Written Answers of 28 January 1994

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Magistrates Court Clerks
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement concerning fixed-term contracts and performance-related pay for magistrates court clerks.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Fixed-term contracts and performance-related pay have a role to play in the effective provision of all public services, including the magistrates courts service. A number of magistrates courts committees have already chosen to introduce fixed-term contracts.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Paintings and Photographs
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what consideration he has given to buying or borrowing photographs for the walls of his office; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Brooke
  Most of the works of art in my office are on loan from the Government art collection, which includes 190 photographs. I considered, but did not select, a photograph from the collection's reserve to hang in my office.

  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many paintings and/or photographs there are on the walls of his office.

  Mr. Brooke
  I have six paintings on loan from the Government art collection in my office, and one engraving of my own.

  Royal Parks
  Mr. Peter Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans there are to hold major events in the Royal Parks in the future.

  Mr. Sproat
  The Royal Parks are a very important part of the capital. Londoners and visitors alike draw huge benefit from them. Summer entertainment for the public has long been a key part of this success and forms part of the character and the tradition of all the Royal Parks. The Royal Parks will soon be unveiling its largest-ever programme of summer entertainment. To complement this, I intend to encourage medium to large-scale events that would add to the public's enjoyment of the Royal Parks, while not detracting from their unique character. The chief executive of the Royal Parks would be pleased to heat from anyone who has innovative ideas or proposals.
  404

  Sport
  Mr. Channon
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has for changes in the structures for sport at United Kingdom and home country levels.

  Mr. Brooke
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: I hope to be able to announce proposals for the organisation of sport at United Kingdom level and in England by Easter. The structure of sport in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the appropriate Secretaries of State.

  Proscribed Organisations (Broadcasts)
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what consideration he has given to the ban on broadcasting the voices of members of proscribed organisations following the Irish Government's decision not to continue to impose a ban.

  Mr. Brooke
  Broadcasting in the Republic of Ireland is a matter for the Irish Government. A review of the broadcasting restrictions in the United Kingdom is in progress.

EMPLOYMENT

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number of those aged(a) 16 to 18 years, (b) 18 and 19 years and (c) 16 to 24 years unemployed in the London borough of Newham; what percentages they are of the cohort; how many people under the age of 25 years in the London borough of Newham have never worked; and what percentage of those aged 16 years in the London borough of Newham (i) stayed on at school, (ii) went into jobs or (iii) went into youth training.

  Miss Widdecombe
  In October 1993 unadjusted claimant unemployment in the London borough of Newham stood at 259 16 to 18-year-olds, 575 18 and 19-year-olds and 2,252 16 to 24-year-olds.

  This represents the extent of the available information.

  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his estimate of the most recent residence-based unemployment rates for each appropriate area of Durham constituency, giving the figures overall and broken down for male and female; what is the change in the number of unemployed claimants in Durham for the same month in each of the last six years; and what has been the percentage change since 1979.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Information on residence-based unemployment rates are available from the labour force survey, LFS, and are based on the internationally standard International Labour Organisation definition. At present, these are not available below the level of standard region except for training and enterprise councils, TECs, and local enterprise companies. The residence-based ILO unemployment rate for the County Durham TEC area in summer—June to August—1993, was 7 per cent. for all persons and 16·2 per cent. for men, not seasonally adjusted. The LFS sample size was not large enough to provide equivalent rates for women.
  405
  Data on the numbers of unemployed claimants in the Durham local authority district are on the unadjusted basis and are not available prior to 1983. Those data are given for December of each year.

  Date

  Number of unemployed claimants

  1983

  4,248

  1988

  3,215

  1989

  2,571

  1990

  2,764

  1991

  3,238

  1992

  3,590

  1993

  3,467

  Apprenticeships
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are his objectives for the modern apprenticeships scheme.

  Miss Widdecombe
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has made it clear that modern apprenticeships will

  Training and enterprise council budgets and outturn London region

  £ million

  AZTEC

  CENTEC

  CILNTEC

  LETEC

  NLTEC

  NWLTEC

  SOLOTEC

  STTEC

  WLTEC

  RORUNEA

  Region

  1991–92 Budget

  Block 1

  4·5

  3·9

  3·6

  12·6

  3·3

  2·3

  9·9

  7·0

  4·5

  —

  51·6

  Block 2

  3·3

  3·8

  2·6

  10·1

  3·9

  1·7

  4·3

  8·6

  2·3

  0·3

  40·9

  Block 3

  1·6

  2·7

  1·5

  2·7

  1·7

  0·9

  1·8

  3·1

  1·3

  —

  17·3

  Block 4

  0·7

  1·1

  0·8

  1·3

  0·8

  0·3

  1·4

  1·6

  0·9

  —

  8·9

  Block 5

  1·0

  1·2

  0·6

  2·0

  0·7

  0·6

  1·5

  1·8

  0·8

  —

  10·2

  Total

  11·1

  12·7

  9·1

  28·7

  10·4

  5·8

  18·9

  22·1

  9·8

  0·3

  128·9

  1991–92 Outturn

  Block 1

  4·2

  3·4

  3·1

  11·5

  2·5

  2·3

  8·5

  7·6

  4·2

  —

  47·3

  Block 2

  2·2

  3·5

  2·0

  8·2

  3·6

  2·1

  3·6

  8·6

  2·1

  0·1

  36·2

  Block 3

  1·5

  2·7

  1·5

  2·5

  1·8

  1·0

  1·7

  3·0

  1·4

  —

  17·0

  Block 4

  0·4

  0·7

  0·4

  0·9

  0·2

  0·2

  1·0

  0·6

  0·2

  —

  4·6

  Block 5

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Total

  8·4

  10·3

  7·0

  23·1

  8·1

  5·6

  14·9

  19·9

  7·9

  0·1

  105·1

  1992–93 Budget

  Block 1

  5·2

  8·1

  8·9

  16·1

  6·3

  4·3

  11·2

  12·4

  9·3

  —

  81·6

  Block 2

  3·3

  8·4

  7·4

  13·0

  7·5

  3·5

  4·2

  12·9

  3·8

  —

  64·1

  Block 3

  1·7

  4·3

  2·8

  2·8

  2·4

  1·3

  2·0

  3·4

  1·9

  —

  22·6

  Block 4

  0·5

  0·7

  0·9

  0·8

  0·9

  0·3

  0·8

  1·4

  1·1

  —

  7·6

  Block 5

  1·2

  2·8

  2·2

  3·3

  2·0

  1·3

  2·0

  2·8

  1·9

  —

  19·6

  Total

  11·9

  24·3

  22·3

  36·0

  19·1

  10·8

  20·2

  32·8

  18·0

  —

  195·6

  1992–93 Outturn

  Block 1

  4·6

  7·2

  8·0

  15·1

  5·9

  4·2

  11·1

  10·0

  8·6

  —

  74·7

  Block 2

  3·1

  7·3

  7·0

  11·0

  7·3

  3·4

  3·7

  11·6

  3·5

  —

  57·9

  Block 3

  1·6

  4·3

  2·6

  2·7

  2·4

  1·3

  1·9

  3·2

  1·9

  —

  22·0

  Block 4

  0·6

  0·7

  0·9

  0·8

  0·9

  0·4

  0·6

  1·4

  0·8

  —

  7·1

  Block 5

  1·1

  2·7

  2·1

  3·1

  1·9

  1·2

  1·8

  2·6

  1·8

  —

  18·3

  Total

  11·0

  22·2

  20·6

  32·8

  18·5

  10·6

  19·1

  28·8

  16·6

  —

  180·1

  1993–94 Budget

  Block 1

  5·4

  8·3

  9·6

  17·7

  6·1

  4·8

  10·6

  15·0

  10·2

  —

  87·6

  Block 2

  3·4

  8·6

  7·2

  12·5

  6·8

  3·5

  4·3

  13·4

  4·0

  —

  63·7

  Block 3

  1·3

  2·9

  2·1

  2·0

  2·1

  1·1

  2·3

  2·8

  1·3

  —

  17·8

  Block 4

  0·5

  0·8

  0·8

  0·7

  0·5

  0·5

  0·8

  0·8

  1·2

  —

  6·7

  Learning for Work

  0·2

  0·4

  0·2

  0·4

  0·2

  0·2

  0·3

  0·5

  0·3

  —

  2·6

  TEC Challenge

  1·2

  0·0

  0·3

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  —

  1·5

  Skills Choice

  0·4

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  —

  0·4

  Open Learning Credits

  0·0

  0·2

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  0·0

  —

  0·2

  406
  improve our economic competitiveness by increasing the number of young people qualifying to the key technician and supervisor levels. When the scheme is fully operational, it is envisaged that up to 150,000 young people in England will be in modern apprentice training at any one time. The Government want modern apprentice ships to increase to over 40,000 the number of young people reaching national vocational qualification level 3 through training in England each year—roughly tripling the current number.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide a table showing, for each TEC in Greater London, the amount of funding(a) allocated and (b) paid under each block of expenditure for 1991–92 and 1992–93 and the amounts allocated for 1993–94.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The table shows the amount of funding allocated and paid under each block of expenditure for training and enterprise councils in the Greater London area for the period 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1993–94.
  407

  AZTEC

  CENTEC

  CILNTEC

  LETEC

  NLTEC

  NWLTEC

  SOLOTEC

  STTEC

  WLTEC

  RORUNEA

  Region

  Out of school childcare

  0·1

  0·0

  0·0

  0·1

  0·1

  0·0

  0·0

  0·1

  0·0

  —

  0·3

  Block 5

  1·3

  2·7

  2·2

  3·3

  2·0

  1·3

  2·2

  3·2

  1·9

  —

  20·1

  Total

  13·6

  23·9

  22·6

  36·7

  17·7

  11·4

  20·4

  35·8

  18·9

  —

  201·0

  1. The following TECs became operational during the financial year 1991–92 and for these TECs the relevant part-year figures are given:

  Operational From:

  South Thames TEC—27 May 1991

  West London TEC—19 August 1991

  Central London TEC—16 September 1991

  North London TEC—16 September 1991

  North West London TEC—16 September 1991

  City and Inner London North TEC—14 October 1991

  2. Block 1 of the tables includes youth training including youth credits, WRFE, education business partnerships, careers libraries, careers partnerships, teacher placement services and Compacts.

  3. Block 2, for 1991–92 and 1992–93 includes employment training, employment action and higher technology national training. In 1993–94 these programmes were merged into a new programme called training for work.

  4. In 1991–92 the London regional office of the Employment Department ran employment action for two TEC areas—North-West London and West London.

  5. Block 3 relates to business enterprise support.

  6. In 1991–92 and 1992–93 block 4 included the local initiative fund and national development projects. In 1993–94 block 4 includes the local initiative fund, gateway to learning and access to assessment. Gateway to learning and access to assessment were previously run as national development projects.

  7. Block 5 relates to the management fee paid to TECs. The spend data are not available for.

  8. All spend data are taken from the TEC invoice.

  9. Budget data are taken from TEC planning tables. For 1993–94, budget data include additions and virements made up to 24 January 1994. They are therefore likely to be marginally different than the original budgets agreed with TECs at the beginning of the contract year.

  Key to Table 1:

  Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs)

  AZTEC—TEC for Kingston, Merton and Wandsworth

  CENTEC—Central London TEC

  CILNTEC—City and Inner London North TEC

  LETEC—London East TEC

  NLTEC—North London TEC

  NWLTEC—North West London TEC

  SOLOTEC—South London TEC

  STTEC—South Thames TEC

  WLTEC—West London TEC

  RO Run EA—Employment Department London regional office run employment action—see footnote 4.

  Youth Employment
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many jobs are at present available for youth employment in(a) the Houghton and Washington constituency and (b) the city of Sunderland; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Employment Department does not carry a breakdown of vacancy figures by their suitability for different age groups. Listed in the table are the total number of unfilled vacancies in the jobcentres of Houghton, Washington and Sunderland for December 1993. Nationally, jobcentre vacancies account for about a third of all vacancies in the economy as a whole.
  408

  Jobcentre

  Vacancy

  Houghton-le-Spring

  52

  Washington

  149

  Sunderland

  284

PRIME MINISTER

  Charterline Pilot Scheme
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received(a) in favour of and (b) against the Charterline pilot scheme.

  The Prime Minister
  I have received numerous representations on charter issues.

  Advisory Panel on Environmental Policy
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister what criteria he used in choosing the members of his advisory panel on environmental policy announced on 25 January.

  The Prime Minister
  The members of the panel have been chosen for their wide-ranging knowledge and practical experience in matters relevant to protection of the environment and economic development.

  Sustainable Development Strategy
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues prior to drafting his foreword to the report on the sustainable development strategy for the United Kingdom regarding the content of the report.

  The Prime Minister
  I have had full discussions with my ministerial colleagues about the content of the United Kingdom strategy for sustainable development.

  Ministerial Visits
  Mr. Salmond
  To ask the Prime Minister how many visits the Prime Minister has made to Scotland since he took office; and if he will list the dates of these visits and locations visited.

  The Prime Minister
  Since I took office I have made 13 visits to various locations in Scotland.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Electricity Supplies
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his policy on the proposal for a reduction in voltage of electricity supplies; and what powers he has to stop it being introduced in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Eggar
  All EC countries are changing their low voltage supply systems to a nominal voltage of 230/400
  409
  volts to provide voltage harmonisation throughout the EC. My policy is to endorse this standardisation following extensive consultation.

  This will remove a perceived barrier to trade and so further the objectives of the single market. Consumers will have greater choice and flexibility in the purchase and use of electrical applicances. The Secretary of State will be using his powers under the Electricity Act 1989 to amend the Electricity Supply Regulations 1988 in order to effect this standardisation in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what savings will be made on consumer costs of electricity supply from France when the agreed reduction in voltage comes into effect.

  Mr. Eggar
  The change in voltage to a standardised nominal low voltage of 230/400 volts throughout the EC has no relevance to the cost of electricity supplies to or from France over the sub-sea cables. The electricity exchanged with France is done at extremely high voltage direct current and the costs associated with those arrangements are not a function of consumer voltages and will not be affected by the proposed standardisation.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultation took place with(a) industry, (b) domestic users and (c) the electricity supply industry before the reduction in voltage was accepted.

  Mr. Eggar
  Consultations took place with 36 different organisations representing the United Kingdom electricity companies, equipment manufacturers and consumers.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what increased costs will attend consumer costs of electricity supplies from the United Kingdom and France when the agreed reduction in voltage comes into effect.

  Mr. Eggar
  I do not expect that consumers of electricity will face any increases in the cost of their electricity as a result of standardisation.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what compensation will be paid to industrial users of electricity who have purchased heating equipment appropriate to their factory size and are now required to buy extra equipment to heat the same space after the reduction in voltage.

  Mr. Eggar
  It is not intended to pay compensation to industrial users of electricity in respect of the purchasing of additional heating equipment. The performance of some electrical appliances will be reduced in making the change to 230 volts from 240, but the effect will be minimal and will be offset by the wider benefits to consumers of standardisation.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the reduction in voltage in electricity supplies agreed with the European Community comes into effect.

  Mr. Eggar
  The change from a nominal supply voltage of 240 to 230 volts will come into effect on 1 January 1995. An amendment to the Electricity Supply Regulations 1988 will be needed to take effect from the same date.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what reasons underlay his decision to agree to 410
  reduce the voltage on electricity supplies from 400 volts to 280 volts and from 240 volts to 230 volts for domestic purposes.

  Mr. Eggar
  In 1988, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation proposed the harmonisation of the existing low voltage supplies in the EC countries. In Great Britain the majority of the manufacturers consulted were strongly in favour of a move to 230 volts in order to avoid confusion within the Community, while providing the considerable advantages of single product ranges and certifying procedures for the Community as a whole.

  This move is seen as a means of optimising designs leading to simpler production procedures, and uniformity of safety standards as well as reducing barriers to trade.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimates he has made of the increase in hypothermia consequent on the reduced output of heating equipment because of the reduction in voltage.

  Mr. Eggar
  The effect on output of electrical heating equipment in making the change to a nominal voltage of 230 volts in accordance with the time scales and tolerances required for EC voltage harmonisation will be insignificant and is therefore not a relevant consideration in the incidence of hypothermia.

  Insurance Market
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made as to the solvency of the Lloyd's insurance market; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The solvency of the Lloyd's insurance market remains as described in my answer to my hon. Friend on 9 December,Official Report, column 346.

  Coal Industry
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the amount of financial subsidy he will make available to British Coal to settle extra sales of coal on top of the main contracts with the generators in the current financial year as outlined in "Prospects for Coal"; how many tonnes of extra sales this involved; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  The amount of subsidy paid will depend on how successful British Coal and the private sector are at securing additional sales. Details of the total amount of subsidy paid will be made available to Parliament in the normal way.

  Dr. Hampson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the proposed timetable for the sale of Coal Products Ltd. by British Coal; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  The future of Coal Products Ltd. is a matter for British Coal.

  Shipbuilding Intervention Fund
  Mr. Coe
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is his Department's policy on the level of shipbuilding intervention funding during 1994.
  411
  Mr. Sainsbury
  Following a decision of the European Commission, notified to member states on 21 December 1993, I have decided that the United Kingdom's maximum level of support for large ships from 1 January 1994 should continue to be 9 per cent. This is inclusive of shipbuilder's relief at 2 per cent.

  I have similarly decided that maximum support for small ships from 1 January 1994 should continue to be 4·5 per cent, inclusive of the shipbuilder's relief of 2 per cent.

  These levels are at the maximum permitted by the EC shipbuilding regime. They are subject to review in the light of the outcome of the current OECD negotiations on an agreement on shipbuilding subsidies.

  Structural Funds
  Mr. Streeter
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he is yet able to inform the House of the final outcome of the negotiations with the European Communities on the designation under the structural funds of objective 2 and 5(b) areas.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  [pursuant to his reply, 13 January 1994, Official Report, columns 252–54]: The Commission has now announced that it has decided to make no changes to the initial list of areas it announced on 21 December. I have placed a copy of the final list, which includes details where appropriate at ward level, in the Library of the House. It will appear in the Official Journal in due course.

  The Commission has also announced that the indicative allocation to the United Kingdom for objective 2 for the period 1994–1996 is 2,142 million ecu.

  I hope to be able to provide the final objective 5(b) list in the near future when it has been finally decided by the Commission.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Eel Fisheries
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the location of each eel fishery in Northern Ireland together with the rateable value of each and the body to which the rates are paid.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Rate Collection Agency under its chief executive, Mr. D. W. Gallagher. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Assistance paid to farmers in upland areas of England (Uplands defined as less-favoured areas)

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Environmentally sensitive areas6

  1,146

  2,470

  2,615

  2,653

  2,716

  4,120

  8,194

  Capital grants4

  9,900

  9,500

  11,100

  10,900

  10,700

  8,500

  4,100

  Hill livestock compensatory allowance scheme (HLCAs)

  28,439

  29,007

  30,045

  32,503

  37,237

  38,374

  233,126

  Sheep annual premium scheme (SAPs)3

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  57,491

  92,724

  92,049

  Farm woodland scheme1

  n/a

  n/a

  14

  20

  32

  38

  45

  Farm woodland premium scheme1

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  34

  Five year set aside5

  n/a

  n/a

  255

  350

  600

  700

  460

  Pilot beef and sheep extensification scheme5

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  100

  100

  100

  Beef special premium scheme8

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Beef variable premium scheme8

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Suckler cow premium scheme7

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  12,040

  14,487

  15,612

  n/a

  Sheep variable premium scheme8

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  1 Farm woodland premium scheme succeeded farm woodland scheme on 1 April 1992.

  2 January to October.

  412
  Letter from D. W. Gallagher to Mr. William Ross, dated 26 January 1994:

  You recently asked a Parliamentary Question about the locations and rateable values of eel fisheries in Northern Ireland. As I am responsible for the Rate Collection Agency (RCA), the body to which the rates are paid, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to reply.

  There are three entries in the Valuation List relating to eel fisheries, all of which refer to Toome Eel Fishery (NI) Ltd., but which fall into three separate districts.

  Under Article 17 of the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977, Eel and Salmon Fisheries are currently derated by 60 per cent. which in effect means that rates are chargeable on only 40 per cent. of the Net Annual Value. This is outlined in the table below—

  Address

  Net annual value £

  RV on which rates are chargeable £

  District council area

  Toome Eel Fishery (NI) Ltd.

  Toome Eel Fishery (PT)

  4,800

  1,920

  Ballymoney

  Portna & Movanagher

  Toome Eel Fishery (NI) Ltd.

  Toome Eel Fishery (PT)

  12,500

  5,000

  Magherafelt

  Portna & Toome

  Toome Eel Fishery (NI) Ltd.

  500

  200

  Coleraine

  Toome Eel Fishery (PT)

  Movanagher

  Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Upland Areas (Assistance)
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the total value of all assistance to agriculture in the upland areas of England in each year since 1987, including environmental assistance, capital grants and sheep and livestock subsidies.

  Mr. Jack
  The information is set out in the table. For the purposes of this exercise "upland areas" are defined as less-favoured areas.
  413
  3 Under the sheep annual premium scheme, SAPs, premium is payable to farmers in both uplands and lowlands areas. It is not possible to ascertain how much of the premium expenditure for years prior to 1991 went to farmers in upland areas, as the less-favoured area—LFA supplement was not introduced until the 1991 scheme. The figures for the sheep annual premium scheme relate to payments for that year's scheme. Payments are staged and extend into the following year.

  4 The various schemes under which grant has been paid are: agriculture and horticulture development scheme, farm and horticulture development scheme, agriculture and horticulture development scheme, agriculture improvement scheme, farm diversification scheme, farm and conservation grant scheme.

  5 Estimated expenditure

  6 Includes, Pennine Dales, Clun, North Peak, Exmoor, Lake District, Southwest Peak, West Penwith ESAs. Payments relate to the cost of agreements made on the basis of applications submitted in the year shown.

  7 For 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1993 assistance given to upland areas is not separately identifiable.

  8 No differentiation is made under these schemes between upland/lowland producers.

  n/a = Not available.

  Consultants
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on which occasions since 1979 her Department has employed the services of external consultants; and if she will give details of the purposes for which they were employed and the cost of employing them.

  Mr. Jack
  The annual costs of external consultants employed by the Department—excluding agencies—since 1984–85 are set out. The precise number of contracts, details of the purposes for which they were employed and data for earlier years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Financial year

  Expenditure (£)

  1984–85

  127,110

  1985–86

  1174,724

  1986–87

  1135,279

  1987–88

  144,015

  1988–89

  1,174,114

  1989–90

  2,972,150

  1990–91

  4,495,793

  1991–92

  5,374,284

  1992–93

  7,010,814

  1 Excludes computer consultants.

  Wool Marketing Scheme
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on the future of the British wool marketing scheme.

  Mr. Jack
  The Government believe that the British wool marketing scheme continues to operate in the interests of producers, consumers and the industry and consequently are not planning to abolish it. The British Wool Marketing Board is currently considering amendments to the operation of scheme following the ending of the wool guarantee. These amendments will have to be approved by producers before the Government can arrange for their enactment in secondary legislation.

  Arable Area Payments
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the numbers of applications and the area applied for under the arable area payments scheme in England in 1993; how the total area applied for compares with the regional base area; and whether there are any plans for changes in the regional base area for 1994.
  414
  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  Over 46,000 applications covering over 3·5 million hectares were received. Details of the applications and a comparison with the base area are set out.

  We are asking the Commission to establish a separate base area for maize, excluding sweetcorn, in England in 1994. This would mean that arable producers would not be penalised by the recent and continuing expansion in production of forage maize for silage by livestock producers. Should maize production exceed the base area, maize producers would be subject to an in-year reduction in arable area payments and additional uncompensated set-aside the following year, if they wished to continue to claim under the main scheme.

  The changes to the rules on base area I negotiated at the December Agriculture Council mean that maize producers would be penalised only if both the regional maize base area and the total of the regional base areas for both maize and for other crops were exceeded.

  Arable area payments are, of course intended to compensate farmers for the reductions in cereal prices agreed as part of common agricultural policy reform. Producers of forage maize for silage have not suffered from the reductions. Indeed, as livestock producers, they have benefited as cereals are a major input into feed. Many will also be in receipt of livestock subsidies.

  Further changes to the base area will need to include linseed, which comes fully into the arable area payments scheme in 1994, and to exclude vining peas, which are no longer eligible for aid. The expected base area figures are shown in the table:

  Number

  Numbers of applications

  Main scheme

  27,248

  Simplified scheme

  19,006

  Total

  46,254

  Area applied for—ha

  MAIN SCHEME:

  3,361,589

  Cereals and sweetcorn

  2,173,529

  of which: maize

  34,804

  Oilseeds

  316,170

  Proteins

  220,853

  of which: vining peas

  29,782

  Linseed

  152,990

  Set-aside

  498,046

  of which: growing non-food crops

  49,870

  SIMPLIFIED SCHEME:

  225,857

  Cereals

  220,565

  of which: maize

  19,553

  Oilseeds

  1,844

  Proteins

  3,449

  of which: Vining peas

  214

  415

  Number

  GRAND TOTAL

  3,587,446

  Comparison with Base Area (ha)

  Number

  Area applied for under Arable Area Payments Scheme (excluding vining peas and linseed)

  3,404,460

  Area in five-year set-aside

  106,897

  Eligible crops claimed as forage area

  91,159

  of which: maize

  15,026

  TOTAL

  3,602,516

  Base area

  3,742,422

  Base area less total

  139,906

  Proposed Revised Base Area (hectares) (Subject to Commission approval)

  Number

  Maize

  33,226

  Other crops

  3,761,366

  Total

  3,794,592

  Flash Floods
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice her department gives to farmers to avoid soil erosion in flash floods.

  Mrs. Shephard
  My Department published the code of good agricultural practice for the protection of soil in December last year.

  The code provides practical guidance to help farmers and growers avoid causing long-term damage to the soil and specifically deals with techniques to combat soil erosion caused by water.

  Copies of the soil code have been placed in the Library of the House.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Technology Foresight
  Dr. Moonie
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many technology foresight panels he expects to appoint; what industrial or technological sectors they will cover; what their timetable is for reporting to the technology foresight steering group; and when he expects their final report to be published.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The foresight steering group, chaired by the chief scientific adviser, is meeting on 11 February to decide its advice to me on these issues. I will make an announcement soon after that about how the technology foresight programme will be taken forward during 1994.

  Research and Development
  Dr. Moonie
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the timetable for the completion and publication of the 1994 forward look and annual review of Government-funded research and development.
  416
  Mr. Waldegrave
  The 1994 forward look of Government-funded science and technology will be published in April. Statistical tables previously produced in the annual review of Government-funded research and development will continue to be published in the form of a statistical supplement to the new forward look.

EDUCATION

  Education Support and Training Grants
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what total amount of funding has been made available over the last year under the grants for education support and training.

  Mr. Forth
  The 1993–94 grants for education support and training GEST programme supports local education authority expenditure of £320·2 million. Central Government grant is in most cases paid at the rate of 60 per cent. of this expenditure.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will itemise the expenditure on the administration of grants for education support and training, including printing, advertising and stationery costs as well as worker expenses(a) over the last year and (b) since the scheme was developed.

  Mr. Forth
  The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Voluntary-aided Schools (Capital Grants)
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what amount and percentage of underspending or overspending has occurred on capital grants to voluntary-aided schools for building work in each of the last three completed financial years; whether his Department has reviewed the reasons for any marked or persistent underspending; and whether there are reasons to expect either underspending or overspending to be reported for 1993–94;

  (2) what amount and percentage of underspending or overspending has occurred on capital grants to voluntary-aided schools for repair work in each of the last three completed financial years; whether his Department has reviewed the reasons for any marked or persistent underspending; and whether there are reasons to expect either underspending or overspending to be reported for 1993–94.

  Mr. Forth
  Details of aided school capital and repair grant estimates, final outturn and percentage under-overspend from 1990–91 to 1992–93 are as follows:

  Year

  Estimate £ million

  Outturn £ million

  Percentage under/ overspend

  Repairs

  1990–91

  35·0

  41·8

  19 overspend

  1991–92

  47·5

  49·1

  3 overspend

  1992–93

  55·0

  36·8

  33 underspend

  Capital

  1990–91

  71·0

  64·0

  10 underspend

  1991–92

  84·2

  63·9

  24 underspend

  1992–93

  96·6

  81·3

  16 underspend

  417
  The overall outturn for both programmes for 1990–91 and the two previous years was broadly in balance with the estimate. The main reasons for the recent underspend on the capital programme appear to be attributable to the economic recession, in particular the inability of some governing bodies to fund their 15 per cent. contribution, lower than estimated tender costs and delays caused by contractor liquidations.

  The Department is revising its approval, monitoring and in-year reallocation procedures. Expenditure in 1993–94 so far suggests a small overspend on the capital progamme balanced by a corresponding underspend on repairs. However, the predictive value of expenditure so far is limited because a very high proportion of claims are usually submitted in the last two months of the financial year.

  School Transport (Accidents)
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures he intends to bring forward to help prevent or mitigate accidents involving school transport.

  Mr. Forth
  Advice on this matter is available in the 1991 report from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, endorsed by this Department and distributed to all local education authorities and schools. We are keeping relevant issues under review, in close collaboration with the Department of Transport, which also has relevant responsibilities, but have no immediate proposals for further action.

  Further Education Funding Council
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his answer of 18 January,Official Report, columns 545–48, if he will publish further details of the preparatory costs incurred in the establishment of the Further Education Funding Council.

  Mr. Boswell
  The information is follows:

  £ million

  Running costs

  4·0

  Consultancies

  1·8

  Payments to assist colleges' preparation for independence

  18·6

  Total

  24·4

HEALTH

  Junior Doctors
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to provide guidelines for accommodation for junior doctors.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Advice on living conditions for junior doctors was issued as part of the new deal guidance in June 1991, copies of which are available in the Library. I have asked the national health service to treat improvements in this area as a priority. We have no plans to issue further guidance.
  418

  Health Service Employees
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what disciplinary measures are available against health service employees responsible for making unauthorised payments.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Disciplinary procedures for health service staff employed on national terms and conditions of service are governed by section 40 of the General Whitley Council handbook, a copy of which is available in the Library. This provides a framework within which employing authorities determine local disciplinary procedures. Under the 1990 National Health Service and Community Care Act, NHS trusts have the freedom to establish their own disciplinary procedures.

  The question of whether or not to take disciplinary action, and its severity, is entirely a matter for each health employer.

  Departmental Cars
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidelines are applied to the use of official cars for personal purposes by Department of Health staff or Ministers; and who originate these guidelines;

  (2) what arrangements exist within her Department for reimbursement by Ministers of the cost of private use of official cars.

  Mr. Sackville
  Official cars may not be used for personal purposes except during the working week when the effect is a saving of time for use on official duties or for security reasons.

  Mental Health
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many districts have a 24-hour, seven-day crisis intervention service provided by experienced mental health workers.

  Mr. Bowis
  All district health authorities are required to have psychiatrists approved under section 12 of the Mental Health Act 1983 available and similarly all local authorities are required to have approved social workers. Dedicated crisis intervention services are in place where assessed needs suggest this is a cost-effective way of providing services.

  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of staff in mental health units are trained to provide(a) case management, (b) community crisis intervention, (c) home-based care and (d) normalised day care.

  Mr. Bowis
  Mental health staff are expected to be able to work in a variety of service settings and to provide a range of services to patients. It is a matter for local health authorities to decide on training strategies.

  Hospital Hostel Beds
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many districts have hospital hostel beds.

  Mr. Bowis
  We encourage the provision of hospital hostels where they are appropriate for local needs but we do not record their provision centrally.
  419

  Respite Beds
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many districts provide crisis diversion and respite beds in the community or in the hospital.

  Mr. Bowis
  Health authorities do not usually earmark beds. It is more efficient to use them in a flexible way.

  NHS Private Beds
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans she has to collect and publish data on private beds in the NHS in the years after 1990–91;

  (2) how many individual NHS/pay bed units there were in each region including special health authorities in each of the last five years; and how many pay beds there were in these units in each of those regions in each of the last five years;

  (3) how many authorised pay beds there were in 1991–92 in (a) special health authorities, (b) in each region and (c) in England as a whole.

  Mr. Sackville
  Trusts do not "authorise" pay beds and therefore we no longer collect authorised pay bed numbers. Private patient income is recorded in the summarised accounts of health authorities and trusts. This information is used to monitor the extent of private patient activity.

  GP Fundholders
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the time scale for producing finally audited figures on fundholding expenditure for 1992–93.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Arrangements for audit are made locally. It is for family health services authorities and the Audit Commission to agree the timetable for completing the audit of general practitioner fundholder accounts.

  GP Fundholding
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many non-fund-holding practices operating in the area covered by the Macclesfield constituency have declared an interest in becoming fundholding;

  (2) how many (a) fundholding and (b) non-fundholding general practitioner practices operate in the area covered by the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Regional health authorities are responsible for managing the general practitioner fundholding scheme in their areas. Nationally, 25 per cent. of the population is covered by GP fundholders. In Mersey region, this is 35 per cent. Information by constituency is not available and could be determined only at disproportionate cost.

  Child Minding
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set up an investigation into the adequacy of current child minding regulations and the competence of Surrey county council's social services department following the verdict in the case of Thomas Harrison v. Surrey county council and Mrs. Christine Walton; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  The events in this case took place in 1989, and the Children Act 1989, which came into force in 420
  October 1991, contains updated and effective provisions which enable local authorities to regulate childminders, so that children are protected from harm. I understand that Surrey county council has now reorganised its registration service, and has asked the area child protection committee to conduct a multi-agency review into all the circumstances surrounding the case to ensure that all the lessons have been learned. The Department's social services inspectorate is monitoring this.

  Hospitals
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals there were in England in(a) 1992 and (b)

  Mr. Sackville
  The available information is shown in the table. Prior to April 1991, a count of the number of individual units supplying activity data provided an estimate of the number of hospitals. The creation of trusts and directly managed units means that from 1991–92 this information is no longer held centrally.

  Number of providers submitting data for 1991–92 and 1992–93

  1991–92

  1992–93

  Directly managed units

  389

  278

  NHS trusts

  53

  141

  Special health authorities

  8

  8

  Total

  450

  427

  Note: The count includes all providers who submitted data for wards open day and night, 24 hours, and/or wards open in the day only.

  Birth Defects
  Mr. Mandelson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information is currently available about the environmental pollution or other causes which might provide an explanation of the incidence of babies being born with deformed or missing hands;

  (2) what resources she has made available to local health authorities or to the Medical Research Council, or both, in their examination of babies born with deformed or missing hands;

  (3) if she will order a full Government investigation into the incidence of babies being born with deformed or missing hands in coastal areas; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  Limb deformities which have occurred in babies born in coastal areas have been the subject of preliminary local investigation. Local inquiries of this kind form part of the public health functions of the health authorities concerned, which are funded as a matter of course. There is no evidence to suggest that the incidence of limb defects in these places is any higher than might occur by chance. Nor is there any information to suggest that environmental pollution might be the cause. Clinicians in Hampshire have been in touch informally with officers of the Medical Research Council's epidemiology unit at Southampton. Any further developments will be monitored closely.

  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will institute an investigation into the problem of children being born with one hand only; if she will institute
  421
  an investigation into the problems of children with any other generalised deformities of the body; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  A national system for monitoring and detecting any increase in the prevalence of congenital malformations co-ordinated by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys has been in place for the last 30 years. We are aware of particular local investigations which are taking place into the reasons for limb deformities. It would be inappropriate to speculate further until these have been completed.

  Form AG3
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to simplify form AG3, with regard to sight tests, glasses and contact lenses; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The style and content of form AG3 are kept under review and changes to improve effectiveness and clarity are made whenever it is feasible to do so.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health who are the members currently appointed to the Pharmacists Review Body.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Pharmacists Review Panel is chaired by Mr. J. Keir QC, a former joint secretary of Unilever plc. Its members are Mr. W. G. K. Carter CBE, partner, Price Waterhouse and Co.; Mr. J. F. H. Pease-Watkin, former personnel director, Bowater Corporation; and Mr. J. R. Sargent CBE, former group economic adviser, Midland bank.

  Vicky Rimmer
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information has been sought by officials of her Department from doctors treating Vicky Rimmer at the Walton hospital in Liverpool.

  Mr. Sackville
  It is not our practice to make such inquiries. The treatment of individual patients is a matter for their clinicians.

  Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what scientific research is being funded by her Department into possible links between Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy;

  (2) whether she will establish an independent inquiry into possible links between Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and BSE.

  Mr. Sackville
  Doctors are asked to report every suspected case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, (CJD), to the national Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease surveillance unit in Edinburgh, funded jointly by the Department and the Scottish Office. The unit is headed by Dr. Robert Will, consultant neurologist at Edinburgh's Western general hospital. The circumstances of each case are recorded fully and in particular all cases are examined for possible sources of transmission and any occupational factor. The 422
  unit was established in 1990 and provided reports in 1992 and 1993, copies of which are readily available to the medical and scientific community and are available in the Library.

  The Government are already advised by the independent spongiform encephalopathy advisory committee, chaired by Dr. David Tyrrell FRS, which considers issues relating to spongiform encephalopathies—including CJD and bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

  In the circumstances that every case of the very rare disease, CJD, is being fully monitored, that the medical and scientific community is alert to the need to learn more about the causes of CJD, and that the Government have in place an expert committee to give advice, it is not easy to see what would be added by holding an inquiry.

  In response to recent media reports, the Chief Medical Officer stated:
  "I am concerned about the recent spate of irresponsible scare stories in the press suggesting that people are at risk of contracting the fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from eating beef. These sensational and alarmist reports must inevitably frighten large numbers of ordinary people—and for no good reason.
  The facts are clear. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is extremely rare—only one person in a million gets it—and those unfortunate people who do get it have contracted it for a variety of reasons. There is no evidence at all that eating infected meat is one of them.
  Newspaper reports have been commenting on the sad case of one 16-year-old girl—yet no one knows what illness she is suffering from.
  We do not ignore any suggestions about the causes of diseases of this seriousness, and the Government have invested considerable resources on the research issues in recent years looking at:

  the incidence of CJD;

  the causes of each individual case;

  any possible links with BSE.

  On the basis of the work done so far, there is no evidence whatever that BSE causes CJD and, similarly, not the slightest evidence that eating beef or hamburgers causes CJD.
  My position as the Government's Chief Medical Officer means that I must provide the best advice to the public, whatever the consequences. If there was any evidence that suggested a link, then I would regard it as my responsibility to bring it to public attention."

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with Ministers at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regarding the possibility of a link between BSE and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

  Mr. Sackville
  Ministers and officials in both departments are in regular contact on these and other matters of mutual interest.

  NHS Hospitals (Private Medical Companies)
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued to NHS hospitals about leasing or selling part of their premises to house the facilities of private medical companies.

  Mr. Sackville
  None.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS hospitals have leased or sold part of their premises to house the facilities of private medical companies by region.

  Mr. Sackville
  This is a local matter for national health service trusts and health authorities.
  423

TRANSPORT

  Driving Offences
  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes he is proposing to the present arrangements for disciplining drivers of large goods and passenger-carrying vehicles who commit offences.

  Mr. Key
  The traffic commissioners are responsible for deciding whether drivers are fit persons to hold an entitlement to drive large goods and passenger carrying vehicles.

  It must remain the responsibility of the traffic commissioners to deal with each case which comes to their notice on its merits. I am, however, recommending to the traffic commissioners that, in cases where no aggravating circumstances apply, they should follow the guidelines set out:

  (i) a first-time disqualification of 12 months or less should normally be dealt with by a warning letter, with no further disqualification of the driver's LGV or PCV entitlement;

  (ii) a disqualification of longer than 12 months should result in the driver appearing before a traffic commissioner and a period of one to three months' further suspension of the LGV/PCV entitlement should be considered to give the driver an opportunity to regain his or her driving skills and road sense in an ordinary car before starting to drive LGVs or PCVs again;

  (iii) where two or more disqualifications of more than eight weeks have been imposed within the last five years, and the combined total exceeds 12 months, the driver should normally be required to attend a hearing. A period of three to six months' further suspension of the LGV/PCV entitlement should normally be applied;

  (iv) Traffic commissioners should continue to deal on a case by case basis with drivers convicted of relevant non-endorsable offences—for example, drivers' hours—endorsable offences such as bad accidents and others which come to their notice and—in the case of PCV drivers—relevant criminal convictions; and

  (v) for new applicants for LGV/PCV entitlement, if the applicant has nine or more penalty points, traffic commissioners should consider either issuing a warning or asking the applicant to resubmit his/her application when the penalty points had been reduced.

  River Crossings (London)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what representation he has received about proposals for the construction of a rail tunnel from the existing electrified north London link line in the Silvertown-North Woolwich area to the London Bridge to Gravesend line south of the Thames at Woolwich; what estimate he has made of the approximate cost of (i) single and (ii) double bore tunnels; and what assessment he has made of the priority and value for money of (1) the proposed tunnel, (2) the projected east London river crossing and (3) the proposed Blackwall bridge;

  (2) pursuant to his oral answer of 24 January, Official Report, column 9, concerning studies of cross-Thames rail links in east London, what is the estimated cost of constructing a tunnel of about one mile between North Woolwich and Woolwich Arsenal (a) of one bore and (b) of two bores; and what is the approximate capacity of persons per hour in both directions that each would provide.

  Mr. Norris
  London Transport, the London Docklands development corporation and Network SouthEast have 424
  recently published a report of their joint study of the options for a rail tunnel between the royal docks and Woolwich. Provisional engineering feasibility work has established that the preferred option for the tunnel might be immersed tube, which could provide for a twin-track tunnel with a capacity of perhaps up to 24,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Depending upon the nature of the preferred scheme, capital costs, including rolling stock, are estimated at between £160 million and £250 million. A full study is to be undertaken during 1994.

  This rail crossing, the east London river crossing, and Blackwall bridges are all at different stages of development and it is too soon to assess priorities; but each appears to justify further study.

  Deregulation
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether operators of passenger and goods vehicles will still be required to advertise in the local press when they wish to renew their licences under the proposals in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill.

  Mr. Norris
  Yes.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he intends to introduce to ensure that regular maintenance checks are carried out of goods and public service vehicle operating centres following his proposals in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill.

  Mr. Norris
  There will be no change to the present system. Operators will still be required to satisfy the traffic commissioner that they have adequate maintenance arrangements for their vehicles.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether goods and public service operators will be able to increase their vehicle fleet size without the authority of the traffic commissioners under the proposals set out in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill.

  Mr. Norris
  No.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what measures he intends to introduce to ensure that the environmental safeguards currently provided under current goods vehicle operating licensing laws are protected following the introduction of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill;

  (2) whether operators of passenger and goods vehicles will still be required to advertise in the local press when they wish to renew their licences under the proposals in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill.

  Mr. Norris
  Operators will no longer be required to renew their licences. Under the system of continuous licensing, an operator's licence would last for the lifetime of the holder, provided there was no breach of the conditions under which the licence was granted and payment of fees associated with the licence were paid. The system will allow for periodic checks to be made on operators, and an opportunity for goods vehicle operating centres to be reviewed at five-yearly intervals to ensure that they remain suitable.
  425

DEFENCE

  Pornography Magazines
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions his Department has purchased soft pornography magazines for distribution or sale to members of the armed forces in each year since 1980; how many magazines have been purchased; and what has been the cost to his Department.

  Mr. Hanley
  My Department is not aware that any public funds have been or are being used for the purchase of such magazines for distribution or sale to members of the armed forces.

  Cyprus Bases
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) Greek Cypriots and (b) Turkish Cypriots are employed at each of the two sovereign bases in Cyprus.

  Mr. Hanley
  A total of 2,327 Cypriots are employed in the sovereign bases in Cyprus. In the western sovereign base area, SBA, the MOD employs 1,414 Greek Cypriots. In the eastern sovereign base area there are 596 Greek Cypriot employees and 307 from the Turkish Cypriot community. In addition to those in the SBAs, we employ 93 Greek Cypriots and one Turkish Cypriot at other sites in the Republic of Cyprus.

  Ministry of Defence Flights
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answers of 14 January,Official Report, columns 347–48, and 20 January, Official Report, column 826, what payments he has received from non-MOD sources for the use by non-MOD personnel of the weekly scheduled defence-specific flights to Washington, Belize and Decimomannu; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Further to my answer of 20 January,Official Report, column 826, the payments received from the use of scheduled flights to Washington, Belize and Decimomannu by non-MOD staff over the last 12 months amounts to £232,000.

  Anti-personnel Mines
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the dangers to civilians created by the placement of anti-personnel mines that have (i) self-destructing mechanisms, and (ii) self-neutralising mechanisms and (iii) that do not have self-destructing or self-neutralising mechanisms; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Anti-personnel mines are inherently dangerous to civilians. However, they are legitimate defensive military weapons if used properly and in accordance with the laws of war, as our armed forces are trained to do. The extra controls provided by self-destructing or self-neutralising mechanisms help to ensure that mines with such capabilities are likely to be less dangerous to civilians than those without them.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect the recent UN resolution calling for a426
  moratorium on the export of anti-personnel land mines has had on the policies of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  The resolution has had no direct effect, since the United Kingdom has not produced or exported conventional anti-personnel land mines in the category covered by the resolution for over a decade.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent UN resolution calling for a moratorium on the export of anti-personnel land mines on the need for de-mining operations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  The UN resolution has no direct effect on the need for de-mining operations.

  Bosnia
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on service morale of his policy on the provision of telephone services for personnel deployed in Bosnia; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  We are fully conscious of the importance to service morale of regular telephone contacts with relatives and friends. For this reason, we have set up arrangements in Bosnia whereby service personnel at all major locations can make personal calls using commercial networks or, where these are not available, the military operational network. All British troops serving in the forner Yugoslavia receive a telephone allowance of –13·50 per month.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements(a) existed prior to 11 January and (b) currently exist to enable British service personnel in Bosnia to make use of London-based operator services to place reverse charge calls; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Where commercial telephone lines are not available, service personnel in Bosnia are permitted to make personal calls using the military network. Calls to the United Kingdom on the military network are routed via an operator in London and the costs within the United Kingdom are billed by means of reverse charges. Since this is an operational network, its use is however limited to times at the local commander's discretion depending upon the operational circumstances. Since 11 January, following the installation of six British Telecom cardphones at Vitez, access to the military network there for personal calls has been withdrawn. These BT telephones take United Kingdom phonecards which can be purchased at reduced rates in the local NAAFI or can be sent by relatives in the post. The call charge rate is cheaper than the normal BT rate for calls from the United Kingdom to Yugoslavia.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has as to the policy of other Governments contributing troops to UNPROFOR in Bosnia concerning the retention or passing on of United Nations payments to their personnel; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  We have no such information.
  427
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what rate per day per soldier the United Nations pays the United Kingdom for stationing service personnel in Bosnia;

  (2) what payments the British Government receive from the United Nations to cover salary costs of British service personnel in Bosnia;

  (3) what payments the British Government receive from the United Nations for stationing their troops in Bosnia; and if he will give a detailed breakdown of those payments.

  Mr. Hanley
  The United Nations pays a standard troop cost of $988 per person per month irrespective of rank, plus a supplementary amount of $291 for a limited number of specialists as a contribution towards salary and allowances. The United Nations also pays $65 per person per month to cover personal clothing, and equipment and $5 per person per month for personal weapons and ammunition. Other claims for reimbursable items of expenditure—for example, vehicles, equipment—depend on the United Nations' ability to pay.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service personnel are currently stationed in Bosnia; what is the total pay bill for those personnel; and what supplementary payments or allowances they receive, on top of normal salary(a) from the British Government and (b) from the United Nations.

  Mr. Hanley
  There are currently some 2,300 British service personnel stationed in Bosnia. The total pay bill varies with the rotation of personnel in theatre who are paid according to their rank, their personal circumstances and the location from which they were posted. In addition to their normal salary, and subject to eligibility, they receive from the British Government a separation allowance of £3·50 per day after 30 days and a proportion of local overseas allowance—70 per cent. for married personnel, 40 per cent. for single personnel. They also receive a telephone allowance of £13·50 per month. All service personnel serving under United Nations auspices in Bosnia receive a United Nations set allowance of $1·28 per day for incidental expenses an a lump sum of $73·50 to cover the first seven days of rest and recreation leave.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether payments received by the British Government from the United Nations for stationing service personnel in Bosnia are(a) retained entirely by the Ministry of Defence or (b) passed on in whole, or in part to United Kingdom soldiers.

  Mr. Hanley
  In accordance with an inter-departmental arrangement, the MOD recovers the cost of United Kingdom participation in peacekeeping operations from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. United Nations receipts to Her Majesty's Government are used by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to offest the overall cost of United Nations peacekeeping. All United Nations troops in Bosnia, irrespective of nationality, are entitled to receive the same United Nations allowances, which currently stand at $128 a day each and a lump sum of $73·50 per person to cover rest and recreation; all United Kingdom service personnel serving in the former Yugoslavia receive these United Nations allowances in full.
  428

  Training
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 January,Official Report, column 824, if he will provide details of the special United Nations training programme for personnel in Bosnia, including what personnel provide this training, where the training is carried out, what is the source of funding for it, how long is the training and any other relevant information.

  Mr. Hanley
  The training package for personnel warned off for deployment to the former Yugoslavia consists of a 12-day special-to-mission package. 'The training is carried out by specialist training advisory teams at the Army's combined arms training centre at Warminster and, for Germany-based units, at Sennelager. Overall training costs are borne mainly by the Defence budget apart from some minor incidental costs which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office cover.

  Mercenaries
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he first became aware the Azeri Government were hiring British mercenaries; and what steps he took.

  Mr. Hanley
  This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary.

  HMS Valiant
  Mr. Churchill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the cost of HMS Valiant's most recent refit; when she was recommissioned; whether she remains operational; and when she is due to pay off.

  Mr. Aitken
  HMS Valiant's most recent refit was carried out in Rosyth and was completed in July 1989. The refit straddled the introduction of commercial management into the dockyards in April 1987 and that part of the refit which took place under commercial management cost around £77 million. There has also been a routine docking and essential defect period in 1992–93 at a cost of around £13 million although the final cost certificates have not yet been submitted. Refitting expenditure prior to the introduction of commercial management could only be identified at disproportionate cost. The vessel re-entered service on completion of the refit and currently remains in full time service with the Royal Navy; it is not our practice to discuss pay-off dates for individual vessels.

  Vacant Dwellings
  Dr. Berry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vacant dwellings are owned by his Department in each parliamentary constituency in Avon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire; and what the figures were for January 1992.

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

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Young Offenders
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with whom he discussed the increased powers that he has granted to adjudicating governors within the
  429
  Prison Service to sentence young offenders from three days to seven days' cellular confinement; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The maximum periods for the punishment of cellular confinement were increased for both adult prisoners and young offenders on 1 January this year. My right hon. and learned Friend has previously discussed the proposal with ministerial colleagues and with the Director General of the Prison Service and informed the House of his intention to make the change on 10 December last year in replying to a question from my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Burton (Sir I. Lawrence),Official Report, column 419.

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons he agreed to increase from three days to seven days the punishment of cellular confinement that can be given by prison governors to young offenders and juveniles; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Maximum periods for the punishment of cellular confinement were increased for both adult prisoners and young offenders on 1 January this year. The purpose was to strengthen the disciplinary powers of governors, which was particularly desirable in the light of increased offending in prison establishments.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Fire Services Examinations Board.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The members of the Fire Services Examinations Board are:

  Chairman (appointed by Secretary of State)

  Mr. B. T. A. Collins, OBE QFSM

  (HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services for England and Wales)

  Members

  (appointed by Secretary of State)

  Mr. G. P. Walker (Scottish Office)

  Mr. B. L. Fuller, CBE QFSM

  (Commandant, Chief Executive, Fire Service College)

  Mr. D. Dick, OBE

  Mr. M. J. Addison (Home Office)

  Appointed by

  The Association of County Councils

  Mr. A. Till

  Mr. T. Gorman

  Mr. T. L. Glossop

  Appointed by

  The Association of Metropolitan Authorities

  Mr. W. Dunlop

  Mr. S. G. Bennett

  Mr. G. Brewer

  Appointed by

  The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

  Mr. W. E. Axon

  Mr. G. Bird

  Mr. P. Donnolly

  Appointed by

  The Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers Association

  Mr. J. H. Windsor

  Mr. J. G. Russel

  Appointed by

  430

  The National Association of Fire Officers

  Mr. G. Williams

  Mr. R. Anderson

  Appointed by

  The Fire Brigades Union

  Mr. K. Cameron

  Mr. R. Scott

  Mr. I. Brandling

  Appointed by

  The Institution of Fire Engineers

  Dr. R. W. Docherty

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the misuse of drugs professional panel.

  Mr. Maclean
  A professional panel does not have a standing membership. It consists of a chairman and two other persons drawn from a pool of members of the respondent's own profession, nominated by the relevant professional bodies, and appointed by the Secretary of State.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

  Mr. Maclean
  The current members of the board are:

  Lord Carlisle of Bucklow, PC, QC

  Mr. James Law,QC1

  Mr. Charles Whitby, QC

  Mr. Barry Chedlow, QC

  Sir David Calcutt, QC

  Miss Beryl Cooper, QC

  Miss Shirley Ritchie, QC

  Mr. Hugh Carlisle, QC

  Mr. Colin Fawcett, QC

  Mr. Michael Park, CBE1

  Mr. John Crowley, QC

  Sir Arthur Hoole

  Mr. Donald Robertson, QC1

  Mr. Michael Lewer, QC

  Mr. Peter Weitzman, QC

  Mr. Conrad Seagroatt, QC

  Mr. John Archer, QC

  Mr. Owen Thomas, QC

  Mr. Leighton Williams, QC

  Mr. Graeme Hamilton, QC

  Sir Derek Bradbeer, OBE

  Mr. Crawford Lindsay, QC

  Lord Macaulay of Bragar, QC1

  Miss Diane Cotton, QC

  Mr. Donald Mackay, QC1

  Mr. Evan Stone, QC

  Mr. Daniel Brennan, QC

  Mr. Timothy Preston, QC

  Mr. John Cherry, QC

  Mr. Kevin Drummond, QC1

  Mr. Edward Gee

  Mr. David Barker, QC

  His Honour James Kingham

  His Honour Sir David West-Russell

  His Honour John da Cunha

  Mr. Michael Churchouse

  Mr. James M. McGhie1

  Sir Richard Gaskell

  Mr. Norman Miscampbell, QC

  Mr. Michael Lewis, QC

  Mr. Harold Gooddard, QC

  His Honour SirJonathan Clarke

  1 Member appointed by the Secretary of State for Scotland.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Animal Procedures Committee.
  431
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply to a question from the hon. Member for Glanford and Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley) on 14 January, column 337.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Police Promotion Examinations Board.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The chairman of the Police Promotion Examinations Board is Professor J. A. Andrews, whose current appointment runs until August 1996. The members of the board are appointed by the bodies which they represent: these include the police staff associations, the local authority associations, the Home Office, Her Majesty's inspector of constabulary, the chief examiner and the local government management board, which administers the examinations.

  The current membership of the board is as follows:

  Professor J. A. Andrews—Chairman

  Mrs. P. G. W. Catto—Home Office

  Mr. W. Lawrie—Secretary

  Mrs. E. M. Eyers—Assistant Secretary

  Mr. J. Dunn—Assistant Secretary

  Miss S. Hubbard—HMIC

  Mr. P. Rabbeth—Police Federation

  Mr. D. Hayward—Police Federation

  Mr. B. Pallant—Police Federation

  Mr. H. Lowe—ACC

  Mr. V. Petrie—ACC

  Commander B. Aitchison—Metropolitan Police

  Mr. A. Dyer—ACPO (Moderator)

  Ch. Supt. B. MacKenzie—Superintendents Association

  Mrs. C. Webb—LGMB

  Mr. B. Whyte—CPTU Chief Examiner

  (Not including "Non-members likely to attend")

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Misuse of Drugs Tribunal.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 specifies that a tribunal should consist of five members. The chairman, who is currently Mrs. H. Sarkany, must be a barrister, advocate or solicitor and is appointed by the Lord Chancellor.

  The other four persons are drawn from a pool of members of the respondent's own profession, nominated by the relevant professional bodies, and are appointed by the Secretary of State for particular cases.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Poisons Board.

  Mr. Maclean
  The role of the Poisons Board is under review as part of a general review of poisons legislation. It has not been necessary to convene the board since 1990 and it has no appointed members at present.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

  Mr. Maclean
  The current membership of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is as follows:

  Professor D. G. Grahame-Smith Chairman

  Mrs. J. Barlow Female Dependency Projects Manager, Stirling

  Mr. R. Bartle Metropolitan Stipendiary Magistrate, London

  Dr. W. B. Clee General Medical Practitioner, Cardiff

  Mr. D. S. Coleman—Unit Leader, Office of the Health Service Commission for England, London

  Dr. M. Donmall—Director, Drug Research Unit and Lecturer in Public Health, Manchester

  432

  Dr. A. J. Duxbury—Dentist, Manchester

  Professor G. Edwards—Consultant Psychiatrist, London

  Mrs. J. Faugier—Senior Research Fellow in Nursing, Manchester

  Dr. J. Greenwood—Consultant Psychiatrist, Edinburgh

  Ms K. Hager—Co-ordinator, SWRHA Drugs Services Project, Exeter

  Mr. P. Hayes—Probation Service, London

  Ms L. Hewitt—Project Manager, the Stockwell Project, London

  Mr. M. G. Hindson—Probation Service, Manchester

  Professor R. S. Jones—Professor of Veterinary Anaesthesia, Liverpool

  Ms R. Joyce—Health Education Co-ordinator, Cambridgeshire

  Mr. J. L. Kay—Managing Director Healthwise Ltd., Liverpool

  Dr. M. R. Keen—Consultant Psychiatrist, Cardiff

  Dr. D. H. Kennedy—Consultant Physician, Glasgow

  Professor M. H. Lader—Professor of Psychopharmacology, London

  Mr. A. D. Massaum—Pharmaceutical Industry, London

  Mr. M. NaraynSingh—Public Education Officer, Manchester

  Professor W. D. Ollis—Professor of Organic Chemistry, Birmingham

  Mr. D. Owen—Chief Constable, North Wales

  Mr. K. Patel—Deputy Director, the Bridge Project, Bradford

  Dr. D. Patterson—Consultant Psychiatrist, Northern Ireland

  Mr. A. W. Ramsay—Regional Adviser in Health Education, Strathclyde

  Dr. S. Ruben—Consultant Psychiatrist, Liverpool

  Viscountess Runciman—Outreach Adviser, London

  Mr. I. Sherwood—Senior Specialist Nurse, Bristol

  Professor G. V. Stimson—Director of the Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, London

  Dr J. S. Strang—Consultant Psychiatrist, London

  Dr. D. J. Temple—Director of Post Graduate Pharmaceutical Studies for NHS in Wales

  Mr. D. Turner—Director, SCODA, London

  Mr. E. Unsworth—Deputy Director, Social Services, Cambridgeshire

  Mr. P. Walker—Headteacher, Kent

  Dr. T. Waller—General Medical Practitioner, Suffolk

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Misuse of Drugs Advisory Board.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Misuse of Drugs Act specifies that an advisory body should consist of three members. The chairman, who is currently Miss J. Southworth, must be a QC and is appointed by the Lord Chancellor.

  One of the other two members is drawn from a pool of members of the respondent's own profession, nominated by the relevant professional bodies, and the other is a member of the respondent's own profession who is an officer of a department of Government. They are appointed by the Secretary of State for particular cases.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members currently appointed to the Police Staff College, board of governors.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Current membership of the board of governors is as follows:

  Sir Clive Whitmore, GCB, CVO (Chairman)

  Mr. I. M. Burns (Deputy Chairman)

  Mr. T. A. Morris—Home Office

  Mr. C. Scoble—Home Office

  Mrs. P. G. W.Catto—Home Office

  Mr. J. P. Ryan—National Director of Police Training

  Mr. A. Dyer—Association of Chief Police Officers

  Mr. J. C. Hoddinott—Association of Chief Police Officers

  Mr. B. H. Skitt—Association of Chief Police Officers

  Mr. B. H. Weight—Association of Chief Police Officers

  Mr. P. Condon—Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis

  Mr. B. Mackenzie—Superintendents' Association

  Mr. G. Wilson—Superintendents' Association

  433

  Mr. R. B. Coyles—Police Federation

  Mr. D. Hayward—Police Federation

  Mr. B. H. Drake—Association of County Councils

  Mr. H. Lowe—Association of County Councils

  Mr. C. P. Winterton—Association of County Councils

  Mr. G. Gill—Association of Metropolitan Authorities

  Mr. W. Smith—Association of Metropolitan Authorities

  Professor J. P. Martin—Academic Adviser

  Mr. P. Dawson— Staff College Directing Staff Advisers

  Mrs. C. Montague—Staff College Directing Staff Advisers

  Mr. G. A. Widdecombe—Secretary to the Board

  Miss E. B. M. Rak—Assistant Secretary to the Board

  Apart from the academic adviser, all members serve either in an ex officio capacity or are nominated by the organisations they represent.

  Political Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the penal establishments in England and Wales at which people seeking political asylum were being detained as of 20 January.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The available information shows that people seeking asylum were detained at the following Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 24 January 1994.

  Armley

  Glen Parva

  Beford

  Gloucester

  Birmingham

  Haslar

  Blakenhurst

  Highdown

  Blunderston

  Holloway

  Brinsford

  Hatfield

  Bristol

  Leeds

  Brixton

  Lewes

  Bullingdon

  Moorland

  Camp Hill

  Norwich

  Canterbury

  Pentonville

  Cardiff

  Risley

  Chelmsford

  Rochester

  Dorchester

  Walton

  Dover

  Wandsworth

  Durham

  Winchester

  Elmley

  Winson Green

  Exeter

  Wormwood Scrubs

  Feltham

  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) men and (b) women are being held in custody in England and Wales and are seeking political asylum into the United Kingdom as of 20 January.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The available information shows that on 24 January a total of 557 male and 44 female asylum seekers were being held in detention in England and Wales.

  Bail Hostels
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the bail hostel expansion programme which was announced in February 1992; and to what extent the programme has been revised as a consequence of the latest public expenditure survey.

  Mr. Maclean
  When the February 1992 announcement was made there were 2,400 approved hostel places. At the end of this financial year there should be 2,730 places. Our current spending plans provide for 2,680 places in April 1996.
  434
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the projected bail hostel population in England and Wales for each of the next five years.

  Mr. Maclean
  On the basis of 83 per cent. planned occupancy, as set out in the Home Office annual report 1993, the average number of approved probation-bail hostel residents will be as follows:

  Number

  1994–95

  2,067

  1995–96

  2,150

  1996–97

  2,249

  1997–98

  2,249

  1998–99

  2,249

  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the projected average bail population for each of the next five years in England and Wales.

  Mr. Maclean
  No such projections are made.

  Remand Prisoners
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the projected remand population for England and Wales for each of the next five years.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Projections of long-term trends in the prison population covering the next five years were published in the Home Office statistical bulletin 6/93 on 30 March 1993 on the basis of the legislation then in force. These projections have been revised on an interim basis, reflecting the changes expected to result from the Criminal Justice Act 1993. A revised remand projection was not prepared. The interim projection is subject to a considerable margin of uncertainty. The revised figures for the total population were given in a reply to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms Ruddock) on 18 October 1993,Official Report, column 118–19.

  Right to Silence
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications for the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill relating to the defendant's right to silence of the ruling by the European Commission of Human Rights on 18 January in the case of John Murray; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  This was not a decision on the merits of the case. The Commission has simply concluded, as a preliminary matter, that the application is not "manifestly ill-founded", an abuse of the right of petition, or otherwise incompatible with the European convention on human rights. The Government have made it clear in their observations to the Commission that they believe that the Northern Ireland legislation is fully in conformity with the provisions of the convention. The Government believe that the same is true of the similar legislation for England and Wales which is now included in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill.

  Probation Service
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what cuts as a result of the public expenditure survey will be made to the probation service budget which
  435
  was originally published in the three-year plan for the probation service 1994 to 1997; and what the effect will be on staffing levels and service delivery.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government's spending plans for the probation service as set out in the three-year planning document for the service 1994–97 are as shown below. The spending plans set out in the 1993–96 planning document published after the 1992 public expenditure survey are shown in parentheses. It will be for area probation committees and management to decide how best to provide services and what staff to employ from within the total resources available.

  £ million

  374·3

  1994–95

  (382·0)

  378·0

  1995–96

  (402·0)

  1996–97

  389·7

  Visas
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the European Commission's proposals to determine the list of countries whose national must be in possession of a visa when crossing the external frontiers of member states will be formally received.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair) on 24 January 1994,Official Report, column 42.

  Police Resources
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what changes his Department has made in the last five years in the method of calculating the resource needs of police authorities in England and Wales;

  (2) what changes his Department has made in the last five years in the designation of areas as urban or rural in the assessment of their needs in terms of police resources and in the differential that results in terms of resource allocation.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  In response to the recommendations of a joint Home Office and Treasury study, a formula was introduced in 1989 to inform the professional assessment by Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary of applications for increases in police free establishments. This formula compared the existing position of forces across a range of relevant indicators. One of these indicators takes account of the concentration of population in particular areas.

  Work is now in hand on the preparation of a new formula for the allocation of police grant to forces as from 1995–96.

  Criminal Injuries Compensation
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the precise value of each of the 25 awards of over £10,000 for fatal injury under the criminal injuries compensation scheme in 1991–92.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 24 January 1994]: The case sampling survey undertaken to establish "tariff" rates
  436
  examined 238 of the fatal cases resolved in 1991–92. These 238 cases gave rise to 162 awards, of which 16 exceeded £10,000. The awards made in the 162 cases were then grossed up to produce equivalent figures for the 252 fatal awards which it was estimated had been made in total in the 1991–92 financial year. Applying a similar grossing up factor to the 16 awards exceeding £10,000 produced the estimated figure of 25 such awards in total. The 16 awards actually identified—each of which included an element for funeral expenses—were for sums of £12,000: £12,671: £13,665: £14,539: £15,000: £20,000: £21,490: £22,169: £28,451: £31,704: £33,187: £41,995: £57,072: £88,230: £100,600: £260,178.

  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the survey of criminal injuries compensation board awards used in drawing up his proposed tariff of compensation for victims of violent crime.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 24 January 1994]: No. The survey data contain information which would make it possible to identify individual recipients of awards. Publication of such data would be contrary to the Data Protection Act 1988 and to the board's policy of confidentiality.

ENVIRONMENT

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what staff and other resources, expressed in full-time equivalents and in cash value, were devoted to the review of standard spending assessments in 1993; and what levels of resources he expects to use to review standard spending assessments in 1994.

  Mr. Gummer
  In the financial year 1993–94 my Department will have devoted about 10 man years' work to the review of standard spending assessments. This represents a pay cost of about £300,000. It is difficult to assess precisely the value of the other resources devoted to the review, but the non-pay running costs involved are in the region of £45,000 in 1993–94. Officials in other Government Departments were also involved in the review.

  In the financial year 1994–95, my Department plans to devote six man years to development work on the standard spending assessments system.

  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many authorities have made(a) written responses to and (b) requests for a meeting with Ministers about his proposals for local government finance for 1994–95;

  (2) if he will list those authorities which have made oral representations to Ministers as part of the consultation on his proposals for local government finance for 1994–95, showing in each case the Minister seen by the authority, the duration of the meeting and the main topics raised;

  (3) if he will place in the Library his Department's notes of each of the delegations received by Ministers as part of the consultation on his proposals for local government finance for 1994–95.

  Mr. Gummer
  During the consultation period on my proposals for the local government finance settlement for
  437
  1994–95, which ended on 10 January, we received representations from 143 local authorities and authority groupings, and 60 requests for meetings.

  The table shows the meetings held by each Minister. Also shown are four meetings which it was not possible for a Minister to attend, and at which delegations made oral representations to officials. No records are kept of the duration of meetings.

  Such meetings are private, having been requested by individual authorities, and it is not my Department's custom to publish details of what was discussed at them.

  Local authorities seen during the consultation period

  Seen by the Secretary of State

  Birmingham City Council

  Seen by the Minister for Local Government and Planning

  ADC major cities group

  Bournemouth borough council

  Burnley borough council

  Coventry city council

  Cumbria county council

  Derbyshire county council

  Dorset county council

  Hereford and Worcester county council

  Lancashire county council

  Liverpool city council

  London borough of Brent

  London borough of Lambeth

  London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

  London borough of Merton

  London borough of Hounslow

  London borough of Haringey

  London borough of Hackney

  London borough of Greenwich

  London borough of Lewisham

  Manchester city council

  Norfolk county council

  Northamptonshire county council

  Nottinghamshire county council

  Rotherham metropolitan borough council

  Sheffield city council

  Shropshire county council

  Somerset county council

  Wear Valley district council

  Seen by the Minister for Housing, Inner Cities and Construction

  Kirklees metropolitan borough council

  West Yorkshire fire and civil defence authority

  Thanet district council

  Devon county council

  Northampton borough council

  Slough borough council

  South Yorkshire fire and civil defence authority

  Seen by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment

  Avon county council

  Blackburn borough council

  Blackpool borough council

  Gedling borough council

  Harlow district council

  Havant borough council

  Ipswich borough council

  Isle of Wight county council

  Knowsley metropolitan borough council

  Leicester city council

  London borough of Newham

  Luton borough council

  North Yorkshire county council

  Pendle borough council

  Salford city council

  Sefton metropolitan borough council

  Solihull metropolitan borough council

  York city council

  Seen by officials

  West Yorkshire police authority

  438

  Cornwall county council

  Bradford city council

  Merseyside fire and civil defence authority

  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which issues arising from the responses to his proposals for local government finance for 1994–95 will be discussed with the local authority associations as possible changes to the system of local government finance for 1995–96; and if he will make a statement on the continuing review of standard spending assessments.

  Mr. Gummer
  We are willing to discuss any issues which the local authority associations may wish to raise arising from the proposals for local government finance for 1994–95. As part of the usual round of discussions on standard spending assessments, we will wish to consider the treatment of the police element in the light of the changes in financial arrangements to take place for 1995–96. The associations will, no doubt, wish to bring forward their own agenda for discussion.

  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the latest available figures of capital receipts, including receipts set aside to meet credit liabilities, for each local authority, and in total for England.

  Mr. Gummer
  Capital receipts information falls into two categories: receipts received during the financial year, and usable receipts held at a particular time, usually the end of the year. Receipts received during the year are divided into usable and reserved parts. The reserved parts are set aside as provision to meet credit liabilities and once set aside are no longer distinguishable from other amounts set aside, such as, for example, the statutory minimum amount set aside each year from the revenue account.

  The latest forecast of gross receipts received in 1993–94, based on local authorities' first quarter returns, is £2·2 billion. Of this amount £1·8 billion is forecast to be usable and £400 million reserved.

  The balance of usable receipts held at 31 March 1993 was £1 billion.

  The latest estimate for the total amount held by local authorities as provision for credit liabilities is £6·1 billion as at 31 March 1993. As indicated, this figure will include, among other things, a notional amount of capital receipts which have been set aside but not yet used to redeem debt.

  I am arranging for the latest available figures for each local authority to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Environmental Information Regulations 1992
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what complaints he has received in regard to the failure or delay in reply by the appropriate authorities to requests for information disclosure under the Environmental Information Regulations 1992 since 1 January 1993.

  Mr. Atkins
  Two people have written to my right hon. Friend: the Campaign for Freedom of Information about a refusal by the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee to supply information about the thermal oxide reprocessing plant; and an environmental sciences student who was concerned at Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution's delay in replying to her request.
  439

  Biodiversity Convention
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 18 January,Official Report, column 566, if he will make a statement on the nature of United Kingdom concerns about the financial provisions of the biodiversity convention and the safeguards which the United Kingdom is seeking.

  Mr. Atkins
  The United Kingdom is concerned to ensure that donor countries retain the right to determine their financial contribution under the biodiversity convention. We will continue to pursue safeguards to ensure this objective.

  Consultants
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on which occasions since 1979 his Department has employed the services of external consultants; and if he will give details of the purposes for which they were employed and the cost of employing them.

  Mr. Gummer
  The information requested is not held centrally by my Department and is obtainable only at disproportionate cost.

  Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 13 January,Official Report, column 244, on the Touche Ross report on THORP, whether his Department ever requested a copy of the report from Touche Ross or British Nuclear Fuels plc.

  Mr. Atkins
  No.

  Local Authorities (Security)
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authorities spent money on security under the provisions of section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 in the latest year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Baldry
  This information is not available centrally.

  Water Charges
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the(a) average percentage increases in water and sewerage rates and (b) increases in the retail prices index used for upratings of income support, for each year since April 1988.

  Mr. Atkins
  The information requested is given in the tables:

  (a) Increase in domestic water and sewerage average bills

  Year

  Water Per cent.

  Sewerage Per cent.

  1988–89 to 1989–90

  14·8

  9·8

  1989–90 to 1990–91

  15·4

  10·7

  1990–91 to 1991–92

  16·4

  15·0

  1991–92 to 1992–93

  9·1

  10·1

  1992–93 to 1993–94

  8·2

  9·0

  Source CRI statistics series—"Charges For Water Services".
  440

  (b) Increase in the Rossi index used to uprate income support

  Year

  Per cent.

  1989

  4·7

  1990

  5·2

  1991

  8·1

  1992

  7·0

  1993

  3·6

  1994

  3·5

  Notes:

  1.The Rossi index is based on the retail prices index, which takes account of the rise and fall in the price of individual commodities excluding most housing costs.

  2. From the 1992 uprating the Rossi index was adjusted to include, water and sewerage charges, dwelling insurance, ground rent, repair and maintenance charges, do-it-yourself materials and for 1992–93 only, 20 per cent. of the community charge.

  Source: Information supplied by the Central Statistical Office.

  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Bristol, East (Ms Corston) of 6 December,Official Report, column 9, whether water companies will be permitted to use council tax banding to calculate water charges.

  Mr. Atkins
  Subject to the non-discrimination requirements in its licence conditions and copyright and data protection requirements, a water company may use any legally obtained information as a basis for the calculation of water charges save that after 31 March 2000 it may not use rateable values. However, we stand by the assurances we have given in the past that local authorities should not be permitted to sell council tax valuation lists for use for other purposes.

  Rents Statistics
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 1 December,Official Report, columns 551–52, if he will now update the tables showing (a) average local authority unrebated rents, (b) mean housing association annual registered fair rents and (c) mean annual registered fair rents for private tenancies for each London borough, by providing figures and the index for 1993–94.

  Sir George Young
  I have today placed in the Library an updated table showing the average local authority weekly unrebated rent for each London borough for each financial year since 1988–89, including provisional figures for 1993–94. As in the earlier table, the rents are also expressed as an index with 1988–89 equal to 100.

  Information for 1993–94 on average registered fair rents for housing association and private sector tenancies is not yet available. Information is, however, available for the first quarter of 1993–94 and can be found in the publication "Rent Officer Statistics", a copy of which is in the Library.

  Solid Fuel
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce regulations to require high-sulphur solid fuel and fuel not authorised for use in smoke control areas to be clearly labelled as such.

  Mr. Aitken
  No.
  441

  Homelessness
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities or other bodies which made representations to him seeking restrictions on the rights of access of homeless persons to social housing, before October 1993.

  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he or his Department have received about the categories of people deemed to have priority need under the provision of part III of the Housing Act 1985.

  Sir George Young
  In the normal course of business—for example, meetings and presentations about housing investment programme submissions—Ministers and officials have talked to a range of people in local authorities of all political complexions; we have also talked to people in the housing association movement, and in the private rented sector. These encounters have been helpful to us in preparing the consultation paper "Access to Local Authority and Housing Association Tenancies".

  Ms Glenda Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many single-parent families were classified as statutorily homeless in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) London for each year from 1979;

  (2) how many single-parent families have been accommodated in (a) bed-and-breakfast accommodation, (b) temporary housing, (c) permanent local authority housing and (d) private sector housing since January 1991;

  (3) how many single-parent homeless families have (a) one or more, (b) two or more or (c) three or more children under 16 years of age.

  Sir George Young
  Local authorities in England report details of the number of households for which they accept responsibility to secure permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the housing acts in their quarterly P1(E) returns. These returns do not distinguish between one and two-parent households.

  For information about other parts of the United Kingdom I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

  Tenancies
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will explain how local authorities can satisfy the proposed obligation in paragraph 18.2 (i) of his consultation paper on access to local authority and housing association accommodation and at the same time accommodate existing tenants seeking a transfer while following paragraph 20.4 of the consultation paper under which waiting lists may be restricted to people who are not currently tenants and who are seeking a tenancy.

  Sir George Young
  The consultation paper invites views, in paragraph 20.4, on whether the names of people seeking a transfer should appear on the housing waiting list along with the names of people seeking a tenancy for the first time. If, in the light of responses to the consultation exercise, we conclude that people seeking transfers should not be included on the waiting list, they will be the subject of separate provisions.
  442
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what new arrangements he proposes to create for short-term tenancies within local authority housing stock.

  Sir George Young
  Paragraph 19.2 of the consultation paper "Access to Local Authority and Housing Association Tenancies" raises the possibility of giving local authorities greater flexibility in the types of tenancy they can offer. I would welcome views on the form that this flexibility might take.

  Housing
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what representations he or his Department have received about the implications of the House of Lords decision in the case of Din v. London borough of Wandsworth;

  (2) what representations he or his Department have received about the operation of section 63 of the Housing Act 1985.

  Sir George Young
  The representations we receive about the operation of part III of the 1985 Act cover a range of issues.

  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what basis he considers that someone asked to leave accommodation by family or friends automatically qualifies for assistance under part III of the Housing Act 1985.

  Sir George Young
  Section 58 of the 1985 Act states that a person is homeless if, inter alia, there is no accommodation which he has a licence to occupy. Being asked to leave by relatives or friends would amount to the revocation of a licence.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the additional housing benefit costs which will be incurred in consequence of the implementation of the proposals in his consultation paper on changes to arrangements for access to local authority and housing association accommodation.

  Sir George Young
  I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 27·1 of the consultation paper.

  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Social Security and the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the additional housing benefit costs likely to arise from the proposals in the consultation paper on proposed changes to access to local authority and housing association accommodation.

  Sir George Young
  The proposals in the consultation paper represent the views of the Government.

  Power Station Emissions
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each power station in Britain the most recent emissions data submitted to Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

  Mr. Atkins
  The emissions data for power stations in England and Wales, not Scotland authorised by HMIP are
  443
  placed on the public register in HMIP offices in Bedford, Bristol and Leeds as appropriate. The national plan emissions inventory is also placed on the public registers and I have placed a copy of the inventory for 1993, which has recently been received, in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what basis and frequency power stations are obliged to submit emissions data to Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

  Mr. Atkins
  For all power stations in England and Wales operated by National Power and PowerGen and authorised by HMIP, the operator is required to send to the chief inspector, within 28 days of the end of the reporting period to which the results refer, the mass releases into the air from the authorised process of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen for that reporting period together with the operational data from which the releases have been calculated.

  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list for each power station in Britain the reporting period stipulated in the authorisation for purposes of submitting emissions data to Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution.

  Mr. Atkins
  For all power stations in England and Wales operated by National Power and PowerGen and authorised by HMIP, the reporting period is each of the 12 periods of either four or five weeks which correspond approximately to calender months in any year for which reports are compiled.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to the Office of Water Services national customer council.

  Mr. Atkins
  The OFWAT national customer council's members are the 10 chairpersons of OFWAT's 10 customer service committees and the Director General of Water Services.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who are the members currently appointed to each of the customer service committees of OFWAT.

  Mr. Atkins
  The members of OFWAT's 10 customer service committees as at 31 March 1993 are listed in appendix one to the director general's annual report 1992, a copy of which is in the Library. New members and reappointments are announced in OFWAT news releases from time to time.

  Local Government Reform
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he intends to involve the Minister for Local Government when considering the Government's response to the final recommendations of the Local Government Commission on Yorkshire, Humberside and Lincolnshire.

  Mr. Gummer
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 29 November 1993,Official Report, column 325.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the occasions when either he 444
  or Ministers in his Department have publicly advocated specific changes in the local government map of England when the Local Government Commission was in the process of reviewing that area.

  Mr. Curry
  It is the policy of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Ministers in this Department who will be involved in decisions on changes to local government structure, not to comment on specific changes in an area which the Local Government Commission is in the process of reviewing. I am not aware of any breaches of this policy.

  National Rivers Authority (Laboratories)
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which laboratories of the National Rivers Authority are scheduled for(a) market testing and (b) closure.

  Mr. Atkins
  The market testing and closure of its laboratories is primarily a management matter for the National Rivers Authority, which advises me that:

  (a) all NRA's 11 chemical laboratories were subject to an internal review of cost-effectiveness and efficiency; and

  (b) as a result, the NRA laboratories at Caernarfon Carlisle, Peterborough, Warrington and Washington have been closed and the work transferred to the NRA laboratories at Exeter, Leeds, Llanelli, Nottingham, Reading and Waterlooville.

  Water Industry (Regulatory Bodies)
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of Slate for the Environment what is the annual cost to public funds of the activities of the Audit Commission and the regulatory bodies, in relation to the water industry.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Audit Commission has no responsibilities in connection with the water industry, and the costs of the Office of Water Services are fully recoverable from licence fees. Costs of other water industry regulators, attributable to public funds, for 1992–93, were £56–71 million distributed as follows:

  Drinking water inspectorate £1·35 million.

  National Rivers Authority £55 million.

  Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution £360,000.

  Sustainable Development
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress made in implementing a strategy for sustainable development by the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Government published on 25 January 1994 the United Kingdom strategy for sustainable development, together with the United Kingdom's climate change programme, biodiversity action plan and forestry programme, as announced on 20 January,Official Report, column 844. Copies have been laid before the House.

  Radioactive Clinical Waste (Hillingdon Hospital)
  Mr. Shersby
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will call for a report from Her Majesty's inspector of pollution in respect of the hospitals whose radioactive clinical waste is being incinerated at Hillingdon hospital incineration plant; and what estimate he has made as to the hazard to health resulting from the incineration of such waste.
  445
  Mr. Atkins
  HMIP has authorised the transfer and the incineration of very low-level radioactive waste at the clinical energy incinerator at Hillingdon hospital from the following hospitals:

  The Hillingdon hospital

  Mount Vernon hospital

  Harefield hospital

  In addition, it is authorised to receive low-level radioactive waste from Brunel university.

  In setting the discharge limits, HMIP is satisfied that any effect is environmentally acceptable and that no national or international dose limits applicable to members of the public would be exceeded.

  Standard Spending Assessments
  Mr. Michael Spicer
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many district authorities have been granted provisional increases in their standard spending assessments of more than 10 per cent. in 1994–95; and how that was provided for in his Budget statement that the growth in total standard spending in England for local authorities will be limited to 2·3 per cent. next year.

  Mr. Baldry
  There were 99 district authorities with provisional increases of more than 10 per cent. in their standard spending assessments for 1994–95. After excluding the additional resources provided for community care and making adjustments for changes in function the overall increase in total standard spending between 1993–94 and 1994–95 will be 2·3 per cent. and the equivalent increase in the total of SSAs will be 2·2 per cent. The review of SSAs and the introduction of information from the 1991 census has led to a number of authorities having large increases between 1993–94 and 1994–95, while other authorities have had decreases.

  Small Properties
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what directives he has given to local authorities regarding the treatment of small shops, and other small properties which are used for both business and domestic purposes, as single units for taxation purposes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  Properties are liable for council tax only where the occupier works from home, but the part of the premises used for business reverts to domestic use at the end of the day. Composite properties are treated as two units for local taxation purposes. The domestic part is liable for council tax, the business premises are liable for non-domestic rates. The domestic part will attract council tax transitional relief, where applicable, in the ordinary way. Composite properties have been afforded greater transitional protection than other properties from any adverse impact of the 1990 rating changes, and it is proposed that no such property should face a real rate increase in 1994–95. Government guidelines to local authorities on hardship relief for ratepayers draw attention to the special circumstances of composite properties, but it is for authorities to decide whether to grant any relief.

  Curtain Walling Contract
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in his Department's inquiry into the exclusion of United 446
  Kingdom firms from the shortlist for the curtain walling contract at the Ministry of Defence procurement headquarters in Bristol.

  Mr. Baldry
  My officials have met with the MoD, the main contractor and the supply company which made the original complaint. I am satisfied that the choice of curtain wall contractor was a matter for the main contractor, and not the Ministry of Defence.

  We are reviewing with the industry what lessons can be learnt from this experience.

  Groundwork Trusts
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funds are made available to the groundwork trusts; what consideration he has given to making these available equally to existing environmental trusts; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Groundwork Foundation's grant in aid for 1993–94 is £5·5 million, which enables the foundation to support the existing network of 32 groundwork trusts and provide for the establishment of new trusts. Groundwork trusts bring together in partnership local authorities, private companies, voluntary organisations and local people to tackle environmental problems in the community. There is a wide range of grants available from this Department to support the environmental activities of local voluntary groups.

  Bed-and-breakfast Accommodation
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the local authorities using bed-and-breakfast accommodation, and numbers in that accommodation, at the end of September.

  Sir George Young
  The numbers of households reported by local authorities in bed-and-breakfast accommodation at the end of September appear in the supplementary table of the information bulletin "Households found accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the 1985 Housing Act: England. Statistics for the third quarter of 1993", a copy of which is in the Library.

  Vacant Properties
  Ms Glenda Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the locations of the empty properties he wishes to return to the affordable rented housing sector;

  (2) how many of the empty properties he wishes to return to the affordable rented housing sector he estimates would have (a) bed-sitter accommodation, (b) one bedroom, (c) two bedrooms or (d) three or more bedrooms;

  (3) how many (a) flats, (b) terraced houses, (c) semi-detached houses and (d) detached houses are among the empty properties he wishes to return to the affordable rented sector.

  Sir George Young
  The HIP returns submitted by local authorities show that they estimate that there are 765,000 vacant private sector properties as at 1 April 1993. These estimates are not broken down into the categories requested. The Government aim to create the conditions which will encourage landlords to make their empty
  447
  properties available for sale or rent. I have no specific targets, but even if only a proportion could be returned to use that would be a valuable contribution to meeting housing need.

  Waste Disposal, Yorkshire
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will give details of rate support grant for waste disposal purposes in west Yorkshire for each of the last 10 years;

  (2) if he will give details of rate support grant for waste disposal purposes in south Yorkshire for each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Baldry
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on Thursday 27 January.

  Climate Change Convention
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 18 January,Official Report, column 579, what was the voting record of the other member states on the European Community ratification of the climate change convention.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Council decision was adopted unopposed, with the United Kingdom abstaining on the grounds that it did not support the choice of legal base.

  Fair Rents
  Mr. Clelland
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the findings of his Department's consultation exercise on fair rents; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir George Young
  I announced on 15 July last year that following careful consideration of the representations received in response to our consultation paper on fair rents, we did not consider it would be desirable to make any changes to the existing legislation. To provide further legislative controls over rents would hinder efforts to promote the revival of the private rented sector.

  We are keen, however, to encourage greater exchange of information and views between rent officers and rent assessment panels. The educational trust of the Institute of Rent Officers has established a working party, made up of rent officers and rent assessment panel members, to look into how this might be achieved. The group aims to publish its report in the spring.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which special advisers in his Department are seconded from other organisations; and what are the organisations and the lengths and terms of the secondments.

  Mr. Gummer
  None.

  Severence Schemes
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will publish details of the severance schemes available to employees which were in operation immediately prior to the privatisation of the Thames water authority, including details of facilities to make early payment of pensions to staff under such schemes.
  448
  Mr. Atkins
  The severance scheme used was the water industry security and severance scheme as adapted by the Thames water authority. I have no plans to publish the scheme but the text is available from the National Rivers Authority. The early payment of pension benefits was subject to the provisions of the Local Government Superannuation Scheme Regulations 1986, as amended.

  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
  [pursuant to his reply, 20 January 1994, c. 837]: I am pleased to announce the publication earlier today of the second report of the quality of urban air review group "Diesel Vehicle Emissions and Urban Air Quality".

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, and are available free of charge from the QUARG secretariat, Institute of Public and Environmental Health, university of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Consultancies
  Ms Abbott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security 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. Hague
  The information is not available in the form requested.

  Elderly People
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his Department's estimate of the number of people who will be aged(a) 65 years and over and (b) 80 years and over for each year to 2010.

  Mr. Hague
  The information is in the table.

  thousands

  Year

  Total aged 65 and over

  Total aged 80 and over

  1992

  8,933

  2,174

  1993

  8,961

  2,227

  1994

  8,992

  2,280

  1995

  9,030

  2,327

  1996

  9,069

  2,352

  1997

  9,095

  2,354

  1998

  9,105

  2,328

  1999

  9,115

  2,312

  2000

  9,139

  2,417

  2001

  9,172

  2,449

  2002

  9,212

  2,560

  2003

  9,263

  2,601

  2004

  9,317

  2,637

  2005

  9,365

  2,669

  2006

  9,383

  2,702

  2007

  9,442

  2,729

  2008

  9,552

  2,751

  2009

  9,692

  2,776

  2010

  9,825

  2,806

  Source OPCS and Government Actuaries Department; based on mid-1992 GB population projections.
  449

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which special advisers in his Department are seconded from other organisations; and what are the organisations and the lengths and terms of the secondments.

  Mr. Hague
  None.

  Families (Income Levels)
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update the answer given to the then right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham,Official Report, 29 November 1991, columns 667–70,

  Table 1

  Number of working families with children at various income levels: Great Britain 1990–91

  (Thousands)

  Gross weekly income excluding slate benefits £

  Total

  One parent family

  Two parent family

  One wage family

  Two wage family

  Number of dependent children

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four or more

  Under 80

  140

  20

  130

  130

  10

  50

  70

  20

  10

  80–99

  50

  10

  40

  40

  10

  20

  20

  10

  1—

  100–119

  60

  10

  50

  50

  10

  30

  20

  1—

  1—

  120–139

  80

  20

  60

  70

  10

  50

  20

  1—

  1—

  140–159

  130

  20

  100

  110

  20

  60

  50

  10

  1—

  160–179

  160

  30

  130

  120

  40

  60

  70

  20

  1—

  180–199

  150

  20

  130

  110

  40

  70

  50

  30

  10

  200–219

  190

  20

  170

  130

  60

  80

  80

  20

  10

  220–239

  220

  20

  200

  130

  90

  90

  100

  20

  10

  240–259

  240

  20

  220

  120

  120

  100

  110

  20

  10

  260–279

  280

  20

  260

  140

  140

  110

  110

  40

  10

  280–299

  240

  20

  230

  100

  140

  100

  90

  40

  10

  300–349

  570

  20

  550

  180

  390

  210

  290

  60

  20

  350–399

  550

  20

  530

  180

  370

  210

  270

  60

  20

  400–449

  440

  1—

  430

  110

  330

  190

  180

  50

  20

  450–499

  390

  1—

  350

  100

  250

  170

  130

  50

  10

  500 and over

  1,240

  10

  1,230

  290

  950

  510

  550

  150

  30

  Total

  5,100

  290

  4,810

  2,080

  2,980

  2,110

  2,220

  610

  160

  1 Denotes less than 5 thousand.

  Notes:

  1. The figures are estimates derived from the 1990 and 1991 family expenditure surveys combined. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 and because of this rows and columns may not exactly sum to totals. All estimates are subject to sampling error.

  2. Gross weekly income is the income reported in the year of the survey, either 1990 or 1991, with no adjustment for inflation.

  3. A "working family" is one where at least one parent/partner is in full-time employment or self-employment and working 30 hours or more.

  4. A "two wage family" is where the second wage exceeds £5 per week.

  5. The figures include only families in private households.

  Table 2

  Number of non-working families of working age with children at various income levels: Great Britain 1990–91

  (Thousands)

  Gross weekly income including state benefits £

  Under 50

  50–69

  70–89

  90–109

  110–129

  130–149

  150–169

  170–189

  190–209

  210–229

  230–249

  250 and over

  Total

  Total

  40

  80

  190

  330

  280

  190

  160

  100

  70

  40

  30

  160

  1,660

  One-parent family

  20

  70

  150

  270

  170

  90

  80

  40

  30

  20

  10

  30

  970

  Two-parent family

  20

  10

  40

  60

  100

  100

  80

  60

  50

  20

  20

  120

  690

  Number of dependent children

  One

  20

  60

  140

  210

  110

  50

  40

  30

  20

  10

  10

  70

  770

  Two

  10

  10

  40

  100

  100

  80

  50

  30

  20

  10

  10

  60

  530

  Three

  1—

  2—

  10

  20

  60

  50

  40

  20

  10

  1—

  1—

  20

  250

  Four or more

  2—

  2—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  20

  20

  20

  10

  10

  10

  10

  110

  Contributory benefits being received

  None2

  40

  20

  30

  30

  20

  20

  30

  20

  30

  20

  10

  110

  370

  None4

  1—

  50

  140

  270

  210

  140

  100

  60

  20

  10

  10

  20

  1,040

  UB2

  2—

  1—

  10

  10

  10

  1—

  1—

  1—

  10

  2—

  —

  10

  50

  UB4

  2—

  2—

  2—

  1—

  10

  1—

  1—

  1—

  2—

  2—

  1—

  1—

  20

  SB/SSP3

  2—

  2—

  1—

  1—

  10

  1—

  1—

  2—

  1—

  2—

  2—

  10

  30

  450
  showing the numbers of working and out-of-work families with children at different levels of income, according to family size, distinguishing between one-parent families and two-parent families and showing the benefits on which the out-of-work families depended.

  Mr. Burt
  The information is in the tables.

  Some of the estimates in the tables are based on small sample sizes and are therefore subject to a wide margin of error.

  The figures are based on estimates taken from 1990 and 1991 family expenditure surveys, using the income reported in the survey year. They are not adjusted to a common price base and therefore should not be used for comparison over time.
  451

  Gross weekly income including state benefits £

  Under 50

  50–69

  70–89

  90–109

  110–129

  130–149

  150–169

  170–189

  190–209

  210–229

  230–249

  250 and over

  Total

  SB/SSP4

  2

  2—

  2—

  2—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  10

  1—

  2—

  2—

  20

  IVB3

  2—

  1—

  1—

  10

  10

  10

  10

  10

  10

  1—

  2—

  1—

  60

  IVB4

  2—

  2—

  2—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  2—

  1—

  1—

  2—

  1—

  2

  60

  Other3

  2—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  2—

  1—

  2—_

  2—

  10

  30

  Other4

  2—

  2—

  1—

  2—

  1—

  2—

  —

  1—

  2—

  1—

  2—

  2—

  10

  1 Denotes less than 5,000.

  2 Denotes zero.

  3 Denotes without income support.

  4 Denotes with income support.

  Notes:

  1. The figures are estimates derived from the 1990 and 1991 family expenditure surveys combined. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 and because of this rows and columns may not exactly sum to totals. All estimates are subject to sampling error.

  2. Gross weekly income is the income reported in the year of the survey, either 1990 or 1991, with no adjustment for inflation.

  3. A "non-working family" is one where neither parent/partner is in full-time employment or self-employment.

  4. The figures include only families in private households.

  5.Other contributory benefits include widows benefit, maternity allowance and statutory maternity pay.

  6.It is known that receipt of income support is under-reported in the family expenditure surveys.

  Children (Statistics)
  Mr. Wicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the latest figures showing(a) the number of children living in families with an unemployed head and (b) the number of children living in families with a long-term unemployed head of household.

  Mr. Burt
  The labour force survey estimates that 1,133,000 dependent children live in families with an unemployed1 head and that 452,000 dependent children2 live in families with a long-term3 unemployed head.

  1 Unemployment defined by the International Labour Organisation.

  2 Children defined as being under 16-years-old and 16 to 19 years on full-time education.

  3 Long-term unemployed defined as 12 months or more.

  Source: Labour force survey for Great Britain, spring 1993.

  Income Support
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give figures for the Durham area showing how many(a) families with children are living on income support and (b) how many children are living on income support; and what were the figures in 1979.

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

  Supplementary Benefit
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the numbers of people receiving supplementary benefit in Wales for each year since 1979.

  Mr. Burt
  The available information is in the table. Income support replaced supplementary benefit in April 1988.

  Year

  Recipents in Wales (000s)

  1979

  172

  1980

  186

  1981

  221

  1982

  253

  1983

  260

  1984

  275

  1986

  291

  452

  Year

  Recipents in Wales (000s)

  1987

  287

  1988

  259

  1989

  246

  1990

  248

  1991

  257

  1992

  287

  1993

  309

  Notes:

  Sources: Supplementary benefit statistics annual inquiries 1979 to 1987

  Income support statistics annual inquiries, May 1988 to May 1992

  Income support statistics quarterly inquiry, February 1993

  2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

  3. Information for 1985 is not available.

  Child Support Act 1991
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many reduced benefit directives have been issued to lone parents since the Child Support Act 1991 came into operation.

  Mr. Burt
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for East Kilbride (Mr. Ingram) on 27 January at column 363.

  Compensation Recovery Unit
  Dr. John Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money the compensation recovery unit recovered in the financial year 1992–93 by recoupment of benefits from awards of damages in personal injury claims; and how much money the compensation recovery unit estimated in the same year it would recover by recoupment of benefit.

  Mr. Hague
  The administration of the compensation recovery unit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the right hon. Member.

  Letter from M. Bichard to Dr. John Cunningham, dated 27 January 1994:
  453
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about the performance of the Compensation Recovery Unit.

  In the 1992–93 financial year the Compensation Recovery Unit recovered over £51 million from awards of damages in personal injury claims. The estimated recovery for the same period was almost £49 million.

  I hope you will find my reply helpful.

  Benefit Overpayments
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when instructions were first issued to local offices of his Department regarding the right to recover overpayments of benefits under common law in cases not covered by statutory provisions for recovery of overpayments.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of benefits 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. Paul Flynn, dated 27 January 1994.

  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about the instructions issued to the Department's Local Offices about the recovery of overpayments under common law.

  The Benefits Agency (BA) seeks recovery under Section 71 and Section 74 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. Under Section 71 the recovery is sought if the overpayment has been the result of "misrepresentation" or "failure to disclose" a material fact by the beneficiary. Section 74 applies where there has been a duplicaiton of Income Support and another benefit.

  Recoveries under Sections 71 and 74 are dependant on determinations made by the independent adjudicating authorities. Under Section 71 they decide whether benefit is overpaid and the amount. For Section 74 they decide the amount that is recoverable.

  There may be occasions where neither Section 71 nor Section 74 applies but benefit has been paid incorrectly and on the facts of the particular case the beneficiary ought to have realised that too much benefit was being paid. As there has been no misrepresentation or failure to disclose a material fact, and other considerations of Section 74 do not apply, there is no basis for the adjudication officer to decide on the overpayment. Nevertheless the BA is entitled to seek repayment of the money overpaid in such circumstances under the established principle of common law that where a person has received money to which he is not entitled, then he should repay it. This arrangement has existed for many years and has always been contained in instructions issued to Local Offices. No recent changes in instructions have therefore been necessary.

  I hope you find this reply helpful.

WALES

  Smoking
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he has taken and what further action he plans to discourage smoking among(a) children of school age and (b) adults; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Particular campaigns aimed at children of school age include the highly successful life education centres and the anti-smoking club Smokebusters Wales. A number of new projects aimed specifically at children are also being planned.
  454
  In relation to other groups, Health Promotion Wales' future plans include action to reduce the incidence of smoking by teenage girls, a pilot project to help smokers aged 15 to 19 to give up, and the development of materials for use in youth settings. These initiatives are the direct result of needs identified through research activity. In addition, the Welsh Office continues to support local health promotion units; each of which are carrying out their own local smoking cessation projects.

  The Government have set and are determined to meet the challenging targets set out in Health Promotion Wales' document "Plans for Action 3—The Agenda for 1992–94".

  National Curriculum (Changes)
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to publish guidelines for education authorities in Wales regarding changes to the national curriculum in primary schools.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I announced on 5 January that the national curriculum in Wales would be slimmed down to allow schools more time to use at their discretion. Proposals for national curriculum orders, setting out the new requirements, will be issued for consultation around Easter. Schools and local education authorities in Wales will receive details of the revised national curriculum requirements at each key stage during the spring term in 1995. The revised curriculum will come into force for the 1995–96 school year.

  Modern Apprenticeships Scheme
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are his objectives for the modern apprenticeships scheme in Wales.

  Mr. Redwood
  The aim of modern apprenticeships in Wales is to increase our economic competitiveness by increasing the number of young people qualifying to the key technician and supervisor levels. The main emphasis in 1994–95 will be on manufacturing engineering in order to support Wales' growing reputation as a manufacturing centre. Modern apprenticeships will be extended to other sectors in 1995–96.

  Arable Area Payments Scheme
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give(a) the maximum, (b) the minimum and (c) the average amount paid out under the arable area payments scheme in Wales in the latest available year; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  Amounts paid under the 1992–93 scheme are in the order of:

  £

  Maximum payment

  34,300·00

  Minimum payment

  70·00

  Average payment

  1,700·00

  These figures do not include payments for oilseeds because the final instalment is not due to be paid until early 1994.
  455

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Insurance Premium Tax
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give a full breakdown of the 35p weekly increase in tax for the average family which will result from the introduction of the insurance premium tax which he identified in his autumn Budget; and if he will outline the assumptions on which it was based.

  Sir John Cope
  The 35p figure can be broken down as follows:

  Pence per week

  Motor

  20

  Building

  10

  Contents

  5

  Total

  35

  These figures are based on the 1991 family expenditure survey, uprated to 1994–95. The figures cover expenditure by those households which have some insurance in each of the three main types of insurance.

  Interest Charges
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he proposes to relieve small businesses and farms from paying interest charges considerably in excess of base rates.

  Mr. Nelson
  The Government have reduced base rates by 6·5 per cent. over the last 16 months and are committed to maintaining a competitive market for lending. The particular rates paid by individual borrowers is a matter for negotiation between them and their lenders.

  Land
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many landowners and estates in(a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland have made unsuccessful applications to benefit under the tax procedures by which tax liability is reduced on condition that there is an undertaking to manage and protect the land from development and allow reasonable public access.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Information is not available in the form requested. Under 5 per cent. of applications for conditional exemption from inheritance tax or capital transfer tax are wholly rejected or withdrawn. Applications may relate to a number of properties and some of the applications which have been accepted will have been accepted only in part.

  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many landowners and estates in(a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland have benefited under the tax procedures by which tax liability is reduced on condition that there is an undertaking to manage and protect the land from development and allow reasonable public access.

  Mr. Dorrell
  There have been 126 designations of land for conditional exemption from inheritance tax or capital transfer tax in England; five designations in Wales; and 26 456
  designations in Scotland. In addition, there have been 106 designations of historic buildings in England; five designations in Wales; and 39 designations in Scotland. Some of the designations of historic buildings will have extended to surrounding land. Some designations of historic buildings have been for the purposes of the tax exemptions for maintenance funds rather than for exemption of the buildings themselves.

  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the approximate value of the tax forgone in each year since 1976 in the cases where landowners and estates have benefited under the tax procedures by which tax liability is reduced on condition that there is an undertaking to manage and protect the land from development and allow reasonable public access.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The annual average cost of inheritance tax conditional exemption for land and buildings is estimated to have been between £5 million and £10 million over the period 1983–84 to 1992–93. Figures for earlier years are not available.

  Works of Art
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that estates claiming exemption from inheritance tax make available to the public details of the works of art to which they have a right of access.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Public access to works of art granted exemption from inheritance tax may be provided in a number of ways. The publicity arrangements will differ depending on the way chosen.

  The owner may arrange to exhibit the object in a house or room which is open to the public for an agreed number of days each year; appropriate publicity for the opening of the house would be required. The owner may lend the object to a public collection for display on a long-term basis; publicity would then be the responsibility of the curator of this collection.

  Alternatively, the owner may arrange viewing by appointment provided he is also willing to lend the object on request to a public collection. All objects which can be viewed by appointment are publicised by means of an entry in the computerised register of conditionally exempt property held by the national art library in the Victoria and Albert museum in London. Copies of the register are also available for consultation in the national library of Scotland in Edinburgh, the national museum of Wales in Cardiff and the Ulster museum in Belfast. Copies of the register on computer disc can be purchased from the capital taxes office at a price of £10 each. The register is updated quarterly and the Inland Revenue issues quarterly press releases giving details of recent additions to the register.

  Unicorn Heritage
  Mr. Enright
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what total tax relief was given to investors in Unicorn Heritage plc under Treasury business expansion schemes when that company went bankrupt; and under what guidelines it was given.

  Mr. Dorrell
  For reasons of taxpayer confidentiality, details of tax relief, if any, given to individuals in any particular instance are not disclosed.
  457

  Income Tax
  Ms Harman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update table 2·3 of Inland Revenue Statistics 1993 with data for 1994–95 on the basis of his budget proposals for income tax.

  Shares of total income tax liability1 (percentages)

  Quantile groups of taxpayers

  1978–79

  1981–82

  1986–87

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  1994–95

  Top 1 per cent.

  11

  11

  14

  15

  16

  17

  17

  17

  Top 5 per cent.

  24

  25

  29

  32

  33

  33

  34

  34

  Top 10 per cent.

  35

  35

  39

  42

  43

  45

  45

  45

  Next 40 per cent.

  47

  46

  43

  43

  42

  42

  42

  42

  Lower 50 per cent.

  18

  19

  16

  15

  15

  13

  13

  13

  All taxpayers (=100 per cent.) (£ billion)

  20·3

  30·5

  42·8

  60·2

  63·4

  63·1

  64·9

  70·6

  1 Independent taxation was introduced from 6 April 1990. For years up to and including 1986–87, married couples are counted as one taxpayer and their incomes are combined. For 1990–91 onwards, husbands and wives are counted separately.

SCOTLAND

  Teacher Training Costs
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has of the total cost involved in training(a) a secondary and (b) a primary school teacher in Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information set out in the table is based upon returns from teacher training institutions, other than the university of Stirling, detailing course costs in 1991–92. The figures include also an estimate of student support costs, assuming entitlement to full maintenance grant and loan at the "home" rates.

  Course

  Estimated cost per student 1991–92 £

  BEd primary four-year course

  26,200

  PGCE Primary one-year postgraduate course

  7,220

  BEd Secondary four-year course

  26,390

  PGCE Secondary one-year postgraduate course

  7,290

  Procurators Fiscal
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases were reported to each procurator fiscal by the police in each year since 1990.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Procurators fiscal receive reports from over 50 reporting agencies including the police. The total numbers of such reports for each year since 1990 are given in the table. Separate statistics are not kept of the number of reports submitted by the police, but their reports will account for approximately 90 per cent. of the totals given.

  1990

  CRIM reports

  Aberdeen

  14,740

  Airdrie

  9,254

  Alloa

  3,341

  Arbroath

  3,104

  Ayr

  11,059

  Banff

  1,311

  Campbeltown

  665

  458
  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: The information is given in the table. Estimates for 1992–93 onwards are based on a projection of the 1991–92 survey of personal incomes.

  CRIM reports

  Cupar

  2,800

  Dingwall

  1,931

  Dornoch

  546

  Dumbarton

  9,198

  Dumfries

  7,928

  Dundee

  15,016

  Dunfermline

  7,623

  Dunoon

  1,444

  Duns

  1,854

  Edinburgh

  37,028

  Elgin

  4,931

  Falkirk

  10,057

  Forfar

  3,624

  Fort William

  1,515

  Glasgow

  79,538

  Greenock

  7,080

  Haddington

  3,974

  Hamilton

  26,757

  Inverness

  6,946

  Jedburgh

  1,887

  Kilmarnock

  12,903

  Kirkcaldy

  8,130

  Kirkcudbright

  1,606

  Kirkwall

  616

  Lanark

  4,767

  Lerwick

  1,140

  Linlithgow

  9,566

  Lochmaddy

  199

  Oban

  1,141

  Paisley

  10,476

  Peebles

  1,029

  Perth

  11,392

  Peterhead

  2,959

  Portree

  574

  Rothesay

  289

  Selkirk

  2,411

  Stirling

  6,788

  Stonehaven

  3,637

  Stornoway

  1,030

  Stranraer

  2,124

  Tain

  1,542

  Wick

  1,426

  Totals

  360,896

  1991

  CRIM reports

  Aberdeen

  16,556

  Airdrie

  9,334

  Alloa

  3,526

  Arbroath

  3,151

  Ayr

  11,285

  Banff

  1,719

  Campbeltown

  875

  459

  CRIM reports

  Cupar

  2,602

  Dingwall

  1,873

  Dornoch

  535

  Dumbarton

  9,757

  Dumfries

  8,620

  Dundee

  14,202

  Dunfermline

  8,058

  Dunoon

  1,433

  Duns

  1,963

  Edinburgh

  33,805

  Elgin

  5,261

  Falkirk

  10,897

  Forfar

  4,003

  Fort William

  1,562

  Glasgow

  81,564

  Greenock

  6,984

  Haddington

  3,595

  Hamilton

  25,519

  Inverness

  7,836

  Jedburgh

  2,255

  Kilmarnock

  12,650

  Kirkcaldy

  8,502

  Kirkcudbright

  1,826

  Kirkwall

  593

  Lanark

  6,539

  Lerwick

  950

  Linlithgow

  8,741

  Lochmaddy

  211

  Oban

  1,105

  Paisley

  11,799

  Peebles

  1,093

  Perth

  10,475

  Peterhead

  3,126

  Portree

  789

  Rothesay

  339

  Selkirk

  2,302

  Stirling

  7,218

  Stonehaven

  4,777

  Stornoway

  1,078

  Stranraer

  3,365

  Tain

  1,520

  Wick

  1,206

  Totals

  368,974

  1992

  CRIM reports

  Aberdeen

  15,846

  Airdrie

  8,907

  Alloa

  3,650

  Arbroath

  3,693

  Ayr

  10,552

  Banff

  1,542

  Campbeltown

  786

  Cupar

  3,020

  Dingwall

  1,827

  Dornoch

  542

  Dumbarton

  8,759

  Dumfries

  9,430

  Dundee

  13,225

  Dunfermline

  8,404

  Dunoon

  1,381

  Duns

  2,134

  Edinburgh

  34,487

  Elgin

  4,568

  Falkirk

  10,983

  Forfar

  3,800

  Fort William

  1,693

  Glasgow

  81,977

  Greenock

  7,129

  Haddington

  4,338

  Hamilton

  24,548

  Inverness

  8,059

  460

  CRIM reports

  Jedburgh

  2,311

  Kilmarnock

  12,149

  Kirkcaldy

  8,915

  Kirkcudbright

  1,946

  Kirkwall

  627

  Lanark

  6,531

  Lerwick

  807

  Linlithgow

  8,655

  Lochmaddy

  236

  Oban

  1,113

  Paisley

  14,266

  Peebles

  1,423

  Perth

  9,833

  Peterhead

  3,188

  Portree

  494

  Rothesay

  307

  Selkirk

  2,043

  Stirling

  6,786

  Stonehaven

  3,346

  Stornoway

  785

  Stranraer

  3,196

  Tain

  1,500

  Wick

  1,326

  Totals

  367,063

  1993

  CRIM reports

  Aberdeen

  13,371

  Airdrie

  7,141

  Alloa

  2,933

  Arbroath

  2,879

  Ayr

  8,093

  Banff

  1,205

  Campbeltown

  652

  Cupar

  2,109

  Dingwall

  1,375

  Dornoch

  493

  Dumbarton

  7,573

  Dumfries

  6,411

  Dundee

  10,520

  Dunfermline

  6,508

  Dunoon

  1,068

  Duns

  1,211

  Edinburgh

  29,977

  Elgin

  3,669

  Falkirk

  7,832

  Forfar

  2,387

  Fort William

  1,556

  Glasgow

  72,638

  Greenock

  5,170

  Haddington

  3,766

  Hamilton

  17,296

  Inverness

  7,190

  Jedburgh

  1,727

  Kilmarnock

  9,811

  Kirkcaldy

  6,881

  Kirkcudbright

  1,155

  Kirkwall

  616

  Lanark

  4,716

  Lerwick

  789

  Linlithgow

  7,236

  Lochmaddy

  234

  Oban

  1,042

  Paisley

  11,734

  Peebles

  868

  Perth

  7,759

  Peterhead

  2,691

  Portree

  429

  Rothesay

  232

  Selkirk

  1,526

  Stirling

  5,202

  Stonehaven

  2,163

  461

  CRIM reports

  Stomoway

  761

  Stranraer

  2,129

  Tain

  1,252

  Wick

  1,065

  Totals

  297,041

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what procedures are in operation to monitor the way in which procurators fiscal deal with cases reported to them by the police; and what account is taken of the results of such monitoring in the rewarding or career patterns of procurators fiscal and in the allocation of financial resources.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Procurators fiscal prepare monthly reports of workload and performance. The information is analysed centrally in Crown Office for senior management. The work of local offices is monitored regularly by regional procurators fiscal and by the management services group in the Crown Office, which is engaged in a continuing programme of review. Procurators fiscal are subject to the directions of my noble and learned Friend, the Lord Advocate and must report serious cases for the instructions of his Deputes.

  Financial resources are allocated on the basis of the workload of each office and the allocation takes account of the demands made by different types of case. A procurator fiscal is a civil servant. His competence is systematically appraised each year and he has the opportunity to earn performance pay. His performance is not measured in terms of results in court or by the number of convictions he obtains. The development of a procurate fiscal's career depends on how well he carries out a wide range of duties, and to advance he must be successful at promotion boards, which form part of the service's rigorous selection process.

  Nurses
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many nurses were employed in national health service hospitals in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what are the figures for nurses employed in the community alongside family doctors.

  Mr. Stewart
  The numbers of qualified nursing staff employed in hospitals and directly employed by GP practices are shown in the table. This also gives data for qualified staff working in the community who are employed by health boards and NHS trusts; these include those who work closely with GPs, like health visitors and district nurses, and others who may not, such as clinic or school nurses.

  Numbers of qualified nurses, WTE, working in the NHS in Scotland.1

  Hospital Staff

  Community Staff2

  Staff employed in GP practices

  1989

  29,412·0

  5,210·7

  295·3

  1990

  29,478·0

  5,261·1

  583·5

  1991

  29,731·6

  35,525·7

  646·8

  1992

  429,714·6

  5,432·8

  695·3

  1993

  429,510·4

  45,392·9

  735·5

  Includes midwives and only staff who are registered or enrolled. Bank nurses, staff in training or staff who are unqualified such as auxiliaries or
  462
  nursery nurses are not included. Data for hospital and community staff are at 30 September and for GP practice staff at 1 April.

  2 Includes both staff who work closely with GPs and those who may not.

  3 The increase in community staff between 1990 and 1991 is the result of a reclassification of staff previously classified as hospital staff.

  4 Provisional.

  Scottish Power (Fraud)
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Serious Fraud Squad has concluded its investigation into alleged complaints of fraud in the supply of coal to Scottish Power, and with what results.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The investigation by Fife constabulary is not yet concluded.

  Scottish Legal Aid Board
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total cost incurred by the Scottish Legal Aid Board in connection with market testing of its operations; if these costs have been met from the board's current budget; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  In common with other non-departmental public bodies, the Scottish Legal Aid Board is undertaking a programme of market testing of certain of its activities. Separately identifiable costs to date amount to £30,000. These have been met from within the board's adminstrative budget of £7·862 million for 1993–94.

  Director of Information
  Mr. Norman Hogg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the salary grading and scale attaching to the post of director of information at the Scottish Office; what are the duties and responsibilities of the office; and to whom the office holder is responsible.

  Mr. Lang
  The post of director of the Scottish Office information directorate is graded at unified grade 5 within the civil service grading structure. At present the national rate of pay for the grade is within the range £36,019–£53,740 progression being dependent on performance.

  The director is responsible for the provision of advice to Ministers and all departments of the Scottish Office on the public presentation, through press, radio and television, of Government policy and the work of the Ministers and the departments of the Scottish Office.

  The post also carries responsibility for paid publicity, including advertising and publications, media arrangements for royal visits to Scotland, organising programmes and providing escorts for Foreign and Commonwealth Office-sponsored VIP visitors to Scotland, and the provision of news and radio tapes for overseas markets on behalf of the Central Office of Information.

  The director is directly responsible to Ministers as regards the professional advice provided by the information directorate. Management oversight of the directorate is exercised by the deputy secretary in charge of central services within the Scottish Office.

  Forestry
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to publish a strategy for woodlands and forestry to implement his policy objectives.
  463
  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 24 January 1994]: We published on Tuesday 25 January "Sustainable Forestry: The UK Programme" which explains how the forest principles will be implemented in the United Kingdom under our existing forestry policy.

  NHS (Non-executive Directors)
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of attendances, and the maximum possible of attendances, of non-executive directors at (1) national health service trust board meetings, and (2) health boards, in the latest 12 months or part thereof for which information is available.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: The information requested is not recorded centrally.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to ensure that non-executive members of national health service boards(a) visit a representative sample of the units under their control to observe service delivery in action, (b) take part in joint training and development with executive members and (c) receive training in how the national health service is financed.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: All members of health boards and national health service trusts are invited on appointment to attend national conferences to develop their understanding of the strategy, structure and finance of the national health service in Scotland. Boards are also strongly encouraged to provide induction programmes covering all local issues, including site visits to a range of facilities. The management development group also actively promotes joint training and development locally for non-executive and executive members, and they are given the opportunity to participate in a range of training programmes, including corporate management and financial responsibility.

  Paediatric Care
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will make it his policy to increase the number and availability of paediatric intensive care unit beds;

  (2) if he will order a review in each health board area of the provision of children's intensive care; and if he will consider designating sites as area paediatric intensive care units;

  (3) what is his policy on the ratio of paediatric intensive care unit beds to the population of children aged under 14 years;

  (4) if he will require purchasers and providers to meet agreed standards for the provision of paediatric intensive care beds.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: It is a matter for health boards to purchase paediatric intensive care based on their assessment of local needs.

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the extent of the shortfall of paediatric intensive care unit beds.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 10 December 1993, Official Report, column 353.
  464

  Council Housing
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much from(a) grants, (b) consent to borrow and (c) capital receipts was spent in 1991–92 and 1992–93 on (i) council housing stock, (ii) owner-occupied stock, (iii) housing associations' stock and (iv) Scottish Homes stock; and how much of these sums, in each category of financial contribution and type of stock, was devoted to eradication of dampness and condensation.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: Information in the form requested is not held centrally. Decisions on whether particular expenditure is financed from grants, borrowing, capital receipts or from other revenue is a matter for individual housing authorities. Similarly housing resource allocations are not generally earmarked for specific purposes and it is up to individual housing authorities to decide on the balance of investment in specific areas, including tackling dampness and condensation. Local authorities and Scottish Homes have, however, been asked to give priority to eliminating dampness and condensation in preparing their capital programmes for future years.

  Development Corporations (Rent Increases)
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the rent increases announced by Irvine development corporation.

  1Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: The house rent increases announced by Irvine development corporation, which will come into effect on 28 March, provide for a rise in management and maintenance costs above the rate of inflation and are expected to be broadly in line with the average set by other private sector landlords.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what rent increases have been announced by Irvine, Cumbernauld, Livingston, East Kilbride and Glenrothes development corporations; and what guidelines the Scottish Office issued to the development corporations prior to a decision being taken on the level of rent increase.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: Irvine, Livingston and East Kilbride development corporations have each announced a 5 per cent. increase in house rents from the beginning of 1994–95. Glenrothes and Cumbernauld have yet to announce the level of rent increase which will apply. These increases are in line with my right hon. Friend's advice to corporations that present house rents should, on average, be increased by between 5 per cent. and 7 per cent. from the beginning of the new financial year.

  Inquiry Line
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the cost of setting up the Scottish Office inquiry line and the cost to date, the cost of administering the service, the number of staff employed and the salary of the head of the Scottish Office inquiry line.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: The set-up costs for the Scottish Office inquiry line amount to

  465
  £176,871. This includes initial publicity costs of £150,000 necessarily incurred to make the new arrangements known to the public. The estimated annual cost of operating the information line is £28,500; the costs to date are approximately £7,125.

  The Scottish Office central inquiry unit has responsibility for the new information line and the unit was augmented by one to handle the new initiative. The unit is currently headed by a senior librarian whose annual salary is in the range of £19,215 to £24,780.

  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of calls received from each region between 1 October and 13 December 1993 to the Scottish Office inquiry line.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: Statistics on the number of Scottish callers to the inquiry line are divided into three catchment areas plus a fourth covering England and Wales.

  The number of calls received for the period 1 October to 13 December 1993 were:

  Number

  Aberdeen

  297

  Edinburgh

  579

  Glasgow

  864

  England and Wales— various locations

  98

  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of calls received between 1 October and 13 December 1993 to the Scottish Office inquiry line.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: The Scottish Office inquiry line received 1,838 calls between I October and 13 December 1993.

  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the subject matter of calls received by the Scottish Office inquiry line; and which of his departments has been involved in each case.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 27 January 1994]: No specific record is kept of the subject matter of each call received through the Scottish Office inquiry line but topics of inquiry have included trust hospitals, the opting out of schools, road building programmes, social services provision, planning and environmental issues.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Yugoslavia
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has regarding the country of manufacture of guns obtained by Serbian forces since July 1992 which have been used against(a) British service men and (b) Bosnian civilians in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Serbia has an extensive arms manufacturing capability. Most weapons held by Serb forces are produced domestically, although it is possible that they may have procured guns from other countries since July 1992.
  466
  We have no information that Serb forces have used foreign-manufactured weapons either against British service men or Bosnian civilians.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what(a) financial help and (b) technical and professional help his Department is contributing to the United Nations Human Rights Commission investigation into alleged war crimes in former Yugoslavia.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The United Kingdom provides financial assistance to the United Nations commission of experts through its contributions to the United Nations regular budget. We have also submitted to the commission three batches of substantiated evidence on war crimes, including a requested report on rape, collated by the Ministry of Defence's defence debriefing team.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department passed on to the United Nations Human Rights Commission all the testimonies of witnesses to and victims of alleged war crimes in the former Yugoslavia.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Ministry of Defence's debriefing team has inteviewed over 4,000 entrants to the United Kingdom from the former Yugoslavia since the conflict began. This material has been collated and substantiated evidence submitted to the commission of experts in three separate batches. We will continue to submit such evidence as it becomes available.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his Department is co-operating with the UN Human Rights Commission investigation into alleged war crimes in former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The United Kingdom co-sponsored Security Council resolution 780 of 6 October 1992 which established the UN commission of experts. Since its establishment we have submitted to the commission three batches of substantiated evidence, including a requested report on rape. Later this year we will submit further evidence following a request from the commission for information on specific regions.

  Arms Exports
  Mr. Janner
  . To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Israel.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 1 December 1993,Official Report, column 534.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Iran.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We apply the following criteria in considering applications for the export of licensable goods to Iran:

  (i) With two exceptions we should not approve licences for any goods or technology on the military or atomic energy lists—schedule 1. part 3, group 1 and 2—of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1992, as amended. The exceptions are:

  467

  (a) goods essential for the safety of civil aircraft and air traffic control systems;

  (b) radioactive material in the form of sources for medical equipment and deuterium labelled compounds for medical use.

  (ii) We should not approve licences for any equipment—including the exceptions to the complete ban mentioned above—where there was knowledge or reason to suspect that it would go to a military end-user or be used for military purposes.

  Existing export licenses, approved under the old guidelines, will remain valid. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade announced in his written reply to the hon. Member for Croydon, Central (Sir P. Beresford) on 18 January 1994, Official Report, column 509, an exception has been made in one case to date. We shall support efforts among supplier countries, in particular the G7 and our European partners, to promote a harmonised approach to effective controls on the export of dual use goods to countries of particular concern.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Syria.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We do not sell arms to Syria.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Kuwait.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We consider applications for the export of arms to Kuwait on a case by case basis. We refuse applications for exports which in our view would not be consistent with our established criteria, including the common criteria for arms transfers agreed with European Union partners at Luxembourg in 1991 and at Lisbon in 1992, the guidelines agreed by the Permanent Five in London in 1991 and the principles governing conventional arms transfers adopted by the forum for security co-operation of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in November 1993.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We consider applications for the export of arms to Saudi Arabia on a case-by-case basis. We refuse applications for exports which in our view would not be consistent with our established criteria, including the common criteria for arms transfers agreed with European Union partners at Luxembourg in 1991 and at Lisbon in 1992, the guidelines agreed by the permanent five in London in 1991 and the principles governing conventional arms transfers adopted by the forum for security co-operation of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in November 1993.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Jordan.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We consider applications for the export of arms to Jordan on a case by case basis. We refuse applications for exports which in our view would riot be consistent with our established criteria, including the common criteria for arms transfers agreed with European Union partners at Luxembourg in 1991 and at Lisbon in 1992, the guidelines agreed by the permanent five in 468
  London in 1991 and the principles governing conventional arms transfers adopted by the forum for security co-operation of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in November 1993.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the Government's policy regarding arms exports to Egypt.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We consider applications for the export of arms to Egypt on a case by case basis. We refuse applications for exports which in our view would not be consistent with our established criteria, including the common criteria for arms transfers agreed with European Union partners at Luxembourg in 1991 and at Lisbon in 1992, the guidelines agreed by the Permanent five in London in 1991 and the principles governing conventional arms transfers adopted by the forum for security co-operation of the conference on security and co-operation in Europe in November 1993.

  Iran
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government will take to persuade the Government of Iran to investigate the disappearance of the General Secretary of the Iranian Assemblies of God, the Reverend Haik Hovsepian Mehr.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We are concerned at Reverend Hovsepian's disappearance. According to the local press, the Iranian authorities are investigating. The EU presidency are seeking clarification in Iran on behalf of European partners.

  North Korea
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress in implementing the nuclear safeguards inspections at facilities in North Korea; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the safeguards measures list drawn up by the International Atomic Energy Agency for North Korea, pursuant to a decision of the United Nations Security Council.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  North Korea is still refusing to agree to International Atomic Energy Agency inspection of the two undeclared sites which led to its referral to the United Nations Security Council last April. The IAEA is currently discussing with North Korea arrangements for the next routine inspections of its declared sites. Details of specific measures required to ensure compliance with safeguards are not released by the IAEA. However, a copy of North Korea's safeguards agreement with the IAEA—INFCIRC 403—to which such measures are pursuant, has been deposited in the Library of the House.

  Bosnia
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his recent visit to Bosnia.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs visited Bosnia on 21 and 22 January to see at first hand the contribution British troops and civilian aid workers are making to the international aid effort. He was enormously
  469
  impressed by their professionalism and dedication. His visit will inform our consideration, with fellow troop contributors and other allies, of the future of UNPROFOR.

  Nuclear Weapons
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the second preparatory committee meeting for the review and renewal conference of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty held in New York from 17 January; and if he will place in the Library copies of those documents circulated at the preparatory committee meeting making reference to the United Kingdom policy on the non-proliferation treaty.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The second meeting of the preparatory committee for the 1995 non-proliferation treaty extension and review conference was largely concerned with organisational issues and the committee made good progress towards its task of preparing for the conference. The leader of the United Kingdom delegation also delivered a short statement in which he reaffirmed our commitment to our treaty obligations and our aim of securing the treaty's unconditional and indefinite extension in 1995. A copy of this statement has been deposited in the Library of the House.

  Defence Sales
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was(a) the gross national product of, (b) the amount of United Kingdom Government aid to and (c) the aggregate value of United Kingdom defence sales to (i) Jordan, (ii) Pakistan and (iii) India in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The latest available gross national product and United Kingdom bilateral aid figures for Jordan, Pakistan and India are set out in the table. It is not Government policy to publish defence sales figures of the nature requested, which are commercially confidential between the suppliers and the customer Government. I refer the hon. Gentleman to table 1.11 of "UK Defence Statistics 1993" for defence sales information. A copy of this is available in the House of Commons Library.

  Jordan

  Year

  GNP Dinars million

  United Kingdom gross bilateral aid (£'000s)

  1979

  924·9

  13,618

  1980

  1,183·6

  4,682

  1981

  1,484·2

  7,086

  1982

  1,702·5

  3,308

  1983

  1,815·0

  2,747

  1984

  1,905·0

  6,105

  1985

  1,935·8

  2,332

  1986

  2,097·3

  5,641

  1987

  2,112·5

  4,809

  1988

  2,129·9

  4,495

  1989

  2,206·4

  2,822

  1990

  2,375·9

  5,105

  1991

  2,559·1

  10,925

  1992

  3,158·6

  3,122

  1993

  —

  14,717

  Notes:

  (1) GNP: years ending 31 December.

  (2) Aid: years ending 31 December up to and including 1987; thereafter years ending 31 March.

  (3) Source for GNP figures:
  470

  Pakistan

  Year

  GNP PRs billion

  United Kingdom gross bilateral aid (£'000s)

  1979

  209·45

  21,810

  1980

  252·46

  22,245

  1981

  300·89

  24,613

  1982

  349·51

  18,738

  1983

  403·78

  16,612

  1984

  459·40

  18,016

  1985

  510·47

  16,569

  1986

  555·89

  20,715

  1987

  608·86

  22,475

  1988

  704·48

  22,599

  1989

  797·75

  28,183

  1990

  894·71

  30,478

  1991

  1,053·09

  43,476

  1992

  1,225·39

  37,239

  1993

  —

  34,483

  Notes

  (1) GNP: Years ending 30 June.

  (2) Aid: years ending 31 December up to and including 1987; thereafter years ending 31 March.

  (3) Source for GNP figures:

  IMF International Financial Statistics, January 1984.

  India

  Year

  GNP IRs billion

  United Kingdom gross bilateral aid (£'000s)

  1979

  1,145·1

  153,314

  1980

  1,363·6

  86,080

  1981

  1,598·0

  168,550

  1982

  1,775·0

  54,204

  1983

  2,066·5

  127,600

  1984

  2,299·2

  146,537

  1985

  2,608·1

  106,466

  1986

  2,911·4

  143,481

  1987

  3,305·8

  78,464

  1988

  3,921·0

  99,097

  1989

  4,482·6

  84,647

  1990

  5,240·3

  87,652

  1991

  6,026·7

  100,815

  1992

  —

  136,386

  1993

  —

  115,370

  Notes

  (1) GNP: Years beginning 1 April.

  (2) Aid: Years ending 31 December up to and including 1987; thereafter years ending 31 March.

  (3) Source for GNP figures: IMF international financial statistics, January 1994.

  Mercenaries
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he first became aware that the Azeri Government were hiring British mercenaries; and what steps he took.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  I first became aware of the allegations published in The Independent on 24 January. We have as yet no evidence to support these allegations, but my officials are looking into them. It would be a serious matter if a British company were found to be breaking the conference on security and co-operation in Europe arms embargo against parties to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.