of Wychavon under section 12 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968. The application is now being considered, and I will write to my hon. Friend when I have made a decision.

  Hydrochlorofluorocarbons
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to write the letter to the hon. Member for Tooting mentioned in his answer of 5 November,Official Report, column 487, on HCFCs.

  Mr. Atkins
  My hon. Friend the then Minister for the Environment and Countryside wrote to the hon. Member for Tooting on 29 November 1993.

  Asylum and Immigration (Housing)
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the code of guidance for local authorities on the implementation of the housing provisions of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993.

  Sir George Young
  Following wide consultation on a draft version, I hope to issue to local authorities in the next few weeks guidance on the housing provisions of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993. The guidance will take the form of a supplement to the current, 3rd, 1991, edition of the homelessness code of guidance for local authorities.

  Rents
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish figures broken down by rent registration area showing the number of private sector cases referred to rent officers, and the number of cases where rents were reduced as a result, for 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93 and the latest available date for the current year.

  Sir George Young
  Information from January 1990, on housing benefit referrals to rent officers classified by registration area, can be found in table 1.3 of the publication "Rent Officer Statistics". The latest figures available are for the June quarter of 1993. No comparable data is available for the period April to December 1989.

  Copies of this quarterly publication are in the Library.

  SSSIs
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many sites of special scientific interest in England have been de-notified in each year since 1982; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) how many sites of scientific interest in England have been damaged or destroyed in each year since 1982; whether each of these sites (a) was lost completely, (b) was partially lost, (c) suffered long-term damage or (d) suffered short-term damage; whether the damage or destruction in each case was due to (i) agriculture, (ii) forestry, (iii) poor management, (iv) pollution, (v) third-party activities, (vi) developments controlled through the planning system, (vii) road building or (viii) other activities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The information requested is contained in the annual reports of English Nature and of the former Nature Conservancy Council, copies of which are in the Library.

  Grandstands
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps have been taken to ensure the checking by qualified engineers of temporary grandstand structures; and whether existing technical guidance on the design of such structures is being taken fully into account.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Government recognise the importance of checking temporary grandstand structures by qualified engineers. The Building Regulations Advisory Committee has considered this recently, and as a result my officials are discussing with the Institution of Structural Engineers and other bodies in what ways the existing technical guidance needs to be strengthened.

  National Parks
  Martlew
  172. Mr. To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the occasions when his powers of compulsory purchase of land under section 17 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 have been used in England in each year since 1981; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Secretary of State has confirmed one compulsory purchase order over land within Somerset. However, following further discussions with the landowner the compulsory purchase order was not implemented.

  Crossrail (Compensation)
  Mr. Butterfill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the issues examined earlier in respect of the statutory compensation code referred to by the Minister for Transport in London in the Second Reading debate on the Crossrail Bill on 8 June 1993,Official Report, column 219; and if he will make a statement concerning the details of the extent and character of the facts and evidence that were taken into account in deciding that the provisions strike a fair balance between the interests of landowners and the community as a whole.

  Mr. Baldry
  The main compensation concerns raised in relation to the Crossrail project have been, firstly, that owners of high value commercial property which may need to be compulsorily acquired should have the protection of the statutory blight code and, secondly, that London Regional Transport should be statutorily required to acquire property which stands to be seriously affected by construction work.

  The provisions of the compensation code reflect a judgment as to what constitutes a sensible balance between, on the one hand, the interests of those whose land is required for or affected by public development and, on the other, the prudent use of public funds. We have carefully examined the representations made to my Department by the Crossrail compensation campaign. But the present Government, like their predecessors, are not persuaded of the case for bringing high value commercial property within the scope of the statutory blight code or for placing bodies responsible for public development under an obligation to acquire property for which they have no use. Commercial interests in London will ultimately derive substantial benefits from major infrastructure projects such as Crossrail

  "London: Making the Best Better"
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many replies have been received to the document "London: Making the Best Better"; and how many were from addresses(a) in inner London, (b) outer London and (c) outside London.

  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 10 December 1993]: Nearly 9,000 completed questionnaires have been received so far. Information about the location of respondents is still being analysed.

  Press Releases
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many press releases his Department has issued in each year since 1979.
  15
  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: The number of press notices which have been issued by my Department are as follows:

  Number

  1979

  601

  1980

  552

  1981

  510

  1982

  520

  1983

  606

  1984

  592

  1985

  642

  1986

  703

  1987

  552

  1988

  737

  1989

  736

  1990

  739

  1991

  819

  1992

  865

  1993

  1866

  1 To date.

  Local Government Legislation
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many powers were conferred upon the holder of his post by(a) the Local Government Act 1988, (b) the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1990, (c) the Local Government Finance and Valuation Act 1991, (d) the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and (e) the Land and Urban Development Act 1992.

  Mr. Curry
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: The information requested can be provided only at dispropor-tionate cost.

  Regional Regeneration Budget
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will tabulate each of the existing Government programmes for Greater London which he is expecting to incorporate in the planned unified regional regeneration budget, together with the sums he intends to allocate to each programme together with the total.

  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: From 1 April 1994, the single regeneration budget will bring together 20 existing Government programmes to provide flexible support for local initiatives to promote regeneration and economic development in England. The Government programmes transferring to the budget are:
  From the Department of the Environment:

  Estate Action

  Housing Action Trusts

  City Challenge/Urban Programme

  Urban Regeneration Agency

  Urban Development Corporations

  Inner City Task Forces

  City Action Teams

  From the Employment Department

  Programme Development Fund

  Education Business Partnerships

  Teacher Placement Service

  Compacts/Inner City Compacts

  Business Start-Up Scheme

  Local Initiative Fund

  TEC Challenge

  From the Home Office

  Safer Cities

  Section II Grants (part)

  Ethnic Minority Grant

  Ethnic Minority Business Grant

  16
  From the Department of Trade and Industry
  Regional Enterprise Grants (plus English Estates, to be subsumed into English Partnerships)
  From the Department for Education
  Grants for Education Support and Training (part)
  Resources totalling over £1·4 billion are being made available under the single regeneration budget in 1994–95: a regional breakdown is not currently available. However a regional breakdown of resources for 1993–94 under my Department's targeted programmes was provided in my reply to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 10 December at columns 384–86.

  Departmental Offices
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the regional and area offices of his Department, of the Property Services Agency—and its successors—the pollution inspectorate, the National Rivers Authority, the Countryside Commission, the Housing Corporation, the Audit Commission, the Rural Development Commission, the Nature Conservancy Council, and of other inspectorates, agencies and other public bodies for which he is responsible.

  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: The regional and area offices of the Department of the Environment and of the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which I have responsibility are as listed.
  1. Regional Offices of the Department of the Environment
  Northern (Newcastle Upon Tyne), Yorkshire and Humberside (Leeds), North West (Manchester), West Midlands (Birmingham), East Midlands (Nottingham), Eastern (Bedford), South West (Bristol), South East (London), Merseyside Task Force (Liverpool), London.
  2. Property Services Agency
  Following the sale in 1993 of PSA's Building Management businesses, PSA Services now has headquarters in Central London, Croydon and Hastings, together with smaller outstationed offices in Croydon, Bristol, Cambridge, Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh.
  3. HMIP
  Anglian (Bedford, Lincoln) Midlands (Sutton Coldfield) North East (Leeds, Sheffield, Thornaby) North West (Lancaster, Runcorn) Southern (Fleet, East Grinstead) South West (Bristol) Wales (Cardiff).
  4. Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) and other organisations sponsored by the Secretary of State for the Environment, as at December 1993.
  Executive Agencies
  Building Research Establishment: Garston, Borehamwood, Cardington, East Kilbride.

  The Planning Inspectorate: Bristol, Cardiff.

  Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre: London.

  The Buying Agency: Liverpool.

  Security Facilities Executive: London, Burtonwood, Cardiff.

  Ordnance Survey: Southampton, and 120 field offices throughout Great Britain.

  Executive NDPBs

  Audit Commission: London, Bristol, Chorley, Exeter, Gateshead, Leeds, Redhill, Solihull, Stevenage, Winchester, Cardiff (and other local offices in England and Wales)

  British Board of Agrément: Garston

  Commission for the New Towns: London, Basildon, Milton Keynes, Telford, Warrington

  Countryside Commission: Cheltenham, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne

  English Nature: Peterborough, Ashford, Newbury, Newcastle upon Tyne, Shrewsbury, Taunton, Windermere

  English Partnerships: London

  Housing Action Trusts: Birmingham (Castle Vale), Hull, Liverpool, London (Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest)

  Housing Corporation: London, Croydon, Exeter, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Wolverhampton

  Joint Nature Conservation Committee: Peterborough

  Letchworth Garden City Corporation: Letchworth

  17

  Local Government Commission: London

  London Pensions Fund Authority: London

  London Residuary Body: London

  National Rivers Authority: Bristol, Birmingham, Bridgewater, Exeter, Leeds, London, Newcastle upon Tyne, Peterborough, Reading, Solihull, Warrington, Worthing, Cardiff, plus 89 district offices, 121 depots and 27 fish farms and laboratories

  Rural Development Commission: Salisbury, London, Bedford, Belper, Bingham, Bury St Edmonds, Darlington, Dorchester, Exeter, Goole, Lewes, Maidstone, Malvern, Moreton-in-Marsh, Morpeth, Nantwich, Newport (Isle of Wight), Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Penrith, Preston, Skelton, Sleaford, Stoneleigh Park, Taunton, Telford, Truro, Winchester

  United Kingdom Ecolabelling Board: London

  Urban Development Corporations: Birmingham (Black Country and Heartlands), Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London (Docklands), Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth, Sheffield, Stockton-On-Tees

  Advisory NDPBs

  Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council: Birmingham

  Local Government Staff Commission: London

  Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution: London

  Tribunals

  Commons Commission: London

  Rent Assessment Panels: Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Ipswich, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Plymouth, Southampton, Watford, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow

  Valuation Tribunals: Aylesbury, Birmingham, Bolton, Botley, Bridlington, Cheltenham, Chester, Chesterfield, Chichester, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Croydon, Darlington, Doncaster, Dudley, Eastbourne, Harrow, Hertford, Homcastle, Hounslow, Ilford, Ipswich, Leamington Spa, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Maidstone, Middlesbrough, North Shields, Norwich, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Preston, Southampton, Stafford, Whitehaven, Winchester, Witham, Woking, Wokingham, Worcester, Yeovil. (There are also Tribunal offices in Cardiff, Carmarthen, Colwyn Bay and Newport.)

  Other Bodies
  British Waterways Board (Nationalised Industry): Watford, Bilston, Bradford, Bromsgrove, Burton-on-Trent, Castleford, Devizes, Ellesmere, Enfield, Gloucester, Hemel Hempstead, Lancaster, Leeds, London (Paddington), Loughborough, Manchester, Northwich, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Rugby, Stafford, Tamworth, Tring, Warwick, Wigan, York, Abergavenny, Argyll, Falkirk, Glasgow, Inverness.
  Commission for Local Administration: London, Coventry, York. Office of Water Services (OFWAT): Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Exeter, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Cardiff.

  Notes:

  1. For Agencies and NDPBs, where only one office is listed this is the headquarters; every Housing Action Trust and Urban Development Corporation has one office. For organisations with more than one office, headquarters offices are shown in italics.

  2. Where an organisation operates in a very large number of locations, the main ones have been listed and numbers given for the rest.

  3. Offices in Wales and Scotland are shown for organisations operating throughout Great Britain.

  4. Other advisory NDPBs operate from the Department's offices in London.

  Communication Masts
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make the erection of communication masts subject to the normal local authority planning procedures; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: I have no plans to change the selective planning controls over the erection of telecommunication masts which were introduced in January 1993.

  The erection of masts up to 15 m in height has a general planning permission, under the Town and Country
  18
  Planning General Development Order 1988. But if a local planning authority considers that a proposed mast would threaten amenity, it may determine that prior approval is required for its siting and appearance. The mast may not then be erected without that approval. A planning application is required for masts above 15 m, and in protected areas such as conservation areas and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

  I am satisfied that these powers strike a reasonable balance between the need to protect amenity and the needs of the telecommunications industry.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Children's Homes
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to exempt residential establishments which care for children with multiple handicaps who require a very warm atmosphere and which are labour intensive(a) from VAT on fuel and (b) from bearing the cost of statutory sick pay.

  Sir John Cope
  VAT is designed as a broad-based tax on general consumer expenditure. In line with this principle the changes in the taxation of fuel and power will apply across the board to all consumers. Special treatment or particular sectors would produce inconsistencies. The revenue and environmental objectives of the changes would be put at risk. It is far better to provide extra financial help to those who need it via the benefit system, and this is what the Government have done.

  Subject to parliamentary approval, the Statutory Sick Pay Bill 1993 will end the reimbursement of 80 per cent. of employers' SSP costs from April 1994. At the same time, employers' national insurance contributions will be reduced to ensure that employers as a whole are more than compensated for their additional SSP costs. Small employers will receive further help in the form of full reimbursement of any SSP paid after four weeks' sick absence.

  Grace and Favour Accommodation
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what basis and how frequently(a) grace and favour accommodation and (b) accommodation for members of the royal family no longer on the civil list at the occupied royal palaces is assessed for taxable value ; when the last assessment was; what is the gross value of these assessments; and on how many of each category tax is actually paid.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The same income tax rules apply to grace and favour accommodation as to other living accommodation. Accommodation which is taxable is assessed each year along with other income. The information requested by the hon. Member about the number and value of assessments on grace and favour accommodation is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

  As regards the tax affairs of certain members of the royal family, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 December 1993 at column 844.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Nelson
  Since 1979 the following members of the House of Lords have held appointments on quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations for which I have responsibility:

  (a) Securities and Investments Board (SIB):

  Lord Runciman: non-executive director; duration of appointment four years from 1986; salary £8,000 pa in 1986 to £ 10,500 in 1989. Deputy chairman; duration of appointment four years from 1990; salary £32,500 pa.

  Lord Stewartby: non-executive director; duration of appointment two years from 1993; salary £13,500 pa. Lord Alexander of Weedon: Deputy chairman; duration of appointment three years from 1994; salary £32,500 pa.

  (b) Financial Services Tribunal (FST):

  Lord Grantchester: chairman; duration of appointment three years from 1988 to 1991; paid a daily fee for work done.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Nelson
  Since 1979 no former British representative members in the European Parliament have held appointments on quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations for which I have responsibility.

  Exchange Rate
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what is the reduction in the sterling exchange rate since(a) August 1992 and (b) February 1993 in terms of 1990 weights for United Kingdom imports plus United Kingdom exports of manufacturers; and what are the corresponding figures for the ecu and non-ecu currencies;

  (2) if the country weights used in the Bank of England index covers total United Kingdom imports as well as United Kingdom exports;

  (3) what is the reduction in the rate of exchange between sterling and non-ecu currencies since (a) August 1992 and (b) February 1993; and if he will publish a table showing the rate of exchange for sterling against non-ecu currencies for each year since 1970;

  (4) what was the composition of the Bank of England index for the pound sterling, together with the weights attached to each currency, in 1975 and 1985; and what was the equivalent for 1990 in each case.

  Mr. Nelson
  Figures for the sterling exchange rate on the dates requested and corresponding figures for separate EC and non-EC currencies can be found in the monthly CSO "Financial Statistics" publication and in the monthly OECD "Main Economic Indicators" publication. A single exchange rate index against non-EC currencies is not available. Sterling exchange rates in terms of 1990 weights for United Kingdom imports and exports could be 20
  constructed from data in the CSO "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics", but only at disproportionate cost. A table of rates of exchange of sterling against separate non-EC currencies for each year since 1970 could be reproduced only at disproportionate cost.

  From 2 February 1981 to 2 January 1989 the weights of the Bank of England sterling exchange rate index were based on average trade flows at 1977, with a base year of 1975. From 3 January 1989 to the present day, weights have been based on disaggregated trade flows at 1980 with a base year of 1985. The weighted composition and methodological construction of the sterling exchange rate index at the dates requested are available in the Treasury "Economic Progress Report" for March 1977 and the Bank of England "Quarterly Bulletins" for March 1981 and November 1988.

  Sovereign Immunity
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 16 December,Official Report, column 842, in which OECD states sovereign immunity arrangements in respect of repayment of taxes upon business are more severe than in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The arrangements which most OECD countries adopt in this area are not statutory and comprehensive information about their practice is not available. An exception is the United States of America which, under section 892 of the IRS code, provides a statutory exemption for the investment income of foreign Governments. Although details are not available, I understand that a number of other OECD countries adopt a similar approach in practice.

  Unified Budget
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about the impact of the date of the unified budget on retail sales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I have received a number of letters on this subject. The Government recognise the importance of pre-Christmas consumer expenditure to businesses, especially retailers, and will continue to take this factor into account in deciding the most appropriate dates for future Budgets.

  Fears that retail sales would suffer this year in the run-up to the Budget in November have, however, proved groundless. Retail sales have been on a strong upward trend for over a year, and stand at record levels. In the three months to November—the three months before the Budget —they were 3·6 per cent. up on the equivalent period in 1992.

  Customs and Excise
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the losses in customs and excise duties arising from the operation of the European single market and cross-channel shopping; and how this has changed from previous estimates.

  Sir John Cope
  I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) on 10 December at column 403. The latest estimate of the total revenue loss—£175 million—compares with an estimate of £250 million published in March 1992.
  21
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total net payment to the EC since 1 January 1973.

  Mr. Nelson
  The United Kingdom's total net contribution to the European Communities' budget from 1973 to 1993 is £20 billion.

  Barlow Clowes Group
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will list the names and addresses of the parties he has brought legal proceedings against in connection with the affairs of the collapsed Barlow Clowes Group.

  Mr. Nelson
  In the course of proceedings against third parties to reduce the cost to the taxpayer of its ex gratia payments scheme for Barlow Clowes investors, the Government have issued over 500 writs. The details of these writs could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Customs and Excise, Gatwick
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many passengers arriving at Gatwick in charter or scheduled flights from the Caribbean on 21 December 1993 were strip searched; what sex the passengers were who were strip searched; what illegal substances were discovered; how many passengers objected to or refused to be strip searched; and under what powers passengers are strip searched.

  (2) what illegal substances were found by Customs and Excise officers on passengers from Jamaica who arrived on charter or scheduled flights from the Caribbean arriving at Gatwick on 21 December 1993; if he will give details of the circumstances; and how many passengers were charged with any related offences;

  (3) how many Customs and Excise officers were on duty during the day at Gatwick South Terminal on 7 December 1993: 14 December 1993; 21 December 1993: 28 December 1993 and 4 January 1994.

  Sir John Cope
  On 21 December 1993 a total of three passengers—two males and one female—arriving at Gatwick on flights from the Caribbean were subject to strip search by Customs. No objections were raised and no passenger refused to be strip searched. No illegal substances, were found on the passengers searched. In the search of passengers, Customs act within the provisions of section 164 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979.

  No illegal substances were found by Customs on any passenger arriving from Jamaica who arrived on charter or scheduled flights from the Caribbean arriving at Gatwick on 21 December 1993. Consequently no passengers were charged with any related offences.

  The only staff based specifically at Gatwick south terminal are those who deal with demand-led activities such as duty collection, VAT retail export schemes, custody officers and so on. The numbers of these for the dates in question are as follows:

  Staff

  7 December 1993

  15

  14 December 1993

  15

  21 December 1993

  16

  28 December 1993

  21

  4 January 1994

  14

  22
  For anti-smuggling purposes, including intelligence and investigation, Customs staff are not based at any particular terminal at Gatwick but are required to respond to the perceived risk at any given time. The total number of these staff on duty at Gatwick on the days listed was as follows:

  Anti-Smuggling

  Intell. and Invest.

  7 December 1993

  75

  23

  14 December 1993

  67

  25

  21 December 1993

  55

  22

  28 December 1993

  66

  17

  4 January 1994

  57

  17

  Stamp Duty Reserve Tax
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representations he has received on the issue of the imposition of stamp duty reserve tax on American depositary receipts issued on behalf of United Kingdom companies; and from whom.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: I have received a few representations on this matter.

  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made about the impact of stamp duty reserve tax on rights and scrip issues arising from American depositary receipts issued on behalf of United Kingdom companies on inward investment into the United Kingdom;

  (2) if he will outline the Government's policy on the taxation of rights offers and scrip issues taken up by American shareholders of American depositary receipts issued on behalf of United Kingdom companies.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: Higher rate stamp duty reserve tax applies to all new shares going into depositary receipt form, including rights and scrip issues. This reflects the fact that stamp duty reserve is not charged on transactions in the depositary receipts themselves. These arrangements provide a fair balance between investment in depositary receipt form and investment through direct shareholdings.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the regional distribution of the civil service has changed since the Government's current relocation policy was introduced in March 1988; and what plans he has for monitoring and reporting the relocation of civil servants.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Under the Government's delegated relocation policy it is for departments and agencies to review the location of their work regularly and systematically with the intention of locating where best value for money is offered.

  The annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" records the regional distribution of civil servants by Department. The 1993 edition shows that between 1 April 1988 and 1 April 1993, influenced by relocation and location decisions, the number of non-industrial civil servants in London and the south-east reduced by nearly 7,000 while the numbers outside the south-east increased by over 4,600. Departments and agencies have also moved civil servants between regions outside the south-east.
  23
  The Government intend to continue monitoring the location of civil servants and publishing the results in "Civil Service Statistics", thereby making evident the changing regional distribution of the civil service. This monitoring will continue, but central monitoring of decisions to relocate civil service posts will be ended.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Exhibitions
  Ms Armstrong
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to Voluntary Service Overseas, to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 21 February to Friday 25 February.

  Mr. Milligan
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the "BBC Marshall Plan of the Mind" to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.

  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Administration Committee, arrangements have been made for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 28 February to Friday 4 March.

  Data and Video Network
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee what consideration has been given to allowing access via the parliamentary data and video network to Government computer data bases which are accessible by the public; and if he will list those data bases which have been considered.

  Mr. Waller
  The Central Office of Information press data base is the only Government computer data base accessible by the public which is at present available as part of the parliamentary data and video network pilot experiment. It contains the text of press notices issued by some Government Departments, and is available via the POLIS service.

  The Library of the House already subscribes to various data bases and is considering the possibility of providing the United Kingdom official publications, census and other data bases, available on CD-ROM, over the network. The Information Committe hopes to publish its report on the parliamentary data and video network early in 1994. Any decisions involving increased funding for the PDVN will need to await that report and its consideration by the House.

  Stationery
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what was the total amount of stationery issued to each hon. Member during the year 1992–93 in terms of(a) sheets of paper, (b) franked envelopes and (c) unfranked envelopes.
  24
  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  During the period from 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993 7,279,870 sheets of paper; 4,807,376 post paid envelopes and cards; and 1,080,735 unfranked envelopes were issued to Members.

  Visitors
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee if he will carry out a survey of the number of visitors in the public gallery at 3 pm, 5 pm, 7 pm, 9 pm and 11 pm on Monday 17 January, Tuesday 18 January, Wednesday 19 January, Thursday 20 January and at 11 am on Friday 21 January 1994 or other suitable dates; and if he will publish the results.

  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  The Serjeant at Arms has undertaken to conduct a survey of the kind suggested; and will write to the hon. Member in due course.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the name and job description of each special ministerial adviser employed in his Department showing any particular outputs for which each adviser is responsible.

  Mr. Scott
  My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has one special adviser, Mr. Peter Barnes. His duties vary.

  Family Benefits
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish figures showing(a) the number of United Kingdom families with children and (b) the numbers of United Kingdom children, dependent on family income supplement or family credit in 1979, 1989 and 1992.

  Mr. Burt
  The information provided is for Great Britain only:

  1979 (000's)

  1989 (000's)

  1992 (000's)

  Number of families with dependent children

  17,100

  27,100

  36,900

  Number of dependent children

  113,500

  212,903

  312,500

  Number of families receiving Family Income Supplement or Family Credit

  476

  5313

  6656

  Number of dependent children in families receiving Family Income Supplement or Family Credit

  —

  5435

  6903

  Notes:

  Information about the number of children in families receiving Family Income Supplement in July 1979 is not available.

  Sources:

  1 Based on Child Benefit statistics.

  2 1989 Labour Force Survey.

  3 Based on Child Benefit statistics.

  4 Social Security Statistics: information for 31 July 1979.

  5 Five per cent. sample of Family Credit recipients at 31 July 1989.

  6 Five per cent. sample of Family Credit recipients at 31 July 1992.

  Social Security statistics for Northern Ireland are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

  Entertainment
  Mr. O'Hara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will itemise under heads of expenditure how the budget for entertainment within his Department was expended in the financial year 1992–93.

  Mr. Hague
  The Department does not have a budget for entertainment. Any such expenditure is met from within the budget for hospitality. I refer the hon. Member to answers I gave to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) on 20 October 1993, at column 247, 23 November 1993, at columns 34–35, and 30 November 1993, at column 450.

  Benefits
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he will take to ensure that those claimants for the new incapacity benefit who suffer from diseases with cyclical patterns such as ME are not disadvantaged by the objective medical test for the benefit.

  Mr. Scott
  Claimants with such conditions will not be disadvantaged. Doctors from the Benefits Agency medical services, who will apply the new more objective medical test, will be required to consider the effect of conditions on ability to work over a period of time not merely at the point when they conduct the medical examination or when the claimant completes the questionnaire.

  Family Credit
  Mr. Chisholm
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what percentage of lone parents on family credit receive(a) the maximum applicable level of family credit, (b) within £10 of the maximum applicable level of family credit and (c) within £20 of the maximum applicable level of family credit;

  (2) what percentage of families on family credit receive (a) the maximum applicable level of family credit, (b) within £10 of the maximum applicable level of family credit and (c) within £20 of the maximum applicable level of family credit.

  Mr. Burt
  The information is in the table.

  Lone parents percentage

  All cases percentage

  Families receiving maximum family credit

  28

  24

  Families receiving within £10 of the maximum family credit

  43

  35

  Families receiving within £20 of the maximum family credit

  58

  47

  Source: Five per cent. sample of family credit recipients at 30 April 1993.

  Member

  Title of post

  Duration of appointment

  Annual salary payable

  Lord Mackie

  Member of Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions

  1988-date

  nil

  Lord Mayhew

  Member of Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions

  1982–1987

  nil

  Lord Gridley

  Trustee of Far Eastern (Prisoners of War and Internees) Fund

  1973-date

  nil

  Baroness Vickers

  Trustee of Far Eastern (Prisoners of War and Internees) Fund

  1962–1991

  nil

  Lord Brimelow

  Chairman of Occupational Pensions Board

  1978–1982

  £5,900-£11,100

  Baroness Turner of Camden

  Member of Occupational Pensions Board

  1974–1993

  nil

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Hague
  The available information covering appointments or reappointments since 1979 is as follows. All are non salaried positions.

  The information requested is not readily available for the independent tribunal service and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Former Member and Title of Post

  Duration of Appoinment

  Mr. Dick Dougles

  Member of Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions

  1987–1990

  Sir Paul Hawkins

  Member of Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions

  1976–1987

  Sir David Price

  Member of Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions

  1987–1992

  Mr. Alec Woodall

  Member of Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions

  1975–1987

  Mr. Martin Flannery

  Trustee of Far Eastern (Prisoners of War and Internees) Fund

  1987–1988

  Mr. James Tinn

  Trustee of Far Eastern (Prisoners of War and Internees) Fund

  1979–1986

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Hague
  The available information covering appointments or reappointments since 1979 is as follows. The information requested is not readily available for the independent tribunal service and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
  27
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Hague
  Details of appointments to the independent tribunal service could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. There are none in the other remaining organisations.

  Income Support
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the number of persons without accommodation claiming income support in the area covered by the DSS office in Northfield, Birmingham.

  Table 1

  Sickness Benefit recipients as a percentage of the adult working population

  Region31

  1Estimated total working population

  2Total recipients

  Percentage of population

  1Estimated male working population

  2Male recipients age 16–64

  Percentage of population

  1Estimated female working population

  2Female recipients age 16–59

  Percentage of population

  Great Britain4

  34,576,000

  138,000

  0·40

  18,117,000

  104,000

  0·57

  16,459,000

  34,000

  0·21

  England

  29,678,000

  108,000

  0·36

  15,566,000

  84,000

  0·54

  14,112,000

  25,000

  0·18

  Northern

  1,884,000

  13,000

  0·67

  987,000

  10,000

  0·97

  897,000

  3,000

  0·33

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  3,056,000

  14,000

  0·46

  1,609,000

  12,000

  0·76

  1,447,000

  2,000

  0·13

  East Midlands

  2,492,000

  6,000

  0·25

  1,312,000

  5,000

  0·34

  1,180,000

  2,000

  0·14

  East Anglia

  1,265,000

  3,000

  0·26

  669,000

  3,000

  0·37

  596,000

  1,000

  0·13

  South East

  11,053,000

  26,000

  0·23

  5,770,000

  19,000

  0·33

  5,284,000

  7,000

  0·13

  South Western

  2,823,000

  8,000

  0·29

  1,487,000

  7,000

  0·45

  1,336,000

  1,000

  0·11

  West Midlands

  3,228,000

  13,000

  0·41

  1,705,000

  10,000

  0·59

  1,523,000

  3,000

  0·22

  North Western

  3,877,000

  25,000

  0·64

  2,027,000

  19,000

  0·95

  1,849,000

  5,000

  0·30

  Scotland

  3,174,000

  17,000

  0·53

  1,646,000

  11,000

  0·66

  1,527,000

  6,000

  0·39

  Wales

  1,724,000

  12,000

  0·72

  904,000

  9,000

  1·03

  820,000

  3,000

  0·38

  1 The estimated resident working population at mid-1992, male 16–64, female 16–59 rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Source: Population Estimates Unit, OPCS.

  2 The number of Sickness Benefit recipients on 4 April 1992 of working age.

  Source: 1 per cent. sample of claimants in Great Britain, rounded to the nearest thousand.

  3 Standard Statistical Region.

  4 The Great Britain recipient figures include a number of overseas cases.

  Table 2

  Invalidity Benefit recipients as a percentage of the adult working population

  Region31

  1Estimated total working population

  2Total recipients

  Percentage of population

  1Estimated male working population

  2Male recipients age 16–64

  Percentage of population

  1Estimated female working population

  2Female recipients age 16–59

  Percentage of population

  Great Britain4

  34,576,000

  1,175,000

  3·40

  18,117,000

  845,000

  4·66

  16,459,000

  330,000

  2·00

  England

  29,678,000

  874,000

  2·94

  15,566,000

  641,000

  4·12

  14,112,000

  232,000

  1·65

  Northern

  1,884,000

  107,000

  5·65

  987,000

  81,000

  8·19

  897,000

  26,000

  2·86

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  3,056,000

  112,000

  3·67

  1,609,000

  86,000

  5·36

  1,447,000

  26,000

  1·80

  East Midlands

  2,492,000

  67,000

  2·70

  1,312,000

  52,000

  3·93

  1,180,000

  16,000

  1·33

  East Anglia

  1,265,000

  25,000

  1·94

  669,000

  18,000

  2·75

  596,000

  6,000

  1·04

  South East

  11,053,000

  203,000

  1·84

  5,770,000

  138,000

  2·40

  5,284,000

  65,000

  1·24

  South Western

  2,823,000

  60,000

  2·11

  1,487,000

  46,000

  3·11

  1,336,000

  13,000

  1·00

  West Midlands

  3,228,000

  99,000

  3·05

  1,705,000

  74,000

  4·35

  1,523,000

  24,000

  1·60

  North Western

  3,877,000

  201,000

  5·20

  2,027,000

  146,000

  7·19

  1,849,000

  56,000

  3·01

  Scotland

  3,174,000

  169,000

  5·32

  1,646,000

  111,000

  6·74

  1,527,000

  58,000

  3·79

  Wales

  1,724,000

  125,000

  7·26

  904,000

  87,000

  9·65

  820,000

  38,000

  4·63

  1 The estimated resident working population at mid-1992, male 16–64, female 16–59 rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Source: Population Estimates Unit, OPCS.

  2 The number of Invalidity Benefit recipients on 4 April 1992 of working age.

  Source: 1 per cent. sample of claimants in Great Britain, rounded to the nearest thousand.

  3 Standard Statistical Region.

  4 The Great Britain recipient figures include a number of overseas cases.

  28
  Mr. Burt
  The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Benefit Statistics
  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of(a) the adult male population of working age, (b) the adult female population of working age and (c) the total population of working age receives (i) invalidity benefit, (ii) sickness benefit and (iii) industrial injuries benefit; and if he will provide a breakdown for each standard United Kingdom region.

  Mr. Scott
  The information for Great Britain is in the tables. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, is responsible for Social Security statistics in Northern Ireland.
  29

  Table 3

  Industrial injurious Disablement Benefit Pensions as a percentage of the adult working population

  Region31

  1Estimated total working population

  2Total pensions

  Percentage of population

  1Estimated male working population

  2Male pensions age 16–64

  Percentage of population

  1Estimated female working population

  2Female pensions age 16–59

  Percentage of population

  Great Britain4

  34,576,000

  124,000

  0·36

  18,117,000

  109,000

  0·60

  16,459,000

  15,000

  0·09

  England

  29,678,000

  101,000

  0·34

  15,566,000

  88,000

  0·57

  14,112,000

  13,000

  0·09

  Northern

  1,884,000

  14,000

  0·73

  987,000

  12,000

  1·25

  897,000

  1,000

  0·16

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  3,056,000

  11,000

  0·37

  1,609,000

  10,000

  0·65

  1,447,000

  1,000

  0·06

  East Midlands

  2,492,000

  10,000

  0·40

  1,312,000

  9,000

  0·68

  1,180,000

  1,000

  0·08

  East Anglia

  1,265,000

  4,000

  0·29

  669,000

  3,000

  0·45

  596,000

  1,000

  0·11

  South East

  11,053,000

  23,000

  0·21

  5,770,000

  20,000

  0·34

  5,284,000

  4,000

  0·07

  South Western

  2,823,000

  8,000

  0·27

  1,487,000

  7,000

  0·45

  1,336,000

  1,000

  0·07

  West Midlands

  3,228,000

  14,000

  0·42

  1,705,000

  12,000

  0·69

  1,523,000

  2,000

  0·13

  North Western

  3,877,000

  18,000

  0·47

  2,027,000

  16,000

  0·76

  1,849,000

  3,000

  0·14

  Scotland

  3,174,000

  12,000

  0·37

  1,646,000

  11,000

  0·66

  1,527,000

  1,000

  0·06

  Wales

  1,724,000

  9,000

  0·53

  904,000

  8,000

  0·89

  820,000

  1,000

  0·12

  1 The estimated resident working population at mid-1992, male 16–64, female 16–59 rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Source: Population Estimates Unit, OPCS.

  2 The number of Industrial Injuries Disablement pensions in payment at 4 April 1992 to people of working age. (A person can be in receipt of more than one Disablement pension).

  Source: 10 per cent. sample of assessments in Great Britain with an allowance for late returns, rounded to the nearest thousand.

  3 Standard Statistical Region.

  4 The Great Britain Pensions include a number of overseas cases.

  Housing Benefit
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will publish the figures showing the total amount of housing benefit subsidy in the private sector broken down into(a) DOE and (b) local authority where the rent was above the level agreed by the rent assessment officers and where the tenants were (i) elderly, (ii) adults with special handicaps and (iii) families with dependent children, for 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93 and the latest available date for the current year;

  (2) what amount of housing subsidy is produced by (a) central Government and (b) local authorities to private landlords, where the rent is above the level agreed by the rent assessment officers, where the tenants are (i) elderly, (ii) disabled, (iii) adults with special handicaps and (iv) families with dependent children for the years 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1992–93.

  Mr. Burt
  The information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

  Rent Allowances paid in Great Britain to vulnerable groups exceeding the Rent Officer's determination of a Reasonable Market Rent (RMR).

  Year

  Total expenditure exceeding RMR

  DSS Subsidy

  Local Authority Expenditure

  £

  £

  £

  1989–90

  5,339,306

  2,669,672

  2,669,634

  1990–91

  21,030,787

  10,515,424

  10,515,363

  1991–92

  26,119,913

  13,060,020

  13,059,893

  1992–93

  26,971,288

  13,485,705

  13,485,583

  1993–94

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Source: Housing Benefit final subsidy claim forms.

  Notes:

  1. No benefit subsidy in respect of rent allowances is paid by the Department of the Environment.

  2. Vulnerable groups include the elderly, sick and disabled people and families with dependent children.

  3. The figures for 1992–93 are provisional.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what criteria are used for determining the maximum deduction from income support to repay a loan from the social fund; what is the minimum level of benefit left payable; what changes he is considering to the criteria; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  In determining the rate at which social fund loans are repaid the applicant's commitments are taken into account. The normal repayment rate is 15 per cent. of the applicant's Income Support applicable amount, less housing costs. Where the applicant has existing commitments the rate may be set at 10 per cent., 5 per cent. or lower. In exceptional circumstances, with the applicant's agreement, the repayment rate may be set at 25 per cent., leaving a minimum 75 per cent. of the applicable amount, but only if it is clear that the applicant can afford to repay at this rate. All aspects of the social fund are closely monitored, including repayment rates for loans.

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the publications and television channels in which his Department advertised the introduction of disability living allowance in April 1992; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  Advertising the introduction of disability living allowance—DLA—in the publications and on the television stations shown in the table, was one part of a successful, multi-stranded publicity campaign which was targeted at disabled people, carers, advisers and health professionals. By the end of November 1993 over one million claims to DLA had been processed and over a half a million awards of benefit made.Publications

  Daily Mail

  Daily Express

  Daily Telegraph

  Daily Record

  Daily Mirror

  Daily Star

  31

  Guardian Times

  Guardian

  Independent on Sunday

  Independent

  Mail on Sunday

  News of the World

  Observer

  Star

  Sun

  Sunday Express

  Sunday People

  Sunday Mirror

  Sunday Times

  Sunday Telegraph

  Times

  Today

  TV Times

  Amspar

  Disability Arts Mag

  Disability News (London)

  Disability Now

  Disabled

  Disabled Driver

  Phab

  Amar Deep

  Asian Times

  Black Briton

  Cineblitz

  Daily Jang

  Eastern Eye

  Garavi Gujarat

  India Times

  Punjabi Times

  Sing Tao

  Surma Bengali

  The Voice

  Care Weekly

  Caring Times

  Community Care

  General Practitioner

  Health Visitor

  Health Service Journal

  Hospital Doctor

  New Statesman and Society

  Nursing Standards

  Nursing Times

  Social Work Today

  Therapy Weekly

  Chat

  Me

  My Weekly

  Take a Break

  Woman

  Woman's Own

  Woman's Weekly

  Woman's Realm

  Television stations

  Anglia

  BBC Select

  Border

  C4 Network except Ulster

  Central

  Grampian

  Granada

  HTV

  Lifestyle

  LWT

  STV

  Thames

  TSW

  TVS

  Tyne Tees

  Yorkshire

  TVAM included in areas

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidance is issued in respect of the social fund to ensure that similar priority levels are applied to 32
  applications throughout the financial year; what changes to the guidance he is considering; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  Guidance on the management of the social fund is contained in the "Social Fund Officer's Guide", a copy of which is in the Library.

  All aspects of the social fund are closely monitored, including the guidance issued to social fund officers.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the normal maximum repayment period for a loan from the social fund; what changes to that period he is considering; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  The normal maximum repayment period for a social fund loan is 78 weeks although this can be extended to 104 weeks. All aspects of the social fund are closely monitored, including repayment periods for loans.

  Pensioners Incomes
  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of(a) single pensioners and (b) pensioner couples had incomes below one half of average household income each year since 1979.

  Mr. Hague
  [pursuant to his reply, 6 December 1993, c. 111]: The available information is published in tables Fl (BHC) and Fl (AHC) of "Households Below Average Income 1979–1988/89" and "Households Below Average Income 1979–1990/91", copies of which are in the Library.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Arable Area Payments
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many holdings in each county of Northern Ireland have taken up the arable area payments scheme.

  Mr. Ancram
  The number of holdings which have taken up the arable area payments scheme are:

  Number

  Antrim

  683

  Armagh

  256

  Down

  1,109

  Fermanagh

  2

  Londonderry

  700

  Tyrone

  344

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many landowners in Northern Ireland are receiving annual payments under the arable area payments scheme(a) in each band of £25,000 up to £500,000 and (b) over £500,000; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ancram
  In Northern Ireland, 3,090 landowners are receiving annual payments under the arable area payments scheme of up to £24,999, and four landowners payments between £25,000 and £49,999. No landowners are receiving payments higher than these amounts.

  Agri-environmental Funding
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much will be spent in Northern Ireland in each year from 1993–94 to 1995–96 on(a)

  33
  environmentally sensitive areas, identifying the amount allocated for the new access option, (b) new nitrate sensitive areas, (c) the moorland scheme, (d) the new habitat scheme, (e) the new countryside access scheme, (f) the organic aid scheme and (g) the total amount of money being spent on the agri-environment scheme in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ancram
  Planned expenditure in Northern Ereland for each of the schemes under the agri-environment programme is set out in the table.

  1993–94 '000

  1994–95 '000

  1995–96 '000

  ESA Scheme

  —

  2,700

  4,000

  Moorland Scheme

  —

  —

  90

  Habitat Creation Scheme

  —

  —

  100

  Organic Aid Scheme

  —

  60

  60

  TOTAL

  —

  2,760

  4,250

  The NI programme, which is still subject to EC approval, does not have provisions for nitrate sensitive areas, countryside access or access in environmentally sensitive areas—ESAs.

  1993 Holdings growing

  County

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Linseed

  Horticultural crops

  Oilseeds

  Antrim

  1,216

  523

  1—

  80

  1—

  Armagh

  394

  170

  1—

  498

  6

  Down

  1,853

  591

  1—

  174

  38

  Fermanagh

  6

  44

  1—

  30

  1—

  Londonderry

  1,090

  431

  1—

  39

  11

  Tyrone

  519

  316

  1—

  105

  1—

  Northern Ireland

  5,078

  2,075

  13

  926

  64

  1 Information cannot be released because of the small number of growers.

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many holdings there are in each county of Northern Ireland in 1992 and 1993 growing(a) cereals, (b) potatoes, (c) linseed, (d) sugar beet, (e) horticultural produce and (f) oilseeds.

  Hectares

  County

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Horticultural crops

  Oilseeds

  1992

  Antrim

  9,618

  3,156

  227

  52

  Armagh

  3,281

  436

  1,941

  69

  Down

  18,822

  3,369

  954

  616

  Fermanagh

  98

  18

  92

  7

  Londonderry

  10,846

  2,920

  165

  274

  Tyrone

  3,965

  851

  198

  45

  Northern Ireland

  46,630

  10,750

  3,577

  1,063

  Hectares

  County

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Linseed

  Horticultural crops

  Oilseeds

  1993

  Antrim

  9,685

  2,550

  1—

  173

  1—

  Armagh

  3,354

  368

  1—

  1,846

  72

  Down

  18,912

  2,915

  1—

  931

  397

  Fermanagh

  17

  13

  1—

  94

  1—

  Londonderry

  11,099

  2,344

  1—

  153

  157

  Tyrone

  4,022

  698

  1—

  138

  1—

  Northern Ireland

  47,089

  8,888

  128

  3,335

  689

  1 Information cannot be released because of the small number of growers.

  Crops
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many holding there are in each county of Northern Ireland in 1992 and 1993 growing(a) cereals, (b) potatoes, (c) linseed, (d) sugar beet, (e) horticultural produce and (f) oilseeds.

  Mr. Ancram
  No sugar beet is grown in Northern Ireland. Information on the numbers of growers of linseed, horticultural crops and oilseeds is not available for any year prior to 1993. Where rules on disclosure permit, the information requested is as follows:

  1992 Holdings growing

  Country

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Antrim

  1,265

  655

  Armagh

  407

  207

  Down

  1,966

  709

  Fermanagh

  11

  77

  Londonderry

  1,135

  549

  Tyrone

  550

  431

  Northern Ireland

  5,334

  2,628

  Mr. Ancram
  No sugar beet is grown in Northern Ireland and information on the area of linseed is not available for any year prior to 1993. Where rules on disclosure permit, the information requested is as follows:

  Training
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what is his policy in respect of independent companies tendering for public contracts in competition with the existing training centres to manage training, education and enterprise programmes;

  (2) what is his policy in respect of independent companies entering into partnership with the existing training centres to manage training, education and enterprise programmes.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  Responsibility of the the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. J. S. Crozier. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from J. S. Crozier to Mr. Andrew Hunter, dated 5 January 1994.

  The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to reply to your questions about policy in respect of independent companies tendering for public contracts in competition, or entering into partnership, with existing Training Centres.

  The Training and Employment Agency currently has sufficient contracted capacity to manage and deliver its training programmes. Independent companies and other organisations do operate in competition with Training Centres. There is no bar on such organisatiions entering into parternship with Training Centres for those purposes.

  I hope that you find this helpful.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Sir John Wheeler
  None.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of, the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The following is the information:

  Name

  Title of post

  Salary (£)

  Duration of appointment

  Duke of Abercorn

  Chairman, Laganside Corporation

  21,065

  1989–95

  Lord Lowry

  Ex-Officio Chairman, Statute Law Committee

  None

  1979–88

  Lord O'Neill

  Chairman, Northern Ireland Museums Advisory Committee

  None

  1989–93

  Chairman, Northern Ireland Museums Council

  None

  1993–97

  Trustee, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum including

  None

  1969–90

  36

  Name

  Title of post

  Salary(£)

  Duration of appointment

  Vice-Chairman of Board of Trustees

  1987–90

  Northern Ireland Member of Museums and Galleries Commission

  None

  1987–96

  The Viscount Brookeborough DL

  Member, Green Park Hospital Trust

  5,000

  1992–96

  Lord Plant1

  Chairman of SACHR

  Nominal

  1976–80

  Lord Blease1

  Member of SACHR

  None

  1977–79

  Member of Rathgael and Whiteabbey Schools Management Board

  None

  1989–92

  1 Life Peerage conferred during 1978.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Sir John Wheeler
  John Carson, CBE, a former MP, was a member of Laganside Corporation from June 1989 to June 1992. His salary at the end of his term was £6,820.

  James Frederick Nicholson MEP was a member of the Southern health and social services board from July 1979 to June 1985. No salary was paid. He was an MP from June 1983 to June 1985.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Russia
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Russian election and referendum.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The elections and referendum have given Russia her first post-Soviet democratic Parliament and a constitution which guarantees democratic institutions and individual human rights. This is an historic advance. No single party won an overall majority in the new Parliament. The democrats and reformers have won about one third of the seats. The extreme nationalists did unexpectedly well, but we should keep this in proportion; they have 64 seats out of the 450 in the lower House, the Duma. President Yeltsin has said that Russia will continue on the path of reform and Britain will continue to support that progress.

  British observers, including several hon. Members of this House, concluded that the election procedures, although complex, were adequate to ensure a fair poll and reflected the views of the Russian people. Copies of their report have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Bank of Credit and Commerce International
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance he will be giving to the liquidators of BCCI when they visit Abu Dhabi to discuss BCCI.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  No request for assistance during their visit to Abu Dhabi has been received from the liquidators of BCCI.

  Consulate, Dusseldorf
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the civil service grade of Mr. Bullen who works at the consulate in Dusseldorf; and what training he and other members of staff have received in dealing with members of the public.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Mr. Bullock—not Bullen—is a locally engaged visa clerk. He received all necessary training in the consulate general in Dusseldorf to enable him to deal with members of the public. Other members of staff at the consulate general have received the training necessary to undertake their particular duties.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many visitors' applications have been made in Dusseldorf for each year since 1983; and how many refusals have been made for visitors' visas.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Separate statistics are not available for the number of "visit" applications and visitor refusals made at the British consulate general, Dusseldorf since 1983.

  The following figures are available for non-settlement applications—including visitors, students, and working holidaymakers.

  Year

  Received

  Refused

  1992

  19,529

  461

  1991

  18,327

  287

  1990

  17,327

  282

  1989

  12,067

  147

  1988

  no figure are available

  1983

  Ex-Soviet Nuclear Plants
  Ms Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the take-up of technical assistance in the Commonwealth independent states for making safe nuclear power plants in the states of the former Soviet Union.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 6 December 1993, at column 74.

  Foreign Affairs Council
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the EC Foreign Affairs Council of 20 and 21 December, indicating the voting record of each member state on each item and where no formal votes were taken.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  I attended the Foreign Affairs Council on 20 and 21 December.
  38
  The Council agreed negotiating mandates for new partnership agreements between the European Union and Tunisia and Israel.

  There was a brief discussion on follow-up to the European Council on 10 and 11 December. The presidency noted that follow-up work would fall to the Greek and German presidencies and the Commission. The Commission called for an early decision on interest-rate subsidies for small and medium-sized enterprises, in the light of the European Council conclusions calling for a conclusion by the end of the year.

  There was a brief discussion of the outcome of the Uruguay round negotiations: the Commission confirmed that it would seek to improve EC access to third country markets before market access schedules are finalised on 15 February. The Council also agreed on the need for an early discussion of trade policy towards central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

  There were ministerial negotiating sessions with the four applicants for Community membership. Excellent progress was made. A large number of negotiating chapters have now been closed, including the difficult environmental standards chapters and all of the Maastricht chapters except economic and monetary union.

  On the former Yugoslavia, Ministers prepared for their meeting with the parties on 22 December. The Council subsequently discussed the Union's joint action on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Bosnia. They agreed to make 48 mecu—£39 million—available for urgent needs, notably in the energy sector, of which the financing would be split 50:50 between the Community and member states.

  Ministers agreed to invite the President of the Commission to propose a middle-ranking Commission official to act as the Cyprus observer for the Union. His terms of reference will be
  "in the light of the Council's review in January 1995 of the question of Cyprus' accession to the European Union, to report periodically to the Council on the implications of political developments in Cyprus for the requirements of the acquis of the Union, including progress in the UN Secretary-General's good offices mission for Cyprus."

  The Council discussed the Commission's proposals for new free trade agreements with the Baltic states.

  The Council approved unanimously a joint action, covering the first phase of the initiative for a pact on stability in Europe. This involves a conference to launch the initiative to be held in April 1994 in Paris.

  The presidency reported on progress made so far in agreeing negotiating directives for the Community in the mid-term review of the Lomé convention. Negotiations with the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries will begin in 1994.

  The Council discussed outstanding nominations to the Committee of the Regions. The Portuguese—Portugal is the only country yet to make nominations—said that they would aim to do so before 15 January, the date agreed by the last special European Council as the deadline for the first meeting of the Committee.

  The Council adopted a decision to put into effect from 1 January 1994 the code of conduct it had agreed on 6 December on public access to documents held by the Council. The Netherlands and Denmark voted against.

  The Council briefly reviewed progress towards agreeing a regulation on a common export regime for dual use goods.

  The Council voted to remove tariff concessions from the Austrian subsidiaries of GM and Grundig, both of

  39
  which had received illegal state aid. Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg voted against. The decision on Grundig was subsequently suspended following full repayment of the state aid.

  The Council discussed the proposed budget discipline decision without reaching agreement.

  The EC/India co-operation agreement was signed by the Commission, the presidency and the Indian Commerce Minister in the margins of the Council.

  Dealings with Companies
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what dealings he or any member of his Department has had, whether for export promotion or for any other purpose with(a) ATE International Ltd., (b) Admincheck Ltd., (c) Advance Electronics Development Ltd., (d) Arctic Centre ICE Ltd., (e) Atlas Equipment Co. Ltd., (f) Atlas Air Conditioning Co. Ltd., (g) Dominion International, (h) Endshire Export Marketing, (i) Falcon Systems, (j) Geodesigns, (k) Investacast Precision Castings Ltd., (l) Meed International Ltd., and (m) Rajbrook Ltd.; and if he will give the purpose of his dealings with each of these companies.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Lomé Convention
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications of agreement in the latest round of the general agreement on tariffs and trade for the future of the Lomé convention.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The mid-term review of the fourth Lomé convention is under way. This will involve negotiations between the EC and the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific—ACP—states on possible changes to the convention to reflect developments since it was agreed in 1989. These negotations must be concluded by March 1995. The convention itself will expire on 1 March 2000.

  The mid-term review takes place in the context of the successful conclusion of the Uruguay round. However, the Final Act agreed on 15 December does not affect the status of the convention.

  Sudan
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received in the last three months regarding the persecution of Christians in the Sudan; and what action he is taking to promote an end to the conflict in Sudan.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We receive many representations, both from the Churches themselves and from interested human rights organisations. We have welcomed the initiative of the Kenyan, Ugandan, Ethiopian and Eritrean Presidents to try to encourage dialogue between the Government of Sudan and the factions of the Sudan People's Liberation Army. With other European Union member states, we are encouraging the parties to respond positively to mediation efforts.

  Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take to ensure that the operation of THORP does not contribute towards the international proliferation of materials useful for the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Our policy of non-proliferation aspects of reprocessing at THORP is set out in the statement of Government policy on reprocessing and operation of the thermal oxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield: a copy of this statement is in the Library of the House. The statement makes it clear that we consider that any potential proliferation risks associated with the operation of THORP are satisfactorily met by the existing arrangements to prevent theft, sabotage and diversion.

  EC Voting
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out for each member state of the European Community(a) its estimated population, (b) the number of votes allocated to its respective ministers in the Council of Ministers when voting on the basis of a qualified and weighted majority, (c) the approximate population represented by each vote, (d) that population expressed as a percentage of that member state's population and (e) the population per vote expressed as a percentage of the total approximate population of all member states of the European Community, together with the respective totals and the requisite number of votes and assenting member states required for assent.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The information is as follows:

  Member state

  Estimated population (millions)

  Number of votes in council

  Approximate population per vote (thousands)

  Belgium

  10·1

  5

  2,020

  Denmark

  5·2

  3

  1,733

  Germany

  80·6

  10

  8,060

  Greece

  10·3

  5

  2,060

  Spain

  39·1

  8

  4,888

  France

  57·5

  10

  5,750

  Ireland

  3·6

  3

  1,200

  Italy

  56·9

  10

  5,690

  Luxembourg

  0·4

  2

  200

  Netherlands

  15·2

  5

  3,040

  Portugal

  9·9

  5

  1,980

  United Kingdom

  58·0

  10

  5,800

  336·7

  76

  —

  Member state

  Approximate per cent. of member state population

  Approximate per cent. of total EC population

  Per vote

  Per vote

  Belgium

  20

  0·60

  Denmark

  33

  0·51

  Germany

  10

  2·39

  Greece

  20

  0·61

  Spain

  12·5

  1·45

  France

  10

  1·71

  Ireland

  33

  0·36

  Italy

  10

  1·69

  Luxembourg

  50

  0·06

  Netherlands

  20

  0·90

  41

  Member state

  Approximate per cent. of member state population

  Approximate per cent. of total EC population

  Per vote

  Per vote

  Portugal

  20

  0·59

  United Kingdom

  10

  1·72

  The number of votes which constitutes a qualified majority is 54. There are numerous combinations of member states whose total number of votes in Council reaches or exceeds this figure.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, ex-cluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Goodlad
  There are currently 14 members of the House of Lords. No salaries are paid.The British Council

  Lord Chorley: board member. Three-year renewable appointment.

  Lord Wilson of Tillyorn: board member. Five-year renewable appointment.

  Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission

  Lord Desai: board member. Three-year appointment renewable.

  The Great Britain-China Centre

  Lord Callaghan: vice-president. Indefinite appointment.

  Lord Holme: board member. Indefinite appointment.

  Lord Howe: president. Indefinite appointment.

  Lord Maclehose: vice president. Indefinite appointment.

  British Association for Central and Eastern Europe

  Baroness Blackstone: board member. One-year appointment.

  The Britain-Russia Centre

  Lord Bottomley: board member. Indefinite appointment.

  Lord Dormand: board member. Indefinite appointment.

  Lord Runcie: vice-president. Indefinite appointment.

  Viscount Whitelaw: president. Indefinite appointment.

  Commonwealth Institute

  Baroness Flather: governor. Four-year appointment.

  Commonwealth of Learning

  Lord Briggs: chairman.

  To answer the question in full would incur disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Goodlad
  There are currently six former MPs. No salaries are paid. All appointments are for an indefinite period.

  The British Russia Centre

  Mr. Peter Blaker: board member

  Sir David Crouch: board member

  Sir Douglas Dodds-Parker: board member

  42

  Sir Fitzroy Maclean: board member

  Sir John Osborn: board member

  Sir Kenneth Warren: board member

  To answer the question in full would incur disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Goodlad
  There are currently no former MEPs. To answer the question in full would incur disproportionate cost.

  Foreign and Security Policy Unit
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date the Foreign and Commonwealth Office established its common foreign and security policy unit.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  With effect from 16 March 1992 the existing European political co-operation unit, which had been part of the EC presidency department in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, became the common foreign and security policy unit.

  Immigration
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is to be taken on an application to enter the United Kingdom made to the high commissioner in Islamabad on behalf of Israr Ahmed, who was born on 30 May 1989, REF-IMM/CO 442.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  In the absence of any information about this case, I have asked the correspondence unit migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to let the hon. Member have a substantive reply in due course.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the high commission in Islamabad will take a decision on applications to grant British citizenship to Mr. Wajid Aziz, born on 15 January 1981 and Miss Majida Aziz, born on 15 January 1984, reference CON/4534; when these applicants were interviewed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The British high commission in Islamabad refused on 3 August 1993 the passport applications submitted on behalf of Mr. Wajid Aziz and Miss Majida Aziz. The children's alleged father, Mr. Abdul Aziz, was interviewed that day but the interviewing officer was not satisfied that the children were related, as claimed. The reasons were explained to Mr. Aziz at the time and the passport fees refunded.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is to be taken on an application by Nasreen Akhtar, REF: IMM/B6820 to enter the United Kingdom made to the high commissioner in Islamabad; whether the high commissioner has received the result of a comparative DNA test; and if he will make a statement.
  43
  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  In the absence of any information about this case, I have asked the correspondence unit migration and visa department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to let the hon. Member have a substantive reply in due course.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is going to be taken by the United Kingdom post in Islamabad on an application to visit the United Kingdom by Mrs. Tasawar Fatima; when the post agreed to undertake to reconsider the application following representations by the hon. Member for Bradford, West; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  In October 1993 the high commission in Islamabad took the decision to maintain the refusal of entry clearance to Mrs. Tasawar Fatima. I am sorry that the hon. Member was not so informed at the time.

  German Constitutional Court Judgment
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that the English translation of the judgment of the German constitutional court of 12 October 1993 is made available to the general public as soon as possible and placed in the Library.

  Mr. Goodlad
  A translation was placed in the Library of the House on 3 December 1993. It will be published in the International Law Reports later this year.

  European Union Funding
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the powers he has under English and Community law to prevent the European Union providing financial resources within the United Kingdom to British organisations for a purpose which is avowedly political within the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Within the United Kingdom, organisations which are duly constituted and have lawful objectives are entitled to seek funding from any source. There are no powers under domestic or Community law to prevent funds being disbursed on behalf of the European Union in accordance with Community law.

  EC Visitors' Visas
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received to date from the representatives of any country concerning their nationals being required, from 1996, to obtain visas to visit the EC; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I have received no representations to date about the proposed European Union common visa list. The Commission's proposals have not yet been formally communicated to the member states by the Council secretariat. When they are, they will be made available to Parliament in accordance with normal scrutiny arrangements.

  Jamaica
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for.Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens wishing to visit Jamaica during 1993 were(a) refused
  44
  entry, (b) detained and (c) deported; how many such persons were able to appeal against refusal to grant entry; how many appeals were (i) upheld and (ii) rejected; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I am aware of no cases of British citizens visiting Jamaica who were refused entry, detained or deported in 1993. I am informed that Jamaican immigration legislation makes no provision for appeal against refusal of entry.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice is issued to Jamaican citizens wishing to visit the United Kingdom as to whether they should apply for pre-entry visas; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Jamaican citizens seeking to visit the United Kingdom are advised by both the Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British high commission in Kingston that prior entry clearance is advisable, but not mandatory.

  Prospective visitors contacting the high commission, whether or not they apply for prior entry clearance, are advised as to the documentation required. Information leaflets are freely available and telephone enquiries, personal callers and correspondence are dealt with by trained entry clearance staff at the British high commission. Local airlines and travel agents are also conversant with requirements.

  EU Agricultural Harmonisation
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the EU Foreign Affairs Ministers Council meeting of 21 December 1993 in regard to enlargement of the European Communities; and what outstanding matters remain on health, environment, and agricultural harmonisation between the European Union and European Economic Area.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Excellent progress was made at the negotiating sessions with Sweden, Finland, Norway and Austria at the 21 December Foreign Affairs Council. A large number of negotiating chapters were closed.

  The European economic area—EEA—came into force on 1 January. On health, the EEA extends EC legislation to the participating European Free Trade Association —EFTA—states—Norway, Sweden, Austria, Finland and Iceland—so that EEA nationals are entitled to reciprocal health care benefits in all EEA member states. On the environment, the agreement provides for increased co-operation between EEA states but does not include the harmonisation of environmental legislation. On agriculture, the EEA does not require the participating EFTA states to bring their support arrangements into line with the common agricultural policy, but they have agreed to adopt much of the EU's regulatory legislation in the veterinary, phytosanitary and other areas. Except where transitional periods are agreed, or derogations granted, the four members of EFTA currently negotiating to join the EU will have to adopt the entire body of Community legislation in these areas on their accession.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Forestry Commission
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what land in Lancashire and the north-west the Forestry Commission proposes to sell under the current disposal programme.

  Mr. Jack
  The Forestry Commission has no forest land on the market at present in Lancashire and the north-west.

  Departmental Offices (Heating Bills)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list, by location, the annual fuel heating bills for each of her Department's offices for the last four years, and for this year to date.

  Mr. Jack
  Office heating is not distinguished separately in the fuel bills for the 260 or so sites occupied by the Ministry and its executive agencies. It would be disproportionately expensive to calculate such costs, but readily available global figures for all types of energy are as follows:

  £

  1990–91

  3,376,336

  1991–92

  3,755,951

  1992–93

  4,035,098

  This represents a six per cent increase in real terms when adjusted for inflation and the floor area occupied. The increase is due to operational requirements, particularly in the Ministry's laboratories, and the introduction of information technology equipment to most offices over the past three years. We are, however, stepping up our energy efficiency measures with a view to achieving reductions in consumption by 1995–96.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements are made to ensure that special advisers to Ministers in her Department do not have access to the kind of information, and are not involved in the type of business, that would be likely to create suspicion of impropriety in relation to subsequent employment.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Care is taken to ensure that the special adviser does not have access to the kind of information likely to create suspicion of impropriety. She is not involved in evaluating tenders or letting contracts.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the names and job descriptions of each special ministerial adviser employed in her Department showing any particular outputs for which each adviser is responsible.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  My special adviser is Dr. Elizabeth Cottrell. She advises me on all policy issues.

  Milk Industry
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to what extent Britain's demand for milk and milk products is satisfied by domestic production;46
  what are the main sources of imported milk products; to what extent the gap is affected by the extent of the Milk Marketing Board's promotion of the use of home-produced milk; and what effect she expects the Milk Marque to have on the shortfall between domestic production and demand.

  Mr. Jack
  The United Kingdom produces sufficient milk to meet its needs for liquid consumption and for protein products like skimmed milk powder. It is, however, only 85 per cent. self-sufficient in butterfat, so production is insufficient to meet the demand for cheese and butter. Imports of milk products into the United Kingdom come mainly from other EC countries. In 1992, 92 per cent. of our cheese imports, 231,693 tonnes, came from the EC, with the remainder imported mainly from New Zealand, 7,964 tonnes, Canada, 4,068 tonnes, and Australia, 2,500 tonnes. In the same year, 97 per cent. of our imports of yoghurt, buttermilk and whey originated in the Community. For butter, the position is rather different since a large proportion, 41 per cent., of our imports comes from New Zealand under a preferential access agreement which was concluded at the time of our accession to the EC. The remaining 59 per cent. of our butter imports come from the Community.

  The level of the United Kingdom's self-sufficiency in milk has less to do with the promotional activities of the milk marketing boards than with the total amount of milk quota available to our producers. Our national production quota is insufficient to meet the total domestic demand for milk and milk products; the introduction of new milk marketing arrangements next year will not alter this position.

  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of whether the national interest and that of milk producers would be better served by the bulk of our milk being handled by processors who have a proven track record in the development of new products instead of by Milk Marque, the successor of the Milk Marketing Board.

  Mr. Jack
  My right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Wales will have to have regard to all the circumstances when deciding whether to approve the Milk Marketing Board's reorganisation scheme. One of the main purposes of ending the milk marketing scheme is to allow producers to decide to whom and on what terms to sell their milk. I look forward to when they will be free to do so.

  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the Government's working definition of the term "marketing"; and what connection Milk Marque will have with marketing.

  Mr. Jack
  Milk Marque's objects are set out in its constitution. They include"the activities of marketing and preparation for market of milk produced by its Members on land occupied by them and used for agriculture".

  It is for Milk Marque to decide how to pursue this object.

  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is her policy on the concept of an interdependent partnership between milk producers and an established milk processor with a vested interest in generating demand for new milk products and satisfying it from British farms.
  47
  Mr. Jack
  The Government welcome the establishment of new partnerships between producers and processors which are in accordance with our objectives of establishing a competitive market in raw milk.

  Diseased Cattle
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will take urgent action to institute a system of full compensation at market price of cattle bought under the animal health regime of other EC countries which were found to have been diseased at the time of purchase.

  Mr. Soames
  The Department has no plans to extend the current compensation arrangements for cattle.

  Fur Farms
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the regulations concerning Arctic foxes kept on fur farms.

  Mr. Soames
  There is no legislation relating specifically to the keeping of Arctic foxes.

  EC Surplus Foods
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the butter and beef EC surplus foods that have been distributed in each London borough in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Jack
  Figures for the amounts of food distributed annually since 1988–89 in each London borough are not available.

  Maize
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate she has as to the acreage of maize crops planted with EC subsidy, not harvested because there is allegedly no market; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  The most recent Commission estimate is that some 3,635,000 hectares of maize were harvested in the Community in 1993. There is no information about the area of maize which has not been harvested, the reasons why it was not harvested or whether any area-based payments were made on such crops. Crops do not have to be harvested to qualify for such payments but they do have to be sown in line with locally recognised standards and maintained until at least the beginning of flowering in normal growth conditions.

  Milk
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what reasons underlay the change in instructions to the Milk Marketing Board concerning the butterfat base of transferred milk quota.

  Mr. Jack
  The Ministry's supplementary note on the butterfat base of converted milk quota reflects guidance issued in November by the European Commission which clarifies the application of the provisions in the EC regulations. We are bound by the EC regulations and have no discretion as regards their implementation.
  48
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the new rules regarding butterfat base will come into operation; and if they apply to applications already received by the Milk Marketing Board for which the market price has been agreed.

  Mr. Jack
  The Commission's clarification of the rules concerning the calculation of the butterfat base of direct sales quota converted into wholesale quota applies to all applications to convert quota since the beginning of the current quota year on 1 April 1993.

  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the effect of article 7 of Commission regulation 1546/86 on the allocation of milk quota to landlords who are not operating a holding.

  Mr. Jack
  Article 7 of Commission regulation (EEC) No. 1546/88, which was repealed in 1993 and replaced by Council regulation (EEC) No. 3950/92 and Commission regulation (EEC) No. 536/93, deals with the transfer of milk quota. Where an entire holding is transferred, the corresponding quota is transferred in full to the producer who takes over the holding. Where part or parts of a holding are transferred, the corresponding quota is distributed among the producers operating the holding in proportion to the areas used for milk production. Where the transfer takes place as a result of the termination of a tenancy, the producer taking over the holding might be the landlord. A holding is defined as all the production units operated by the producer within a member state of the Community.

  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement about the allocation of milk quota to landlords who are not operating a holding.

  Mr. Jack
  Milk quota is allocated to producers for use on land occupied by them. Landlords may hold quota only if they are in occupation of a holding.

  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under which article of the Dairy Produce Quota Regulations 1989 he instructs the president of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors to appoint an arbitrator to act between a landlord, transferer and transferee.

  Mr. Jack
  The Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations 1989 now superseded by the Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations 1993, required that where there was a transfer of part of a holding the apportionment of quota relating to that holding had to be notified to the Minister within two months. The transferer and transferee were also required to sign a statement agreeing on the apportionment of milk quota according to the areas used for milk production, and the transferer had to supply a consent or sole interest notice in respect of the entirety of the holding. Where these requirements were not fulfilled, the apportionment had to be determined by arbitration. Paragraph 1(3) of schedule 4 provided for the Minister to apply to the president of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors for the appointment of an arbitrator, if within two months of the transfer, no arbitrator had been appointed by the parties.

  The parties to an arbitration would usually be the transferer and transferee. Landlords have an interest in any

  49
  quota apportionment in respect of a holding owned wholly or partly by them because of the clear link established in the EC regulations between quota and land. If a landlord with an interest in the holding does not sign the consent notice then this would require the apportionment to be decided by arbitration.

  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration has been given to the position of producers who have high butterfat producing breeds of cows in respect of the changes in the rules about the butterfat base of milk.

  Mr. Jack
  The EC regulations on the butterfat base for milk do not specifically provide for producers who have high butterfat producing breeds of cows, except where the producer's entire wholesale quota has been allocated from the national reserve and where production commenced after 1 April 1992. Producers in this position are required to provide proof each year that they maintain within their herd breeds of animals which justify a higher than average butterfat base.

  Neptune Flood Warning System
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will place in the Library a map of the marker buoys located offshore which are financed by her Department as part of the Neptune flood warning system.

  Mr. Jack
  I am placing in the Library a map showing the locations of the tide gauges around the coast which provide information on sea levels to the national storm tide warning service, which is operated on the Ministry's behalf by the Meteorological Office.

  Neptune is a local warning system of events which may lead to flooding on the west coast between Llandudno and the Solway Firth. It is operated by the National Rivers Authority and draws on information from tide gauges at Workington, Heysham, Fleetwood and Liverpool, as well as gale warnings from the Manchester weather centre and surge forecasts from the storm tide warning service. The National Rivers Authority has carried out a wave measuring experiment, using wave rider buoys, in Morecambe bay over the past 12 months with the aim of improving understanding of wave conditions for forecasting purposes.

  Relocation
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the costs and benefits of relocating parts of her Department's headquarters' work from the south-east, with particular reference to the financial implications of moving work from Guildford to York.

  Mr. Jack
  The overall costs of running our relocated operations in York will be significantly lower than a similar operation in the south-east. There are, in addition, distinct operational benefits in bringing together under one roof in York a number of related, but previously geographically separated, divisions, especially those with close working links with the new MAFF central science laboratory under construction at Sand Hutton, just outside York. The main costs of the move cover expenditure on moving staff and fitting out costs for the new building.

  Agriculture Wages Board
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when she now expects to complete her consideration of the response she has received to consultative document on the future of the Agriculture wages board.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  I hope to be able to complete my initial consideration of the responses soon. It will then be necessary to consult other ministerial colleagues with an interest in the matter.

  I hope that an announcement on the way forward can be made before Easter.

  Herbs
  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans she has to restrict the availability of herbs and herbal ingredients; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  I have no plans at present to restrict the availability of herbs and herbal ingredients used as foods.

  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Minister, of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list all those organisations from which she has recently received representations calling for restrictions on the availability of herbs and herbal ingredients.

  Mr. Soames
  We have received no such representations.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what plans she has(a) to extend the current voluntary ban on comfrey and comfrey products to other herbs and herbal ingredients or (b) to introduce a compulsory ban on any such herb; and if she will make a statement;

  (2) if the review of herbs from which medicinal licences have been withdrawn by the Department of Health but are still on sale as foods has now been completed; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  I have no plans either to alter or to extend the action that we have already taken on comfrey. The review of other herbal substances by the independent expert committees that advise the Government on food safety issues has been completed—and the conclusion that there were no problems requiring action was announced in the September edition of the Food Safety Directorate bulletin.

  Area Payments
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the administrative cost of operating the area payments system; and how many staff are involved in the procedures.

  Mr. Jack
  The arable area payments scheme is one of a number of schemes covered by the integrated administration and control system—IACS. It is not possible to give precise costs for administering each of the individual schemes within this joint system but the estimated United Kingdom cost for administering the arable area payments scheme for the 1993–94 financial year, including an appropriate share of the cost of IACS, is £7·2 million, involving some 365 man years.
  51
  These figures do not include certain initial development costs.

  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much has been spent on the payment of the new area allowances in the current financial year; what is the maximum individual sum paid to date; and what is the general purpose of the area payments.

  Mr. Jack
  Arable area payments made by the end of December 1993 totalled £692 million. This does not include the final instalment of the area payment for oilseeds, which is due to be made early in 1994.

  Under the integrated administration and control system, a single application must be submitted in respect of all holdings farmed by the same individual or organisation and some applications cover a significant number of separate holdings; the maximum total payment to an individual IACS applicant to date has been just over £1¼ million.

  Arable area payments were introduced as part of the 1992 package of measures to reform the common agriculture policy. They are intended to compensate farmers for significant reductions in EC support prices for cereals over the next three years and to replace earlier support systems for oilseeds and proteins.

  Set-aside
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the Government are seeking to change the EU regulations which prevent the development of forestry on agricultural set-aside land.

  Mr. Jack
  The Government believe that use of set-aside land for woodland should be further encouraged. The United Kingdom has taken the lead in pressing for the EC rules to be changed to allow arable land withdrawn from production under EC forestry schemes to count as set-aside under the arable area payments scheme. My right hon. Friend the Minister achieved significant progress at the Agriculture Council last month, when the Commission was asked by the Council to carry out a study of the relationship between set-aside and arable land taken out of production for forestry or environmental purposes. We are pleased that the matter is at last to be given serious attention, and we shall continue to press for a satisfactory outcome.

  Woodland planting on set-aside land is not entirely ruled out under the present rules of the arable area payments scheme, provided that the trees are not used for commercial purposes and that no EC-funded grant, other than set-aside, is paid.

  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what studies she is conducting into possible alternative uses of set-aside land.

  Mr. Jack
  The United Kingdom has taken the lead in the EC in seeking to enable set-aside to be used for longer term environmental purposes, by pressing for arable land taken out of production under forestry or agri-environment schemes to count as set-aside under the arable area payments scheme; the Commission has now been asked by the Council to study this. We will also be encouraging farmers to put their set-aside land to recreational use through the proposed countryside access scheme which we hope to launch later this year.
  52
  Set-aside land may also be used to grow crops for non-food use, such as oilseed rape, linseed, and short rotation coppice.

  We are keen to encourage crops which have the potential for commercial viability. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and, in some cases, other Government Departments are funding research into industrial oilseeds, energy crops, fibre crops and an assessment of novel crops. MAFF, with other Government Departments, also funds joint research projects with industry through the LINK—crops for industrial use—programme.

  Forestry, Cornwall
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list all the plantations at present owned by the Forestry Commission in Cornwall, and those disposed of within the last 10 years giving, in each case, their acreage and the extent of public access, indicating which are included in the current disposals programme and setting out her plans to ensure no future erosion of rights of access.

  Mr. Jack
  The Forestry Commission manages 3,290 hectares of woodland in Cornwall. The commission is preparing a list of the individual woods and I shall send a copy to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

  Lists giving details of the areas of forest land sold by the Forestry Commission from the start of the disposals programme in July 1981 to December 1992 are held in the Library of the House. The commission is compiling a list of the areas sold in 1993 and a copy will be placed in the Library when this is completed.

  The Commission does not maintain detailed records of the extent of public access to individual woods.

  The areas of forest land in Cornwall that the commission is currently offering for sale on the open market are as follows:

  Name

  Area (hectares)

  Croft Pascoe

  45

  Hay Wood

  54

  Penance and Derrys

  7

  Port Elliot Estate

  108

  Prideaux

  24

  Treworgey

  17

  Wheal Par

  5

  Rights of way over commission land are unaffected by a change of ownership. In addition, arrangements for securing continued public access to former Forestry Commission woodlands after sale, by way of prior agreements entered into between the commission and local authorities, have been in place since October 1991. These arrangements are currently being reviewed.

  Fish Diseases
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what effect EU directive 91/87 has had on the implementation of the Diseases of Fish Act 1983, with respect to fish farms in the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  The fish health directive 91/67/EEC came into force on 1 January 1993. It provides for measures,
  53
  applicable throughout the Community, to safeguard zones of proven high fish health status within the context of the single market. Great Britain and Northern Ireland have secured such approved zone status in respect of the most serious fish diseases and accordingly we are able to restrict introductions of fish, particularly the salmonid species, from other parts of the Community on the basis of the disease risks which they might pose. We are also seeking additional guarantees in respect of trade in species susceptible to some of the less serious fish diseases.

  We have thus carried forward in the EC context the United Kingdom's longstanding disease controls embodied in the Diseases of Fish Acts of 1937 and 1983, with the controls largely unchanged. The Community measures will be supplemented later this year by new arrangements which member states must apply in the event of an outbreak of serious fish diseases. Overall, we are confident that these measures, taken together, will afford sound protection to our farmed and wild fish stocks and provide United Kingdom producers with new trade opportunities.

  Organic Farming
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what consideration she has given to the effect of her decision to concentrate support for organic farming on new entrants; what information she has as to the support given to organic agriculture in each other EU member state and on the competitive pressure placed on existing organic enterprises; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  My right hon. Friend has given careful consideration to the proposed aid scheme which she has discussed with representatives of organic farmers. The decision to concentrate aid on those wishing to convert to organic farming represents the best value for money in terms of increasing the area of land farmed organically.

  I shall write to the hon. Gentleman concerning aid in other member states.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if she will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment;

  (2) if she will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment;

  (3) if she will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Jack
  The information requested is not held centrally and collection of the information would be at disproportionate cost. Summary details of appointments 54
  made by my right hon. Friend, including details of remuneration, are contained in "Public Bodies", published annually by the Cabinet Office and available in the Library of the House.

  Potatoes
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress she has made in her discussions with other members of the EU Council of Agricultural Ministers to achieve an effective, comprehensive and fully supportive potato marketing regime to replace the United Kingdom scheme.

  Mr. Jack
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 3 December at column 852.

  Dover Sole
  Mr. Channon
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what are the recorded landings of Dover sole in area 4c from beam trawlers of 17 m and over in each year since 1983;

  (2) what is the yearly total of recorded Dover sole fish landed from over 10 m and under 17 m boats in area 4c in each year since 1983.

  Mr. Jack
  The information requested is as follows:

  Landings of Dover sole by United Kingdom vessels from ICES area IVc

  Beamers over 17 m

  10–17 m vessels

  Total United Kingdom vessels

  Year

  Tonnes

  Tonnes

  Tonnes

  1984

  57

  292

  468

  1985

  158

  321

  614

  1986

  171

  184

  440

  1987

  101

  220

  443

  1988

  217

  208

  570

  1989

  312

  205

  713

  1990

  511

  243

  963

  1991

  504

  190

  900

  1992

  272

  116

  585

  Note:

  All quantities are given in tonnes liveweight. Length bands given relate to registered, not overall, length because prior to 1989 vessel lengths were measured in terms of registered lengths only. No comparable data is available for 1983 and the final figures for 1993 are not yet available.

  Arable Areas
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many holdings in each county of England have taken up the arable area payments scheme;

  (2) how many hectares have been taken up under the arable area payments scheme in its first year of operation for (a) cereals, (b) oilseeds, (c) proteins, (d) linseed, (e) simplified scheme and (f) set aside in the county of Nottinghamshire; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  County-based figures will be published as soon as possible and I will place a copy in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many landowners in England are receiving annual payments under the arable area payments scheme(a) in each £25,000 band up to £500,000 and (b) over £500,000; and if she will make a statement.
  55
  Mr. Jack
  This information can currently be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many holdings there are in each

  County

  Holdings with

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Linseed

  Sugar beet

  Horticultural produce

  Oil seed rape

  Bedfordshire

  691

  183

  87

  28

  344

  252

  Berkshire

  292

  24

  76

  0

  83

  89

  Buckinghamshire

  682

  39

  75

  0

  136

  262

  Cleveland

  260

  45

  8

  0

  27

  120

  Cambridgeshire

  2,575

  1,063

  368

  1,407

  922

  619

  Cheshire

  1,120

  608

  18

  19

  324

  104

  Cornwall

  2,126

  777

  133

  10

  697

  54

  Cumbria

  1,406

  344

  4

  0

  117

  17

  Derbyshire

  1,030

  298

  17

  17

  143

  196

  Devon

  2,921

  684

  188

  6

  627

  65

  Dorset

  672

  69

  103

  1—

  221

  58

  Durham

  789

  142

  50

  0

  59

  343

  Essex

  1,763

  398

  380

  219

  868

  805

  Gloucestershire

  1,005

  173

  227

  11

  380

  278

  Hampshire

  850

  148

  274

  1—

  514

  247

  Isle of Wight

  133

  38

  47

  0

  75

  36

  Hereford and Worcester

  2,408

  828

  116

  277

  1,329

  336

  Hertfordshire

  553

  48

  103

  6

  195

  255

  Kent

  1,280

  353

  374

  3

  1,451

  464

  Lancashire

  659

  509

  10

  29

  936

  78

  Leicestershire

  1,362

  171

  157

  45

  130

  485

  Lincolnshire

  3,979

  1,786

  626

  2,034

  2,053

  1,244

  Merseyside

  239

  143

  7

  20

  177

  36

  Greater London

  71

  12

  12

  0

  138

  28

  Norfolk

  3,285

  1,098

  557

  2,367

  1,374

  349

  Northamptonshire

  1,044

  79

  173

  25

  94

  532

  Tyne and Wear

  139

  22

  13

  0

  25

  73

  Northumberland

  1,079

  105

  55

  0

  66

  435

  Nottinghamshire

  1,260

  366

  209

  392

  225

  487

  Oxfordshire

  1,034

  105

  234

  6

  158

  433

  Avon

  415

  113

  35

  0

  194

  56

  Shropshire

  1,940

  539

  75

  438

  205

  168

  Somerset

  1,242

  330

  114

  20

  522

  94

  Staffordshire

  1,047

  355

  58

  108

  235

  162

  Suffolk

  2,279

  392

  415

  967

  713

  612

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  28

  0

  0

  52

  0

  Surrey

  229

  25

  77

  0

  280

  68

  East Sussex

  476

  74

  154

  0

  294

  119

  West Sussex

  513

  81

  168

  0

  508

  165

  Warwickshire

  1,118

  246

  116

  8

  187

  366

  Greater Manchester

  192

  99

  1—

  8

  153

  31

  Wiltshire

  1,046

  119

  258

  5

  175

  322

  West Midlands

  150

  69

  1—

  8

  65

  27

  North Yorkshire

  686

  233

  154

  98

  114

  234

  South Yorkshire

  3,783

  1,260

  425

  889

  410

  1,045

  West Yorkshire

  506

  195

  41

  32

  225

  165

  Humberside

  2,412

  771

  378

  658

  759

  1,010

  1 Data suppressed to prevent disclosure of information about individual holdings.

  Source: June 1992 Agricultural and Horticultural Census, MAFF (excludes estimates for minor holdings).

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many hectares were taken up in each county of England in 1992 and 1993 by(a) cereals, (b) potatoes, (c) linseed, (d) sugar beet, (e) horticultural produce and (f) oilseeds.

  Area of crops (ha)

  Country

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Linseed

  Sugar beet

  Horticultural produce

  Oilseed rape

  Bedfordshire

  47,580

  691

  1,922

  492

  2,077

  8,803

  Berkshire

  29,001

  107

  2,111

  0

  433

  4,299

  Buckinghamshire

  41,762

  132

  1,597

  0

  508

  7,666

  Cleveland

  13,102

  149

  108

  0

  47

  2,569

  Cambridgeshire

  153,531

  11,349

  6,182

  23,149

  10,201

  19,422

  56
  county of England in 1992 and 1993 growing (a) cereals, (b) potatoes, (c) linseed, (d) sugar beet, (e) horticultural produce and (f) oilseeds.

  Mr. Jack
  The following table gives the requested information for 1992. Data from the June 1993 agricultural and horticultural census are not yet available by county.

  Mr. Jack
  The following table gives the requested information for 1992. Data from the June 1993 agricultural and horticultural census are not yet available by county.
  57

  Country

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Linseed

  Sugar beet

  Horticultural produce

  Oilseed rape

  Cheshire

  23,984

  4,418

  402

  175

  1,154

  1,714

  Cornwall

  37,982

  4,052

  1,933

  104

  2,808

  927

  Cumbria

  20,772

  553

  52

  0

  221

  318

  Derbyshire

  29,687

  1,013

  416

  331

  606

  3,712

  Devon

  58,164

  1,554

  2,345

  56

  1,905

  1,342

  Dorset

  46,447

  274

  2,909

  1—

  606

  2,104

  Durham

  35,496

  865

  710

  0

  140

  7,014

  Essex

  143,983

  5,464

  6,808

  4,246

  5,668

  25,733

  Gloucestershire

  58,814

  844

  6,195

  177

  1,554

  8,454

  Hampshire

  88,601

  835

  7,692

  1—

  3,419

  8,902

  Isle of Wight

  7,152

  272

  887

  0

  360

  1,132

  Hereford and Worcester

  82,126

  7,649

  1,492

  4,531

  9,647

  6,346

  Hertfordshire

  52,472

  378

  2,340

  171

  390

  8,957

  Kent

  77,170

  4,056

  7,495

  2

  21,823

  16,005

  Lancashire

  16,198

  2,719

  142

  308

  5,303

  1,136

  Leicestershire

  78,520

  1,262

  3,389

  963

  623

  13,315

  Lincolnshire

  273,449

  17,530

  13,158

  33,913

  36,453

  35,459

  Merseyside

  8,560

  894

  48

  208

  1,134

  472

  Greater London

  3,540

  98

  173

  0

  713

  703

  Norfolk

  200,235

  14,025

  11,341

  57,557

  22,418

  8,948

  Northamptonshire

  81,374

  794

  3,475

  405

  218

  18,558

  Tyne and Wear

  6,405

  69

  161

  0

  108

  1,609

  Northumberland

  75,594

  1,058

  1,091

  0

  450

  11,601

  Nottinghamshire

  73,235

  5,535

  4,343

  8,276

  2,417

  11,277

  Oxfordshire

  89,697

  791

  5,350

  118

  913

  15,569

  Avon

  13,417

  211

  457

  0

  404

  1,049

  Shropshire

  79,514

  7,701

  1,016

  10,057

  938

  3,380

  Somerset

  38,305

  1,708

  1,399

  365

  2,344

  1,716

  Staffordshire

  40,578

  4,071

  941

  2,432

  1,384

  3,307

  Suffolk

  158,367

  5,437

  7,572

  23,541

  11,828

  16,475

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  27

  0

  0

  173

  0

  Surrey

  9,928

  81

  1,574

  0

  1,195

  1,748

  East Sussex

  21,541

  296

  3,510

  0

  1,444

  2,962

  West Sussex

  34,091

  977

  3,886

  0

  1,635

  5,032

  Warwickshire

  58,674

  2,354

  2,665

  167

  1,367

  10,398

  Greater Manchester

  5,442

  508

  1—

  45

  882

  435

  Wiltshire

  93,286

  639

  6,505

  98

  589

  10,027

  West Midlands

  4,968

  349

  1—

  182

  310

  625

  South Yorkshire

  32,679

  1,640

  3,830

  1,855

  792

  4,691

  North Yorkshire

  187,990

  12,083

  5,728

  12,522

  2,498

  18,660

  West Yorkshire

  20,926

  1,075

  491

  406

  1,083

  3,023

  Humberside

  167,952

  8,483

  5,202

  9,387

  12,919

  23,487

  1 Data suppressed to prevent disclosure of information about individual holdings.

  Source: June 1992 Agricultural and Horticultural Census, MAFF (excludes estimates for minor holdings).

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what monitoring is conducted of the arable area payments scheme; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  It is not Government policy to publish specific information about monitoring arrangements, as that could seriously hamper effective enforcement. However, a number of techniques are used to monitor compliance with the scheme, including detailed checks of area aid applications and field inspections.

  Agriculture Council
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the outcome of the EC Agriculture Council of 13 to 16 December, indicating the voting record of each member state on each item and where no formal votes were taken.

  Mr. Jack
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney (Mr. Porter) on 17 December,Official Report, columns 1071–72.

  Environmentally Sensitive Areas
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much will be spent in England in each year from 1993–94 to 1995–96 on(a) environmentally sensitive areas, identifying the amount allocated for the new access option, (b) new nitrate sensitive areas, (c) the moorland scheme, (d) the new habitat scheme, (e) the new countryside access scheme, (f) the organic acid scheme and (g) the total amount of money being spent on the agri-environment scheme in England; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  Forecast expenditure on agri-environment payments, including new schemes planned for launch later this year, is shown in the following table:

  £ million

  1993–94

  1994–95

  1995–96

  Environmentally Sensitive Areas

  18·0

  31·0

  43·1

  Nitrate Sensitive Areas

  1·6

  1·6

  8·3

  Moorland Scheme

  —

  —

  1·6

  Habitat Scheme

  —

  —

  3·0

  Countryside Access Scheme

  —

  —

  4·5

  Organic Scheme

  —

  0·8

  1·5

  Countryside Stewardship

  7·5

  9·3

  9·8

  TOTAL

  27·1

  42·7

  71·8

  59
  There is a single budget for environmentally sensitive areas, which includes the new access option, and a single budget for nitrate sensitive areas, which includes both current and new areas.

  Sheep Quota
  Mrs. Lait
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what assessment she has made of whether all farmers will be able to obtain, complete and return the forms for sheep quota by 7 January following advice to do so by Reading regional service centre on 11 December; and what contingency plans she has to relax the deadline;

  (2) why Reading regional service centre of her Department changed its advice to sheep farmers and stopped sending application forms for sheep quota automatically.

  Mr. Jack
  It is essential that producers applying to the reserve receive their payments under the sheep annual premium scheme as quickly as possible. For this reason, we decided that applications should be invited first from producers eligible to apply to categories 1 and 2 of the 1993 sheep reserve. For the same reason, and to keep the burden of paper to the minimum, the application form was not sent out automatically to all sheep producers. Not all producers were eligible to apply to these categories. All sheep producers received a letter explaining the situation clearly, and in detail. The deadline of 7 January was also set so that payments could commence quickly. It allowed adequate time for the completion of the application form which was kept as simple as possible. The reserve categories have been the subject of widespread consultation and discussion, so that most producers will have given detailed consideration to their eligibility well in advance of receiving the application form.

  Livestock Imports
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proposals she has to review the system governing livestock imports from eastern Europe; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: My right hon. Friend does not have any proposals to review the system governing imports of livestock from eastern Europe, which is set out in the Europe agreements that the EU has concluded with the six countries principally involved, and in other EU legislation. My right hon. Friend has, however, recently announced newly strengthened measures designed to help prevent the introduction of disease into Great Britain through imported animals generally. These measures include an increase in the number of routine checks carried out on all imported livestock at points of destination and, because of particular concerns arising from the import of foot and mouth disease sero-positive cattle from Eastern Europe in 1992, the blood testing of all cattle imported from Eastern Europe.

  Less-favoured Areas
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will set out the considerations underlying the recent cuts in funding for less-favoured areas; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: Despite the reduction in hill livestock compensatory allowances
  60
  over the last three years, overall levels of direct subsidies from all sources to hill farmers have increased, and total payments of direct subsidies in 1994 are expected to be at least £550 million. The decision to reduced the rates payable under the 1994 hill livestock compensatory allowances scheme was taken as part of the autumn review of economic conditions in the hills and uplands. This showed that net farm incomes of hill farmers have risen by 33 per cent. in real terms during 1992–93 and are forecast to rise by a further 28 per cent. in the next year. A copy of the statistical tables which formed the basis of the review is in the Library of the House. The rates of grant available under the farm and conservation grant scheme 1989 have been reduced in the light of progress in reducing pollution incidents resulting from farm wastes and the development of other schemes addressing particular environmental concerns.

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what was the average(a) single man's, (b) single woman's, (c) married man's and (d) married woman's personal income as chargeable for income tax from self-employment in the capacity as a hill farmer in the less-favoured areas of the United Kingdom for each year since 1979 in both nominal and real terms;

  (2) what proportion of self employed male hill farmers in the less-favoured areas in the United Kingdom claimed the married man's tax allowance in the tax year prior to the change over to the independent method of assessing taxation and in the tax year for which the most recent figures are available;

  (3) what is the average income from self-employment as assessed for tax for farmers in the less-favoured areas of the United Kingdom for each year since the 1981–82 tax year;

  (4) what was the average personal income of a (a) single man, (b) single woman, (c) married man and (d) married woman hill farmer in the less-favoured areas of the United Kingdom as chargeable to income tax from all sources other than self-employment in farming for each year since 1979 in both nominal and real terms.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: The Inland Revenue's survey of personal incomes provides information on the income as assessed for tax from a sample of persons with an income from agriculture. It is not, however, possible to analyse this data for farms of particular types or for farmers in the less-favoured areas. I regret, therefore, that the information requested is not available.

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what according to(a) the most up-to-date and comprehensive data she has available and (b) the farm business survey, was the average number of (1) beef cows and (2) ewes, carried on less-favoured areas livestock farms, by county and in England.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: The following table provides information on the average number of beef cows and ewes on cattle and sheep farms, wholly or mainly in the less-favoured areas in England from the agricultural census as at June 1992. As the farm business survey covers only farms which are considered to be full time commercial businesses, very small farms are excluded from the survey. The farm business survey records the average number of livestock on the holding throughout the year. The average numbers of beef cows

  61
  and ewes on cattle and sheep—LFA —farms in England estimated from the farm business survey in 1992–93 were 30 and 456 respectively. This compares with averages as at June 1992 of 30 and 420 respectively for similar farms in the agricultural census. Results from the farm business survey are not available by county.

  Average number of animals on cattle and sheep farms, wholly or mainly in the LFA as at June 1992

  County

  Beef cows

  Ewes

  Cleveland

  10

  115

  Cheshire

  10

  243

  Cornwall

  20

  114

  Cumbria

  20

  407

  Derbyshire

  12

  158

  Devon

  20

  202

  Durham

  23

  290

  Hereford and Worcester

  15

  267

  Lancashire

  12

  224

  Northumberland

  40

  441

  Shropshire

  22

  292

  Somerset

  26

  399

  Staffordshire

  12

  72

  Greater Manchester

  10

  123

  South Yorkshire

  19

  168

  North Yorkshire

  17

  351

  West Yorkshire

  10

  101

  England

  19

  271

  Administration
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total expenditure by her Department on administration in 1992–93; what is the estimated outturn for expenditure by her Department on administration for 1993–94 in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms in 1992–93 prices; and what is her estimate for expenditure on administration by her Department for 1994–95 in(a) cash terms and (b) 1992–93 prices.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: (i) The final outturn for the recurrent costs of running the Department in 1992–93 is £358 million.

  (ii) The estimated outturn for 1993–94 is £418 million. This reflects the reduction on the Department's gross running cost limit announced by the Minister on 1 November 1993.

  (iii) The Department's planned running costs expenditure for 1994–95 is £407 million.

  Rates of subsidies available to hill farmers—United Kingdom

  Current prices

  £/head (unless otherwise specified)

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Sheep

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA Sheep (higher rate)

  6·25

  6·25

  6·75

  6·75

  6·75

  6·75

  7·50

  8·75

  8·75

  6·50

  SDA Sheep (lower rate)

  4·25

  4·25

  4·50

  4·50

  4·50

  4·50

  4·50

  4·90

  4·90

  3·60

  DA

  —

  2·12

  2·25

  2·25

  2·25

  2·25

  2·25

  2·45

  2·45

  2·86

  Sheep Annual Premium Scheme1

  4·68

  7·32

  5·12

  6·24

  6·11

  6·94

  9·88

  12·91

  17·48

  219·25

  LFA supplement

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3·12

  6·57

  5·16

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg(dead weight)13

  48·35

  50·60

  40·94

  43·11

  59·11

  44·40

  41·61

  63·06

  —

  —

  Beef

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA

  44·50

  44·50

  54·50

  54·50

  54·50

  54·50

  54·50

  63·30

  63·30

  63·30

  DA

  —

  22·75

  27·25

  27·25

  27·25

  27·25

  27·25

  31·65

  31·65

  31·65

  62
  The GDP deflators required to calculate real terms figures are shown on page 121 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1994–95" (HC 31), copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

  Milk Marketing
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps she is taking to ensure the reorganisation scheme for milk marketing in England and Wales is successful, both in relation to the Agriculture Act 1993 and to relevant European Union legislation; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: Under the Agriculture Act 1993 it is for the Milk Marketing Board to decide what to propose in its reorganisation scheme. My right hon. Friends the Minister and the Secretary of State for Wales have responsibility for deciding whether to approve the reorganisation scheme in accordance with the terms of the Act. This requires them to have regard to all the circumstances. These include the compatibility of the board's proposals with European Community law.

  Hill Farming
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the subsidy and price support available to hill farming enterprises over the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how they have varied in value at constant prices in relation to(a) farm input costs and (b) retail prices index over the same period.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 8 December 1993]: I estimate that the total direct subsidies paid on cattle and sheep in the less-favoured areas in 1994 will be about £550 million. The support available to individual hill farming enterprises will depend on the number of livestock on which subsidy is claimed as well as the rates of subsidy available. The figures in the following tables show the information requested for the direct livestock subsidies available to farmers. The subsidy rate are those available in the scheme years shown; different rules of eligibility apply and these may vary from year to year. Not all livestock will qualify for all schemes. Support is also available through intervention and other forms of market support, but it is not possible to apportion the effects of this to hill farmers.

  Detailed information on 1991–92 net farm incomes for LFA livestock farms can be found in table 1.16 of "Farm Incomes in the United Kingdom 1991–92", a copy of which can be found in the Library of the House.
  63

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Suckler Cow Premium1

  Basic Rate

  24·74

  24·74

  24·74

  33·40

  33·40

  47·43

  51·69

  59·64

  59·64

  65·73

  Extensification Premium

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  28·17

  Beef Special Premium45

  Basic Rate

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  29·19

  31·81

  31·82

  35·90

  656·34

  Extensification Premium

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  628·17

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg17

  Dead weight8

  15·85

  15·71

  16·33

  17·71

  15·87

  18·09

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Live weight

  8·72

  8·64

  8·98

  9·74

  8·73

  9·95

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1990 prices—deflated by Agricultural Input Prices Index

  Sheep

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA Sheep (higher rate)

  7·14

  7·10

  7·80

  7·76

  7·42

  7·02

  7·50

  8·45

  8·21

  5·81

  SDA Sheep (lower rate)

  4·86

  4·83

  5·20

  5·17

  4·95

  4·68

  4·50

  4·73

  4·60

  3·22

  DA

  —

  2·41

  2·60

  2·59

  2·47

  2·34

  2·25

  2·36

  2·30

  2·56

  Sheep Annual Premium Scheme1

  5·35

  8·32

  5·92

  7·17

  6·72

  7·21

  9·88

  12·46

  16·40

  217·21

  LFA supplement

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3·01

  6·16

  4·61

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg(dead weight)12

  55·26

  57·48

  47·31

  49·57

  65·00

  46·15

  41·61

  60·86

  —

  —

  Beef

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA

  50·86

  50·55

  62·98

  62·66

  59·93

  56·64

  54·50

  61·09

  59·38

  56·58

  DA

  —

  25·84

  31·49

  31·33

  29·97

  28·32

  27·25

  30·55

  29·69

  28·29

  Suckler Cow Premium1

  Basic Rate

  28·27

  28·10

  28·59

  38·40

  36·73

  49·30

  51·69

  57·56

  55·95

  58·75

  Extensification Premium

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  25·18

  Beef Special Premium45

  Basic Rate

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  30·34

  31·81

  30·71

  33·68

  650·36

  Extensification Premium

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  625·18

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg17

  Dead weight8

  18·12

  17·85

  18·87

  20·36

  17·46

  18·80

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Live weight

  9·97

  9·82

  10·38

  11·20

  9·60

  10·34

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1990 prices—deflated by Retail Prices Index

  Sheep

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA Sheep (higher rate)

  8·84

  8·34

  8·70

  8·36

  7·97

  7·39

  7·50

  8·27

  7·97

  5·72

  SDA Sheep (lower rate)

  6·01

  5·67

  5·80

  5·57

  5·31

  4·93

  4·50

  4·63

  4·46

  3·17

  DA

  —

  2·83

  2·90

  2·79

  2·66

  2·46

  2·25

  2·32

  2·23

  2·52

  Sheep Annual Premium Scheme1

  6·62

  9·77

  6·60

  7·73

  7·21

  7·60

  9·88

  12·20

  15·92

  216·94

  LFA supplement

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2·95

  5·99

  4·54

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg(dead weight)13

  68·41

  67·50

  52·80

  53·37

  69·76

  48·60

  41·61

  59·59

  —

  —

  Beef

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances

  SDA

  62·96

  59·37

  70·28

  67·47

  64·32

  59·66

  54·50

  59·82

  57·66

  55·70

  DA

  —

  30·35

  35·14

  33·74

  32·16

  29·83

  27·25

  29·91

  28·83

  27·85

  Suckler Cow Premium1

  Basic Rate

  35·00

  33·00

  31·90

  41·35

  39·42

  51·92

  51·69

  56·36

  54·33

  57·83

  Extensification Premium

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  24·79

  Beef Special Premium45

  Basic Rate

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  31·95

  31·81

  30·07

  31·70

  649·57

  Extensification Premium

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  624·79

  Average Variable Premium—pence/kg17

  Dead weight8

  22·43

  20·96

  21·06

  21·92

  18·73

  19·80

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Live weight

  12·34

  11·53

  11·58

  12·06

  10·30

  10·89

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1 GB figures.

  2 Based on Commission estimate made in November 1993 converted at current green rate.

  3 Average of weekly rate. Sheep Variable Premium Scheme phased out in 1991.

  4Figure each year up to 1992 as at December.

  5 Beef Special Premium Scheme started 1st April 1989.

  6 Full rate. Actual payments will be scaled back as regional ceilings have been exceeded.

  7Average of weekly rate. Beef Variable Premium Scheme ended March 1989.

  8 Assumes a killing out ratio of 0·55.

  Forests, Honiton
  Sir Peter Emery
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the Forestry Commission woods in the Honiton constituency.
  64
  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 15 December 1993]: The Forestry Commission has no forest land on the market at present in my right hon. Friend's constituency.

  Hill Farmers
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many hill farmers there are in England; what is the total amount of subsidy that has been paid to them in each of the last five years; and what are her forecasts for the amount she expects they will be paid in the next year.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The system of farm classification distinguishes farms in the less-favoured areas, it does not distinguish hill farms. Analysis of the returns for the June 1992 census for England shows that there were 11,840 cattle and sheep farms wholly or mainly in the less-favoured areas. Statistics are not collected on the total amount of subsidy paid to each type of farm. It is, however, estimated that the total amount paid on cattle and sheep in the less-favoured areas in the United Kingdom under the various livestock subsidy schemes will be about £550 million in 1994.

  Common Agricultural Policy
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer of 9 December,Official Report, column 369, if she will set out each reason why she cannot estimate the precise cost to United Kingdom consumers of the CAP; and what is the best approximate figure available to her for the cost (a) to the Exchequer and (b) to an average family in terms of food prices.

  Mr. Jack
  Estimates of the cost of the CAP to United Kingdom consumers, and of the savings that could be secured if current policies were ended, are possible only be making many assumptions. Important judgments are necessary about the current levels of world prices—no simple matter given the wide variations in quotations and substantial fluctuations from year to year—and the changes in these prices if present policies were abandoned. The latter depend on how producers and consumers throughout the world might respond to the new circumstances and on the impact on such factors as exchange rates.

  Estimates made by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development—OECD—using a particular set of assumptions, imply that the transfers from European Community consumers in 1992 resulting from agricultural policies in European Community as a whole were equivalent to £11 per week for a family of four. This is one estimate of the extent to which the CAP raises the cost of food and agricultural products compared to existing world prices. The estimate takes no account of the effect that removal of farm support would have on world prices, and other variables, and thus gives no indication of the extent to which European consumers might be better off if current policies were removed. OECD does not publish a separate estimate for the United Kingdom.

  The Exchequer cost of CAP expenditure in the United Kingdom in the current financial year is estimated at £2,727 million. In addition, the United Kingdom also contributes to the cost of the CAP in other member states. However, the United Kingdom contributes to the EC budget as a whole, and this is reduced by the Fontainebleau abatement which cannot be attributed to particular sectors of the EC budget.

  Research and Development
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the spending on research and development in each of the last five years given in 1992–93 prices in her Department.

  Mr. Jack
  MAFF's expenditure on agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and food R and D, in cash and real terms, is:

  Year

  Cash £ million

  Real terms1 £ million

  1988–89

  115·0

  146·8

  1989–90

  112·2

  133·9

  1990–91

  119·1

  131·5

  1991–92

  121·5

  126·2

  1992–93

  134·4

  134·4

  1Using the GDP deflator (1992–93=100).

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Costs Awards
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 15 December,Official Report, column 637, what is the average interval between the award of (a) costs and (b) expedited costs, including tax costs, and their payment in (i) the inner London criminal court, (ii) outer London courts and (iii) other courts.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  No information is available about the average interval between the award and payment of costs in civil or criminal proceedings. It could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  However, the following information on the taxing and payment of costs in criminal proceedings may be helpful:

  The Crown Court is responsible for the payment of defence costs from the legal aid fund in respect of proceedings in that court if the defendant has been granted a legal aid certificate, or from central funds if a privately represented defendant is acquitted on any count in the indictment and the judge orders the award of a defendant's costs order. The Legal Aid Board is responsible for legal aid costs incurred in respect of magistrates courts proceedings.

  Where costs are to be paid from the legal aid fund or central funds by the Crown Court, legal representatives are required to submit their claims to the court within three months of the conclusion of proceedings, although that period may be extended upon reasonable request. An officer of the Crown Court is then required to consider the claim and allow such sums as will provide reasonable remuneration in respect of work reasonably done.

  Targets have been set to ensure payments are made within a reasonable time. Where a practitioner has claimed a standard fee, the target is for payment within five working days where the claim is lodged on the day that the case is concluded, and within 10 working days where it is not. For non-standard fees, where counsel's brief fee or the solicitor's total costs are less than £4,000, there is a target of no more than 30 per cent. of claims to be outstanding after four weeks from date of receipt. If counsel's brief fee or the solicitor's total costs are in excess of £4,000, these claims are considered by the central taxing teams which

  67
  were established in March 1991 to give a consistent approach to the determination of large claims from the legal aid fund or central funds. The targets set for these claims are that 75 per cent. of claims should be determined within three months of becoming ready to tax—that is to say, when all related claims have been lodged—and that all claims should be determined within six months of becoming ready to tax.

  The tables provide the most recent figures for the performance against these targets:

  Crown Court Performance for Standard Fees (Target: All to be paid within 5 to 10 working days)

  Counsel Per cent.

  Solicitors Per cent.

  Percentage paid in time—November 1993

  Inner London sessions house

  98·03

  99·31

  All London courts

  88·7

  93·6

  All courts

  88·84

  89·6

  January to November 1993

  Inner London sessions house

  98·3

  97·9

  All London courts

  78·1

  80·9

  All courts

  85·1

  85·9

  Performance for ex post facto fees below £4,000 (Target: No more than 30 per cent. outstanding after 4 weeks)

  Counsel Per cent.

  Solicitors Per cent.

  Percentage outstanding after four weeks—October 1993

  Inner London sessions house

  0

  2·13

  All London courts

  19·39

  12·91

  All courts

  25·3

  26·7

  Percentage outstanding after four weeks April—October 1993

  Inner London sessions house

  3·6

  4·1

  All London courts

  35·3

  30·4

  All courts

  26·8

  28·2

  Public body

  Member

  Date of appointment

  Retainer £

  Council on Tribunals

  Lord Archer of Sandwell QC1

  1 November 1992–31 October 1995

  28,248

  Lord Gibson-Watt MC1

  May 1980—April 1986

  17,290

  Lord Wigoder QC

  February 1980—February 1986

  2,960

  Lord Tweedsmuir1

  Retired April 1980

  not known

  Lady Fulton

  Retired March 1980

  nil

  Lord Mancroft TD

  Retired December 1979

  not known

  Legal Aid Advisory Committee

  Lady Park of Monmouth

  as Chairman 1985–90

  nil

  Lady Flather of Windsor and Maidenhead

  1985–88

  nil

  Advisory Council on Public Records

  Lord Skidelsky

  29 March 1988–31 December 1993

  nil

  Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct

  Lord Griffiths MC

  16 October 1990 (appt. as chair-man announced)—30 September 1993

  nil

  Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace in Northern Ireland (Fermanagh Division)

  Earl of Earn

  Member 1975 Chairman 1986

  nil

  Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace in Northern Ireland (Tyrone Division)

  Duke of Abercom

  Chairman 1987

  nil

  1 Denotes chairmanship as well as membership.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to 68

  Performance for ex post facto fees over £4,000 (Target: 75 per cent. determined within three months and 100 per cent. determined within six months of becoming ready to tax)

  Circuit

  Percentage taxed within three months Percent.

  Percentage taxed within six months Percent.

  November 1993

  South Eastern

  50

  100

  Midland and Oxford

  51

  100

  Northern

  97

  100

  North Eastern

  99

  100

  Wales and Chester

  65

  97

  Western

  80

  100

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, ex-cluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  A complete answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the schedule includes details readily to hand of members of the House of Lords who have been appointed by the Lord Chancellor since 1979 to non-departmental public bodies for which he has ministerial responsibility.

  quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  A complete answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Readily available
  69
  records on the appointments made by the Lord Chancellor since 1979 to non-departmental public bodies for which he has ministerial responsibility do not indicate that any were former British representative members in the European Parliament.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  A complete answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, details readily to hand of hon. Members who have been appointed by the Lord Chancellor since 1979 to non-departmental public bodies for which he has ministerial responsibility, are as follows:the Right Hon. the Lord Archer of Sandwell, QC who was a Member of the House of Commons, as Peter Archer, 1974–1992. He was appointed as chairman of the Council on Tribunals at a retainer of £28,248. The appointment runs from 1 November 1992 to 31 October 1995.
  In addition, the following existing hon. Members are members of the Advisory Council on Public Records:
  Alexander Charles Carlile QC—13 March 1989 to 31 December 1994;
  Terence Anthony Gordon Davis—13 March 1989 to 31 December 1994;
  David Sumberg—23 November 1992 to 31 December 1995.

  Appointments to the Advisory Council on Public Records do not attract a fee.

  This list is not complete as in many cases only current or recently finished appointments have been included and no information on rule committees, tribunals, advisory committees on justices of the peace in England—excluding the Duchy of Lancaster—and Wales, and on advisory committees on general commissioners of income tax in England and Wales has been included. A full answer could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  BBC Radio
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what information he has concerning the cost per listener hour of the output of each of the British Broadcasting Corporation's national radio stations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Brooke
  I understand from the BBC that the cost per listener hour for each BBC network radio station, in 1992–93, was as follows:

  pence

  Radio 1

  0·37

  Radio 2

  0·81

  Radio 3

  7·26

  Radio 4

  1·51

  Radio 5

  4·81

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what information he has concerning the total number of listeners attracted per week by each of the national radio stations operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation.
  70
  Mr. Brooke
  I understand from the BBC that, for the period 21 June to 19 September 1993, the estimated weekly audience reach for each BBC network radio station was as follows:

  million

  Radio 1

  16

  Radio 2

  9

  Radio 3

  3

  Radio 4

  8

  Radio 5

  4

  Note: The audience reach figures for each station are based on the total number of listeners tuning in for at least 15 minutes per week.

  Film Industry
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will commission a report on(a) the levy, (b) the investment incentive, and (c) other measures which have been adopted by each member country of the European Community in seeking to encourage investment in its film production industry with a view to making a statement to the House indicating which of those measures might be appropriate for adoption in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Brooke
  Film support measures in other member states are a matter for the authorities of those states to determine according to their own policies and circumstances. I have no plans to adopt measures designed to meet objectives which we do not share. Last year, I held a series of 10 consultative meetings with all sectors of the United Kingdom film industry to review the state of the industry and hear their ideas about possible further action to raise the level of investment in film production. I am carefully considering all the views put to me during the round of meetings and subsequently, and I shall announce the Government's conclusions as soon as practicable.

  London Orchestras
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what information he has about the cost of the Hoffman inquiry into the funding of London's orchestras.

  Mr. Brooke
  The Hoffman inquiry was commissioned by the Arts Council as part of its review of its support for the London orchestras. I understand that the Council's direct costs in connection with the inquiry were in the region of £5,000, arising mainly from the travel and subsistence costs of the members of the Hoffman committee. I have no details of costs incurred by other parties involved in the review.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what arrangements are made to ensure that special advisers to Ministers in his Department do not have access to the kind of information, and are not involved in the type of business, that would be likely to create suspicion of impropriety in relation to subsequent employment.

  Mr. Brooke
  Care is taken to ensure that my special adviser does not have access to the kind of information likely to create suspicion of impropriety. He is not involved in evaluating tenders or letting contracts.
  71
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the name and job description of each special ministerial adviser employed in his Department showing any particular outputs for which each advisor is responsible.

  Mr. Brooke
  My special advisor is Dominic Loehnis. His job is to provide me with advice of a political nature which assists me in my role as a Minister in Her Majesty's Government, advice which it would not be proper to expect from those civil servants who work in my Department.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many civil servants are employed at the Department of National Heritage to deal with sport issues; and what is the total annual cost of their salaries.

  Mr. Brooke
  There are 23 posts in the Department's sport and recreation division, including secretarial and typing support—two posts. The paybill budget for 1993–94 amounts to £641,350.

  Administration Expenditure
  Mr. Rhodri Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the total expenditure by his Department on administration in 1992–93; what is the estimated outturn for expenditure by his Department on administration for 1993–94 in (i) cash terms and (ii) real terms in 1992–93 prices; and what is his estimate for expenditure on administration by his Department for 1994–95 in(a) cash terms and (b) 1992–93 prices.

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: The information is as follows:

  (i) The final outtum for the current costs of running my Department, including the Historic Royal Palaces Agency and the Royal Parks Agency, in 1992–93 is £34·871 million.

  (ii) The estimated outtum for 1993–94 is £45·404 million—£43·975 million in 1992–93 prices.

  (iii) My Department's planned running costs expenditure figure for 1994–95 is not yet available. The figure will be published in the unified Budget supplement to the Autumn Statement and my Department's annual report due in February/March.

EDUCATION

  Student Grants
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he will review the operations of the discretionary grant system as it affects students of the performing arts.

  Mr. Boswell
  The responsibility for making discretionary awards rests with local education authorities. The early results of a national survey led by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Sir John Cass' Foundation show total numbers of discretionary awards bestowed and total local education authority spending on discretionary awards above the levels of three years ago. My right hon. Friend awaits with interest the full results of the survey, which are expected in March.

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the percentage of all dependent 72
  students receiving a full maintenance grant, and the percentage of those receiving no maintenance grant, assuming residual parental income is calculated without the benefit of a covenant agreement, for each of the academic years 1988–89, 1989–90 and 1990–91; if he will calculate the percentage change across this period; and if he will make a statement on the causes of the changes over that period.

  Mr. Boswell
  In determining the residual parental income under the regulations, any deductions made for income tax purposes in respect of payments made under covenant are disregarded.

  Information on the percentage of dependent students receiving a full maintenance grant under the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations and those receiving nil maintenance are given.

  Percentage of dependent students receiving full and nil maintenance in England and Wales

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–911

  Percentage Point change 1988–89 to 1990–91

  Full maintenance

  29·1

  27·4

  27·1

  -2·0

  Nil maintenance

  28·2

  29·1

  29·0

  0·8

  1 Calculated from subset of LEAs able to provide data.

  The changing distribution reflects the effects of a range of, sometimes conflicting, factors including the economic climate over the period and the changing socio-economic composition of the parents of mandatory award holders.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment;

  (2) if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment;

  (3) if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Boswell
  Information is given relating to members of the House of Lords and former hon. Members appointed to our public bodies since 1988.

  No current United Kingdom Member of the European Parliament has been appointed to any of our public bodies.

  Information concerning membership of our public bodies dating back to 1979 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
  73

  Name of NDPB and peer

  Post

  Remuneration

  Duration of appointment

  Council for National Academic Awards

  Baroness MacFarlane

  Member

  —

  4·5 years

  Lord Pearson

  Member

  —

  2 years

  National Council for Educational Technology

  Lady Parkes

  Chairman

  —

  3 years1

  School Examinations and Assessment Council

  Lord Griffiths

  Chairman

  £275 per day2

  2 years

  Lord Skidelsky

  Member

  —

  3 years1

  University Commissioners

  Lord Butterworth

  Member

  £246 per day2

  5 years

  Universities Funding Council

  Lord Chilver

  Chairman

  £14,000 per annum2

  3 years

  Visiting Committee of the Cranfield Institute of Technology

  Lord Lewis

  Chairman

  —

  10 years

  1 Served 1 year.

  2 Part-time.

  Name of NDPB and former hon. Member

  Post

  Remuneration

  Duration of appointment

  Further Education Funding Council

  Mr. N. Bennett

  Member

  £4,000 per annum1

  3 years

  Higher Education Funding Council

  Mr. M. Fallon

  Member

  £4,000 per annum1

  3 years

  Honorarium.

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many grant-maintained schools have been approved so far in the secondary sector.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  To date, 559 secondary schools have been approved for self-governing—grant-maintained —status.

  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils are now being taught in grant-maintained schools; and what is the expected number by August 1994.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  More than half a million pupils are currently being educated in over 800 self-governing—grant-maintained—schools.

  Over 160 more schools have already been approved to become self-governing later this year or have applications in the pipeline, and there is continuing demand for parental ballots on the question of self-governing status. The number of pupils in self-governing schools will therefore continue to grow. The rate of growth will depend on the views of parents in ballots, and on the merits of the applications submitted to my right hon. Friend.

  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list(a) the political control and (b) the number of grant-maintained schools in each local education authority.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The information requested is as follows:74

  LEA

  Political control

  Number of self-governing schools operating at 11 January1994

  Avon

  NOC

  2

  Barking

  Lab

  0

  Barnet

  Con

  11

  Barnsley

  Lab

  0

  Bedfordshire

  NOC

  13

  Berkshire

  Lab/LD/Ind

  17

  Bexley

  Con

  6

  Birmingham

  Lab

  18

  Bolton

  Lab

  4

  Bradford

  Lab

  7

  Brent

  Con/Ind

  9

  Bromley

  Con

  13

  Buckinghamshire

  Con

  15

  Bury

  Lab minority

  1

  Calderdale

  NOC

  6

  Cambridgeshire

  LD/Lab

  22

  Camden

  Lab

  2

  Cheshire

  Con/LD

  6

  City

  Ind

  0

  Cleveland

  Lab

  0

  Cornwall

  LD

  0

  Coventry

  Lab

  0

  Croydon

  Con

  6

  Cumbria

  Lab minority

  21

  Derbyshire

  Lab

  21

  Devon

  LD minority

  7

  Doncaster

  Lab

  0

  Dorset

  LD

  10

  Dudley

  Lab

  7

  Durham

  Lab

  0

  Ealing

  Con

  9

  East Sussex

  LD/Lab

  0

  Enfield

  Con

  6

  75

  LEA

  Political control

  Number of self-governing schools operating at 11 January1994

  Essex

  Lab/LD

  117

  Gateshead

  Lab

  0

  Gloucestershire

  NOC

  29

  Greenwich

  Lab

  0

  Hackney

  Lab

  0

  Hammersmith

  Lab

  1

  Hampshire

  LD/Lab/Ind

  30

  Haringey

  Lab

  0

  Harrow

  Con

  1

  Havering

  Lab minority

  4

  Hereford and Worcester

  Lab/LD

  5

  Hertfordshire

  NOC

  25

  Hillingdon

  Lab

  23

  Hounslow

  Lab

  2

  Humberside

  Lab

  2

  Isle of Wight

  LD

  0

  Isles of Scilly

  Ind

  0

  Islington Kensington

  Lab

  0

  Kent

  Con

  2

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  NOC

  72

  Kirklees

  Lab

  2

  Knowsley

  Lab

  1

  Lambeth

  Lab minority

  10

  Lancashire

  Lab

  9

  Leeds

  Lab

  2

  Leicestershire

  NOC

  5

  Lewisham

  Lab

  1

  Lincolnshire

  Lab/LD

  44

  Liverpool

  Lab minority

  3

  Manchester

  Lab

  0

  Merton

  Lab

  0

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  Lab

  0

  Newham

  Lab

  1

  Norfolk

  Lab minority

  23

  North Yorkshire

  NOC

  0

  North Tyneside

  Lab

  0

  Northamptonshire

  Lab

  21

  Northumberland

  Lab

  1

  Nottinghamshire

  Lab

  3

  Oldham

  Lab

  0

  Oxfordshire

  NOC

  1

  Redbridge

  Con

  1

  Richmond upon Thames

  LD

  0

  Rochdale

  Con/LD

  4

  Rotherham

  Lab

  0

  Salford

  Lab

  1

  Sandwell

  Lab

  1

  Sefton

  NOC

  0

  Sheffield

  Lab

  6

  Shropshire

  Lab/LD

  6

  Solihull

  Con/Ind

  1

  Somerset

  LD

  2

  South Tyneside

  Lab

  0

  Southwark

  Lab

  9

  St. Helens

  Lab

  0

  Staffordshire

  Lab

  6

  Stockport

  NOC

  0

  Suffolk

  Lab/LD

  0

  Sunderland

  Lab

  0

  Surrey

  Con/LD

  22

  Sutton

  LD

  11

  Tameside

  Lab

  3

  Tower Hamlets

  LD

  1

  Trafford

  Con

  4

  Wakefield

  Lab

  0

  Walsall

  Con/Ind

  8

  Waltham Forest

  Lab

  2

  Wandsworth

  Con

  8

  Warwickshire

  Lab minority

  8

  West Sussex

  LD minority

  0

  Westminster

  Con

  0

  76

  LEA

  Political control

  Number of self-governing schools operating at 11 January1994

  Wigan

  Lab

  0

  Wiltshire

  NOC

  19

  Wirral

  NOC

  2

  Wolverhampton

  Con minority

  3

  Key:

  Con = Conservative

  Ind = Independent

  Lab = Labour

  LD = Liberal Democrat

  NOC = No overall control

  Notes:

  1. No Overall Control. Such councils are not controlled by any party or group of parties.

  2. Where several parties are shown—Lab/LD/Ind—the authority is being run by a joint administration of some sort. This does not mean that there will necessarily have been a formal pact. In several cases the joint administration will be as a result of an informal understanding of some kind.

  Language Teaching (Primary Schools)
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to making funding available to primary schools for extra language teaching, in the light of the reductions in section 11 funding for these schools.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  Local education authorities—LEAs —at present receive an additional allowance in their standard spending assessment—SSA—to meet the educational needs of children with origins outside predominantly English-speaking countries. SSAs are not prescriptive and LEAs are responsible for funding primary schools according to their own priorities between and within services. When undertaking the recent review of education SSAs for the 1994–95 financial year, we took account of the reduction in the section 11 grant rate.

  University Applicants
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change in the percentage of applicants to the Universities Central Council on Admissions from social class V between 1986 and 1991.

  Mr. Boswell
  UCCA has collected these details from the academic year 1989–90 onwards. The percentage of applicants to UCCA from social class V has increased slightly since then from 1·2 per cent. in 1989 to 1·7 per cent. in 1992. A number of factors will have contributed to this change. Data collected by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys suggest the proportion of the total young population in social classes IV and V declined over this period.

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish figures for the social class of 1992 university applicants on the same basis as has been published in UCCA's statistics in previous years.

  Mr. Boswell
  Comparable data on the social class of applicants have been published by UCCA in its annual
  77
  statistical supplement for more than the last 10 years, the latest for 1992. Students applying to the former polytechnics and colleges which are members of PCAS —Polytechnics central admissions systems—have also been asked, since 1991, to provide information on their social background on the same basis as UCCA applicants. The new joint admissions agency, UCAS—Universities and Colleges Admissions Service—will continue to collect and publish information on the social background of higher education applicants.

  Student Incomes
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the percentage income of a university degree/course student, whose parental contribution is assessed as nil, derived from grants and loans for each year from 1988; and what is his forecast for the next three years.

  Mr. Boswell
  Information is not available in the form requested. No data are collected centrally that identify the percentage of total income which a student whose parental income is assessed as nil derives from grant and student loan. The hon. Member may find it helpful to refer to the student income and expenditure survey published on 16 December 1993, a copy of which is in the Library. The table gives the maximum income available to a student from the main rates of grant and loan.

  Academic year

  Total £

  1988–89

  2,050

  1989–90

  2,155

  1990–91

  2,685

  1991–92

  2,845

  1992–93

  2,980

  1993–94

  3,065

  1994–95

  3,190

  No forecast is available for 1995–96 or 1996–97.

  Note to table

  The table assumes that the student is studying outside London and living away from his parents. From the academic year 1990–91 when student loans were introduced, the income from grant and student loan will depend on whether the student applies for a loan and, if eligible, on how much of the loan he takes up. The grant and loan rates for 1994–95 are subject to Parliamentary approval of the relevant regulations.

  Numbers of full and part-time students on further education courses in construction, motor vehicle maintenance and engineering at 1 November of each year (England)

  Data from the Further Education Statistical Record for the appropriate years

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–931

  Construction and Related Subjects

  110,909

  120,831

  114,070

  97,569

  82,395

  Motor Vehicle Maintenance

  39,771

  43,541

  41,084

  40,113

  38,566

  All Other Engineering

  120,869

  126,447

  126,505

  127,647

  121,430

  1 Provisional.

  Local Education Authorities
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the capital allocation made to local education authorities for 1994–95 together with the bid made in each case; and if he will give each allocation as a percentage of the relevant bid.

  Further Education Colleges
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information he has on changes in(a) the number of senior non-teaching posts in further education colleges and (b) salaries of principals and senior staff, so designated by the instruments and articles of government in further education colleges in each of the last five years; and whether such information will be collected in future as a prerequisite for securing funding from the Further Education Funding Council.

  Mr. Boswell
  The Department does not collect information on numbers of staff in non-teaching posts, except where those posts are filled by staff employed on academic-research pay scales. Average salaries of principals of further education colleges in England in each of the four years up to 1991, the latest year for which figures are available, are shown in the table. Comparable figures for vice-principals and other heads of departments for years up to 1990 are also given; similar information for these groups is not available for 1991 because these posts were transferred to a new "Management spine" from April 1990.

  Average salary (£) at 31 March

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  Principals

  28,030

  29,820

  32,980

  39,120

  Vice-Principals

  24,750

  26,400

  28,810

  —

  Other Heads of Department

  21,800

  23,030

  24,980

  —

  Under the financial memorandum between the Further Education Funding Council and institutions in the new further education sector, which sets out terms and conditions for the payment of grant, institutions will be required to disclose in the notes to their accounts the salaries of all of their senior posts holders.

  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information he has on the number of students in further education colleges undertaking courses in construction, motor vehicle maintenance and engineer-ing in each of the last five years.

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

  Mr. Forth
  The table gives details of allocations to local education authorities of annual capital guidelines for schools.

  Allocation of annual capital guidelines (ACGs)for 1994–95

  LEA

  Total ACG bid(£000)

  Total ACG(£000)

  ACG as percentageof bid

  Barking

  5,409

  556

  10

  Barnet

  11,514

  2,838

  25

  Bexley

  6,881

  1,880

  27

  79

  LEA

  Total ACG bid (£000)

  Total ACG (£000)

  ACG as percentage of bid

  Brent

  4,675

  665

  14

  Barnsley

  4,198

  881

  21

  Bromley

  9,937

  2,761

  28

  Croydon

  7,613

  748

  10

  Ealing

  40,012

  2,945

  7

  Enfield

  6,656

  3,052

  46

  Haringey

  15,688

  2,288

  15

  Harrow

  11,156

  2,357

  21

  Havering

  8,665

  606

  7

  Hillingdon

  9,349

  1,085

  12

  Hounslow

  11,959

  2,347

  20

  Kingston

  1,747

  772

  44

  Merton

  10,050

  366

  4

  Newham

  11,379

  518

  5

  Redbridge

  3,733

  3,715

  100

  Richmond

  4,490

  228

  5

  Sutton

  5,049

  1,403

  28

  Waltham

  10,085

  1,830

  18

  City

  0

  0

  —

  Camden

  1,544

  576

  37

  Westminster

  475

  67

  14

  Greenwich

  8,101

  273

  3

  Hackney

  8,438

  1,493

  18

  Hammersmith

  2,775

  744

  27

  Islington

  9,135

  438

  5

  Kensington

  2,919

  198

  7

  Lambeth

  9,703

  1,061

  11

  Lewisham

  23,049

  1,514

  7

  Southwark

  6,263

  631

  10

  Wandsworth

  11,856

  786

  7

  Tower Hamlets

  25,560

  10,915

  43

  Birmingham

  51,514

  10,904

  21

  Coventry

  4,087

  716

  18

  Dudley

  6,090

  667

  11

  Sandwell

  9,685

  1,472

  15

  Solihull

  5,325

  2,238

  42

  Walsall

  6,218

  621

  10

  Wolverhampton

  11,465

  1,167

  10

  Knowsley

  13,496

  859

  6

  Liverpool

  15,662

  4,540

  29

  St. Helens

  5,544

  937

  17

  Sefton

  3,445

  1,563

  45

  Wirral

  6,098

  1,547

  25

  Bolton

  4,180

  122

  3

  Bury

  3,536

  864

  24

  Manchester

  49,217

  12,900

  26

  Oldham

  7,815

  1,628

  21

  Rochdale

  14,464

  599

  4

  Salford

  13,104

  1,997

  15

  Stockport

  2,115

  488

  23

  Tameside

  11,031

  1,434

  13

  Trafford

  6,292

  591

  9

  Wigan

  5,055

  390

  8

  80

  LEA

  Total ACG bid (£000)

  Total ACG (£000)

  ACG as percentage of bid

  Barnsley

  4,198

  881

  21

  Doncaster

  6,178

  396

  6

  Rotherham

  2,792

  605

  22

  Sheffield

  36,617

  2,773

  8

  Bradford

  37,329

  6,926

  19

  Calderdale

  5,275

  1,424

  27

  KirKless

  9,499

  2,572

  27

  Leeds

  26,671

  2,568

  10

  Wakefield

  27,991

  7,550

  27

  Gateshead

  5,488

  845

  15

  Newcastle

  29,483

  4,356

  15

  North Tyneside

  11,510

  3,749

  33

  South Tyneside

  7,000

  618

  9

  Sunderland

  6,373

  1,212

  19

  Isle of Scilly

  94

  134

  143

  Avon

  12,314

  3,060

  25

  Bedfordshire

  5,888

  1,855

  32

  Berkshire

  13,267

  2,386

  18

  Buckinghamshire

  14,981

  6,829

  46

  Cambridgeshire

  25,235

  7,244

  29

  Cheshire

  21,141

  10,071

  48

  Cleveland

  11,683

  4,883

  42

  Cornwall

  16,030

  1,744

  11

  Cumbria

  25,037

  6,312

  25

  Derbyshire

  36,317

  6,460

  18

  Devon

  25,526

  7,961

  31

  Dorset

  22,612

  5,395

  24

  Durham

  53,165

  4,593

  9

  East Sussex

  38,458

  12,942

  34

  Essex

  58,195

  9,795

  17

  Gloucestershire

  32,281

  7,964

  25

  Hampshire

  50,728

  18,583

  37

  Hereford and Worcester

  14,432

  3,218

  22

  Hertford

  9,806

  2,722

  28

  Humberside

  19,253

  3,894

  20

  Isle of Wight

  10,369

  3,992

  38

  Kent

  40,464

  15,660

  39

  Lancashire

  40,633

  7,948

  20

  Leicester

  11,838

  5,900

  50

  Lincolnshire

  17,278

  9,503

  55

  Norfolk

  12,791

  3,890

  30

  North Yorkshire

  17,530

  4,182

  24

  Northampton

  14,097

  3,404

  24

  Northumberland

  5,996

  2,511

  42

  Nottinghamshire

  17,045

  1,778

  10

  Oxfordshire

  21,641

  3,745

  17

  Shropshire

  8,448

  6,990

  83

  Somerset

  10,090

  3,240

  32

  Staffordshire

  16,119

  3,188

  20

  Suffolk

  19,715

  5,892

  30

  Surrey

  25,970

  11,452

  44

  Warwickshire

  5,384

  856

  16

  West Sussex

  16,087

  2,810

  17

  Wiltshire

  13,051

  2,420

  19

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education in respect of how many boards, authorities, committees, and other public bodies he is responsible, in whole or in part, for appointments; what is the total number of such appointments; and what is the total public spending by such boards, authorities, committees and other public bodies.

  Mr. Boswell
  The information required may be found in "Public Bodies 1993" published last month by the Cabinet Office. The information given applies to those bodies not included in that report.

  Number or amount

  School Curriculum and Assessment Authority

  Total number of appointments

  15

  Budget for financial year 1993–94 (£ million)

  17

  The (nine) Regional Committees of the Further Education Funding Council

  Total number of appointments

  102

  The regional committees are advisory bodies and do not have funding responsibilities. Administrative costs are met by the FEFC

  Student Loans Company Ltd

  Total number of appointments (made jointly by the Secretaries of State for Education and Scotland)

  3

  Administrative expenditure, financial year 1993–94 (maximum grant in aid available jointly from DFE, SOED and DENI) (£ million)

  16·1

  Current gross provision for making loans to students, financial year 1993–94 (funded jointly by DFE, SOED and DENI) (£ million)

  292·3

  Low Achievers
  Dame Angela Rumbold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to ensure that the Further Education Funding Council encourages schools and colleges to do more for low achievers on training courses; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  The new funding methodology being developed by the Further Education Funding Council will help low achievers by requiring colleges to reach agreement with individual students on their lerning needs, their learning programmes and their goals. This will provide an incentive to colleges to ensure that they match students to programmes as effectively as possible. In addition, the funding methodology recognises that the cost of providing suitable courses for low achievers in colleges requires additional support. The Further Education Funding Council's funding responsibilities do not cover schools.

  Training Targets
  Dame Angela Rumbold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to ensure that his Department is fully committed to the national education and training targets; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  As my right hon. Friend made clear in the House on 26 November 1993,Official Report, columns 692–759, the national education and training targets have the full commitment of the Department. The Department's
  82
  action plan on the targets published in March 1993 sets out a four-fold strategy towards the achievement of the targets, which is being actively pursued: publicising and promoting the targets among education institutions at all levels; co-operating with others in developing necessary data sources for monitoring purposes; monitoring policies and, as appropriate, developing new ones to facilitate progress towards the targets; and developing human resources, in particular aiming to gain maximum benefit from the Investors in People standard. In addition, it is a requirement in the Department that every new policy proposal must demonstrate its contribution to the achievement of the targets.

  Dame Angela Rumbold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to ensure that the Further Education Funding Council favours those colleges which plan vocational and part-time courses in relation to national education and training targets.

  Mr. Boswell
  The new funding methodology being developed by the Further Education Funding Council will provide incentives to colleges to assist more students, including students taking vocational and part-time courses, to achieve qualifications contributing to the national education and training targets.

  Teaching Hours
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the 12 schools with(a) the longest and (b) the shortest teaching hours per week and the hours at which teaching takes place in each school.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  My right hon. Friend is not satisfied with the reliability of the figures provided by the small number of schools which have reported hours of lesson time per week at the extremes of the range. I have taken steps to improve the accuracy of the return in future.

PRIME MINISTER

  Departmental Offices (Heating Bills)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list by location the annual fuel heating bills for each of his Department's offices for the last four years, and for this year to date.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  The main source of heating for 10 Downing street is the Whitehall district heating scheme—WDHS. The WDHS charges for 10 Downing street are based on a percentage of the overall cost and, including both space and water heating, for each of the last four years were as follows:

  £

  1989–90

  4,728

  1990–91

  3,983

  1991–92

  3,782

  1992–93

  3,700

  For the current year heat meters have been installed and charges have yet to be levied.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Prime Minister how many civil servants in the Cabinet Office, and of what grade, are currently working on constitutional matters.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  None works exclusively on constitutional issues although much of the work of the Cabinet Office requires an understanding of constitutional matters.

  Michael John Smith
  Sir Nicholas Bonsor
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will refer the case of Michael John Smith to the Security Commission.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  In accordance with the established procedures in such matters, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has consulted the chairman of the Security Commission and the Leader of the Opposition, the right hon. and learned Member for Monklands, East (Mr. Smith) on this case and has decided to refer it to the Security Commission with the following terms of reference:
  "To investigate the circumstances in which breaches of security have or may have occurred arising out of the case of Micheal John Smith, who was convicted on 18 November 1993 of offences under section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911; and to advise in the light of that investigation whether any change in security arrangements is necessary or desirable."

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

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is travelling back from the NATO summit in Brussels.

  Genetic Testing
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements Her Majesty's Government are making to respond to the report under the chairmanship of Professor Dame June Lloyd of the Nuffield council of bioethics relating to genetic testing; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Government welcome this authoritative and timely report.

  We will consider the conclusions and recommendations of the report and study the reaction of public and professional interests before deciding whether action by the Government is needed.

  Ministers
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about ministerial responsibility and the accountability of Ministers for decisions taken by the Department.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  Guidance on ministerial responsibility and accountability is provided at paragraph 27 of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers", a copy of which is in the Library.

  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Prime Minister if he.will list each Minister who has left his Administration, with the reason for their departure in each case.
  84
  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  The names of resigning Ministers, and the reasons for their resigning, have been announced on each occasion.

  Documents
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to advise all Ministers that marginal notes on documents circulated between themselves or departmental officials always are made directly on to the documents and not on detachable notes.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has no plans to issue such advice.

  Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister how many representations he has received in the form of coupons from the advertisement placed by the citizens of Hiroshima, Japan, in The Times of 20 December, setting out opposition to the THORP reprocessing plant at Sellafield.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has received numerous representations.

  EC Directives
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Southend, East (Sir T. Taylor) of 17 December 1993,Official Report, column 959, how the list of 17 EC directives which the European Council agreed should be repealed or withdrawn has been made available to the general public.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  The Commission's report on subsidiarity, which includes the annex to which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister referred in his answer of 17 December to my hon. Friend, the Member for Southend, East, has been published by the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. As is the practice for all official Community plublications, it is available to the general public through HMSO.

  Police and Magistrates
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Prime Minister what amount of new money is proposed to support the reformed(a) magistrates courts system and (b) the police authorities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  I have been asked to reply.

  The costs of establishing the new administrative structure for the magistrates courts service will depend on local management decisions, but during the one to two year implementation period costs in the region of £5 million a year may be incurred. The Government have reflected the additional costs of the reforms in determining future grant provision for the service.

  As regards the police, the overall effect of the changes in the Police and Magistrates' Courts Bill on ongoing expenditure from the Consolidated Fund and by local government will be broadly neutral. It is expected that additional expenditure by police forces on financial and personnel management will be offset by increases in efficiency.
  85
  Some start-up costs are expected. These will arise from a period of parallel operation by the current police authorities and their successors to be established by the Bill. The new authorities will incur some costs for their own purposes and some for the purposes of the police force for whose maintenance they will become responsible from April 1995. The force may need to recruit and train new staff in areas such as personnel or finance or to purchase computer hardware. Taken together, the start-up costs of the reforms for police authorities and police forces are not expected to exceed £21 million. They will be rnet by central Government grant.

  Press Officers
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Prime Minister how many press officers his Office has employed in each year since 1983.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: I have been asked to reply.

  Detailed figures were not recorded separately prior to 1987–88. From then onwards the complement remained at six, until 1 April 1992, when it was increased to seven to enable the press office to continue to respond effectively to the growing number of press inquiries.

SCOTLAND

  Enterprise Directors
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many directors of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are (i) male and (ii) female; how many are from ethnic minority backgrounds; how many directors are from the private sector and which industrial sectors they come from; how many non-private sector directors are from(a) local authorities, (b) local education authorities, (c) other educational organisations, (d) trade unions, (e) voluntary organisations, (f) ethnic minority organisations, (g) employers associations and (h) others.

  Mr. Stewart
  Directors of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are senior executives, directly responsible to the chief executives of the enterprise bodies.

  At board level there are in total 23 members of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, of whom 19 are male and four are female. No information is collected on their ethnic origin.

  The information requested on numbers of board members from the private and public sectors, set out in the table, relates to the principal activity of the member concerned. Many of Scottish. Enterprise's and Highlands and Islands Enterprise's board members are currently active in more than one of these areas.

  Scottish Enterprise

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  Private Sector

  Agriculture and Fisheries

  —

  2

  Construction and Manufacturing

  5

  4

  Financial and other Services

  3

  3

  Total

  8

  9

  Public Sector

  (a)

  1

  1

  86

  Scottish Enterprise

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  (b)

  —

  —

  (c)

  1

  —

  (d)

  1

  —

  (e)

  —

  1

  (f)

  —

  —

  (g)

  —

  —

  (h)

  1

  —

  Total

  4

  2

  Health Board Staff
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider giving advice to health boards concerning the re-employment on the same salary of staff who have been sacked by the health boards but who are threatening legal action.

  Mr. Stewart
  My right hon. Friend has, at present, no plans to issue such advice.

  Hospitals
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hospital wards were closed at weekends in(a) 1979, (b) 1984, (c) 1989 and (d) the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Stewart
  This information is not held centrally.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to establish ratios of qualified nurses to patient numbers in all branches of in-patient hospital provision.

  Mr. Stewart
  No. All patients should be carefully assessed on admission to hospital and their combined needs for care and treatment will determine the number of qualified nursing staff required.

  Lung Cancer
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many women have died of lung cancer in each year since 1975; and how much he plans to spend on publicising these figures.

  Mr. Stewart
  The information is set out in the table:

  Year

  Numbers

  1975

  735

  1976

  806

  1977

  890

  1978

  1,017

  1979

  1,010

  1980

  990

  1981

  1,117

  1982

  1,199

  1983

  1,187

  1984

  1,272

  1985

  1,336

  1986

  1,284

  1987

  1,377

  1988

  1,372

  1989

  1,426

  1990

  1,453

  1991

  1,503

  1992

  1,547

  87
  The figures are published in the annual report of the Registrar General for Scotland. The policy statement "Scotland's Health: A Challenge to Us All" published in 1992 drew specific attention to the fact that Scottish women have the highest mortality rate from lung cancer in the developed world and this has influenced our policies on smoking and targets for reduction of cancer mortality.

  Spending Statistics
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much will be spent in Scotland in each year from 1993–94 to 1995–96 on(a) environmentally sensitive areas, identifying the amount allocated for the new access option, (b) new nitrate sensitive areas, (c) the moorland scheme, (d) the organic aid scheme and (e) the total amount of money being spent on the agri-environment scheme in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The forecast outturn expenditure on environmentally sensitive areas in Scotland for 1993–94 is £1·5 million. Subject to approval by Parliament and the EC Commission, the Government propose to introduce a heather moorland scheme, an organic aid scheme, a habitat

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Region

  Holdings

  Area (ha)

  Holdings

  Area (ha)

  Borders

  865

  60,890

  163

  1,950

  Central

  375

  12,225

  69

  153

  Dumfries and Galloway

  885

  17,946

  115

  397

  Fife

  678

  42,162

  285

  2,961

  Grampian

  4,056

  137,040

  1,312

  6,042

  Highland

  1,292

  30,127

  715

  1,049

  Lothian

  631

  41,933

  149

  2,053

  Strathclyde

  1,353

  22,814

  391

  1,064

  Tayside

  1,813

  91,429

  1,142

  11,843

  Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles

  1,038

  3,962

  1,172

  365

  Linseed

  Horticultural Crops

  Oilseeds

  Region

  Holdings

  Area (ha)

  Holdings

  Area (ha)

  Holdings

  Area (ha)

  Borders

  37

  510

  106

  1,513

  217

  6,506

  Central

  6

  62

  31

  100

  67

  1,155

  Dumfries and Galloway

  0

  0

  43

  47

  17

  332

  Fife

  9

  105

  162

  3,062

  290

  6,470

  Grampian

  45

  730

  340

  2,233

  928

  20,844

  Highland

  1—

  1—

  111

  168

  150

  2,900

  Lothian

  7

  88

  118

  961

  195

  4,231

  Strathclyde

  1—

  1—

  166

  304

  16

  298

  Tayside

  62

  906

  528

  6,159

  695

  14,111

  Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles

  0

  0

  195

  57

  9

  13

  1 Less than 5 holdings.

  Figures for sugar beet are not collected.

  GP Fundholders
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many general practitioner fundholders there are in each health board area.

  Mr. Stewart
  The latest information from health boards indicates the numbers of operational general practitioner fundholders as set out in the table.

  Health Board

  Current Number of Fundholders

  Argyll and Clyde

  5

  Ayrshire and Arran

  3

  Borders

  1

  88
  scheme and a set-aside access scheme, which, together with the environmentally sensitive area scheme, will comprise the agri-environment programme for Scotland. There are no nitrate sensitive areas currently designated or proposed in Scotland. Planned expenditure on the Scottish agri-environment programme as a whole is expected to be in the region of £7 million for 1994–95 and £11 million for 1995–96.

  Land Use
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many holdings there are in each region of Scotland in 1992 and 1993 growing(a) cereals, (b) potatoes, (c) linseed, (d) sugar beet, (e) horticultural produce and (f) oilseeds;

  (2) how many hectares were taken up in each region of Scotland in 1992 and 1993 by (a) cereals, (b) potatoes, (c) linseed, (d) sugar beet, (e) horticultural produce and (f) oilseeds.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Final June agricultural census information for 1993 is not yet available. The figures for main holdings at June 1992 are as follows:

  Health Board

  Current Number of Fundholders

  Dumfries and Galloway

  0

  Fife

  3

  Forth Valley

  2

  Grampian

  25

  Greater Glasgow

  4

  Highland

  1

  Lanarkshire

  8

  Lothian

  9

  Orkney

  0

  Shetland

  0

  Tayside

  8

  Western Isles

  0

  TOTAL

  69

  Arable Area Payments
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many landowners in Scotland are receiving annual payments under the arable area payments scheme(a) in each band of £25,000 up to £500,000 and (b) over £500,000; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many holdings in each region of Scotland have taken up the arable area payments scheme.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The number of applications in Scotland under the arable area payments scheme in 1993 was as follows:

  Number

  Less-favoured area (LFA)

  3,957

  Non-less-favoured area (non-LFA)

  4,892

  Combined claimes

  603

  Combined claims are those which include both LFA and non-LFA land.

  NHS Common Services Agency
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people have been made redundant in the past year in the building division of the national health service Common Services Agency, and for what reason; and if the work formerly done by it will now be carried out by(a) direct labour or (b) private contractors.

  Mr. Stewart
  Thirty staff have been made redundant in the past year. It was necessary to restructure the organisation to reflect increased efficiency and change in the workload.

  Building Division is fee earning and has to compete with private firms for its share of the advisory, design and consultancy work available at this time in relation to NHS building projects. Private firms have also had to make redundancies where they have not won contracts.

  Sites of Special Scientific Interest
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sites of special scientific interest in Scotland have been damaged or destroyed in each year since 1982; whether each of these sites(a) was lost completely, (b) was partially lost, (c) suffered long term damage or (d) suffered short term damage; whether the damage or destruction in each case was due to (i) agriculture, (ii) forestry, (iii) poor management, (iv) pollution, (v) third party activities, (vi) developments controlled through the planning system, (vii) road building or (viii) other activities; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Details of damage to sites of special scientific interest in Scotland are published in the annual reports of the former Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland and the Nature Conservancy Council, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent on management 90
  agreements in Scotland under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for sites of special scientific interest in each year since the Act came into force; if for each year he will give the number of agreements, the hectarages involved, and what the threats of damage were; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Details of the annual expenditure on management agreements in Scotland and the area involved are published in the annual reports of the former Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland and the Nature Conservancy Council, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sites of special scientific interest in Scotland have been denotified in each year since 1982; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The number of sites of special scientific interest which have been denotified in Scotland is published in the annual reports of the former Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland and the Nature Conservancy Council, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

  Compulsory Purchase
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the occasions when his powers of compulsory purchase of land under section 17 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 have been used in Scotland in each year since 1981; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Such powers of compulsory purchase are not available to my right hon. Friend; they are exercisable by Scottish Natural Heritage, previously the Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland and the Nature Conservancy Council, but only with my right hon. Friend's authorisation. No use of these powers has been made.

  Management Agreements
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of management agreements that have been entered into under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in Scotland where payments have been in each band of £10,000 up to £60,000 or £60,000 and over; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Agreements may involve either annual or capital payments. An analysis of the information by both categories is set out in the following table.

  Type of cost

  Range of costs

  Annual

  Capital

  No costs

  94

  107

  Up to £9,999

  200

  131

  £10,000 to £19,999

  13

  13

  £20,000 to £29,999

  5

  15

  £30,000 to £39,999

  1

  13

  £40,000 to £49,999

  0

  8

  £50,000 to £59,999

  2

  3

  Over £60,000

  0

  25

  315

  315

  Figures as at 31 March 1993.

  Mr. Laurence Peterken
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation into the dismissal of Mr. Laurence Peterken as general manager of Greater Glasgow health board when it is published; and if he will list within the report those consulted in the course of the investigation.

  Mr. Stewart
  My right hon. Friend announced in the House on 8 December that the report would be published in due course.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of Mr. W. S. Fyfe's chairmanship of Greater Glasgow health board before the dismissal of Mr. Laurence Peterken; and what action he took.

  Mr. Stewart
  Mr. Fyfe brought to the chairmanship of Greater Glasgow health board in April 1993 the qualities of leadership he had displayed earlier over 12 years as chairman of Ayrshire and Arran health board. His actions in dismissing Mr. Peterken, however, led the non-executive members of the board to lose confidence in him.

  Common Services Agency
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what date it was decided that the operation of the Common Services Agency needed review; and whether a list of external management consultants was drawn up at any stage in the process with a view to inviting them to tender for this work.

  Mr. Stewart
  The chief executive decided that a review of the Common Services Agency was necessary soon after his appointment on 1 September. No list of external. management consultants was drawn up with a view to inviting them to tender for this work.

  EC THERMIE Programme
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish applicants there have been for the EC THERMIE programme; how many of these applications were successful; what level of funds were awarded; and if he will make a statement.

  Number of holdings as at June 1992 growing:

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Linseed

  Sugar beet

  Horticultural produce

  Oilseeds

  Clwyd

  619

  163

  11

  1—

  93

  12

  Dyfed

  1,577

  608

  38

  1—

  208

  25

  Gwent

  303

  161

  6

  1—

  76

  10

  Gwynedd

  491

  270

  0

  1—

  58

  6

  Mid Glamorgan

  57

  27

  4

  0

  19

  5

  Powys

  664

  142

  9

  1—

  47

  13

  South Glamorgan

  119

  30

  8

  0

  26

  9

  West Glamorgan

  118

  118

  0

  0

  75

  0

  Wales

  3,948

  1,519

  76

  19

  602

  80

  Source: June Agricultural and Horticultural Census.

  Note: Figures exclude minor holdings.

  1 Data withheld to avoid disclosure of information relating to any particular land or business.

  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hectares were taken up in each county of Wales in 1992 and 1993 by(a) cereals, (b) potatoes, (c) linseed, (d) sugar beet, (e) horticultural produce and (f) oilseeds.
  92
  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 14 December 1993]: I have been asked to reply.

  The THERMIE programme is administered by the Directorate General of Energy of the European Commission who keeps records of the number of applications from the United Kingdom, but only as a whole. Up to and including the 1993 round, there have been a total of 281 applications from the United Kingdom, of which 88 were successful. Although information on the number of Scottish applicants is not available, the Commission has advised my Department that 19 THERMIE projects located in Scotland have been approved and awarded a total of £11·46 million.

WALES

  Arable Area Payments
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many landowners in Wales are receiving annual payments under the arable area payments scheme(a) in each band of £25,000 up to £500,000 and (b) over £500,000; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  It is not possible to differentiate between landowners and tenants who claim aid. The number of claimants receiving payment is:

  1. £25,000-£49,000: 10

  2. £50,000 and above: none

  Agriculture
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many holdings there are in each county of Wales in 1992 and 1993 growing(a) cereals, (b) potatoes, (c) linseed, (d) sugar beet, (e) horticultural produce and (f) oilseeds.

  Mr. Redwood
  Data for 1992 are shown in the following table. The requested information is not yet available for 1993.

  Mr. Redwood
  The requested information for 1992 is shown in the following table along with the only available data so far for 1993 which are provisional figures at national level.
  93

  Hectares at June 1992 taken up by:

  Cereals

  Potatoes

  Linseed

  Sugar beet

  Horticultural produce

  Oilseeds

  Clwyd

  8,188

  298

  152

  1—

  371

  200

  Dyfed

  18,084

  2,211

  453

  1—

  384

  308

  Gwent

  6,180

  452

  80

  1—

  251

  181

  Gwynedd

  4,659

  293

  0

  1—

  91

  81

  Mid Glamorgan

  1,809

  70

  112

  0

  71

  207

  Powys

  9,640

  310

  98

  1—

  85

  230

  South Glamorgan

  3,647

  137

  79

  0

  61

  109

  West Glamorgan

  1,144

  302

  0

  0

  249

  0

  Wales

  53,350

  4,074

  974

  97

  1,564

  1,316

  2Hectares at June 1993:

  Wales

  47,879

  3,769

  1,738

  105

  1,548

  1,433

  Source: June Agricultural and Horticultural Census.

  Note: Figures exclude minor holdings.

  1 Data withheld to avoid disclosure of information relating to any particular land or business.

  2 Provisional.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much will be spent in Wales in each year from 1993–94 to 1995–96 on(a) environmentally sensitive areas, identifying the amount allocated for the new access option, (b) new nitrate sensitive areas, (c) the moorland scheme, (d) the new habitat scheme, (e) the new countryside access scheme, (f) the organic acid scheme and (g) the total amount of money being spent on the agri-environment scheme in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  Current provision is as follows:

  £million

  1993–94

  11994–95

  21995–96

  i. Environmentally sensitive areas

  5·037

  6·863

  7·015

  ii. Public access in ESAs

  —

  0·051

  0·052

  iii. The Moorland Scheme

  —

  1·090

  3·168

  iv. The New Habitat Scheme

  —

  0·500

  0·700

  iv. The New Countryside Access Scheme

  —

  3—

  3—

  vi. Organic Aid Scheme

  0·050

  0·170

  0·310

  Total

  5·087

  8·674

  11·245

  1 Figures to be confirmed in the 1994–95 Main Supply estimates.

  2 Figures may be subject to change in the 1994 Public Expenditure Survey round.

  3 Provision to be determined.

  Name/Post

  Remuneration (£)

  Appointment commenced

  Appointment expires

  Former MPs

  Mr. Ian Grist

  19,285 per annum (pro rata 3.5 days a week)

  1 August 1992

  31 July 1996

  Chairman South Glamorgan District Health Authority

  Former MEPs

  Miss Beata Brookes

  Nil

  16 April 1991

  15 April 1994

  Member Consumers Committees for Great Britain and for England and Wales1

  Members of the House of Lords

  Lord Brooks of Tremorfa

  (i) Deputy Chairman Cardiff Bay Development Corporation

  18,050 pre annum (pro rata 2 days a week)

  30 November 1992

  31 March 1996

  (ii) Chairman Sportsmatch Awards Panel

  Nil

  The Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor

  Nil

  1 October 1971

  30 September 1995

  Member Historic Buildings Council for Wales

  Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas

  20,544 per annum (pro rata 2 days a week)

  1 Spetember 1993

  20 December 1996

  Chairman Welsh Language Board

  94
  I have no plans to designate any nitrate sensitive areas in Wales.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment;

  (2) if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment;

  (3) if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous nongovernmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Redwood
  Information is not available centrally in the form requested. The information in respect of current appointments that I make is as follows:
  95

  Name/Post

  Remuneration £

  Appointment commenced

  Appointment expires

  Lord John Moran

  Nil

  1 April 1990

  31 August 1994

  Member NRA Advisory Committee for Wales

  The Earl of Selborne

  24,045 per annum (pro rata 2 days a week)

  24 November 1991

  31 March 1994

  Chairman Joint Nature Conservation Committee2

  Rt. Hon. The Lord Rees, QC

  Nil

  1 March 1987

  8 February 1994

  Member National Museum of Wales Court and Council

  1 Joint Appointment with the Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Scotland.

  2 Joint Appointment with Secretaries of State for Environment and Scotland.

  Overgrazing
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales before making hill livestock compensatory allowance payments, what steps are taken by the Welsh Agriculture Department to ascertain whether overgrazing is causing adverse effects on the growth, quality or species composition of vegetation.

  Mr. Redwood
  Between a quarter and one third of livestock subsidy claimants are visited each year by Welsh Office field staff who are trained to look out for evidence of overgrazing either from the sward or the general condition of the animals. Any complaints from individuals or bodies about possible overgrazing will be investigated by these field staff. The rules of the hill livestock compensatory allowance scheme contain stocking and financial limits per hectare which also militate against overgrazing.

  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what progress has been made in persuading the European Union to incorporate within the sheep annual premium scheme a requirement that payments should be withheld where overgrazing is causing adverse effects on the growth, quality or species composition of vegetation.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Council of Ministers agreed in December a regulation which provides that member states may apply to the annual ewe premium environmental protection measures appropriate to their particular situation.

  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions since the introduction of a definition of overgrazing in the Hill Livestock (Compensatory Allowances) Regulations 1992, hill livestock compensatory allowances payments have been withheld because of adverse effects on the growth, quality or species composition of vegetation.

  Mr. Redwood
  Claimants for the hill livestock compensatory allowances are warned that if the land on

  Private pay beds in Welsh health authorities

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Clwyd

  12

  12

  12

  12

  12

  12

  12

  1—

  East Dyfed

  7

  7

  7

  7

  15

  15

  15

  1—

  Gwent

  6

  6

  6

  6

  6

  6

  6

  23

  Gwynedd

  8

  8

  8

  8

  8

  8

  8

  8

  Mid Glamorgan

  3

  3

  3

  3

  3

  4

  4

  23

  Pembrokeshire

  3

  3

  3

  3

  3

  3

  1—

  1—

  South Glamorgan

  11+2Em3

  11+2Em3

  11+2Em3

  11+2Em3

  11+2Em3

  11+2Em3

  11+2Em3

  11+2Em3

  West Glamorgan

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  22

  1Figure is not applicable as pay bed allocation is the responsibility of NHS Trusts.

  2Figure does not include pay beds in NHS Trusts.

  3To be used solely for emergency admissions and only when the basic number of beds is already occupied.

  96
  which the stock is kept is found to be overgrazed the payment will be reduced. There have been no claims so far where this has been necessary. There are in the scheme regulations additional stocking rate safeguards which discourage overgrazing and these are applied quite frequently.

  National House Building Council
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what action his office has taken with regard to complaints about the performance of the National House Building Council following correspondence with Mr. C. Gavin of 15 Palace close, Flint, Clwyd; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will institute a review into the operation of the complaints procedure with regard to the National House Building Council in Wales;

  (3) if he will carry out an independent assessment of whether properties in Palace close, Flint, comply with Schedule 1 Part B of the Fire Building Regulations 1985; and if he will reconsider the approval given by the Inspector authorised by the National House Building Council to that effect.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  My right hon. Friend has no powers to intervene in individual cases involving approved inspectors. However, since Mr. Gavin first wrote in February 1992 my officials have made inquiries of the National House Building Council on a number of occasions.

  Private Beds
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many private pay beds there are in each health authority in Wales; and how many there were in each year since 1986.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information is as follows:

  Unemployment
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing the unemployment levels in each travel-to-work area in Wales; and what are the top 10 areas for people continuously unemployed for periods of(a) six months and (b) 12 months.

  Mr. Redwood
  The unemployment data requested are available from the NOMIS database, which can be accessed on line by the staff of the Library of the House.

  Welsh Development Agency
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency concerning the advertisement in the "Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Communities" in relation to the property management services contract on offer for the marketing and negotiation of disposals of approximately £75 million of industrial property assets of the Welsh Development Agency; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  None. Public bodies such as the agency are required to advertise in the Official Journal of the European Communities for contracts over a certain threshold—currently £149,728. The sale of industrial property forms part of the agency's established and continuing strategy of disposals to the private sector thereby providing a welcome injection of private finance for reinvestment to the Welsh economy and reducing the burden to the taxpayer.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the Welsh Development Agency is required to notify his Department over the engagement of lawyers.

  Mr. Redwood
  No.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he was informed of the plan by the Welsh Development Agency to offer for sale a large number of factories; and what formal arrangements exist for the notification by executive agencies in Wales wanting to sell off their assets.

  Mr. Redwood
  The sale of industrial property forms part of the agency's established and continuing strategy of disposals to the private sector; it provides a welcome cash injection for reinvestment in the Welsh economy. I have told Parliament of the need for a mixture of grant and asset sales to pay for new asset creation.

  SSSIs
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many sites of special scientific interest in Wales have been damaged or destroyed in each year since 1982; whether each of these sites(a) was lost completely, (b) was partially lost, (c) suffered long term damage or (d) suffered short term damage; whether the damage or destruction in each case was due to (i) agriculture, (ii) forestry, (iii) poor management, (iv) pollution, (v) third party activities, (vi) developments controlled through the planning system, (vii) road building or (viii) other activities; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Prior to the establishment of the Countryside Council for Wales in April 1991 the Nature 98
  Conservancy Council gave details in its annual report of all loss and damage to SSSI in Great Britain although not in the detail requested. Separate details for Wales are not available for this period. Since 1991 similar information has been included in the Countryside Council's annual reports. Copies of the reports are available in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many sites of special scientific interest in Wales have been denotified in each year since 1982; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Between 1982 and April 1991 the Nature Conservancy Council approved 34 SSSI for denotification, although the procedure for two of them concluded after the Countryside Council for Wales was established. The Countryside Council has not approved any for denotification. The details are as follows:

  Number

  1982

  3

  1983

  2

  1984

  2

  1985

  7

  1986

  6

  1987

  10

  1988

  —

  1989

  1

  1990

  1

  1991

  2

  1992

  —

  1993

  —

  Wildlife and Countryside Act
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list the number of management agreements that have been entered into under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in Wales where payments have been in each band of £10,000 up to £60,000 or £60,000 and over; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) how much has been spent on management agreements in Wales under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for sites of special scientific interest in each year since the Act came into force; if for each year he will give the number of agreements, the hectarages involved, and what the threats of damage were; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Management agreements are negotiated with owners and occupiers of SSSI under the terms of the Countryside Act 1968. Information in the format requested is not available centrally.

  However, prior to the establishment of the Countryside Council for Wales in April 1991 the Nature Conservancy Council gave details in its annual reports of all management agreements in Wales. Since then the Countryside Council has continued to report such information in its annual reports. Copies of the reports are in the Library of the House.

  Superannuation Funds
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which authority will administer the superannuation funds currently managed by the county councils in the event of the reorganisation of local government in Wales.
  99
  Mr. Redwood
  I will announce my decision as to which authorities will administer superannuation funds in due course.

  Milk Marketing Board
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to make an announcement on the reorganisation scheme submitted by the milk marketing board in Wales under the provisions of the Agriculture Act 1993.

  Mr. Redwood
  When Ministers have finished studying it.

  Superannuation Costs
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 16 December,Official Report, column 853, if he will estimate the cost of superannuations transferred to his Department's running cost budget in the present financial year; from which vote they were transferred; and what was the estimated cost under that vote in 1992–93.

  Table 1

  DHA final allocations 1988–89 to 1992–93

  £000s

  Health Authority

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  Clwyd

  108,963

  115,683

  126,724

  164,941

  175,161

  East Dyfed

  67,268

  77,402

  87,398

  92,903

  108,854

  Gwent

  129,822

  138,892

  151,447

  169,075

  183,530

  Gwynedd

  64,496

  68,264

  74,496

  94,864

  110,865

  Mid Glamorgan

  151,922

  161,916

  180,235

  220,227

  240,599

  Pembrokeshire

  25,905

  29,045

  33,090

  46,440

  46,447

  Powys

  29,992

  32,568

  35,587

  54,702

  62,338

  South Glamorgan

  173,656

  188,941

  216,094

  196,050

  218,304

  West Glamorgan

  115,748

  123,695

  135,358

  147,062

  164,924

  Source: Final allocation notified to individual authorities within period specified.

  Table 2 shows the authorities' outturn expenditure— revenue plus capital—as recorded in their annual accounts. These figures are in accruals terms and differ' from cash

  Table 2

  £000s

  Health Authority

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  Clwyd

  109,681

  116,075

  127,534

  164,826

  180,858

  East Dyfed

  66,501

  77,261

  86,017

  97,918

  107,747

  Gwent

  128,706

  138,995

  152,907

  175,195

  181,888

  Gwynedd

  64,715

  69,412

  75,156

  96,150

  111,199

  Mid Glamorgan

  149,941

  162,687

  182,452

  218,863

  237,265

  Pembrokeshire

  26,245

  29,846

  33,592

  45,087

  48,626

  Powys

  29,903

  32,378

  35,852

  55,988

  62,345

  South Glamorgan

  171,328

  190,563

  214,811

  198,689

  219,111

  West Glamorgan

  114,495

  125,600

  135,721

  151,432

  173,372

  Source: Health Authority Annual Accounts.

  Compulsory Purchase
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the occasions when his powers of compulsory purchase of land under section 17 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 have been used in Wales in each year since 1981; and if he will make a statement.
  100
  Mr. Redwood
  The Department's running cost budget for superannuation is £5·4 million in 1993–94. These costs were previously met from class XVIII, vote 4 HM Treasury: civil superannuation. The estimated cost under that vote in 1992–93 was £6·1 million.

  Public Appointments
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy that all appointments to non-departmental public bodies in Wales will be made from individuals resident in Wales.

  Mr. Redwood
  No, I wish to appoint the best people for the job, irrespective of where they live.

  Health Authority Spending
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the forecast spending for each health authority in Wales for each of the last five years; and what was the actual expenditure.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The following table—table 1—gives the total final cash allocations, as at 31 March of each financial year.

  allocations and cash expenditure due to the effect of movements in debtors, creditors, stocks and year-end cash balances.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  None.

  Hedgerows
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many agreements have been made, how much has been spent and how many kilometres of hedgerow were restored under the hedgerow renovation scheme by his Department in(a) 1992–93 and (b) 1993–94 in each county in Wales; and if he will make a statement.
  101
  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The information which is available only on a regional basis is as follows:

  December 1992 to March 1993

  April 1993 to December 1993

  North Wales (Clwyd/Gwynedd)

  Agreements

  4

  42

  Total spent

  £2,926

  £119,410

  Length of hedgerow renovated

  0·5 km

  18·0 km

  Mid Wales (Dyfed/Powys excluding Brecon Beacons NP)

  Agreements

  6

  82

  Total spent

  £11,306

  £192,972

  Length of hedgerow renovated

  2·0 km

  44·0 km

  South Wales (Gwent/Mid, South and West Glamorgan, Brecon Beacons NP)

  Agreements

  —

  32

  Total spent

  —

  £77,131

  Length of hedgerow renovated

  —

  17·0 km

  Total

  Agreements

  10

  156

  Total spent

  £14,231

  £389,513

  Length of hedgerow renovated

  2·5 km

  79·0 km

  Agreements are made with landowners covering a 10-year period, and additional funds are availble under the scheme from the Welsh Office Agriculture Department, although these are not included in the figures. A significant feature of the scheme is that the agreements bring under management all hedgerows on a landholding, not just those which are to be renovated.

  NHS Public Relations
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance his Department has issued to health authorities and trusts on staff relations with the media, public and hon. Members.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Guidance for staff on relations with the public and the media was issued to health authorities and NHS trusts in June 1993. General managers and chief executives were asked to ensure that all staff were made aware of the guidance and that all staff have access to a copy. A copy of the guidance is available in the Library of the House.

  Wells Kelo
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to make a final decision on whether to(a) relocate or (b) extinguish Wells Kelo of Holyhead, Gwynedd; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: The decision on whether to relocate or extinguish the business at Holyhead is a commercial one for the directors of Guiness Brothers Group plc, the successors of Wells Kelo Ltd., to make.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with(a) the Welsh Development Agency and (b) the district valuer concerning the relocation of Wells Kelo of Holyhead, Gwynedd.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: None, although I have been kept informed of developments.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received in relation to the advice given by the district valuer that Wells Kelo of Holyhead, Gwynedd, be extinguished rather than relocated.
  102
  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: No such advice has been given.

  I have received 14 representations in respect of the land compensation negotiations between Wells Kelo Ltd., its successor company at Holyhead Guiness Brothers Group plc and the district valuer.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the total sums expended to date by(a) the Welsh Office and (b) the Welsh Development Agency, on the project to relocate Wells Kelo of Holyhead, Gwynedd.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: To date, the Welsh Office has made discretionary advance payments of compensation totalling £1·161 million. In addition, the Welsh Development Agency has spent 1·424 million on the provision of a new factory.

  One-stop Shops
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wakes when he expects the report by the enterprise and business support working group on one-stop shops for business support to be completed.

  Mr. Redwood
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Clwyd, North-West (Mr. Richards) on 16 December 1993 at columns 854–55. In reaching my decision I took into account the work of the Enterprise and Business Support working group which gave advice to me last year.

EMPLOYMENT

  Health and Safety Executive
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the number of new pieces of legislation, including regulations, which have been implemented, and which the Health and Safety Executive is required to enforce, since 1 April 1980.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Since 1 April 1980, 194 regulations have been introduced which the Health and Safety Executive is required to enforce. Of these 69 have subsequently been revoked as part of the Health and Safety Commission's on-going programme of rationalisation and modernisation of health and safety legislation and the need to implement European legislation.

  Youth Training
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many 16 and 17-year-olds in Kent have not been offered training, education or work under the Government's guarantee in the latest year for which information is available; and what was the figure in the previous year.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Information on the number of young people who have not had an offer of training, education or work is not collected. However, in November there were 53 young people in Kent who were covered by the youth training guarantee and waiting for eight or more weeks and almost 5,700 in training. This is a significant improvement over March last year when there were 338 young people waiting for eight or more weeks. There is no reliable information available for November 1992 on eight-week queues.

  Unemployment
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the levels of unemployment in(a) Dundee, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom in each year since 1979.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Seasonally adjusted claimant unemployment figures are available nationally from January 1971 and regionally from April 1974. For travel-to-work areas, only unadjusted unemployment figures are available and these go back to June 1983.

  All this data can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment in respect of how many boards, authorities, committees, and other public bodies he is responsible, in whole or on part, for appointments; what is the total number of such appointments; and what is the total public spending by such boards, authorities, committees and other public bodies.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Employment Department are listed in the recently published book "Public Bodies 1993", a copy of which is available in the Library. In addition, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has recently appointed the Commissioner for Protection against Unlawful Industrial Action and the chief executive of Investors In People UK. My right hon. Friend is responsible for over 3,300 appointments.

  The total gross expenditure for 1992–93 of the non-departmental public bodies is also listed in "Public Bodies 1993".

  Social Affairs Council
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the EC Social Affairs Council of 22 December, indicating the voting record of each member state on each item and where no formal votes were taken.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  There was no meeting of the Labour and Social Affairs Council on 22 December.

  Training and Education (Tenders)
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy in respect of independent companies other than existing training and enterprise councils tendering for public contracts to manage training, education and enterprise programmes.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Training and enterprise councils are strategic organisations which reflect the composition of local business and the wider community. I have a close relationship with TEC boards and I am satisfied with their performance to date. I have no plans to change this policy.

  Training for Work
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of how positive outcomes from the training for work programme compare with those achieved under employment training programmes.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Training for work replaced employment training—ET—in April 1993 and it is still too early to say how many leavers have gained a positive outcome. The latest period for which figures are available is April 1992 to February 1993. In that period 41 per cent. of all ET leavers in Great Britain gained a positive outcome.

  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the average cost per job placement under the training for work programme.

  Miss Widdecombe
  There is no current information on the cost of job placements in training for work—TfW—which started in April 1993. The plans for the first three years of TfW do however include costs per positive outcome. A positive outcome is a job, further education or training. The planned costs which include the allowances paid to participants are as follows:

  Year

  Cost per positive outcome £

  1993–94

  9,718

  1994–95

  8,451

  1995–96

  7,548

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what are the latest figures from the 1993 labour force survey for each standard United Kingdom region of the number and percentage of(a) all males, (b) all females and (c) total of those recorded as economically inactive and of working age;

  (2) what is the formal definition of "economically inactive".

  Miss Widdecombe
  Estimates from the labour force survey showing the number and percentage of economically inactive individuals of working age are given in the table. Estimates for regions in Great Britain are for summer 1993, while the latest available Northern Ireland results are for spring 1993.
  105
  According to the guidelines recommended by the International Labour Office—ILO—economically inactive people are defined as:

  Economically inactive people of working age1. Not seasonally adjusted

  Thousands/percentage

  Standard regions

  Males

  Per cent.

  Females

  Per cent.

  Total

  Per cent.

  South East

  657

  11·6

  1,468

  28·0

  2,125

  19·5

  Greater London

  322

  14·6

  644

  30·7

  967

  22·5

  Rest of South East

  334

  9·7

  824

  26·3

  1,158

  17·6

  East Anglia

  67

  10·0

  158

  26·2

  225

  17·7

  South West

  168

  11·5

  340

  25·5

  508

  18·1

  West Midlands

  214

  12·8

  450

  29·7

  664

  20·8

  East Midlands

  156

  12·0

  321

  27·2

  477

  19·2

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  216

  13·7

  396

  27·6

  612

  20·4

  North West

  319

  16·0

  557

  30·3

  875

  22·9

  North

  172

  17·8

  263

  29·7

  435

  23·5

  Wales

  171

  19·1

  271

  33·2

  442

  25·8

  Scotland

  243

  15·1

  449

  30·1

  692

  22·3

  Northern Ireland (spring1993)

  88

  18·0

  185

  40·0

  273

  28·7

  United Kingdom

  2,469

  13·5

  4,858

  28·9

  7,327

  20·9

  1Percentages are of the total population of working age (for example men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59).

  Source: Labour Force Survey, summer 1993 and spring 1993.

  Private Pits
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment under what authority TECs in coalfield areas are allocating money to private mineowners to reopen pits; what sums of money are involved; and whether the sums of money are paid for each miner employed.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Department contracts with coalfield training and enterprise councils to implement business plans to help communities affected by pit closures. The plans cover labour market measures in line with TEC remits and provide job search, training and business start up programmes for those affected by the closures.

  Hazardous Substances
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of i State for Employment what is his estimate of the total cost to the Health and Safety Executive of publishing guidance and otherwise promoting awareness and understanding of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations throughout Great Britain.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Health and Safety Executive—HSE—spent approximately £700,000 publishing control of substances hazardous to health—COSHH—guidance since the regulations were implemented in 1989. This includes the production and print costs of the COSHH approved code of practice and free leaflets for industry and employees.

  An advertising campaign aimed at promoting awareness and understanding of COSHH was mounted by HSE in 1989–90 at an additional cost of £270,000, plus £80,000 spent on fulfillment—distribution, handling, postage, etc.

  Sales revenue from COSHH guidance published by HSE amounted to £650,000 to 30 September 1993.

  Health and Safety
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the Health and Safety Executive will amend its publication "Safety Representatives and Safety 106
  "all those who are neither in employment (including those on Government employment and training programmes and unpaid family workers), nor unemployed on the ILO definition."

  Committees" (ISBN 0118839594) to include references to the new regulation 4A(1), which was enacted by regulation 17 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations on 31 December 1992.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Health and Safety Executive proposes to take forward work on this publication in 1994–95 following publication of an open learning package for safety representatives and taking account of recent research.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has for altering charges to industry for the services provided by the Health and Safety Executive.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Health and Safety Commission has under review the scope for introducing new charges for the performance by the Health and Safety Executive of statutory functions and the provision of facilities and services. Existing charges are reviewed annually.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the Health and Safety Commission will publish the findings of its review of regulations prior to publishing proposals for the reform of the regulatory system for health and safety at work based upon the review.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Health and Safety Commission will be submitting to Ministers the findings of its review of regulation in April 1994. If the Government decide, in the light of these findings, to put forward proposals for changes in health and safety legislation, these will of course be subject to consultation.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action the Health and Safety Executive has taken in response to the view recently expressed in paragraph 46 of the efficiency scrutiny report commissioned by the President of the Board of Trade "Review of the Implementation and Enforcement of EC law in the UK: Health and Safety" on guidance for all sizes of business on what is required to undertake risk assessment; and what
  107
  action has been taken to comply with the recommendation that the HSE considers issuing a basic pro forma which businesses could use or adapt.

  Mr. Forsyth
  The Health and Safety Executive is to publish, next month, a leaflet which will meet the efficiency scrutiny recommendations. The leaflet will provide guidance on how to assess risks in the workplace and what should be recorded. It will incorporate a pro forma with blank spaces, which employers can use to record their assessments.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many letters complaining about the burden of health and safety legislation he received in the 12 months prior to requesting the Health and Safety Commission to commence its review of health and safety regulations.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  In the 12 months preceding my request to the Health and Safety Commission to undertake a review of existing regulation, the Department received over 750 letters about health and safety.

  Many of these raised issue about the interpretation, contents enforcement of health and safety regulations, and identified what the writer considered a burden on his or her business. However, it is not possible without disproportionate cost to separately identify the letters which raised these issues specifically.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans the Health and Safety Executive has to publish a second edition of its publication "100 Practical Applications of Noise Reduction Methods".

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Health and Safety Executive is currently preparing a new edition of this publication which it hopes to publish in the summer of 1994.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many Health and Safety Executive staff-years have been expended on the review of regulations; and what has been the effect of the other activities of the HSE of servicing the review.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  It is estimated that 3.5 staff years will be expended by the Health and Safety Executive's review team on the review of regulation. Additional resources for the review were built into the Health and Safety Commission's plan of work for 1993–94 and beyond as part of its medium term aim to propose reform of existing legislation under the 1974 Act.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what activities currently carried out by the Health and Safety Commission and Executive will be curtailed as a result of the reduction in its grant-in-aid provision in 1995–96 and 1996–97.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information about financial provision for the Health and Safety Executive will be published in the departmental report. The Health and Safety Commission's planned future activities will be set out in its plan of work for 1994–95 and beyond which is scheduled for publication in June.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the Health and Safety Executive guidance on the electricity at work regulations for hotels will be published.
  108
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  At the end of January 1994.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if the members of the sector task groups appointed by the Health and Safety Commission to assist in its review of regulations will be fully consulted over the contents of the commission's final report prior to it being submitted to the Secretary of State.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  This is a matter for the Health and Safety Commission. It appointed the task group members to assist it under section 13 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. I am informed that the groups are making an invaluable contribution to the Commission's review and I would expect that to be reflected in both the preparation and content of the Commission's final report.

  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what response he has made to the view expressed by the Health and Safety Executive director-general in the foreword to the HSE annual report that Government policy has created imperatives, like the review of regulations, which have impinged upon the Health and Safety Executive.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Reform of health and safety law has been central to the achievement of a better health and safety system since the passing of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 some 20 years ago. The Health and Safety Commission's review of regulation has given fresh impetus to this work, but is fully consistent with the roles and duties of the Health and Safety Commission and Executive already laid down in the 1974 Act.

  Health and Safety Commission (Chairman)
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which of the duties or activities carried out by his full-time predecessor the part-time chairman of the Health and Safety Commission will not fulfil.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  It is for the Health and Safety Commission chairman to decide how best to carry out his functions and duties within the time available.

  The decision to make the chairman's appointment part-time reflected the loading of the post in current circumstances, including the appointment last year of a second full-time deputy director general of the Health and Safety Executive. This additional post will strengthen the senior management support available to the chairman, allowing the full responsibilities of leading the Commission to be managed without a full-time commitment.

  Deregulation (Briefings)
  Mr. Barron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment who was responsible for briefing all seven of the Health and Safety Commission's sector task groups on the findings of the Department of Trade and Industry deregulation task forces, as referred to in paragraph 5 of the interim report of the HSC review of regulations sent to the Minister on 22 November 1993; and on what dates these briefings were carried out.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I am informed that Department of Trade and Industry officials, appointed to support the Government's deregulation sector task forces, were
  109
  responsible for briefing the Health and Safety Commission's—HSC—sector task groups on their emerging findings, and that this was done through a series of meetings with HSC task group chairmen in August and September and in subsequent correspondence.

  Works Councils
  Mr. Cash
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy on works councils in British companies in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Government wholeheartedly supports voluntary employee involvement. If a company in the United Kingdom wishes to introduce a works council or any other form of employee involvement, it is free to do so in whatever way best suits its circumstances. The Government are resolutely opposed to any measure which would force United Kingdom companies to adopt prescribed structures or forms of employee involvement.

HEALTH

  GPs
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has on the relative level of income and expense reimbursement of general practitioners for areas of low mortality and morbidity and inner city areas.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Information placed in the Library shows, by family health services authority the gross payments in 1992–93 to general medical practitioners for provision of general medical services and the standardised mortality ratios for the local authority areas which most closely match each FHSA. Information on morbidity by inner city areas is not available.

  There are many factors affecting the level of payments to general medical practitioners, such as list size and cost of premises, which make it difficult to draw conclusions about levels of payments in relation to mortality data.

  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Hpalth if she will make a statement on the progress of general practitioner fundholding in the Worcester area.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Regional health authorities are responsible for managing the general practitioner fundholding scheme in their areas. Nationally 25 per cent. of the population is covered by fundholding, in the West Midlands region the figure is just over 26 per cent. From April about a third of the population will be covered.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer on 13 December,Official Report, column 470, if she will break down the amounts retained by general practitioner fundholders by region.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 17 December 1993 at col 1010.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give figures for the management consultants' fees for assessing applications by general practitioners for fund-holder status by(a) wave and (b) region.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available centrally. Regional health authorities are responsible for assessing applications to join the fund-holding scheme.
  110
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many fund-holding general practitioners are now in place.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  There are now over 6,000 general practitioner fundholders in over 1,200 practices.

  Occupational Health Services
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given by her Department to employing bodies within the national health service to establish an occupational health service.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Current guidance on establishing occupational health services in the national health service is contained in HN(82)33, copies of which are in the Library.

  Extra-contractual Referrals
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the number of extra-contractual referrals agreed by region in the last year.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information on which to base an estimate is not available centrally.

  University College London Hospitals
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much transitional funding is being made available to University College London hospitals; and what is the source of this funding.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  In 1993–94 to date, £8·247 million transitional funding support has been agreed in respect of University College London hospitals. Transitional funding for London in 1993–94 is being sourced from central top-sliced funds from within the overall national health service allocation.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the agreed programme for consolidating the University College London hospitals into fewer buildings; and if this includes the construction of new buildings.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The University College London hospitals—UCLH—have already made progress on consolidating services on the Middlesex site as part of their programme of rationalisation. We await further detailed proposals from UCLH.

  St. Bartholomew's Hospital
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contributions have been agreed by the private sector to the development of a new facility at St. Bartholomew's for minor injuries; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  There has been no agreement about what, if any, contribution the private sector might make, to the new minor injuries facility at St. Bartholomew's.

  We welcome the interest the City has shown in this proposal and we will be exploring what positive and practical contribution it can make to its development.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 15 December,Official Report, col. 722–23, concerning changes in certain hospital

  111
  provision in London, if she will list the number of accident and emergency cases dealt with by that department of St. Bartholomew's hospital in the first six months of 1993, indicating the numbers within any convenient category of treatment or severity; and how many within each such category she would expect to be dealt with in each adjacent and named accident and emergency unit which she plans to retain.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available centrally for the first six months of 1993. However, there

  Hospital

  GP care

  MIU care

  Accident and Emergency care

  Total

  Royal London

  300

  650

  4,850

  5,800

  Homerton

  250

  450

  2,100

  2,800

  Whittington

  100

  100

  800

  1,000

  UCH

  450

  950

  5,700

  7,100

  Guy's

  50

  200

  2,300

  2,550

  St. Thomas'

  Smithfield Minor Injuries Unit

  —

  9,450

  —

  9,450

  Totals

  1,150

  11,800

  15,750

  28,700

  Note: 2,450 cases are estimated to go to alternative primary care centres. In addition, a small number of cases are "lost", when an A and E department closes. In this case, an estimate of 375 "lost" cases has been made.

  Drug Prescribing
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representatives she has received on piggyback licensing on the back of generic drugs; what is her charging policy in such instances; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  Applications made under article 4·8.a.i, of directive 65/65/EEC—sometimes known as piggyback applications—are permitted for generic drugs. The application fee, payable on receipt of the application, is presently £2,090. We are not aware of any recent representations about these applications.

  Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton
  Mr. Mellor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she has considered Wandsworth borough council's report on the findings of the South West London hospitals review group and the specialty review team's report on plastic and burns as they affect Queen Mary's university hospital, Roehampton; and if she will make copies available in the Library.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  South West Thames regional health authority considered the views of Wandsworth borough council, the specialty review report on plastics and burns, and the views of other bodies who responded to the South West London hospitals review, before submitting its recommendations to the Department. The report of the South West London hospitals review and the region's recommendations on it are currently being considered by the London implementation group. A copy of Wandsworth borough council's report will be placed in the Library.

  Mr. Mellor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters she has received opposing the findings of(a) the specialty review team's report on plastics and burns and (b) the South West London hospitals review group as they affect Queen Mary's university hospital,
  112
  were 31,278 new attendances at the St. Bartholomew's hospital accident and emergency departments in the 12 months from 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993.

  A sample of these attenders showed that 12 per cent. were suitable for general practitioner care; 36·5 per cent. for care in a minor injuries unit, and 51·5 per cent. for care in a hospital accident and emergency department.

  The expected patient flows to other hospitals have been modelled, assuming the alternative facilities announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 15 December 1993 are in place. This analysis shows the expected attendances:

  Roehampton; and if she will give due consideration to the views of local people when considering the future of the vital services the hospital provides.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Ministers received 401 letters concerning Queen Mary's university hospital, Roehampton between 1 August 1993 and 31 December 1993. No decisions will be taken on the future pattern of services at Queen Mary's without careful consideration of all the arguments and proposals put forward. Any proposals to materially change the pattern of services would of course be subject to public consultation.

  Homerton Hospital
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost of redevelopment of Homerton hospital; and from what sources it will be met.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The estimated capital cost of further redevelopment at Homerton hospital is £25 million. This is a preliminary figure subject to formal appraisal and business case approval. Funding for the development will be made available from the national health service capital programme.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what planned improvements in local primary care facilities will relieve pressure on local accident and emergency services at Homerton hospital.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Improvements to primary care services around the Homerton hospital are being made as part of the investment programme within the London initiative zone. Specific projects include the development of facilities at Barton house, John Scott and Sorsby road health centres; these schemes will improve primary care services to the residents of north Hackney, who look to Homerton hospital for accident and emergency treatment and, in some cases, for primary care services as well.

  London Ambulance Service
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will tabulate for the months of July to November the response performance by percentage of emergency call of the London ambulance service for each month under the headings(a) activation time, (b) response time within eight minutes, (c) response time within 14 minutes and

  Activation time: Within 3 minutes

  Response time: Within 8 minutes

  Response time: Within 14 minutes

  Average daily number of "999" calls received

  Average daily number of calls where response 26 minutes or over

  Month

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Number

  Number

  July

  38

  13

  62

  1,083

  76

  August

  40

  14

  65

  1,034

  67

  September

  38

  13

  64

  1,051

  63

  October

  31

  10

  58

  1,115

  91

  Performance benchmarks:

  95 per cent. of calls activated within three minutes.

  50 per cent. of calls responded to within eight minutes.

  95 per cent. of calls responded to within 14 minutes.

  Patient's Charter Standard:

  95 per cent. of calls responded to within 14 minutes.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer on 15 December,Official Report, col. 721, concerning an increase of £14 million for the London ambulance service in the financial year 1994–95, what portion of this sum is likely to be used in defraying and deficit in the year 1993–94; what net increase in the number of emergency ambulances and qualified ambulance personnel she expects to be in service by December 1994 or any later month; and what percentage increase this represents over those currently available in each case.

  Mr. Sackville
  The reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to my hon. Friend the Member for Surbiton (Mr. Tracy) on 15 December at col.721 stated that, the London ambulance service—LAS—will receive an extra £14·8 million in 1994–95 over its baseline budget for 1993–94. None of this is expected to be used to cover any deficit in the 1993–94 financial year. £4 million is capital money to assist the LAS in the purchase of 120 new accident and emergency vehicles. The balance is revenue moneys, of which £3·5 million is to fund on-going developments already started by the LAS including: extra telephonists in central ambulance control, improved fleet maintenance, motorcycle and rapid response units and paramedic training. The remaining £7·3 million is to fund an increase in accident and emergency staffing, additional paramedic training and to strengthen management skills, especially in information technology. The LAS will now be able to renew over a third of its accident and emergency fleet and, by December 1994, to increase the number of qualified ambulance persons by 240–16 per cent.—sufficient to staff an additional 20 ambulances—15 per cent.—around the clock every day.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health in respect of how many boards, authorities, committees, and other public bodies she is responsible, in whole or in part, for appointments; what is the total number of such 114
  (d) response time within 26 minutes; and what was the average number of calls per day in each month where the response time exceeded 26 minutes, together with an indication under each heading of the ORCON and patients charter standard.

  Mr. Sackville
  The available information is shown in the table. Data for November are not yet available.

  appointments; and what is the total public spending by such boards, authorities, committees and other public bodies.

  Mr. Sackville
  The boards, authorities, committees and other public bodies for which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is responsible are listed in the publication "Public Bodies", copies of which are available in the Library. Government spending on the national health service is forecast to be £29,215 million in 1993–94 and planned to rise to £30,669 million in 1994–95. Government spending on Department of Health non-departmental public bodies outside the NHS is shown in "Public Bodies".

  Prescriptions (Selected List)
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the new selected items that have been made available to the NHS;

  (2) if she will list the new chemical entity products made available to the national health service since February 1993 that would have been covered by the selected list scheme.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available centrally.

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the representations she has received from(a) the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, (b) those who prescribed drugs and (c) others to extend the number of drugs on the current selected list.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  None.

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which drugs have been deleted from the current selected list giving their manufacturers, since February 1993; and which company manufactured each.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The generic drug Ammonia and Ipecacuanha Mixture BP has been deleted from the selected list since February 1993.
  115
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what drugs have been included on the selected list since February 1993; and who were their manufacturers.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information is shown in the table.

  Drug

  Manufacturer

  Algipan

  Wyeth Laboratories

  Anadin Extra Soluble Tablets

  Whitehall Laboratories

  Arnica Lotion

  Weleda UK

  Asilone Liquid

  Crookes Healthcare

  Ayrtons Analgesic Balm

  Ayrton Saunders

  Beecham Analgesic Cream

  SmithKline Beecham

  Boots Menthol and Wintergreen Embrocation

  Boots Pharmaceuticals

  Bronalin Decongestant

  Seton Healthcare

  Calpol Infant Suspension

  The Wellcome Foundation

  Camphor Spirit

  J. M. Loveridge

  Cremalgin Balm

  Rhone Poulenc Rorer

  Cuprofen Soluble Tablets

  Seton Healthcare

  Culpepper Healing Ointment

  Culpepper

  Culpepper Rheumatic Cream

  Culpepper

  Cupanol Under Six Suspension

  Seton Healthcare

  DHL Rheumatic Massage Cream

  DHL Products

  Diazepam oral solution 5mg/5m1

  Generic; various manufacturers

  Diazepam oral suspension 5mg/5m1

  Generic; various manufacturers

  Disprin Direct Tablets

  Reckitt & Colman

  Dragon Balm

  Gerrard House

  Dubam Cream

  Norman Chemicals

  Dubam Spray Relief

  Norman Chemicals

  Elliman Universal Embrocation

  SmithKline Beecham

  Fibrosine Analgesic Balm

  International Chemicals

  Fiery Jack Cream

  J. Pickles & Sons

  Fiery Jack Ointment

  J. Pickles & Sons

  Fluimucil Granules

  Zambon (UK)

  Gaviscon 250 Tablets

  Reckitt & Colman

  Germolene Ointment

  SmithKline Beecham

  Goodards White Oils Embrocation

  LRC Products

  Isoaminile Linctus

  Fisons Pharmaceuticals

  Lemsip Flu Strength

  Reckitt & Colman

  Lloyds Cream (Odour Free)

  Seton Healthcare

  Lloyds Heat Spray

  Haventrail

  Mentholatum Deep Heat Massage Liniment

  Mentholatum Company

  Mentholatum Deep Heat Maximum Strength Rub

  Mentholatum Company

  Mentholatum Deep Heat Rub

  Mentholatum Company

  Nella Red Oil

  Nella Pharmaceuticals

  Paldesic Elixir

  RP Drugs

  Panadol Body and Infant

  Sanofi Winthrop Suspension

  Panadol Extra Soluble Tablets

  Sanofi Winthrop

  Phor Pain

  Goldshield Pharmaceuticals

  Phor Pain Double Strength

  Goldshield Pharmaceuticals

  Potters Household Liniment

  Potters Herbal Supplies

  Potters Nine Rubbing Oils

  Potters Herbal Supplies

  PR Heat Spray

  Crookes Healthcare

  Radian-B Liniment

  Fisons Consumer Health

  Radian-B Rub

  Fisons Consumer Health

  Ralgex Cream

  SmithKline Beecham

  Ralgex Stick

  SmithKline Beecham

  RRC1 Cream

  Radiol Chemicals

  Salonair

  Salonpas (UK)

  Sanatogen Children's Vitamins Plus Minerals

  Fisons Consumer Health

  Solpadeine Tablets

  Sterling Health

  Sudafed Nasal Spray

  The Wellcome Foundation

  Superdrug Heat Spray

  Mentholatum Company

  Thermogene Medicated Rub

  SmithKline Beecham

  Tiger Balm Liquid

  LRC Products

  Tiger Balm Red

  LRC Products

  Tiger Balm White

  LRC Products

  Unicap M Tablets

  Upjohn

  Unicap T Tablets

  Upjohn

  Vadarex Wintergreen Heat Rub

  Cupal Products

  Vicks Vaposyrup Childrens Dry Cough

  Procter & Gamble

  Zam Buk Ointment

  Fisons Consumer Health

  116
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the procedure for(a) pharmaceutical companies and (b) prescribers to (i) ask for a particular drug to be included in the selected list and (ii) overturn a decision to remove a drug from the selected list.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Prescribers or manufacturers can at any time ask the committee to review any product which is on the list of non-prescribable drugs, or to ask for one to be added to it.

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with(a) representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and (b) the advisory committee on NHS drugs about research and development into new products and medicines that may be affected by the selected list.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  None.

  Drugs Advisory Committee
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place to ensure the effectiveness of the advisory committee on NHS drugs since February 1993.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The independent advisory committee has been asked to provide expert advice to Ministers. We are satisfied that it does so effectively.

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the representations she has received since February 1993 from pharmaceutical manufacturers regarding the posts on the advisory committee on NHS drugs.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  We have received no such representations. A member with experience of the pharmaceutical industry was appointed to the committee in February 1993.

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the composition of the advisory committee on NHS drugs; for how long appointees have served on the committee; and what was the level of remuneration where appropriate.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The names of the members and the dates they were appointed are shown in the table.

  Firstappointed

  Chairman

  Dr. Jeremy Metters

  1989

  Members

  Professor A. M. Breckenridge

  1985

  Professor M. Castleden

  1990

  Mr. D. L. Coleman

  1985

  Professor H. D. Edmondson

  1987

  Dr. P. R. Fellows

  1993

  Professor D. Ganderton

  1985

  Miss A. F. Glasier

  1993

  Dr. C. Grafton

  1993

  Dr. A. Greenough

  1993

  Dr. G. Hargreaves

  1993

  Professor S. Holgate

  1993

  Dr. D. Jones

  1992

  Professor R. M. Jones

  1990

  Mr. A. G. Kerr

  1990

  117

  First appointed

  Mrs. S. Noyce

  1993

  Dr. S. J. Richards

  1989

  Dr. C. H. Swan

  1991

  Professor P. J. Tyrer

  1989

  Dr. D. M. B. Ward

  1991

  Members other than the chairman receive a fee of £100 for attending each meeting.

  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria appointees to the advisory committee on NHS drugs have to meet.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Appointments to the advisory committee are made by Ministers from names which have been put forward by the relevant professional organisations.

  Salford District Health Authority
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the cost to date of the honouring of the contract of the immediate past district manager of Salford health authority; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This is a local matter for Salford health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman, Dr. F. B. Beswick, for details.

  Sellafield (Radiation)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she made of the National Radiological Protection Board report NRPB-M453, published in October, on the estimate of collective radiation doses from Sellafield.

  Mr. Sackville
  The report was prepared by the National Radiological Protection Board—NRPB—in line with a recommendation by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment. The results of the NRPB work confirm that the discharges from THORP will result in radiation doses much lower than natural background radiation levels. The NRPB has described the annual attributable risk to individuals in the world population as "vanishingly small".

  Drug Costs
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on drug costs in each member state of the European Community.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The total levels of public expenditure on drugs supplied to patients in each member state of the European Union is shown in the table. Data on public expenditure cannot be taken to correlate to total expenditure—public and private—as the share of the public sector if total spending differs between countries.

  Country

  Public expenditure (£ million)

  Public expenditure (£)per capita

  United Kingdom

  3,349·3

  58

  Germany

  7,983·6

  126

  France

  5,317·9

  94

  Italy

  5,463·1

  95

  118

  Country

  Public expenditure (£million)

  Public expenditure (£)per capita

  Spain

  2,407·1

  62

  Netherlands

  762·1

  51

  Belgium

  704·4

  71

  Portugal

  357·6

  36

  Greece

  137·9

  14

  Ireland

  193·9

  55

  Denmark

  121·2

  23

  Luxembourg

  51·4

  114

  Source: Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development. Figures have been converted to £ at purchasing power parities. Figures are for 1990, except those for Portugal and Denmark where 1989 figures are the latest available.

  Non-prescription Drugs
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to extend the availability of over-the-counter medicines.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  We are continuing to extend the range of medicines which may be supplied without prescription where this can be done safely. In January 1993, we introduced a new timetable to provide for reclassification within 12 months and an order—SI 1993 No. 3256—which will allow a number of medicines previously restricted to prescription control to be supplied as pharmacy medicines, was laid on 31 December 1993 and is due to come into effect on 21 January. From July 1994, we shall be increasing the opportunities for reclassifying medicines by making two orders a year.

  Traffic Accidents
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional financial provision is made for hospitals adjacent to motorways to take into account the cost of treating victims of traffic accidents; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  It is for district health authorities to purchase accident and emergency services and emergency ambulance services which take account of local factors and meet the needs of all corners, regardless of their district of residence. The cost of any in-patient treatment, following attention in the A and E department, is charged to the patient's district of residence.

  External Bodies (Funding)
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations received how much money in grants from her Department in each of the last three years.

  Mr. Bowis
  The Department makes a large number of grants to voluntary organisations. The main channel is the section 64 general scheme and for details of those grants for the last three financial years I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon, South (Mr. Marshall) by my hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Mr. Dorrell) on 21 May 1991 at cols.435–39; the reply given to the hon. Member for Paisley, South (Mr. McMaster) by my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville) on 18 January 1993 at col. 96; and the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Dover (Mr. Shaw) on 21 June 1993 at cols 34–39.

  Health Authority Projects
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to her answer of 6 December,Official Report, columns 70–71, what are the capital assets of the regional health authority earmarked for current projects where contracts have already been signed.

  (2) pursuant to her answer of 6 December, Official Report, columns 70–71, what is the value of the assets of regional health authorities earmarked for projects over each of the next five years (a) where contracts have already been signed and (b) where contracts have not been signed.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Proceeds from the sale of capital assets are not normally earmarked to offset the cost of individual capital developments, but enable the total capital spending for a region to increase.

  Community Care
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates have been made by her Department regarding the future need for community nurses in each health district.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Department does not keep estimates of the need for community nurses by health district. It is the responsibility of regions to plan the demand for health visitors and district nurses.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total expenditure on community care per thousand of population in each local authority area for the last five years.

  Mr. Bowis
  This information is not held centrally in this form, because expenditure by the national health service on community health and expenditure by the Department of Social Security on some social security benefits are not available at local authority level.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total expenditure on community care for people aged 75 years and over per thousand of population in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Bowis
  This information is not available centrally.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding the integration of health commissioning functions with community care under local authority control.

  Mr. Bowis
  Various proposals for change are received from time to time but at present there is no intention to alter the current responsibilities for the provision of health care.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Sackville
  Available information shows that no former British representative members in the European Parliament have been appointed to Department of Health non-departmental public bodies.
  120
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment;

  (2) if she will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous nongovernmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave the hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mr. Grocott) on 20 July 1993 at columns 112–14.

  NHS Estates Information Group
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the income of the national health service estates information group in 1992–93 and what is the projected income for 1993–94;

  (2) what was the net cost of the national health service estates information group to the National Health Service Estates Executive Agency in 1992–93; and what is the projected cost for 1993–94.

  Mr. Sackville
  The income for the information systems group of the national health service estates agency for 1992–93 was £1·3 million. The projected income for 1993–94 is £1·25 million.

  The group made a surplus of income over expenditure for 1992–93 of £40,000. The projected cost of the group for 1993–94 is £1·25 million.

  Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  Mr. Critchley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost of a magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

  Mr. Sackville
  The price of a magnetic resonance imaging scanner will depend on the technical specification required by the site purchasing the machine and negotiation with manufacturers before a contract is awarded.

  Mr. Critchley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many magnetic resonance imaging scanners are at present the property of the NHS;. and in which hospitals they are located.

  Mr. Sackville
  According to information held by the Department, the number of magnetic resonance imaging scanners installed in national health service premises—up until June 1993—in England is 59.

  These are located in the following hospitals:
  The Maudsley hospital, Newcastle general hospital, South Cleveland hospital, Hull royal infirmary, St. James's University hospital, Leeds, Leicester royal infirmary, Nottingham university hospital, Royal Hallamshire hospital, Derby royal infirmary, Addenbrooke's hospital, Hammersmith hospital, Northwick Park hospital, Mount Vernon hospital, Royal Brompton and National Heart hospital, St. Mary's hospital, Paddington, Royal Marsden hospital, Royal National Orthopaedic hospital, Middlesex hospital, St. Bartholomew's hospital, Royal Free hospital, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, The

  121
  Hospital for Sick Children, London, the London hospital (Whitechapel), Royal Surrey County hospital, Atkinson Morley's hospital, St. George's hospital, Poole general hospital, Southampton general hospital, Stoke Mandeville hospital, John Radcliffe hospital, Nuffield orthopaedic centre, Royal Berkshire hospital, Bristol royal infirmary, Cheltenham general hospital, Royal Cornwall hospital, Frenchay hospital, Walsgrave general hospital, Royal Orthopaedic hospital, Birmingham, Liverpool MR research centre, Walton hospital, Liverpool, Clatterbridge Centre, Wirral, Manchester royal infirmary, Royal Preston hospital.

  Some locations have more than one scanner.

  Information about the ownership of these scanners is not available centrally.

  Mr. Critchley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the national health service pays at present to privately-run hospitals for the use by national health service patients of their scanners.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  "Health of the Nation"
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made to the proportion of the target for the reduction in road accidents in her "Health of the Nation" White Paper which could be achieved by a move to central European time.

  Mr. Sackville
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: The "Health of the Nation" White Paper sets the following targets for reduction by the year 2005 in the death rate from accidents of all types, measured against a baseline of the average rate for the three years 1989–91:

  Percentage reduction

  Children under 15

  33

  Young people aged 15 to 24

  25

  People aged 65 and over

  33

  It is estimated that the introduction of single-double summer time would reduce accidental deaths among children by some 4 per cent. below their level in 1989–91 and by 1 per cent. among the rest of the population.

TRANSPORT

  M1 (Widening)
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the scheme to widen the M1 between junctions 28 and 32 will commence; what is the estimated cost; and what is the projected length of time from beginning to end for work on the scheme.

  Mr. Key
  We are holding local public exhibitions in February of proposals for widening to dual four lanes within the existing land take between junctions 31 and 32. The work is estimated to cost £5 million.

  The remaining proposals for the section of M1 between junctions 28 and 32 are at an earlier stage of development. Further progress will depend on the priority accorded to them following the current review of schemes, the completion of any statutory procedures and the availability of funds. The next stage would be public consultation about the options for widening. The estimated works cost
  122
  for the whole section at the time of the 1990 report, "Trunk Roads, England into the 1990s", was approximately £200 million.

  Flags of Convenience
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the country or origin of flag of convenience fishing boats on the British register.

  Mr. Norris
  There are 99 EC qualified fishing vessels on the British register, of which 73 are Spanish, 24 are Dutch and two are 50 per cent. Danish owned.

  A27
  Sir Terence Higgins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will update the table on the page headed "Alternatives Considered", of his Department's document entitled "A27 Worthing/Lancing Improvement Statement", explaining the proposals and new technical summary of the environmental statement to give up-to-date figures for the three alternatives and if he will also give figures for the Government's published scheme if the tunnel is bored rather than constructed on the basis assumed in this document;

  (2) what are his latest estimates of the cost of converting the A24 to dual carriageway in current and 1989 prices; and if he will express these figures so that they are comparable with updated figures in a table corresponding to that in his Department's leaflet summarising the A27 Worthing/Lancing improvement proposals.

  Mr. Key
  The public inquiry into the A27 Worthing-Lancing improvement scheme is now under way. Current estimates of the cost for the scheme and related proposals will be available from the Department's representative at the inquiry. I will ask him to write to the hon. Member.

  Light Dues
  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the amount paid in light dues by merchant ships entering the Tees and Hartlepool ports last year.

  Mr. Norris
  The total amount of light dues collected by Customs and Excise in the financial year to 31 March 1993 was £4,133,427 in the area of the Tees and Hartlepool port authority.

  Bus Fares
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what study his Department has made of the effect on bus fares of the rise in duty on diesel fuel.

  Mr. Freeman
  The effect should be very small. The rise in duty on diesel fuel represents an increase of under 1 per cent. on total operating costs.

  Coastal Shipping
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has undertaken to assess the reduction in heavy goods vehicle traffic movements resulting from an increase in the use of transshipment or feeder journeys using coastal shipping.

  Mr. Norris
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 22 October at column 342.
  123
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set targets for the greater use of coastal shipping as an alternative to road transport; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  No. The choice of transport mode for freight is primarily a commercial matter.

  We encourage shippers and others in the freight industry to consider the merits of coastal and short sea shipping where this is a practical option.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which(a) inland ports and (b) small ports he proposes to increase coastal shipping traffic; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  It is for individual ports to decide what facilities they will provide for coastal shipping. It is for shippers and ship operators to decide how they will use such facilities. The Government are assisting this process by removing constraints on the ability of ports to operate efficiently, and by continuing to provide grants for inland waterways freight facilities, under section 36 of the Transport Act 1981, where these can be justified on environmental benefit grounds.

  Coopers and Lybrand
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has anything to add to his answer of 25 November concerning Coopers and Lybrand,Official Report, column 102, following the 63rd report of the Committee of Public Accounts, Session 1992–93, HC658.

  Mr. Freeman
  Further to my reply of 25 November, there is no comparison between the circumstances of the appointment of consultants to the Wessex Regional health authority and Sir Christopher Foster's role as adviser to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. As my earlier answer made clear, the need to avoid potential conflicts of interest was covered in Sir Christopher's terms of appointment.

  Common Transport Policy
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the European Council of Ministers in respect of the common transport policy for European ports in respect of United Kingdom ports where he intends to develop inter modal transport; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  Officials from my Department are taking part in the Community initiative for pilot action for combined transport. As one of the projects under that initiative the United Kingdom and Ireland plan shortly to commission a study of combined transport links between Ireland, the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.

  Crossrail
  Mr. Peter Shore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the terms of reference of the current review of crossrail include an assessment of the possibilities of linking the channel tunnel rail link with Crossrail.

  Mr. Norris
  Although not specifically included in the terms of reference, the consultants have been asked to consider links to Union Railways at Stratford.
  124
  Mr. Butterfill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the estimated cost, at current values, of the crossrail project before the start of the Bovis/Gibb study; what was the date of that estimate; and what proportion of that cost related to compensation payable under the statutory compensation code.

  Mr. Norris
  The base cost of the crossrail project was estimated in April 1993 to be £1,703 million at March 1990 prices, which is equivalent to £2,049 million at current values. The latter figure includes a sum of £259 million for property purchases and compensation for loss and disturbance to property owners in accordance with existing legislation.

  Register of Shipping
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will reject proposals for a British open register of shipping;

  (2) if he will place in the Library a copy of his reply to the chief executive and secretary of the Baltic Exchange's letter of 3 December concerning proposals for a British open register of shipping.

  Mr. Norris
  These proposals will need to be studied carefully before any conclusion is reached.

  The Department's letter of 15 December, acknowledging the one from the chief executive of the Baltic Exchange, briefly explained this.

  Container Ports
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give in respect of(a) imports into and (b) exports from the United Kingdom for each United Kingdom container terminal port the number of containers currently discharged subsequently transhipped to (i) other ports in the United Kingdom and (ii) other European ports.

  Mr. Norris
  This information is not available to my Department.

  Transport Grants
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the transport supplementary grant/transport policy and plans allocations for 1994–95, giving the relevant bid in each case and expressing the allocation made as a percentage of the bid.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The figures are as follows:

  Bids, and accepted expenditure, for transport supplementary grant (TSG) and credit approvals for 1994–95

  Total bid 1994–95

  Gross accepted for TSG and credit approvals 1994–95

  £'000s

  £'000s

  Per cent.

  City of London

  3,068

  1,749

  57·0

  Barking and Dagenham

  7,122

  1,132

  15·9

  Bamet

  5,647

  2,602

  46·1

  Bexley

  10,004

  8,022

  80·2

  Brent

  8,023

  2,743

  34·2

  Bromley

  4,023

  1,895

  47·1

  Camden

  7,123

  4,064

  57·1

  Croydon

  12,295

  5,045

  41·0

  Ealing

  7,394

  3,268

  44·2

  125

  Total bid 1994–95

  Gross accepted for TSG and credit approvals 1994–95

  £ '000s

  £ '000s

  Per cent.

  Enfield

  12,241

  5,507

  45·0

  Greenwich

  4,888

  2,613

  53·5

  Hackney

  7,362

  3,347

  45·5

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  9,953

  5,516

  55·4

  Haringey

  6,989

  3,159

  45·2

  Harrow

  9,510

  8,594

  90·4

  Havering

  2,183

  868

  39·8

  Hillingdon

  13,892

  5,129

  36·9

  Hounslow

  9,858

  5,599

  56·8

  Islington

  8,023

  3,127

  39·0

  Kensington and Chelsea

  1,602

  1,153

  72·0

  Kingston upon Thames

  7,880

  3,505

  44·5

  Lambeth

  3,129

  1,728

  55·2

  Lewisham

  15,001

  9,876

  65·8

  Merton

  3,635

  1,727

  47·5

  Newham

  16,638

  11,174

  67·2

  Redbridge

  7,292

  1,689

  23·2

  Richmond upon Thames

  2,594

  1,936

  74·6

  Southwark

  5,872

  3,841

  65·4

  Sutton

  5,982

  2,319

  38·8

  Tower Hamlets

  15,471

  5,373

  34·7

  Waltham Forest

  4,481

  2,510

  56·0

  Wandsworth

  13,551

  6,401

  47·2

  Westminster

  19,090

  3,709

  19·4

  Bolton

  7,855

  3,693

  47·0

  Bury

  4,978

  2,266

  45·5

  Manchester

  46,162

  24,685

  53·5

  Oldham

  15,644

  5,115

  32·7

  Rochdale

  5,477

  2,420

  44·2

  Salford

  16,448

  2,949

  17·9

  Stockport

  11,104

  4.834

  43·5

  Tameside

  8,555

  1,929

  22·5

  Trafford

  23,864

  11,399

  47·8

  Wigan

  7,815

  1,415

  18·1

  Knowsley

  23,216

  19,498

  84·0

  Liverpool

  11,480

  6,018

  52·4

  St. Helens

  5,846

  722

  12·4

  Sefton

  5,702

  1,122

  19·7

  Wirral

  7,092

  3,083

  43·5

  Barnsley

  9,941

  6,666

  67·1

  Doncaster

  9,539

  6,248

  65·5

  Rotherham

  8,794

  4,803

  54·6

  Sheffield

  56,086

  20,145

  35·9

  Gateshead

  3,700

  1,351

  36·5

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  17,991

  9,255

  51·4

  North Tyneside

  4,148

  1,692

  40·8

  South Tyneside

  2,783

  1,319

  47·4

  Sunderland

  13,972

  3,733

  26·7

  Birmingham

  55,591

  38,660

  69·5

  Coventry

  16,056

  15,176

  94·5

  Dudley

  16,428

  10,640

  64·8

  Sandwell

  15,387

  5,828

  37·9

  Solihull

  4,709

  3,713

  78·8

  Walsall

  25,953

  17,704

  68·2

  Wolverhampton

  28,274

  19,487

  68·9

  Bradford

  18,012

  7,215

  40·1

  Calderdale

  9,689

  3,412

  35·2

  Kirklees

  15,506

  7,079

  45·7

  Leeds

  43,944

  20,507

  46·7

  Wakefield

  13,972

  3,421

  24·5

  Avon

  37,386

  18,750

  50·2

  Bedfordshire

  13,415

  5,037

  37·5

  Berkshire

  29,574

  10,203

  34·5

  Buckinghamshire

  12,106

  3,256

  26·9

  Cambridgeshire

  17,010

  6,716

  39·5

  Cheshire

  38,453

  21989

  57·2

  Cleveland

  18,596

  12,702

  68·3

  Cornwall

  18,658

  11,260

  60·3

  Cumbria

  16,927

  4,927

  29·1

  Derbyshire

  16,067

  5,175

  32·2

  Devon

  29,423

  10,320

  35·1

  Dorset

  9,902

  6,458

  65·2

  Durham

  20,168

  11,204

  55·6

  126

  Total bid 1994–95

  Gross accepted for TSG and credit approvals 1994–95

  £'000s

  £'000s

  Per cent.

  East Sussex

  21,495

  8,760

  40·8

  Essex

  38,263

  19,318

  50·5

  Gloucestershire

  19,100

  8,302

  43·5

  Hampshire

  46,513

  28,864

  62·1

  Hereford and Worcester

  12,369

  3,647

  29·5

  Hertfordshire

  22,155

  12,011

  54·2

  Humberside

  24,524

  17,484

  71·3

  Isle of Wight

  4,813

  2,982

  62·0

  Kent

  142,843

  94,124

  65·9

  Lancashire

  59,957

  26,352

  44·0

  Leicestershire

  25,195

  7,603

  10·2

  Lincolnshire

  13,678

  7,432

  54·3

  Norfolk

  32,912

  14,275

  43·4

  Northamptonshire

  18,120

  6,135

  33·9

  Northumberland

  19,461

  7,776

  40·0

  North Yorkshire

  33,166

  15,613

  47·1

  Nottinghamshire

  27,463

  10,715

  39·0

  Oxfordshire

  11,520

  5,967

  51·8

  Shropshire

  20,726

  5,081

  24·5

  Somerset

  20,982

  10,460

  49·9

  Staffordshire

  29,060

  14,416

  49·6

  Suffolk

  31,883

  9,387

  29·4

  Surrey

  52,645

  26,395

  50·1

  Warwickshire

  11,515

  4,504

  39·1

  West Sussex

  17,921

  7,012

  39·1

  Wiltshire

  9,491

  4,600

  48·5

  1,908,984

  937,334

  Marchioness Disaster
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who was the inspector conducting the inquiry into the collision of the Bowbelle and Marchioness on the night of 20 August 1989; what was his period of service and what responsibilities he held in his Department; for what other inquiries before or since he has had prime or associated responsibility; what were his qualifications and professional experience, particularly in respect of navigation of the Thames above Greenwich; and if he will name any person having such knowledge, and their experience and qualification, who assisted the inspector.

  Mr. Norris
  The inspector who led the inquiry was the deputy chief inspector of marine accidents. Prior to his appointment as deputy chief inspector he had some 37½ years service in shipping and is a fully qualified and experienced master mariner. His service included eight years as principal nautical surveyor with particular responsibility for casualty investigation in the Department of Transport marine directorate; in that capacity he was concerned with numerous inquiries including those into the losses of the Herald of Free Enterprise and Marques. He was assisted by several inspectors with expertise appropriate to different aspects of the accident, including two officers closely concerned with navigation on the River Thames.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who was the inspector referred to in the letter he received from the chief inspector of marine accidents dated 5 June 1990; who conducted the inquiry into the Bowbelle-Marchioness collision; where and on what dates the inquiry took place; where the public or hon. Members can obtain a list of witnesses appearing at the inquiry; if he
  127
  intends to publish their written and oral evidence; by whom witnesses were subject to questioning in the course of the inquiry; and what interest was represented by each of those persons carrying out the questioning.

  Mr. Norris
  The inspector referred to is the deputy chief inspector of marine accidents who led the inquiry. Investigation began on the morning of the accident, 20 August 1989, and the inquiry was completed when the deputy chief inspector submitted his report to the chief inspector on 26 January 1990.

  The inquiry obtained evidence on many dates and at various places, including the office of the marine accident investigation branch, the Department of Transport district marine office, offices of the Port of London Authority and Tidal Cruises Ltd., on board my Bowbelle, at the yard where the Marchioness was slipped and afloat on the River Thames. Witnesses were questioned by one or more of the appointed inspectors whose interest, as laid down, was to determine the circumstances and causes of the accident with the aim of improving safety and avoiding recurrence. It is not the practice to give a list of witnesses nor to publish their evidence.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list each matter taken into consideration by the inspector conducting the inquiry into the Bowbelle collision, which was not referred to by the report received in his Department from the chief inspector of marine accidents.

  Mr. Norris
  As in any thorough investigation, the inspectors considered many aspects which. subsequently proved not to be germane to the accident. It is therefore not practicable to list such matters.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evidence has been given in private or in public by the captain of the launch Hurlingham in respect of the collision between the Bowbelle and Marchioness; and if he will place copies of that evidence in the Library.

  Mr. Norris
  Apart from any evidence which he may have given either in the coroner's or the magistrates courts, the captain of the launch Hurlingham gave evidence to the marine accident investigation branch inspectors in the form of a declaration under section 27 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1979; such declarations are given in confidence and may not therefore be released.

  A66-A1 Intersection
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to providing a full four-way motorway intersection between the A66 (M) and the Al (M); and when he will publish his conclusions.

  Mr. Key
  An assessment of this interchange has been undertaken as part of a study to provide information about the longer term requirements of the Al (M) motorway in the Northern region. From the work undertaken the need has not been established for increased capacity at this junction.

  Roads Programme
  Mr. Bendel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish the results of the review of the roads programme.
  128
  Mr. Key
  The current review of the road programme is intended to increase efficiency and speed of delivery by establishing clear priorities. The results will be published in good time to provide instructions to the chief executive of the new Highways Agency, which is being launched at the beginning of the new financial year.

  Marine Accident Investigation Branch
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what occasions since its inception he, or other Ministers of the Crown have visited the premises of his marine accident investigation branch at Southampton; and if he will list the occasions when any Minister in his Department has had formal meetings with the chief inspector of marine accidents since April 1992.

  Mr Norris
  Various Ministers with responsibility for shipping have visited MAIB. The most recent visit was by my right hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State for Aviation and Shipping on 1 May 1992. The chief inspector meets the Secretary of State and Ministers as required.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the reference numbers and headings of each vote in the estimates relating to expenditure incurred directly, or otherwise ascertainable, defraying the expenses of the marine accident investigation branch.

  Mr. Norris
  The MAIB provision is contained within the 1993–94 supply estimates, class VI, vote 2, part II (section A), (section B) and section B1(6).

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the nature and extent of the accommodation occupied by his marine accident investigation branch at 57 Brunswick place, Southampton and any other premises occupied by them elsewhere; if he will list the number and description of each category of persons employed within the Department; and what principal variations have been executed or planned since its inception.

  Mr. Norris
  The sole accommodation occupied by MAIB is situated at 5–7 Brunswick place, Southampton, which consists of office space on two floors. The staff complement is 11 professional officers from the three main maritime disciplines and 10 administrative, executive and support grade staff. There has never been any change made in the accommodation. The original complement was 15—nine professional officers and six administrative staff. However, at the branch's inception the full complement was not in post and at that time its Staff numbered 11—five professional and six administrative. In April 1990 the complement was increased to the current number.

  MAIB
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the titles and relevant dates of the printed reports of the marine accident investigation branch, together with the titles and expected dates of publication of any reports in hand, the number of each report printed, the cost to the general public and the method of distribution adopted by his Department.

  Mr. Norris
  The information on published reports will be found in appendix B of the periodic MAIB publication entitled "Summary of Investigations", a copy of which is
  129
  in the Library. It is anticipated that the chief inspector's report, "Engine failure and subsequent grounding of the Motor Tanker Braer at Garths Ness, Shetland" will be published in the new year. Distribution of all priced publications is carried out by HMSO, which makes a commercial decision on the number of copies printed.

  Zeebrugge and Marchioness (Inquiries)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the main differences in terms of procedure, public access, conduct and report adopted between the inquiries into the Zeebrugge and Marchioness disasters.

  Preliminary inquiry (PI)

  Formal investigation(FI)

  Inspector's inquiry

  procedure

  Ordered under S.55 of MSA 1970 (now repealed).

  In 1987, as PI (now amended to S.56 of MSA 1970).

  Ordered under regulation 6 of MS (accident investigation) regulations, made under S.33 of MSA 1988.

  public access

  No provision.

  (Usually)1 held in public

  Public invitation to make representations. No other provisions before report stage.

  Conduct

  Peripatetic. No rules of con-duct laid down. Inspector's powers set out in S.27 of
  MSA 1979.

  Quasi-court procedures, laid down in MS (formal inves-tigation) rules 1985.

  Peripatetic. Governed by MS (accident investigation) regulations. Inspector's powers as for PI.

  Report

  No provisions laid down. Practice was for report to be regarded as confidential to Department.

  Report of court to Secretary of State, usually1 published.

  Report by chief inspector to Secretary of State, usually' published. Any parties who are criticised must see the report in draft and may make representations to the chief inspector.

  1 The usual procedure was followed with both the Zeebrugge and River Thames accidents.

  Thames Collision Inquiry
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what inquiries, or reports concerning the seven collisions on the Thames involving the Bowbelle, were taken into account by the inspector conducting the inquiry into the collision of that vessel with the Marchioness following his answer of 21 January 1992,Official Report, column 157; by whom any such inquiry in respect of each collision was conducted; to whom any report was sent; and if it is publicly available.

  Mr. Norris
  As section 15 of the chief inspector's report shows, the inquiry considered past accidents generally, not exclusively those concerning Bowbelle. Particular regard was given to those having points of similarity with the collision with Marchioness, which included one incident involving Bowbelle when she was in collision with the Pride of Greenwich. That, and the other River Thames incidents described in the report, were investigated by a surveyor of the Department of Transport, whose report was sent to the marine directorate. Such reports were not published, but a summary report of the Bowbelle/Pride of Greenwich collision was released in 1991.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport further to the Minister for Roads and Traffic's reply to the Consolidated Fund debate on 14 December about the Marchioness disaster, whether the transcript of the "Dispatches" television programme on which he relied portrayed the computer graphics included in the broadcast.

  Mr. Norris
  No. I have, however, now seen the video of the complete broadcast and I can confirm that I do not believe it adds anything material to that which is already known and recorded.
  130
  Mr Norris
  The capsize of the Herald of Free Enterprise off Zeebrugge was followed by a preliminary inquiry and a formal investigation both of which were held under section 55 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1970. The loss of the Marchioness was followed by an inspector's inquiry under section 33 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 and regulation 6 of the Merchant Shipping (Accident Investigation) Regulations 1989. A comparison between the three types of inquiry is set out in the table.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration was given by the marine accident investigation branch inquiry into the BowbelleMarchioness collision as to the health and capability of the helmsman of the Bowbelle and official documentation related thereto.

  Mr. Norris
  The helmsman was interviewed by an inspector who was fully satisfied of his capability. He held a valid medical certificate.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the forward extent of deadwater viewed from the wheelhouse of the dredger Bowbelle by a person of average height when(a) loaded with a full cargo down to the marks at level trim, (b) unloaded with ballast tanks filled as per company practice for navigation above bridges on the Thames and (c) as ballasted to the extent it was at Southwark on the night of 20 August 1989; and what evidence was taken, and what tests were made, by the inspector conducting the inquiry into the collision.

  Mr. Norris
  A precise figure for the extent of deadwater cannot be given, irrespective of the state of loading, because it resulted not only from the vessel's trim but also from the presence of dredging gear, as is shown in the chief inspector's report: the effect of this is partly dependant on the observer's position. The significance of the poor visibility from the wheelhouse is given emphasis in the report; the inspector's opinion on this was based on close visual inspection including but not limited to a passage down river in conditions similar as far as possible to those on the night of the accident. As the report says, during this trial the launch taking the place of Marchioness could not be seen from the wheelhouse when she was in any position reasonably close ahead or on the starboard bow.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps were taken by his Marine Accident Investigation Branch to contact the survivors and witnesses
  131
  of the Bowbelle collision with a view to its submission of written or oral evidence to the subsequent inquiry; and if lists of such persons were supplied to it by the Metropolitan police or other persons or bodies.

  Mr. Norris
  Lists of survivors from Marchioness were supplied by the Metropolitan police. Copies of their statements and those of other witnesses were also provided; all were examined. When it appeared that the witness was in a position to provide evidence as to the circumstances of the accident, an attempt was made to contact them and invite them to meet an inspector. In addition, press advertisements were placed inviting anyone who so wished to contribute to the inquiry.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public evidence has been given, orally or in writing, by the captain of the Bowbelle concerning his seeking or obtaining permission to navigate or anchor subsequent to the collision with the Marchioness on 20 August 1989.

  Mr. Norris
  Evidence was given by the master in the form of a declaration before the inspector as required under the Merchant Shipping Act 1979, and therefore not in public. He said that he was given permission to anchor in Long Reach but then told to go to Gravesend, which was later amended to Gallions reach. This is confirmed by the VHF transcript.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what test had been made, and what information had been requested by or made available to the inspector conducting the inquiry into the Bowbelle collision of 20 August 1989, concerning the nature of that vessel's bow light when navigating with foremast lowered at night above bridges; what was the strength of such a light used whilst so navigating; what requests had been made by the owners of the vessel in respect of these or related matters; what rule or regulation prevented installation of a stronger than normal bow light for such passages; and what evidence was given to the inspector conducting the inquiry on this matter;

  (2) what was the strength of the port and starboard navigation sidelights of the sand dredger Bowbelle on the night of 20 August 1989; what tests were made concerning the effect of any equipment carried on its deck or the trim of the vessel on forward visibility of such lights, particularly when viewed from near water level; and if the inspector conducting the inquiry into the collision took evidence on this matter.

  Mr. Norris
  Bowbelle carried approved port and starboard navigation lights, which have a luminous intensity of 12 candelas giving a range in ordinarily good visibility of least three miles. As explained in the chief inspector's report, she did not carry the usual forward masthead light being exempt from doing so under PLA bye-laws because the mast had to be lowered to pass under the bridges, but she carried in lieu of it a light about 4½ feet above the deck forward, of similar characteristics: that is having a luminous intensity of at least 94 candelas giving a six-mile range.

  A trial passage down river in conditions similar as far as possible to those on the night of the accident permitted a subjective assessment of the effectiveness of the lights from near water level by the inspector on board the launch.
  132
  As section 7 of the report says, the lights did not show up well: this, particularly in the case of the forward light, was due mainly to the effect of the background of shore lights.

  Representations were made by the owners of Bowbelle and other commercial craft regularly using the river above Tower bridge on the subject of distinguishing lights for their ships, both at meetings and in correspondence. The relevant papers were examined by the inspectors and are discussed in section 15 of the chief inspector's report. The various possibilities were rejected as the report says principally because the Department of Transport considered there would be conflict with the requirement of the International Collision Regulations.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evidence the inspector conducting the inquiry into the Bowbelle collision on the River Thames took concerning sets and turbulence in the water in the vicinity of Southwark bridge at the time of the collision there on 20 August 1989.

  Mr. Norris
  A research project was commissioned and evidence was taken from the Port of London Authority; the subject is covered in section 6 of the chief inspector's report.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will name the vessel and person transmitting the radio messages, ascribed to an unknown vessel, contained in the radio-telephone transcript of the Port of London Authority Thames navigation service in the period immediately following the collision near Southwark bridge on 20 August 1989; if the name of that vessel and person were available to the inspector conducting the consequent inquiry; and what reference is made to it in the publicised report into that collision.

  Mr. Norris
  The vessel was the Hurlingham and the person making the broadcast was her skipper. Reference is at section 3.10 of the chief inspector's report.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date advice from his Department was given to the then Prime Minister concerning the merits of establishing a public inquiry into the Marchioness disaster of comparable scope to those conducted into disasters at King's Cross and Clapham.

  Mr. Norris
  The matter of a public inquiry was discussed on the day of the accident—20 August 1989. It was decided that the MAIB inquiry should proceed, with the option of a public inquiry—formal investigation—left open.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what port or starboard effect the screw of the sand dredger Bowbelle unloaded with no, or little ballast had on its steering over the range of engine revolutions generally used and being used on the night of 20 August 1989; at what depths the boss and upper tip of its screw were below the surface when navigating King's reach that night; and what evidence was taken, or test made, in this regard by the inspector conducting the inquiry into the subsequent collision.

  Mr. Norris
  No significant effect was experienced at normal ahead revolutions or observed during the trial carried out in the inspector's presence. On going astern, the crew would be expected to cant the vessel but no astern movements took place on passage before the collision. The depths were about 5 ft and rather less than 2 ft respectively.
  133
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) where, and at what time, any representative or member of the management of South Coast Shipping boarded the Bowbelle in the early hours of 20 August 1989 and for what purpose; what such information was available to the inspector conducting the subsequent inquiry; if such a visit was referred to or discussed in evidence given to that inquiry by any member of the crew or management of the Bowbelle; and where it is referred to in the consequent report;

  (2) if he will describe the movements of the sand dredger Bowbelle subsequent to its collision on 20 August 1989 with the Marchioness prior to its mooring at Orchard wharf, Leamouth; which persons representing which interests boarded or left the vessel over that period; and if this information was known and considered by the inspector conducting the subsequent inquiry.

  Mr. Norris
  The movements of Bowbelle immediately after the collision are described in sections 3·11 and 17·1 of the chief inspector's report. Subsequently, she proceeded down river and on instruction from the Port of London Authority anchored in Gallions reach at 0325 hours. She weighed anchor at about 0445 hours and berthed at Orchard Wharf at 0540 hours.

  While at Gallions reach she was boarded by the operations manager of South Coast Shipping and by two officers of the Metropolitan police. This information was known to the inspector conducting the inquiry; it is not referred to in the report as it had no relevance to the accident.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary 'of State for Transport what boats, lifebuoys, or other buoyant apparatus were thrown overboard, or otherwise used, after the Bowbelle-Marchioness collision on 20 August 1989(a) from the Hurlingham and (b) from the Bowbelle; if such information was secured by the inspector conducting the inquiry; and whether it was referred to therein (a) in general or (b) in quantifiable terms.

  Mr. Norris
  Buoyant apparatus and life buoys were thrown into the water from Hurlingham, but none from Bowbelle. Evidence as to this was obtained by the inspectors; section 12 of the chief inspector's report refers to that.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what test or qualification was obtained by any officer of the sand dredger Bowbelle in respect of exemption from pilotage requirements for operation above bridges in the Port of London; for what period such exemption had been applied; from what date such exemption had been operative; and from what date it has not been necessary for a licensed Thames waterman to be in charge of sea-going vessels above Tower bridge.

  Mr. Norris
  As is explained in the chief inspector's report at section 9, there were at the time of the accident no requirements for pilotage in the Thames above London bridge; therefore equally there were no requirements for pilotage exemption in that area, although both officers on the bridge of Bowbelle at the time of the accident held valid exemptions for pilotage in the lower reaches. Following recommendation 16 in the report, pilotage or the possession of an exemption is now required. So far as is known, it has never been a requirement for a licensed waterman to have charge of a vessel above Tower bridge.
  134
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what record was made of the proceeding of the inquiry, by an inspector of his marine accident investigation branch, into the collision between the Bowbelle and the Marchioness in August 1989; where it is now held and by whom; how many copies have been made; to whom it has been sent; and if he will deposit a copy in the Library and make it publicly available.

  Mr. Norris
  The proceedings of the inquiry are recorded in the inspector's report the only copy of which was sent to, and continues to be held by, the chief inspector of the marine accident investigation branch. This procedure is in accordance with regulation 8(4) of the Merchant Shipping (Accident Investigation) Regulations 1989; there is no provision for an inspector's report to be released. However, regulation 9(1) provides for the publication of the chief inspector's report of the inspector's inquiry; the chief inspector's report on the collision between Marchioness and MV Bowbelle was published on 15 August 1991.

  Air and Maritime Disasters
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will summarise the salient distinctions and similarities in the procedures in respect of investigation and report into(a) air and (b) maritime disasters, including arrangements for (i) giving and receiving evidence, (ii) publicity or privacy of inquiry proceedings and (iii) publication of reports together with references to the relevant Acts and statutory instruments.

  Mr. Norris
  The procedures for investigation of major accidents by the air and marine accident investigation branches are, in respect of the matters referred to, as follows:

  Inspectors of both branches have power amoung other things to require the production of documents and the attendance of witnesses. Witnesses are required to answer the inspector's questions and sign a declaration of the truth of their answers. The full powers are set out in, respectively, the Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents) Regulations 1989, regulation 9 and the Merchant Shipping Act 1979, section 27.

  Under the Air Accident Regulations an inspector's investigation shall be held in private. Under the Merchant Shipping Act, a witness giving evidence may nominate a person to accompany him but no other person may be present except any person allowed by the inspector.

  The Air Accident Regulations (Reg 16) and the Merchant Shipping (Accident Investigation) Regulations 1989 (Reg 9) provide for the Secretary of State to publish a report, subject to specific requirements, unless in his opinion there is good reason not to do so. The report is that of, respectively, the inspector and the chief inspector.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to further Her Majesty's Governments objectives of open government by amending the terms of statutory instruments governing the conduct of current inquiries into marine accidents.

  Mr. Norris
  None. The existing regulations give sufficient discretion to appointed inspectors; adequately provides for those wishing to make representations; satisfactorily provides for consultation with criticised
  135
  parties; and, subject to certain safeguards, makes provision for the publication of reports of serious or important accidents.

  River Safety
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings have taken place of the Thames district marine safety committee, established consequent to the recommendations of the Hayes report into river safety; what area that committee covers; who appoints, or recommends appointments to it; and which of its members represents the interests of(a) registered craft plying between Teddington and the Thames barrier and (b) their passengers.

  Mr. Norris
  Marine safety matters relating to the River Thames are considered by a sub-committee of the south east of England district marine safety committee, which has held four meetings since publication of the Hayes' report and which covers the Thames between Teddington lock and the Thames barrier. Appointments to the sub-committee are made on the recommendation of the chairman of the south east of England district committee. The interests of vessel owners are represented by the Thames Passenger Ship Federation and some individual owners. The interests of passengers are represented by the Department of Transport, the Port of London Authority, the Metropolitan police and the Port Health Authority.

  M5
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from, or on behalf of, the residents of Whittington and Norton, adjacent to junction 7 of the M5, about noise levels following the widening of the motorway; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Key
  Four representations have been received about noise levels on this stretch of motorway, including two via my hon. Friend. I am having the levels investigated and will write to him further.

  Ml/A1 Link
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the M1/A1 link will be open for traffic for its full length.

  Mr. Key
  The final section of the M1/A1 link between the M1 at Catthorpe and Rothwell is expected to open to traffic in June 1994.

  Motorway Lighting
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the cost per mile of motorway lighting.

  Mr. Key
  The cost of installing lighting varies from one stretch of motorway to another, depending on such factors as the number of junctions and the costs of electrical cabling work at particular sites. A representative average figure at present is about £115,000 per mile.

  Rail Privatisation
  Ms Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department has given to OPRAF on rail closures under privatisation.
  136
  Mr. Freeman
  The franchising director's role in closure cases is set out in sections 37 to 50 of the Railways Act 1993. We have not issued any guidance on closures to the franchising director.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his estimate of the total net cost to public funds of rail privatisation so far.

  Mr. Freeman
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her on 13 December 1993 at column 466. At this stage there are no savings or benefits to net off the total expenditure fugure.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how much of the consultancy costs for railway privatisation were spent on lawyers' fees in 1991–92 and 1992–93; and how much of the expected expenditure is expected to go to lawyers in 1993–94;

  (2) if he will give a detailed breakdown of his Department's expenditure on consultancy costs for rail privatisation.

  Mr. Freeman
  The breakdown of the Department's expenditure and estimated expenditure on consultancy costs for rail privatisation for 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94 is as follows:

  £ million

  Financial year

  1991–92

  1992–93

  11993–94

  Legal issues

  0·0

  1·6

  4·0

  Merchant banking

  0·1

  0·3

  2·0

  Accountancy and actuarial

  0·0

  1·7

  2·3

  Access and access charges

  0·4

  1·1

  0·9

  Property matters

  0·0

  0·1

  0·3

  Marketing

  0·0

  0·0

  0·9

  Freight and franchising

  0·0

  0·6

  0·7

  Information systems

  0·0

  0·0

  0·7

  Insurance

  0·0

  0·0

  0·1

  Research

  0·0

  0·0

  0·1

  Recruitment

  0·0

  0·1

  0·0

  1 Estimate.

  M62
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what origin, and destination surveys have been carried out of traffic using the M62 west of the M63/M602 junction, and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Key
  No recent origin and destination surveys have been carried out on this particular stretch of motorway. However, other surveys have been carried out to provide a comprehensive assessment of traffic movements along the M62 through the Greater Manchester conurbation.

  M6
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he intends to light that section of the M6 between junctions 1 and 2.

  Mr. Key
  There are no plans at present to light the M6 between junctions 1 and 2, but we will continue to keep the matter under review.

  M45
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the M45 will be illuminated.

  Mr. Key
  We do not have any plans to provide road lighting on the M45 motorway.

  M1
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the motorway widening works at the southern end of the M1 will be finished.

  Mr. Key
  We expect completion of the widening between junctions 9 and 10 in mid-January.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment;

  (2) if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment;

  (3) if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous nongovernmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Norris
  Detailed information on past and present appointees to non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs—formerly known as quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations—is not held in the Department and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, from such limited information as is available on present members of NDPBs, there is no evidence that any of them falls within any of the categories specified, apart from one member of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee who is a former Labour Member of Parliament, Mr. Lewis Carter-Jones. He was reappointed as a member of the committee in December 1992 for a three-year period to December 1995. Committee members are not paid a salary but the Department meets their travel and subsistence costs.

  Noise
  Mr. Butterfill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has for noise insulation for commercial premises in respect of noise from new railways; and what consideration he gave to including such premises or problems arising from ground-borne noise in the draft noise insulation regulations upon which consultation is now taking place.

  Mr. Freeman
  The purpose of the proposed regulations is to provide, for new railways, arrangements which relate 138
  equitably to those already applicable to the insulation of dwellings near new roads; commercial premises were not therefore considered for inclusion. The regulations provide for sound insulation; this would not be effective against ground-borne noise, which involves different technical factors and is therefore specifically excluded.

  Roads
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the amount of money provided by the Government for capital road expenditure schemes for North Yorkshire in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Key
  Central Government support for local authority schemes in North Yorkshire has been provided as follows:

  Year

  Transport supplementary grant (net) £ million

  Capital allocations (until 1989–90) or credit approvals £ million

  1985–86

  3·82

  8·500

  1986–87

  3·562

  9·050

  1987–88

  3·552

  8·870

  1988–89

  1·925

  6·440

  1989–90

  2·653

  7·330

  1990–91

  3·444

  4·909

  1991–92

  6·157

  9·321

  1992–93

  6·452

  8·607

  1993–94

  9·645

  12·463

  1994–94

  4·298

  8·904

  Motorcycles
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the research evidence on which he bases his Department's estimates on the effect of fitting leg protectors to all motorcycles on the incidence of death and serious injury to motorcylists.

  Mr. Key
  I refer the hon. Member to the Transport Research Laboratory's working paper WP/VS/213 entitled "TRRL Review of Research on Motorcycle Leg Protection —1991", a copy of which was placed in the Library in July 1992.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans exist for regulations applying to the United Kingdom requiring motorcycles to be fitted with leg protectors.

  Mr. Key
  None.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the European Commission proposal, Com 264B final, action programme on road safety, which refers to leg protection devices for mopeds, applies only to mopeds or to all motorcycles; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Key
  The European Commission's action programme on road safety (COM 93 246 final) proposes, among other things, a new initiative in the field of "leg protection devices for mopeds", but translation inconsistencies in the document leave it unclear precisely what is intended. The United Kingdom proposes to clarify the matter in the Council working group to which consideration of the document has been remitted.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Videos
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions were brought against those responsible for hiring video tapes of films with an 18 or 15 classification to those under age; and how many resulted in convictions, for the last year for which figures were available.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Video Recordings Act 1984 does not differentiate the supply of a video recording of classified work for hire from other forms of commercial supply, such as the supply of a classified video for sale. In 1989, there was a total of 47 prosecutions and 42 convictions under the Act, of which one was a successful prosecution under section 11 of the Act relating to supply of a video recording in breach of the classification awarded. Information collected centrally from 1990 onwards does not identify separately offences committed under this specific Act from other summary offences.

  Alexander Schweidler
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if immediate steps will now be taken to withdraw the United Kingdom citizenship of Alexander Schweidler; and if he will make it his policy in future to refuse him entry into the United Kingdom on the grounds that his presence will not be conducive to the public good.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Where allegations of war crimes have been made against a British citizen or a person resident in the United Kingdom, they fall to be investigated by the police war crimes unit. Where a naturalised British citizen is involved, it would not be appropriate to consider deprivation of citizenship until those investigations had been completed. British citizens cannot be refused entry to the United Kingdom.

  Dorothy Nwokedi
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 14 December,Official Report, column 535, whether valium was administered to Dorothy Nwokedi during her deportation on 9 July; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I understand that a port medical inspector at Gatwick airport made available to Mrs. Nwokedi a 5 milligram tablet of valium, which she took after take-off.

  Marchioness
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many victims of the Marchioness disaster had their hands severed by the authorities; and for what purpose this was done;

  (2) who decided to sever the hands of some of the victims of the Marchioness disaster;

  (3) who decided which victims of the Marchioness disaster should have their hands severed.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I understand from the Westminster coroner that hands were removed from the 140
  decomposed bodies of 25 victims of the Marchioness disaster, for the purpose of enabling fingerprinting to be carried out to assist in the process of identification. This was done on the coroner's authority, in the light of advice from the Metropolitan police and the pathologist on the best methods of establishing the identity of the bodies concerned. The question of which bodies needed to have the hands removed was a matter for decision by a Metropolitan police senior fingerprinting officer. Coroners are independent judicial officers and Ministers have no authority to comment upon the way in which a coroner conducts his inquiries in any individual case.

  Fire Authority Report
  Mr. O'Hara
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for what reasons he has not delivered to the chairman of the Merseyside fire and civil defence authority, Her Majesty's inspectorate's report on the inspection of the authority made in the summer of 1993;

  (2) for how long he has had possession of the Her Majesty's inspectorate report on the inspection of the Merseyside fire and civil defence authority made in the summer of 1993;

  (3) if he will instruct that Her Majesty's inspectorate's report on the Merseyside fire and civil defence authority be delivered immediately to the chairman of the authority; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The draft report was not completed and finalised until 17 November 1993. My right hon. and learned Friend approved publication of the report on 30 November and printing was completed on 20 December 1993.

  Copies of the report were sent to the chief fire officer and the clerk to the authority on 21 December 1993. Copies will be available in the Library of the House and to the public from 11 January 1994.

  Sentencing Policy
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of the guidelines issued to magistrates with regard to sentencing policy in respect of guilty pleas; and why the question from the hon. Member for Ilford, South of 18 October received no answer.

  Mr. Maclean
  A copy of the sentencing guidelines issued by the Magistrates Association to its members on 17 September 1993 has been placed in the Library. I regret that the hon. Member's question of 18 October was not answered. As I explained when I wrote to him on 9 December, this was because of an administrative error that occurred when the question was transferred from the Lord Chancellor's Department to the Home Office. A copy of that letter has also been placed in the Library.

  Body Belts
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 14 December,Official Report, column 534, on what occasions in the last year a body belt has been used in a police station; and what were the circumstances surrounding that use.
  141
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I am not aware of any occasion in the past year in which a body belt has been used in a police station.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as

  Position

  Dates

  Salary

  The advisory committee on animal experiments

  Lady Warnock

  Member

  1975–1979

  Non-Salaried

  Lady Warnock

  Chairman

  1979–1984

  Non-Salaried

  Lord Adrian

  Member

  1980–1985

  Non-Salaried

  Animal procedures committee (which replaced the advisory committee in 1987)

  Lord Soulsby

  Member

  1987–1991 (re appointed for a second four period in 1991)

  Non-Salaried

  Lord Nathan

  Chairman

  1990–1993

  Non-salaried

  Community development foundation

  Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede

  Chairman

  1978–1983

  Non-salaried

  Central fire brigades advisory council1

  Lord Boston

  Chairman

  January-April 1979

  —

  Lord Belstead

  Chairman

  May 1979-March 1982

  —

  Lord Elton

  Chairman

  April 1982-May 1985

  —

  Lord Glenarthur

  Chairman

  June 1985-August 1986

  —

  Lord Caithness

  Chairman

  September 1986-April 1988

  —

  Lord Ferrers

  Chairman

  May 1988-May 1993

  —

  Gaming Board of Great Britain

  Lord Allen of Abbeydale

  Chairman

  1980–1985

  Salary details unavailable

  Horserace Betting Levy Board

  Lord Plummer

  Chairman

  1980–1982

  Salary details unavailable

  Horserace Totalisator Board

  Duke of Devonshire

  Chairman

  1980–1986

  Salary details unavailable

  Lord Wyatt

  Chairman

  1987–1995

  Salary of £92,000

  Lord Chapple

  Member

  1986–1990

  Salary of £7,772

  Alcohol Education and Research Council

  Lord Windlesham

  Chairman

  1981–1984

  Non-salaried

  Viscount Colville of Culross

  Chairman

  1984–1990

  Non-salaried

  Parole Board

  Lord Henniker

  Independent member

  1979–1982

  Salary details unavailable

  Lord Harris of Greenwich

  Chairman

  1979–1982

  Salary details unavailable

  Lord Windlesham

  Chairman

  1982–1988

  Salary details unavailable

  Viscount Colville of Culross

  Chairman

  1988–1992

  Salary of £27,040

  Lord Belstead

  Chairman

  1992–1997

  Salary of £45,060

  Advisory Committee on Service Candidates

  Lady Birk

  Member

  1984-present

  Non-salaried

  Lord Renton

  Member

  1984-present

  Non-salaried

  Lord Wigoder

  Member

  1984-present

  Non-salaried

  Lord Ferrers

  Member

  1987-present

  Non-salaried

  Lord Barnett

  Member

  1987-present

  Non-salaried

  Lord Kilmarnock

  Member

  1987-present

  Non-salaried

  Criminal Injuries Compensation Board

  Member

  December 1988—March 1995

  Not salaried

  Lord Carlisle of Bucklow

  Lord Carlisle of Bucklow

  Chairman

  March 1989—March 1995

  Salary of £32,420

  Lord Macaulay of Bragar

  Member

  January 1989—March 1995

  Non salaried

  Firearms Consultative Committee

  Chairman

  August 1989—July 1994

  Non salaried

  Lord Kimball

  Lord Shrewsbury

  Member

  September 1993

  Non salaried

  1 Junior Ministers who have served, ex officio, as the Council's chairmen. No separate salary is payable for this post.

  142
  justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Michael Howard
  Our records show that the following Members of the House of Lords have been appointed to Home Office non-departmental public bodies. Salary details where readily available have been provided. I will write to my hon. Friend concerning details of those salaries not included in the reply.
  143
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Position

  Dates

  Salary

  Community development foundation

  Richard Luce

  Trustee

  1978–1979

  Non salaried

  Guy Barnett

  Trustee

  1979–1985

  Non salaried

  Roger Thomas

  Trustee

  1985–1988

  Non salaried

  Michael Meadowcroft

  Trustee

  1986–1994

  Non salaried

  David Belotti

  Trustee

  1992–1994

  Non salaried

  Sir David Lane

  Chairman

  1983–1985

  Non salaried

  Horserace betting levy board

  Anna McCurley

  Member

  1988–1997

  Salary of £12,000

  Alcohol education and research council

  Right Hon. Christopher Chataway

  Chairman

  1991–1994

  Non salaried

  Police complaints authority

  Right Hon. Roland Moyle

  Deputy Chairman

  1985–1991

  £28,369-£35,995

  John Cartwright

  Member

  October 1992

  £38,020

  John Cartwright

  Deputy Chairman

  August 1993

  £42,400

  Parole board

  Mrs. Sheila Faith

  Independent member

  Since 1991

  Non salaried

  Criminal injuries compensation board

  Norman Miscampbell

  Member

  March 1993–1995

  Non salaried

  Firearms consultative committee

  Ben Ford

  Member

  1989–1991

  Non salaried

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Howard
  The information requested is as follows:Parole Board
  Mrs. Sheila Faith, independent member since 1991, non-salaried.

  Bowbelle
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where, and at what time, an officer of the Metropolitan police boarded the Bowbelle on 20 August 1989 for the purpose of taking any statement from any member of its crew; what statements were taken; if they were available to the inspector conducting the inquiry; whether they have been published; and if he will place them in the Library.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I understand from the Commissioner that no Metropolitan police officers boarded the Bowbelle on 20 August 1989 with the purpose of taking a statement from any member of the crew.

  Deported Jamaicans
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of those passengers from Jamaica who were refused entry to the
  144
  Mr. Howard
  Our records show that the following former hon. Members have been appointed to Home Office non-departmental public bodies:

  United Kingdom when they arrived at Gatwick on 21 December 1993; if he will list the names of those passengers who were given temporary admission to the United Kingdom; if he will list the names of those passengers who were detained at Campsfield House immigration detention centre; and if he will give a summary as to why each passenger was refused entry to the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  It is not our practice to disclose personal details of individuals with whom the Department has contact. Most of the passengers were refused entry because the immigration officer was not satisfied that they were genuine visitors who would return to Jamaica at the end of their visit. A small number were refused entry because they were apparently coming for settlement without the required entry clearance.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the opportunity given, in the time between the refusal to grant entry to the United Kingdom as visitors to Jamaican nationals at Gatwick on 21 December 1993 and their deportation from the United Kingdom, for passengers and their legal representatives to apply for judicial review of the refusal to grant entry ; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Removal is normally arranged as soon as practicable for passengers held in detention following refusal of leave to enter. Removal directions will normally be deferred for a short time if an application for judicial review is lodged.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when each passenger from Jamaica,
  145
  detained at Campsfield House from 21 December 1993, after being refused entry to the United Kingdom, was informed of their rights to legal advice and representation; on what dates written explanations of reasons to grant entry to the United Kingdom were passed to solicitors; for how many passengers such explanations were supplied.; and how many written explanations were outstanding when detainees were removed from the United Kingdom on 25 December 1993.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Each passenger was given written reasons for refusal of entry and advised that they were free to contact their High Commission or anyone else that they wished. One firm of solicitors acting for an individual detainee sought written details of the refusal decision and these were provided on 23 December. Oral explanations were given to various firms of solicitors acting for a further 12 detainess between 23 and 24 December. No requests for explanations, either written or oral, were outstanding at the time of removal.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why Michael Lennon (Ref.: GAT 14116) was refused entry to the United Kingdom as a visitor at Gatwick on 21 December 1993; why applications by the hon. Member for Bradford, West for Mr. Lennon to ge given temporary admission to the United Kingdom were refused; whether Mr. Lennon applied to settle in the United Kingdom; whether Mr. Lennon inidicated he intended to seek employment in the United Kingdom; whether Mr. Lennon was known to have any criminal convictions or known to have criminal associates in the United Kingdom; whether he was in possession of any illegal substance when personally searched; who was his sponsor in the United Kingdom; whether he had a return air ticket to Jamaica; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I have written to the hon. Member.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visitors on flight YULE 966 from Kingston, Jamaica, were detained at Gatwick airport on 21 December 1993; and what were the reasons for their detention.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  One hundred and seventy eight passengers were required to submit to further examination under the Immigration Act 1971 and were therefore detained at the airport while awaiting interview.

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the decision to detain visitors from Kingston, Jamaica, at Gatwick airport on 21 December 1993 was a reflection of a change in policy by the Home Office.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  No. We continue to welcome genuine visitors from all countries. There has been no change in the criteria for visitor cases generally or Jamaican citizens in particular.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from solicitors and others concerning entry procedures for those wishing to visit the United Kingdom following the deportation of Jamaicans on 25 December 1993; what action he has taken following such representations ; and what action he proposes to take.
  146
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  We had received on 7 January 44 letters from various individuals and organisations. They raised various issues but most were supportive of the action taken. Replies will be sent to individual correspondents as appropriate.

  EC Visas
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the provisional list of countries whose nationals will require visas to visit the EC from 1996; what plans he has to include(a) Barbados and (b) the Bahamas on the list; and what representations he has received from (i) these or (ii) other countries concerning their inclusion on any common visa list.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  We await receipt from the Council Secretariat of the European Commission's proposals in respect of the list of countries whose nationals must be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the member states. As soon as these proposals are received, they will be made available to Parliament in accordance with the normal scrutiny arrangements. No representations of the kind mentioned have been received.

  Yardie Murderers
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of Yardie murderers entering the United Kingdom by absconding from temporary admission licences; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I am not aware of any case in which a convicted Yardie murderer has been granted temporary admission to the United Kingdom.

  Immigration Documents
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of current instructions issued to immigration officers relating to those seeking to visit the United Kingdom; and copies of documents given to those refused entry to the United Kingdom as visitors, including advice given about rights to legal advice and legal representation.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  No. It is not the normal practice to publish internal instructions. The written notice given to passengers refused entry as visitors informs them that they may contact their high commission or anyone else who they think may be able to help. I shall send a copy of the relevant notice to the hon. Member and arrange for one to be placed in the Library.

  Illegal Substances
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what illegal substances were found by(a) immigration officers and (b) police officers on passengers who arrived on charter or scheduled flights from the Caribbean arriving at Gatwick on 21 December 1993; if he will give details of the circumstances; and how many passengers were charged with drugs-related offences.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  No illegal substances were found by immigration officers. One passenger who had arrived on
  147
  flight JQ001, on being searched by police prior to detention, was found to have in his possession a small amount of herbal cannabis. No passenger was charged with a drugs-related offence.

  Immigration Controls (Gatwick)
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) immigration officials and (b) police officers were on duty during the day at Gatwick South Terminal on 7 December 1993, 14 December 1993, 21 December 1993, 28 December 1993 and 4 January.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The total numbers of immigration officers, chief immigration officers and immigration inspectors on duty at Gatwick South over the 24 hour periods in question were:

  Numbers

  7 December 1993

  86

  14 December 1993

  95

  21 December 1993

  114

  26 December 1993

  77

  4 January 1994

  91

  In addition, on 21 December an additional 20 officers from other Gatwick offices were deployed at Gatwick South on an ad hoc basis for varying periods throughout the day.

  For security reasons it is not the normal practice for the police to provide details of the numbers of officers on duty on particular days. However, the number of police officers involved in handling the consequences of flight JQ001 at Gatwick South on 21 December varied during the day up to a maximum of 15.

  Jamaican Citizens
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Jamaican citizens were(a) granted entry to visit the United Kingdom and (b) refused entry to visit the United Kingdom during 1993; and how many of these Jamaican citizens were in possession of visas to visit the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  In the period January to September 1993, 12,000 Jamaican citizens were given leave to enter the United Kingdom as visitors and 418 were refused leave to enter, of whom six had an entry clearance or work permit. Correspondence data for the fourth quarter of 1993 are not yet available.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from the Jamaican high commissioner concerning the treatment of Jamaican nationals who arrived at Gatwick on 21 December 1993 and were refused entry to the United Kingdom as visitors; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  No written representations have been received from the Jamaican high commission, which has nonetheless maintained a close interest in the treatment of Jamaican citizens refused entry at Gatwick on 21 December.

  Carrier Fines
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names of carriers who have been fined under the Immigration (Carriers Liability)148
  Act 1987 in connection with charter or scheduled flights to Gatwick from the Caribbean since 1 January 1993 to date; if he will detail the total fine in each case; what information officials received from any carrier or others about passengers from Jamaica arriving at Gatwick on 21 December 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  It is not the practice to disclose information about individual carriers. Payments of £2,000 each were demanded in three such cases between 1 January 1993 and 7 January 1994. One of the passengers had travelled from Jamaica but none was a Jamaican citizen. The immigration service received information, including a passenger list, from United Kingdom Leisure about its flight on 21 December.

  Legal Assistance Treaty
  Sir Ivan Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States of America on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters comes into force and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  I signed the treaty in Washington on 6 January 1994. The other co-signatory was the United States Attorney-General. The treaty will enter into force upon exchange of the instruments of ratification, which, in accordance with the terms of the treaty, will be as soon as possible. The treaty continues in force the drugs agreement entered into by the United Kingdom with the United States of America in 1988 and provides a binding framework within which the United Kingdom and the United States of America may provide a full range of mutual legal assistance covering all crimes. The United States of America is one of the United Kingdom's largest and most important mutual legal assistance partners. In the last two to three years, the United Kingdom and the United States of America have jointly handled more than two hundred requests for mutual legal assistance concerning fraud, drug trafficking and other serious offences. The treaty is a logical next step in the continuing process of collaboration between our two countries in the fight against serious and international crime.

  Criminal Injuries Compensation
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what amount of compensation Mr. James Bloomfield received under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board; and what amount of compensation a person with identical injuries would receive under the new system.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board does not give details of awards in individual cases, nor will its successor body, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

  Deportation
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 14 December,Official Report, column 535, what plans he has to ensure that deportees are advised of the immunisations which the Department of Health recommended for the country to which they are travelling, and that they and any children accompanying them are entitled to such immunisations.
  149
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The immigration service is considering the question of immunisation for those removed or deported under powers contained in the Immigration Act 1971, and their dependants, in consultation with other interested parties including the Department of Health. I will inform the hon. Member of the outcome.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) non-visa nationals, (b) asylum seekers and (c) others were refused entry to the United Kingdom, detained and deported, since the enactment of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993; what was the minimum and maximum period in each case between an application to enter being lodged and deportation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Two hundred and twenty-one asylum seekers were refused leave to enter in the period 26 July to 31 December 1993 and have been removed from the United Kingdom. The majority were detained throughout their period of stay.

  The minimum and maximum time periods between arrival and removal, and corresponding information on persons other than asylum seekers, is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The total number of persons removed in August and September as a result of being refused leave to enter was 2,973; some may have been refused leave to enter prior to August. Corresponding data for October 1993 onwards are not yet available.

  Post Office (Thefts)
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of(a) assaults in the pursuit of robbery on Post Office delivery personnel and (b) theft of money or registered mail from Post Office vehicles have occurred in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Maclean
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Squatters
  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of the police operation to remove the squatters from Rutland Park mansions on the morning of Sunday 12 December; how many officers were involved; how many people were arrested; what led officers to believe that there would be violence; what acts of violence were committed; and whether the cost of the operation will be recovered from Brent council.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I understand from the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police that approximate additional police costs, excluding the use of support services, for the operation were £11,000. A total of 373 Metropolitan police officers were present. The police role was to prevent a breach of the peace. Prior intelligence had indicated that stong resistance might be offered to the enforcement of the order. In the event, there were no arrests and no acts of violence were committed. The Metropolitan police regard the orderliness of the eviction as a measure 150
  of the effectiveness of the police operation. They do not intend to seek recovery of any of the costs of the operation from the London borough of Brent.

  Rutland Park Mansions
  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is being given to charging councillors in Brent with wasting police time, following the eviction of squatters from Rutland Park Mansions on 12 December.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I understand from the Commissioner that no consideration is being given by the Metropolitan police to charging councillors in Brent with wasting police time.

  Press Officers
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press officers his Department has employed in each year since 1983.

  Mr. Howard
  The number of press officers, including the director of information, is:

  Year

  Numbers

  1983

  15·75

  1984

  15·25

  1985

  14·00

  1986

  17·25

  1987

  18·00

  1988

  19·50

  1989

  22·00

  1990

  21·00

  1991

  20·00

  1992

  19·00

  1993

  16·00

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names and job descriptions of each special ministerial adviser employed in his Department showing any particular outputs for which each adviser is responsible.

  Mr. Howard
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: The special advisers employed by the Home Office are Mr. Patrick Rock and Mr. David Cameron. They provide advice on a range of departmental matters.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made to ensure that special advisers to Ministers in his Department do not have access to the kind of information, and are not involved in the type of business, that would be likely to create suspicion of impropriety in relation to subsequent employment.

  Mr. Howard
  [holding answer 16 December 1993]: Care is taken to ensure that special advisers do not have access to kinds of information likely to create suspicions of impropriety.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Visas
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Attorney-General what arrangements he will make to allow any country placed on the provisional list of countries whose nationals will require from 1996 visas to visit the EC to appeal against the inclusion on the visa list.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I have been asked to reply.

  There is no provision in article 100c of the treaty of Rome for appeals of this kind.

  1989–90 £

  1990–91 £

  1991–92 £

  1992–93 £

  61993–94 £

  London

  12 Downing Street

  1,182

  996

  946

  925

  1n.a.

  24 Whitehall

  5,850

  4,928

  4,680

  2,887

  22,243

  36 Whitehall

  4,608

  3,882

  3,686

  3,606

  22,801

  70 Whitehall

  8,253

  10,245

  9,683

  9,496

  27,391

  Government Offices, Great George Street

  10,871

  12,134

  11,437

  11,181

  28,698

  11 Belgrave Road

  5,250

  2,120

  6,000

  7,534

  3,230

  Hepburn House

  n.a.

  3,889

  7,290

  3,444

  4,356

  53 Parliament Street3

  n.a.

  6,336

  9,888

  7,153

  6,600

  Riverwalk House3

  82,004

  115,819

  133,585

  106,408

  47,193

  Murray House4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Albany House4

  —

  n.a.

  n.a.

  —

  —

  Ascot

  Sunningdale Park5

  n.a.

  n.a.

  52,500

  62,502

  27,763

  Basingstoke

  Alencon Link

  n.a.

  14,240

  17,747

  11,863

  11,407

  Chessington

  Government Buildings, Leatherhead Road

  31,117

  27,037

  25,897

  23,354

  14,924

  Edinburgh

  Hill Street

  n.a.

  3,705

  3,141

  3,620

  3,365

  Norwich

  Gildengate House3

  27,278

  36,455

  35,360

  36,195

  12,080

  Birmingham

  Cumberland House4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Cardiff

  Hayes House4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Durham

  Elvet House4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Manchester

  Boulton House4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1 For the current year heat meters have been installed and charges have yet to be levied.

  2 Based on estimated annual charge.

  3 Includes lighting costs.

  4 Heating forms part of an overall charge and is not separately identifiable.

  5 Includes usage of gas for catering.

  6 To date.

  Bowbelle-Marchioness Report
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many copies of the marine accident investigation branch report into the Bowbelle-Marchioness collision were printed by Her Majesty's Stationery Office; how many copies are still in stock; how many have been used for official or parliamentary purposes; and how many sold at the named price.

  Mr. David Davis
  HMSO printed 1,842 copies of the marine accident investigation branch report into the

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Departmental Offices (Heating Bills)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list, by location the annual fuel heating bills for each of his Department's offices for the last four years, and for this year to date.

  Mr. David Davis
  The breakdown by location for the Cabinet Office and its agencies is as follows:

  Bowbelle-Marchioness collision and 920 are still in stock. The Department of Transport received 320 copies for official purposes and 23 copies were purchased by other Government Departments. A total of 579 copies have been sold to date, either on wholesale terms or at the named price.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979
  153
  have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous nongovernmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. David Davis
  The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible for making appointments to the following non-departmental public bodies:

  The Civil Service Appeal Board;

  Agricultural and Food Research Council;

  Economic and Social Research Council;

  Medical Research Council;

  Natural Environment Research Council; and the Science and Engineering Research Council.

  The Earl of Selborne was chairman of the Agricultural and Food Research Council from 1 January 1975 to 31 December 1989. His annual salary in the last year of his appointment was £10,065.

  Baroness Perry of Southwark was a member of the Economic and Social Research Council from 1 August 1988 to 31 July 1991. She received an annual honorarium, which in the last year of her appointment was £4,340.

  The right hon. the Lord Shepherd of Spalding was chairman of the Medical Research Council—MRC—from 1 August 1977 to 31 July 1982. He received an annual honorarium, which in the last year of his appointment was £2,675.

  The right hon. Lord Jellicoe was chairman of the MRC from 1 August 1982 to 31 July 1990. He received an annual honorarium, which in the last year of his appointment was £5,030.

  Lord Cranbrook was a member of the Natural Environment Research Council—NERC—from 1 October 1982 to 31 July 1988. He received an annual honorarium, which in the last year of his appointment was £3,410.

  Lord Chorley of Kendal has been a member of the NERC since 1 August 1988. His term is due to expire on 31 July 1994. He receives an annual honorarium of £4,730.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. David Davis
  The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible for making appointments to the following non-departmental public bodies:

  The Civil Service Appeal Board;

  Agricultural and Food Research Council;

  Economic and Social Research Council;

  Medical Research Council;

  Natural Environment Research Council; and the

  Science and Engineering Research Council.

  James Provan, MEP for North East Scotland from 1979 to 1989, has been a member of the Agricultural and Food Research Council since 1 August 1990. His appointment expires on 31 March 1994. He receives an annual honorarium of £4,730.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations,154
  excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. David Davis
  The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible for making appointments to the following non-departmental public bodies:

  The Civil Service Appeal Board;

  Agricultural and Food Research Council;

  Economic and Social Research Council;

  Medical Research Council;

  Natural Environment Research Council; and the

  Science and Engineering Research Council.

  Sir David Crouch, formerly Member of Parliament for Canterbury between 1966 and 1987, was an unpaid member of the Medical Research Council from 1 August 1983 to 31 July 1987.

  Scott Inquiry
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place in the Library a copy of the Iraq document to which he referred in his evidence to the Scott inquiry.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  No. The Iraq note, along with many other highly classified documents, has been made available to the inquiry being conducted by Lord Justice Scott, who will in due course decide what is published in his report.

  Documents (Marginal Notes)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make it his policy to instruct all civil servants to ensure that marginal notes made on interdepartmental memoranda or other documents distributed for comment between Government Departments and executive agencies reporting to Government Departments always make comment directly on to the said documents and do not use detachable notes.

  Mr. David Davis
  There are no plans to issue such instructions.

DEFENCE

  Belize
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the memorandum of understanding with the Government of Belize.

  Mr. Hanley
  We have advised the Belize Government that existing arrangements set out in memoranda of understanding, concerning the technical aspects of the British military presence in Belize need to be brought up to date to reflect the evolution of our military garrison into a jungle training team. The details of these arrangements are confidential between Governments.

  British Troops (Germany)
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has for bringing home British troops from Germany.

  Mr. Hanley
  The current strength of the Army in Germany is about 33,000. On current plans this will fall to some 24,700 by April 1995.

  Defence Budget
  Sir Michael Neubert
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage proportion of defence expenditure will now, following the Chancellor's Budget statement, be assigned respectively to the Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force in 1994–95.

  Mr. Rifkind
  Details of planned expenditure by each top level budget holder, together with provision for sea, land and air systems equipment will be contained in the 1994–95 Supply Estimates.

  Bosnia
  Sir Anthony Durant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the volume of aid delivered by British troops in Bosnia in 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  In 1993 British troops in Bosnia escorted humanitarian aid convoys carrying a total of 77,739 tonnes of aid. In addition, the RAF humanitarian airlift into Sarajevo delivered a total of 10,354 tonnes of aid, and there have been over 1,000 such flights.

  Economies
  Mr. Dykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the extent to which his Department has achieved all possible economies and reductions in unnecessary expenditures in respect of administrative and other running costs.

  Mr. Hanley
  Since the launch of the Department's efficiency programme in 1988–89 the MOD has consistently met the challenging targets it has been set, making improvements worth some £1·8 billion a year by 31 March 1993. We will continue to search for ways of reducing to a minimum the administrative and other costs of supporting our front line forces. To this end, we have set in hand the defence costs study, known as "Front Line First", to look into all aspects of defence support.

  Mountain and Sea Rescue
  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions over the past 12 months MOD personnel or equipment have been used in mountain or sea rescue operations.

  Mr. Hanley
  Between 1 November 1992 and 31 October 1993 United Kingdom military search and rescue helicopter flights and mountain rescue teams were called out on 2,049 occasions. A total of 724 of these callouts involved rescue operations.

  Small Arms Ammunition
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of long-term procurement needs in connection with small arms ammunition.

  Mr. Aitken
  My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, announced the award of a long term contract to Royal Ordnance in the Defence debate on 19 October last year at column 176. This contract covers over 90 per cent. by value of our small arms ammunition requirements in the period up to 1998.

  European Fighter Aircraft
  Mr. Page
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the European fighter aircraft.

  Mr. Aitken
  Eurofighter 2000 will be the cornerstone of the RAF's future capability. The manufacturers are now forecasting first flight for April this year. This delay is disappointing but there is no evidence of any major design problem and it should not be of any great significance in overall programme terms. We and our collaborative partners plan to take a decision on a commitment to production in 1995, which will still allow production aircraft for the RAF to be delivered in 2000.

  Yugoslavia
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are currently serving in the former Yugoslavia.

  Mr. Hanley
  There are at present approximately 2,330 British troops in Bosnia. In addition to those on the ground, Royal Navy ships and RAF squadrons are providing support to United Nations operations, including the humanitarian airlift into Sarajevo.

  Procurement Executive
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the total estimated costs, including new computer systems, of moving the Procurement Executive to Abbey Wood, near Bristol, and report on current progress of the project.

  Mr. Aitken
  The estimated works cost of the new Procurement Executive headquarters at Abbey Wood, North Bristol, inclusive of site acquisition, construction, fitting out, professional works management and VAT is £255 million at current prices with an additional £90 million for the non-works elements of the move. No decision has yet been taken on the future information technology system for the site. The construction programme is proceeding within budget and to the planned timescale.

  Cyprus
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the United Nations presence in Cyprus.

  Mr. Hanley
  The United Nations force in Cyprus—UNFICYP—currently totals some 1,300 personnel from the United Kingdom, Argentina and Austria. The United Kingdom contingent of over 400 personnel comprises a contribution to the headquarters staff, two companies of a roulement regiment in the infantry role and various support elements, including a flight of Army Air Corps helicopters.

  NATO
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what issues he expects to be discussed at the NATO summit concerning the relationship between the European members of the Alliance and north America; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be making a statement concerning the issues discussed
  157
  at the NATO summit. The summit will undoubtedly reaffirm the continuing importance of the relationship between the European and North American members of the Alliance.

  Mr. Jim Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last met his Hungarian counterpart to discuss the possible enlargement of NATO.

  Mr. Hanley
  My right hon. and learned Friend has not had the opportunity to have discussions with the Hungarian Minister of Defence. However, I met Dr. Fur in Budapest on 13 October, when Hungary's relationship with NATO was amongst the topics discussed.

  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the strengthening of links between NATO and the new democracies of eastern Europe.

  Mr. Hanley
  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be making a statement concerning the decisions taken at the NATO summit, including on the need to strengthen the links between NATO and the new democracies of eastern Europe.

  Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to argue for the introduction of sanctions for breaches of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty or withdrawal from the treaty.

  Mr. Hanley
  The United Kingdom's policy on the non-proliferation treaty is to work towards its unconditional and indefinite extension in 1995. Questions of the imposition of mandatory United Nations sanctions are for the Security Council to decide in accordance with the United Nations charter, on a case by case basis.

  Defence Establishments (Closure)
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the extent to which Whitley Council agreed provisions have been observed in connection with the downgrading or closure of defence establishments; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Great importance is attached to Whitley Council procedures and, bearing in mind that proposals covering some 1,000 establishments have been put to the trades unions over the past two and half years, we have a good record on consultation.

  Hydrographic Office
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has had on the risks to the Hydrographic Office's operational capability if companies receiving contracted-out work go out of business; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Other than in discussions between staff and management, no such representations have been received.

  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets for financial savings he envisages as a result of introducing market testing procedures into the Hydrographic Office.
  158
  Mr. Aitken
  The agency's market testing programme is at the feasibility stage; it is too early to predict the level of savings which may arise.

  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has had regarding the future of long-term planning at the Hydrographic Office if market-tested functions go to tender every three years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  No such representations have been received other than in discussions between management and staff. Long term planning will continue to be the responsibility of the HO management board, and will be necessary in the context of its role as an integrated Government agency and the national centre of hydrographic expertise.

  Porton Down
  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what was the nature of the nerve agent which was transported to Porton Down, referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) of 19 July,Official Report, column 81; and why this nerve agent was being transported;

  (2) what was the specific nature of the trials which were observed and participated in by the four US Army liaison officers stationed at Porton Down from 1963 to 1973; and which chemical and biological agents were involved in these trials;

  (3) in which year Porton Down stopped research on pyrroles; how many of each species of small animals were used; and when the United States of America was first informed of this research through the technical co-operation programme;

  (4) when Porton Down first researched into Q fever;

  (5) what was the nature of the information on binary chemical weapons passed between the United States of America and Britain to assist Britain in its evaluation of the potential hazards of binaries, referred to in his his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton of 20 July, Official Report, column 170; when this information was passed; and under which defence agreement this information was passed;

  (6) what tests and studies the chemical and biological establishment at Porton Down has carried out on the viral disease yellow fever; when these experiments took place; whether the experiments involved animals or service volunteers; what were the conclusions of these studies and tests; and under which defence agreement these results were exchanged with the United States of America;

  (7) on what dates quantities of VX were transferred from Nancekuke to Porton Down; how the quantities were transported; what safety precautions were taken; which safety authorities and local councils were warned before the transfer; and what was the nature of each of the trials in which the transferred VX was used;

  (8) how many scientific papers co-authored by scientists from Porton Down and their counterparts in the Australian military have been published since 1963; what were the dates of these papers; and in which scientific journal they were published;

  (9) what was the nature of the chemical agent transferred from Britain to Canada in the early 1970s mentioned in his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton of 20 July, Official Report, column 173; what was the

  159
  quantity of agent transferred; on what dates this agent was transferred; why the agent was transferred; how the agent was transferred; and what safety precautions were taken;

  (10) which United States military establishments and Government agencies took part in the information exchange and collaboration on VX other than those mentioned in his answer of 15 February, Official Report, column 63;

  (11) how many service volunteers have been used for tests at Porton Down in each year since 1979; what is the purpose of these tests; and which chemical and biological agents have been used in these tests since 1979;

  (12) which other nerve agents were involved in the research at Nancekuke referred to in his answer of 16 July, Official Report, columns 717–18, to determine whether they presented a hazard to British armed forces; and when research started and ended on each of the nerve agents involved;

  (13) under which defence agreement VX was transferred from the United Kingdom to the United States of America; and whether any transfer of VX was made from the United Kingdom to the United States of America other than that referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Leyton of 29 July, Official Report, column 172;

  (14) when the experiments on B staphylococcal enterotoxin, referred to in his answer to the hon. Member for Brent, East on 16 July, Official Report, columns 718–19, began and ended; and if his Department has collaborated in experiments on this toxin with any other country;

  (15) what workd Porton Down has done on evaluating tremorine as an incapacitating agent; when this work was carried out; how many tests and studies were carried out on animals and service volunteers; what was the conclusion of these tests and studies; when the results were shared with the United States of America; and through which defence agreement this scientific information was exchanged;

  (16) what has been the nature of collaboration between Britain, Australia and the United States of America with regard to nerve gases, and CS gas and CR gas; when this work was started and finished; where the work was carried out; and under which defence agreement the work was arranged;

  (17) what information arising from the transesterification study referred to in his answer of 16 July, Official Report, column 712, on QL, was shared with the United States of America, Canada and Australia; when this information was exchanged; and under which defence agreement it was exchanged;

  (18) if he will list the dates, participating countries and locations of each of the 15 meetings of sub-group E on chemical and biological defence of the technical co-operation programme mentioned in his answer of 1 December 1992, Official Report, column 163; which branches of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence have been attending these meetings; and if he will make a statement on the achievements of this sub-group;

  (19) when chemical and biological agents and materials have been exchanged between Britain and Australia; what was the nature of these agents and materials; in what quantities they were exchanged; for what purposes they were exchanged and under which defence agreement or memorandum of understanding they were exchanged.
  160
  Mr. Hanley
  These are matters for the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment—CBDE—under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive of CBDE to write to the hon. Member.

  Letters from Graham Pearson to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 11 January 1994:

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what was the nature of the nerve agent which was transported to Porton, referred to in his Answer to the honourable Member for Leyton on 19th July, Official Report, column 81; and why this nerve agent was being transported (Question 27, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the United Kingdom Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. In order to carry out this work, it is necessary to have available small quantities of the materials which may be used as chemical or biological warfare agents by a potential aggressor.

  3. The nerve agent transported to Porton Down in May 1977 were small quantities of the iso-butyl and cyclopentyl analogues of VX. They were transported in order to be retained at CBDE as reference samples.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what was the specific nature of the trials which were observed and participated in by the four United States Army liaison officers stationed at Porton Down from 1963 to 1973; and which chemical and biological agents were involved in these trials (Question 28, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. Our records do not provide information about which trials the four US Army liaison officers stationed at Porton Down from 1963 to 1973 are likely to have observed nor about which agents were involved although these are likely to have been mustard and nerve agents.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking in which year Porton Down stopped research on pyrroles; how many of each species of small animals were used; and when the United States of America was first informed of this research through the Technical Co-operation Programme (Question 29, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the UK Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.

  3. Several classes of pyrroles were studied in the early 1960s to determine whether or not simple pyrrole derivatives might show pharmacological effects that might be used by an aggressor as an incapacitating agent and this area of research ceased round about 1963. Our records indicate that only rats were used for experimental purposes; they do not indicate the numbers involved which are likely to have been small.

  4. The information arising from these studies was part of the chemical and biological defence programme and would therefore be part of the technical database drawn upon in cooperation with the United States of America during the 1960s under the Technical Cooperation Programme and its predecessors.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking when Porton Down first researched into Q fever (Question 30, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the UK Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures

  161
  against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.

  3. Research at Porton Down into coxiella bunietii started in 1989 in work aimed at identification techniques for the organism based on gene probe and antibody technologies.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what was the nature of the information on binary chemical weapons passed between the United States of America and Britain to assist Britain in its evaluation of the potential hazard of binaries, referred to in his Answer to the honourable Member for Leyton on 20th July, Official Report, column 170; when this information was passed; and under which defence agreement this information was passed (Question 31, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. Our records do not indicate the precise nature of the information on binary chemical weapons passed between the United States of America and Britain to assist Britain in its evaluation of the potential hazard to the UK Armed Forces from potential aggressors who may possess binary chemical weapons. The information gained would have been provided during information exchange and collaboration with the United States of America on a continuing basis. This information was exchange under the aegis of the Defence agreements referred to by the Rt Hon. Archie Hamilton, MP, in his reply of 21 May 1992, Official Report, columns 255–256.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what tests and studies the chemical and biological establishment at Porton Down has carried out on the viral disease yellow fever; when these experiments took place; whether the experiments involved animals or service volunteers; what were the conclusions of these studies and tests; and under which defence agreement these results were exchanged with the United States of America (Question 34, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the UK Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.

  3. Work on yellow fever virus at Porton Down began in the early 1960s. Some work has been carried out to evaluate the vaccine strain as a simulant. Other work has addressed techniques for rapid identification. Some of the early work on antibodies for identification involved the use of mice and rabbits. No work has involved the use of service volunteers.

  4. Preliminary conclusions are that appropriate techniques can be developed for rapid identification. The information arising from these studies is part of the chemical and biological defence programme and is part of the technical database drawn on the cooperation with the United States of America under the Technical Cooperation Programme and the Memorandum of Understanding on chemical and biological defence with the US and Canada.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking on what dates quantities of VX were transferred from Nancekuke to Porton; how the quantities were transported; what safety precautions were taken; which safety authorities and local council were warned before the transfer; and what was the nature of each of the trials in which the transferred VX was used (Question 35, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. Our records do not provide information on the precise dates when quantities of VX were transferred from Nancekuke to Porton Down nor the nature of each of the trials in which the transferred VX was used but the transfers are likely to have taken place between 1957–1976. The transfers were carried out in accordance with the Report of the Working Party on the Transport of Nerve Agents from Nancekuke to Porton
  162
  (Thompson Committee) published by HMSO in 1970. As indicated in the Report, the relevant police forces would have been notified and appropriate escorts and vehicles provided.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking how many scientific papers co-authored by scientists from Porton Down and their counterparts in the Australian military have been published since 1963; what were the dates of these papers; and in which scientific journal they were published (Question 36, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. I regret that our records do not provide this information in a readily accessible form. Nevertheless, I have consulted my senior staff and one scientific paper co-authored by scientists from the then Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down and their counterparts in the Australia has been identified. This paper on heat stress in NBC protective clothing was published in 1987 and appeared in Volume 125, pages 554–556 of Military Medicine.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what was the nature of the chemical agent transferred from Britain to Canada in the early 1970s mentioned in his Answer to the honourable Member for Leyton of 20th Ju]y, Official Report, column 173; what was the quantity of agent transferred; on what dates this agent was transferred; why the agent was transferred; how the agent was transferred; and what safety precautions were taken (Question 37, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The nature of the chemical agent transferred from Britain to Canada in the early 1970s was CR gas. Transfers took place in April 1970 (2 kg), August 1971 (10 kg), September 1972 (10 kg) and February 1976 (14·5 kg). Appropriate safety precautions were taken although as stated in the reply of 20th July (Official Report, column 173), our records do not indicate how the agent was used by Canada or on the precise defence agreement involved. The transfer of the agent probably took place under one of the agreements referred to by the Rt. Hon. Archie Hamilton, MP in his reply of 21 May 1992, Official Report, columns 255–6.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking which United States military establishment and government agencies took part in the information exchange and collaboration on VX other than those mentioned in his Answer of 15th February, Official Report, column 63 (Question 40, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. Our records indicate that the only other United States military establishment or government agency that took part in the information exchange and collaboration on VX was the Newport Indiana factory which I referred to in my reply to the honourable member for Leyton of 20 July 1993, Official Report, columns 172–173.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking how many service volunteers have been used for tests at Porton Down in each year since 1979; what is the purpose of these tests; and which chemical and biological agents have been used in these tests since 1979 (Question 41, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the United Kingdom Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. In order to carry out this work it is necessary to use service volunteers to:

  (a) assess the ability of service personnel to function with new equipment and procedures,

  (b) develop medical countermeasures to protect Service personnel and,

  (c) evaluate the effects of very low and medically safe concentrations of CW agents on the ability of unprotected personnel to operate normally.

  163
  No studies involving volunteers are carried out unless there is a clear military need and a detailed protocol has been reviewed and approved by an independent Ethics Committee in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Royal College of Physicians.

  3. The number of Service volunteers used for studies in each year since 1979 has been as follows:

  Numbers

  1979

  153

  1980

  340

  1981

  303

  1982

  161

  1983

  177

  1984

  131

  1985

  181

  1986

  96

  1987

  93

  1988

  136

  1989

  110

  1990

  83

  1991

  50

  1992

  112

  1993

  64

  4. Only a proportion of these studies have involved the use of a chemical agent; the only chemical agent used in studies since 1979 has been GB (Sarin).

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking which other nerve agents were involved in the research at Nancekuke referred to in his Answer of 16 July, Official Report, columns 717–8, to determine whether they presented a hazard to British armed forces; and when research started and ended on each of the nerve agents involved (Question 42, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the UK Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.

  3 The nerve agents involved in the research at Nancekuke and the approximate periods during which the research at Nancekuke was carried out were as follows:

  a.

  GB

  1951–1976

  b.

  GE

  1950s

  c.

  GF

  1957–1976

  d.

  GD

  1962–1980

  e.

  VX

  1957–1976

  f.

  Other V series

  1957–1980

  Research into these nerve agents is also carried out at Potion Down as required by the chemical defence programme.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking under which defence agreement VX was transferred from the United Kingdom to the United States of America; and whether any transfer of VX was made from the United Kingdom to the United States of America other than that referred to in his Answer to the honourable Member for Leyton of 20th July, Official Report, column 172 (Question 43, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The only transfer of VX from the United Kingdom to the United States of America was the one referred to in my answer to the honourable member for Leyton of 20th July 1993, Official Report, column 172.

  3. Our records do not reveal under which defence agreement VX was transferred from the United Kingdom to the United States of America. The transfer was probably under the Tripartite Toxicological Conferences which preceeded the Technical Cooperation Programme.
  164
  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking when the experiments on staphylococcal enterotoxin B, referred to in his Answer to the honourable Member for Brent East on 16th July, Official Report, columns 718–9, began and ended; and if his Department has collaborated in experiments on this toxin with any other country (Question 45, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the United Kingdom Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.

  3. The Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment has carried out studies on staphylococcal enterotoxin B since 1980 in order to assess the potential hazard to the United Kingdom Armed Forces and to provide appropriate protective measures. Experimental work on this toxin has not been carried out in collaboration with any other country although the results of this work form part of the technical database drawn on in cooperation with the United States, Canada and Australia under the Technical Cooperation Programme, with the United States and Canada under the Memorandum of Understanding on Chemical and Biological Defence and with France under the Anglo-French defence Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Research.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what work Porton Down has done on evaluating tremorine as an incapacitating agent; when this work was carried out; how many tests and studies were carried out on animals and service volunteers; what was the conclusion of these tests and studies; when the results were shared with the United States of America; and through which defence agreement this scientific information was exchanged (Question 46, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the United Kingdom Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.

  3. Work has been carried out at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment since the early 1960s using oxo-tremorine as a pharmacological tool in order to examine the mechanisms of nerve agent poisoning and thus evaluate new drugs to treat such poisoning. This work has involved the use of small laboratory animals such as rats, mice and guinea pigs. This research is to develop effective therapeutic and pretreatment drugs. No studies or tests were carried out with service volunteers.

  4. The information arising from these studies was part of the chemical and biological defence programme and would therefore be part of the technical database drawn upon in cooperation with the United States of America under the Technical Cooperation Programme and its predecessors.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what has been the nature of collaboration between Britain, Australia and the United States of America with regard to nerve gases, and CS gas and CR gas; when this work was started and finished; where the work was carried out; and under which defence agreement the work was arranged (Question 47, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to carry out research to ensure that the UK Armed Forces are provided with effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. As part of this work the potential hazard of possible chemical and biological warfare agents is assessed and the effectiveness of British protective measures evaluated.
  165
  3. As part of this work it has been necessary to evaluate the potential hazards from nerve gases, CS gas and CR gas. Studies into CR gas were carried out between 1971–1976 and CS gas between 1957-early 1980s. The studies on nerve gases started after World War II and are continuing. These address both the potential hazard as well as research into new and improved medical countermeasures to nerve agent poisoning. The results of this work have formed part of the chemical and biological defence programme and is part of the technical database drawn upon in collaboration with the United States, Australia and Canada under the Technical Cooperation Programme and its predecessors and with the United States and Canada under the Memorandum of Understanding on Chemical and Biological Defence.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking what information arising from the transesterfication study referred to his Answer of 16th July, Official Report, column 712, QL, was shared with the United States of America, Canada and Australia; when this information was exchanged; and under which defence agreement it was exchanged (Question 48, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. Our records do not indicate what information arising from the transesterfication study was shared with the United States of

  Month

  Year

  Participating countries

  Location

  1

  Aug

  67

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  Edgewood USA

  2

  Nov

  67

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  CDE and MRE UK

  3

  May

  69

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  Pentagon USA

  4

  Mar

  73

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  DRE Ottawa Canada

  5

  Jan

  75

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  CDE UK

  6

  Jan

  77

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  Edgewood USA

  7

  Oct

  78

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  DRE Suffield Canada

  8

  Apr

  80

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  MRL Australia

  9

  Oct

  81

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  CDE UK

  10

  May

  83

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  CRDC and Fort McLellan USA

  11

  Oct

  84

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  NDHQ and DRE Ottawa Canada

  12

  Apr

  86

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  MRL Australia

  13

  Apr

  88

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  CDE UK

  14

  Apr

  89

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  CRDC USA

  15

  Apr

  90

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  DRE Suffield Canada

  16

  Apr

  91

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  MRL Australia

  17

  Jul

  92

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  CBDE UK

  18

  Jun

  93

  UK, USA, Canada and Australia

  Washington DC USA

  3. The main participant from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence has been the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment augmented as appropriate by representatives from Ministry of Defence headquarters.

  4. The achievement of Sub-group E has been to promote successful collaboration in chemical and biological defence research between the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking when chemical and biological agents and materials have been exchanged between Britain and Australia; what was the nature of these agents and materials; in what quantities they were exchanged; for what purposes they were exchanged and under which defence agreement or memorandum of understanding they were exchanged (Question 54, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. Our records indicate that the quantities of chemical and biological agents and materials provided for defence research collaboration by Britain to Australia are as follows:

  a. November 1959

  V agent intermediate

  12 lbs

  b. November 1972

  Charcoal cloth

  24 m roll

  c. August 1977

  G agent intermediate

  20 lbs

  CR

  3 lbs

  3. Our records do not include information on how the agent or material was used by Australia or on the precise defence
  166
  America, Canada and Australia. The information gained formed part of the chemical and biological defence programme and is part of the technical database drawn on in information exchange and collaboration with the United States of America, Canada and Australia under the aegis of the defence agreements referred to the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, the Rt. Hon. Archie Hamilton, MP in his reply of 21 May 1992, Official Report, columns 255–256.

  1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking if he will list the dates, participating countries and locations of each of the 15 meetings of sub-group E on chemical and biological defence of the Technical Co-operation Programme mentioned in his Answer of 1st December 1993, Official Report, column 163; which branches of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence have been attending these meetings; and if he will make a statement on the achievement of this sub-group (Question. 50, Order Paper 15 December 1993) has been passed to me to reply as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.

  2. Our records indicate that the dates, participating countries and locations of each of the meetintgs of Sub-group E on Chemical and Biological Defence of the Technical Co-operation Programme since 1967 have been as follows:

  agreement involved. The transfer was probably under one of the defence agreements referred to in my reply to you of 16 July 1993, Official Report, column 716.

  Mr. Livingstone
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many legal actions have been taken against the Ministry of Defence since 1963 by service volunteers who have been tested with chemical and biological agents at the chemical defence establishment at Porton Down; and how these legal cases were settled.

  Mr. Hanley
  Our records show no such legal actions.

  Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps
  Mr. Couchman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what fixed-wing tactical transport capability is required for the British contribution to the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps.

  Mr. Hanley
  We would expect to make maximum use of all of our fixed-wing air transport aircraft—Tristar, VC10 and Hercules—in tactical and strategic roles, supplemented as necessary by civil aircraft, to deploy the British elements of the Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps.

  Air Misses
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the aircraft observed by Skyguard radar since June 1989 were flying at medium level within the meaning of his answer of 14 July,Official Report, column 560.

  Mr. Hanley
  In my answer of 14 July—Official Report, column 560—medium level was intended to refer to aircraft operating at heights above 2,000 ft above ground level. Reports on Skyguard deployments prior to November 1992, during which 1,175 military aircraft were observed, do not distinguish between aircraft operating at low and at medium level. Of the 627 aircraft observed by Skyguard since that time, 243 were operating at medium level.

  Knightsbridge Barracks
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to change the ownership, administration and use of Knightsbridge barracks now or in the future; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  The requirement for barracks in central London is being reviewed. Sites examined will include Knightsbridge barracks.

  Civil Servants (Re-employment)
  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) retired officers and (b) retired civil servants have been re-employed by his Department (i) directly and (ii) as consultants in each of the past five years; what are the arrangements for their remuneration and for treatment of their pension; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  The number of retired civil servants directly re-employed and that of ex-service personnel recruited to the civil service as retired officers in each of the past five years is:

  1993

  1992

  1991

  1990

  1989

  Civil Servants

  282

  288

  415

  550

  552

  Retired Officers

  250

  205

  187

  189

  160

  There are no centrally maintained records for either retired service personnel or civil servants engaged as consultants and this information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Retired officers and re-employed civil servants are paid in accordance with nationally negotiated and agreed pay scales for the grade to which they are appointed.

  In accordance with the principle that civil servants, when re-employed should not receive more, by way of salary and pension together, than was being paid in salary immediately prior to retirement, the civil service pension may be subject to abatement. Pensions received by service personnel under the armed forces pension scheme are not subject to abatement on re-employment, unless retirement was under one of the early release schemes.

  The level of remuneration for conslutants is determined either by a set fee for employees of consultancy companies or by the personal worth of an individual consultant. This is constrained, overall, by the sponsors' available funds.

  Jordan
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the British-Jordanian defence exports agreements were terminated; on what dates each of the agreements were suspended; and what were the reasons for each suspension and their termination.

  Mr. Aitken
  I presume that the hon. Member is referring to the memorandum of understanding between the Governments of the United Kingdom and Jordan, signed on 19 September 1985 and supplemented on 9 June 1987. While the line of export credit for Jordan was effectively terminated in 1991, neither of these memoranda has been terminated or suspended.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who signed the defence sales agreements with Jordan on 19 September 1985 and 9 December 1987 on behalf of the British Government; and in what form Parliament was notified of the concluding of each agreement.

  Mr. Aitken
  Her Majesty's Ambassador to Jordan was the signatory for Her Majesty's Government. Under successive Governments it has not been general practice to inform Parliament of the signature of such memoranda. However, the memorandum of understanding signed on 19 September 1985 was referred to in written answer by the then Minister of State for Defence on 17 February 1986 at column 58.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the British-Jordanian defence sales agreements contained a cap on total expenditure; and on what dates that cap was reached.

  Mr. Aitken
  The memorandum of understanding concerning the supply of defence equipment to Jordan, signed on 19 September 1985, covered contracts to a total estimated value of £270 million. The supplement signed on 9 June 1987 covered additional contracts to a total estimated value of £40 million. Expenditure did not in fact reach these figures.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what income was generated by International Military Services in respect of fees on brokerage for administering the British-Jordanian defence sales agreements of 19 September 1985 and 9 June 1987.

  Mr. Aitken
  International Military Services is a private limited company. The information requested relates to the trading operations of the company and is commercially confidential. IMS publishes its accounts for public scrutiny in accordance with company law.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the information the Scott inquiry was given as to the quantities of items listed under the 60 projects relating to Jordan in his answer of 3 November,Official Report, column 295–6.

  Mr. Aitken
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 13 December 1993 at column 528.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Government to Government defence exports agreements were made with Jordan since 1979 other than those listed by the Minister on 3 November,Official Report, column 296; and what British Government agency was responsible for administering them.
  169
  Mr. Aitken
  A memorandum of understanding with Jordan, covering the supply of Khalid main battle tanks, was signed on 28 November 1979. The contract which gave effect to the MOU was held by International Military Services. A further memorandum, covering a modification programme to the tank, was signed on 2 January 1989. This has been administered by my Department. We have no record of any other similar arrangements with Jordan being signed since 1979.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether information on the quantities and values of the items in the Jordan arms sales package have been supplied to Lord Justice Scott's inquiry.

  Mr. Aitken
  Details of information provided to Lord Justice Scott's inquiry are a matter between the inquiry and my Department.

  F3 Tornado
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 13 December,Official Report, column 529, what consultations he has had with the International Standards Organisation and the British Standards Institution concerning Airwork's ISO 9001 certification; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  We have had no such consultations.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names of all individuals who are or were members of the House of Lords who since 1979 have been appointed to any quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Hanley
  The information requested is not held centrally and could not be compiled without disproportionate cost. However, on 1 August 1993 six members of the House of Lords were holding positions on MOD public boards. They are as follows:

  The Lord Bridges—Member of the Royal College of Defence Studies Advisory Board. Unsalaried.

  The Baroness Platt of Writtle—Member of the Meteorological Committee. An honorarium of £250 per annum is payable.

  The Earl of Swinton—Chairman of the Anglo American Community Relations Committee, Menwith Hill Station. Unsalaried.

  The Baroness O'Cathain—Member of the National Employers' Liaison Committee. Unsalaried.

  The Duke of Westminster—Member of the National Army Museum. Unsalaried.

  The Lord Gregson—Chairman of the Royal Military College of Science Advisory Council. Unsalaried.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Hanley
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
  170
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Hanley
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Companies (Dealings)
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what dealings he, or any member of his Department, has had, whether for export promotion or for any other purposes, with(a) A.T.E. International Ltd., (b) Admincheck Ltd., (c) Advance Electronics Development Ltd., (d) Archin Centre I.C.E. Ltd., (e) Atlas Equipment Co. Ltd., (i) Atlas Air conditioning Co. Ltd., (g) Dominion International, (h) Endshire Export Marketing, (i) Falcon Systems, (j) Geodesigns, (k) Investacast Precision Castings Ltd., (l) Meed International Ltd., and (m) Rajbrook Ltd.; and what was the purpose of his dealings with each of these companies.

  Mr. Aitken
  My officials have found no record of arty dealings with the companies listed.

  Joint Analysis Centre, Molesworth
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many American citizens work at the joint analysis centre at Molesworth; how many British citizens work at the centre; whether GCHQ staff are employed at the centre; whether toxic chemicals are stored on or near the centre; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  There are currently 463 US military and civilian personnel, and four United Kingdom military personnel assigned to the joint analysis centre—JAC—at RAF Molesworth. No United Kingdom civilians are employed at the JAC. Additionally, there are United Kingdom and United States staff located a t RAF Molesworth and RAF Alconbury who support the JAC. There is a hazardous waste storage facility at RAF Molesworth which stores items temporarily until they can be disposed of in accordance with regulations. Examples of hazardous items stored at this facility are petroleum, paint products and dry batteries.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what justification there is for the expansion of the joint analysis centre at Molesworth; what is the connection between this station and Menwith Hill station in North Yorkshire; how much the expansion of the joint analysis centre at Molesworth has cost; Who paid for the expansion of the centre; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  No expansion of the joint analysis centre at RAF Molesworth is currently being undertaken. The decision to locate the JAC at RAF Molesworth, announced! by my predecessor on 11 January 1990 at columns 691–92, has entailed construction work at the station. Use has also been made of existing facilities at RAF Molesworth although some modification work has been necessary. This work is ongoing and has been subject to normal planning procedures. The role of the centre is to process and analyse military information from a variety of sources.

  Fire Precautions
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of all letters from fire authorities relating to his Department's buildings and facilities received over the last 10 years following fires.

  Mr. Hanley
  As far as can be determined only five letters have been received from local fire authorities in the last 10 years. These relate to fires at MOD main building —27 April 1985—AWE Burghfield—2 December 1988 —RAF Coltishall—21 April 1990, Allenbrooke barracks, Larkhill—7 July 1991 and RAF Carlisle—23 March 1992. A copy of the letter of 3 May 1985 from the London fire brigade is already in the Library and copies of the others will now be placed therein.

  Fraud
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the level of reported fraud in the Ministry of Defence in 1990, 1991 and 1992.

  Mr. Hanley
  Latest estimated figures for loss to MOD arising from fraud for the financial years 1990–91 to 1992–93 were as follows:172

  1990–91

  53 cases valued at £984,000

  1991–92

  45 cases valued at £63,000

  1992–93

  54 cases valued at £205,000

  These figures exclude "procurement fraud"—fraud perpetrated by contractors including corruption of officials by contractors and collusion between officials and contractors.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's policy for dealing with employees found guilty of fraud.

  Mr. Aitken
  My Department's policy is that civilian staff who commit fraud are liable to be dismissed. Mitigating considerations may affect the penalty in individual circumstances.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians were judged to be guilty of fraud in his Department in 1990, 1991 and 1992; and how many were dismissed.

  Mr. Aitken
  The number of civilian staff found guilty of fraud in the Ministry of Defence in 1990, 1991 and 1992 were 68, 140 and 88 respectively. The numbers dismissed in each of these years were 27, 52 and 44.

  Irregular Expenditure
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken following the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General to the Commons Public Accounts Committee published on 15 March 1993 to cut irregular expenditure in his Department.

  Mr. Hanley
  I refer the hon. Member to the Treasury minute on the "28th Report from the Committee of Public Accounts 1992–93"—Cm 2199.

  Contracts
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money was set aside in(a) 1990, (b) 1991 and (c) 1992 to cover increased costs incurred through delay in producing contracts placed by his Department.

  Mr. Aitken
  None.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of contracts placed by his Department in the last five years show cost increases in excess of 25 per cent. by the time of completion.

  Mr. Aitken
  The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department has taken to ensure that contracts with foreign companies do not cost more than originally planned.

  Mr. Aitken
  My Department's aim is to award contracts to United Kingdom and overseas suppliers at fixed or firm prices, against tight specifications.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the standard practice of his Department on indexing payments for inflation up until the scheduled delivery date only in contracts for the procurement of equipment.

  Mr. Aitken
  My Department would normally consider the indexing for inflation of payments to contractors in any contracts with a duration of over five years. Our standard practice is not to continue such indexing beyond the scheduled delivery date if contracts fail to achieve this.

  Project Management
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps he has taken to rationalise the definition of in-service dates on individual projects to enhance comparability;

  (2) what is his current definition for an in-service date in relation to the procurement of equipment;

  Mr. Aitken
  An equipment's in-service date is generally defined as the date by which the equipment, or a specified number of equipments will contribute to operational capability. The interpretation of this definition can vary because of the differing characteristics of equipment, and the ways in which they are used. My Department's current approval processes require that the basis for defining the in-service date should be explained at the start of procurement.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures he has implemented to improve project management in the light of his Department's "Learning from Experience" report.
  174
  Mr. Aitken
  A directorate was established as a centre of expertise for project management to pursue the recommendations of the learning from experience report and provide support and guidance to all project office staff. The training available to project managers has been improved; structured risk management has been introduced for all projects and a help desk has been set up to which project managers can refer queries. A regular project managers newsletter is produced to disseminate new initiatives and best practices derived from the lessons learned from other projects.

  Computer Theft
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the estimated value of computer theft in his Department in 1990, 1991 and 1992.

  Mr. Hanley
  The estimated value of the theft of computer hardware during the period in question is £94,000, which occurred in financial year 1990–91.

  Government Car Service
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the annual cost to the Department of the car service for Ministers in 1990–91; and how many vehicles were involved.

  Mr. Hanley
  [pursuant to his reply, 8 December 1993, column 741]: The answer I gave the right hon. Member on 15 December at column 741 contained an error. The cost to the Defence budget of providing five vehicles for Defence Department Ministers in 1990–91 was some £200,000.

  Defence Establishments (Shoeburyness)
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the defence establishments in the area of Shoeburyness, Essex.

  Mr. Aitken
  The proof and experimental establishment, Shoeburyness and the environment test centre, Foulness were included in my Department's recent review of test and evaluation facilities. I hope to be in a position to make an announcement on the outcome of this review shortly.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Laboratory Agencies
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the total sum expended on consultancy advice centrally as part of the review of the laboratory agencies in the financial year 1992–93; and what amount is projected for 1993–94.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The fees paid for consultancy advice for the review are confidential for commercial reasons.

  Energy Advisory Panel
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) of 26 November,Official Report, column 254, if he will now consider making public details of the discussions of his energy advisory panel.
  175
  Mr. Eggar
  No.

  Chemical Weapons Convention
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress his Department has made towards the ratification of the chemical weapons convention.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  The United Kingdom signed the chemical weapons convention in January 1993. The Government continue to take a leading role in the preparatory commission which is working towards the establishment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as envisaged by the chemical weapons convention—CWC. The DTI is working with the FCO and MoD to make preparations for the implementation of the CWC in the United Kingdom.

  Deregulation Task Force
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will name the small business representatives on the task force looking into deregulation, and the businesses they operate.

  Financial Year

  Disqualification reports

  Disqualification orders

  Number of: Prosecution reports

  Prosecutions (convictions)

  Warning Letters

  1990–91

  4,508

  251

  518

  170

  23

  1991–92

  6,156

  326

  689

  203

  26

  1992–93

  6,713

  446

  689

  176

  18

  11993–94

  5,074

  302

  (not yet available)

  1 8 months.

  Konver Programme
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what bids have been made under the Konver programme and what allocations have been made; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett) on 10 December,Official Report, column 430.

  Textiles
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the bids made under the Retex programme and the allocations made; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  A list of all those Retex proposals which were put before the Retex programme monitoring committee, and those projects which have been approved, has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Education and Training Targets
  Dame Angela Rumbold
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to ensure that his Department is fully committed to the national education and training targets; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  The Department of Trade and Industry is wholly committed to the national targets. The Department encourages the spread of the Investors in
  176
  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The 14 task force members who represented small business and their businesses are:

  Mr. Michael Everard

  Everard & Son Ltd.

  Mr. G. W. (William) Cottham

  Yorkshire Rider Ltd.

  Mr. Maurice Denyer

  Fowler (Bros) Cowfold Ltd.

  Mr. J. Roger Humber

  House Builders Federation

  Mr. Chris Drew

  SORIS

  Mr. A. E. H. (Alistair) Salvesen

  Dawnfresh Seafoods Ltd.

  Mr. Robin Bloomfield

  Oakridge Farm Ltd.

  Mr. John Gardner

  VG Distributors Ltd.

  Mr. Jonathan Swift

  British Hardware Federation

  Mr. Michael Ann

  Drusilla's Park

  Miss Sonia Elkin

  former Small Firms Director, CBI

  Ms Clare Spottiswoode

  Euro Utility Systems Ltd.

  Mr. Derek Cavalier

  Eltham Group Ltd.

  Mr. John Simpson

  Kalme Prototype Ltd.

  Company Failures
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade in how many failures of limited liablity companies reports of unfit or criminal conduct have been made to him; and in how many cases disqualification orders or prosecutions have been undertaken.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The information is as follows:

  People initiative in its "Winning in the '90s" business strategy roadshow. DTI Ministers also meet regularly with the National Advisory Council for Education and Training Targets to support their work in leading industry towards achieving the targets.

  Newspaper Distribution
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to meet representatives of the National Federation of Retail Newsagents to discuss the Government's response to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on national newspaper distribution.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Following publication on 9 December of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) report on the supply of national newspapers I announced that the Secretary of State had decided to prohibit by order certain restrictions on wholesale supply which the MMC had found to be against the public interest. A notice of the Secretary of State's intention to lay an order before Parliament was published on 21 December.

  Written representations were invited from any persons whose interests are likely to be affected by the order. At this early stage of consultation no meetings with any individuals or organisations have been arranged.

  Post Office Privatisation
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the Government's policy on the privatisation of the Post Office, together with the timetable for its implementation.
  177
  Mr. McLoughlin
  The Government are conducting a review of the structure and organisation of the Post Office. Continued public sector ownership, as well as private sector options, are being considered. The review is still continuing, and no decisions have been taken. An announcement will be made in due course.

  Bank of Commerce and Credit International
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the visit by Touche Ross the liquidators of BCCI to Abu Dhabi.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  No. This is a matter for the liquidators.

  Utility Regulators
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will extend the power of the utility regulators to ensure that the rights of low-income consumers are protected.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Each utility regulator already has a duty to protect the interests of all consumers in respect of prices and quality of service.

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what response he has made to the citizens' advice bureaux report, "Out of Control", a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will ask the utility regulators to investigate the CAB's findings.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Ministers are considering the CAB report, as are the utility regulators, who also received copies.

  Utilities (Consumers)
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will seek discussions with the utility chairmen about the rights of low-income consumers.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  This is a matter for the regulators, who have a duty to protect consumers' interests.

  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will ask the National Consumer Council and the utilities consumer committees to consider what improvements might be made in the rights of low-income consumers.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The National Consumer Council and the utilities consumer committees have a duty to consider the interests of all consumers.

  Expenditure to end of November 1993

  £'000

  NE

  NW

  EM

  WM

  YH

  SW

  SE

  Schemes covering England only (Regional)

  Regional Selective Assistance and RegionalDevelopment Grants

  23,570

  11,934

  798

  9,500

  11,533

  3,600

  —

  Regional Enterprise Grants

  946

  797

  446

  303

  1,739

  464

  18

  Aid for small and medium sized enterprises

  791

  199

  107

  —

  447

  —

  —

  Extended Warranty Schemes
  Mr. Nigel Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will consider if the practice of other high street retailers of promoting their extended warranty schemes rather than the ones offered cheaper by manufacturers may breach the Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976;

  (2) if he will refer extended warranty schemes operated by white goods retailers to the Director General of Fair Trading.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Under the competition legislation responsibility for considering and, if appropriate, investigating allegations of restrictive trade practices, anti-competitive behaviour and abuse of market power lies with the Director General of Fair Trading, Sir Bryan Carsberg. I am asking Sir Bryan to consider whether the practice identified by the hon. Member warrants investigation and to write to the hon. Member.

  Vietnam
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when Export Credits Guarantee Department cover for trade with Vietnam will be restored; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  Now that Vietnam has normalised its relationship with the International Monetary Fund and is making arrangements with its creditors to restructure its outstanding trade debts restoration of ECGD cover is under urgent consideration. I expect a decision to be taken in the next month or so.

  Business Support Schemes
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much money has been spent under each scheme available for supporting businesses from his Department in 1993–94 in each county of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and each region of Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLouglin
  A breakdown by county of the Department's schemes for business support is not available except at disproportionate cost. However, the table shows expenditure to the end of November 1993 for those schemes which give direct grant or support to business, broken down by region where that is possible. Schemes covering England often have counterparts funded by the territorial departments. A regional breakdown of expenditure on the Department's business support schemes under the Industrial Development Act 1982 is provided in the appendices to the Industrial Development Act 1982 annual reports.
  179

  £000

  England only (Regional breakdown not available)

  Locally delivered business services through Business Links and Training and Enterprise Councils

  7,997

  £000

  Schemes covering Great Britain (Regional breakdown not avoilable)

  Consultancy Initiatives

  35,659

  Locally delivered business services through Chambers of Commerce

  140

  £000

  Schemes covering United Kingdom (Regional breakdown not available)

  Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme

  11,511

  NE=North East Region, NW=North West Region

  EM=East Midland Region, WM=West Midland Region

  YH=Yorkshire and Humberside Region, SW=South West Region

  London United Investments
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to take any civil or criminal action against KPMG Peat Marwick following the criticisms of the firm's auditing practices by the Department of Trade and Industry inspectors in their report on London United Investments.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Copies of the inspector's report have been passed to the Serious Fraud Office and to the relevant supervisory bodies, the Institutes of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and in Scotland, for such further action as those bodies deem appropriate.

  Accountants
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to investigate the electoral procedures of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I have no such plans.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the accountancy firms preparing the compilation reports for small companies are to be exempt from the monitoring requirements of the Companies Act 1989.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I shall be making a statement shortly on this and other details of the implementation of the proposed relaxation of the audit requirement for small companies.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what oral or written discussions he or his Department has had with any official of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants about its internal democracy ;

  (2) what discussions he or his Department has held with any representative of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants in respect of its democracy.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  My Department has been told by the association that electoral reform will be one of a180
  number of subjects which will feature in proposals for revisions to its bye-laws. These will be put to its council and members in a general meeting, in due course.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his Department's policy in relation to the award of contracts to accountancy firms(a) against whom legal proceedings are being taken and (b) who have been criticised in the DTI inspectors report.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Hartpool (Mr. Mandelson) on 27 October,Official Report, column 671.

  Professional Ethics
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will provide a list of the reforms of professional ethics which he has urged recognised supervisory bodies to adopt.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  It is my duty to satisfy myself that the ethical guidance provided by the recognised supervisory bodies for company auditors meet the requirements of paragraph 7 of schedule 11 to the Companies Act 1989. This is one of the matters covered in my Department's routine monitoring of and discussions with the supervisory bodies.

  Defence Exports
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) in which year a specific allocation of Export Credits Guarantee Department's cover was allocated for defence exports; what was the size of the provision; and how that decision was reported to Parliament;

  (2) on what date it was agreed to allocate a sum within the Export Credits Guarantee Department for the offering of insurance cover on defence exports; what that sum was; and on what dates that sum was subsequently revised.

  Mr. Needham
  On 28 June 1988 the then Minister for Trade announced, in a written answer, that £1 billion of export credit support would be made available by the Export Credits Guarantee Department to support large contracts for the sale of United Kingdom defence equipment.

  The sum of £1 billion was never revised and the unused balance was effectively withdrawn in August 1991.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the size of the Export Credits Guarantee Department cover for defence exports in each year since 1985–86, the take-up of the cover and the year-end total of the contribution in respect of this cover to the Export Credits Guarantee Department's cumulative reserves and provisions.

  Mr. Needham
  ECGD's annual report includes a table detailing the breakdown of its capital goods business by industry sector including defence. A copy of ECGD's last annual report is in the Library of the House, the 1992–93 report will be laid before the House late this month. ECGD's accounts are not put together on a basis which enables the contribution of different industry sectors to its cumulative reserves and provisions to be detailed separately.

  Quangos
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the names of all former hon. Members who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments

  Name

  Post

  Salary

  Duration

  Sir Julian Ridsdale

  Member of the Simpler Trade Procedure Board

  Unpaid

  27 October 1992–26 October 1994

  Charles Longbottom

  Non-executive director, of British Shipbuilders

  £5,000

  Since 1988 (renewed on a yearly basis)

  John Corrie

  Chairman of the Transport Users Consultative Committee for Scotland

  £6,310

  1 January 1989–31 December 1995

  Robin Hodgson

  Member of the West Midlands Industrial Development Board

  Unpaid

  1 January 1989–31 December 1994

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the names of all former British representative members in the European Parliament who since 1979 have been appointed to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations, excluding appointments as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appointment.

  Mr. Eggar
  No such appointments have been made since 1979.

  Auditors
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade which auditing guidelines, issued by the Auditing Practices Committee while his Department was represented on it, urged auditors to be passive.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I do not accept the premise on which the hon. Member's question is based.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the kind of auditing firms who will be exempt from monitoring by the recognised supervisory bodies as a result of the small company audit exemption proposals contained in the Chancellor's statement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The announcement by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 30 November 1993,Official Report, columns 934–35 does not affect the monitoring requirements for company auditors. Any individual or firm who chooses to remain a member of a recognised supervisory body and retain eligibility for appointment as a company auditor under the rules of that body will remain subject to the monitoring arrangements of that body.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will provide a list of the minutes of meetings of the Auditing Practices Board received by his representatives on that board.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  My Department's representative has received minutes of the meetings of the Auditing Practices Board which he attended on the following dates:
  182
  as justices of the peace, giving in each case the title of the post, any salary payable and the duration of the appoinment.

  Mr. Eggar
  The table sets out the information available.

  1991

  1992

  1993

  3 July

  14 January

  12 January

  9 September

  11 February

  9 February

  15 October

  10 March

  9 March

  3 December

  13 April

  19 April

  19 May

  11 May

  30 June

  8 June

  28 July

  13 July

  8 September

  21 September

  25 September

  12 October

  15 October

  16 November

  24 November

  Minutes of the board's meetings may be obtained from the board's secretary.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will seek to amend the regulation on non-audit fee disclosures so that companies will be required to give details of the non-audit services purchased from their auditors.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I have no plans to do so. The regulations already require companies to disclose in their annual accounts the amount of fees paid to their auditors and their associates for non-audit work.

  Supervisory Bodies
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he takes upon receiving a complaint about the conduct of the bodies acting as recognised supervisory bodies under the Companies Act 1989.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I would first consider whether the complaint concerned the statutory duties imposed on the supervisory bodies by the Companies Act 1989. If so, I would refer the complaint to the relevant supervisory body for it to consider. If the complaint concerned the complaints procedure established by the supervisory body to meet its statutory duty under the Companies Act 1989, I would consider whether the body had properly discharged that duty.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to take powers to provide that the recognised supervisory bodies do not threaten academic freedoms.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  None. I have no evidence that the recognised supervisory bodies act in the way the hon. Member implies.
  183
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will seek to introduce legislation under which auditors of public limited companies will be required to file audited information about their affairs with the appropriate recognised supervisory bodies.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I have no plans to do so.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assurances he has sought or will be seeking on democracy and openness from the organisations acting as recognised supervisory bodies under the Companies Act 1989.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Each supervisory body for company auditors was required to satisfy the Secretary of State that it met the requirements for recognition set out under part II of the Companies Act 1989. Sections 35 and 36 of that Act, and the Companies Act 1989 (Register of Auditors and Information about Audit Firms) Regulations 1991 (SI 1991/1566), require those bodies to make certain information available to the public about those eligible for appointment as company auditor. Section 37 of the Companies Act 1989 requires them to submit an annual report on audit regulation to the Secretary of State, copies of which are placed in the Library of the House.

  Export Credits Guarantee Department
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the year-end cumulative surplus or deficit and the year-end total of provisions for the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each year from 31 March 1986.

  Mr. Needham
  This information is reported in ECGD's annual trading accounts copies of which are in the Library of the House; the 1992–93 accounts will be laid before the House later this month.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what provision was made in the expenditure plans for 1993–94 of the Export Credits Guarantee Department for writing off irrecoverable debts from Iraq; and what provision was made for 1994–95 and 1995–96 in the public expenditure plans of November 1992 and those recently published.

  Mr. Needham
  ECGD's trading operations do not constitute a charge on public expenditure and as such there is no provision for any such costs in ECGD's public expenditure plans.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total exposure of the Export Credits Guarantee Department in respect of exports to Iraq(a) up to the invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 and (b) subsequently; how much of this exposure has so far been written off as irrecoverable; and in which financial years this was done.

  Mr. Needham
  ECGD's total exposure on Iraq is now estimated at £652 million of which £521 million relates to claims paid outstanding for recovery. ECGD's 1991–92 accounts included a provision for loss equivalent to 93 per cent. of exposure on Iraq; the 1992–93 accounts are still being audited.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if Export Credits Guarantee cover was obtained to 184
  support the financing of the British-Jordanian defence sales agreements; and how payments insurances cover was provided for.

  Mr. Needham
  ECGD provided support for two defence equipment lines of credit to Jordan which were signed in 1986 and 1987 respectively.

  Companies (Exports)
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what dealings he or any member of his Department has had, whether for export promotion or for any other purpose with(a) A.T.E. International Ltd., (b) Admincheck Ltd., (c) Advance Electronics Development Ltd., (d) Arctic Centre I.C.E. Ltd., (e) Atlas Equipment Co. Ltd., (f) Atlas Air Conditioning Co. Ltd., (g) Dominion International, (h) Endshire Export Marketing, (i) Falcon Systems, (j) Geodesigns, (k) Investacast Precision Castings Ltd., (l) Meed International Ltd., and (m) Raj brook Ltd.; and if he will give the purpose of his dealings with each of these companies.

  Mr. Needham
  Some of the companies named have contacted the Department in connection with the publication by the United States treasury office of assets control of lists of specially designated nationals. Some have contacted the Department about export licences. It is not the practice of the Department to disclose details of such commercially confidential matters.

  British Coal (Pensions)
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what rates of growth net of contributions have been achieved by coal industry pension funds in each of the last 15 years; and in which of these a guarantee would have had to have been effected if his present proposals had been in operation.

  Mr. Eggar
  The performance of the British Coal pension funds and their record of deficiencies and surpluses are matters for the trustees of the pension schemes.

  Nuclear Material
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 6 December,Official Report, column 38, if he will set out (a) those notifications of withdrawal of nuclear materials from safeguards that were temporary, giving the uses to which the material was put and (b) those notifications which were permanent.

  Mr. Eggar
  The majority of the withdrawal notifications referred to in my answer of 6 December,Official Report, column 38, concerned the permanent withdrawal from safeguards of depleted uranium for sources shielding or small amounts of other nuclear materials for research and development or analytical purposes.

  Safeguards Agreement
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade on how many occasions since the entering into force of tripartite safeguards agreement with EURATOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the safeguards authorities have been notified by Her Majesty's Government of intended withdrawals under clause 14 of the treaty.
  185
  Mr. Eggar
  In accordance with the provisions of article 14 of the United Kingdom/Euratotn/IAEA safeguards agreement, 571 advance notifications of the withdrawal of nuclear material from safeguards have been made since May 1979. The majority of these involved either the temporary withdrawal of material transferred to MOD sites for processing before being returned to safeguards at civil sites, or, in the case of permanent transfers to MOD sites, the withdrawal from safeguards of material such as depleted uranium for source shielding or small amounts of other nuclear materials for R & D or analytical purposes.

  External Trade
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the trade and commodity coverage of the 1980 weights given in table F2 of the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics"; and what were the corresponding weights in 1980, 1985 and 1990 in terms of United Kingdom exports and imports of manufactures.

  Mr. Needham
  The coverage of the weights is given in the footnote to table 'F2 in the" Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics".

  The other information requested is shown in the table.

  Weights based on total trade (exports plus imports) of manufactures with the United Kingdom

  1980

  1985

  1990

  Belgium-Luxembourg

  8·976

  7·498

  7·912

  Canada

  2·895

  2·457

  1·810

  France

  13·060

  11·990

  14·512

  Germany (Federal Republic)

  20·453

  23·049

  24·267

  Italy

  8·175

  7·946

  8·721

  Japan

  5·299

  6·485

  7·352

  Netherlands

  9·443

  9·224

  10·356

  Sweden

  5·373

  4·662

  4·371

  Switzerland

  8·628

  4·556

  3·821

  United States

  17·698

  22·134

  16·877

  Note: Manufactures defined as sections 5–8 of the Standard International Trade Classification.

  Magnox Reactors
  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the publication date for the nuclear installations inspectorate's examination of generic safety issues in Magnox reactors in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Eggar
  I understand that the Health and Safety Executive is planning to publish the nuclear installations inspectorate's report reviewing the generic safety issues of the long term safety reviews of Magnox power plant by the end of April.

  Trade Balance
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was(a) the net balance of trade with the other EC countries in 1972 and (b) the total balance of trade in the period since the United Kingdom joined the EC; and what were the figures in respect of manufacturing trade.

  Mr. Needham
  The available information is given in the table.186

  United Kingdom crude balance of trade1 with the EC2

  (£ billion, current prices)

  Year

  Total

  3Manufactures

  1972

  -0·6

  1973

  -1·4

  1974

  -2·4

  1975

  -2·5

  -0·5

  1976

  -2·4

  -0·5

  1977

  -2·3

  -0·6

  1978

  -3·0

  -1·6

  1979

  -3·7

  -2·7

  1980

  -0·0

  -1·7

  1981

  -0·7

  -3·0

  1982

  -2·2

  -5·0

  1983

  -3·8

  -7·9

  1984

  -4·4

  -8·4

  1985

  -3·4

  -9·0

  1986

  -9·7

  -10·8

  1987

  -10·2

  -11·1

  1988

  -14·9

  -13·4

  1989

  -16·3

  -14·6

  1990

  -10·9

  -9·9

  1991

  -1·9

  -1·6

  1992

  -5·1

  -3·7

  1 The crude balance of trade is defined as exports (free on board) less imports (cost, insurance and freight).

  2 The EC is defined throughout as it was defined in 1992; that is, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany (including the former Democratic Republic), Italy, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Portugal and Spain.

  3 Manufactures are defined by sections 5 to 8 of the standard international trade classification.

  Sources:

  Total: Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics, CSO.

  Manufactures: Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.

  Defence Sales
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what rescheduling of payments on outstanding debts occurred in course of the British-Jordanian defence sales agreements; on what dates this occurred; and how this was reflected in public accounts.

  Mr. Needham
  ECGD-insured debts of £170 million due from Jordan have been rescheduled. These debts relate to payments of principal and interest due between 1989 and early 1994; a substantial proportion relates to the defence sales agreements. The debts are covered by two bilateral rescheduling agreements, the first signed in August 1991 and the second in January 1993. The reschedulings were concluded as part of general agreements reached between Jordan and its creditors in the Paris Club. To date payments under these agreements have been made on time.

  The rescheduling of these debts is reflected in ECG D's annual trading accounts.

  Plutonium
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the quantities of plutonium material unaccounted for for each of the last 10 years of Magnox reprocessing at Sellafield, and details of projections of MUF quantities of plutonium once the thermal oxide reprocessing plant is in operation.

  Mr. Eggar
  Since 1977, British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL) and the AEA have issued annual press releases giving the difference between the book inventory of nuclear materials on each site and the measured physiical inventory. This difference, known as 'material unaccounted for'—MUF—indicates an apparent gain of material
  187
  when positive and an apparent loss when negative. It is not normally evidence of an actual loss or gain of material but often reflects measurement error.

  The figures published by BNFL and the AEA for the 10 years to 1991–92 were:

  Kg

  1982–83

  -0·5

  1983–84

  +4·2

  1984–85

  +9·1

  1985–86

  +4·0

  1986–87

  +2·2

  1987–88

  -1·5

  1988–89

  +4·0

  1989–90

  -1·0

  1990–91

  -11·5

  1991–92

  +9·8

  Once the thermal oxide reprocessing plant comes into operation, its contribution to Sellafield MUF will be reflected in the site figures in the normal way. The impact on the total will depend on the plant's performance.

  The safeguards system for THORP has been described in papers presented at the 15th European Safeguards Research and Development Association—ESARDA—symposium in Rome in May 1993 which make it clear that the tracking of nuclear material inventories is only part of an overall safeguards system covering a variety of arrangements.

  EURATOM
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade which United Kingdom representatives are members of the European Commission and EURATOM special 188
  scientists group on atomic energy questions; for how long they have been members of the group; and if he will set out the part played by Her Majesty's Government in the choice of United Kingdom members of the group.

  Mr. Eggar
  The last five-year mandate of EURATOM's Scientific and Technical Committee—STC —expired on 31 March 1993. A Council decision confirming the membership of the STC for the next period to March 1998 is expected shortly. Renewal of the mandate will be announced in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

  Radioactive Waste Storage
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will set out the proposed management strategy for the radioactive waste that will be stored at Sellafield following retention in the enhanced actinise removal plant, as referred to in paragraph 6 of his decision document on THORP, published on 15 December.

  Mr. Eggar
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 18 February 1993,Official Report, column 319.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what reliability calculations his Department had conducted, or contracted to consultants, to evaluate the safety of the high level radioactive waste storage tanks at Sellafield using the EC computer program PC Cosyma.

  Mr. Eggar
  This is a matter for British Nuclear Fuels plc, subject to the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate's views as to safety.

  RUSSIA: ELECTIONS AND REFERENDUM
  RUSSIA: ELECTIONS AND REFERENDUM
  SICK STUDENTS: FINANCING
  SICK STUDENTS: FINANCING
  TAX INCREASES: EFFECT OF BUDGET
  TAX INCREASES: EFFECT OF BUDGET
  MAASTRICHT TREATY
  MAASTRICHT TREATY
  NATIONAL SAVINGS: MINIMUM DEPOSIT
  NATIONAL SAVINGS: MINIMUM DEPOSIT
  AIDS: PATIENT CARE COSTS
  AIDS: PATIENT CARE COSTS