Written Answers of 20 January 1994

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Magistrates Courts
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of savings that have been made in the management of magistrates' courts since the publication of the scrutiny report on Magistrates' Courts in 1989.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 December 1993,Official Report, column 543.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what savings on expenditure on the magistrates court service will result from the decisions announced in the White Paper "A New Framework for Local Justice".

  Conservative

  Labour

  Liberal Democrats

  Plaid Cymru

  Independent/ Not known

  Clywd

  128

  100

  72

  17

  19

  Dyfed

  72

  48

  43

  38

  36

  Mid Glamorgan

  84

  120

  39

  8

  66

  South Glamorgan

  135

  92

  59

  9

  40

  West Glamorgan

  108

  129

  44

  5

  61

  Gwent

  115

  97

  34

  2

  56

  Gwynedd

  48

  27

  28

  36

  45

  Powys

  29

  20

  25

  2

  19

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will publish the names of members of all the bodies in Wales who select magistrates.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The members of the 13 advisory committees responsible for recommending candidates for the magistracy in Wales are as follows:

  CLWYD

  Chairman

  Sir William Gladstone, BT JP

  Members

  Mrs. C. M. Johnson, JP

  E. M. W. Griffith, Esq. CBE DL

  Miss R. Whittingham, JP

  Mrs. C. T. Owen, JP

  Mrs. J. Jones, JP

  A. Blackwell, Esq. JP

  J. P. Williams, Esq. JP

  T. Lloyd, Esq. JP

  N. Phillips, Esq. JP

  Mrs. A. K. Larsen, JP

  Dr. J. P. Davies, JP

  C. Crump, Esq. JP

  Mrs. D. C. Ellis

  DYFED—CARMARTHEN

  Chairman

  D. C. Mansel Lewis, Esq. JP

  Members

  Mrs. M. E. C. Jones, JP

  E. O. James, Esq. JP

  Mrs. M. Lloyd. JP

  714
  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The purpose of the proposals in the White Paper is to provide clearer lines of accountability, to secure maximum management co-operation with other parts of the justice system and to guarantee the judicial independence of magistrates and their legal advisers, as well as to yield improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of the service. As the efficiency gains which each magistrates' courts committee—MCC—achieves by implementing the White Paper reforms will depend largely on decisions taken at local level, it is difficult for the Government to estimate with any accuracy the total savings to be made. However, evidence from those MCCs which have already implemented some of the White Paper proposals suggests that, within each MCC, the resulting improvements in value for money exceed the transitional costs.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the political balance of magistrates in each county in Wales.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The political balance of magistrates for each county in Wales on the latest available information, and based on their political affiliations on appointment, is as follows:

  T. G. Evans, Esq. JP

  Mrs. P. A. Williams

  Mrs. B. M. Jones, JP

  Dr. Edwards, JP

  Mrs. E. E. Jenkins, JP

  G. C. Price, Esq. JP

  DYFED CEREDIGION

  Chairman

  W. R. G. James, Esq. JP

  Members

  J. D. P. Evans, Esq. JP

  G. R. Evans, Esq. MBE JP

  J. H. Lewis, Esq.

  Mrs. M. R. E. Roderick, JP

  Mrs. M. G. James, JP

  Mrs. G. A. T. Kidd

  G. J. Morgan, Esq. JP

  DYFED PEMBROKE

  Chairman

  Mrs. C. F. Ramsden, JP

  Members

  T. G. Davies, Esq. OBE

  Mrs. M. L. J. Firmin, JP

  J. D. Harry, Esq. JP

  D. Fellows, Esq.

  D. W. Banner,Esq. JP

  Mrs. C. A. Morgan, JP

  G. Sizer, Esq. JP

  MID GLAMORGAN

  Chairman

  M. A. McLaggan, Esq. JP

  715
  Members

  R. C. Q. Picton-Turbervill, Esq. JP

  Dr. S. H. Treasure, JP

  W. H. Coleman, Esq. JP

  D. C. Jones, Esq.

  Mrs. E. I. Evans, JP

  G. Morgan-Jones, Esq. JP

  Mrs. C. Eynon

  SOUTH GLAMORGAN

  Chairman

  His Honour Judge M. Gibbon, QC

  Members

  A. S. Martyn,Esq. JP

  Mrs. J. Sainsbury, JP

  R. W. Lee, Esq. JP

  Mrs. M. E. Drake

  G. Patten, Esq. JP

  Mrs. E. S. Williams, JP

  Mrs. J. L. Loudon, JP

  WEST GLAMORGAN

  Chairman

  Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Michael Llewellyn, BT JP

  Members

  Mrs. M. L. Daley, JP

  E. J. D. Roberts, Esq.

  Mrs. M. F. Goodchild, JP

  S. J. R. Page, Esq. JP

  E. M. H. Evans, Esq. JP

  D. W. W. Thomas, Esq. JP

  C. C. Jones, Esq. JP

  T. C. Wignall, Esq.

  Miss M. Hughes, JP

  Miss D. I. Jones, JP

  Miss M. Lody, JP

  Mrs. J. M. Edwards, JP

  J. Warman, Esq.

  G. D. Beynon, Esq. JP

  H. F. Jones, Esq.

  GWENT

  Chairman

  R. Hanbury-Tenison, Esq. JP

  Members

  R. M. Hunt, Esq. JP

  S. A. J. P. Bosanquet, Esq. JP

  Mrs. B. E. Jones, JP

  G. Jenkins, Esq. JP

  D. Turnbull, Esq. JP

  St. J. R. Goff, Esq. JP

  G. S. Evans, Esq. JP

  Mrs. M. Thomas

  Mrs. M. L. Davies, JP

  A. W. Davies, Esq.

  J. R. Trace, Esq. JP

  Lady Crawshay, CBE JP

  GWYNEDD-ANGLESEY

  Chairman

  Mrs. B. Owen, JP

  Members

  K. Evans, Esq.

  I. O. Davies, Esq. JP

  J. Rowlands, Esq. JP

  Lady Cledwyn, JP

  Mrs. S. M. Jones, JP

  W. E. Williams, Esq. JP

  G. I. Jones Esq. JP

  G. Morris Jones, Esq.

  GWYNEDD—CAERNARFON

  Chairman

  R. G. Pritchard-Jones, Esq. JP

  Members

  R. Chambers Jones, Esq.

  Mrs. B. Owen, JP

  G. T. Roberts, Esq. JP

  D. Pugh, Esq. OBE, JP

  Mrs. E. J. Thomas, JP

  716

  Reverend G. Williams, JP

  E. Jones, Esq. JP

  Mrs. P. A. Williams, JP

  J. E. Hooson, Esq. JP

  H. T. Jones, Esq. JP

  GWYNEDD—MEIRIONNYDD

  Chairman

  R. E. Meuric Rees, Esq. CBE, JP

  Members

  The Hon. V.F. Williams-Wynne

  R. Price, Esq. JP

  Mrs. G. w. Jones, JP

  A. Morgan, Esq.

  Mrs. E. Win Jones, JP

  Mrs. H. M. Roberts, JP

  Mrs. C. Lawson, JP

  NORTH POWYS

  Chairman

  The Hon. I. E. E. Davies, JP

  Members

  J. R. Beaumont, Esq. JP, DL

  D. M. Jones, Esq.

  Mrs. P. A. Taylor

  T. G. Stephens, Esq. JP

  J. D. Thomas, Esq. JP

  Mrs. J. A. Yewdall, JP

  D. W. L. Rowlands, Esq. JP

  SOUTH POWYS

  Chairman

  M. L. Bourdillon, Esq. JP, DL

  Members

  Mrs. S. A. G. Balance

  M. A. Pugh, Esq.

  H. J. Watkins, Esq. JP

  H. S. Harries, Esq. JP

  J. H. M. Powell, Esq. JP

  B. Williams, Esq. JP

  Mrs. E. M. Edwards, JP

  W. J. Elliott, JP

  Mrs. A. M. Jones, JP

  D. R. Jones, Esq. JP

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the balance of gender among magistrates in each Welsh county.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The balance of gender among magistrates in each Welsh county on the latest available information is as follows:

  Male

  Female

  Clwyd

  188

  149

  Dyfed

  140

  100

  Mid Glamorgan

  186

  131

  South Glamorgan

  176

  160

  West Glamorgan

  208

  139

  Gwent

  171

  133

  Gwynedd

  107

  74

  Powys

  49

  47

  Data Protection
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether he will make arrangements for the Data Protection Registrar to inspect relevant contracts with suppliers of information technology services that involve the use of personal data held by his Department in order to check whether all appropriate arrangements in relation to the Data Protection Act 1984 have been made, and whether such contracts make
  717
  provisions for the registrar to make random inspections in order to check the suppliers' compliance with the eighth data protection principle.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Data Protection Registrar has a wide range of powers, under the Data Protection Act 1984, to ensure that all individuals and organisations holding personal data on computer systems are registered and observe the data protection principles as required by the Act. When IT services are contracted out by a data user, the contractor and the user will be subject to the application of the data protection principles, and to the registrar's powers to promote compliance with them, as provided for in the Act. It is for the registrar to decide how he will use his powers under the Act, and I do not consider that any further arrangements are necessary for him to discharge his duties effectively.

  Matrimonial Cases
  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what instructions have been issued to the civil courts on passing information concerning parties to matrimonial proceedings to the Home Office immigration policy enforcement group; by what authority such instructions are given and such information is passed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  An arrangement was made last November between officials from my Department and from the Home Office immigration and nationality department for the courts to inform them of divorce cases where:either of the parties involved has previously sought British citizenship, and
  following their marriage in the United Kingdom, the parties separated on the same day.

  The courts are not aware whether parties to cases have previously sought British citizenship, and this information was therefore not supplied. Information under the second heading was supplied to the Home Office, but has not been used by them in connection with any proceedings involving either party. This arrangement has now been discontinued.

  Ministerial Cars
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the cost of cars for Ministers in his Department in 1990–91; and if he will quantify the cost of the factors which have led to changes in this cost subsequently.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  There are two main factors which have led to an increase in the unit cost per Government car service car for Ministers in my Department. The first is the effect of inflation on GCS costs, particularly pay, vehicles and fuel. The second factor is that during this period the GCS reconstructed its charges to reflect the fact that it had been under-recovering its full costs in 1990–91.

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to use the underspend on the criminal legal aid budget(a) to benefit the civil legal aid budget and (b) otherwise.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  On the basis of actual expenditure to the end of November 1993, it now seems 718
  likely that the total net expenditure on legal aid in the financial year 1993–94 will be £1,225 million compared to a provision of £1,283·2 million. The majority of the shortfall—£37 million—relates to criminal legal aid, where the number of bills paid has fallen short of expectations. Most of the rest of the shortfall relates to civil legal aid where payments made to the legal aid fund in respect of costs and damages have exceeded expectations. The Lord Chancellor has no present plans to change the general policy in respect of legal aid, which is currently being examined as part of the fundamental review of his Department's expenditure. Whether it would be possible or desirable to make any changes to the legal aid scheme would not necessarily depend on prospective spending in a single year, but would have to be based on an assessment of what could be afforded over a period of years.

  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what measures are in hand to improve the quality of information available to the Government in respect of legal aid costs; and when he proposes to publish the reasons for the increased costs per case for legal aid.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  A number of measures are being vigorously pursued by both the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Legal Aid Board to improve the quality of information on legal aid costs and on the usage of legal aid generally. The Lord Chancellor's Department has launched the legal aid management information systems project—LAMIS—which will provide a more comprehensive and accessible database on legal aid and which will be more relevant to the Department's present and future needs.

  Additionally, in conjunction with the Legal Aid Board and Her Majesty's Treasury, the Department is carrying out a comprehensive review of its forecasting methods. The first stage of the review, dealing with the methods used in forecasting expenditure, is almost concluded. The next stage will involve extensive research in order to quantify major factors within the legal aid environment that drive expenditure. In addition, new systems are currently being developed by the Legal Aid Board. These developments include new systems for assessing civil and magistrates courts' bills, and for building case profiles.

  The reasons for the increase in costs per case are many and complex. Legislative and procedural changes, the amounts paid to lawyers, and the amount of work done in each case are just some of the major factors which underlie the rise in costs.

  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what practical steps he has taken to ascertain whether there has been a rise in the number of litigants in person which can be attributable to the changes in legal aid eligibility conditions.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  My Department has asked courts administrators to gather the observations of court staff on the number of litigants beginning proceedings in person and has made arrangements for the collection of data on cases in which one or both of the parties is unrepresented at the hearing.

  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research he has asked the Legal Aid Board to undertake to discover the grounds on which offers of contributory legal aid are refused; and what plans he has to commission such research.
  719
  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Legal Aid Board is planning to carry out research into refusal of offers of legal aid in the financial year beginning on 1 April 1994.

  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement about the Lord Chancellor's objectives for legal aid.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Lord Chancellor today published a management statement for the Legal Aid Board; I have placed a copy in the Library of the House. This document sets out the framework within which the board operates; its functions, aims and objectives; its relationship with the Department, and its accountability to Parliament and the Lord Chancellor. It also sets out in some detail the Lord Chancellor's medium-term objectives for legal aid and the role that the board will play in achieving them. To complement this document, the Legal Aid Board has today published its corporate plan for the years 1994–95 to 1996–97.

  Convictions (Court of Appeal)
  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many convictions have been quashed by the Court of Appeal since the introduction of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 on the grounds of(a) unreliable police evidence, (b) unreliable confession evidence, (c) unreliable forensic or other expert evidence and (d) other grounds.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, in the period since January 1985, when the relevant sections of the Police and

  Firm

  Consultancy

  Value

  £

  Coopers and Lybrand

  (a) Diplomatic Wing

  1992

  Project Support Office

  19,000

  Market Testing Advice

  7,000

  Quality Review

  38,700

  Attitude Survey and follow up

  42,250

  Market Testing

  10,000

  1993

  Market Testing Advice

  41,300

  IT Financial Management Accounting System—FMAS

  94,400

  (b) Aid Wing

  1992

  Market Testing—Service Specification: Overseas Pensions Department

  3,800

  Privatisation proposals

  21,200

  1993

  Market Testing—A Review of Potential Suppliers

  25,500

  Review of Office Services

  65,000

  Reviewing the Status of Crown Agents and CDC

  94,000

  Ernst and Young

  (a) Diplomatic Wing

  1992

  OED IT Procurement System

  58,800

  1993

  OED IT Procurement System

  11,500

  Firman Jack

  (a) Diplomatic Wing

  1992

  Chessington Interface

  10,400

  1993

  Baselining Posts Overseas Accounting System

  15,200

  Baselining Posts Reconciliation Accounts System

  3,600

  Financial Management Accounting System

  3,300

  Chessington Interface

  20,200

  Contingency Planning

  1,900

  KPMG Management Services

  720
  Criminal Evidence Act 1984 came into force, a total of 2,123 appeals against conviction have been allowed in part, or in whole, by the Court of Appeal criminal division.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Portugal
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with the Portuguese authorities the death in Portugal of Paul Kenney.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I informed the hon. Member during the Adjournment debate on this matter on 10 Official Report, columns 650–64, that I would send the Portuguese authorities a copy of the Hansard record. This I have now done. We shall continue to press the Portuguese authorities for an explanation.

  Consultancies
  Ms Abbott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the(a) accountancy firms and (b) merchant banks to which his Department awarded private consultancy work in 1992 and 1993, together with a list of the consultancies concerned and the amount paid.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The table lists consultancies awarded by the diplomatic and aid wings of the Department to accountancy firms in 1992 and 1993 to consider work practices within Departments. The Department did not award any such consultancy contracts to merchant banks in either year. The table does not include the many consultancies awarded under the aid programme to developing countries or the know how fund.
  721

  Firm

  Consultancy

  Value

  £

  (a) Aid Wing

  1992

  Market Testing Review, NRI

  5,700

  1993

  Review of Services provided by OACD

  46,000

  Costing and Pricing Study NRI

  5,400

  Price Waterhouse

  (a) Diplomatic Wing

  1992

  Baselining and Maintenance of Finance Accounts IT system

  318,800

  Review of Posts Overseas Accounts System

  71,000

  1993

  Maintenance of Finance Accounts IT system

  180,000

  Stoy Hayward

  (a) Diplomatic Wing

  1993

  Programme Manager Financial Management Accounting system—FMAS

  95,100

  Members' Gifts
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list each occasion since 1964 when gifts presented to hon. Members have been transported to the United Kingdom in diplomatic bags.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The Vienna convention on diplomatic relations does not permit the use of the diplomatic bag for the carriage of non-official items on behalf of persons who are not designated as entitled by the convention. Accordingly, personal gifts presented to hon. Members may not be transported by diplomatic bag.

  Records of materials carried by diplomatic bag are destroyed within 12 months of the bag having reached its destination. A scrutiny of the extant records indicates that no exception has been made to these rules in the past 12 months. Data on earlier bag movements are no longer available.

  Turkey
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which representatives of Kurdish people he expects to meet during his forthcoming visit to Turkey.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  During his visit to Ankara my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs hopes to meet a wide cross-section of people from a variety of regions and ethnic backgrounds.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions on arms sales and their use he expects to have during his forthcoming visit to Turkey.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  As usual on such visits, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs shall seek opportunities to promote the sales of British products, including military equipment for defence purposes.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what journalists' organisations he will meet during his forthcoming visit to Turkey.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 722
  shall meet a range of Turkish media representatives in Ankara. He does not plan to meet any journalists' organisations.

  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Government of Turkey about the release of detained journalists and the free publication of newspapers.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Turkey was heavily criticized for continuing limitations on freedom of expression, particularly in the media, at a Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe meeting in Warsaw in September. Through such international forums and in our own meetings with Turkish Ministers and officials we make plain our concern about this and other human rights issues. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs shall do so during his visit.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Educational Broadcasting
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has to ensure that schools in rural areas in Wales will be able to pick up frequencies of educational radio programmes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Brooke
  The BBC has announced plans to transfer the educational programmes at present on Radio 5 to other networks. I understand that the BBC believes that this will improve coverage and quality of reception of these programmes.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the future of educational broadcasting on television and radio in Wales.

  Mr. Brooke
  The Government hope to publish a White Paper in the spring setting out proposals for the future of the BBC, including its role in providing educational broadcasting in all parts of the United Kingdom.

  S4C and HTV are required to provide educational programmes in their television services. There are no similar requirements on independent radio services, although I understand that two local radio stations have agreed to include some Welsh language education programmes in their services.
  723
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many hours were dedicated to Welsh language educational broadcasts on(a) radio and (b) television for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Brooke
  According to the information available to me, the number of hours dedicated to Welsh language educational broadcasts by the BBC and S4C, in each of the last five years, were:

  Year

  Radio

  Television

  1989–90

  152

  90

  1990–91

  159

  150·05

  1991–92

  166

  133·10

  1992–93

  167

  125·45

  1993–941

  297

  98·3

  1 Includes projected figures for 1994. The figures include both programmes for schools and adult education programmes.

  Broadcasting (Restrictions)
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to make arrangements to revoke section 10 of the Broadcasting Act 1990 withdrawing notices to the Independent Broadcasting Authority and the British Broadcasting Corporation requiring those organisations to refrain from sending any broadcast matter as directed; how many households in the United Kingdom he estimates are able to receive television and radio broadcasts originating in the Irish Republic; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Brooke
  [holding answer 18 January 1994]: I have been asked by the Prime Minister to review the broadcasting restrictions; I expect to report to him shortly. We hold no information on the reception in the United Kingdom of Irish television or radio broadcasts; any such reception from terrestrial sources is the result of fortuitous overspill of transmissions and is not protected from interference from other signals.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Data Protection
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Attorney-General whether he will make arrangements for the Data Protection Registrar to inspect relevant contracts with suppliers of IT services that involve the use of personal data held by his Department in order to check whether all appropriate arrangements in relation to the Data Protection Act 1984 have been made, and whether such contracts make provisions for the registrar to make random inspections in order to check the suppliers' compliance with the eighth data protection principle.

  The Solicitor-General
  The Data Protection Registrar has a wide range of powers, under the Data Protection Act 1984, to ensure that all individuals and organisations holding personal data on computer systems are registered and observe the data protection principles as required by the Act. When IT services are contracted out by a data user, the contractor and the user will be subject to the application of the data protection principles, and to the registrar's powers to promote compliance with them, as provided for 724
  in the Act. It is for the registrar to decide how he will use his powers under the Act, and I do not consider that any further arrangements are necessary for him to discharge his duties effectively.

  Public Interest Immunity Certificates
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Attorney-General what statutory provisions apply to the duty of a Minister of the Crown to sign a public interest immunity certificate.

  The Solicitor-General
  The duty of a Minister of the Crown to sign a public interest immunity certificate arises at common law and not under statute.

  Ministerial Cars
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will quantify the cost of the factors which led to an increase in the cost of cars for Ministers in his Department since 1990–91.

  The Solicitor-General
  For the period 1990–91 to 1992–93 there was an increase in the cost of providing cars for Ministers of £9,700 accounted for primarily by (i) increases in pay, and the cost of vehicles and fuel, and (ii) restructuring by the Government car service of its charges to reflect the fact that it had been under-recovering its full costs in 1990–91.

  Market Testing
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will publish for each service that has been market tested in his Department in 1993(a) the cost of the testing process, including consultancy costs, (b) the result of the test, (c) the name of the successful contractor, (d) the value and duration of the contract, (e) the number of staff involved, (f) estimated annual cost reductions and (g) whether the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 were deemed to apply.

  The Solicitor-General
  The Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible are currently analysing the outcome of the 1992–93 "Competing for Quality" programme with the efficiency unit in the Cabinet Office. Much of the information requested in the question will, once it has been finalised, be published in aggregate form. On an individual contract basis, much of the information is commercially confidential.

  Bromley Council (Fraud)
  Mr. Dowd
  To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 16 December,Official Report, column 767, what has been the result of the inquiry by the Metropolitan police concerning the alleged fraud within (a) the social services department and (b) the environmental health department of Bromley council; and if he has now reached a decision in regard to prosecution.

  The Solicitor-General
  The Crown Prosecution Service awaits the results of further inquiries carried out by the Metropolitan police into the alleged fraud within the social services department of Bromley council and when these are made available a decision will be taken.

  The results of inquiries into allegations concerning the environmental health department of Bromley council are currently being considered by the Crown Prosecution Service.

  Scott Inquiry
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Attorney-General what restrictions apply to persons appearing before Lord Justice Scott's inquiry being represented by counsel; and under what authority those restrictions have been made.

  Mr. Needham
  I have been asked to reply.

  The procedures of the Scott inquiry are a matter for Lord Justice Scott. They are set out in his note "Proposed procedures for hearings before Lord Justice Scott", announced on 31 March 1992. I am placing a copy in the Library of the House.

EDUCATION

  Consultancies
  Ms Abbott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the(a) accountancy firms and (b) merchant banks to which his Department awarded private consultancy work in 1992 and 1993, together with a list of the consultancies concerned and the amount paid.

  Mr. Boswell
  During 1992 and 1993 the Department awarded consultancy contracts to the following firms:

  (a) Accountancy Firms

  Audit Consultancy and Training Ltd.

  Accountancy Personnel

  Capita Management Consultancy Ltd.

  Coopers and Lybrand

  CSL Group Ltd.

  E. A. Alcock Ltd.

  Ernst and Young Management Consultants

  KPMG Management Consulting

  Michael Paige Finance Ltd.

  Price Waterhouse

  Touche Ross

  Merchant Banks

  N. M Rothschild

  The consultancies were as follows:

  Advice to the Department on the application of the Government's private finance initiative in education

  Review of the Department's Central Accounts Branch

  Internal Audit Assistance

  Preparation of Colleges for Independence

  Financial Management Survey at the Schools Examinations and Assessment Council

  Scoping Study for Information Services Branch

  Corporate Plan for Information Services Branch

  Market Testing Assistance

  Telecommunications and Distance Working within the Department

  Financial Management Survey at the Agriculture and Food Research Council

  Teachers' Pensions Agency Customer Survey

  Review of Data Collection Processing

  Financial Management Survey of Charging at Research Councils

  Audit of Pensions Administration System Project

  Financial Review at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

  Financial Consultancy; Grant Maintained Schools Sector

  Capital Equipment Survey at Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges

  Review of Filing Storage Strategy for Teachers' Pensions Agency

  Assistance in Preparing Colleges for Independence from Local Authority Control

  Local Education Authority Income and Expenditure Review

  Review of Outturn Expenditure Returns for Grant Maintained Schools and Local Education Authorities

  Financial Management Survey at the National Curriculum Council

  Review of Pensions Payments Options for Teachers' Pensions
  726
  Agency

  Future Strategy Consultancy

  Review of Grant Maintained Schools

  School Curriculum Assessment Authority Accountancy Review

  Systems Review at School Curriculum Assessment Authority

  Financial Management Review of City Technology Colleges

  Impact of Regulations and Statistics on Schools

  Review of Payments to Grant Maintained Schools

  Objectives Setting Staff Training

  Scoping Study for Teachers' Pensions Agency

  Grant Maintained Schools Business Consultancy

  Review of VAT costs to Grant Maintained Schools

  Financial Management Survey at Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges

  The total value of the contracts was £2·39 million.

  Ministerial Cars
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will quantify the cost of the factors which led to an increase in the cost of cars for Ministers in his Department since 1990–91.

  Mr. Forth
  The level of charges for ministerial cars is determined centrally by the Government car service—GCS. I am informed by GCS managers that there are two main factors which have led to an increase in the cost per GCS car for Ministers in this Department in 1990–91. The first is the effect of inflation on GCS costs, particularly pay, vehicles and fuel. The second factor is that during this period the GCS restructured its charges to reflect the fact that it had been under-recovering its full costs in 1990–91.

  Mobile Classrooms
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is his policy over a number of mobile classrooms being in permanent use due to acute lack of space in the main school buildings; and what financial assistance he intends to give to local authorities to overcome such difficulties by undertaking capital work at the schools involved.

  Mr. Forth
  The provision of school places, whether in permanent or temporary accommodation, is a matter for local education authorities and school governors. Capital spending levels and priorities as between projects and schools are also a local matter. My right hon. Friend gives high priority in the distribution of capital resources to funding new school places where demand is growing; and the level of funding is based on the new places being in permanent rather than temporary accommodation.

  Bentley Drive School, Birchells
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he or one of his ministerial colleagues intends to visit Bentley Drive primary school, Birchells, Walsall; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  Ministers from the Department have no plans at present to visit Bentley Drive primary school, Walsall.

  Walsall Schools (Capital Works)
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made that Walsall council has the necessary financial means to undertake capital works in schools.
  727
  Mr. Forth
  Walsall and all other local education authorities are invited to submit bids for annual capital guidelines, which are then distributed on the basis of our published criteria. Walsall's ACGs reflect the extent to which its bids meet the criteria. In addition to the ACGs—which through basic credit approvals set the level of authorities' borrowing for capital purposes—and any supplementary credit approvals issued, Walsall can also use a proportion of any capital receipts realised, and transfers from revenue budgets, to fund its capital programmes.

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many(a) primary and (b) secondary schools there were in each local authority in England by 1 January; how many in each case had held ballots under section 61 of the Education Act 1988; how many ballots in each resulted in votes in favour of seeking grant-maintained status; and how many ballots in each case resulted in votes against seeking grant-maintained status.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The tables provide details of the number of maintained primary and secondary schools in each local education authority area and as at 1 January, the number of schools at which ballots under section 61 of the Education Reform Act 1988 have been held and the results of those ballots.

  Ballots on the question of grant-maintained status: Primary Schools

  LEA

  Schools

  Schools at which ballots held

  "Yes" votes

  "No" votes

  Avon

  369

  5

  0

  5

  Barking

  55

  0

  0

  0

  Barnet

  89

  5

  2

  3

  Barnsley

  96

  1

  1

  0

  Bedfordshire

  218

  3

  3

  0

  Berkshire

  275

  10

  7

  3

  Bexley

  64

  4

  3

  1

  Birmingham

  336

  11

  6

  5

  Bolton

  105

  1

  1

  0

  Bradford

  167

  7

  5

  2

  Brent

  64

  4

  4

  0

  Bromley

  78

  7

  6

  1

  Buckinghamshire

  290

  8

  6

  2

  Bury

  71

  2

  1

  1

  Calderdale

  91

  4

  4

  0

  Cambridge

  267

  9

  7

  2

  Camden

  41

  0

  0

  0

  Cheshire

  454

  8

  5

  3

  Cleveland

  203

  0

  0

  0

  Cornwall

  249

  1

  1

  0

  Corporation of London

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Coventry

  109

  1

  0

  1

  Croydon

  98

  3

  3

  0

  Cumbria

  306

  22

  18

  5

  Derbyshire

  450

  13

  8

  6

  Devon

  442

  7

  2

  6

  Doncaster

  127

  5

  4

  1

  Dorset

  200

  2

  1

  1

  Dudley

  83

  1

  1

  0

  Durham

  298

  0

  0

  0

  Ealing

  92

  4

  4

  0

  East Sussex

  219

  0

  0

  0

  Enfield

  70

  4

  1

  3

  Essex

  581

  78

  72

  6

  Gateshead

  82

  0

  0

  0

  Gloucestershire

  262

  12

  11

  1

  Greenwich

  79

  1

  1

  0

  Hackney

  70

  1

  1

  0

  Hammersmith

  38

  1

  1

  0

  728

  LEA

  Schools

  Schools at which ballots held

  "Yes" votes

  "No votes

  Hampshire

  580

  18

  18

  2

  Haringey

  77

  0

  0

  0

  Harrow

  54

  0

  0

  0

  Havering

  74

  0

  0

  0

  Hereford and Worcester

  288

  2

  0

  2

  Hertfordshire

  432

  13

  10

  3

  Hillingdon

  72

  11

  11

  0

  Hounslow

  62

  0

  0

  0

  Humberside

  354

  5

  3

  2

  Isle of Scilly

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Isle of Wight

  46

  0

  0

  0

  Islington

  57

  0

  0

  0

  Kensington

  27

  2

  2

  0

  Kent

  570

  24

  22

  2

  Kingston

  36

  1

  1

  0

  Kirklees

  158

  2

  0

  2

  Knowsley

  68

  0

  0

  0

  Lambeth

  77

  5

  5

  0

  Lancashire

  605

  5

  3

  2

  Leeds

  249

  3

  1

  2

  Leicester

  334

  2

  0

  2

  Lewisham

  72

  1

  1

  0

  Lincolnshire

  293

  30

  26

  4

  Liverpool

  198

  0

  0

  0

  Manchester

  174

  0

  0

  0

  Merton

  49

  1

  0

  1

  Newcastle

  82

  1

  0

  1

  Newham

  67

  0

  0

  0

  Norfolk

  397

  19

  15

  4

  North Tyne

  61

  2

  1

  1

  North Yorkshire

  394

  2

  0

  2

  Northamptonshire

  270

  13

  10

  3

  Northumberland

  143

  0

  0

  0

  Nottinghamshire

  426

  1

  0

  1

  Oldham

  104

  0

  0

  0

  Oxfordshire

  241

  1

  1

  0

  Redbridge

  56

  0

  0

  0

  Richmond

  39

  0

  0

  0

  Rochdale

  76

  7

  4

  3

  Rotherham

  115

  0

  0

  0

  Salford

  88

  0

  0

  0

  Sandwell

  112

  0

  0

  0

  Sefton

  94

  0

  0

  0

  Sheffield

  164

  17

  15

  2

  Shropshire

  214

  3

  3

  0

  Solihull

  70

  1

  1

  0

  Somerset

  229

  5

  3

  2

  South Tyneside

  58

  0

  0

  0

  Southwark

  75

  5

  5

  0

  St. Helens

  72

  1

  1

  0

  Staffordshire

  414

  4

  3

  I

  Stockport

  110

  0

  0

  0

  Suffolk

  255

  0

  0

  0

  Sunderland

  105

  0

  0

  0

  Surrey

  372

  21

  19

  2

  Sutton

  43

  4

  3

  1

  Tameside

  82

  1

  0

  1

  Tower Hamlets

  73

  0

  0

  0

  Trafford

  78

  0

  0

  0

  Wakefield

  130

  2

  2

  0

  Walsall

  106

  3

  2

  1

  Waltham Forest

  61

  1

  0

  1

  Wandsworth

  72

  5

  3

  2

  Warwickshire

  244

  0

  0

  0

  West Sussex

  246

  0

  0

  0

  Westminster

  42

  0

  0

  0

  Wigan

  125

  0

  0

  0

  Wiltshire

  294

  17

  14

  3

  Wirral

  106

  0

  0

  0

  Wolverhampton

  101

  1

  0

  1

  18,905

  507

  398

  114

  729

  Ballot on the question of grant-maintained status: Secondary Schools

  LEA

  Schools

  Schools at which ballots held

  "Yes" votes

  "No" votes

  Avon

  60

  4

  2

  2

  Barking

  8

  0

  0

  0

  Barnet

  21

  11

  10

  1

  Barnsley

  15

  2

  0

  2

  Bedfordshire

  71

  19

  12

  7

  Berkshire

  59

  12

  10

  2

  Bexley

  17

  6

  5

  1

  Birmingham

  79

  24

  17

  7

  Bolton

  16

  3

  3

  0

  Bradford

  88

  8

  6

  2

  Brent

  13

  12

  11

  2

  Bromley

  17

  14

  13

  1

  Buckinghamshire

  45

  11

  10

  1

  Bury

  14

  0

  0

  0

  Calderdale

  16

  8

  7

  1

  Cambridge

  44

  23

  17

  8

  Camden

  11

  3

  2

  1

  Cheshire

  68

  10

  4

  7

  Cleveland

  44

  3

  0

  3

  Cornwall

  31

  0

  0

  0

  Corporation of London

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Coventry

  19

  0

  0

  0

  Croydon

  20

  9

  9

  2

  Cumbria

  42

  15

  15

  0

  Derbyshire

  61

  24

  14

  10

  Devon

  64

  9

  6

  3

  Doncaster

  34

  1

  0

  1

  Dorset

  56

  14

  14

  2

  Dudley

  22

  9

  7

  2

  Durham

  43

  1

  0

  1

  Ealing

  13

  8

  6

  2

  East Sussex

  34

  1

  0

  1

  Enfield

  17

  6

  5

  1

  Essex

  105

  73

  72

  4

  Gateshead

  13

  1

  0

  1

  Gloucestershire

  43

  32

  29

  6

  Greenwich

  15

  1

  0

  1

  Hackney

  10

  1

  0

  1

  Hammersmith

  10

  1

  1

  0

  Hampshire

  94

  22

  18

  4

  Haringey

  9

  0

  0

  0

  Harrow

  10

  2

  1

  1

  Havering

  19

  7

  4

  3

  Hereford and Worcester

  76

  8

  5

  3

  Hertfordshire

  88

  29

  26

  5

  Hillingdon

  15

  15

  14

  1

  Hounslow

  14

  3

  2

  1

  Humberside

  60

  4

  0

  4

  Isles of Scilly

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Isle of Wight

  21

  0

  0

  0

  Islington

  9

  0

  0

  0

  Kensington

  4

  1

  1

  0

  Kent

  136

  71

  69

  4

  Kingston

  10

  4

  4

  0

  Kirklees

  34

  5

  3

  2

  Knowsley

  11

  3

  1

  2

  Lambeth

  10

  5

  5

  0

  Lancashire

  106

  16

  9

  7

  Leeds

  46

  1

  1

  0

  Leicester

  79

  8

  5

  4

  Lewisham

  13

  2

  0

  2

  Lincolnshire

  63

  28

  28

  0

  Liverpool

  36

  5

  3

  2

  Manchester

  28

  1

  0

  1

  Merton

  11

  1

  0

  1

  Newcastle

  22

  1

  0

  1

  Newham

  14

  1

  1

  0

  Norfolk

  52

  16

  12

  4

  North Tyne

  26

  3

  2

  1

  North Yorkshire

  59

  2

  0

  2

  Northamptonshire

  65

  19

  14

  6

  Northumberland

  61

  3

  1

  2

  Nottinghamshire

  82

  7

  3

  5

  Oldham

  15

  1

  0

  1

  730

  LEA

  Schools

  Schools at which ballots held

  "Yes" votes

  "No" votes

  Oxfordshire

  44

  2

  0

  2

  Redbridge

  14

  2

  1

  1

  Richmond

  8

  0

  0

  0

  Rochdale

  14

  3

  1

  2

  Rotherham

  18

  0

  0

  0

  Salford

  18

  4

  1

  3

  Sandwell

  20

  4

  2

  3

  Sefton

  22

  1

  0

  1

  Sheffield

  32

  8

  6

  2

  Shropshire

  37

  7

  7

  0

  Solihull

  13

  2

  1

  1

  Somerset

  39

  2

  2

  0

  South Tyneside

  11

  0

  0

  0

  Southwark

  14

  5

  5

  0

  St. Helens

  12

  1

  0

  1

  Staffordshire

  85

  10

  5

  5

  Stockport

  14

  2

  0

  2

  Suffolk

  77

  1

  0

  1

  Sunderland

  17

  0

  0

  0

  Surrey

  51

  14

  14

  0

  Sutton

  14

  8

  8

  0

  Tameside

  18

  5

  3

  2

  Tower Hamlets

  15

  2

  1

  1

  Trafford

  16

  6

  4

  2

  Wakefield

  38

  0

  0

  0

  Walsall

  21

  9

  7

  4

  Waltham Forest

  16

  2

  2

  0

  Wandsworth

  10

  8

  7

  1

  Warwickshire

  37

  9

  8

  1

  West Sussex

  41

  3

  0

  3

  Westminster

  8

  1

  0

  1

  Wigan

  21

  1

  1

  0

  Wiltshire

  44

  22

  16

  7

  Wirral

  21

  4

  2

  2

  Wolverhampton

  20

  6

  5

  1

  3,657

  827

  648

  204

  Footnotes to the tables:

  Column B

  1. The figures for number of schools use data derived from the Index for Educational Establishments.

  Column C

  2. The figures show total number of schools at which one or more ballots have been held.

  Columns D and E.

  3. The totals are of definitive ballot results. In some cases, where the first ballot had a turnout of under 50 per cent., a second ballot was required to achieve such a result.

  4. The combined totals of "Yes" and "No" may exceed the number of schools at which ballots have been held (Column C) because some schools have gone through the complete balloting process more than once, (as distinct from requiring a second ballot to achieve a definitive result).

  Column E

  5. Includes two tied ballot results.

  Schools (Capital Guidelines)
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will give a breakdown of the schools' annual capital guidelines for 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95 showing, in each case, the amounts for(a) commitments, (b) basic need, (c) removal of surplus places, (d) special education, (e) local education authority liability for projects in voluntary-aided schools and (f) general improvements and showing national totals for each.

  Mr. Forth
  I have placed the information requested in the Library.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Drug Trafficking
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines exist for the use by police of informants in relation to their pursuit of fighting large-scale drug traffic.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  General guidelines about the use of informants by the police are set out in Home Office circulars Nos. 97/1969 and 9/1992, copies of which are available in the Library. These circulars deal with the police use of informants to investigate all crime and not specifically drug-related crime.

  Crime, Durham
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of the measures he is taking to reduce crime in Durham.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Durham constabulary has resources to maintain a strong and effective police service. At the end of September 1993 the force strength was 1,375 police officers and 539 civilians. This represents an increase in strength of 63 police officers and 39 civilians since 1979. Under the recently announced parish constable initiative, a parish constable was appointed to the Langley parish on 17 January 1994.

  The Government have also encouraged the development of effective crime prevention programmes. Nine crime prevention panels are in operation in the area, along with over 900 neighbourhood watch schemes covering over 105,000 households. In addition the Durham Agency Against Crime has been set up locally as a partnership to improve the quality of life for the whole community by supporting crime prevention initiatives. Durham constabulary has seconded an officer to the agency. The recent publication of two major law and order Bills underlines the Government's commitment to firm action against crime on all fronts.

  Probation/bail hostels

  Probation area

  Hostel

  Sex

  Location

  Beds

  Avon

  Ashley House

  Male/Female

  Bristol

  20

  Brigstocke Road

  Male

  Bristol

  29

  Bridge House

  Male

  Bristol

  18

  Bedfordshire

  Bedford

  Male/Female

  Bedford

  25

  Napier Road

  Male/Female

  Luton

  23

  Berkshire

  Elizabeth Fry

  Male/Female

  Reading

  20

  Manor Lodge

  Male

  Old Windsor

  27

  St. Leonards

  Male

  Reading

  23

  Wellesley House

  Male

  Windsor

  18

  Buckinghamshire

  Milton Keynes

  Male/Female

  Great Holme

  16

  Cambridgeshire

  Peterborough

  Male

  Peterborough

  32

  Cheshire

  Bewsey Street

  Male/Female

  Warrington

  20

  Cleveland

  The Crescent

  Male

  Middlesborough

  27

  Cornwall

  Meneghy House

  Male/Female

  Camborne

  18

  Cumbria

  Bowling Green

  Male

  Carlisle

  24

  Derbyshire

  Burdett Lodge

  Male/Female

  Derby

  25

  Prisons (Foreign Nationals)
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is the policy of his Department that information on relevant embassies and support organisations and on specialist provision available within the prison for help for foreign nationals is given to foreign nationals serving sentences in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement and list the prisons where such information is now available.

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

  Letter from D. Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 20 January 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about Prison Service policy on giving information to foreign national prisoners on relevant embassies and support organisations, and on specialist provision available within the prison.
  The Prison Service recognises the particular needs of foreign national prisoners and encourages dissemination of appropriate information to them, including sources of internal and external support.
  A considerable quantity of the information outlined in your question is contained in the Foreign Prisoners' Resource Pack which has been distributed to all Prison Service establishments to assist both prisoners and those who work with them. Other information may also be provided by individual establishments or other agencies, but details are not kept centrally.

  Bail Hostels
  Ms Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list where bail hostels are located in each county ; and which of these take women.

  Mr. Maclean
  The current list of bail and probation/ bail hostels in England and Wales is as follows—those hostels which take female residents are noted in the third column.
  733

  Probation area

  Hostel

  Sex

  Location

  Beds

  Devon

  Lawson House

  Male

  Plymouth

  20

  Dorset

  Bournemouth

  Male

  Bournemouth

  27

  Weston

  Male/Female

  Weymouth

  27

  Durham

  Fir Tree Grange

  Male

  Durham

  28

  East Sussex

  Brighton

  Male/Female

  Brighton

  16

  Essex

  Basildon

  Male/Female

  Basildon

  32

  Windyridge

  Male/Female

  Nayland

  30

  Greater Manchester

  Bradshaw

  Male

  Bury

  29

  Hopwood

  Male/Female

  Manchester

  20

  Ascot House

  Male

  Stockport

  22

  St. Josephs

  Male

  Manchester

  29

  Wilton Place

  Male/Female

  Manchester

  29

  Withington Road

  Male/Female

  Manchester

  37

  Gloucestershire

  Ryecroft

  Male/Female

  Tredworth

  16

  Hampshire

  The Grange

  Male/Female

  Portsmouth

  18

  Hereford and Worcester

  Braley House

  Male/Female

  Worcester

  23

  Hertfordshire

  St. Albans

  Male

  Watford

  26

  Humberside

  Queens Road

  Male

  Hull

  22

  Kent

  Fleming House

  Male/Female

  Maidstone

  23

  Lancashire

  Highfield House

  Male

  Accrington

  18

  Hoole House

  Male

  Elswick

  24

  Leicestershire

  Charnwood Lodge

  Male

  Leicester

  18

  Kirk Lodge

  Male/Female

  Leicester

  35

  Lincolnshire

  Wordsworth House

  Male

  Lincoln

  26

  London Inner

  Bedford/Shenley

  Male

  London

  30

  London Inner

  Camden House

  Male/Female

  London

  29

  London Inner

  Ellison House

  Male

  London

  25

  London Inner

  KPH

  Male/Female

  London

  19

  London Inner

  St. Edmunds

  Male

  London

  25

  London Inner

  St. Mungo

  Male

  London

  25

  London Inner

  St. Vincents

  Male

  London

  24

  London Inner

  West Park

  Male

  London

  22

  London Middlesex

  Corfton Road

  Male

  London

  20

  London Middlesex

  Seaneld Lodge

  Male

  London

  14

  London North East

  Westbourne House

  Male

  London

  40

  London South East

  Beckenham Road

  Male

  Beckenham

  20

  Merseyside

  Adelaide House

  Female

  Liverpool

  22

  Merseyside

  Canning House

  Male

  Liverpool

  27

  Merseyside

  Southwood

  Male

  Liverpool

  23

  North Wales

  Plas-y-wern

  Male

  Wrexham

  12

  Norfolk

  John Boag House

  Male

  Norwich

  29

  Northants

  Bridgewood -

  Male

  Northampton

  23

  Northants

  Stone House

  Male/Female

  Northampton

  24

  Northumbria

  Ozanam House

  Male/Female

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  27

  Northumbria

  St. Christophers

  Male/Female

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  22

  Notts

  Astral Grove

  Male

  Nottingham

  15

  Notts

  Southwell House

  Male/Female

  Nottingham

  16

  Notts

  Trent House

  Male/Female

  Nottingham

  22

  Oxfordshire

  Abingdon Road

  Male/Female

  Oxford

  22

  South Glamorgan

  Mandeville House

  Male

  Cardiff

  26

  Somerset

  Glogan House

  Male/Female

  Bridgewater Newcastle under

  19

  Staffordshire

  Wenger House

  Male

  Lyme

  42

  Suffolk

  Lightfoot House

  Male

  Ipswich

  22

  Suffolk

  The Cottage

  Male

  Ipswich

  18

  Surrey

  St. Catherines

  Male

  Guildford

  19

  West Midlands

  Bilston

  Male

  Wolverhampton

  15

  West Midlands

  Carpenter House

  Male

  Birmingham

  16

  West Midlands

  Crowley House

  Female

  Birmingham

  18

  West Midlands

  Elliot House

  Male

  Birmingham

  20

  West Midlands

  Stoke Green

  Male

  Coventry

  22

  Warwickshire

  Kenilworth Road

  Male

  Leamington Spa

  18

  Warwickshire

  McIntyre House

  Male

  Nuneaton

  18

  Yorkshire South

  Centre 45

  Male/Female

  Sheffield

  36

  734 735

  Probation area

  Hostel

  Sex

  Location

  Beds

  Yorkshire South

  Norfolk Park

  Male/Female

  Sheffield

  49

  Yorkshire South

  Rookwood

  Male/Female

  Doncaster

  39

  Yorkshire West

  Albion Street

  Male

  Dewsbury

  24

  Yorkshire West

  Cardigan House

  Male

  Leeds

  23

  Yorkshire West

  Elm Bank

  Male

  Cleckheaton

  17

  Yorkshire West

  Ripon House

  Male/Female

  Leeds

  19

  Yorkshire West

  St. Johns House

  Male

  Leeds

  28

  Bail hostels

  Probation area

  Hostel

  Sex

  Location

  Beds

  Cheshire

  Bunbury House

  Male

  Ellesmere Port

  22

  Linden Bank

  Male/Female

  Sandbach

  22

  Cleveland

  South Bank

  Male

  Middlesbrough

  27

  Devon

  Dudley Centre

  Male/Female

  Newton Abbott

  22

  Greater Manchester

  Chorlton Hostel

  Male/Female

  Manchester

  27

  Hampshire

  Dickson House

  Male/Female

  Fareham

  28

  Southampton

  Male/Female

  Southampton

  22

  Humberside

  Scunthorpe

  Male

  Scunthorpe

  22

  Kent

  Dover Bail

  Male/Female

  Dover

  18

  Lancashire

  Blackburn

  Male

  Blackburn

  18

  Leicestershire

  Howard House

  Male

  Leicester

  20

  London Inner

  Canadian Avenue

  Male

  London

  24

  Kelley House

  Female

  London

  28

  Tulse Hill

  Male

  London

  27

  London South West

  Kew

  Male

  London

  14

  Merseyside

  Merseybank

  Male

  Liverpool

  28

  North Wales

  Ty Newydd

  Male/Female

  Bangor

  12

  Northumbria

  Cuthbert House

  Male/Female

  Gateshead

  22

  Pennywell

  Male/Female

  Sunderland

  22

  Oxfordshire

  Clarks House

  Male/Female

  Oxford

  27

  Staffordshire

  Lichfield Road

  Male

  Stafford

  20

  West Glamorgan

  Emroch House

  Male

  Port Talbot

  15

  West Midlands

  Marshall House

  Male

  Wolverhampton

  22

  Stonnall Road

  Male

  Aldridge

  12

  Sycamore Lodge

  Male

  Warley

  32

  Welford

  Male

  Aston

  26

  Yorkshire South

  Town Moor

  Male

  Doncaster

  32

  Yorkshire West

  Howden House

  Male/Female

  Leeds

  27

  Walmer Villas

  Male

  Bradford

  18

  Ms Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the bail/probation hostels in Britain; and what was the average occupancy rate of each hostel in 1990, 1991, 1992 and at the latest available date.

  Average occupancy in approved hostels

  Area

  Hostel

  1991–92

  1992–93

  September '93

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Avon

  Ashley House

  85·2

  71

  75

  Brigstocke Road

  74·7

  64

  80

  Bridge House

  51·4

  68

  84

  736
  Mr. Maclean
  Occupancy figures for 1990 are not readily available. The remainder of the information requested is as follows:
  737

  Area

  Hostel

  1991–92

  1992–93

  September '93

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Bedfordshire

  Bedford Bail

  1—

  43

  41

  Napier Road

  80·2

  68

  60

  Berkshire

  Manor Lodge

  79·3

  43

  53

  Elizabeth Fry

  76·0

  53

  47

  St. Leonards

  74·0

  48

  46

  Wellesley House

  83·2

  52

  58

  Buckinghamshire

  Milton Keynes

  68·2

  74

  84

  Cambridgeshire

  Peterborough

  85·5

  70

  78

  Cheshire

  Bewsey Street

  59·5

  66

  91

  Bunbury House

  1—

  60

  64

  Linden Bank

  1—

  79

  70

  Cleveland

  The Crescent

  71·7

  59

  38

  South Bank

  78·0

  72

  59

  Cornwall

  Meneghy House

  68·0

  62

  58

  Cumbria

  Bowling Green

  70·6

  59

  69

  Derbyshire

  Burden Lodge

  62·5

  51

  79

  Devon

  Lawson House

  68·4

  1—

  59

  Dudley Centre

  69·6

  43

  52

  Dorset

  Bournemouth

  72·1

  68

  47

  Weston

  68·3

  61

  86

  Durham

  Fir Tree Lodge

  68·0

  40

  50

  East Sussex

  Brighton

  57·0

  50

  75

  Essex

  Windyridge

  86·4

  60

  38

  Basildon

  59·7

  65

  55

  Gloucester

  Ryecroft

  67·2

  39

  76

  Greater Manchester

  Hopwood House

  84·5

  72

  70

  Wilton Place

  67·6

  70

  85

  Chorlton

  57·5

  65

  67

  Withington Road

  78·9

  68

  69

  Ascot House

  1—

  59

  80

  Parkfield

  81·8

  42

  1—

  Bradshaw House

  83·5

  52

  64

  St. Josephs

  87·7

  68

  74

  Hampshire

  Southampton Bail

  1—

  52

  77

  Carlisle House

  81

  60

  1—

  Dickson House

  51·8

  48

  68

  The Grange

  91·5

  55

  64

  Hereford and Worcester

  Braley House

  83·7

  68

  88

  Hertfordshire

  St. Albans

  65·8

  45

  67

  Humberside

  Queens Road

  80·2

  55

  54

  Inner London

  St. Edmunds

  71·2

  42

  64

  KPH

  91·7

  84

  95

  Ellison House

  76·9

  53

  70

  Tulse Hill

  63·5

  59

  51

  St. Vincents

  83·5

  46

  48

  St. Mungos

  82·4

  62

  84

  Bedford/Shenley

  36·8

  64

  66

  Kelley House

  72·6

  48

  68

  Canadian Avenue

  1—

  82

  89

  West Park

  82·5

  57

  78

  Camden House

  53·7

  35

  71

  Kent

  Hollywood Manor

  63·3

  57

  1

  Fleming House

  75·9

  67

  78

  Dover Bail

  53·9

  57

  45

  Lancashire

  Highfield House

  70·6

  75

  65

  738 739

  Area

  Hostel

  1991–92

  1992–93

  September '93

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Blackburn

  81·3

  74

  41

  Hoole House

  49·7

  68

  76

  Leicestershire

  Charnwood Lodge

  84·3

  59

  85

  Kirk Lodge

  69·7

  47

  75

  Howard House

  93·7

  73

  78

  Lincolnshire

  Wordsworth House

  60·3

  70

  70

  Merseyside

  Southwood

  87·6

  75

  82

  Merseybank

  1—

  42

  74

  Canning House

  81·6

  64

  58

  Adelaide House

  67·4

  54

  54

  Middlesex

  Corfton Road

  88·8

  44

  83

  Seafield Lodge

  80·3

  67

  88

  North East London

  Westbourne

  68·6

  73

  74

  Norfolk

  John Boag

  63·5

  74

  70

  Northamptonshire

  Bridgewood

  82·1

  72

  83

  Stone House

  75·5

  69

  36

  Northumbria

  Ozanam House

  83·9

  66

  82

  St. Christophers

  78·0

  48

  90

  Pennywell

  72·1

  74

  76

  Cuthbert House

  78·3

  73

  87

  North Wales

  Plas-y-wem

  96·8

  96

  94

  Ty Newydd

  93·9

  94

  87

  Nottinghamshire

  Astral Grove

  80·5

  64

  79

  Southwell

  62·5

  57

  81

  Trent House

  57·0

  50

  70

  Oxfordshire

  Abingdon Road

  67·0

  74

  43

  Clark's House

  42·8

  72

  73

  Somerset

  Glogan House

  88·5

  69

  54

  South East London

  Beckenham Road

  55·2

  54

  85

  South Glamorgan

  Mandeville House

  69·4

  31

  63

  South West London

  Kew

  87·1

  52

  87

  South Yorkshire

  Rookwood

  65

  61

  56

  Norfolk Park

  84·1

  67

  52

  Centre 45

  80·4

  86

  81

  Town Moor

  64·3

  72

  53

  Staffordshire

  Wenger House

  87·8

  65

  82

  Stafford Bail

  76·6

  65

  81

  Suffolk

  Lightfoot House

  81·8

  61

  55

  The Cottage

  86·1

  75

  85

  Surrey

  St. Catherines

  85·4

  58

  60

  Warwickshire

  McIntyre House

  94·2

  80

  90

  Kenilworth Road

  69·7

  49

  71

  West Glamorgan

  Emroch House

  77·3

  81

  90

  West Midlands

  Sycamore Lodge

  40

  77

  75

  Crowley House

  64

  46

  61

  Bilston

  78

  94

  98

  Stoke Green

  79·2

  79

  68

  Stonnall Road

  86·1

  1—

  96

  Welford House

  56·9

  69

  64

  Marshall House

  81

  86

  91

  Carpenter House

  80·2

  81

  81

  West Yorkshire

  Howden House

  86·2

  79

  78

  Walmer Villas

  87

  78

  86

  Albion Street

  1—

  33

  85

  740 741

  Area

  Hostel

  1991–92

  1992–93

  September '93

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Per cent.

  Ripon House

  71·4

  76

  91

  Elm Bank

  96

  90

  80

  St. Johns

  95·2

  78

  94

  Cardigan House

  62·2

  69

  91

  1—Denotes hostel which is closed or has yet to be opened.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of persons remanded to a bail hostel during 1992 were charged with a subsequent offence.

  Mr. Maclean
  The information requested is not readily available.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action has been taken by the Home Office to deal with objections to the sitings of local bail hostels during the last three years.

  Mr. Maclean
  In June 1990 the Home Office advised probation and voluntary managing committees of the need to assess local opinion as part of the process of developing an approved bail hostel; and in January 1993 the Home Office issued a development guide which stressed the importance of providing opportunities for local consultation and giving proper consideration to the views expressed. From time to time, Ministers and officials have, as necessary, met residents or their representives to discuss the issues raised by hostels proposals.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice will be given to local magistrates who subsequently wished to consider a remand to a hostel in the event of the closure of a specific bail hostel.

  Mr. Maclean
  It will be for the probation service concerned to bring to the attention of magistrates courts the facilities offered by approved hostels in its own or a neighbouring area.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what objections to proposals to open a bail hostel the Home Office and local probation committees have received during the last three years.

  Mr. Maclean
  In most cases where a new bail hostel has been proposed local residents and others have made representations against its development, arguing mainly on cost, crime and planning grounds.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what percentage of persons remanded to a bail hostel during 1992 were breached for failure to comply with conditions;

  (2) how many persons were remanded to a bail hostel in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Maclean
  The information is not readily available in the form requested.

  Door Supervisors
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many door supervisors have been prosecuted for violent or drugs-related offences committed while on duty since 1 January 1990;
  742
  (2) if he will publish a breakdown, by police authority area, of the number of door supervisors who have been prosecuted for violent or drugs-related offences carried out while on duty since 1 January 1990.

  Mr. Maclean
  This information is not collected centrally.

  Licensing Laws
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he intends to take as a result of representations received by his Department to last year's consultation document on the reform of the licensing laws.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The provisions for a system of children's certificates for suitable bar premises in England and Wales in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill reflect widespread support for that proposal among respondents to the consultation document. Action on the other, more complex proposals in the document, and the responses to them, is under consideration.

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce a Bill to reform the licensing laws.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  We have no present plans to introduce a Bill concerned solely with reform of liquor licensing law in England and Wales.

  Christmas Cards
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many official Christmas cards were sent out in 1993 by(a) Ministers, (b) civil servants and (c) staff of Government agencies working in or to his Department; and how much these cards cost (i) to buy, (ii) to post and (iii) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes.

  Mr. Howard
  Last Christmas 450 cards were sent by Home Office Ministers; 8,450 by civil servants; and 11,012 by executive agencies. The cost of purchasing and posting these cards was £7,705 and £4,120 respectively. It is not possible to estimate accurately the cost of staff time in sending these out but this would have been minimal.

  Racial Attacks
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many racially motivated attacks are perpetrated by whites on non-whites and by non-whites on whites; and what are the figures expressed as proportions.

  Mr. Maclean
  Our best source of information is currently the 1988 and 1992 British crime surveys. The British crime survey estimate is that 82 per cent. of all incidents of violence and threats thought by Afro-Caribbeans and Asians to be racially motivated were perpetrated by whites. No information is available about
  743
  perpetrators of incidents involving white victims, as the British crime survey asked only Afro-Caribbean and Asian respondents about their perception of racial motivation. The 1994 survey will extend these questions to all respondents.

  This estimate is among the results contained in "Ethnic Minorities' Experience of Crime and Racially Motivated Incidents"—research and planning unit paper No. 82. This is due to be published in February by the Home Office research and statistics department.

  Lords Lieutenant
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the procedure for the appointment of lords lieutenant in(a) South Yorkshire, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) Essex and (d) London; if he will give the name in each case, home residence, occupation, and date of appointment of the current (i) lord lieutenant, (ii) vice lord lieutenant and (iii) each deputy lord lieutenant; and how nominations can be made for these positions.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Lords lieutenant in England and Wales are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

  Nominations of candidates for lords lieutenant can, when a vacancy occurs, be made to the relevant clerk to the lieutenancy, the outgoing lord lieutenant or the Prime Minister's secretary of appointments. For vice lords lieutenant, recommendations can be made to the clerk to the lieutenancy or the lord lieutenant. The appointment of deputy lieutenants is a matter for the lord lieutenant, subject to the non-disapprobation of the Queen.

  A list of the names of serving lords lieutenant, vice lords lieutenant and deputy lieutentants in south Yorkshire, west Yorkshire, Essex and London together with, where available, dates of appointment, is being placed in the Library of the House. Deputy lieutenants are required by section 133(2)(a) of the Reserve Forces Act 1980 to have a place of residence in, or within seven miles of the boundary of, the county or area. Lords lieutenant and vice lords lieutenant would generally be expected to comply with these residential requirements. Details of the occupation of the lords lieutenant, vice lords lieutenant and deputy lieutenants could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Ministerial Cars
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will quantify the cost of the factors which led to an increase in the cost of cars for Ministers in his Department since 1990–91.

  Mr. Howard
  I refer to my reply to the hon. Member's question of 15 December,Official Report, column 661. I understand that higher pay, vehicle and fuel costs and price restructuring to recover full costs were the main factors in the increased charges for ministerial cars supplied by the Government car service.

  Prisons (Drugs)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total expenditure for expenses to community-based drug agencies, paid by prison governors, in the years 1990 to 1993.
  744
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from A. J. Butler to Mr. David Hinchliffe, dated 20 January 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question as to what was the total expenditure for expenses to community-based drug agencies, paid by Prison Governors, in the years 1990 to 1993.
  Information in the form requested is not readily available and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  Boundary Commission
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the results of the parliamentary Boundary Commission inquiry for Essex to be published.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I understand that the outcome of the inquiry is likely to be published in the spring.

  Drugs (Holland)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the measures introduced in Holland over the last 10 years to deal with the use of cannabis, cocaine and heroin; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  We keep in close touch with developments in drugs policy within Europe and further afield, both through the formal European Union, Council of Europe and United Nations drugs forums and through informal contact. My right hon. and learned Friend discussed various aspects of drugs policy with the Dutch Minister of Justice, Mr. Hirsch Ballin, when he visited London in September 1993.

  Nothing in the Dutch experience has so far seemed to justify our changing the system of controls provided under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

  Squatting
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) 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;

  (2) on what date his Department became responsible for issues relating to squatting and what changes of responsibility, (a) in respect of detailed responsibilities and (b) in regard to being the lead department have taken place in the past 10 years;

  (3) with what other Departments of State and in respect of which responsibilities, his Department shares responsibility for issues relating to squatting.

  Mr. Maclean
  Fifty-seven local authorities responded to the Home Office consultation exercise on squatting conducted in 1991–92, out of which our current proposals arose. We have had no further discussions with local authorities on this subject in the last 12 months.

  Several Government Departments have an interest in the problem of squatting, and the leading interest may vary

  745
  according to which aspect of the problem is under consideration. The Home Office is responsible for the criminal law as it relates to squatting and other forms of intrusion on to property. In particular, we have responsibility for the existing criminal provisions related to squatting in sections 6 and 7 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, and for any proposals to extend the criminal law regarding squatting or other forms of trespass. The civil law relating to trespass, including squatting, is a matter for the Lord Chancellor's Department. Government policy in relation to housing issues, including homelessness, and to local authorities, is primarily a matter for the Department of the Environment. No changes have taken place in these respective responsibilities over the past 10 years. Other Government Departments with an interest in this subject include the Scottish Office, the Northern Ireland Office, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

  Electoral Law
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now in a position to publish the reports of the working parties into electoral law and procedures; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The working groups set up as part of the post-election review will report shortly and, when the reports are available, my right hon. and learned Friend will place copies in the Library and supply them to others who ask for copies. Representatives of the political parties, returning officers and the local authority associations will be invited to discuss the reports at a meeting in March.

  Domestic Fires
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the number of deaths and serious injuries as a result of domestic fires in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The numbers of fire-related deaths and casualties from fires attended by local authority fire brigades in the United Kingdom are published in table 6 of the annual Home Office statistical bulletin, "Summary Fire Statistics, United Kingdom", copies of which are in the Library. Figures for 1982 to 1992 are in the edition for 1992—Home Office statistical bulletin issue 28/93—and for 1981 in the edition for 1991—issue 27/92. The number of deaths from fires in dwellings has declined from 780 in 1981 to under 600 in 1992, although non-fatal casualties have risen from 6,300 to 11,200. Most of the rise is accounted for by an increase in the numbers reported by fire brigades as casualties due to "asphyxiation or overcome by gas or smoke".

  Complaints Audit Committee
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 14 January:1994,Official Report, columns 338–39, if he will publish the number of complaints about immigration law and practice brought under the existing complaints system, monitored by the new complaints audit committee, and the number of occasions on which disciplinary action has been taken against those responsible for abuses in each of the last five years.
  746
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The number of letters of complaint about the conduct and efficiency of immigration service staff in each of the last five years was as follows:

  Number

  1992–93

  500

  1991–92

  404

  1990–91

  337

  1989–90

  414

  1988–89

  549

  Information about the number of cases in which disciplinary action was taken under the existing system is not readily available.

  Probation
  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the weekly cost of(a) a probation order, (b) community service order, (c) bail hostel place and (d) average prison place for the latest date available.

  Mr. Maclean
  The weekly costs for 1991–92, the latest year for which comparable figures are available are(a) a probation order, £23; (b) community service order, £22; (c) bail hostel place, £179; (d) average prison place, £442.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation reports, probation orders and community service orders were made or written in(a) 1992 and (b)

  Mr. Maclean
  The information published in "Probation Statistics England and Wales 1992" shows that 41,000 probation orders and 43,000 community service orders commenced in 1992 and 197,000 pre-sentence reports were written by the probation service. A copy of the publication is held in the House of Commons Library.

  Information for the whole of 1993 is not yet available but the following estimates have been produced for the first three quarters of 1993.

  Comparison of first three-quarters of 1992 and 1993

  England and Wales

  Number of persons/reports

  1992

  11993

  Commencements of:

  Probation orders

  33,200

  29,600

  Community service orders

  32,600

  35,400

  Pre-sentence reports written2

  149,200

  137,400

  1 Estimated.

  2 Social inquiry reports prior to 1 October 1992.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional resources will be made available to the probation service to deal with the projected work load in 1994 and 1995.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government's spending plans for the probation service together with work load forecasts are set out in the three-year planning document for the service covering the period 1994–97, a copy of which is in the Library.

  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation reports, probation
  747
  orders and community service orders are projected for 1996; and how many reports and orders were completed in 1990.

  Mr. Maclean
  The projected caseloads in 1996–97 have been published in the "Three year plan for the probation service 1994–97". A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

  Table. Caseloads and numbers of reports written

  England and Wales

  Number of persons/reports

  1990–91

  11996–97

  Caseload at end of period for:

  Probation orders

  54,200

  46,600

  Community service orders

  25,90

  29,900

  Pre-sentence reports written2

  197,800

  229,400

  1 Projected

  2 Social inquiry reports before 1 October 1992

  Doncaster Prison
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies were considered by the Prison Service to run the new prison at Doncaster.

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

  Letter from D. Lewis to Mrs. Barbara Roche, dated 20 January 1994:

  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about Doncaster prison.

  Five bids to manage Doncasyter prison were received in response to the Invitations to Tender. The companies concerned were Mancare; UK Detention Services Ltd; Securicor Custodial Services Limited; Group 4 Prison and Court Services Limited; and Premier Prison Services Limited.

  Bailiff of Jersey
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account he has taken of whether the speech of 22 December 1993 made by the Bailiff of Jersey, Sir Peter Crill, to the Rotary club is compatible with his roles as Chief Judge and Speaker of the States; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Bailiff has kindly provided us with the text of his speech on 22 December. In his capacity as Privy Counsellor with special responsibility to the Crown for Jersey, my right hon. and learned Friend is satisfied that the speech requires no comment or other action on his part.

  Asylum
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 17 December 1993,Official Report, column 947, if he will list the organisations that were consulted before the Government prepared its submission to the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations in August in respect of its obligations under the international covenant of civil and political rights.
  748
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 2 December 1993 to an earlier question from him,Official Report, columns 680–81.

  Local Authority Fraud
  Mr. Dowd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the longest interval between the inception of a fraud squad investigation into local authority fraud and the commencement of a consequent prosecution.

  Mr. Maclean
  Records are not held in a form which would provide this information.

  Patient S
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make available copies of the post mortem and pathology reports relating to the case of Patient S whose case was heard by the Court of Appeal on Friday 14 January and who subsequently died on Sunday 16 January.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  : No.

  Primates
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give details of establishments approved by his Department as suitable sources of primates in accordance with EC Council directive 92/65.

  Mr. Soames
  : I have been asked to reply.

  Arrangements for the approval of such establishments by the Agriculture Departments in Great Britain, in accordance with directive 92/65/EEC, will be put in place shortly.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Japan (Nuclear Energy)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the implications for existing and future nuclear trade with Japan of the Japanese Atomic Energy Commissioner's report on nuclear policy and non-proliferation strategy released in November 1993.

  Mr. Eggar
  The report reaffirms the main thrust of Japanese civil nuclear policy, including their continued commitment to the recycling of plutonium and nuclear non-proliferation.

  Export Credits Guarantee Advisory Service
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the members of the Export Credits Guarantee Advisory Service since 1985, giving details of appointment date and affiliation or employer of the appointee.

  Mr. Needham
  The information requested is as follows:
  749

  Appointee

  Affiliation or employer

  Appointment

  Commenced

  Ended

  R. J. Dent, Esq.

  Baring Brother

  1 August 1980

  1985

  J. N. Scott, Esq.

  The General Electric Co.

  1 August 1980

  1986

  Sir Jeffrey Benson

  National Westminster Bank

  1 September 1981

  1987

  W. J. A. Dacombe, Esq.

  Rea Brothers plc

  1 August 1982

  1986

  M. D. McWilliam, Esq.

  Standard Chartered Bank

  1 August 1982

  1987

  W. Hogbin, Esq. CBE

  Taylor Woodrow International Ltd.

  1 August 1983

  1988

  W. G. Barrett, Esq.

  Midland Bank

  1 August 1983

  1986

  R. H. Geroge, Esq. CBE

  Celluware Group

  1 June 1984

  1991

  E. L. Brooks, Esq.

  Rothmans International plc

  1 November 1984

  1991

  P. W. Bulfield, Esq.

  J. Henry Schroder Wagg and Co.

  1 October 1985

  1988

  T. W. B. Sallitt, Esq. CBE

  Hawker Siddeley Group

  1 April 1986

  1990

  Sir Peter Leslie

  Barclays Bank pic

  1 September 1986

  1992

  A. G. Gormly, Esq. CBE

  Trafalgar House pic

  1 February 1988

  Hon. D. Douglas-Home, CBE

  Morgan Grenfell and Co.

  1 March 1988

  1993

  S. M. F. Harris, Esq.

  Guardian Royal Exchange

  1 March 1988

  1991

  Professor K. Scholes

  Sheffield Business School

  1 April 1988

  1991

  D. G. Eustace, Esq.

  British Aerospace plc

  1 August 1988

  1992

  R M. P. Riding, Esq.

  Lloyds Bank pic

  1 August 1988

  1991

  R. T. Fox, Esq. CBE

  Kleinwort Benson Group

  1 July 1991

  Sir Derek Thomas, KGMG

  N. M. Rothschild and Son Ltd.

  1 October 1991

  C. Smallwood, Esq.

  TSB Group plc

  1 October 1991

  Sir Robert Davidson

  Balfour Beatty Ltd.

  1 October 1991

  Viscount Weir

  The Weir Group plc

  1 November 1991

  J. W. Melboum, Esq.

  National Westminster Bank

  1 November 1991

  G. W. Lynch, Esq.

  Hiscox Syndicates Ltd.

  1 July 1993

  B. P. Dewe Mathews, Esq.

  J. Henry Schroder Wagg and Co.

  1 July 1993

  T. M. Evans, Esq. CBE

  Foster Wheeler Ltd.

  1 August 1993

  Sir Frank Lampl

  Bovis Construction Group

  1 August 1993

  D. B. Newlands, Esq.

  The General Electric Co.

  1 August 1993

  Export Controls
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes have been made in the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1987 since it came into force.

  Mr. Needham
  The Export of Goods (Control) Order 1987 was amended six times between its entry into force on 1 January 1988 and 15 December 1989, when it was replaced by the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1989. Since then, two further Export of Goods (Control) Orders have been made, one in 1991 and its replacement in 1992.

  It would not be possible other than at disproportionate cost to describe all the changes made by these various orders and associated amendments. Changes introduced since 1987 have included wide-ranging relaxations of export controls agreed by COCOM and implementation of agreements reached on significant extensions of controls in the non-proliferation export control regimes, namely, the Australia group, the nuclear suppliers group and the missile technology control regime. A broad end-use control aimed at enhancing non-proliferation controls was introduced and expanded in amendments Nos. 6 and 7 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1989, made in 1990 and 1991 respectively.

  Car Manufacturers
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to require car manufacturers to stamp cars with the date of manufacture and car dealers to state that date on the sale documents.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade currently have any such plans.

  By law, all motor cars must at some stage during the manufacturing process, be stamped with a vehicle
  750
  identification number. Consumers can therefore request dealers to decode this number and provide the date at which it was stamped on the vehicle.

  Smokeless Fuel
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information his Department has as to dangers to domestic customers using smokeless fuels from(a) European Community countries and (b) other countries; what representations he has received; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  My Department has received representations from a number of organisations about the safety of petroleum coke for domestic use. Very few complaints were received from users of petroleum coke. No information was given about the country of manufacture of the fuel. However, all petroleum coke for domestic use in this country is imported, the majority coming from north America.

  Over the period from 1989 to 1991, when the majority of the representations were received, my Department investigated various claims that this fuel was unsuitable for domestic use. After examination of the available evidence, it was concluded that the fuel should not pose undue risks to consumers provided that sensible precautions were taken for its use. Accordingly, my Department advised suppliers of petroleum coke that consumers should be provided with written instructions for safe use of the fuel, and, in this regard, reminded them of their responsibilities under section 10—the general safety requirement—of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

  The recommended safety precautions are that petroleum coke:
  must only be used in an open-grate fire and never in a closed appliance;must always be blended, before use, with another solid fuel that will produce sufficient ash residue to protect the metal parts of the fire.751
  A fine-mesh fire guard should be used—as with any solid fuel.

  Distance Selling Directive
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received about the effects of the proposed distance selling directive on the tourism industry; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  I have had a number of such representations. I agree with them that the proposals in the revised draft of the distance selling directive submitted to the EC Council of Ministers on 22 October would be extremely damaging to the tourist industry. The Greek presidency has however suggested some amendments to this draft which would go some of the way to meeting the industry's concerns. We will continue to have these concerns very much in mind when negotiation of the directive resumes in Brussels.

  Loans
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list, for each scheme operated by his Department under which loans are available, the objectives of the scheme, the number of unrecovered loans, the total value of unrecovered loans, the average number of unrecovered loans for each year since 1990, the average value of unrecovered loans for each year since 1990 and the annual cost of recovering loans.

  Mr. Eggar
  While the Department has the powers under sections 7 and 8 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 to make selective financial assistance available in the form of loans, these powers have not been exercised since 1988. However, two earlier loans made under section 7 and totalling £1,147,693 were designated as unrecovered in 1990–91, one of £62,000 in 1991–92 and none in 1992–93. It is not possible except at disproportionate cost to provide the total number and value of all unrecovered loans made by the Department, nor to calculate the annual expenditure on recovering loans.

  Electricity Privatisation
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what research has been undertaken into the costs and benefits of the agreements reached with Electricité de France before, during and after the electricity privatisation process; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what plans he has to commission an independent inquiry into the benefits and cost to British consumers of the agreements which were reached with Electricité de France about payments made before, during and after the electricity privatisation process; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  The Government's policy towards trade in electricity across the interconnector was set out in the coal review White Paper—Cm 2235. The commercial arrangements for trade across the interconnector are a matter for those electricity companies that have contracts with Electricité de France. It is for the Director General of Electricity Supply to satisfy himself as to the non-leviable status of electricity imports across the interconnector.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received 752
  concerning payments made to Electricité de France during the electricity privatisation process; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  I have received a number of representations about electricity trade across the interconnector. The background to the arrangements for this trade is set out in the coal review White Paper—Cm 2235—from paragraph 7.95.

  Coal Imports
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the latest figures for coal imports for each month in 1993; what is the breakdown for each port in the United Kingdom; and what were the comparable figures for each month in 1992.

  Mr. Eggar
  Estimated coal imports for 1993 are still subject to revision, but the latest estimates for the periods requested are:

  1992

  1993

  January

  2,217

  1,950

  February

  1,709

  1,400

  March

  2,049

  1,300

  April

  1,445

  1,400

  May

  1,986

  1,300

  June

  1,943

  1,400

  July

  1,801

  1,550

  August

  1,403

  1,500

  September

  1,512

  1,800

  October

  1,250

  1,500

  November

  1,671

  1,450

  December

  1,353

  1

  1Not yet available.

  A breakdown of coal imports by port for 1993 is not available.

  Dishwashers
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will introduce measures to penalise manufacturers of dishwashers who include faults in the design of the machines which impose additional costs to their customers in terms of repairs and maintenance.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  [holding answer 18 January 1994]: Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 consumers already have a right of redress against suppliers of faulty goods.

  Household Goods
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to regulate the after-sales agreements offered by manufacturers of household goods.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  [holding answer 18 January 1994]: The Department of Trade and Industry published a consultation paper on consumer guarantees in February 1992. Further consideration of this issue has been delayed pending the publication, which took place last month, of the EC Commission's discussion paper on the same subject.

  Communications and Transport Deregulation
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will publish a list of all material sent to the communications and transport deregulation task force by outside persons and organisations, together with the dates on which such material was received by the task force;
  753
  (2) if he will publish a list of all meetings held between the communications and transport deregulation task force and outside persons and organisations, together with the dates of such meetings.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 18 January 1994]: The eight deregulation task forces, of which the transport and communications task force was one, were independent of Government. My Department provided a secretariat but task force members held their own meetings from time to time and collected evidence for their own use. Et is not therefore possible to provide a complete list of meetings with organisations or of material provided in evidence.

  Power Lines
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to the report of the public inquiry into the construction of power lines from Lakenby to Pickton; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 19 January 1994]: My Department has received the inspector's report and will make a decision in due course.

  GATT
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what affect the GATT agreement will have on EC regulations affecting British industry.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 19 January 1994]: Certain changes in EC legislation will be needed to implement the EC's obligations under the GATT agreement. The main ones will be the changes in the common external tariff to give effect to the agreed cuts in tariffs on imports; and changes to EC rules on anti-dumping and countervailing duties to reflect the new GATT rules in these areas.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of how GPT Ltd. will be affected(a) nationally and (b) in Coventry by GATT.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 19 January 1994]: GATT will produce higher world economic growth through progressive trade liberalisation. This will lead to greatly increased opportunities for exporters and boost job creation, technological innovation and industrial development. Negotiations to secure improvements to the offers made in December are still under way and full details of the tariff cuts in individual sectors are not yet available.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade on what criteria GATT will improve the prospects for British industry.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 19 January 1994]: British exporters will benefit greatly from higher world growth, the opening up of overseas markets, improved trade rules and a more stable international trading environment. The average cut in bound tariff rates on exports of industrial products from the European Community to the United States is 49 per cent. and to Japan 57 per cent. British services exporters and innovators will benefit from the inclusion of services and intellectual property in the multilateral trading system for the first time.
  754
  The opening of new public procurement markets will also benefit British suppliers of goods and services. British industry will also benefit from the reduction of tariffs on imports of components and raw materials into the United Kingdom.

  Stratford Rail Station
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to publish studies done by his Department into the possibilities afforded to East Anglian economic regeneration by development of an international passenger station at Stratford; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  [holding answer 19 January 1994]: My Department has not undertaken such studies.

  Electronic Components
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what representations he has received from Conner Peripherals (UK) Ltd. relating to the Government's policy on import duties on electronic components and products imported into the United Kingdom from non-European Union countries; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the import duties imposed by the Government on electronic components and products imported into the United Kingdom by non-European Union countries;

  (3) what representations he has received from the electronics sector relating to the Government's policy on import duties on electronic components and products imported into the United Kingdom from non-European Union countries; and if he will make a statement;

  (4) if he will make a statement on changes since 1990 on the import duties levied on electronic components and products imported into the United Kingdom by non-European Union countries;

  (5) what action his Department is taking to safeguard the United Kingdom electronic industry against imports from non-European countries.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 18 January 1994] The common customs tariff charged on imports into the United Kingdom of electronic components and products ranges from 4 per cent. to 14 per cent. There have been no changes in the common customs tariff since 1990.

  There have been discussions with a number of United Kingdom electronic sector companies, including Conner Peripherals (UK) Ltd., about the application of the European Community's tariff regimes, in particular the temporary suspension of duty and tariff quota schemes, whereby EC tariffs can be suspended on items not available from within the EC. Following these discussions, an EC tariff quota on imports of hard disk drives was dicontinued with effect from 1 January 1992.

  Anti-dumping duties have been imposed by the EC on certain electronic components in response to unfair trading practices which have been injurious to EC industry. However, the Government continue to believe that the reduction or elimination of tariffs is the most effective way of encouraging the overall development of markets and increasing the volume of business.

SCOTLAND

  NHS Trusts (Pay)
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many cars each national health service trust and health board has bought as part of a payment package for senior personnel in the last year; and what is the average value of such cars.

  Mr. Stewart
  This information is not held centrally.

  Glenochil Prison
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what refurbishments are presently taking place at Glenochil prison; and if he will list the contracts awarded with the details of the financial costs of each and the total costs.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I have asked Mr. E. W. Frizzell, the chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to arrange for a reply to be given to the hon. Member.

  Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Mr. John McFall, dated 20 January 1994:

  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Question about refurbishments currently taking place at Glenochil Prison. The information is as follows:

  Refurbishment projects

  Awarded to

  Costs (including VAT) £000s

  Replacement of the electronic locking cell system

  WHS Ltd.

  1,542

  Alterations to the wood machine area in the worksheds

  Institution's own workforce

  8

  Damage repairs to 'A' Hall and fitting of new locks throughout the prison as a result of a recent hostage incident

  Institution's own workforce

  60

  1,610

  Prisoners
  Mr. Gallie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many short-term prisoners have, at the half way point of their sentence, been(a) released, (b) charged with a further offence after their release, (c) convicted of a further offence committed after their release, (d) returned to prison to serve out their full sentence and (e) returned to prison on a new sentence since 1 October 1993.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is currently not collected centrally, save that the number of prisoners returned to prison to serve out their full sentence under section 16 of the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993 is being collected on a monthly basis from 1 January 1994. The Scottish Prison Service prisoner records database, to come into operation in summer 1995, will hold some information on releases and previous custodial sentences.

  Badgers
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by county the number of badgers shot and gassed in each year since 1988; and what percentage of those badgers were subsequently shown to have tuberculosis.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The badger population in Scotland is widely dispersed in the countryside and does not pose an animal health risk. Consequently, badgers have never been subject to official controls on animal health grounds and it has never been necessary to shoot badgers in Scotland. Gassing as a control mechanism was discontinued in Great Britain in 1982.

  Market Testing
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish for each service that has been market tested in his Department in 1993(a) the cost of the testing process, including consultancy costs, (b) the result of the test, (c) the name of the successful contractor, (d) the value and duration of the contract, (e) the number of staff involved, (f) estimated annual cost reductions and (g) whether the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 were deemed to apply.

  Mr. Lang
  The 1992–93 market-testing programme in the Scottish Office has now been completed and the outcomes are being analysed, in consultation with the efficiency unit in the Cabinet Office. Much of the information requested will, once it has been finalised, be published in aggregate form in the "Citizen's Charter Second Report".

  Departmental Files
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many files were retained from public scrutiny for a further 25 years; and what was the general subject matter by category, contained in them.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Over the last 12 months, a total of 77 files with special closure periods—longer than 30 years—were transferred by Scottish Office Departments to the Scottish Record Office. They included information that was supplied in confidence and documents containing private information about individuals. As such, they fell within the Government's published guidelines on extended or special closures.

  Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary
  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what complaints he has received about the operation of the incinerator at Falkirk and District royal infirmary; and what action he will take to ensure that there is no health risk caused by the operation of the incinerator.

  Mr. Stewart
  Over the last year or so, I have received several complaints about the fumes from the clinical waste incinerator chimney located at Falkirk and District royal infirmary.

  On each occasion, inquiries have been made and at this time I am content that the clinical waste incinerator is operating within the statutory requirements. As a safeguard, additional fume monitoring is planned even although the local authority monitoring the situation agree that the emissions are within present guidelines.

  Smear Tests
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will make a statement on the amount of time taken by each health board in Scotland to notify patients of the results of smear tests for cervical cancer;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the guidelines issued by the Scottish Office on the amount of time which should be taken by Scottish health boards to notify women of the results of their smear tests for cervical cancer.

  Mr. Stewart
  Health boards have been set a target of a maximum of 14 days average for the reporting of results to the patient.

  Information is not collected centrally on the time taken by each health board but the current average processing time for cervical smears examined by NHS laboratories in Scotland is 11 days.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the procedures used by Ayrshire and Arran health board in carrying out screening for cervical cancer; and what is the average amount of time taken to notify patients of the results of smear tests within the Ayrshire and Arran health board area.

  Mr. Stewart
  Cervical screening procedures followed in Ayrshire arid Arran health board comply with existing guidance. There is a three-yearly call-recall system in place for all women aged 20 to 60 years and the laboratory staff at Crosshouse hospital participate in an external quality assurance scheme.

  Information is not collected centrally on the time taken by GPs, hospitals or clinics to report the results but the national target is 14 days on average.

  The current average processing time for cervical smears examined at Ayrshire and Arran health board's laboratory is 10 days.

  Sporting Rates
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the total revenue accrued to Scottish local authorities through sporting rates in 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94.

  Mr. Stewart
  The total revenue accrued to Scottish local authorities through sporting rates in each of the four years is estimated at around £2 million.

  Tied Cottages
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) male and (b) female agricultural workers live in tied cottages in Scotland.

  Sir Hector Monro
  There are no official figures of the number of agricultural workers living in tied cottages. The results of a sample survey of earnings and hours of agricultural workers indicate that 48 per cent. of male regular hired workers and 10 per cent. of female regular hired workers in Scotland in 1992 lived in a house or cottage as part payment of wages. These figures may not however accurately reflect the number of salaried managers living in a tied house.

  Domestic Fires
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the number of deaths and serious injuries in Scotland as a result of domestic fires since 1980.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Figures for serious injuries are not available. The available figures are as follows:

  Casualties

  Year

  Fatal

  Non-fatal

  1980

  122

  712

  1981

  126

  862

  1982

  126

  863

  1983

  136

  1,126

  1984

  128

  1,290

  1985

  144

  1,276

  1986

  132

  1,499

  1987

  138

  1,372

  1988

  146

  1,591

  1989

  88

  1,605

  1990

  115

  1,624

  1991

  117

  1,696

  11992

  82

  1,614

  1 Provisional figures

  Source: Home Office Fire Statistics based on reports from local authority fire brigades

  There has been an encouraging decrease in the number of fatalities since 1989, which may be due to a combination of factors, including implementation of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988—and subsequent amendment regulations—and the active promotion of smoke alarms. While there has in contrast been an increase in non-fatal casualties, this may be connected with a growing awareness amongst fire brigades of the effects of gas and smoke inhalation and a consequent increase in casualty recording.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the Scottish Office's involvement in the recent consultation by the Department of Trade and Industry into relaxation of the Furniture and Furnishings Fire (Safety) Regulations 1988 and the Night Wear Safety Regulations 1985; and whether his Department favours the relaxation of these regulations.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The initial consultation undertaken by the Department of Trade and Industry was restricted to individual companies, trade associations and other organisations—including local authority associations, and consumer and safety groups—which that Department considered might have an interest in the provisions of the particular regulations. Other Government Departments were not invited to comment at that stage. If any proposals emerge, as a result of the initial consultation, for the provisions of the regulations to be amended, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will be formally consulted because of his responsibilities for fire safety matters in Scotland.

  Population Statistics
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list(a) the latest estimates by the Registrar-General of Populations of those aged 17 years and over, plus 63 per cent. of those aged 16 years, for each district council area and parliamentary constituency in

  759
  Scotland, together in each case with the equivalent year's electoral registration figures expressed as a percentage of (a).

  Mr. Stewart
  The information requested is given in the tables. For clarity of presentation, table A includes figures

  Table A: Local Government Areas

  Local government area

  Estimate of population aged 17 and over plus 63 per cent. of 16 year olds (as at 30 June 1992)

  Parliamentary electors on the 1993 electoral registers (qualifying date 10 October 1992)

  (b) as a percentage of (a)

  (a)

  (b)

  SCOTLAND

  4,062,331

  3,931,429

  96·8

  Borders Region

  84,593

  84,421

  99·8

  Berwickshire

  15,533

  15,632

  100·6

  Ettrick and Lauderdale

  28,040

  27,803

  99·2

  Roxburgh

  28,672

  28,569

  99·6

  Tweeddale

  12,347

  12,417

  100·6

  Central Region

  216,661

  211,094

  97·4

  Clackmannan

  37,903

  36,806

  97·1

  Falkirk

  113,793

  110,598

  97·2

  Stirling

  64,966

  63,690

  98·0

  Dumfries and Galloway Region

  118,360

  116,950

  98·8

  Annandale and Eskdale

  29,902

  29,579

  98·9

  Nithsdale

  45,412

  44,540

  98·1

  Stewartry

  19,136

  19,107

  99·8

  Wigtown

  23,910

  23,724

  99·2

  Fife Region

  276,720

  266,883

  96·4

  Dunfermline

  101,554

  96,861

  95·4

  Kirkcaldy

  116,857

  114,365

  97·9

  North East Fife

  58,308

  55,657

  95·5

  Grampian Region

  414,201

  401,816

  97·0

  Aberdeen City

  177,559

  170,689

  96·1

  Banff and Buchan

  67,625

  66,721

  98·7

  Gordon

  59,796

  59,114

  98·9

  Kincardine and Deeside

  42,194

  40,700

  96·5

  Moray

  67,027

  64,592

  96·4

  Highland Region

  160,896

  159,035

  98·8

  Badenoch and Strathspey

  9,074

  9,351

  103·1

  Caithness

  20,725

  20,647

  99·6

  Inverness

  49,806

  48,562

  97·5

  Lochaber

  15,027

  14,912

  99·2

  Nairn

  8,473

  8,497

  100·3

  Ross and Cromarty

  38,128

  37,375

  98·0

  Skye and Lochalsh

  9,258

  9,225

  99·6

  Sutherland

  10,405

  10,466

  100·6

  Lothian Region

  607,795

  589,561

  97·0

  East Lothian

  68,084

  67,541

  99·2

  Edinburgh City

  364,293

  350,581

  96·2

  Midlothian

  62,622

  60,979

  97·4

  West Lothian

  112,796

  110,460

  97·9

  Strathclyde Region

  1,811,308

  1,740,266

  96·1

  Argyll and Bute

  50,668

  48,995

  96·7

  Bearsden and Milngavie

  32,306

  31,606

  97·8

  Clydebank

  36,546

  35,184

  96·3

  Clydesdale

  45,791

  44,592

  97·4

  Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

  49,115

  47,422

  96·6

  Cumnock and Doon Valley

  33,528

  33,110

  98·8

  Cunninghame

  108,359

  105,208

  97·1

  Dumbarton

  61,765

  57,525

  93·1

  East Kilbride

  66,761

  65,051

  97·4

  Eastwood

  47,497

  46,674

  98·3

  Glasgow City

  549,034

  518,416

  94·4

  Hamilton

  83,794

  80,750

  96·4

  Inverclyde

  71,666

  70,304

  98·1

  Kilmarnock and Loudoun

  64,170

  62,638

  97·6

  Kyle and Carrick

  91,171

  89,206

  97·8

  Monklands

  80,257

  77,727

  96·8

  Motherwell

  112,961

  108,282

  95·9

  760
  for regions, islands areas and the whole of Scotland. The population figures in table B have been prepared by a method that involves a certain degree of approximation and therefore they must be treated with some caution.
  761

  Local government area

  Estimate of population aged 17 and over plus 63 per cent, of 16 year olds (as at 30 June 1992) (a)

  Parliamentary electors on the 1993 electoral registers (qualifying date 10 October 1992) (b)

  (b) as a percentage of (a)

  Renfrew

  158,855

  153,571

  96·7

  Strathkelvin

  67,063

  64,005

  95·4

  Tayside Region

  316,249

  306,224

  96·8

  Angus

  76,556

  74,129

  96·8

  Dundee City

  138,469

  133,570

  96·5

  Perth and Kinross

  101,224

  98,525

  97·3

  Orkney Islands Area

  15,372

  15,553

  101·2

  Shetland Islands Area

  17,220

  16,499

  95·8

  Western Isles Islands Area

  22,959

  23,127

  100·7

  Table B: Parliamentary Constituencies

  Parliamentary constituency

  Estimate of population aged 17 and over plus 63 per cent, of 16 year olds (as at 30 June 1992)

  Parliamentary electors on the 1993 electoral registers (qualifying date 10 October 1992)

  (b) as a percentage of(a)

  (a)

  (b)

  Aberdeen North

  62,700

  60,242

  96·1

  Aberdeen South

  61,800

  59,389

  96·1

  Angus East

  66,400

  64,223

  96·7

  Argyll and Bute

  50,700

  48,995

  96·6

  Ayr

  68,000

  66,495

  97·8

  Banff and Buchan

  67,600

  66,721

  98·7

  Caithness and Sutherland

  31,100

  31,113

  100·0

  Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley

  56,700

  55,821

  98·4

  Central Fife

  57,700

  56,491

  97·9

  Clackmannan

  51,000

  49,538

  97·1

  Clydebank and Milngavie

  49,500

  47,900

  96·8

  Clydesdale

  64,900

  62,978

  97·0

  Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

  49,100

  47,422

  96·6

  Cunninghame North

  57,200

  55,564

  97·1

  Cunninghame South

  51,100

  49,644

  97·2

  Dumbarton

  61,800

  57,525

  93·1

  Dumfries

  62,800

  61,876

  98·5

  Dundee East

  60,700

  58,570

  96·5

  Dundee West

  61,800

  59,624

  96·5

  Dunfermline East

  53,000

  50,700

  95·7

  Dunfermline West

  54,200

  51,713

  95·4

  East Kilbride

  66,800

  65,051

  97·4

  East Lothian

  68,100

  67,541

  99·2

  Eastwood

  65,900

  64,506

  97·9

  Edinburgh Central

  59,400

  57,127

  96·2

  Edinburgh East

  47,600

  45,779

  96·2

  Edinburgh Leith

  58,900

  56,662

  96·2

  Edinburgh Pentlands

  58,400

  56,171

  96·2

  Edinburgh South

  64,800

  62,330

  96·2

  Edinburgh West

  61,700

  59,331

  96·2

  Falkirk East

  54,100

  52,550

  97·1

  Falkirk West

  51,700

  50,220

  97·1

  Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

  55,500

  55,074

  99·2

  Glasgow Cathcart

  47,300

  44,623

  94·3

  Glasgow Central

  50,800

  47,963

  94·4

  Glasgow Garscadden

  43,400

  40,975

  94·4

  Glasgow Govan

  48,300

  45,629

  94·5

  Glasgow Hillhead

  60,900

  57,524

  94·5

  Glasgow Maryhill

  51,000

  48,109

  94·3

  Glasgow Pollok

  48,500

  45,786

  94·4

  Glasgow Provan

  38,800

  36,625

  94·4

  Glasgow Rutherglen

  56,000

  52,903

  94·5

  Glasgow Shettleston

  55,300

  52,263

  94·5

  Glasgow Springburn

  48,700

  46,016

  94·5

  Gordon

  84,300

  82,654

  98·0

  Greenock and Port Glasgow

  53,200

  52,185

  98·1

  Hamilton

  64,700

  62,364

  96·4

  762 763

  Parliamentary constituency

  Estimate of population aged 17 and over plus 63 per cent, of 16 year olds (as at 30 June 1992)

  Parliamentary electors on the 1993 electoral registers (qualifying date 10 October 1992)

  (b) as a percentage of (a)

  (a)

  (b)

  Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber

  71,700

  70,955

  99·0

  Kilmarnock and Loudoun

  64,200

  62,638

  97·6

  Kincardine and Deeside

  70,800

  68,218

  96·4

  Kirkcaldy

  53,500

  52,322

  97·8

  Linlithgow

  63,300

  61,884

  97·8

  Livingston

  63,300

  61,905

  97·8

  Midlothian

  62,500

  60,831

  97·3

  Monklands East

  50,600

  49,041

  96·9

  Monklands West

  51,900

  49,903

  96·2

  Moray

  67,000

  64,592

  96·4

  Motherwell North

  60,500

  57,955

  95·8

  Motherwell South

  52,500

  50,327

  95·9

  North East Fife

  58,300

  55,657

  95·5

  North Tayside

  58,800

  57,135

  97·2

  Orkney and Shetland

  32,600

  32,052

  98·3

  Paisley North

  48,100

  46,491

  96·7

  Paisley South

  49,600

  47,937

  96·6

  Perth and Kinross

  68,500

  66,672

  97·3

  Renfrew West and Inverclyde

  61,200

  59,430

  97·1

  Ross, Cromarty and Skye

  58,000

  56,967

  98·2

  Roxburgh and Berwickshire

  44,200

  44,201

  100·0

  Stirling

  60,000

  58,786

  98·0

  Strathkelvin and Bearsden

  64,100

  61,678

  96·2

  Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale

  40,400

  40,220

  99·6

  Western Isles

  23,000

  23,127

  100·6

  Regional Selective Assistance
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the criteria applied by the Scottish Office in making awards of regional selective assistance; what safeguards exist in the event of the ownership of a company in receipt of regional selective assistance changing; how the Scottish Office polices companies in receipt of regional selective assistance; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  The criteria for regional selective assistance include location, investment, jobs, need, viability and private sector financial support. In the event of a change in ownership, an offer of assistance may be transferred to the new owners, or alternatively the grant may be withheld or recovered depending on the circumstances of the case. Throughout the term of each offer of assistance, and always prior to any payment of grant, detailed company progress reports are obtained which have been certified by independent accountants.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what amount of money was received by Conner Peripherals (UK) Ltd. in regional selective assistance in the last five years; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what amount of money was received by Amkor Anam (Europe) Ltd. in regional selective assistance before its announcement of the closure of its plant in Irvine.

  Mr. Stewart
  I refer the hon. member to my answer on 5 November 1993,Official Report, column 239.

  M80
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to meet CARE80 concerning the line of route for the M80 motorway between Stepps and Haggs; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Officials from the Scottish Office Industry Department roads directorate and their consultants will be meeting members of CARE80 on 25 January. In due course, they will be providing me with a detailed report of all their consultations, including the discussions with CARE80, for my consideration. Thereafter, a final decision will be taken on the proposed route for the M80 and this will be immediately followed by the publication of the draft statutory procedures.

  Glasgow-Cumbernauld Railway Line
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has received for the electrification of the Glasgow-Cumbernauld railway line; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My right hon. Friend has received no such plans.

  Environmental Protection Act 1990
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he has given Scottish councils concerning compliance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Guidance has been issued to local authorities accompanying orders, codes of practice and regulations made under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Specific guidance has been issued on recycling, in the form of a waste management paper on the compilation of waste recycling plans and on the environmental
  765
  standards that should normally be applied to industrial processes covered by local authority air pollution control. The hazardous waste inspectorate, as an ongoing part of its responsibility, gives advice to local authorities with respect to their duties under relevant legislation on waste management matters including part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Further advice is given at meetings of the Scottish Pollution Control Co-ordinating Committee.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which councils in Scotland have failed to meet any of the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990; what action he has taken as a result; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  It is for Scottish local authorities to ensure that they comply with the duties imposed upon them by the Environmental Protection Act 1990. However, the Scottish Office has monitored compliance with the provisions of section 30 of the Act relating to administrative arrangements for the separation of authorities' waste disposal and waste regulation functions, and to section 49 of the Act, which concerns the submission of recycling plans to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.

  Currently, the City of Edinburgh and the City of Glasgow district councils have still to advise him of their arrangements for separating waste regulation from waste disposal. Draft recycling plans have yet to be submitted by:

  Caithness district council

  Dunfermline district council

  Lochaber district council

  Moray district council

  Motherwell district council

  Nairn district council

  Sutherland district council

  Western Isles council

  Wigtown district council

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions his officials have had with Kyle and Carrick district council concerning compliance with the Environmental Protection Act 1990; what was the outcome of such discussions; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Officials of the Scottish Office had routine discussions with Kyle and Carrick district council on 30 June 1992 about matters concerning waste regulation. The outcome of these discussions was a letter to the council specifying matters to be dealt with under part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

  Refuse Collection
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what problems have been reported to the Scottish Office regarding arrangements for refuse collection in Perth and Kinross district council area; what action has been taken as a result; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Hector Monro
  One complaint was recently received about the cost of commercial waste collection. The matter was brought to the attention of the district council's director of environmental health. On the basis of information received from the council a reply was sent to the complainant.

  Minimal Access Surgery
  Mr. Kynoch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to publish the report produced by Professor Alfred Cuschieri on implications for the NHS of minimal access surgery.

  Mr. Lang
  This valuable and timely report is being published today as a focus for public debate on the important issues surrounding the development of minimal access therapy—MAT. Commissioned jointly by the Scottish Office Home and Health Department and the Department of Health, the report is intended as a contribution to the development of strategic planning for these new techniques in the NHS.

  The report has already been referred to the medical and nursing advisory committee north and south of the border and the views of other interested bodies will be sought as appropriate.

  MAT offers the prospect of major advances in patient care, but also requires the development of new skills. In the vital areas of training and technique evaluation, we have recently announced the establishment of two MAT training units in England and one in Scotland as a joint initiative by the Government and the Wolfson Foundation to ensure that clinicians are properly and fully trained to produce the best possible outcomes for patients.

  As the report highlights, widespread introduction of these new techniques will represent very major change for the NHS. The interests of patients will of course be at the forefront of the development of MAT and we are already using Professor Cuschieri's report as the basis for work on establishing the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these treatments to ensure maximum benefit for patients.

  Jury System
  Mr. Kynoch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress he has made with his review of the jury system and the not proven verdict.

  Mr. Lang
  I am today publishing a consultation paper seeking views on a number of proposals for improving the jury system and on the future of our system of verdicts, including the not proven verdict. The proposals in relation to juries are aimed at more effective selection of juries which are representative and willing to serve, and at a reduction in the inconvenience suffered by those cited to attend court for jury service. The paper also sets out the case for and against the retention of the three verdict system. I hope that the proposals made and questions raised in this paper will stimulate the widest possible debate.

  This consultation paper is the third in a series seeking views on proposals for improving the delivery of justice in Scotland. We are inviting comments by 15 April. A copy of the consultation paper has been placed in the Library.

  Electronic Components
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what representations the Scottish Office has received from Conner Peripherals (UK) Ltd. relating to the Government's policy on import duties on electronic components and products imported into the United Kingdom from non-European Union countries; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what representations he has received from the electronics sector in Scotland relating to the Government's

  767
  policy on import duties on electronic components and products imported into the United Kingdom from non-European Union countries; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 18 January 1994]: The only representation received by my right hon. Friend in connection with duties paid on imports of electronic goods and components was one last year from Conner Peripherals. Following consultation with ministerial colleagues with responsibility for Customs and Excise, he provided a helpful and detailed response to the company.

  In addition, both the Scottish Office and the Department of Trade and Industry provided at official level considerable assistance to Conner towards maximising the European content of its product and more specifically on gaining a greater understanding of the complex tariff issues.

WALES

  Council Tax
  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advice has been given to councils to ensure that an additional bathroom or kitchen for the use of a person with a disability attracts a reduction in council tax payments, apart from that given on page 20 of Welsh Office pamphlet "Council Tax—Liability, Discounts and Exemptions".

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Advice on the application of the Council Tax (Reduction for Disabilities) Regulations 1992—SI 1992 No. 554—and the Council Tax (Reduction for Disabilities) (Amendment) Regulations 1993—SI 1993 No. 195—is contained in the revised council tax practice note No. 2 on liability, discounts and exemptions, issued to all billing authorities in July 1993.

  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what regulations along the lines of SI 1990 No.

  Percentage of ambulances arriving within respective target times:

  50 per cent.

  95 per cent.

  Year ended 31 March 1993

  6 months to 30 September 1993

  Year ended 31 March 1993

  6 months to 30 September 1993

  Clwyd

  61

  62

  97

  98

  East Dyfed

  59

  60

  94

  93

  Gwent1

  54

  52

  96

  97

  Gwynedd

  57

  57

  96

  96

  Mid Glamorgan

  61

  56

  98

  97

  Pembrokeshire

  42

  45

  88

  90

  Powys1

  47

  44

  89

  88

  South Glamorgan1

  54

  58

  91

  94

  West Glamorgan

  61

  57

  95

  92

  Wales

  57

  56

  95

  95

  1 Part of the area managed by the South and East Wales ambulance NHS trust.

  Information on the ambulance services in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland should be sought from the appropriate Secretaries of State.

  Morriston Hospital, Swansea
  Mr. Donald Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to announce his decision on the application of Morriston hospital, Swansea, for trust status.
  768
  2475 introduced to exempt extensions and granny flats from the standard charge provision of the community charge legislation have been made to ensure that such extensions are not classified as separate dwellings under the council tax legislation;

  (2) what provisions have been made to ensure that extensions built to provide facilities for the disabled are not classified as separate dwellings.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  None. Where a property contains more than one self-contained unit of separate living accommodation, it will be treated as two or more dwellings. Each of those dwellings, if it is not an exempt dwelling, will be subject to a separate council tax bill. Comparison with community charge arrangements is not appropriate. Community charge was a personal tax, whereas council tax is a property tax with a personal element.

  Ambulance Service
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish details of response times by ambulances to 999 calls for Wales, and for each of the health authority or trust areas within Wales, and the times as percentages of the average for the United Kingdom and for England and Scotland.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The ambulance service in Wales standard response times are:

  50 per cent.

  95 per cent.

  minutes

  minutes

  South Glamorgan

  7

  14

  Clwyd, Gwent, Mid and West Glamorgan

  8

  18

  East Dyfed, Gwynedd, Pembrokeshire and Powys

  8

  21

  The information requested for Wales is shown in the table:

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  I expect shortly to announce a decision.

  Nurses Grading
  Mr. Donald Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many nurse regrading appeals remain to be settled; what proportion this constitutes of the appeals made since 1989; and what are the number and percentages for each health authority in Wales.
  769
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Latest available information on the total numbers of clinical grading appeals still outstanding is as follows:

  Health Authority

  At Employing Authority Level

  At Welsh Appeals Committee (Regional) Level

  At National Level (Negotiating Council)

  Clwyd

  16

  42

  East Dyfed

  4

  75

  7

  Gwent

  4

  222

  57

  Gwynedd

  77

  13

  Mid Glamorgan

  90

  309

  39

  Pembrokeshire

  50

  Powys

  55

  62

  South Glamorgan

  206

  25

  West Glamorgan

  72

  14

  Total

  98

  1,082

  259

  A significant number of appeals made since 1989 have been either withdrawn or not proceeded with and no reliable proportionate data are available.

  I am optimistic that recent discussions between both sides of the Nursing and Midwifery Staff Negotiating Council will shortly result in new procedures for clearing all outstanding cases at the Welsh and national levels.

  General Practitioners
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many general practitioners received gross payments in excess of £200,000 per year in each year since 1991–92.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  This information is not available centrally.

  Welsh Low Pay Unit
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will discuss with representatives of local authority associations the setting up of a Welsh low pay unit; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  No.

  Christmas Cards
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many official Christmas cards were sent out in 1993 by(a) Ministers, (b) civil servants and (c) staff of Government agencies working in or to his Department; and how much these cards cost (i) to buy, (ii) to post and (iii) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes.

  Mr. Redwood
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

  Industry

  1Number

  Date

  Source

  Civil Service2

  330,535

  April 1993

  Civil Service Statistics, Her Majesty's Treasury

  Steel industry

  416,000

  November 1993

  Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau

  Media

  55,400

  September 1991

  Employment Department, Census of Employment 1991

  1 Number of full-time employees in Wales.

  2 Includes non-industrial and industrial civil servants working in United Kingdom Government Departments and bodies in Wales.

  3 Total relates to full-time equivalents. Part-time staff are counted as half units.

  4 Figures for full-time staff are not available separately from part-time staff in the data collected by the Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau. Very few

  Livestock Quota
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements are being made to lengthen the amount of time farmers in Wales are given to complete their livestock quota application forms; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  To enable quota allocations from the national reserve for 1993 to be made as quickly as possible and sheep annual premium payments thereafter to be made promptly, the Department set a deadline of 7 January for receipt of applications from sheep producers eligible to apply under categories 1 and 2. We are, however, prepared to process any applications received within a week of that date.

  Ewe Premium
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to ensure the continuation of the ewe premium supplement to farmers in less-favoured areas in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  I will continue to ensure that the needs of farmers in the Welsh less-favoured areas are taken fully into account in determining supplements for ewe premium payments.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people in Wales were employed full-time in(a) the civil service, (b) the steel industry and (c) the media at the latest available date.

  Mr. Redwood
  The information is shown in the table.
  771
  of the 16,000 employees at November 1993 are believed to be part-time.

  5 There is no single category in the standard industrial classification—1980—which relates exclusively to the media. The above figure is based on activity headings 4751, 4752, 4753, 8380, 9741 which include printing/publishing of newspapers, periodicals, and books; advertising; and radio/television services, theatres, etc.

  Departmental Staff
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the numbers of staff employed in the Welsh Office(a) 12 months ago and (b) at the most recent available date.

  Mr. Redwood
  The answer is:

  (a) The number of full-time equivalent permanent staff employed by my Department as at 6 January 1993=2,429.

  (b) The number of full-time equivalent permanent staff employed by my Department as at 6 January 1994=2,400.

  Part-time staff are included as full-time equivalents.

  The figures include staff seconded to other organisations but exclude casuals.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the numbers of staff employed in each of the four senior grades in the Welsh Office(a) 12 months ago and (b) at the most recent available date.

  Mr. Redwood
  The answer is:

  (a) The number of staff employed in my Department in each of the four most senior grades as at 17 January 1993 are as follows:

  Number

  Grade 1

  1

  Grade 2s

  2

  Grade 3s

  12

  Grade 4s

  6

  Total

  21

  (b) The number of staff employed in my Department in each of the four most senior grades as at 17 January 1994 are as follows:

  Number

  Grade 1

  1

  Grade 2s

  2

  Grade 3s

  12

  Grade 4s

  7

  Total

  22

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Loans
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list for each scheme operated by her Department under which loans are available, the objectives of the scheme, the number of unrecovered loans, the total value of unrecovered loans, the average number of unrecovered loans for each year since 1990, the average value of unrecovered loans for each year since 1990 and the annual cost of recovering loans.

  Mr. Jack
  No schemes relating to programme expenditure are operated by my Department under which loans are currently available.

  Premiums and Payments
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action she is taking to ensure that all potential claimants under the sheep annual premium, suckler cow premium and arable payments schemes are made aware of the closing dates for applications to these schemes.

  Mr. Jack
  The closing dates for applications are clearly set out in the appropriate explanatory literature and claim forms for the schemes which are distributed to known producers. The closing dates are also publicised by press releases issued to all relevant media, including the farming press, when application forms for the schemes become available and again shortly before the closing dates.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the number of late claims received by regional service centres and divisional offices for the most recent year for (i) sheep annual premium, (ii) suckler cow premium and (iii) the arable area payments scheme.

  Mr. Jack
  The numbers of claims received by the nine regional service centres after the closing dates of the application periods for the schemes requested are as follows:

  Number

  1993 Sheep annual premium scheme

  1,082

  1993 Suckler cow premium scheme

  908

  1993 Arable area payments scheme

  87

  Neptune Warning System
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans she has to extend the Neptune warning system by installing tide gauges around the coast of south and west Wales.

  Mr. Jack
  The map I placed in the Library when answering the hon. Member's previous question on this subject on 11 January,Official Report, column 50, shows that tide gauges are already in place at Holyhead, Barmouth, Fishguard, Milford Haven, Mumbles and Newport. There are no plans to install further gauges along the coast of south and west Wales at present. However, the Ministry has funded the development of a computer model for the Bristol channel and Severn estuary which is intended to improve the forecasts of potential coastal flooding issued by the national storm tide warning service for that part of south Wales and the relevant parts of England.

  Agricultural Wages Board
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment she has made of the effect of abolition of the agricultural wages board upon the numbers of agricultural workers entitled to claim housing benefit.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Abolition of the statutory control of agricultural wages could affect the entitlement of
  773
  some agricultural workers to housing benefit. But it is not possible to estimate what the global effect might be, as this would depend on the details of individual agreements on pay and conditions.

  Cattle Biodiversity
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action she is taking to protect rare breeds of cattle and cattle biodiversity; what were the conclusions of the recent Cambridge conference on this matter; and what assessment expert advisers have made of the work being undertaken at the Bush estate outside Edinburgh.

  Mr. Jack
  I am aware of the scientific debate about diversity in cattle populations, and my Ministry is placing a research contract to establish the extent of genetic variation in rare and common breeds. The British cattle breeders conference at Cambridge in January 1994 heard a Food and Agriculture organisation paper about biodiversity in developing countries, a topic to which British scientists have made significant contributions. Research at the Bush estate funded by my Ministry includes work designed to enable genes for important characteristics from rare breeds to be located, facilitating their use in breeding programmes. Producers of rare breeds of cattle are of course, eligible for the same financial support provided to other beef producers under the suckler cow premium and beef special premium schemes.

  Bees
  Mr. Rendel
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if it is her Department's policy that all bee colonies given antibiotic treatment by its officials for the control of European foul brood should receive a standard uniform dosage regardless of the number of bees in each colony; and what assessment she has made of the effect of such treatment on smaller bee colonies.

  Mr. Jack
  Different dosages are prescribed for large and small colonies. Experience has shown that our treatments are equally effective on all sizes of colony.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Civil Service
  Mr. Mills
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what savings he estimates will result from the introduction of market testing in the civil service; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  In my statement to the House of Commons on 4 November 1993, I announced that provisional figures suggested that the "Competing for Quality" programme, of which market testing is part, had resulted in annual savings of approximately £100 million by 30 September 1993.

  Further detail on the outcome of the programme will be published in the "Citizens Charter Second Report".

  Equal Opportunities
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the objective of removing equal opportunities requirements from private contractors bidding for Government contracts.
  774
  Mr. David Davis
  [holding answer 19 January 1994]: The Government and the civil service are committed to a policy of equality of opportunity both because it is right in terms of social justice and because it makes good business sense.

  Where services are contracted out to private companies, the Government do not intend to require particular employment policies and practices, and such requirements will not be included in tender documents, although contracts may require compliance with United Kingdom law on equal opportunities if the contracted work is carried out wholly within the United Kingdom. EC directives impose restrictions on the Government's ability to take account of non-commercial matters.

  British Geological Survey
  Mr. Hutton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is his estimate of the savings which will result from the closure of the Newcastle office of the British Geological Survey; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. David Davis
  [holding answer 17 January 1994]: The Natural Environment Research Council, NERC, of which the British Geological Survey, BGS, is a constituent part, estimates that closure of the Newcastle office will result in savings of approximately £86,000 per annum.

  As an independent body established by royal charter, the NERC is responsible for the management of its own resources. The decision on the future of the Newcastle office is properly one for the BGS and the NERC, and not one for the Government.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Private Pensions
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Durham have contracted out of occupational pension schemes and taken up private pension plans.

  Mr. Dorrell
  This information is not available.

  Finance Bill
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make available to hon. Members the customary notes on the clauses of the Finance Bill.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Yes. Notes on clauses are being placed in the Vote Office and in the Library of the House. In addition, the Treasury will, for the first time, be making the notes available to the public.

  Income Tax
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson), of 29 November,Official Report, columns 337–38, if he will provide the information on tax liability by region.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Available information on the annual reduction in income tax liability by region for the years 1989–90 to 1991–92, compared with the 1978–79 indexed regime is given in tables. In view of the length of the tables, I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Members' Library.

  Value Added Tax (Domestic Fuels)
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 2 December regarding value added tax on domestic fuels, Ref. 0595/27.

  Sir John Cope
  I replied to this letter on Tuesday 18 January 1994.

  International Monetary Fund (Russia)
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy with regard to co-operation between the International Monetary Fund and Russia.

  Mr. Nelson
  The IMF and Russian authorities reached agreement on a programme to allow release of $1·5 billion of assistance under the systematic transformation facility

  Registrations

  Collection

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Belfast

  3,413

  3,952

  4,373

  4,226

  3,607

  3,674

  4,086

  Birmingham

  13,973

  16,550

  18,169

  16,297

  14,044

  13,291

  14,942

  Dover

  6,186

  7,795

  7,552

  7,104

  6,575

  5,859

  6,496

  East Anglia

  7,874

  9,474

  9,625

  8,475

  8,564

  8,061

  8,800

  East Midlands

  10,591

  12,799

  14,354

  12,100

  10,592

  9,429

  10,719

  Edinburgh

  7,423

  7,808

  8,228

  7,873

  6,667

  6,604

  7,005

  Glasgow

  5,460

  5,757

  8,297

  7,477

  6,728

  6,188

  6,626

  Leeds

  10,515

  12,821

  14,124

  12,496

  11,035

  10,256

  10,332

  Liverpool

  9,866

  12,246

  13,239

  12,548

  10,724

  9,815

  9,945

  London Central

  5,492

  5,214

  5,346

  5,290

  4,614

  4,772

  5,728

  London North and West

  11,681

  13,517

  15,901

  14,305

  11,447

  10,956

  11,669

  London Port

  7,851

  9,064

  10,252

  8,187

  6,980

  6,682

  6,955

  London South

  13,028

  14,482

  16,573

  14,875

  12,455

  11,699

  14,541

  Manchester

  10,827

  12,382

  14,013

  13,577

  12,099

  11,259

  11,558

  Northampton

  15,518

  18,390

  19,060

  17,345

  13,299

  12,087

  12,986

  Northern England

  6,345

  7,854

  8,409

  7,290

  5,942

  5,756

  6,132

  Southampton

  12,194

  13,807

  16,261

  12,903

  10,744

  9,658

  10,932

  South Wales and Borders

  10,404

  13,535

  14,624

  12,942

  10,582

  9,629

  10,086

  South West England

  13,376

  16,839

  16,972

  13,803

  11,681

  10,965

  12,121

  Thames Valley

  16,027

  19,230

  21,141

  20,223

  17,639

  16,615

  17,551

  Deregistrations

  Collection

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Belfast

  2,920

  7,498

  3,224

  3,113

  3,783

  3,595

  3,124

  Birmingham

  11,580

  12,571

  12,637

  12,519

  16,963

  17,002

  14,967

  Dover

  4,403

  5,784

  4,952

  5,736

  9,765

  8,915

  7,428

  East Anglia

  5,814

  10,125

  9,625

  8,475

  8,564

  8,061

  9,629

  East Midlands

  8,726

  11,104

  9,753

  10,026

  13,258

  12,235

  11,063

  Edinbugh

  6,108

  9,562

  6,042

  6,065

  7,440

  6,757

  6,944

  Glasgow

  4,494

  5,095

  6,279

  6,178

  8,035

  7,033

  6,599

  Leeds

  8,985

  10,522

  10,041

  10,284

  13,621

  12,383

  11,499

  Liverpool

  8,645

  9,837

  10,061

  10,002

  13,207

  12,991

  11,153

  London Central

  4,071

  4,867

  4,232

  4,453

  4,677

  4,839

  5,239

  London North and West

  8,421

  8,568

  9,938

  10,687

  13,765

  15,070

  13,124

  London Port

  5,722

  6,741

  6,457

  5,913

  10,275

  10,048

  8,796

  London South

  8,384

  9,394

  10,515

  10,832

  15,038

  14,613

  13,660

  Manchester

  9,670

  9,822

  10,248

  9,641

  13,571

  13,387

  12,637

  Northampton

  10,157

  15,446

  11,777

  12,857

  16,451

  15,143

  13,040

  Northern England

  5,354

  6,283

  5,998

  6,357

  7,686

  7,242

  6,929

  Southampton

  8,484

  12,220

  10,411

  9,739

  14,476

  13,783

  12,419

  South Wales and Borders

  8,156

  14,380

  10,296

  10,437

  14,394

  11,902

  11,635

  South West England

  10,525

  16,687

  11,716

  11,751

  16,461

  15,811

  13,690

  Thames Valley

  11,214

  15,057

  13,865

  14,722

  21,431

  19,824

  18,024

  Rugby Union (Benefits)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements he makes for the taxation of income on benefits arising from the playing of Rugby Union football.
  776
  —STF—in July 1993. We urge the fund and Russian authorities to continue their policy dialogue and reach rapid agreement on further action which can be supported by a second drawing under the STF and will enable a full stand-by arrangement and rouble stabilisation fund to be put in place.

  Value Added Tax (Registration)
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 3 December,Official Report, columns 770–72, if he will provide the figures for value added tax registrations and deregistrations for each calendar year since 1987.

  Sir John Cope
  Revised registration and deregistration figures by calendar year, from January 1987 to December 1993 are:

  Mr. Dorrell
  Under Rugby Union rules players are forbidden to receive payment for playing. If they were to do so, they would be taxed on their income in the same way as other sportsmen and women. Their income for tax
  777
  purposes would be arrived at in the way as for other people, taking account of payments of money and any other benefits.

  Taxation
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of gross domestic product was taken by(a)income tax, (b) corporation tax, (c) capital gains tax, (d)

  General government receipts as a percentage of GDP1

  Receipt/financial year

  1979–80

  1980–81

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  11993–94

  (a) Income tax3

  10·1

  10·4

  11·2

  10·8

  10·2

  10·0

  9·9

  10·0

  9·7

  9·1

  9·4

  9·9

  9·9

  9·4

  9·1

  (b) Corporation tax4

  2·3

  2·0

  1·9

  2·0

  2·0

  2·6

  3·0

  3·5

  3·7

  3·9

  4·2

  3·9

  3·2

  2·6

  2·3

  (c) Capital gains tax5

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·3

  0·3

  0·3

  0·5

  0·2

  0·3

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  (d) Inheritance tax

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·3

  0·3

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  0·2

  (e) Value added tax

  4·0

  4·7

  4·6

  4·9

  5·0

  5·7

  5·4

  5·6

  5·6

  5·7

  5·7

  5·6

  6·1

  6·2

  6·1

  (f) National Insurance6

  7·2

  7·5

  7·7

  7·7

  7·5

  7·1

  6·8

  6·9

  6·8

  6·8

  6·4

  6·4

  6·3

  6·1

  6·1

  (g) Excise duties7

  3·9

  3·9

  4·4

  4·2

  4·4

  4·3

  4·2

  4·3

  3·9

  3·8

  3·5

  3·6

  3·9

  3·7

  3·9

  (h) Council tax

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·2

  2·0

  1·2

  1·4

  1·3

  CC rates8

  3·3

  3·7

  4·2

  4·3

  4·0

  4·0

  3·9

  4·1

  4·0

  4·1

  3·9

  —

  —

  —

  —

  (i) NNDR

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0·0

  2·1

  2·4

  2·3

  2·0

  (j) Other GG receipts

  7·7

  8·1

  9·3

  9·3

  9·3

  9·4

  8·6

  6·7

  6·6

  6·1

  6·3

  5·2

  4·9

  4·9

  5·0

  1 GDP adjusted for the abolition of domestic rates.

  2 Estimates published in the November 1993 FSBR.

  3 Including surtax.

  4 Including advance corporation tax (ACT).

  5 Including estate duty.

  6 Includes National Insurance surcharge.

  7 Includes hydrocarbon oils, tobacco, beer, wine and made wine, spirits, cider and perry.

  8 Includes Northern Ireland rates until 1990. They are then included under NNDR.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of correspondence received by(a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's agencies receives (i) an acknowledgement within five days and (ii) a substantive reply within 15 days.

  Sir John Cope
  [holding answer 17 December 1993]; Letters answered by Treasury Ministers are generally acknowledged on receipt. Last year, 78 per cent. of such letters handled within central Treasury received a substantive reply within 15 working days. Statistics are not available on correspondence answered by officials in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Departments.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Parliamentary Answers
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will list the numbers of answers given to each of the top 20 hon. Members in rank order in Session 1992–93.

  Mr. Newton
  The Members receiving the most written answers to questions in Session 1992–93, as recorded on the House of Commons Library's POLIS database, were as follows:

  Number

  1. The hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith)

  1,611

  2. The hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond)

  1,058

  3. The hon. Member for Ceredigion and Pembroke, North (Mr. Dafis)

  1,039

  4. The hon. Member for Cardiff, West (Mr. Morgan)

  811

  5. The hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn)

  681

  6. The hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe)

  677

  7. The hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley)

  651

  8. The hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd)

  647

  778
  inheritance tax, (e) VAT, (f) national insurance contributions, (g) excise duties, (h) council tax and its predecessors (i) business rates and (j) other taxes for each year since 1979–80.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 19 January 1994]: The information requested is shown in the table. The estimates for 1993–94 are taken from table 6·5 of the November 1993 "Financial Statement and Budget Report".

  Number

  9. The hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes)

  632

  10. The hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins)

  574

  11. The hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones)

  572

  12. The hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen)

  571

  13. The hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell)

  546

  14. The hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms Primarolo)

  542

  15. The hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn)

  538

  16. The hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett)

  537

  17. The hon. Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Mr. Michael)

  532

  18. The hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile)

  511

  19. The hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith)

  480

  20. The hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley)

  451

NORTHERN IRELAND

  EU Structural Funds
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last met representatives of the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action to discuss the subject of the distribution of European Union structural funds; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Wheeler
  My right hon. and learned Friend met representatives of the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action on 18 January to discuss a range of issues including the next round of the EC structural funds.

  Forestry
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the area planted with forest trees on private land in Northern Ireland last year.
  779
  Mr. Ancram
  The area of forest trees grant aided by the Department of Agriculture in 1992–93 was 911 hectares.

  Border Roads
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many roads crossing the border with the Republic are closed; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Wheeler
  There are 291 border crossing points recognised by the British and Irish Governments, of which 103 are currently subject to closure order.

  The Government remain committed to maintaining security and to curbing the ability of terrorists to exploit the border. The responsibility for any inconvenience resulting from the closure of roads rests squarely on the terrorists.

  Electricity Generation
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with electricity generators concerning further generating capacity in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  None. Following the privatisation of the electricity industry in Northern Ireland responsibility for ordering new generating capacity rests solely with Northern Ireland Electricity plc. Northern Ireland's immediate power requirements will be met by the planned construction of an electricity interconnector with Scotland.

  Security
  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current security situation in the Province.

  Mr. Cyril D. Townsend
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on security in Northern Ireland.

  Sir John Wheeler
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Fermanagh and South Tyrone (Mr. Maginnis).

  Student Grants
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will increase the block grant to education and library boards in Northern Ireland to enable discretionary grants to be paid to all students who are offered places on vocation-oriented courses at further and higher education institutions.

  Mr. Ancram
  No. The amount of funding to be made available for discretionary awards is a matter for each education and library board to determine in the light of the total resources at its disposal.

  Vehicles
  Mr. Clifford Forsythe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vehicles there are in Northern Ireland in the categories(a) private, (b) goods and (c) heavy goods vehicles.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  In December 1992, the date of the last annual census of vehicles licensed in Northern Ireland, there were 502,027 cars and motor cycles, 37,007 light goods vehicles and 16,289 heavy goods vehicles.

  Dublin Bombing
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what requests for assistance in tracing the perpetrators of the 1973 Dublin bombing he has received from the Irish authorities; what has been his response; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Wheeler
  I assume the hon. Gentleman is referring to the bombing attack which took place in Dublin on 17 May 1974. Requests between police forces for assistance with ongoing criminal investigations are made on a confidential basis.

  Political Developments
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the latest political developments for Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Ancram
  The Government have intensified their efforts to develop dialogue between the two Governments and the main constitutional parties in Northern Ireland. I am holding further private, bilateral discussions with the Northern Ireland parties, following on earlier discussions last autumn, and we are continuing discussions with the Irish Government on matters of mutual interest, including constitutional issues. It remains our objective to return to multilateral talks involving the two Governments and four main constitutional parties at an appropriate point.

  Prospects for Peace
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the prospects for peace in the Province.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  The prospects for peace are principally governed by the future conduct of Sinn Fein/Provisional IRA. The joint declaration provides a balanced framework for democracy. It promotes the interests and aspirations of all sections of the community in Northern Ireland while compromising no essential principle. It provides a clear opportunity for Sinn Fein to become fully involved in democratic politics. It is now up to it first to renounce violence and to do so for good.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the level of unemployment in Northern Ireland in December 1991 and at the latest available date.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  At 12 December 1991 there were 101,270 unemployed claimants in Northern Ireland representing 13·6 per cent. of the work force. The most recent figures show that at 9 December 1993 there were 99,947 unemployed claimants in Northern Ireland representing 13·3 per cent. of the work force.

  Political Parties>
  Mr. Riddick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what future talks he plans with the political parties in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Ancram
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) and for Falkirk, West (Mr. Canavan).

  Police Authority
  Mr. O'Hara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his discussions with the chair of the Police Authority on the future of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.

  Mr. McAvoy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the chair of the Police Authority concerning the future of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the chair of the Police Authority concerning the future of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I held discussions with the chairman and members of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland on 13 December. We discussed the operation of the tripartite structure of policing in Northern Ireland and improvements necessary to clarify roles, responsibilities and lines of accountability.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his proposals for the future of the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.

  Sir John Wheeler
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. and learned Friend gave the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) on 17 December 1993,Official Report, columns 1057–58.

  Irish Government (Talks)
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the talks he has had with the Irish Government relating to Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the talks he has had with the Irish Government relating to Northern Ireland.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton, South (Mr. Devlin) and the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett).

  Cross-border Trade
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the latest cross-border trade figures between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

  Grants paid by the Industrial Development Board

  Name of company

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Total

  Tyto (NI) Ltd.

  311,502

  —

  19,044

  79,162

  394,064

  803,772

  Tri-Sum Snacks Ltd.

  —

  —

  —

  2,897

  —

  2,897

  Ballymoney Foods Ltd.

  14,964

  72,927

  66,933

  —

  —

  154,824

  Avondale Foods (Craigavon)Ltd.

  43,193

  3,500

  5,750

  4,750

  72,215

  129,408

  Avondale Foods Ltd.

  —

  —

  73,699

  186,423

  54,750

  314,872

  Munchie Foods Ltd.

  —

  313,647

  121,500

  —

  —

  435,147

  Total

  369,659

  390,074

  286,926

  273,232

  521,029

  1,840,920

  782
  Mr. Tim Smith
  The information requested is not available from United Kingdom Government sources. However I refer my hon. Friend to tables 9A and 9B of "Trade Statistics"—December 1992—published by the Central Statistics Office, Dublin, a copy of which is in the Library. These are the latest available figures.

  Strip Searches
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many strip searches have been carried out in prison institutions in the last five years in Northern Ireland.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The purpose of full searching of prisoners in Northern Ireland is to detect items such as explosives, weapons, drugs and other illegal items in order to reduce the risk of escape and the potential for injury to prisoners, staff and visitors.

  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons alternative electronic methods are not used in place of strip searching in prison institutions.

  Sir John Wheeler
  There are no mechanical or electronic devices which can detect the wide range of contraband capable of being secreted on a prisoner's person.

  Northern Ireland Economy
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current estimated figure of the Northern Ireland economy; what percentage of this is privately run; what percentage is in the public sector; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The gross domestic product—GDP—of Northern Ireland in 1992 was £11,475 million at factor cost. An industrial breakdown of GDP is published in the December 1993 edition of the Central Statistical Office publication "Economic Trends", but GDP is not divided into public sector and private sector components.

  Potatoes
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give details of the individual grants from the Local Enterprise Development Unit or the Industrial Development Board that have been taken up in each of the past five years by companies in the potato processing sector.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  The amounts of grants taken up by companies in the potato processing sector in each of the last five years were as follows:
  783

  Grants paid by the heal enterprise development unit

  Name of company

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Total

  Balmoral Packaging

  98,900

  —

  11,343

  —

  —

  102,243

  J. J. Quinn

  4,800

  —

  10,200

  —

  —

  15,000

  Melmount Foods Ltd.

  13,539

  —

  5,216

  17,397

  —

  36,152

  Munchie Foods Ltd.

  16,114

  1,012

  —

  —

  —

  17,126

  North Down Foods

  12,898

  —

  3,751

  312

  —

  16,961

  Brian Chapman

  —

  4,727

  —

  —

  —

  4,727

  Glens of Antrim Potatoes

  —

  667

  21,950

  —

  —

  22,617

  Malachy Scullion

  —

  45,859

  11,281

  13,926

  11,584

  82,650

  Mr. and Mrs. V. Semple

  —

  1,387

  —

  5,363

  —

  6,750

  Cullen Allen and Co. Ltd.

  —

  —

  5,506

  7,253

  —

  12,759

  Seamus Donnelly

  —

  —

  1,000

  —

  —

  1,000

  Oliver Kearney

  —

  —

  —

  4,200

  —

  4,200

  Foyle Chipping

  —

  —

  —

  —

  13,620

  13,620

  Willowbrook Farm

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1,439

  1,439

  Robbie Pac

  —

  2,100

  105,216

  —

  —

  107,316

  Total

  144,251

  55,752

  175,463

  48,451

  26,643

  450,560

  Tied Cottages
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) male and (b) female agricultural workers live in tied cottages in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Ancram
  No official figures are available for the number of agricultural workers living in tied cottages. However, based on the results of the 1992 earnings of hired labour survey, it is estimated that there were 170 male agricultural workers living in a house or cottage provided by their employer in 1992. No female workers are recorded as living in such accommodation.

HEALTH

  Regional Budgets
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the budget for each regional health authority in real terms in each year from 1990 to 1995.

  Mr. Sackville
  Revenue expenditure by regional health authority for the years 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93 is shown in the table. Figures are at 1990–91 prices. Information is not yet available for subsequent years.

  Regional Health Authority Expenditure

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  £

  £

  £

  Northern RHA

  27,478,537

  59,513,076

  76,381,350

  Yorkshire RHA

  42,094,481

  61,031,661

  120,150,053

  Trent RHA

  21,981,765

  163,408,188

  156,923,670

  East Anglian RHA

  19,510,247

  42,799,580

  47,488,086

  North West Thames RHA

  18,672,204

  54,023,761

  110,434,860

  North East Thames RHA

  26,709,607

  177,877,094

  206,053,038

  South East Thames RHA

  32,250,181

  234,430,266

  144,510,066

  South West Thames RHA

  70 499 365

  139 774 170

  151,590,767

  Wessex RHA

  14,664,593

  23,456,189

  88,797,258

  Oxford RHA

  15,815,923

  46,282,644

  51,341,427

  South Western RHA

  13,755,806

  80,806,944

  87,290,815

  West Midlands RHA

  53,916,553

  104,086,235

  130,368,208

  Mersey RHA

  14,706,421

  22,465,660

  35,066,712

  North Western RHA

  26,804,020

  61,085,551

  68,555,968

  Source: Annual accounts for regional health authorities.

  Notes

  1. The table shows the total revenue expenditure of regional health authorities—RHAs.

  2. The figures for 1991–92 and 1992–93 are not comparable with those for 1990–91—which pre-date the national health service reforms. In particular:
  784
  The introduction of capital charges and other changes in accounting policy mean that the figures do not have the same basis.

  Many RHAs became directly involved in the purchase of healthcare and related services for their region. Their 1991–92 and 1992–93 expenditure, therefore, includes substantial costs for patient treatment incurred under contracts with healthcare providers.

  3. Following the implementation of the NHS reforms significant variations developed in the extent to which RHAs took on, retained or devolved, management support and operational services and the purchase of healthcare and in the extent to which their costs were borne or recharged to users. The expenditure of individual RHAs has also been influenced by other factors including variations in the size of the total populations served and the number of district health authorities comprising each region.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health who are those people currently appointed to serve on national health service trusts.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 17 January at column 385 for details of those appointed as chairmen and non-executive directors of national health service trusts. The appointment of executive directors rests with individual trusts.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what repayments of public divided capital were requested and paid by each NHS trust in the Northern region in 1991–92 and 1992–93.

  Mr. Sackville
  There were no repayments of public dividend capital requested or paid by any national health service trust in the Northern region in 1991–92 or 1992–93.

  Performance Review
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the remit of the chief medical officer's review of guidance on doctors' performance.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The terms of reference for this group, which was established in October 1993 are:"To review current guidance and procedures relating to doctors whose performance appears to fall below acceptable standards.
  In the light of this review to make recommendations by 31 December 1993 to the Secretary of State for any necessary changes and further work needed".

  Departmental Fuel Bills
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list by location for each of her Department's properties in the Doncaster area the annual fuel heating bills by year for the last four years.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Department has no properties in the Doncaster area. Information is available on national health service properties as follows:

  Site

  Year

  Fuel cost £

  Doncaster Royal Infirmary

  1990–91

  286,418

  1991–92

  1—

  1992–93

  328,770

  Loversall Hospital

  1990–91

  170,457

  Tickhill Road Hospital

  1991–92

  226,726

  St. Catherine's Hospital

  1992–93

  209,988

  Conisbrough Hospital (Closed August 1992)

  1990–91

  18,003

  1991–92

  31,793

  1992–93

  n/a

  Montagu Hospital

  1990–91

  50,235

  1991–92

  1—

  1992–93

  58,950

  1—Information in-complete

  NB: Loversall, Tickhill Road and St. Catherine's Hospitals are all served by the same fuel system

  The figures include the costs of the fossil fuels consumed by these sites—coal, gas and oil. It is not possible to identify the precise amounts for heating bills.

  Paracetamol
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to reduce the incidence of self poisoning with paracetamol by ensuring that it is marketed only when it contains methanion, to minimise liver damage.

  Mr. Sackville
  There are serious reservations about the addition of an antidote—usually methionine—to such a widely used product, which is safe in normal use. This would expose possibly millions of people for sometimes lengthy periods to the antidote unnecessarily.

  The supply of paracetamol is controlled in terms of the strength and pack size which may be supplied without the supervision of a pharmacist and the labelling must clearly state the recommended dose, with a warning that this should not be exceeded.

  NHS Management Executive
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration the NHS management executive has given to advising newly appointed chairmen of the general time commitment expected of them for the remuneration they are paid; and what are the reasons for the decision reached.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The national health service management executive has routinely provided guidance to new chairmen that their time commitment to their NHS authority or trust would be up to three days a week. No such guidance was issued to chairmen of fourth-wave NHS trusts, since at the time of their appointment the management executive's task force on corporate governance had not reported. The management executive will be issuing new guidance on chairmen's roles and responsibilities in a code of accountability for NHS boards to take 786
  effect from 1 April 1994, which will be based upon a requirement to fulfil clearly described responsibilities on a part-time basis.

  Liquid Medicines
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of children being poisoned by liquid medicines have been reported to her Department in the past five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  Physically Disabled People
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of(a) elderly and (b) younger physically disabled people in the Doncaster area are currently accommodated in (i) private sector homes and (ii) council-owned homes.

  Mr. Bowis
  The latest available figures are for 31 March 1992. The percentages of residents in staffed residental care homes for elderly people in the Doncaster area were 37 per cent. in local authority homes and 58 per cent. in private homes. The percentages of residents in staffed residential care homes for younger physically disabled people were 100 per cent. in local authority homes and 0 per cent. in private homes.

  Barnet FHSA
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many directors, managers, advisers and administrators have been employed by the Barnet family health services authority in 1991, 1992 and 1993;

  (2) how many directors, managers, advisers and administrators are currently employed by the Barnet health authority ;

  (3) how many directors, managers, advisers and administrators have been employed by the Barnet district health authority in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Regions are only required to supply this information in an aggregated regional form. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir William Doughty, chairman of North West Thames regional health authority, for details.

  Mental Health
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received about a review of the Mental Health Act 1983; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  We have received a wide measure of support for the proposal, published in August 1993 in the report of the internal review of legal powers on the care of mentally ill people in the community, to amend the Mental Health Act with a new power of supervised discharge. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 28 December 1993 that she will be seeking the earliest opportunity to amend the Act to introduce this power. We have also received some representations including one from the Mental Health Act Commission for a wide review of the Act.

  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many social workers were working in the mental health field in each of the last five years.
  787
  Mr. Bowis
  This information is not available centrally.

  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place to deal with patients with mental health problems who require admission to hospital but for whom no bed is available.

  Mr. Bowis
  It is for health authorities to make arrangements to provide appropriate care and treatment for those who require admission to hospital.

  Edgware General Hospital
  Mrs. Wise
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors and nurses have been employed at Edgeware general hospital in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Wellhouse trust comprises Edgware and Barnet general hospitals. Available information on doctors of the trust is shown in the table.

  Hospital and community health service doctors—30 September 1992

  Number

  Number

  70

  Whole time equivalent

  40·2

  The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Tony Orton, chairman of the Wellhouse trust, for a breakdown of the numbers of doctors at each hospital and for the details of nursing staff.

  Sharon Dalson
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has received the reports of the inquiry into the homicide of her children by Sharon Dalson, a former in-patient at a mental hospital.

  Mr. Bowis
  Yes.

  London Hospitals
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in London had their hospital admissions cancelled twice in the last three years.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  Mesothelioma
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to respond to the findings of the Peto report about the projected increase in the number of deaths from mesothelioma.

  Mr. Sackville
  None. It is for individual health authorities to ensure that the health care needs of their population are being met, including those with mesothelioma. Professor Peto's predictions on the expected number of deaths from mesothelioma are being considered by the Health and Safety Executive.

  Young Offenders (Overseas Trips)
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to issue guidelines to local authorities concerning sending young offenders abroad on safari trips at public expense; and if she will make a statement.
  788
  Mr. Bowis
  We intend to issue guidance shortly.

  Transplant Authority
  Mr Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health who are the members currently appointed to the Unrelated Live Transplant Regulatory Authority.

  Mr. Sackville
  They are:

  Professor Martin Bobrow (Chairman)

  Professor The Reverend Gordon R. Dunstan

  Dr. Philip A. Dyer

  Baroness Eccles of Moulton

  Professor Mary G. McGeown

  Mr. Stuart Macpherson

  Professor Netar Mallik

  Professor John R. Salaman

  Miss Frances Smithers

  Miss Sally Taber

  Mr. James Wellbeloved

  Death Statistics
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish her most recent calculation of the totals of people who died in each of the past five years as a result of the use of(a) alcohol, (b) tobacco, (c) heroin, (d) cocaine and (e) cannabis.

  Mr. Bowis
  It is estimated that in the United Kindom about 110,000 deaths a year are related to smoking.

  Alcohol is implicated directly or indirectly in a number of causes of death including cirrhosis of the liver, suicide, accidents, stroke, cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus. Studies undertaken since 1985 suggest that a reasonable estimate of the total number of alcohol associated deaths would be around 25,000 per year in England and Wales.

  Deaths with underlying cause described as drug dependence or non dependent abuse of drugs by type of drug and year of registration of death in the United Kingdom are:

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  Morphine Type1

  65

  64

  77

  91

  97

  Cocaine

  1

  2

  2

  3

  0

  Cannabis

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  1 This category includes heroin, methadone, opium, opium alkaloids and their derivatives, and synthetic drugs with morphine-like effects.

  Deaths from poisoning by solid or liquid substances: accidental, suicidal and undetermined whether accidentally taken or purposely inflicted in Great Britain are:

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  Heroin

  22

  24

  36

  34

  44

  Cocaine

  5

  6

  4

  2

  10

  Cannabis

  2

  2

  3

  2

  4

  Reference:

  "Statistics of drug addicts notified to the Home Office, United Kingdom, 1992", Home Office Statistical Bulletin No. 15/93.

  Bed Occupancy
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute beds have been closed in each district health authority and each regional health authority in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally. Information collected centrally is on the average
  789
  daily number of beds available in each regional and district health authority in each of the last five years and is published in "Bed availability for England", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance or advice her Department has issued regarding bed occupancy rates; and what guidance or advice her Department has issued regarding bed occupancy requirements that may be laid down by health authorities;

  (2) what advice or guidance her Department has issued regarding the vacant bed rate in acute medical or surgical wards.

  Mr. Sackville
  Hospitals are expected to make the most efficient use of the beds they have available so that they closely match expected patient activity.

  Accident and Emergency Departments
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines or advice her Department has issued regarding waiting times for beds in accident and emergency departments.

  Mr. Sackville
  The chief executive of the National Health Service Management Executive has written to all health authorities today to ensure they agree explicit procedures with their hospital providers so that unacceptable delays do not occur. A copy of that letter is being placed in the Library.

  Ms Lynne:
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average waiting time for a patient waiting to be admitted from accident and emergency departments in each regional health authority in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  Community Psychiatric Nurses
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community psychiatric nurses were working within each regional health authority in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is shown in the table.

  Community Psychiatric Nursing staff by Region

  1988–92

  Whole time equivalents

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Northern

  190

  190

  200

  200

  370

  Yorkshire

  240

  250

  270

  370

  390

  Trent

  330

  330

  330

  330

  360

  East Anglia

  120

  130

  140

  160

  160

  North West Thames

  170

  200

  200

  230

  260

  North East Thames

  210

  250

  280

  290

  350

  South East Thames

  180

  210

  280

  240

  240

  South West Thames

  230

  240

  260

  210

  260

  Wessex

  210

  230

  210

  230

  260

  Oxford

  140

  160

  170

  180

  190

  South Western

  230

  310

  310

  340

  330

  West Midlands

  310

  360

  370

  390

  410

  Mersey

  200

  200

  220

  230

  240

  North Western

  300

  320

  340

  350

  400

  Special Health Authority

  10

  10

  10

  0

  10

  England

  3,080

  3,380

  3,600

  3,760

  4,210

  Notes:

  1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
  790
  2. Totals may not add due to rounding.

  Source: Department of Health annual census of NHS non-medical manpower.

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

  Mr. Sackville
  Information on the number of appeals outstanding is shown in the table. The number has dropped from just over 20,000 at 31 May 1993 to below 5,000 at 31 December 1993. No estimate of the total sum of arrears to be paid as a result of clinical grading appeals has been made. The Nursing and Midwifery Staffs Negotiating Council is currently discussing new procedures to speed up and streamline the appeals process. It is expected that all cases outstanding will be cleared before the end of 1995. Where a region has only a small number of appeals outstanding, all cases are expected to be cleared in the next few months.

  Outstanding clinical grading appeals situation as at 31 December 1993

  Region

  Employing authority level

  Regional authority level

  National level

  Total

  Trent

  0

  683

  68

  751

  North Western

  58

  502

  150

  710

  West Midlands

  134

  371

  52

  557

  Yorkshire

  31

  406

  111

  548

  North West Thames

  35

  350

  22

  407

  Mersey

  139

  123

  96

  358

  South West Thames

  0

  0

  321

  321

  North East Thames

  18

  219

  20

  257

  South Western

  0

  152

  63

  215

  Wessex

  0

  123

  50

  173

  South East Thames

  0

  118

  34

  152

  East Anglian

  0

  90

  58

  148

  Northern

  0

  0

  147

  147

  Oxford

  0

  0

  75

  75

  Total

  415

  3,137

  1,267

  4,819

  Notes

  The table has been put together based on information supplied by regional health authorities.

  Health Authorities, Cornwall
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the current non-executive directors and members of the Cornwall district health authority, Cornwall, Community healthcare trust and the Royal Cornwall hospitals trust, together with the dates when they were appointed and the period of their respective appointments.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  They are:

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly District Health Authority

  The Chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly district health authority is Mr. John Askham. He was appointed on 1 April 1990 and his current term of office expires on 31 March 1994. South Western regional health

  791
  authority is responsible for the appointment of non-executive members. The appointment of executive members is a matter for the district health authority itself.

  Cornwall Healthcare NHS trust

  The acting chairman of the Cornwall healthcare national health service trust is Major General Ian Baxter. The non-executive directors of the trust and their term of appointments are:

  Non-executive Director

  First appointed

  Current term of office expires

  Major General Ian Baxter

  1 April 1993

  31 October 1995

  Mr. Stuart Young

  1 April 1993

  31 October 1995

  Lady Frances Banham

  1 April 1993

  31 October 1995

  Mr. Alan Wilkes

  1 April 1993

  31 October 1995

  Mrs. Jean Dunkley

  1 April 1993

  31 October 1995

  Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

  The chairman of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS trust is Mr. John Williams. He was appointed on 1 December 1993 and his term of office expires on 30 November 1997.

  The non-executive directors of the trust and their terms of appointment are:

  Non-executive Director

  First appointed

  Current term of office expires

  Mr. Gilbert McCabe

  1 November 1991

  30 November 1997

  Mr. Edward Latham

  1 November 1991

  30 November 1997

  Mr. Colin Micklewright

  I November 1991

  30 November 1995

  Mrs. Doreen Henderson

  1 October 1992

  30 November 1995

  There is currently a vacancy among the non-executive directors following Mr. Williams' appointment as chairman.

  South West Regional Health Authority
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the current membership of the South West regional health authority together with the dates when they were appointed and the period of their respective appointments.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The chairman of the South Western regional health authority is Ms Rennie Fritchie. She was appointed on 1 August 1992 and her current term of office expires on 31 July 1994.

  The non-executive members of South Western regional health authority, and their terms of appointment are as follows:

  Non-executive director

  First appointed

  Current term of office expires

  Sir John Kingman

  26 July 1990

  31 October 1996

  Dame Margaret Fry

  26 July 1990

  31 October 1996

  Mr. Douglas Strachan

  1 November 1993

  31 October 1995

  Ms Nicolette Pain

  1 November 1993

  31 October 1995

  Mr. Upert Woodburn

  1 January 1993

  31 October 1996

  There is currently a vacancy on the board.

  The appointment of executive members of the regional health authority is a matter for the authority itself.
  792

  Community Care
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the estimated outturn expenditure on care in the community in 1993–94 and the comparable figures for the previous two financial years.

  Mr. Bowis
  The community care reforms started on 1 April 1993. The information is not therefore available in the form requested.

  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the planned expenditure on care in the community over each of the next three financial years; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  The information requested is not available centrally for the total expenditure on community care services.

  Psychiatric Beds
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) long-stay and (b) short-stay psychiatric beds have been closed in each regional health authority in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Bowis
  Information on specific bed closures is not available centrally but details of numbers of long-stay and short-stay psychiatric beds are published annually in "Bed Availability for England". The latest publication relating to 1992–93 is available in the Library.

  Patient S
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will institute an inquiry into the circumstances of the death of patient S on Sunday 16 January, following the removal of the feeding tube.

  Mr. Sackville
  No. We understand that Frenchay healthcare national health service trust followed the correct procedure by seeking a court declaration that it was lawful not to resume life sustaining treatment, and thereby to allow the patient to die peacefully.

  Hospital Beds (Waiting Times)
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether she will instigate an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the cases of a 94-year-old woman who spent 14 hours waiting for a bed at Leicester royal infirmary and a 22-year-old woman who waited 23 hours for a bed at King's College hospital, London; and if she will make a statement;

  (2) what discussions she has had with health authority or hospital managers regarding recent cases of patients facing long waits at Leicester royal infirmary and King's College hospital, London.

  Mr. Sackville
  We regard such waits as unacceptable. Our objective remains to ensure that patients requiring admission are given a bed on a suitable ward as soon as possible after a decision to admit and that their dignity and comfort are maintained during any waiting period.

  The chief executive of the National Health Service Management Executive has today written to all health authorities reminding them of their responsibility to ensure that specific procedures are in place so that hospitals with

  793
  whom they contract are able to respond promptly to short-term fluctuations in the emergency work load and that unacceptable delays do not occur.

  Smear Tests
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the number of women receiving smear tests by region for the latest available year and the percentage of those who develop carcinomas before their recall ; and what is the recall period for each region.

  Mr. Sackville
  The number of women receiving smear tests by region for the latest available year is shown in the table. Information on interval cancers is not available centrally. District health authorities screen on at least a five yearly basis, though others screen more frequently in accordance with local health circumstances and priorities. Information on the frequency of screening by DHA is not currently routinely collected.

  Response to invitations, all ages, by Regional Health Authority 1991–92

  Regional Health Authority

  Number invited

  Screened

  England Total

  2,162,443

  1,030,672

  Northern

  168,160

  97,523

  Yorkshire

  113,454

  67,377

  Trent

  208,265

  124,192

  East Anglia

  104,557

  66,310

  North West Thames

  139,761

  40,634

  North East Thames

  204,111

  43,733

  South East Thames

  138,091

  42,363

  South West Thames

  172,637

  74,514

  Wessex

  108,242

  56,165

  Oxford

  104,223

  64,028

  South Western

  152,279

  92,138

  West Midlands

  294,017

  146,145

  Mersey

  87,631

  36,862

  North Western

  167,015

  78,688

TRANSPORT

  Rail Freight
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when Railtrack's track access charges for freight rail services will be(a) agreed and (b) made public.

  Mr. Freeman
  Access charges, to be in place when Railtrack is vested, for existing rail freight services are being negotiated between Railtrack and the British Railways Board. Access charges for new rail freight services are a matter for commercial negotiation between the parties concerned. There is no general intention to publish access charges for each individual freight service because of commercial confidentiality. The publication of information by the rail regulator will be governed by sections 71 and 72 of the Railways Act 1993.

  Motor Cycling
  Mr. Waller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people currently hold full motor cycle licences; and if he will arrange for this information to be included in his Department's annual publication "Transport Statistics Great Britain".

  Mr. Key
  Reliable estimates are not available. In 1989, the drivers census conducted by the Driver and Vehicle 794
  Licensing Agency found some 4·75 million licence holders with full motor cycle entitlement. DVLA records contain some license holders who have subsequently died and many who have not ridden a motor cycle for many years. The number is likely to be an overestimate of the number of active riders. Because these statistics are unreliable they are not published in "Transport Statistics Great Britain".

  Vehicle Licensing (Deregulation)
  Mr. Keith Hill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the organisations which were invited to respond to his consultation on the deregulation of vehicle licensing, and those which responded.

  Mr. Key
  The Department is playing a full and active part in the Government's deregulation review. We are currently examining the whole range of regulations administered by the Department, including vehicle licensing. Formal consultation will take place when proposals for change have been identified.

  Smoke Tests
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the detailed specifications of the metered check of smoke to be introduced into the MOT test on 1 February.

  Mr. Key
  The metered check of smoke being introduced into the MOT test on 1 February is for light duty diesel-engined vehicles. The detailed specifications of the check are contained in the MOT tester's inspection manual. I have placed a copy of the relevant pages of the manual in the Library.

  Trunk Roads
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria have to be met for an A class trunk road to be designated as an A(M) road; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Key
  There is provision at section 16(5)(b) of the Highways Act 1980 for an existing all-purpose trunk road to be designated a motorway.

  To come up to full motorway standard the road would need to meet the physical requirements for motorways. Designation as a motorway would also mean that certain classes of traffic would be prevented from using the road.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many cases the Child Support Agency is currently dealing with in(a) Scunthorpe and (b) South Humberside.

  Mr. Burt
  Information in the form requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I would, however, refer the hon. Member to the national report of the agency's performance, which is placed in the Library each month.

  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the staff of the Child Support Agency are on performance-related pay.
  795
  Mr. Burt
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from R. Hepplewhite to Mr. John Spellar, dated 19 January 1994:

  I have been asked to reply to your Question to the Secretary of State about the number of staff in the Child Support Agency who receive performance related pay.

  The Agency operates its performance related pay scheme within the terms of the new national pay arrangements agreed by the Treasury and the Civil Service Trades Unions. These new arrangements have created a stronger link between pay and performance by replacing automatic annual increments with performance related progression. The level of any individual's performance related progression is governed by the Agency's personal review system.

  In this system, each individual is set a number of challenging work and personal objectives, tailored to meet each person's experience and ability. Performance related pay is awarded in recognition of the level of individual performance achieved, maintained over a number of years.

  The Agency now employs 4,937 staff all of whom are eligible for consideration for an award of performance related pay based upon the agreed arrangements which are available for inspection in the Library.

  I hope you will find this reply helpful.

  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the gross annual budget of the Child Support Agency.

  Mr. Burt
  The Child Support Agency's gross allocation for 1993–94 is £119·8 million.

  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many staff employed by the Child Support Agency are on performance-related pay.

  Mr. Burt
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Warley, West (Mr. Spellar) by the chief executive of the Child Support Agency on 19 January.

  Unemployment Benefit
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money was paid by his Department in unemployment benefit in each of the last five years; and what was the average number of people in receipt of unemployment benefit in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Burt
  The information for the latest five years for which figures are available is in the table:

  Unemployment benefit expenditure

  £ million

  1987–88

  1,468

  1988–89

  1,107

  1989–90

  733

  1990–91

  870

  1991–92

  1,604

  Average number of people receiving unemployment benefit

  Number

  1987–88

  815,000

  1988–89

  600,000

  1989–90

  375,000

  1990–91

  425,000

  1991–92

  675,000

  796
  Notes:

  1. Amounts of benefit are rounded to the nearest £ million.

  2. Numbers of beneficiaries are rounded to the nearest five thousand.

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals for disability living allowance have been lodged with the independent tribunal service in each month since its introduction.

  Mr. Scott
  The information requested is not available for any month prior to April 1992. The available information is in the table.

  Month

  Number of Appeals

  1992

  April

  45

  May

  149

  June

  117

  July

  177

  August

  204

  September

  178

  October

  373

  November

  496

  December

  520

  1993

  January

  704

  February

  1,296

  March

  963

  April

  3,607

  May

  2,182

  June

  3,044

  July

  3,789

  August

  3,277

  September

  3,162

  October

  2,400

  November

  2,385

  December

  2,090

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the amount of time taken by the independent tribunal service to deal with appeals, relating to disability living allowance.

  Mr. Scott
  The average length of time taken by the independent tribunal service to clear an appeal on disability living allowance is 14 weeks. Work is in hand to reduce this time.

  Retired People
  Sir Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many men under 65 years of age are(a) retired, (b) unclassified because their wives work over 16 hours a week and (c) classified in some other way for the same reason;

  (2) how many men aged over 58 years are (a) retired, (b) unemployed and (c) unclassified because their wives are working more than 16 hours per week;

  (3) how many women under 60 years of age are (a) retired, (b) unclassified because their husbands work over 16 hours per week and (c) classified in some other way when they have taken early retirement.

  Mr. Burt
  The information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.
  797

  Table 1

  Numbers registered as unemployed

  Number

  Men aged under 65

  2,135,000

  Men aged 60 and over

  48,000

  Women aged under 60

  624,000

  Table 2

  Numbers registered unemployed receiving neither unemployment benefit nor income support

  Number

  Men aged under 65

  229,000

  Men aged 60 and over

  9,000

  Women under 60

  106,000

  Source: Figures are taken from the half-yearly analysis of unemployed claimants available in the Library.

  Note: The latest available figures are as at 13 May 1993 and are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  Sir Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the average age of retirement for(a) men and (b) women for each year since 1979.

  Mr. Hague
  The information is not available. Lone Parents

  Lone Parents
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish figures similar to those in his Department's tax-benefit model table, including the various component figures, showing net weekly spending power of a lone parent with children aged one and three years where(a) the parent is on income support, (b) the parent takes employment for 15 hours a week at £4 per hour, with £7·50 per week travel costs and £30 per week child care costs, (c) the parent takes employment for 20 hours a week at £3 an hour, with £10 per week travel costs and £40 per week child care costs and (d) the parent takes employment for 30 hours a week at £3 an hour, with £10 per week travel costs and £40 per week child care costs, assuming that the new child care allowance for lone parents is in operation.

  Mr. Hague
  The information requested is in the table. The level of child care and travel costs specified in the question are significantly higher than those typically encountered for lone parents at the level of earnings specified. Recent research1 shows that the average weekly child care costs of working lone parents are £24·60 a week.

  Changes in the level of Unemployment Benefit since 1979

  Personal Benefit

  Increase for Dependent

  Standard Rate

  Adult

  Child

  2 April 1979

  100

  100

  100

  15 November 1979

  117

  117

  200

  27 November 1980

  131

  131

  147

  26 November 1981

  143

  143

  94

  25 November 1982

  159

  158

  35

  24 November 1983

  172

  171

  18

  26 November 1984

  181

  180

  1—

  28 November 1985

  193

  193

  1—

  31 July 1986

  196

  195

  1—

  9 April 1987

  200

  199

  1—

  14 April 1988

  208

  207

  1—

  10 April 1989

  220

  219

  1—

  9 April 1990

  237

  236

  1—

  11 April 1991

  263

  262

  1—

  9 April 1992

  274

  273

  1—

  15 April 1993

  283

  283

  1—

  798
  1"Families, Work, and Benefits" (Policy Studies Institute, June 1993).

  Lone parent with two children aged 1 and 3

  Earnings and benefit as at October 1994 (£)

  (a)

  (b)

  (c)

  (d)

  Gross earnings

  0·00

  60·00

  60·00

  90·00

  Tax

  0·00

  0·00

  0·00

  0·00

  National Insurance contributions

  0·00

  1·44

  1·44

  4·44

  Take home pay

  0·00

  58·56

  58·56

  85·56

  Income support

  67·55

  23·99

  0·00

  0·00

  Free welfare foods

  5·18

  5·18

  0·00

  0·00

  Family credit

  0·00

  0·00

  66·70

  66·70

  Child benefit

  24·60

  24·60

  24·60

  24·60

  Rent

  32·54

  32·54

  32·54

  32·54

  Rent rebate

  32·54

  32·54

  32·54

  23·73

  Council tax

  7·65

  7·65

  7·65

  7·65

  Council tax benefit

  7·65

  7·65

  7·65

  4·94

  Total net income

  137·52

  152·52

  190·05

  208·24

  Income net of rent and council tax

  97·33

  112·33

  149·86

  168·05

  Childcare and travel costs

  0·00

  37·50

  50·00

  50·00

  Income net of housing, childcare and travel costs

  97·33

  74·83

  99·86

  118·05

  (a) Parent on income support.

  (b) Parent takes employment for 15 hours a week at £4 per hour, child care costs of £30 per week and travel to work costs of £7·50 per week.

  (c) Parent takes employment for 20 hours a week at £3 per hour, child care costs of £40 per week and travel to work costs of £10 per week.

  (d) Parent takes employment for 30 hours a week at £3 per hour, child care costs of £40 per week and travel to work costs of £10 per week.

  Notes The tables include the following information:

  1. April 1994 benefit rates.

  2. April 1993 rates for rent, council tax and welfare foods.

  Benefits
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes have taken place in the rate of unemployment benefit, plus other benefits payable to a married man with two children on average wages since 1979, using the rate for that year as 100.

  Mr. Burt
  Information is in the tables. The only benefit payable to a married man with two children on average earnings is child benefit.
  799
  Note: 1979 rate = 100

  1—Child dependency abolished 26 November 1984.

  Source: Social Security Statistics 1993.

  Unemployment Benefit—Earnings Related Supplement

  Maximum weekly rate

  7 January 1979 to 5 January 1980

  100

  6 January 1980 to 2 January 1981

  109

  4 January 1981 to 2 January 1982

  86

  Note:

  1. 1979 rate=100

  2. Abolished for new claimants from 3 January 1982 and for all claimants from 30 June 1982.

  Source: Social Security Statistics 1983.

  Changes in the level of Child Benefit since 1979

  Child Benefit

  First Child

  Each other child

  2 April 1979

  100

  100

  24 November 1980

  119

  119

  23 November 1981

  131

  131

  22 November 1982

  146

  146

  21 November 1983

  163

  163

  26 November 1984

  171

  171

  25 November 1985

  175

  175

  28 July 1986

  178

  178

  6 April 1987

  181

  181

  8 April 1991

  206

  181

  7 October 1991

  231

  188

  6 April 1992

  241

  195

  12 April 1993

  250

  203

  Note: 1 1979 rate=100

  Source: Social Security Statistics 1983.

  Social Security Statistics 1993.

  National Insurance
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out the total amount of the Treasury supplement to the national insurance scheme in each year since 1979; and what is the estimated amount in each of the next three years.

  Mr. Hague
  The information is in the table:

  Year

  Sum paid into NI fund

  (£ million)

  1979–80

  12,343

  1980–81

  12,848

  1981–82

  12,433

  1982–83

  12,591

  1983–84

  12,807

  1984–85

  12,597

  1985–86

  12,163

  1986–87

  12,412

  1987–88

  12,135

  1988–89

  11,653

  1989–90

  2nil

  1990–91

  2nil

  1991–92

  2nil

  1992–93

  2nil

  1993–94

  37,589

  1994–95

  6,280

  1995–96

  45,000

  1996–97

  45,300

  1 Treasury supplement.

  2 The Treasury supplement was abolished from 1989.

  800
  3 Treasury grant from 1993 onwards.

  4 Estimated figures provided by the Government Actuary's Department and rounded to nearest £100 million.

  Incapacity Benefit
  Mr. Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to hs answer of 17 January,Official Report, column 299, if he will provide the names and the organisations represented in the experts convened as a group to consider the details of the proposed objective medical test for incapacity benefit.

  Mr. Scott
  We have asked that panel members respect confidentiality until the exercise is completed. Subsequently, we intend to publish a report containing the membership of the panel, a summary of its work and findings and the results of the evaluation exercise.

  The report will be published before regulations are laid.

  Mr. Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the estimated savings to his Department of abolishing age allowances for claimants of incapacity benefit who are over 45 years of age.

  Mr. Scott
  [holding answer 17 January 1994]: It is estimated that abolishing the age allowances for people receiving the long-term rate of incapacity benefit who become incapacitated aged over 45 will provide net savings of less than £5 million in 1995–96 and around £15 million in 1996–97.

  Note: Estimates, expressed in constant 1993–94 prices, are rounded to the nearest £5 million and are net of income-related benefit offsets. The estimates take account of the planned changes to additional pension and adult dependency increases.

  Mr. Bradley
  To ask the the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the estimated savings to his Department of abolishing the additional pension with the introduction of incapacity benefit.

  Mr. Scott
  [holding answer 17 January 1994]: It is estimated that abolishing additional pension for people who start receiving long-term incapacity benfit after April 1995 will produce net -savings of around £20 million in 1995–96 and around £130 million in 1996–97.

  Note: Estimates, expressed in constant 1993–94 prices, are rounded to the nearest £10 million and are net of offsetting changes in expenditure on age allowances and income-related benefits.

  Mr. Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the estimated savings to his Department of delaying payment of a higher rate of incapacity benefit after a year.

  Mr. Scott
  [holding answer 17 January 1994]: It is estimated that extending the qualifying period for the long-term of incapacity benefit will produce net savings of around £110 million in 1995–96 and around £150 million in 1996–97.

  Notes

  1. Estimates expressed in constant 1993–94 prices, are rounded to the nearest £10 million and are net of offsetting changes in income-related benefit expenditure.

  2. Estimates take account of the effect on incapacity benefit recipients of the planned changes in the qualifying conditions for the disability premium paid with the income-related benefits.
  801

  Rugby Union (Benefits)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to examine the charging of national insurance contributions arising from financial and other rewards derived from playing Rugby Union football.

  Mr. Hague
  If it emerged that players, contrary to the rules of the Rugby Football Union, receive payments for playing, the Contributions Agency would consider whether liability to national insurance contributions arises and, if so, require payment in the normal way.

  Invalidity Benefit
  Mr.Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many invalidity benefit claimants are aged under 58 years and to receive the higher rate of the care component of the disability living allowance.

  Mr.Scott
  [holding answer 17 January 1994] On a April 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 765,000 people under the age of 58 receiving invalidity benefit1. Reliable estimates of the number of invalidity benefit claimants not receiving the higher rate care component of disability living allowance are not available.

  Note:

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

  Mr. Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State of Social Security how many and what percentage of invalidity benefit claimants have adult dependants, by age of dependant.

  Mr. Scott
  [holding Answer 17 January 1994]: The Information is in the table.

  Adult Dependency Increases Paid with Invalidity Benefit

  Invalidity Benefit recipients at 4 April 1992

  Number

  Number as a percentage of all Invalidity Benefit recipients

  Total caseload

  1,440,000

  100

  Recipients receiving an adult dependency increase

  445,000

  31

  Increase payable for adult dependant aged under 30

  10,000

  1

  Increase payable for dependant aged 30–39

  40,000

  3

  Increase payable for dependant aged 40–49

  55,000

  4

  Increase payable Tor dependant aged 50–59

  135,000

  9

  Increase payable for dependant aged 60–69

  195,000

  14

  Increase payable for dependant aged over 70

  5,000

  *

  Notes:

  (i) All figures are rounded ot the nearest 5,00; totals mary not sum due to rounding

  (ii) Percentages are rounded to the nearest 1 per cent. "*" denotes a figure of less than 0·5 per cent.

  Sources:

  (a) Estimates of the age of adult dependants using data drawn from the 1989, 1990 and 1991 family expenditure surveys.

  (b) Estimates of the total number of invalidity benefit recipients, and the total number receiving adult dependency increases, are based on a 1 per cent. sample of climants in Great Britain at 4 April 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, rounded to the nearest thousand.
  802
  Mr. Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentage of invalidity benefit claimants have adult dependants under the age of 60 years where no allowances for child dependants are in payment.

  Mr. Scott
  [holding answer 17 January 1994]: The information is in the table.

  Adult dependency increases paid with Invalidity Benefit

  Invalidity Benefit recipients at 4 April 1992

  Number

  Number as a percentage of all Invalidity Benefit recipients

  Total caseload

  1,440,000

  100

  Recipients receiving an increase for an adult dependent under the age of 60, where no increase for a child dependant is payable

  170,000

  12

  Notes:

  i. All figures are rounded to the nearest 5,000.

  ii. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 1 per cent.

  Sources:

  a. Estimates of the age of adult dependants obtained using data drawn from the 1989, 1990 and 1991 family expenditure surveys.

  b. Estimates of the total number of invalidity benefit recipients, and the total number receiving adult dependency increases, are based on a 1 per cent. sample of claimants in Great Britain at 4 April 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, rounded to the nearest thousand.

  War Pension Unit
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how claims being processed by the war pensions unit at Norcross, Blackpool have been affected by asbestos being found in a Ministry of Defence building where records are kept; when he expects the claims will be processed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hague
  This is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

  Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. George Foulkes, dated 19 January 1994:

  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the effect of asbestos in a Ministry of Defence (MOD) building on claims being processed by the War Pension Unit.

  In June 1993, asbestos contaminated dust was discovered at the MOD Records, Hayes. Since that date, the MOD have been unable to provide full service documents for War Pension claims.

  In September 1993, contingency plans were introduced which included the MOD going into the contaminated areas to retrieve the relevant documents for particularly urgent claims, such as those from the terminally ill.

  The decontamination exercise started on 10 January 1994 and is due to be completed by April 1994. Those claims not covered by the contingency plans will be dealt with as a matter of urgency as the MOD records become available.

  I hope my reply has been helpful.

EMPLOYMENT

  Ministerial Cars
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will quantify the cost of the factors which led to an increase in the cost of cars for Ministers in her Department since 1990–91.
  803
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The level of charges for ministerial cars is determined centrally by the Government car service. In the two financial years since 1990–91, there have been two major price rises which have increased our costs. An additional factor is that from April 1991, car charges were subject to the higher rate of VAT. In the same period, there has been no increase in the number of allocated vehicles.

  Wages
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of(a) manual, (b) non manual, (c) all, (d) male, (e) female, (f) full and (g) part-time workers on adult rates earn less than £2·40, £2·60, £2·80, £3·00, £3·20, £3·40, £3·60, £3·80, £4·00, £4·40, £4·80, £5·20, £5·60 and £6 per hour, including and excluding overtime, in Yorkshire and Humberside, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Humberside, the north and Great Britain.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information available from the new earnings survey is contained in tables. I have arranged for copies to be available in the Library.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of full-time(a) male, (b) female, (c) manual, (d) non-manual and (e) all workers on adult rates earn less than £100, £120, £140, £150, £160, £170, £180, £190, £200, £210, £220, £250, £300 and £340 per week, including and excluding overtime, in Yorkshire and Humberside, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Humberside, the North and Great Britain.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information from the new earnings survey can be found in tables. I have arranged for copies to be available in the Library.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average hourly and weekly pay, including and excluding overtime, for both full-time(a) manual, (b) non-manual and (c) all men and women on adult rates in Yorkshire and Humberside, the north and Great Britain in 1970, 1975, 1984 and the latest available year.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information requested for 1975, 1984 and 1993 can be found in part E of the new earnings survey for each of those years. Details of average weekly earnings and of the overtime component together with average hourly earnings excluding overtime are published in tables 108 to 113. Details of average hourly earnings including overtime are published in tables 122 and 123.

  Average earnings excluding overtime is not available for 1970. Average weekly and hourly earnings including overtime for 1970 is provided in the table:
  804

  Full-time employees—pay unaffected by absence: April 1970

  Average gross weekly earnings

  Average gross hourly earnings

  including overtime

  excluding overtime

  including overtime

  excluding overtime

  £

  £

  £

  £

  Manual men

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  25·8

  —

  0·54

  —

  North

  26·3

  —

  0·56

  —

  Great Britain

  26·9

  —

  0·57

  —

  Non-manual men

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  32·9

  —

  0·83

  —

  North

  33·5

  —

  0·85

  —

  Great Britain

  35·8

  —

  0·90

  —

  All men

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  27·9

  —

  0·61

  —

  North

  28·5

  —

  0·63

  —

  Great Britain

  30·0

  —

  0·67

  —

  Manual women

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  12·6

  —

  0·32

  —

  North

  12·6

  —

  0·31

  —

  Great Britain

  13·4

  —

  0·33

  —

  Non-manual women

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  16·3

  —

  0·44

  —

  North

  16·4

  —

  0·43

  —

  Great Britain

  17·8

  —

  0·48

  —

  All women

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  14·9

  —

  0·39

  —

  North

  15·0

  —

  0·39

  —

  Great Britain

  16·3

  —

  0·43

  —

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide the latest figures for numbers of full-time employees on adult rates in(a) Greater Manchester, (b) Merseyside, (c) Cheshire, (d) Lancashire and (e) the north-west region whose weekly earnings excluding overtime were less than £220 and less than £200 under the headings of manual males, non-manual males, all full-time males, manual females, non-manual females, and all full-time females, giving total numbers of employees in the sample in each case; and what is the number of part-time employees on adult rates in (i) Greater Manchester, (ii) Merseyside, (iii) Cheshire, (iv) Lancashire and (v) the north-west region whose hourly earnings excluding overtime were less than £6 and less than £5·30 under the headings of manual females, non-manual females, all part-time females, manual males, non-manual males, and all part-time males, giving total number of employees in the sample in each case.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information available from the new earnings survey is provided in the following tables:
  805

  Full-time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was not affected by absence for the survey pay period Number in sample and percentage with gross weekly earnings (exluding overtime) below the following amounts: April 1993

  £200

  £220

  Number in sample

  Percent.

  Number in sample

  Per cent.

  Manual men

  Greater Manchester

  592

  38·2

  799

  51·5

  Merseyside

  231

  32·4

  311

  43·6

  Cheshire

  217

  34·1

  269

  42·3

  Lancashire

  340

  40·9

  450

  54·2

  North West region

  1,380

  37·0

  1,829

  49·0

  Non-mauual men

  Greater Manchester

  285

  16·0

  352

  19·9

  Merseyside

  162

  19·1

  205

  24·2

  Cheshire

  66

  8·9

  93

  12·6

  Lancashire

  147

  18·6

  177

  22·3

  North West region

  660

  15·9

  828

  19·9

  All men

  Greater Manchester

  877

  26·4

  1,152

  34·6

  Merseyside

  393

  25·2

  516

  33·1

  Cheshire

  283

  20·6

  362

  26·3

  Lancashire

  487

  30·0

  627

  38·6

  North West region

  2,040

  25·9

  2,657

  33·7

  Manual women

  Greater Manchester

  298

  81·9

  390

  87·9

  Merseyside

  108

  76·6

  123

  87·2

  Cheshire

  97

  77·0

  109

  86·5

  Lancashire

  154

  80·6

  171

  89·5

  North West region

  657

  79·9

  723

  88·0

  Non-manual women

  Greater Manchester

  661

  41·3

  830

  51·9

  Merseyside

  329

  39·0

  417

  49·4

  Cheshire

  250

  42·2

  303

  51·2

  Lancashire

  335

  47·1

  404

  56·7

  North West region

  1,575

  42·0

  1,954

  52·1

  All women

  Greater Manchester

  959

  48·8

  1,150

  58·6

  Merseyside

  437

  44·4

  540

  54·8

  Cheshire

  347

  48·3

  412

  57·4

  Lancashire

  489

  54·2

  575

  63·7

  North West region

  2,232

  48·8

  2,677

  58·6

  Part-time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was not affected by absence for the survey pay period Number in sample and percentage with gross hourly earnings (excluding overtime) below the following amounts: April 1993

  £5·30

  £6·00

  Number in sample

  Per cent.

  Number in sample

  Per cent.

  Manual women

  Greater Manchester

  327

  91·1

  342

  95·3

  Merseyside

  222

  93·3

  229

  96·2

  Cheshire

  133

  85·3

  143

  91·7

  Lancashire

  195

  92·9

  201

  95·7

  North West region

  877

  91·1

  915

  95·0

  Non-manual women

  Greater Manchester

  420

  69·7

  459

  76·1

  Merseyside

  211

  60·8

  243

  70·0

  Cheshire

  174.

  65·4

  191

  71·8

  Lancashire

  192

  61·7

  225

  72·3

  North West region

  997

  65·3

  1,118

  73·2

  All women

  Greater Manchester

  747

  77·7

  801

  83·3

  Merseyside

  433

  74·0

  472

  80·7

  Cheshire

  307

  72·7

  334

  79·1

  Lancashire

  387

  74·3

  426

  81·8

  North West Region

  1,874

  75·3

  2,033

  81·6

  Manual men

  Greater Manchester

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Merseyside

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  806 807

  £5·30

  £6·00

  Number in sample

  Per cent.

  Number in sample

  Per cent.

  Cheshire

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Lancashire

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  North West region

  116

  82·9

  126

  90·0

  Non-manual men

  Greater Manchester

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Merseyside

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Cheshire

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Lancashire

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  North West region

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  All men

  Greater Manchester

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Merseyside

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Cheshire

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Lancashire

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  North West region

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Consultancies
  Ms Abbott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the(a) accountancy firms and (b) merchant banks to which his Department awarded private consultancy work in 1992 and 1993, together with a list of the consultancies concerned and the amount paid.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information in the form requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Labour Statistics
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of Lewisham's work force were employed in jobs in central London for each year from 1975.

  Miss Widdecombe
  This information is only available from the special workplace statistics from the census of population. The 1981 census of population shows that 73 per cent. of the economically active residents in the London borough of Lewisham had their workplace within the Inner London boroughs, including Lewisham. Data from the 1991 census of population are not yet available.

  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list for six-monthly periods from January 1979 to date how many of the vacancies notified to jobcentres in the United Kingdom were(a) full time and part time and (b) permanent and temporary.

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

  Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Tony Lloyd, dated 20 January 1994:

  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of vacancies notified to Jobcentres since 1979.

  The Employment Servcie (ES) collects information for Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom. I enclose tables showing

  (a) part time and full time vacancies, and

  (b) temporary and permanent vacancies

  notified to Jobcentres in Great Britain from April 1986.

  There are differences in the six monthly periods used to compile the two tables. This is because until March 1992 the data was compiled at the end of alternative quarters.
  808
  Prior to 1986 the figures for vacancies notified to Jobcentres were collected manually. To obtain this information would require direct approaches to my local offices. Given the size of the ES network this would incur disproportionate costs.

  I hope this is helpful.

  Details of part-time and full-time vacancies

  Date

  Part-time vacancies

  Full time vacancies

  April—June 1986

  187,058

  423,706

  July—December 1986

  403,005

  947,479

  January—June 1987

  349,218

  832,774

  July—December 1987

  401,764

  1,005,099

  January—June 1988

  348,598

  883,485

  July—December 1988

  392,548

  1,024,335

  January—June 1989

  336,320

  864,697

  July—December 1989

  401,504

  1,027,841

  January—June 1990

  328,216

  809,571

  July—December 1990

  351,608

  807,837

  January—June 1991

  325,348

  593,159

  July 1991—March 19921

  456,191

  924,557

  April—September 1992

  323,651

  695,470

  October 1992—March 1993

  305,278

  592,673

  April—September 1993

  371,027

  794,856

  1 In March 1992 the system of collection of information was changed bringing the accounting periods into line.

  Details of permanent and temporary vacancies

  Date

  Permanent vacancies

  Temporary vacancies

  April—September 1986

  836,250

  471,085

  October 1986—March 1987

  790,519

  388,473

  April—September 1987

  970,193

  437,786

  October 1987—March 1988

  852,430

  357,497

  April—September 1988

  1,088,605

  372,541

  October 1988—March 1989

  950,838

  289,433

  April—September 1989

  11,028,703

  1409,877

  October 1989—March 1990

  1878,333

  1331,594

  April—September 1990

  989,679

  258,667

  October 1990—March 1991

  713,730

  237,365

  April—September 1991

  828,290

  263,010

  October 1991—March 1992

  694,625

  218,167

  April—September 1992

  821,263

  197,858

  October 1992—March 1993

  712,847

  185,104

  April—September 1993

  913,127

  252,756

  1 Estimated.

  809

  Youth Training
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will list the numbers and percentages of youth training trainees in each training and enterprise council area in the north-west who have employed or trainee status, shown by sex, ethnic origin and disability;

  (2) what is the latest information on the destinations of youth training trainees in each training and enterprise council area in the north-west, showing the destinations of trainees by ethnic origin, sex and disability.

  Miss Widdecombe
  As the information is contained in a number of tables, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy in the Library.

  Access to Work Scheme
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of Slate for Employment if he will outline the results of research carried out by his Department on the attitude of disabled employees and prospective employees on the introduction of employer's contributions under his Department's access to work proposals; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 16 December 1993,Official Report, column 858.

  Careers Services
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the organisations(a) which tendered and (b) which were chosen to provide careers services in each of the pathfinder areas.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Information on organisations tendering to provide careers services is commercial-in-confidence. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will announce those organisations with whom he will contract when negotiations are finalised.

  Pit Closures
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many job losses have occurred in each of the Durham coal mines as a result of(a) closure and (b) proposed closure.

  Mr. Eggar
  I have been asked to reply. British Coal has supplied me with the following information concerning its deep-mines in the Durham area:

  Colliery

  Men on colliery books at 13 October 1992

  Men on colliery books at 15 January 1994

  Easington

  1,331

  0

  Vane Tempest

  873

  0

  Wearmouth

  929

  27

  Westoe

  1,170

  0

PRIME MINISTER

  Councils of Ministers
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Prime Minister what proposals he has made, in the light of the decisions of the European Councils in Edinburgh 1992 and Brussels 1993,810
  to increase the transparency and accountability of decision making, including the recording of votes of each member state, at meetings of European Community Councils of Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  We supported the Council decision of 6 December on the publication of Council votes; and we shall routinely provide to Parliament all consequent published information, which will be made available in the Library of the House. We have also encouraged the Danish and Belgian presidencies in holding a number of open Council sessions.

  Honours List
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Prime Minister what is(a) the number of each honour granted in the new year's honours list and (b) the number of each such honour was awarded to (i) public servants, (ii) civil servants, (iii) officers of the armed forces, (iv) other members of the armed forces and (v) for political services.

  The Prime Minister
  My honours recommendations for the new year list contained 970 names. The breakdown of awards is as follows:

  Number

  Life Peer

  2

  Privy Counsellor

  2

  CH

  3

  Knight

  30

  GCB

  I

  KCB

  2

  CB

  14

  GCMG

  1

  CMG

  2

  DBE

  3

  CBE

  98

  OBE

  241

  MBE

  571

  Around 180 awards were granted to public servants—people working, for example, in health, education, the police, the fire service, public transport and local government—and 170 awards to state servants, including civil servants. These awards were given for their work as public and civil servants. Some of the awards given for voluntary work may also have gone to public or state servants, but it is not possible to identify these. Forty-nine awards went to individuals either for their political or for their political and public service. Awards to members of the armed forces are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.

  Value Added Tax (Domestic Fuel)
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Prime Minister how many representations he has received(a) in favour of and (b) against the imposition of value added tax on domestic fuel.

  The Prime Minister
  I have received a substantial number of representations on this subject.

  Arms Sales Register
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will report what progress he has made in establishing the register of arms sales announced after the European Council meeting on 8 May 1991.
  811
  The Prime Minister
  I called for a United Nations register of conventional arms transfers at the Luxembourg European Council on 8 April 1991.

  The United Nations General Assembly voted on 9 December 1991 to establish such a register, covering seven major weapons systems, with first returns due on 30 April 1993. The United Kingdom submitted its return to the United Nations Secretary-General on 29 April 1993. The return covered arms imports and exports for the calendar year 1992, including background information; a copy was placed in the Library of the House.

  The report of the United Nations Secretary-General, published last October, included returns from some 80 countries.

  The United Kingdom will seek to build on this successful start to the initiative to improve its effectiveness; we will be represented on a United Nations panel of experts shortly to discuss the operation and expansion of the register.

  Mr. Frank Machon
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister what record his Office has of telephone conversations held between his predecessor and Mr. Frank Machon of Glasgow in(a) October 1988, (b) February 1989 and (c) March 1989.

  The Prime Minister
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to him on 18 January 1994,Official Report, column 456.

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 20 January.

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

  Iraq
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister what medical evidence he has received from the doctor accompanying the right hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Sir E. Heath) on his recent visit to Iraq, from Harvard medical school, and from the hon. Members for Glasgow, Hillhead (Mr. Galloway) and for Linlithgow; and if he will reconsider his policy on United Nations sanctions against Iraq.

  The Prime Minister
  We have received various reports about the health conditions in Iraq and are aware that they continue to deteriorate. No medical evidence was passed to us by the doctor accompanying the right hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Sir E. Heath) on his recent visit to Iraq.

  Medical supplies have never been subject to sanctions. Our quarrel is not with the people of Iraq but with Saddam's regime.

  The Security Council again concluded on 18 January that there were no grounds for lifting sanctions against Iraq.
  812

  British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Prime Minister what public funds are currently made available(a) through the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and (b) through other channels to finance the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body; what has been the level of such fundings in each of the years since it commenced; what is the purpose of those funds; what information he has relating to the expenditure by that body upon travel, hotel accommodation and refreshments in each of those years; by whom that expenditure was incurred; and if he will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 17 January 1994]: The British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body is funded jointly by the British Government, through a grant in aid from Her Majesty's Treasury administered by the British group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and by the Irish Government's Department of Foreign Affairs. The body was established in 1990 to provide a forum for British and Irish parliamentarians to discuss Anglo-Irish relations. Twenty-five Members of Parliament and 25 members of the Oireachtas belong.

  Two plenary conferences are held each year, one in the United Kingdom and one in Ireland. There is a steering committee and four separate committees tasked to study and prepare reports on a range of issues including political, economic, social, cultural, educational and environmental matters. Since 1990 British Government expenditure has been as follows:

  £

  1989–90

  Total expenditure

  46,757

  Accommodation

  7,006

  Travel/transport

  1,442

  Refreshments

  8,489

  1990–91

  Total expenditure

  64,998

  Accommodation

  639

  Travel/transport

  10,826

  Refreshments

  2,539

  1991–92

  Total expenditure

  98,310

  Accommodation

  16,150

  Travel/transport

  23,280

  Refreshments

  11,214

  1992–93

  Total expenditure

  78,352

  Accommodation

  9,616

  Travel/transport

  13,798

  Refreshments

  4,814

  1993–94

  Final expenditure figures for the year are not yet available but are forecast to fall within the budget.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Prime Minister when he will reply to the letter of 18 January 1993 from the hon. Member for North Cornwall on the subject of compensation for Gulf war widows; and if he will give reasons for the delay.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 18 January 1994]: As the hon. Member knows, he has received replies

  813
  from my principal private secretary and from me. I am aware, however, that a decision is awaited on the matter at issue and I hope that conclusions can be reached shortly.

DEFENCE

  Land Mines
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many land mines were exported to the former Yugoslavia from 1975 to the imposition of the trade embargo; and what information he has as to their deployment.

  Mr. Aitken
  My Department has no record of any exports of land mines to the former Yugoslavia.

  Defence Organisations
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the benefits to the United Kingdom of continued membership of(a) NATO, (b) the Western European Union and (c) politico-military co-operation within the European Union; and what is the annual cost of United Kingdom participation in each defence organisation.

  Mr. Hanley
  This Government are committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation—NATO—which remains essential to peace and stability in Europe, and is the principal guarantor of our security. We also support the development of a European security and defence identity compatible with NATO, and will therefore continue to play a full part in developing the Western European Union—WEU—as a means of strengthening the European pillar of NATO and as the defence component of the European Union. As a member of the European Union, the United Kingdom will participate in the development of a common foreign and security policy—CFSP. Under the terms of the treaty on European Union, issues with defence implications are for the WEU to elaborate and implement. Decisions in this area must be compatible with the security and defence policies of NATO.

  As to the annual costs, I will write to the hon. Member.

  Ukraine
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has regarding the total quantity of military grade fissile materials in the Ukraine; and what are the comparable data for the United Kingdom stockpile.

  Mr. Aitken
  We do not believe that weapon grade fissile material is held in Ukraine other than that embodied in former Soviet nuclear warheads still on Ukrainian territory. It would not be in the national interest to make public details of the amount of weapon-grade fissile material held by the United Kingdom. We do not hold significant stocks of fissile material which is not required for our operational stockpile of weapons.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many different types of land mine are manufactured in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Aitken
  None.
  814

  Defence Exports
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many letters he has received from members of the public on the export of arms, military and dual-use equipment to Iraq and Iran since November 1990; and what has been the average length of time taken to respond to the inquiries.

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

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many questions to him for(a) ordinary written answer and (b) priority written answer have been answered within one working day since October 1993.

  Mr. Hanley
  From 18 October 1993 to 13 January this year, 49 questions for ordinary written answer have been answered within one working day of the day on which they are tabled for answer. Within the same time scale, 306 questions for priority written answer or for answer on named days have been answered within one working day.

  Elipton Super-weapons
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has on the capability and technical nature of the Elipton super-weapon developed by Russia.

  Mr. Hanley
  I have no information other than comments attributed to Vladimir Zhirionvsky.

  Naval Support Command
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the planned new build for the Naval Support Command HQ will go ahead.

  Mr. Hanley
  A number of options remain under consideration for the long term accommodation of the Naval Support Command headquarters. The decision on the way forward will be taken in the light of the outcome of the defence costs study currently in hand.

  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reconsider the geography of the Naval Support Command with a view to making greater use of existing sites.

  Mr. Hanley
  Studies have shown that the integration of functions which are presently geographically dispersed into the Naval Support Command headquarters will produce significant operational and financial benefits. The business case for this change remains robust, and I see no reason to reconsider it. Options for housing the collocated headquarters in the Bath area include making use of existing MOD sites.

  Procurement Executive
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the new premises for the Procurement Executive are to go ahead.

  Mr. Aitken
  Contracts for the site infrastructure and main construction of the Procurement Executive's new
  815
  headquarters at Abbey Wood have been placed, and work is proceeding to time and cost. On current assumptions, occupation of the new facilities will begin in the autumn of 1995 and will be completed a year later.

  International Military Services Ltd.
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times he and his predecessors have attended the annual general meeting of International Military Services Ltd. since 1984; on how many occasions he was represented by others; and on how many occasions he was neither present nor represented.

  Mr. Aitken
  Since 1984 the Secretary of State for Defence has been represented at each annual general meeting of International Military Services Ltd.

  Landing Platform Helicopter
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when negotiations on contract specifications for the landing platform helicopter contract awarded in 1993 began; how many proposed specification changes have so far been requested ; and how many of these changes were asked for by his Department.

  Mr. Aitken
  Post contract award discussions with VSEL have begun. As the design progresses, it is normal for a number of changes to the detail of the specification to be discussed. So far two minor changes have been agreed, one of which was requested by my Department.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the originally agreed pre-production milestones on the landing platform helicopter contract awarded in 1993 have so far been achieved.

  Mr. Aitken
  All scheduled milestones required by the contract to date have been achieved on time.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what request has been made to change the pre-production milestones on the landing platform helicopter contract awarded in 1992.

  Mr. Aitken
  No such request has been made.

  Data Protection
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will make arrangements for the Data Protection Registrar to inspect relevant contracts with suppliers of IT services that involve the use of personal data held by his Department in order to check whether all appropriate arrangements in relation to the Data Protection Act 1984 have been made, and whether such contracts make provisions for the registrar to make random inspections in order to check the suppliers' compliance in with the eighth data protection principle.

  Mr. Aitken
  The Data Protection Registrar has a wide range of powers, under the Data Protection Act 1984, to ensure that all individuals and organisations holding personal data on computer systems are registered and observe the data protection principles as required by the Act. When IT services are contracted out by a data user, the contractor and the user will be subject to the application of the data protection principles, and the registrar's powers to 816
  ensure compliance with them, as provided for in the Act. It is for the registrar to decide how he will use his powers under the Act, and I do not consider that further arrangements are necessary for him to discharge his duties effectively.

  Ministerial Cars
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will quantify the cost of the factors which led to a fall in the cost of cars for Ministers in his Department since 1990–91.

  Mr. Hanley
  The reduction of £25,000 in the cost of providing ministerial cars since 1990–91 is due essentially to the number of Ministers in the Department falling from five to four since 1990–91, resulting in a cost saving of £11,000, and the return to normal usage following heightened ministerial requirements during the Gulf conflict, which accounts for a reduction of £14,000.

  Armies
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list, in order of strength, the 10 countries understood to have the largest armed forces.

  Mr. Hanley
  It is not the Government's practice to publish their assessments of the strengths of the armed forces of other states. The principal public source of such information is "The Military Balance", issued annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies and widely regarded as authoritative.

  NATO
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the proposed formula for financial contributions to the NATO organisation by countries acting in partnership.

  Mr. Hanley
  Assuming the hon. Member is referring to NATO's partnership for peace initiative, we expect the costs of the programme to be shared between allies and those states who chose to participate on terms which are being developed.

  Low Flying
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations in the United Kingdom low flying system where low flying regulations require aircrew to make radio contact with air traffic control at a civilian airfield prior to or during transit of a specified area; and which civil airfields possess UHF radio facilities for this purpose.

  Mr. Hanley
  The low flying regulations require military aircrews to contact the following civilian airfields prior to or during transit of specified areas within the United Kingdom low flying system: Aberdeen, Dunsfold, Farnborough and Keevil. All these airfields possess UHF radio facilities.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date United States Air Force units stationed in the United Kingdom ceased using fixed low flying routes.

  Mr. Hanley
  United States Air Force units based in the United Kingdom continue to make limited use of fixed low
  817
  flying routes. In accordance with the United Kingdom low flying regulations, such routes are replaced at regular intervals.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what level of command assessments are made of the minimum amounts of low flying required to acquire and maintain the necessary skills; what criteria are used in these assessments; and if he will make a statement on the current specified minimum requirement for low flying training in the continuation training syllabuses for(a) the Tornado GR and (b) the Tornado F3.

  Mr. Hanley
  Assessments of the minimum amounts of low flying required to acquire and maintain the necessary skills are made by Service Command and Group Headquarters. The criteria used in such assessments include variations in average aircrew ability and experience, the type of aircraft, its role and projected changes in its role. The current minimum requirement for low flying continuation training for all military aircraft, including the Tornado GR1 and Tornado F3, is based on the experience of specialist air staffs taking these factors into account.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what year the Hawk aircraft was first authorised for flight in the United Kingdom low flying system at less than 250 ft; what is the current minimum authorised altitude for this aircraft type in the Royal Air Force; and if he will make a statement on the nature of the operational requirement for flying at less than 250 ft by Royal Air Force Hawks.

  Mr. Hanley
  Hawk aircraft have not been authorised to fly at less than 250 ft ins the United Kingdom low flying system. The current minimum authorised altitude for the aircraft is 100 ft above ground level, but this is reserved for the synchronised pair of the Royal Air Force aerobatic team and would be flown only within an airfield traffic zone or temporary restricted airspace. An operational requirement exists for Hawk aircraft to fly at less than 250 ft within designated air weapons ranges, but this does not extend to the United Kingdom low flying system.

  RAF Warfare Strategy
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library an unclassified version of the Cosgrove report on the Royal Air Force's air warfare strategy.

  Mr. Hanley
  The report is classified for internal management use and an unclassified version could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if Royal Air Force tactical air warfare doctrine follows the procedures laid down in allied tactical publications 27B, 33 and 42.

  Mr. Hanley
  The United Kingdom subscribes to the procedures in allied tactical publications—ATP—27B, 33 and 42 and this is reflected in the Royal Air Force's tactical doctrine and training.

  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent changes have been made in provision for the study of, and training in, air warfare doctrine in the Royal Air Force.
  818
  Mr. Hanley
  As a result of experience gained during the Gulf conflict the air warfare centre—AWC—was formed on 1 October 1993. The AWC draws together several existing organisations to provide the focus for all RAF air warfare matters including the study of and training in air warfare doctrine.

  Tornado Aircrew
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the secondary roles in which Tornado GR1B aircrew will be required to maintain currency.

  Mr. Hanley
  The Tornado GR1B squadrons will be declared to NATO in both the martime attack and overland strike/attack roles and as such aircrew will be required to maintain currency in all these roles.

  Air Weaponry
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the types of air weaponry approved for release on each of the air-to-ground weapons ranges in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Hanley
  The information requested is as follows:

  Range and Types of Weaponry Approved for Release

  Ballykelly

  Guns

  Castle Martin

  Guided Missiles and Guns

  Cowden

  Practice bombs and Inert bombs

  Donna Nook

  Guns, Rockets, Practice bombs and Inert bombs

  Garvie Island/Cape Wrath

  Bombs and Guided Missiles

  Holbeach

  Guns, Rockets, Practice bombs, Inert bombs and Guided Missiles

  Larkhill

  High Explosive bombs, Practice bombs, Guns, Rockets and Guided Missiles

  Lilstock

  Practice bombs

  Lulworth

  Guided Missiles and Guns

  Otterburn

  Guided Missiles and Guns

  Pembrey Sands

  Guns and Practice bombs

  Rosehearty

  Rockets, Practice bombs and Inert bombs

  Salisbury Plain Training Area

  Guided Missiles and Guns

  Shoeburyness

  Guided Missiles

  Tain

  Guns, Rockets, Practice bombs and Inert bombs
  819
  Wainfleet

  Guns, Rockets, Practice bombs and Inert bombs

  West Freugh

  High Explosive bombs, Practice bombs, Cluster bombs, Dispensers, Guns and Rockets

  Wiley Sike

  Practice bombs

  Aircrew Pay Enhancements
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pay enhancements are granted to aircrew operating in areas of actual or potential combat operations.

  Mr. Hanley
  United Kingdom service personnel are not paid danger money. However, the Xfactor which they receive throughout their careers irrespective of where they are stationed, which is currently 11·5 per cent. of basic salary, contains an element which recognises the need for them to serve on occasions under difficult and dangerous circumstances.

  Military Air Traffic Zones
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration is being given to altering the size and shape of military air traffic zones around military airfields ; and what criteria are being used in any such assessment.

  Mr. Hanley
  The national air traffic service—NATS—has in hand a review to assess whether changes to the existing shape of military air traffic zones—MATZs—would enable more efficient use to be made of the available airspace. The criterion being applied is that the current volume of MATZ airspace should not increase, and where possible should decrease.

  Any changes resulting from the review would be promulgated in the United Kingdom "Aeronautical Information Publication" and published in an aeronautical information circular.

  RAF Depots
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects a final decision will be announced following the end of the consultation period on the recommendations of the equipment support depot report into RAF depots.

  Mr. Hanley
  A final decision on the recommendations of the equipment support depot study will be made as soon as possible after the end of the consultation period on 18 March 1994, having given proper consideration to all representations received.

  Redundancies
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many redundancies are planned in the armed services in(a) 1994, (b) 1995 and (c)

  Mr. Hanley
  We anticipate that in the financial year 1993–94, 8,482 service personnel and in the financial year 1994–95, 4,639 naval and Air Force personnel will leave on redundancy terms. The number of Army personnel to leave on redundancy terms in the financial year 1994–95 has not yet been determined. There are currently no plans for redundancies in the financial year 1995–96.
  820

  Departmental Properties, Huntingdon
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Ministry's properties there are in the Huntingdon constituency area; and how many are empty.

  Mr. Hanley
  As at 31 December 1993, there were 1,508 service married quarters in the Huntingdon constituency area, of which 51 were vacant. Of these, 30 were awaiting major maintenance work and three were allocated to service families who were due to move in shortly. In addition, there were 26 properties which were formerly married quarters but are now used as single accommodation, storage and welfare facilities. Of these, five were vacant as they were uninhabitable.

  Helicopter Noise Insulation Scheme
  Mr. Mallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will give details of the results of the review of the helicopter noise insulation scheme in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Hanley
  The Ministry of Defence noise insulation grant scheme has now been extended at the helicopter landing sites as Bessbrook, Forkhill and Crossmaglen. Details of the scheme have been passed to the Newry and Mourne district council. A meeting is being arranged with the council when a detailed explanation of the scheme will be given. All householders concerned will be notified about the scheme and how to apply for a grant.

  Loch Long
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will estimate when local fishermen, including members of the Clyde fishermen's association, will be allowed to fish Loch Long, using demersal gear; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what discussions have taken place concerning the removal of debris from the floor of Loch Long; in what proportions the costs will be shared between Her Majesty's Government and the USA; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Annual licences issued by the Queen's harbour master—QHM—Clyde currently permit fishing within Loch Long, including the use of demersal gear.

  The hon. Member may have in mind Holy Loch. With effect from July 1993, fishing is now aslo permitted within Holy Loch. We have, however, recently become aware that there is some debris, essentially scrap metal, on the bed of Holy Loch which could pose a hazard to fishing gear. As a precaution, the QHM has issued a local warning notice identifying the area we suspect to be fouled.

  We are pursuing this issue as a matter of urgency. If it appears that the debris is related to the erstwhile presence of the United States Navy we shall of course discuss the issue with the appropriate US authorities.

  Bullying
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent guidelines concerning the elimination of bullying and intimidation of young recruits and others have been issued to commanding officers in all three services; if he will place a copy of the guidelines in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  It has been made clear throughout the three services that bullying and other ill-treatment will not
  821
  be tolerated. In October 1993, the Adjutant General issued the Army's discipline and standards paper which set out the standards of behaviour expected from members of the Army. A copy of the paper will be placed in the Library of the House; paragraphs 24 to 26 address the issue of bullying and initiation ceremonies.

  No similar guidelines have recently been issued to commanding officers in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. However, current standing orders of the Royal Air Force expressly forbid any form of bullying or participation in initiation ceremonies.

  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of(a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army and (c) the Royal Air Force have been tried and convicted at courts martial for the offence of bullying in each of the past five years; how many were (i) officers, (ii) non-commissioned officers and (iii) other ranks; what was the range of penalties imposed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member.

  Disposal of Land
  Mr. Viggers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details of the terms upon which his Department disposes of land it no longer requires.

  Mr. Hanley
  It is our normal practice to dispose of the freehold of surplus land in which there is no former owner or pre-emptive interest on the open market by competitive tender with the most favourable planning permission achievable, so as to maximise the return to the taxpayer. A range of other methods may be used if professional advice indicates that such alternatives would produce better value.

  Training
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what current arrangements exist to train service personel in the history and politics of the former Yugoslavia; what plans he has to increase the amount of training in these matters; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Units warned for duty in the former Yugoslavia receive comprehensive briefing, which includes the history, geography, ethnic make-up and political and socio-economic development of the region. In addition, units undergo a special UN training programme, which includes information on the region and its peoples. Individuals nominated as UN military observers undergo extra training to prepare them for their specialist role. I am satisfied that these arrangements meet current needs.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many liaison officers with training in Serbo-Croat are currently attached to 1 Battalion, Coldstream Guards.

  Mr. Hanley
  There are 16 civilian and seven military liaison officers trained in Serbo-Croat currently attached to 1 Battalion, Coldstream Guards.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what current arrangements exist to train service personnel in Serbo-Croat ; what plans he has to increase the amount of training in Serbo-Croat; and if he will make a statement.
  822
  Mr. Hanley
  The present arrangements include six-month courses for military interpreters at the Defence School of Languages, basic "language survival" courses as part of pre-deployment training, the issue of word lists, and low-level training for all personnel in theatre. These arrangements meet the current operational requirements of the three services and there is no reason for an increase in training. If, however, the requirements change then additional training in Serbo-Croat would need to be addressed.

  Military Exercises
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military exercises involving the operational use of both HMS Intrepid and HMS Fearless have been held in each year since 1982; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  As HMS Intrepid and HMS Fearless have alternated between being fully operational, and being refitted or held in a state of extended readiness, there have been no exercises, in the time period specified, in which both ships have participated.

  Defence Research Agency
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken in the last two years to improve the formal quality and project management of the Defence Research Agency and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  This is a matter delegated to the Defence Research Agency under its framework document. I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply directly to the hon. Member.

  Letter from J. Chisholm to Dr. David Clark, dated 20 January 1994:

  In today's written answer the Minister of State for Defence Procurement informed you that I would be replying to your question about formal quality and project management improvements in the Defence Research Agency.

  When the Agency was set up in April 1991 it had no formal customer/supplier relationship and no requirement for formal quality certification. It became clear from the results of the satisfaction surveys we carried out that our customers' perceived our ability to manage their programmes and our lack of formal quality certification as a weakness. We decided that if the DRA was to survive as a trading organisation in a competitive environment what was needed was a strong quality culture within the DRA and a major reorientation in our work practices so that customer care and management of customer programmes became key drivers. I will deal with the quality initiative first.

  The key to effective change is establishing the mechanisms that empower people at all levels in the organisation to contribute to improving effectiveness and efficiency. The Total Quality Process initiative we instituted in 1992 is the vehicle that allows this to happen. This initiative is not just about achieving formal quality standards such as BS 5750 though these are important to our customers; it is about identifying, developing and implementing the simplest and most cost effective ways of carrying out our business. The DRA has made a promising start and our goal is to establish TQP throughout the organisation by March 1995 and formal quality BS 5750 certification by December 1996.

  The changes we have introduced to the way we manage our research projects are based on the need to respond flexibly and quickly to customer requirements; to put together teams to address particular issues or tasks; and to empower those teams to manage their projects efficiently. A major element in all this is a comprehensive training programme to equip our managers with the necessary commercial and project management skills to do

  823
  the job effectively; this should be completed by the end of April. We are also looking at the best way of identifying and addressing any weaknesses or problems in the way we manage our projects.

  Both these initiatives are unlikely to yield quick results but we believe we have laid the foundations which will provide a lasting improvement in efficiency and effectiveness that will be of considerable benefit and value to our customers.

  Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 January,Official Report, columns 344–45, if he will give details of the various Heckler and Koch weapons that were built at the royal small arms factory, Enfield, and subsequently sold to Heckler and Koch (UK), listing the number and type of weapons sold in each year between 1970 and 1985; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  The information requested is not available from official sources.

  Performance Review (Indicators)
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 January,Official Report, column 349, if he will publish declassified copies of the indicators of military capability and readiness for forces and headquarters that are used as the basis for the quantitative aspect of performance review; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Data on military capability and readiness must remain classified, and cannot therefore be published.

  Ministry of Defence Flights
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 January,Official Report, columns 347–48, how many non-MOD personnel are passengers on any of the weekly scheduled flights to Washington, Belize and Decimomannu; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  The number of non-MOD personnel travelling as passengers on the weekly scheduled flights to Washington, Belize and Decimomannu varies in accordance with availability of seats and the demand.

  Non-MOD passengers can be grouped into two categories:

  Staff employed in support of MOD contracts, and

  Staff of other Government Departments.

  Figures for the 12 months to October 1993 for return journeys for these two categories are as follows:

  (a) Contractors

  (b) OGDs

  Between Brize Norton and Washington

  125

  361

  Between Brize Norton and Decimomannu

  9

  16

  Between Brize Norton and Belize

  11

  32

  In addition, MOD personnel and their dependants are entitled to use empty seats on a fill-up standby basis at a nominal administrative cost to the individual. It is not possible to differentiate between MOD personnel and their dependants without disproportionate cost.
  824

  Background Briefing
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 January,Official Report, column 343, what criteria he used to select the journalists who were given a background briefing on 20 December; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  The criterion for the invitation to journalists to the briefing on the defence costs study was that they should be specialist defence correspondents from national media organisations.

  Sea Harrier
  Mr. Mans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he proposes to take to maintain the capability of the Royal Navy's Sea Harrier force.

  Mr. Aitken
  In order to sustain the Royal Navy's Sea Harrier force well into the future, I am pleased to announce the decision to purchase a total of 18 new FRS2 aircraft and to convert a further five FRS1s to FRS2 under the current mid-life update programme. Contracts for the programme are being placed as satisfactory terms are agreed, under the Department's no acceptable price, no contract—NAPNOC—procedures, in order to secure best value for money. The contract for the 18 new aircraft has now been placed with British Aerospace at a value of some £200 million.

  Trident
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the latest estimate of the cost of the Trident programme; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Rifkind
  The current estimate of the total project cost of the Trident programme is £11,631 million, if all expenditure, including payments already made, is brought up to current prices and a common exchange rate of £1=$1·44, as assumed in the long-term costing of the defence programme. If payments already made are expressed at the prices and exchange rates actually incurred, the equivalent estimate is now £9,937 million. Expenditure on the Trident programme to 31 August 1993 represented some 67 per cent. of the overall estimate.

  After allowing for the effects of inflation and exchange rate variations, the revised estimate of £11,631 million represents real cost reduction of £24 million compared to that announced last year. The increase in cash terms is £955 million, primarily as a result of a less beneficial exchange rate. The reduction in real terms since the original 1982 Trident II estimate, including the savings resulting from the decision to have United Kingdom missiles processed in the United States facility at Kings bay, Georgia, now stands at some £3.5 billion.

  The proportion of the estimate for work undertaken in the United Kingdom has decreased from 74 per cent. to 70 per cent. reflecting the change in exchange rate.

  I am pleased to say that the Trident programme remains on schedule to enter service in the mid-1990s. There has been no slippage in the in-service date since the decision to purchase Trident II was announced in March 1982. I am, as in previous years, sending to the Chairmen of the Public Accounts Committee and the Select Committee on Defence a more detailed report on the programme. I am also placing a copy of this report in the Library of the House.
  825

ENVIRONMENT

  Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of all the representations he has received from other Governments(a) in favour of and (b) opposed to THORP; and if he will indicate whether any intergovernmental correspondence arose in each case.

  Mr. Atkins
  I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Members for Pembroke (Mr. Ainger) and for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on Monday 29 November,Official Report, columns 385–86. In addition, letters have been received from the Governments of Japan and Iceland. All have been notified of the decisions of the Secretary of State and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food concerning discharge authorisations for the Sellafield site, as has the Environment Minsiter of each EC member state and the EC environment commissioner. Correspondence between the United Kingdom and overseas Governments or the EC Commission is treated in confidence.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 13 December,Official Report, column 449, how many civil servants were involved in the preparation of the United Kingdom submission to the European Commission on article 37 on radioactive waste discharges from THORP; and what was the cost of preparing the document.

  Mr. Atkins
  A number of civil servants were involved in preparing the "General Data relating to the arrangements for Disposal of Radioactive Wastes" as called for under article 37 of the Euratom treaty. The cost of preparing the document is not readily ascertainable.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many of the responses to which he refers in his report on BNFL Sellafield further public consultation, published on 15 December, were submitted in a language other than English; and what arrangements were made to translate such submissions.

  Mr. Atkins
  A few responses in German were received and read. About 1,300 proforma responses were also received from Japan in English as well as in Japanese.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the basis of his statement in

  Departmental energy expenditure

  £ million

  Department

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  MAFF—Main Estates

  3·2

  3·6

  3·9

  —Buffer Depots

  0·1

  0·1

  0·1

  Cabinet Office

  0·4

  0·5

  0·5

  Customs and Excise

  2·1

  3·4

  3·6

  Defence—Civil

  4·5

  5·5

  5·9

  —Royal Navy

  —Army

  167·7

  195·8

  200·7

  —RAF

  —Procurement Executive

  11·0

  11·3

  —Defence Research Agency

  22·9

  13·9

  11·5

  Education

  0·5

  0·7

  0·5

  826
  paragraph 26 of his decision document on THORP of 15 December, that there are no risk-free options for energy supply; and if he will list the risks for each energy production or conversion technology.

  Mr. Atkins
  It is evident that industrial activities in the energy sector will involve risks, both for workers and the public. These will inevitably arise from such activities as construction and transport and may also arise from the disposal or discharge of wastes or combustion products. There may also be major accident risks, as exemplified by the Aberfan and Piper Alpha disasters.

  As regards the hon. Member's request for quantification of the various risks, information is available from a number of published studies. Among these are the Health and Safety Executive's 1992 publication "The Tolerability of Risk from Nuclear Power Stations" and the document "The Safety of Nuclear Power"—safety series no. 75—INSAG—5—published in 1992 by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

  Market Charters
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the names and addresses of those making complaints regarding market charters since 1 January 1993 and give details of the basis of each complaint.

  Mr. Baldry
  I refer to the answers given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Planning to the hon. Members for Birmingham, Ladywood (Ms Short) and for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on Tuesday 18 January. The additional information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Energy Expenditure
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the energy expenditure for 1990–91, and for 1992–93, for each Government Department set out as in the first column of table 1 of his answer of 20 October 1993,Official Report, columns 257–58.

  Mr. Atkins
  Energy expenditure by each Government Department for the periods requested, and also for 1991–92, is shown in the table:
  827

  Department

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  Employment

  9·3

  10·4

  9·8

  Environment

  2·0

  2·1

  2·0

  Foreign and Commonwealth

  0·9

  1·1

  1·0

  Health

  0·7

  1·1

  0·8

  Home Office—Non-Prisons

  1·9

  2·4

  2·6

  —Prisons

  20·1

  23·5

  24·4

  Inland Revenue

  9·9

  12·0

  12·7

  Lord Chancellor's

  5·2

  6·2

  6·4

  Overseas Development Administration

  N/a

  0·7

  0·7

  National Heritage

  —

  —

  N/a

  National Savings

  1·2

  1·2

  1·3

  Northern Ireland Office

  10·4

  10·0

  10·4

  Scottish Office

  0·9

  0·7

  1·0

  Scottish Courts

  N/a

  1·0

  1·0

  Scottish Prisons

  2·5

  2·6

  3·3

  Social Security

  12·5

  14·2

  15·6

  Trade and Industry

  5·2

  6·0

  5·5

  Transport

  3·7

  4·3

  4·3

  Her Majesty's Treasury

  0·4

  0·4

  0·3

  Welsh Office

  0·6

  0·6

  0·6

  TOTAL

  288·8

  355·0

  341·7

  Notes:

  1. Figures are actual expenditure: no adjustments have been made for weather correction, fuel price changes or changes to estate size. The Energy Efficiency Office's performance indicators, £ per square metre, takes account of these factors, and Departmental progress towards the Government's estate 15 per cent. energy efficiency target using this indicator was set out in the written answer dated 20 October 1993. Performance against two further indicators, using CO2 emissions, was also published.

  2. Some figures are revisions to those previously published. Equally, 1992–93 figures may be subject to revision.

  Government Car Service
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what changes have taken place since 1979–80 in the method of recording the cost of the Government car service.

  Mr. Baldry
  Until 1 April 1989, the Government car service costs were recorded as part of the Crown suppliers trading fund.

  On 1 April 1989, the Government car service transferred to the PSA. Since then, costs have been separately recorded as part of the vote and a separate GCS memorandum trading account has been developed. The GCS now produces full commercial-style accruals accounts for management purposes.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will quantify the cost of the factors which led to an increase in the cost of cars for Ministers in his Department since 1990–91.

  Mr. Baldry
  I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him by my right hon. Friend on Friday 3 December 1993—Official Report, column 759—and on Thursday 16 December 1993—Official Report, column
  828
  827—in which he indicated that the cost of cars for Ministers in the DOE was £270,000 in 1990–91 and £265,000 in 1992–93.

  There are two main factors which have led to an increase in the cost per ear for Ministers in my Department. The first is the effect of inflation on GCS costs, particularly on pay, vehicles and fuel. The second is that, during this period, the GCS restructured its charges to reflect the fact that it had been under-recovering its full costs in 1990–91.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost of the Government car service in 1988–89 and 1989–90; how many vehicles were in the fleet; what was the cost of the Government car service in 1980–81; and how many vehicles were in the fleet.

  Mr. Baldry
  In 1988–89, there were some 187 cars in the GCS fleet. During this year, the GCS was the responsibility of the Crown Suppliers—TCS—and its costs were consolidated into the TCS trading fund. Separate cost information is not readily available.

  In 1989–90, there were some 189 cars in the GCS fleet. In this year, the GCS became the responsibility of the Property Services Agency and separate financial records were started for the GCS. The cost of the GCS was approximately £6·7 million.
  829
  Comparable information is not available for 1980–81.

  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many pool cars and pool drivers were in the Government car service pool service in 1990–91; and what was the cost of the pool service.

  Mr. Baldry
  In 1990–91, there were some 28 cars and 24 drivers in the GCS pool. At that time, pool costs were not identified separately from other GCS costs.

  Housing Corporation
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes for rent are planned to be provided by the Housing Corporation in each of the next three years.

  1994–95

  1995–96

  1996–97

  New homes for rent

  37,600 to 46,000

  28,700 to 35,100

  23,800 to 29,200

  Properties freed up by:

  Tenant's incentive scheme

  6,500 to 7,500

  6,500 to 7,500

  6,500 to 7,500

  Do-it-yourself shared ownership1

  2,520 to 3,120

  4,200 to 4,920

  4,500 to 5,220

  Total

  46,620 to 56,620

  39,400 to 47,520

  34,800 to 41,920

  1 60 per cent. of total do-it-yourself shared ownership.

  Electric Cars
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assistance his Department has given to the PSA (Peugeot)/City of Coventry electric car project research into the viability of a pay-as-you-drive electric car hire system.

  Mr. Atkins
  None.

  National House Building Council
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what contribution his Department makes to the National House Building Council.

  Sir George Young
  The National House Building Council receives no financial support from the Government other than through research contracts let to the NHBC through competitive tender. The NHBC is an independent body, and the Government have no general powers to intervene in its affairs. Officials from my Department sit as observers on the NHBC council and on its standards committee.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning the operation of the National House Building Council; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir George Young
  In the past two years, the Department of the Environment has received representations concerning the National House Building Council in relation to 37 dwellings.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will conduct a review into the operation of the complaints procedure adopted by the National House Building Council.

  Sir George Young
  The operation of its complaints procedure is a matter for the National House Building Council.
  830
  Sir George Young
  The Housing Corporation's approved development programme provides homes for rent in two ways: new homes for rent provided by the new rental programme; and new lettings freed up through the tenants' incentive scheme and 60 per cent. of the do-it-yourself shared ownership programme which help existing housing association and local authority tenants to become full or partial owner occupiers. The Housing Corporation estimates that in the next three years, its approved development programme will provide homes for rent within the following ranges:

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many homes are covered by the Buildmark guarantee scheme operated by the National House Building Council in(a) England and (b) Wales.

  Sir George Young
  At the end of 1993 the total number of homes in England and Wales covered by the Buildmark guarantee scheme operated by the National House Building Council was approximately 1·53 million. Prior to 1986, the figures recorded for numbers of homes covered by the scheme did not differentiate between the member countries of the United Kingdom. It is thus not possible to give separate figures for homes under warranty in England and Wales.

  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many building firms participate in the Buildmark guarantee scheme operated by the National House Building Council.

  Sir George Young
  On 31 December 1993 there were 20,832 building firms registered with the NHBC in England and Wales.

  Oil Pollution, Bournemouth
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the recent pollution by oil of Bournemouth's beaches; and what plans he has to investigate responsibility for this.

  Mr. Atkins
  Oil pollution at the tideline was found on a stretch of beach from Hengistbury head to West cliff. Mudeford harbour beaches were also affected. The local authorities cleared the oil from the beaches and a number of oiled birds were taken away for cleaning. It was not possible to identify the source responsible and no further action is, therefore, planned.

  Water Abstraction
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to publish information on the volume of water abstracted from rivers and boreholes
  831
  in England and Wales, and the limits in the relevant licences for such abstractions, under section 201 of the Water Industry Act 1991; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  Aggregate figures, by the regions of the National Rivers Authority, are published annually in the digest of environmental protection and water statistics. Under section 204 of the Water Resources Act 1991 it is an offence to disclose, without its consent, information of this kind provided by an individual or business except, inter alia, under arrangements for the publication of information about water undertakers under section 201 of the Water Industry Act 1991. I am considering whether it would be appropriate to make such arrangements.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

  Mr. Atkins
  The JNCC is composed of an independent chairman and three independent scientists appointed by the Secretary of State for the Environment; two representatives form each of the three country nature conservation bodies, one from the Countryside Commission and two non-voting representatives from Northern Ireland. The current membership of the Committee is:

  Earl of Selborne—Independent Chairman

  Professor John Harper—Independent Assessor

  Professor John Knill—Independent Assessor

  Professor Robert May—Independent Assessor

  Lord Cranbrook—English Nature—Council Chairman

  Dr. D. Shaw—English Nature

  Mr. Magnus Magnusson—Scottish Natural Heritage—Council Chairman

  Professor G. Dunnett—Scottish Natural Heritage

  Mr. Michael Griffiths—Countryside Council for Wales—Council Chairman

  Professor D. Bowen—Countryside Council for Wales

  Sir John Johnson—Countryside Commission—Commission Chairman

  Dr. J. Faulkner—Northern Ireland Observer—Non-voting—Dept. of the Environment for Northern Ireland

  Professor P. Newbold—Northern Ireland Observer—Non-voting —Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside, NI.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the Black Country Limestone Advisory Committee.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Black Country Limestone Advisory Panel is chaired by Sir Edward Parkes, ScD, FIMechE, FEng, former vice-chancellor, university of Leeds. The other members are:

  Professor D. I. Blockley, BEng, PhD, MICE, FIStructE, Professor and Head of Department of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol;

  Professor J. B. Burland, DSc, FEng, FICE, MIStructE, Professor of Soil Mechanics in the Department of Civil Engineering, Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London;

  Mr. O. Gregory, OBE, FRICS, CEng, FIMinE, retired consultant, Minerals Manager and Chartered Surveyor;

  Mr. D. A. D. Reeve, CBE, FEng, FICE, FIWES, FInstWPC, formerly a Member of and Chief Executive of the Severn Trent Water Authority;

  Mr. J. Trustram-Eve, MSc(Econ), FRICS, formerly Joint Senior Partner and now Consultant to Grimley J. R. Eve, Chartered Surveyors.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the London Pensions Fund Authority.
  832
  Mr. Baldry
  The members currently appointed to the London Pensions Fund Authority are:

  Mr. C. J. Messer—Chairman

  Mr. M. C. Roberts—Vice Chairman

  Professor R. Franklin

  Sir Nigel Althaus

  Councillor A. King

  Councillor E. D. Barkway

  Councillor A. S. Lourie

  Councillor S. Bullock

  Ms C. Burton

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the London residuary body.

  Mr. Baldry
  The members currently appointed to the London residuary body are:

  Sir Godfrey Taylor—Chairman

  Mr. M. C. Roberts—Vice Chairman

  Mr. W. J. Mackenzie

  Mr. J. Wolkind

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the National Rivers Authority.

  Mr. Atkins
  The members are:

  Lord Crickhowell—Chairman

  Mrs. R. Blomfield-Smith

  Mr. P. Brandt

  Lady Digby, DBE, DL

  Professor R. Edwards, CBE

  Mr. E. Gallacher—Chief Executive

  Lord Gregson, DL

  Mr. D. Mitchell

  Mrs. K. Morgan

  Mr. J. H. M. Norris, CBE, DL

  Mr. W. Rogers-Coltman, OBE

  Mr. R. J. F. Taylor

  Professor R. K. Turner

  Mr. J. Wheatley, CBE

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the Nature Conservancy Council for England, English Nature.

  Mr. Atkins
  The currrent membership of English Nature is:

  Earl of Cranbrook—Chairman

  Professor Jonathon Anderson

  Ms Janet Barber

  Professor Janet Kear

  Mr. James Teacher

  Mark Thomasin-Foster

  Dr. Duncan Shaw

  Mr. Alan Swindall

  Miss Jane Kelly

  Professor Chris Wilson

  Earl Peel

  Mr. Lindsay Waddell

  Dr. Robert Chaplow

  Mr. Nicholas Woolley

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the Rural Development Commission.

  Mr. Atkins
  The current members of the Rural Development Commission are as follows:

  Chairman

  Lord Shuttleworth

  Deputy Chairman

  Mr. Robin Thompson
  833
  Members

  Dame Anne Mueller

  Professor Howard Newby

  Dr. Barbara Marsh

  Rt. Reverend Anthony Russell

  Mr. Miles Middleton

  Mr. Richard Best

  Mr. David Fletcher

  Mr. Andrew Stewart

  Mrs. Jane Bradford

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment.

  Mr. Atkins
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, North (Mr. Heald) on 25 November,Official Report, column 206. I regret to announce that since that date Mr. Christopher Haskins, chairman and chief executive of Northern Foods, has withdrawn from the committee due to other commitments.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee.

  Mr. Atkins
  The members of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee are as follows:

  Sir John Knill—Chairman

  Director, Donaldson Associates.

  Dr. Jack I. Abernethy

  Member, Institute of Professionals, Managers and Specialists; Total Quality Management Co-ordinator, Thorp Division, BNFL.

  Professor Gerald E. Adams

  Director, Medical Research Council Radiobiology Unit, Chilton.

  Dr. Helen ApSimon

  Reader in Air Pollution Studies, Imperial College, London.

  Professor Andrew Blowers

  Professor of Social Sciences, Open University.

  Professor Keith Boddy OBE

  Head of Regional Medical Physics Department, Newcastle General Hospital, Northern Regional Health Authority.

  Mr. Wilfred Cassidy MBE

  Formerly Scientific Advisor and County Analyst, Somerset County Council.

  Professor Roger H. Clarke

  Director, National Radiological Protection Board; and Chairman, International Commission on Radiological Protection.

  Dr. Martin Courtis

  Director of Environmental Services, Carlisle City Council.

  Dr. Ron H. Flowers

  Nuclear Technology Consultant; formerly Chief Technologist (Nuclear), AEA Technology.

  Mr. Michael Folger

  Managing Director, UK Nirex Ltd.

  Dr. Eleanor James

  Formerly Lecturer in Mathematics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth; member of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales.

  Professor Gilbert Kelling

  Professor of Geology, University of Keele.

  Miss Angela M. Killick
  834
  Chairperson, Enfield Community Care NHS Trust.

  Dr. John McKeown

  Director of Projects, Scottish Nuclear Ltd.

  Mr. George J. Medley OBE

  Formerly Director, World Wide Fund for Nature UK.

  Dr. Les A. Mitchell

  Director of Technology, Nuclear Electric plc.

  Dr. William L. Wilkinson CBE

  Non-Executive Director, BNFL.

  Professor David R. Williams OBE

  Professor of Applied Chemistry, University of Wales.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the Commons Commissioners.

  Mr. Atkins
  Appointments to the Commons Commissioners are made by my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor. The present appointees are:

  Chief Commons Commissioner

  Mr. Martin J. Roth

  Commons Commissioner

  Mr. I. L. R. Romeer

  Commons Commissioner

  Mr. D. M. Burton

  Empty Homes Task Force
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many of the homes identified by the task force on empty homes have been sold to private developers;

  (2) how many of the homes identified by the task force on empty homes have been made available to local authorities;

  (3) how many of the homes identified by the task force on empty homes have been sold to housing associations;

  (4) how many former empty homes identified by the task force are now occupied by previously homeless families.

  Sir George Young
  The task force on Government Departments' empty houses is expected to present its final report to Ministers shortly. I understand that the task force has agreed with the relevant Department's targets for the disposal or occupation of empty residential property. I expect the final report to include details of these targets, and of the number of properties brought back into use, but it is unlikely to identify categories of purchaser or occupier.

  Air Quality
  Mr. Mills
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will publish the report on air quality undertaken for him by Professor Roy Harrison.

  Mr. Atkins
  Shortly.

  Estate Action
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what effect the transfer to the new single regeneration budget will have on the future funding of estate action schemes currently in operation;

  (2) what effect the transfer to the new single regeneration budget will have on the future funding of housing action trusts currently in operation.
  835
  Sir George Young
  The draft bidding guidance for the single regeneration budget, issued on 14 January, reaffirms that commitments under existing programmes, such as estate action and housing action trusts, for 1994–95 and future years will be met.

  Coastal Erosion (Isle of Wight)
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his departmental officials will assist the Isle of Wight's staff to prepare geological reports on the landslips and coastal stability problems on the Isle of Wight and to detail what exceptional grants may be available in view of the serious and extensive nature of the problem.

  Mr. Baldry
  The hon. Member is aware of my Department's earlier research on landslip potential assessment in part of Ventnor and Luccombe village. This has developed the techniques which I am pleased to see that the local authority have been taking forward in extending that work to other parts of Ventnor. It is for the local authority, rather than my Department, to continue to take that work forward in respect of areas which have not yet been covered in so far as it is necessary to do so.

  Any requests which may be made by Isle of Wight local authorities for special financial assistance under the Bellwin scheme in relation to the recent landslides will be considered on their merits. However, there are no other statutory means by which exceptional grants can be made available to assist in the problems now being experienced. The landslips are natural phenomena and grant aid could be considered by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food only if the prime cause were found to be coastal erosion.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider applying the Bellwin rules to the problems facing the Isle of Wight local authorities following the extensive coastal landslips.

  Mr. Baldry
  No applications have been received from Isle of Wight authorities for assistance under the Bellwin scheme in connection with the recent coastal landslips. Authorities have been informed that they should apply individually to the Department for assistance if they have incurred an undue financial burden as a result of dealing with an emergency. Each application which is received will be considered on its merits.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if his advisers will visit the Isle of Wight to report on the extensive landslips and cliff erosion and to advise the local authorities.

  Mr. Baldry
  I am asking my officials to report to me on the recent landslips in the Isle of Wight within the next few weeks. I will write to the hon. Member when that report is received. However, I understand that the local authorities concerned have considerable expertise within their engineering departments and that they have also commissioned consulting engineers to advise them.

  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans there are for the Countryside Commission to send a team to the Isle of Wight to assess the loss of coastal footpaths and beach access and to see what assistance and advice they can give the island's local authorities in time for the Easter holiday visitors.
  836
  Mr. Atkins
  The Countryside Commission has recently sent a team to the Isle of Wight, in the light of damage caused by the recent severe weather to the islands coastal paths and access to beaches. They discussed with council officials the possibility of assistance and the commission is now considering the council's formal application for grant aid for restoration.

  Natural Habitats (Conservation)
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the measures he intends to take to implement the European Union directive 92/43 EEC on the conservation of natural habitats of wild fauna and flora in the United Kingdom, indicating whether they will be introduced through(a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation, (c) planning guidance notes or (d) some other means; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Government set out their proposals for implementing the EC habitats directive in the consultation paper issued on 4 October 1993, a copy of which is in the Library. Final decisions will be taken when the responses to the consultation have been fully evaluated. We propose that the necessary measures will be introduced by a combination of regulations under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972, official guidance notes and public policy statements.

  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends to involve the voluntary nature conservation organisations in the selection of sites to be designated as special areas of conservation under the European Union directive 92/43 EEC on the conservation of natural habitats of wild fauna and flora; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  It is the function of the statutory nature conservation agencies to advise the Government on the selection of sites for inclusion on the United Kingdom's list of candidate SACs. The voluntary nature conservation organisations will be included in the consultation process which will commence before the list is submitted to the Commission.

  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to restore habitats to be protected under the European Union directive 92/43 EEC on the conservation of natural habitats of wild fauna and flora in the United Kingdom to a favourable conservation status; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The directive intends the Natura 2000 network as a whole to enable the maintenance or, where appropriate, restoration of the natural habitat types and species listed in annexes I and II to a favourable conservation status. We are engaged in discussions with the Commission and other member states about what is necessary to ensure the network achieves this. The nature conservation agencies are currently engaged in evaluating the information and data they hold to advise the Government on the United Kingdom contribution to the network.

  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment has been made of the costs of implementing the European Union directive 92/43 EEC on the conservation of natural habitats of wild fauna and flora to(a) the United Kingdom Government and (b) the European Union; and if he will make a statement.
  837
  Mr. Atkins
  Until the nature conservation agencies have completed evaluation of the information they hold and drawn up their advice to Government on candidate sites for designation under the directive, it will not be possible to make a meaningful assessment of the costs of implementing the directive.

  Westminster and Wandsworth (Housing Strategies)
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of the housing strategy documents submitted by the City of Westminster and Wandsworth councils to his regional office for each of the past seven years.

  Sir George Young
  The housing strategy statements submitted by housing authorities to my Department as part of the annual housing investment programmes are placed in the Library as a matter of course. Those for Westminster and Wandsworth for each of the past seven years are already in the Library.

  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of the forms HPI, HPI (supplement) and HP2, all revised 4/93, that were completed and submitted by the City of Westminster and Wandsworth councils to his regional office for 15 June 1993, together with the equivalent completed forms, HPI, HPI (supplement) and HP2 for each of the preceding six years.

  Sir George Young
  'The housing investment programme forms submitted each year by housing authorities to my Department are, as a matter of course, placed in the Library together with the authorities' housing strategy statements. The HIP forms for Westminster and Wandsworth for each of the past seven years are already in the Library.

  Planning Appeals
  Mr. Hicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many planning appeals were successful in the last year for which figures are available; what percentage this represents of the total number of appeals and what were the corresponding figures 10 years ago.

  Mr. Baldry
  The provision of information on planning appeals is the responsibility of the planning inspectorate. I have asked the inspectorate's chief executive, Mr. Stephen Crow, to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from H. S. Crow to Mr. Robert Hicks, dated 19 January 1994:

  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the outcome of planning appeals.

  The information is set out below. The latest figures available are for the financial year ended 31 March 1993. Ten years ago this information was only kept by calendar year, I have therefore provided figures covering both 1982 and 1983.

  Planning appeals allowed

  Percentage of total planning appeal decisions Per cent.

  1992–93

  5,979

  33·5

  1982

  4,003

  31·0

  1983

  3,633

  32·4

  Building Regulations
  Mr. Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will announce a decision with regard to the extension of part M of the building regulations to new and existing residential property.

  Mr. Baldry
  At my request, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee is at present examining the desirability and practicability of extending the provisions in part M of the building regulations to new dwellings. I hope to be in a position to make a statement on this before Easter. There are no proposals to extend part M to existing dwellings.

  Focsa Services (UK) Ltd.
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he, or any of his Ministers or officials have had with Focsa Services (UK) Ltd. regarding compliance by councils with the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Department has had no discussions with Focsa Services (UK) Ltd. regarding compliance by councils with the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the total value of compulsory competitive tendering contracts in England and Wales awarded to Focsa Services (UK) Ltd.; how many jobs this represents; what examination he has undertaken of the financial stability of this company; what representations he has received regarding the contracts awarded; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend does not require local authorities to inform him to whom CCT contracts are awarded, unless such information is requested in connection with his responsibility for investigating potential breaches of the CCT legislation. The Department does not therefore maintain a comprehensive record of either the number or the value of CCT contracts awarded to specific private sector contractors.

  It is for local authorities to assess the financial and technical suitability of potential contractors, and then once a contract is awarded, to monitor the performance of contractors. Where a contractor fails to meet the conditions of a contract, an authority may terminate such a contract, but there are no requirements for my right hon. Friend to be informed.

  Packaging Industry
  Mr. Rendel
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of his Department's expenditure on research and development was spent on the packaging industry for each year since 1980.

  Mr. Atkins
  My Department does not fund research which might be construed as near market research or in general on particular industries. However, packaging is an important component of the domestic waste stream and my Department sponsors a programme of research in this area, of which one example is the national household waste analysis programme, part of a series of measures designed to improve waste statistics. This project receives additional financial support from the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment, INCPEN.

  Bromley Children's Homes
  Mr. Dowd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, further to his oral statement of 13 January,Official Report, column 350, whether the proposed review of district auditors' conduct will cover the auditor's involvement in the case of the privatisation of children's homes in Bromley.

  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend is not proposing to review the conduct of any individual audit or auditor; he has no role in such matters. If general lessons about the audit process are drawn to his attention in the light of a specific case, he will consider them when this can be done without prejudice to the case in question.

  Council Services (Contractors)
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what contracts have been awarded to private contractors for street cleansing or refuse collections in(a) Brighton, (b) the Cotswolds, (c) the Derbyshire dales, (d) Devon, (e) Hinchley and Bosworth, (f) Stockport, (g) Torbay, (h) West Devon and (i) Wychavon; what has been the performance of such contractors; which contracts have been subsequently withdrawn; what action he has taken as a result; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend is aware that refuse collection and/or street cleansing contracts have been awarded to private contractors in the following authorities from those listed: Brighton; the Cotswolds; Hinckley; Stockport; Torbay; West Devon; and Wychavon.

  Street Cleaning, Stockton
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he or his officials have had with Stockton borough council concerning its street cleaning contract; what was the outcome of those discussions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend gave Stockton borough council a direction on 27 July 1993, under section 14 of the Local Government Act 1988, requiring the authority to retender its street cleaning work by 1 August 1994, and to seek the Secretary of State's consent by 30 April 1994 if it wished to assign the work to the authority's direct service organisation. Correspondence with the authority took place both before and after the direction was given.

  Refuse Collection, Stockport
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning problems regarding refuse collection in Stockport; what action he has taken as a result; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend has received no representations concerning problems regarding refuse collection in Stockport.

  Local Government Corruption
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about local government corruption; and if he will make a statement.
  840
  Mr. Baldry
  Last month my right hon. Friend received a copy of the Audit Commission's very useful report "Protecting the Public Purse" which contains valuable guidance on the avoidance and detection of fraud and corruption in local government. I also receive representations from time to time in relation to individual cases which, where appropriate, I refer to the relevant investigating authorities as I have no responsibility for pursuing such cases myself.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Deva
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he proposes to publish his consultation paper about reforming the homelessness legislation; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir George Young
  I have placed in the Library of the House today copies of a consultation paper setting out the Government's proposals to reform the homelessness legislation, to introduce arrangements that ensure fair access to local authority and housing association accommodation for all who need it, to make better use of the private sector, and to encourage local authorities to play a more active role in the prevention of homelessness.

  The current homelessness legislation provides an important safety net for families and vulnerable individuals who find themselves at risk of losing their home. But the homelessness legislation also provides those people, once they are accepted as statutorily homeless, with access to a permanent home ahead of others in as great or greater need who are on the housing waiting list. The Government believe that there should be a distinction between providing the necessary assistance for those faced with the prospect of having nowhere to live, and providing access to permanent housing. The tenancy of a council or housing association property is a real asset. We want to ensure that these tenancies go to those with the best claim to them.

  We want a fairer system, in which, while retaining essential safeguards, local authorities have the flexibility to allocate the long-term housing under their control to those with the best claim to it. Once a household has been given help in finding suitable short or medium-term accommodation, its claim to permanent housing will be assessed alongside others on the waiting list who may be living in difficult circumstances, but who are not in need of immediate help; we propose to develop a clear framework within which authorities will be able to manage their allocations.

  I have also placed in the Library of the House today a newly published research report on the allocation of local authority housing. It shows clearly that those entering council housing through the homelessness route do so more quickly than those relying on the waiting list. Consequently, the homelessness route has become increasingly attractive. The housing of those accepted as statutorily homeless accounts for an ever-increasing proportion of lettings, and in some parts of the country it is now virtually impossible for anyone other than statutorily homeless households to obtain a council or housing association tenancy.

  Our proposals will continue to provide for families and vulnerable individuals who are without other suitable accommodation in a crisis; it is not acceptable that such people should have nowhere to live. For some disabled,

  841
  elderly or mentally ill people, who have no prospect of ever finding accommodation for themselves, a local authority's duty to provide accommodation will be enduring.

  An essential element of our strategy for meeting the needs of those who are badly housed is to make the best use of all forms of existing housing stock. This is not confined to local authority and housing association property. There is considerable scope for developing the private rented sector to meet housing needs. Our proposals therefore encourage partnerships between local authorities and private landlords in order to increase access to good quality housing in the private rented sector. We also envisage a more positive role for local authorities in ensuring the provision of housing advice that will help prevent people becoming homeless.

  The Government are proposing a fairer and more effective system for meeting the housing needs of those who rely on rented housing, within the resources available. Our proposals would allow local authorities to make better use of the stock at their disposal, and end the unfairness that occurs under present arrangements.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is placing in the Library of the House a consultation paper setting out parallel proposals for Wales. He and I are sending copies of our consultation papers to all hon. Members with English or Welsh constituencies respectively. We both look forward to a constructive public debate on these proposals.

  Earth Summit
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will be publishing the Government's response to the agreements made at the Earth Summit held in Rio in 1992.

  Mr. Gummer
  We shall be publishing the sustainable development strategy for the United Kingdom on 25 January. We shall be publishing the United Kingdom's climate change programme, biodiversity action plan and forestry programme on the same day. We shall lay the documents before the House in the normal way.

  Commercial Leaseholds
  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many responses he has received to the consultation paper on commercial leaseholds; and if he will list the people or organisations concerned.

  Mr. Baldry
  [pursuant to his reply, 15 December 1993, c. 730.]: I am correcting the information given about the number of responses to my Department's consultation paper on commercial property leases. Some 241 individuals or organisations have responded, while a further 18 respondents have asked that their replies remain confidential. I have placed a revised list in the Library of the House.

  CHINA: POPULATION PLANNING
  CHINA: POPULATION PLANNING
  JURY SYSTEM: CONSULTATION PAPER
  JURY SYSTEM: CONSULTATION PAPER
  LEGAL AID BOARD: OBJECTIVES
  LEGAL AID BOARD: OBJECTIVES
  CRIMINAL JUSTICE RECOMMENDATIONS: IMPLEMENTATION
  CRIMINAL JUSTICE RECOMMENDATIONS: IMPLEMENTATION
  PRISONS: CHAPLAINCY TRAINING
  PRISONS: CHAPLAINCY TRAINING
  LONDON UNDERGROUND ENGINEERING DEPT.: LOCATION
  LONDON UNDERGROUND ENGINEERING DEPT.: LOCATION
  ROAD ACCIDENT FATALITIES
  ROAD ACCIDENT FATALITIES
  COMMUNITY CARE GRANTS (NOTTINGHAM AREA)
  COMMUNITY CARE GRANTS (NOTTINGHAM AREA)
  SICKNESS PAYMENTS: RECLAIMS
  SICKNESS PAYMENTS: RECLAIMS
  GREEN BELTS: PLANNING GUIDANCE
  GREEN BELTS: PLANNING GUIDANCE
  COUNCIL TAX: APPEALS
  COUNCIL TAX: APPEALS
  HOMELESSNESS LEGISLATION: CONSULTATION PAPER
  HOMELESSNESS LEGISLATION: CONSULTATION PAPER
  EARTH SUMMIT AGREEMENTS: RESPONSE
  EARTH SUMMIT AGREEMENTS: RESPONSE