Written Answers of 11 July 1994

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

  Bicycle Routes
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress he has made in financing bicycle routes through Church Commissioners' land.

  Mr. Alison
  The Commissioners are always prepared to consider sympathetically proposals for cycle routes across their land, provided these create no conflict of interest with their duties to their primary beneficiaries, the serving and retired clergy. No such proposal has been received recently.

  Rents
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, representing the Church Commissioners, what changes have occurred in rents received in the past five years for church lands.

  Mr. Alison
  Gross agricultural rents per acre increased from £57·75 in 1989 to £62·62 in 1993, a rise of 8·43 per cent. against a retail prices index increase of 27·84 per cent. Over this period, the Commissioners' agricultural portfolio was reduced by 14,924 acres, producing net sales proceeds of £76·6 million.

PRIME MINISTER

  European Commission
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 30 June to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell)Official Report, columns 660–61, regarding the presidency of the European Commission, if he will now set out the criteria he will apply to candidates for the appointment.

  The Prime Minister
  I shall consider candidates on their merits. I will need to be satisfied that the next President will run an efficient and accountable Commission, and act in the interests of the European Union as a whole.

  Meetings with Members
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Prime Minister how many hon. Members and right hon. Members he has met at official meetings on constituency matters at No. 10 Downing street in 1993–94; what were their political parties; and in which regions were their constituencies.

  The Prime Minister
  I regularly have meetings with right hon. and hon. Members, at both No. 10 and the House of Commons, to deal with specific and general matters which relate to their constituencies and interests.

  Lowe Bell Communications
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his reply of 26 April to the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice),Official Report, column 47, how much Sir Tim Bell has claimed in expenses in connection with the D-day public relations contract awarded to Lowe Bell Communications.

  The Prime Minister
  To date, Lowe Bell has claimed a total of £11,346, net of VAT, for administrative costs and expenses. This is within the agreed upper limit of £12,500, net of VAT.

  Government Information
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Prime Minister what is the policy of the Government on the supply of information to the media on economic performance and distribution of earnings, where the information can be obtained directly or indirectly from the Central Office of Information data bank.

  The Prime Minister
  This is a matter for individual Government Departments.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Prime Minister whether he will make it his policy that all Departments should provide substantive replies to hon. Members' questions rather than referring them to the Library.

  The Prime Minister
  No.

  Child Care
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Prime Minister what provision his Department makes for child care facilities for staff; what is the extent of subsidy to nursery places and holiday play schemes; if his Department(a) subscribes to Childcare Solutions and (b) makes child care vouchers available; and if he will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: For these purposes my office is part of the Cabinet Office. I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 7 July 1994, Official Report, columns 323–24.

  Ecological Sustainability
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that there is a full discussion of ecological sustainability at the Group of Seven summit in July.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 8 July 1994]: At my initiative the members of the Group of Seven industrialised countries have already adopted an action plan to give practical effect to the agreements reached at Rio. At the Naples Group of Seven summit the United Kingdom will continue to stress the importance of the environment as a priority for international co-operation.

  Contracts
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Prime Minister on what occasions in the last 10 years he has given a direction to civil servants to award a contract against the advice of the civil service; what was the subject matter of the contract and its value; and when it was awarded.
  377
  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 8 July 1994]: There have been no such occasions in respect of myself or my predecessor.

  Ex-service Personnel
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Prime Minister what steps he will be taking to give effect to the decision taken by the House on 1 July on the welfare of ex-service people.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Prime Minister what action he is taking to implement the resolution on welfare of ex-service people approved by the House on 1 July.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 8 July 1994]: We already have in place substantial administrative arrangements to meet the special needs of ex-service personnel, which involve close liaison between the relevant Departments; we believe these arrangements most effectively serve the welfare needs of the ex-service community. The Government attach great importance to achieving high quality services, and will continue to keep areas of concern to veterans under review.

TREASURY

  Asset Disposal
  Dr. Goodson-Wickes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in realising unwanted assets held by Government Departments.

  Mr. Portillo
  The disposal of unwanted assets is the responsibility of individual Departments. Information is not collected centrally.

  Public Utility Regulators
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rules govern the use by public utility regulators of public money to hire Government relations consultants.

  Mr. Portillo
  The rules governing the use of public relations consultants are contained in the Cabinet Office document "Guidance on Government Publicity and Advertising", which is available in the Library of the House. General principles on the purchase of consultancy services are set out in section 31 of "Government Accounting".

  EU Agricultural Spending
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 30 June,Official Report, column 931, what procedures are available to the European Union for paying sums of agricultural spending in 1995 exceeding the limits agreed at Edinburgh.

  Sir John Cope
  The agricultural guideline agreed at Edinburgh can be amended or breached only by the unanimous agreement of the Council of Ministers. The United Kingdom has made it clear that it can foresee no circumstances under which it would agree to this. The Commission will therefore be obliged to manage expenditure within the guideline.

  Manufactured Trade
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current share of consumer goods in imported finished manufactures; and by how much the unit value has increased since August 1992 to the latest available date.

  Mr. Nelson
  The information requested for the first part of the question is available on the Central Statistical Office database, which can be accessed through the Library of the House of Commons. The unit value for consumer goods increased by 13·3 per cent. between August 1992 and April 1994, the latest date for which data are available. The unit value for finished manufactures increased by 15·0 per cent. over the same period.

  Rugby Players
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements are made for the collection of employers' contributions by rugby union clubs who are paying or financially rewarding players.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Inland Revenue's arrangements for the collection of employers' national insurance contributions in respect of the remuneration of rugby players are the same as those for any other taxpayer.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 20 January,Official Report, column 779, what arrangements are now made for the payment of income tax and national insurance by rugby union players.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Inland Revenue's arrangements for the payment of income tax and national insurance contributions by rugby union players operate in the same way as for any other taxpayer.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to receive a report from the Inland Revenue special investigation branch regarding the conclusion of its inquiry into the payment of income tax and national insurance by rugby union players; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The conduct of any inquiry by the Inland Revenue into payment of income tax and national insurance is an internal matter of the Department and I would not expect to receive a report. I do not propose to make a statement.

  Mortgage Tax Relief
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the most recent figures on the amount of mortgage tax relief allowed for home owners in Scotland.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information is given in my reply to the hon. Member on 20 June 1994,Official Report, column 2.

  Exchange Rates
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what are the reasons for supporting and participating in recent central bank intervention to support the United States dollar; and what effect this has had on interest rates;
  379
  (2) to what extent the United Kingdom Exchequer is bearing the exchange rate risk of Bank of England intervention to stop the foreign exchange value of the United States dollar from falling;

  (3) what consideration Her Majesty's Government give to the balance of payments in deciding whether to intervene in the foreign exchange market to support the United States dollar;

  (4) whether he will publish the evidence he has on whether (a) the yen is overvalued and (b) the United States dollar is undervalued;

  (5) what United Kingdom economic interest is served by the Bank of England's recent participation in central bank intervention to support the United States dollar at the current rate of exchange.

  Mr. Nelson
  The Bank of England participated in concerted intervention in support of the dollar on 4 May and 24 June 1994, on behalf of the United Kingdom Government. The concerted intervention reflected a concern shared with other Governments about recent developments in international financial markets. The Government consider greater exchange rate and capital market stability to be in the United Kingdom's interests. There are a large number of factors which may have influenced recent dollar and yen exchange rates. The intervention was undertaken to steady market conditions.

  Developing Countries' Debt
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current total of outstanding debt owed to the United Kingdom by developing countries.

  Mr. Nelson
  The total outstanding debt owed to ECGD and the ODA by developing countries, excluding eastern Europe, is £6·47 billion.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the value to the United Kingdom of debt interest payments from developing countries in 1993–94 from(a) payments to the Export Credits Guarantee Department, (b) payments to the Overseas Development Administration, (c) payments to the Commonwealth Development Corporation and (d) in total.

  Mr. Nelson
  Debt interest payments from developing countries in 1993–94 were(a) £228 million, excluding eastern Europe, to ECGD (b) £4·2 million to ODA, (c) £81·9 million to the CDC, (d) totalling £314·1 million.

  Disability (Consultation)
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what involvement his Department will have in the Government's forthcoming consultation and consideration of issues relating to disability and discrimination and possible legislation.

  Mr. Portillo
  My right hon. Friend the Minister for Disabled People will be co-ordinating action and will involve other Departments as necessary.

  Prices Policy
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is Government policy in respect of the price of(a) goods and (b) services.

  Mr. Nelson
  The Government aim to keep underlying inflation, as measured by the RPI excluding interest 380
  payments, in the range 1 to 4 per cent. and to bring it down to the lower half of this range by the end of the present Parliament.

  Economic Growth
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average annual rate of economic growth from 1964 to 1973 and from 1979 to the latest possible date, together with the reasons for any difference.

  Mr. Nelson
  Rates of economic growth can be calculated from the estimates for gross domestic product published in Economic Trends, which is available in the Members' Library. There are many influences on the rate of economic growth.

  Full Employment
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the Government's definition of full employment; and what part a return to full employment plays in formulating its fiscal, monetary and exchange rate policies.

  Mr. Nelson
  The Government's economic policy aims to create the right conditions for a high and sustainable level of employment. This requires permanently low inflation, sound public finances and a continuing programme of reform designed to improve the efficiency of markets and strengthen the long-term supply performance of the economy.

  Balance of Trade
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish figures for trade with EC countries on the same basis as tables 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the press notices on the monthly balance of trade with countries outside the EC.

  Mr. Nelson
  The information is available from the CSO database which may be accessed by the House of Commons Library.

  Upper Limb Disorders
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons are taking actions for stress-related upper limb disorders against the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise.

  Mr. Dorrell
  There are at present 106 cases relating to repetitive strain injuries and/or upper limb disorders being pursued by current and former employees of the Inland Revenue, and 15 by Customs and Excise.

  EU Directives
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in implementing the investment services directive and the capital adequacy directive.

  Mr. Nelson
  A consultation document on the implementation of the investment services directive and the capital adequacy directive is being issued today. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Lotteries
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes he intends to make to the tax treatment of lotteries run by charities.

  Sir John Cope
  In the past the Inland Revenue has accepted that where a subsidiary company operates a lottery on behalf of a charity, the income from the lottery belonged to the subsidiary company for tax purposes. The company could relieve the income from tax by passing it to the charity under a deed of covenant.

  The Inland Revenue has received legal advice that this treatment is incorrect where the lottery is a society lottery organised under section 5 of the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976. Where a subsidiary company promotes a society lottery on behalf of the charity, but the charity itself is registered as the society under the Act, the view is that the income from the lottery belongs to the charity, not the subsidary company, and the charity is therefore taxable on the income.

  In order to prevent charities from being disadvantaged by this change of view of the law the Government have decided to introduce legislation in the next Finance Bill to exempt charities from tax on income from society lotteries provided the income is applied solely to the purposes of the charity.

  Income from small lotteries under section 3 of the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 will also be exempted.

  Subject to approval by Parliament the exemption will apply, for income tax, for tax years after 1994–95 and, for companies, for accounting periods beginning after 31 March 1994. In anticipation of the proposed legislation the Inland Revenue will give charities relief from tax on a concessional basis for lottery income arising in earlier periods where the tax liability has not yet been settled.

  Income Tax
  Ms Harman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what would be the reduction in tax payable in 1995–96 resulting from full indexation of relief on the married couple's allowance for those aged over 65 years to pensioner couples paying tax at(a) the lower rate, (b) the basic rate and (c) the higher rate if they are (i) 65 to 74 years and (ii) 75 years and over taking account of the proposals announced in his Budget of November 1993.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 17 June 1994]: In 1995–96 the age-related married couples allowances will be increased by £330, as announced in the November 1993 Budget. This is significantly higher than the increase which would result from indexation of the allowances.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Institute of Chartered Accountants
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last discussed the effectiveness of the disciplinary procedures of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales with the institute.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  My officials meet regularly with the Institute to discuss a wide range of matters, including particular aspects of its disciplinary procedures. The last such meeting was on 26 May.

  Ministerial Visits
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the purpose of his visit to Saudi Arabia on 28 June; whom he met; what trading matters he discussed; and with what outcome.

  Mr. Heseltine
  The purpose of my visit to Saudi Arabia on 28 June was in response to a Saudi request for advice on future privatisations. I was accompanied by a delegation of British business men expert in privatisation. Meetings were held with the Saudi Ministers of Commerce, Finance, Industry and Electricity, Defence and Post and Telecommunications. The opportunity was also taken to further certain British bids for contracts; the Saudi Government noted the interest of the United Kingdom Government in these potential contracts.

  Insolvency Service
  Mr. Kevin Hughes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the level of funding of the Insolvency Service in each of the past five years; and what is the extent of the new resources that have been made available to(a) the service and (b) the area of director disqualification.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The running cost outturn for the Insolvency Service for each of the last five years were:

  £

  Year

  Million

  1989–90

  32·8

  1990–91

  35·6

  1991–92

  40·3

  1992–93

  151·4

  1993–94

  154·8

  1Includes amounts for superannuation and internal DTI services, for earlier years calculated as:

  £

  Year

  Million

  1989–90

  +4·2

  1990–91

  +4·7

  1991–92

  +6·2

  A total of £57·459 million has been allocated to the Insolvency Service from my Department's running costs for 1994–95. Included in this allocation is £1·831 million to fund the additional work required to meet the case closure target of 53,000, and £1 million additional in the area of investigation including director disqualification.

  Mr. Kevin Hughes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many Insolvency Service staff were employed in the area of director disqualification in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Staff in the Insolvency Service employed in the area of director disqualification comprise(a) those in the disqualification units in London and Edinburgh engaged directly on disqualification work and (b) specialist staff in official receivers whose duties include the investigatory process which may result in the submission of prosecution and disqualification reports. Their number were as follows:
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  (a) Staff employed directly on disqualification work

  Year

  Number

  1989–90

  45·00

  1990–91

  43·50

  1991–92

  50·50

  1992–93

  46·00

  1993–94

  47·00

  (b) Staff employed in the investigatory process

  Year

  Number

  1989–90

  568·00

  1990–91

  587·50

  1991–92

  590·50

  1992–93

  587·50

  1993–94

  568·00

  In addition to (a) above, as at 30 June 1994 the disqualification unit employed 11 additional staff comprising three seconded from the private sector; four on loan from other Government Departments and four sandwich students. For 1994–95 further resources have been provided to enable up to 14 extra staff, including 10 specialist staff from the private sector, to be added to the complement of the disqualification unit. Thirty specialist staff from the private sector will be added to the complement of official receivers.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade further to his answer of 27 June,Official Report, column 403–4, concerning tenders for the second stage review of the Insolvency Service, why he considered it appropriate to invite Stoy Hayward Consulting to bid in a single tender action; what consideration he gave to offering others to bid in order to determine whether he was receiving value for money; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The decision was taken to invite Stoy Hayward to bid for the second stage review in a single tender action because:

  (a) Stoy Hayward's bid for the initial stage work had been by some considerable margin the most keenly priced; and

  (b) in the course of their work on the first stage review they had shown that they provided excellent value for money.

  These considerations together with the fact that it had become familiar with the work of official receivers and the structure of the Insolvency Service led to the decision that the costs involved in a competitive tendering exercise would not be justified.

  Mr. Burden
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade in how many cases referred to the Insolvency Services disqualification unit in each year since 1989–90 disqualification proceedings have been commenced.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The number of companies in relation to which reports under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 have been made and the number of disqualification proceedings commenced is as follows:

  Year

  Cases

  Proceedings Commenced

  1989–90

  3,444

  462

  1990–91

  4,508

  449

  1991–92

  6,171

  700

  1992–93

  6,710

  564

  384

  Year

  Cases

  Proceedings Commenced

  1993–94

  7,521

  464

  11994–95

  1,506

  170

  1Up to 30 June.

  Note: The figures quoted for the number of cases are those for the number of companies reported on. However, the figures quoted for refer to individuals. It is estimated that on average proceedings are issued against 1·5 directors in any one company.

  Mr. Burden
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was(a) the budget and (b) the staffing levels of the Insolvency Service's disqualification unit for each year since 1989–90.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The budget for the Insolvency Service's disqualification unit was:

  £ million

  1991–92

  1·17

  1992–93

  1·34

  1993–94

  1·85

  1994–95

  1·90

  Separate figures for disqualification running costs within Insolvency Service budgets were not kept prior to 1991–92.

  The staffing levels of disqualification unit were:

  Number

  1989–90

  45·00

  1991–91

  43·50

  1991–92

  50·50

  1992–93

  46·00

  1993–94

  47·00

  The unit currently employs an additional 11 staff comprising three seconded from the private sector; four on loan from other Government Departments and four sandwich students. For 1994–95 further resources have been provided to enable up to 14 extra staff, including 10 specialist staff from the private sector, to be added to the complement of the disqualification unit.

  Mr. Burden
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what criteria he uses to classify cases referred to the Insolvency Service into different priority classifications.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  While each case is considered on its merits the main criterion is the totality and materiality of the unfit conduct alleged having regard to the size of the deficiency, period of trading and previous failures, if any. In addition the following criterion are employed:

  public companies have a quoted share issue

  companies in which the petition was presented in the public interest by the Secretary of State or other regulator

  companies dealing largely with the public attracting high publicity or numerous complaints

  material losses by the public or matters of wider concern to the business community

  quasi criminal misapplication of assets or third party property in material amounts

  successive phoenix failures of less than two years trading periods.

  Mr. Burden
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many cases referred to the Insolvency Service's disqualification unit have been classified as category A in each year since 1989–90.
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  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The system of classification was not introduced by the disqualification unit until July 1991. The figures from then show:

  Cases identified as category A

  Year

  Number

  1991–92

  21

  1992–93

  49

  1993–94

  197

  11994–95

  129

  1To 30 June 1994.

  Mr. Burden
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many category A cases referred to the Insolvency Service's disqualification unit in each year since 1989–90 were not completed by the Insolvency Service's disqualification unit within the two-year period in which disqualification proceedings may be brought.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The system of case categorisation was introduced in July 1991. Details of cases abandoned after categorisation are not maintained in the manner requested. The total number of cases identified as meriting further investigation but which were not taken forward were:

  Year

  Number

  1991–92

  369

  1992–93

  332

  1993–94

  763

  11994–95

  94

  1To 31 May 1994.

  These totals include cases which were not proceeded with because of parallel criminal proceedings, the bankruptcy of the potential respondent or the discovery of evidence which would refute or mitigate the allegations of misconduct.

  Company Insolvencies
  Mr. Kevin Hughes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the number of company insolvencies and how many companies ceased to trade in each of the last five years; and in how many of these cases creditors did not institute liquidation proceedings.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Information on company insolvencies is regularly published by the Association of British Chambers of Commerce, on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry, in "Business Briefing"; copies are available in the Library of the House. The figures concerned were most recently published in the edition dated 6 May. The figures for voluntary liquidations show the number of insolvency cases not instituted by creditors.

  Information on companies ceasing to trade for reasons other than insolvency is not available.

  Vernacare Equipment
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will complete his investigations into possible breaches of European Union law in respect of the supply of Vernacare equipment in Holland as stated in his Department's letter of 7 March to the hon. Member for Bolton, North-East.
  386
  Mr. Needham
  We have several times with the Dutch authorities. We are now assisting the company to prepare a complaint to the Commission, which we will support

  Atomic Energy Authority
  Mr. Robert Jackson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what conditions or restrictions are placed by the Government on the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority in taking part in negotiations with its trade unions on the pay and conditions of its staff.

  Mr. Eggar
  Pay and conditions of service for its employees are a matter for the UKAEA with the exception of its pension schemes which require the approval of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.

  Departmental Inspectors
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will list for the period 1979 to 1993(a) the names of individuals acting as inspectors for his Department who are partners in law and accountancy firms, giving the name of the firm in each case and (b) the law and accountancy firms which have been criticised in inspectors' reports.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  Table A lists Companies Act inspectors from legal and accountancy firms who have acted during the period 1979 to 1993 and whose appointment has been announced. Table B lists firms of solicitors and accountants who have been criticised in inspectors' reports published from 1979 and the reports concerned.

  Table A

  Inspector

  Firm

  Mr. J. Darby FCA

  Arthur Young

  Mr. H. Moore FCA

  Moore Stephens & Co.

  Mr. I Bowie FCA

  Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co.

  Mr. K. Webb FCA

  Thornton Baker & Co.

  Mr. J. Hillyer FCA

  Hill Vellacott

  Mr. T. Harding FCA

  Tansley Witt & Co.

  Mr. P. Ainger FCA

  Price Waterhouse

  Mr. A. Humphries FCA

  Baker Sutton & Co.

  Mr. P. Foss FCA

  Moores Rowland

  Mr. R. Morcom FCA

  Pannell Kerr Forster

  Mr. B. A. Kemp FCA

  Safferys

  Mr. P. Dobson FCA

  Ernst & Whinney

  Mr. B. Currie CA

  Arthur Andersen

  Mr. A. Hardcastle FCA

  Peat Marwick McLintock

  Mr. I. Watt FCA

  KPMG Peat Marwick

  Mr. P. DuBuisson FCA

  BDO Binder Hamlyn

  Mr. M. Lickiss FCA

  Grant Thornton

  Mr. A. Ridler FCA

  Pannell Kerr Forster

  Mr. K. Carmichael FCA

  Longcrofts

  Mr. D. Anton FCA

  Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte

  Mr. R. Youard

  Slaughter & May

  Mr. M. McIver

  Bird Semple & Crawford Herron

  Mr. D. MacLeod FCA

  Ernst & Whinney

  Mr. H. Aldous FCA

  Robson Rhodes

  Mr. J. Eden

  Bevan Ashford

  Mr. C. Chudley FCA

  Bromhead & Co.

  Mr. L. Ziman

  Nabarro Nathanson

  Mr. W. Hoffman FCA

  Baker Tilly

  Mr. B. Worth FCA

  Clark Whitehill

  Mr. G. Lane FCA

  Chantrey Vellacott

  Mr. G. Staple

  Clifford Chance

  Mr. T. Tress FCA

  Hays Allen

  Mr. R. Lewis FCA

  Kidsons Impey

  Mr. D. Spence CA

  Grant Thornton

  Mr. D. Anton FCA

  Deloitte Haskins & Sells

  Mr. M. Boohan FCA

  Grant Thornton

  387

  Inspector

  Firm

  Mr. J. Venning FCA

  Robson Rhodes

  Mr. P. Powell FCA

  Moore Stephens

  Mr. R. Turner FCA

  Neville Russell

  Mr. J. Scott FCA

  BDO Binder Hamlyn

  Mr. J. White FCA

  KPMG Peat Marwick

  Mr. A. Gilroy FCA

  BDO Binder Hamlyn

  Mr. J. Heywood FCA

  Price Waterhouse

  Mr. B. Burn FCA

  BDO Binder Hamlyn

  Table B

  Inspectors' report

  Firm

  Burnholme & Forder Ltd.

  Josolyne Layton-Bennett & Co.

  Brayhead Ltd.

  Orbit Holdings Ltd.

  CT Moore & Co.

  Peat Marwich Mitchell & Co.

  Ashbourne Investments Ltd.

  Wright Stevens & Lloyd

  Data Investments Limited

  Robson Rhodes

  Cornhill Consolidated Group Limited

  Singleton, Fabian & Derbyshire

  Kina Holdings Limited

  Harold Everett Wand & Co.

  Dixon Wilson Tubbs & Gillett

  Collins & Co.

  Scotia Investments Limited

  Lubbock Fine

  Richards Butler

  Gilgate Holdings Limited and others

  Thornton Baker & Co.

  Gerald Edelman & Co.

  Norwest Holst Limited

  Price Waterhouse

  Ramor Investments Limited

  Price Waterhouse

  Greenbank Trust Limited

  Pannell Kerr Forster

  House of Fraser Holdings Plc

  Herbert Smith

  Milbury Plc

  Arthur Young

  Hancock & Willis

  Minet Holdings Plc

  Black Geoghegan & Till

  WMD Underwriting Agencies Ltd.

  Josolyne Layton-Bennett

  Arthur Young

  Alexander Howden Group Plc

  Josolyne Layton-Bennett

  Arthur Young

  de Paula Turner Lake

  Peat Marwick Mitchell

  Aldermanbury Trust Plc

  Levy Gee

  Spicer & Pegler

  Sound Diffusion Plc

  Arthur Young

  Rotaprint Plc

  Arthur Young

  Ernst & Whinney

  The Milford Docks Company

  Coopers & Lybrand

  Lovegrove & Durant

  Edencorp Leisure Plc

  Ernst & Young

  Norton Group Plc

  Hacker Young

  Taylor Joynson Garrett

  Astra Holdings Plc

  Stoy Hayward

  Baileys Shaw & Gillett

  London United Investments Plc

  KPMG Peat Marwick

  CR Driver & Co. Ltd.

  The Bestwood Plc

  BDO Binder Hamlyn

  Atlanta Fund Managers Limited

  Scott Inquiry
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to receive the report of the Scott inquiry.

  Mr. Heseltine
  The timing of the report is a matter for Lord Justice Scott.

  Newspapers
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations have taken place with his Department and representatives from newspaper wholesalers and retailers as part of the follow-up action resulting from the Monopolies and Mergers Commission report on the supplies of national newpapers in England and Wales.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  A wide range of representations were submitted during the period for written representations on my Department's proposals following this report. I and my officials have subsequently held discussions with representative parties from the industry, including publishers, wholesalers and both existing and aspiring retailers, to discuss the terms of a statutory order and the possible alternative of an industry code of practice. I shall announce my decision as soon as possible.

  Fire Safety Regulations
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he will next meet representatives of the fire brigades and fire brigades unions to discuss changes in regulating fire safety and fire regulations enforcement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  In announcing publication of the report of the review of fire safety legislation and enforcement on 22 June,Official Report, column 228–29, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade made it clear that the Government were committed to full consultation with all interested parties. This consultation process is now underway with a closing date of 31 October. I understand that the Home Office is already making arrangements for discussions with the relevant fire service organisations.

  Deregulation Unit
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the budget of the deregulation unit for the years 1992–93 and 1993–94.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The budget for the deregulation unit in 1992–93 was £790,000 and for 1993–94 it was £1,239,000.

  The Bill team which was set up in 1993 to deal with the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill had a budget in 1993–94 of £252,000.

  Mr. Burden
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff were employed in the deregulation unit in the years 1992–93 and 1993–94.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The number of staff employed in the deregulation unit constituted the equivalent of 23·6 man years in 1992–93 and 33·8 man years in 1993–94.

  The Bill team which was set up in 1993 to deal with the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill employed 13 people in 1993–94.

  Mr. Burden
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many staff hours in his Department have been devoted to work on deregulation unit values in the year 1993–94.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The deregulation unit devoted approximately 52,000 hours to deregulation work in 1993–94. In addition, the Deregulation and Contracting
  389
  Out Bill team which was set up during 1993 devoted approximately 12,000 hours to deregulation work in 1993–94. Officials in other parts of the Department also work on deregulatory issues from time to time, but it is not possible to ascertain how many hours they spent on this work in 1993–94.

  Coal Industry
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has for the transposition into United Kingdom law of the provisions of European Union legislation suspending until 23 July 2002 the ban on state aid to the coal industry; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  Commission decision 3632/93/ECSC of 28 December 1993 establishing rules for state aid to the coal industry is directly applicable in the United Kingdom, as in all member states. Consequently no United Kingdom legislation is needed to give effect to this particular European legislation.

  Association of International Accountants
  Mr. Mark Robinson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the application submitted to him under the Companies Act 1989 by the Association of International Accountants.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I have decided to recognise the accountancy qualification offered by the Association of International Accountants as a recognised professional qualification for company auditors under section 32 of and schedule 12 to the Companies Act 1989. I have placed in the Libraries of the House copies of the AIA's rules and guidance, on the basis of which I have taken this decision.

  Frogs' Legs
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will request the European Commission to call for a European Union ban on the import of frogs' legs from Bangladesh.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 8 July 1994]: Trade in two species of frog, including their legs and other parts, from Bangladesh is already strictly controlled under the convention on international trade in endangered species. I have no plans to seek any further restrictions.

  MINIS Return
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he plans to publish his Department's annual MINIS—management information system—return.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 8 July 1994]: The MINIS 94 returns for the Department were published today. A set has been placed in the Library of the House. The MINIS returns for the DTI's executive agencies will be published later in July together with a departmental MINIS overview.

  Beer Orders
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what the mechanism is for monitoring the beer orders; how he obtains the necessary information in order to carry out such monitoring; and when he intends to review their operation.
  390
  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: As the hon. Member is aware, monitoring compliance with the Beer Orders is the responsibility of the Director General of Fair Trading. The five major brewers who are subject to the Supply of Beer (Loan Ties, Licensed Premises and Wholesale Prices) Order 1989 and the Supply of Beer (Tied Estate) Order 1989—the "Beer Orders"—gave undertakings to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to supply detailed information each year about the composition of their estates in order to allow the DGFT to determine whether the number of tied premises is within the maximum permitted by the Tied Estate Order. The details provided are independently audited.

  In the case of the other provisions of the Beer Orders, including the guest beer requirement, the Office of Fair Trading is reliant on complaints to identify possible breaches by the brewers. All complaints are carefully examined.

  There are no plans at present to ask the DGFT to conduct a special review of the operation of the orders beyond his normal monitoring role.

  Child Care
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what provision his Department makes for child care facilities for staff; what is the extent of subsidy to nursery places and holiday play schemes; if his Department(a) subscribes to Childcare Solutions and (b) makes child care vouchers available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Eggar
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: My Department aims to promote a culture where managers are understanding of the need for staff to balance work and child care responsibilities and is committed to exploring child care schemes which give value for money.

  The DTI provides school holiday play scheme places, and certain of its executive agencies provide nursery places, at subsidies of between 40 and 50 per cent. The DTI neither subscribes to Childcare Solutions nor provides its staff with child care vouchers.

  Inntrepreneur Ltd.
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent meetings he has held with European Commissioner Van Miert; at which of those meetings the matter of Inntrepreneur Estates Ltd's application for exemption under article 85 of the treaty of Rome was raised; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade have held any recent meetings with Commissioner van Miert. However, when my officials met officials from directorate general IV on 4 May to discuss a number of issues relating to competition in the brewing industry they were told that a decision might be expected before the summer on IEL's application for an exemption under article 85 for its standard tenancy agreement.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent representations he has recently received in respect of(a) the minimum purchasing obligation and (b) the rents imposed on public house tenants by Inntrepreneur Estates Ltd; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: Since answering a similar oral question from the hon.

  391
  Member on 11 May 1994, Official Report, columns 315–16, my officials and I have received four representations from or on behalf of IEL lessees in respect of rents, and held one meeting with the Courage Leaseholders Association, at which the question of rents was also raised. I have received no recent representations in respect of minimum purchasing obligations imposed under IEL leases.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent discussions he has had with Grand Metropolitan Estates Ltd. in respect of Inntrepreneur lessees; what advice he has given the company about dealing with IEL tenants; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade have had any recent discussions with Grand Metropolitan Estates in respect of IEL lessees.

  Chemical Weapons Convention
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what preparations have been conducted within Government Departments in readiness for the entry into force of the chemical weapons convention.

  Mr. Needham
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has responsibility for implementation in the United Kingdom of the chemical weapons convention, and this Department would host the national authority provided for under the convention. The DTI liaises closely, both directly and through the appropriate interdepartmental committees, with those other Government Departments which may have an interest in the convention.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Hawkins
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has for reform of the legal aid system to ensure that its benefits are available only to British citizens.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Anyone may apply for legal aid to pursue a case in the English courts, regardless of nationality, provided that their case is within the scope of the scheme. There are no plans to restrict legal aid to British citizens.

  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what representations he has received from the West Yorkshire area concerning eligibility for legal aid; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Since January 1994, the Lord Chancellor's Department has received five representations concerning legal aid eligibility from the West Yorkshire area, two of which were from hon. Members and three from members of the public.

  Lockerbie Air Crash
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are his responsibilities in relation to the investigation of the destruction of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie.
  392
  Mr. John. M. Taylor
  None.

  Debt Recovery
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to protect the rights of wives(a) when a court orders the sale of the matrimonial home to pay off the husband's debts and (b) where the husband continues to incur debts against the wife's income.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  (a) Under current legislation, where a husband and wife are co-owners of the matrimonial home and the husband becomes bankrupt or a charging order is made against him, the court has a discretion whether or not to order sale of the home to meet the debts. The interests of the wife and the creditors will be considered by the court in reaching its decision. Unless the circumstances are exceptional the court will usually order a sale, though the wife will, of course, be entitled to her share of the proceeds of sale. I have no plans to introduce new legislation.

  (b) It is difficult to envisage circumstances where a husband would incur continuing debts against his wife's income without her consent; if the husband and wife have a joint bank or building society account, they the wife can end this arrangement to stop the husband using her income.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the procedures are for ensuring that when action is taken by the courts to recover debts all the parties involved are made aware of impending action; and what remedy is available to individuals when the court fails to notify them.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  It is the responsibility of the plaintiff in a court action to provide the information necessary to ensure that proceedings are taken against the correct person and that the proceedings are served on all interested parties. If a party to an action is not notified, they may apply for the judgment or order to be set aside so that the papers can be re-served. Anyone who is not named in proceedings but who has an interest may apply to be joined as a party.

  Sun Alliance v. Shah-Shah Court
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will investigate the processing by Coventry county court of the case Sun Alliance v. Shah-Shah Court, case number 9003741.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  I have already put in hand an investigation into the way in which the administrative arrangements connected to this case were handled in Coventry county court and will set out my findings in a letter to the hon. Member.

  Recorders
  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) in how many instances the formalities for the review of the contracts of recorders under the Courts Act 1971 failed to be completed before the due date over the last three appointment periods;

  (2) how many recorders were required to stop sitting due to administrative errors or delay in the formalities of their appointment over the last three appointment periods;
  393
  (3) what steps have been taken (a) to remedy the consequences of any errors of procedural failures in respect of the reappointment of recorders under the Courts Act 1971 and (b) to prevent their recurrence;

  (4) how much has been paid to recorders by way of renumeration in respect of days during which the authorisation of their continuing appointment had not been obtained;

  (5) what has been the cost of any failures and errors in the administrative procedures for the reappointment of recorders under the Courts Act 1971.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Extensions of existing recorder appointments under the Courts Act 1971 are generally made for terms of three years, with approximately one third of recorders' appointments accordingly falling to be re-considered each year. Of the appointments expiring at the end of 1991, 1992 and 1993—and excluding appointments which it had been decided not to extend—there were seven instances in which the formal extension was not completed by 31 December of the relevant year. In the light of legal advice received earlier this year to the effect that the extensions purportedly made after the relevant 31 December were ineffective, four recorders whose appointments had been purportedly extended, and two recorders in respect of whose extensions steps had not been completed, were warned not to sit until they could be formally reappointed. One purported extension was for a period of 12 months, which has now elapsed. In two other cases recorders were also warned not to sit because, in the light of the legal advice, the extension of their appointment was now seen to be ineffective in purportedly extending their appointments to the 31 December following their 72nd birthday, rather than to the annniversary of their initial appointment. The recorders so advised have now been formally reappointed and so informed, except in one case where in the interim the individual ceased on age grounds to be eligible for a further appointment.

  Standing instructions in the Department have been amended to make it clear that where a recorder's appointment cannot be extended before its expiry, further service as a recorder can only be effected by a formal reappointment. During the material time in the early part of 1994 only one of the recorders concerned sat, for a total of two days. On one day he dealt with two cases involving one defendant who pleaded guilty in both instances; on the other the matter was adjourned as the parties were not ready to proceed. The fee for recorder sittings at the time was £315 a day. The cost of the action taken as a result of the legal advice in relation to the procedures for the extension of recorder appointments forms part of the overall costs of the headquarters expenditure of the Lord Chancellor's Department and cannot readily be isolated.

  Civil Business (Fees)
  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his forecast of fee income for civil business for the current financial year; and how far this forecast differs from the amount needed to meet his spending plans.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  We presently forecast that, with imminent fee increases, we should this year receive £234 million income from civil business, £52 million less than the Department's published appropriations in aid figure.

  Courts (Wales)
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many clerks in magistrates courts there were in Wales in(a) 1974, (b)(c) at the latest available date; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  No reliable records of this information exist prior to 1990. In the magistrates courts in Wales, as at the end of December 1993 there were 21 justices' clerks and 127 court clerks, including trainees.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the cost of administering county courts and Crown courts in Wales in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The table sets out the approximate cost of administering county and Crown courts since 1990. The division between Crown and county courts cannot be exact due to shared costs. The figures are in respect of the Wales and Chester circuit which includes areas of Cheshire.

  £million

  Year

  Crown

  County

  Total

  1990–91

  6·225

  10·133

  16·358

  1991–92

  8·525

  12·158

  20·683

  1992–93

  10·321

  14·219

  24·540

  1993–94

  10·093

  15·160

  25·253

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many magistrates courts there were in Wales in(a) 1964, (b) 1974, (c) 1984 and (d) at the latest available date; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  This information is not collected centrally. The provision of magistrates courthouse accommodation in Wales is a local matter for the eight individual magistrates' courts committees in consultation with their respective county councils, the paying authorities.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what measures are currently under consideration to improve the administration of Crown and county courts in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  A number of national initiatives will help to improve the administration of county courts in Wales. These initiatives are concerned with streamlining procedures, and with the introduction of computer support for court functions. From 1995 it is planned that the LOCCS—local office county courts system—computer system will provide support across the range of county court functions which must be done locally. Other, centralised systems, such as the county court bulk centre, will improve the service offered in all county courts by removing routine and repetitive work which need not be handled locally and which can be handled more efficiently and effectively in a central, computer-supported location. A business management system for measuring work in the county court was implemented in September 1993. A similar system will be introduced into the Crown court in 1997. The Wales and Chester circuit administrator has published a policy document with a view to extending the use of the Welsh language in court proceedings in the Principality.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Family Income
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will update to the latest year for which the figures are available his reply to the right hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham, Sir Ian Gilmour, of 29 November 1991,Official Report, columns 666–70, 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 and two-parent families and between one-earner and two-earner families showing (a) gross weekly incomes

  Table 1

  Number of working families with children at various income levels

  Great Britain

  1991–92

  Thousands

  Number of dependent children

  Total

  One-parent family

  Two-parent family

  One-wage family

  Two-wage family

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four or more

  Gross weekly income excluding state benefits

  Under £80

  140

  10

  130

  120

  20

  50

  70

  20

  0

  £80 to £99

  50

  10

  40

  50

  1—

  30

  20

  10

  1—

  £100 to £119

  60

  10

  50

  50

  1—

  40

  20

  1—

  0

  £120 to £139

  70

  20

  50

  50

  10

  40

  20

  10

  1—

  £140 to £159

  110

  20

  90

  100

  10

  40

  40

  20

  10

  £160 to £179

  130

  20

  100

  100

  30

  60

  50

  20

  10

  £180 to £199

  110

  20

  90

  80

  30

  60

  40

  10

  10

  £200 to £219

  170

  30

  140

  120

  50

  80

  60

  20

  10

  £220 to £239

  190

  20

  170

  120

  60

  70

  90

  10

  10

  £240 to £259

  180

  20

  160

  110

  70

  80

  80

  20

  1—

  £260 to £279

  230

  20

  210

  120

  100

  80

  110

  30

  10

  £280 to £299

  220

  20

  200

  100

  120

  100

  80

  30

  10

  £300 to £349

  510

  20

  480

  190

  320

  210

  220

  50

  20

  £350 to £399

  570

  20

  550

  180

  400

  220

  270

  60

  10

  £400 to £449

  460

  10

  440

  130

  330

  210

  190

  40

  10

  £450 to £499

  340

  1—

  340

  100

  250

  150

  140

  50

  10

  £500 and over

  1,450

  10

  1,430

  390

  1,060

  560

  650

  190

  50

  TOTAL

  4,980

  300

  4,680

  2,110

  2,870

  2,080

  2,140

  590

  170

  1Denotes less than 5 thousand.

  Notes:

  1. The figures are estimates derived from the 1991 and 1992 Family Expenditure Surveys combined. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 thousand 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 1991 or 1992, 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

  1991–92

  Thousands

  Gross weekly income including state benefits

  Under £50

  £50 to £69

  £70 to £89

  £90 to £109

  £110 to £129

  £130 to £149

  £150 to £169

  £170 to £189

  £190 to £209

  £210 to £229

  £230 to £249

  £250 and over

  Total

  TOTAL

  40

  60

  140

  300

  330

  260

  220

  150

  90

  70

  40

  180

  1,880

  One-parent family

  10

  50

  100

  240

  210

  130

  110

  50

  30

  30

  20

  40

  1,020

  Two-parent family

  30

  20

  30

  60

  110

  120

  100

  100

  50

  40

  20

  150

  860

  Number of dependent children

  One

  30

  50

  110

  200

  160

  70

  60

  40

  20

  20

  10

  80

  850

  Two

  10

  10

  20

  80

  130

  120

  60

  50

  30

  30

  10

  70

  610

  Three

  1—

  1—

  10

  10

  40

  70

  60

  30

  10

  20

  1—

  30

  270

  Four or more

  1—

  1—

  1—

  10

  1—

  10

  30

  30

  20

  10

  10

  10

  140

  396
  excluding state benefits for the working families, with gross weekly income ranges as before to £280 to £299, but finishing with bands of £300 to £350, £350 to £400 and £400 and over and (b) the benefits and benefit incomes on which the out-of-work families depended.

  Mr. Burt
  The information requested 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 1991 and 1992 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.
  397

  Gross weekly income including state benefits

  Under £50

  £50 to £69

  £70 to £89

  £90 to £109

  £110 to £129

  £130 to £149

  £150 to £169

  £170 to £189

  £190 to £209

  £210 to £229

  £230 to £249

  £250 and over

  Total

  Contributory benefits being received

  None2

  40

  20

  30

  30

  20

  20

  20

  20

  20

  20

  20

  110

  370

  None3

  1—

  40

  100

  240

  270

  200

  150

  80

  40

  40

  20

  30

  1,210

  Unemployment benefit2

  0

  1—

  10

  10

  10

  1—

  10

  10

  1—

  1—

  1—

  10

  60

  Unemployment benefit3

  0

  0

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  10

  1—

  0

  1—

  0

  1—

  30

  SB/SSP2

  0

  1—

  0

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  0

  1—

  10

  30

  SB/SSP3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1—

  1—

  1—

  1—

  10

  0

  0

  0

  20

  Invalidity benefit2

  0

  0

  1—

  10

  10

  20

  10

  20

  10

  0

  1—

  10

  100

  Invalidity benefit3

  0

  0

  0

  1—

  0

  0

  1—

  1—

  1—

  10

  1—

  1—

  20

  Other2

  0

  1—

  0

  0

  1—

  0

  10

  1—

  0

  1—

  1—

  10

  30

  Other3

  0

  0

  1—

  1—

  10

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1—

  0

  0

  10

  1Denotes less than 5,000.

  2Denotes without income support.

  3Denotes with income support.

  Notes:

  1. The figures are estimates derived from the 1991 and 1992 Family Expenditure Surveys combined. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 thousand 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 1991 or 1992 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.

  7. SB is sickness benefit and SSP is statutory sick pay.

  Child Support
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of those fathers being asked for maintenance for their own children are also caring for stepchildren for whom no maintenance is being received.

  Mr. Burt
  I understand from Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive of the Child Support Agency, that this information is not available.

  Lesbian Parents
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy, where lesbian couples are awarded parental rights over a child, that they do not receive more benefits than a heterosexual couple; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The law contains no recognition of the possibility of a contract of marriage between people of the same sex. Social security legislation reflects this.

  In the income-related benefits only an unmarried man and woman living together as husband and wife can be treated in the same way as a married couple—that is, as a single unit.

  In the contributory benefits, adult dependency increases are paid in prescribed circumstances, which can include the situation where an adult dependant is caring for a child for whom the claimant is entitled, or treated as entitled, to child benefit. In this situation no reference is made to the sex of the claimant or the adult dependant.

  Market Testing
  Mr. Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what are the plans for market testing of(a) social security commissioners, (b) social security appeal tribunals, (c) medical appeal tribunals and (d) disability appeal tribunals.

  Mr. Hague
  None.

  Habitual Residence Test
  Mr. Streeter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security further to his oral answer of 4 July,Official Report, column 4, when the regulations to curb benefit tourism will be laid.

  Mr. Lilley
  I have laid regulations today to prevent benefit tourism. From 1 August people claiming income support, housing benefit or council tax benefit will have to be habitually resident of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, the Republic of Ireland or the Isle of Man. European Economic Area nationals who have acquired worker's rights under EC directives by working in the United Kingdom on a regular basis, asylum seekers; refugees and those given exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom will be unaffected.

  War Pensions
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish a list of all those district councils who do not disregard the first £20 of war widows' and war disabled pensions in calculating council tax and housing benefit; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hague
  There is a £10 per week statutory disregard of war widows' pensions and war disablement pensions in all of the income-related benefits. In addition, local authorities have the discretion to disregard up to the full amount of these pensions when calculating entitlement to housing benefit and council tax benefit. We have no plans to change these arrangements.

  As the hon. Member originally asked this question of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, I have limited the information in the table to Welsh district councils. Housing benefit information has been compiled from the latest available information from local authorities for the financial year 1990–91. No details are available for council tax benefit.
  District councils in Wales who do not disregard a further £10 of war widows' pensions1 and war disablement pensions2, in addition to the £10 statutory disregard, when entitlement to housing benefit is calculated 399

  Alyn and Deeside

  Brecknock

  Carmarthen

  Cynon Valley

  Dinefwr

  Lllw Valley

  Merthyr Tydfil

  Monmouth2

  Newport1

  Port Talbot

  Rhymney Valley

  South Pembrokeshire3

  Taff-Ely

  Torfaen1

  Wrexham Maelor

  Ynys Mon

  1Applies to war widows' pensions only.

  2Applies to war disablement pensions only.

  3Denotes a district council which disregards 50 per cent. of a war widow's or war disablement pension, including he £10 statutory disregard.

  Civil Service
  Mr. Marlow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will order an inquiry into the work of members of his Department(a) in drafting the detailed regulations relating to child support, (b) setting up and establishing the Child Support Agency and (c) managing and controlling the Child Support Agency; if he will discipline those whose performance has been in error or inadequate; and if he will give his assessment of the effect of the setting up of the Child Support Agency on public perception of the civil service.

  Mr. Burt
  No. Ministers are responsible for decisions on policy embodied in legislation, which it is for Parliament to approve, amend or reject. They are also accountable to Parliament for the conduct of the operations of their Department, including its agencies. Civil servants are responsible for advising Ministers on policy and for ensuring that their decisions are implemented effectively and efficiently.

  We keep the policies, management and performance of the Department under regular review and, like other

  Income Support Recipients with Deductions from Benefit

  Region

  Total Claimants

  (a) Community Charge Arrears

  (b) Fuel Bills

  (c) Social Fund Repayments

  Cases

  Per cent. of Region

  Cases

  Per cent. of Region

  Cases

  Per cent. of Region

  August 1993

  North Eastern

  839,000

  97,000

  11·6

  58,000

  7·0

  110,000

  13·2

  London North

  1,018,000

  66,000

  6·5

  36,000

  3·6

  85,000

  8·4

  South Western

  411,000

  38,000

  9·2

  10,000

  2·4

  37,000

  9·1

  Wales

  312,000

  27,000

  8·8

  15,000

  4·9

  36,000

  11·4

  Midlands

  912,000

  83,000

  9·1

  35,000

  3·8

  96,000

  10·5

  North Western

  812,000

  107,000

  13·1

  43,000

  5·3

  108,000

  13·4

  Scotland

  553,000

  44,000

  7·9

  41,000

  7·3

  96,000

  17·4

  London South

  915,000

  45,000

  5·0

  29,000

  3·2

  74,000

  8·1

  Great Britain

  5,771,000

  507,000

  8·8

  268,000

  4·6

  643,000

  11·1

  May 1992

  North Eastern

  753,000

  50,000

  6·7

  57,000

  7·6

  103,000

  13·7

  London North

  891,000

  25,000

  2·8

  31,000

  3·5

  73,000

  8·2

  South Western

  357,000

  16,000

  4·4

  10,000

  2·7

  32,000

  9·0

  Wales

  287,000

  17,000

  5·9

  17,000

  5·9

  34,000

  11·9

  Midlands

  800,000

  36,000

  4·5

  23,000

  2·9

  90,000

  11·2

  North Western

  731,000

  44,000

  6·0

  39,000

  5·3

  100,000

  13·7

  Scotland

  519,000

  42,000

  8·0

  42,000

  8·1

  94,000

  18·1

  London South

  749,000

  14,000

  1·8

  24,000

  3·3

  59,000

  7·9

  Great Britain

  5,088,000

  243,000

  4·8

  243,000

  4·8

  586,000

  11·5

  400
  Government bodies, it is also open to scrutiny by the National Audit Office and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

  Managers, including agency chief executives, have the duty of ensuring that any necessary action, including where appropriate disciplinary action, is taken to correct any errors or inadequacies.

  Running Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will provide a table showing the running costs of his Department in each region for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. Hague
  The information is not available as running costs are not recorded on a regional basis.

  Income Support
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to amend the regulations requiring carers premium allowances and invalid care allowance to be taken into account when considering applications for income support.

  Mr. Burt
  Invalid care allowance, like income support, is an income maintenance benefit. It is therefore taken into account when calculating entitlement to income support. The carer premium is an additional amount included in income support for people entitled to invalid care allowance, and increases the amount of benefit payable. We have no plans to change the current rules.

  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of income support in each region and as a percentage of the total had deductions made from their benefit for(a) poll tax arrears, (b) fuel bills and (c) social fund loan repayments in each year since 1990.

  Mr. Burt
  The information is in the table. Information is not available for the May 1993 "Annual Statistical Enquiry".
  Source:Income Support Statistics Annual Enquiries, May 1990–1992.Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiry, August 1993.401

  Region

  Total Claimants

  (a) Community Charge Arrears

  (b) Fuel Bills

  (c) Social Fund Repayments

  Cases

  Per cent. of Region

  Cases

  Per cent. of Region

  Cases

  Per cent. of Region

  May 1991

  North Eastern

  688,000

  7,000

  0·9

  47,000

  6·9

  78,000

  11·3

  London North

  735,000

  2,000

  0·2

  21,000

  2·8

  44,000

  6·0

  South Western

  310,000

  1,000

  0·2

  7,000

  2·3

  20,000

  6·4

  Wales

  257,000

  3,000

  1·1

  13,000

  5·0

  26,000

  10·2

  Midlands

  699,000

  2,000

  0·2

  17,000

  2·4

  70,000

  10·1

  North Western

  669,000

  6,000

  1·0

  33,000

  4·9

  79,000

  11·8

  Scotland

  487,000

  13,000

  2·7

  43,000

  8·8

  84,000

  17x00B7;2

  London South

  641,000

  1,000

  0·1

  20,000

  3·1

  42,000

  6·6

  Great Britain

  4,487,000

  34,000

  0·8

  200,000

  4·5

  443,000

  9·9

  May 1990

  North Eastern

  674,000

  —

  —

  41,000

  6·1

  72,000

  10·8

  London North

  638,000

  —

  —

  22,000

  3·4

  40,000

  6·3

  South Western

  274,000

  —

  —

  7,000

  2·7

  17,000

  6·1

  Wales

  248,000

  —

  —

  10,000

  4·1

  24,000

  9·6

  Midlands

  665,000

  —

  —

  13,000

  2·0

  54,000

  8·1

  North Western

  643,000

  —

  —

  25,000

  3·9

  65,000

  10·1

  Scotland

  481,000

  —

  —

  47,000

  9·8

  75,000

  15·7

  London South

  558,000

  —

  —

  17,000

  3·0

  36,000

  6·5

  Great Britain

  4,180,000

  —

  —

  183,000

  4·4

  383,000

  9·2

  Notes:

  1. The figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. Percentages are correct to one decimal place.

  2. The regions given are the social security administrative regions, as used by the Department prior to 1988.

  3. Information on deductions to cover direct payment of community charge arrears was not collected in 1990. (The community charge was introduced in April 1989 in Scotland and April 1990 in the rest of Great Britain).

  4. Deductions to cover direct payment of fuel bills include current charges and arrears for gas and electricity. An Income Support recipient may have deductions for more than one of these. Such cases are only counted once in the tables.

  Rugby Injuries (Benefits)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the current annual expenditure on paying sickness, invalidity or other benefits to persons injured playing rugby union football and their dependents.

  Mr. Scott
  The information is not available.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Kenya
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid the European Union has cancelled to Kenya; and for what reason.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  No EC aid under the Lomé convention has been cancelled recently. However, differences between the Government of Kenya and the European Commission on sectoral policy issues have resulted in proposals to reallocate 25 MECU of Lomé III funds and 65 MECU of Lomé IV funds—a total equivalent to approximately £70·3 million—from the cereals sector reform programme to other projects. This reallocation and the new projects are expected to be agreed formally later this year as part of a revised national indicative programme.
  402
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the reasons for cancelling a grant for forestry conservation to Kenya in February.

  Mr. Lennox Boyd
  We were unable to reach agreement with the Government of Kenya on a number of issues, including financial sustainability and management mechanisms in the pilot forests and consultation procedures over excisions, which would have enabled us to proceed with a planned further phase of the Kenya indigenous forestry conservation project. The project has now formally closed. We remain ready to discuss further the possibility of resuming our involvement provided a mutually acceptable basis can be found.

  Tanzania
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement detailing the value of all types of aid and support for economic and social development in Tanzania in each of the last five years, providing information separately for the different aid and support programmes.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Our support for economic and social development in Tanzania has been, and remains, substantial. The main elements comprise programme aid, in support of economic reform, and project assistance, consisting of both technical cooperation and financial inputs, focusing particularly on natural resources, health and population, and transport and infrastructure. We have also provided considerable assistance through nongovernmental organisations. The value of our aid has been as follows:
  403

  United Kingdom Financial Year £'000

  PROJECT Financial Aid

  AID Technical Cooperation

  Programme Aid

  Disaster Relief

  Debt Relief

  Other

  Total

  1988–89

  4,154

  7,102

  19,559

  —

  13

  1,061

  31,888

  1989–90

  3,269

  9,445

  4,840

  —

  8

  937

  18,500

  1990–91

  719

  9,425

  20,851

  45

  3

  881

  31,925

  1991–92

  796

  12,754

  10,652

  16

  —

  849

  25,066

  1992–93

  3,728

  12,517

  6,497

  36

  —

  956

  23,734

  Aid Budget
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the United Kingdom's aid budget was(a) given as bilateral aid, (b) multilateral aid and (c) administered by the European Community in 1979, 1983, 1987, 1992 and currently.

  Mr. Hurd
  [pursuant to his reply, 27 June 1994, column 411]: The answer should read as follows: "In 1979–80, 72 per cent. was bilateral aid, 12 per cent. was chanelled through multilateral institutions other than the EC, and 16 per cent. was administered by the EC.

  In 1983–84 the figures were 55 per cent., 30 per cent., 15 per cent.; in 1987–88 the figures were 60 per cent., 24 per cent., 16 per cent.; and in 1992–93 the most recent year for which figures are available, the figures were 54 per cent., 25 per cent., and 21 per cent. respectively."

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Research
  Dr. Michael Clark
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the report of the multi-departmental scrutiny of public sector research establishments will be published; and what arrangements have been made for public consultation on the report's findings.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  I am pleased to announce that the report on the efficiency scrutiny of civil public sector research establishments is being published today. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The scrutiny was foreshadowed in the White Paper "Realising our potential: a strategy for science, engineering and technology". I announced its terms of reference on 2 February and the bodies to be covered on 3 March,Official Report, columns 809–11.

  As Minister for Science, I am determined to ensure that Government resources are spent to the maximum extent possible on science rather than on administrative overheads. The scrutiny team's report proposes a range of options. I and my colleagues in other Departments will be examining these proposals carefully before deciding on the Government's response.

  The Government wish to ensure that all interested parties have an opportunity to contribute to the decision-making process on the report. There will accordingly be a four-month public consultation period, beginning today and ending on 11 November, during which all individuals and organisations who wish to comment are invited to forward views to the Office of Science and Technology, head of trans-departmental science and technology group. The Government will take these views into account in reaching their decisions on the way forward.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what occasions in the last 10 years he or a Minister in his Department has given a direction to civil servants to award a contract against the advice of the civil service; what was the subject matter of the contract and its value; and when it was awarded.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  There have been no occasions in the last 10 years when Ministers in the Office of Public Service and Science or any of its predecessors have given any such directions.

  Management Training
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff in his Department have attended management training seminars run by Paget and Thompson in the last 12 months.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  According to available information, three members of Central Office of Information staff, and one from the Office of Public Service and Science, Chessington computer centre, attended management training seminars by Padgett Thompson during the period. None has attended seminars by Paget and Thompson.

  Market Testing
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in how many cases in each of the last two years where market testing of public services took place an in-house bid was prohibited; in how many cases it was allowed; in the latter case, how many times the in-house bid won; what percentage of the total for each year was represented by each of these categories; and what was the total value of the contracts in each category.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  Comprehensive information on the reasons for contract being let without an in-house bid is not available centrally. The rest of the information requested for the period from April 1992 to December 1993 can be found in table 2 on page 101 of the citizens charter second report which is in the Library.

  Comparable information for 1994 is not yet available.

  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the basis of his calculation that market testing of central Government public services has saved £135 million; if he will give a precise breakdown of each main component of this total; and what period is covered by these savings.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  £135 million is the total annual saving for the period from April 1992 to December 1993, calculated by taking into consideration all those costs which are directly attributable to individual tests. The calculation is set out in the table.
  405

  £ million

  Annual cost of activities before testing

  1,119·2

  Less

  Annual cost of activities after testing

  980·0

  Less

  Annualised redundancy costs

  2·0

  Other one-off costs attributable to tests, including consultancy support to in-house

  Less

  teams, annualised

  1·5

  Equals

  Annual savings attributable to tests

  1135·6

  1The figures do not sum exactly to the total because of rounding.

  Open Government
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he intends to introduce legislation to enable a statutory right of access to personal information as described in the White Paper on open government; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  Legislation will be introduced as soon as the parliamentary timetable permits.

  Disabled People
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what role will be played by his Department in the forthcoming consultation on disability; and what plans he has to publish a consultation paper on making public services accessible to disabled people.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  My right hon. Friend the Minister for Disabled People will be co-ordinating action on the forthcoming consultation on disability and will involve other Departments as necessary. The principles underlying the citizens charter apply to everyone, including people with disabilities. I am hoping shortly to publish jointly, with the Minister for State for Social Security, a checklist to help service providers and those responsible for drawing up and publishing charters or statements of charter standards to consider in more detail the standard of service they offer to people with disabilities.

EMPLOYMENT

  Work Permits
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many work permits have been issued to foreign nationals in each of the last three years.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The total number of work permits issued by the Department in each of the last three years is shown in the following table:

  Year

  Number of work permits issued

  1991

  37,989

  1992

  37,917

  1993

  37,761

  Training
  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of training providers funded by training and enterprise councils are specifically Asian, African or Caribbean organisations.
  406
  Miss Widdecombe
  The Department does not require training and enterprise councils to supply information about the ethnic background of their training providers.

  Mrs. Roche
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of directors of training and enterprise councils are of Asian, African or Caribbean origin.

  Miss Widdecombe
  I am unable to give the information the hon. Member is asking for as it is not held centrally.

  Academic Appointments
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by what authority non-EU citizens cannot take up British academic appointments when their qualifications and abilities are considered by the academic institutions to be superior.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Department grants work permits under the Immigration Act 1971 to enable United Kingdom employers, including academic institutions, where necessary, to recruit highly skilled personnel from outside the European Economic Area. It does so for overseas nationals who have unique qualifications or experience, or where there are no suitable qualified resident workers available.

  Running Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide a table showing the running costs of his Department in each region for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information in the form requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Equal Opportunities Commission
  Mr. Marlow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the ratio of male to female employees at the Equal Opportunities Commission.

  Miss Widdecombe
  From the latest figures available the ratio is one male employee to every four female employees.

  Unemployment
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the most recent figures for unemployment in the 12 European Union member states.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: Internationally comparable unemployment figures based on the internationally standardised ILO definition of unemployment are published by EUROSTAT in its monthly "Unemployment Bulletin", copies of which are available in the Library. These figures, which show that the United Kingdom ILO unemployment rate is below the EC average, are shown in the table.

  Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates in EC countries

  Percentage

  Latest month

  Belgium

  10·0

  April

  Denmark

  10·5

  April

  Germany1

  6·3

  April

  407

  Percentage

  Latest month

  Greece

  n/a

  —

  Spain

  23·1

  April

  France

  11·3

  April

  Ireland

  17·9

  April

  Italy

  11·5

  April

  Luxembourg

  3·3

  April

  Netherlands

  10·0

  March

  Protugal

  6·2

  April

  United Kingdom

  9·9

  April

  EC average

  11·0

  April

  1This figures only relates to the former West Germany. n/a Not available.

  Muscular Dystrophy
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measure his Department plans to ensure employment opportunities to young people suffering from muscular dystrophy.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  [holding answer 8 July 1994]: The Department has a wide range of initiatives and services which help enhance employment opportunities for people with disabilities, including those with muscular dystrophy. To improve the situation further, the Government announced on 6 May that they will be consulting on proposals to prevent unjustifiable discrimination against disabled people in employment, within the next six months.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Sasea
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what approaches have been made to him from Europe in relation to the affairs of the Swiss company Sasea and related companies; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I have been asked to reply.

  I understand that two Sasea companies are subject to insolvency proceedings in this country. These are Sasea Finance Ltd., which went into voluntary liquidation on 18 November 1992, and Sasea Intertrade Company Ltd., which went into voluntary liquidation on 16 June 1994. I am not aware that any approaches have been made to Her Majesty's Government regarding the affairs of these or any other Sasea group companies.

  Gender Identity Disorder
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he has as to the validity of chromosomal evidence as a means of determining a person's sex.
  408
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  A reliable diagnostic sex text that examines a segment of chromosomal DNA has been developed by the forensic science service, an agency of the Home Office. This should be available for use in forensic science casework in due course.

  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions he has made within his Department to ensure that persons suffering from gender identity disorder are described in this way.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  None.

  Electoral Law (Disabled People)
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish a response to the proposals put forward by his departmental working parties on electoral law and processes affecting disabled people.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I refer my hon. Friend to a question from the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche) on 8 July at column 331.

  Immigration Rules
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration he has given to treating the application of a foreign national in a same-sex relationship with a person settled in the United Kingdom or a United Kingdom citizen on an equal basis with that of a foreign national in a common law heterosexual relationship with a person settled in the United Kingdom with no intent to marry or to have children; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  There is nothing to add to what I said during the debate on the Adjournment on 4 May at columns 820–26.

  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what external legal advice he has sought on the conformity of all immigration rules, guidelines and concessions with English law; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  None.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from Sri Lanka have applied for asylum in each of the past five years; and how their applications have been dealt with.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Information covering the years 1989–1993, for applications for asylum from Sri Lankan nationals and on decisions made is given in the table.
  409

  Decisions1 and applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom from Sri Lankan nationals, excluding dependants, by type, 1989 to 1993

  Number of principal applicants

  Decisions2

  Refusals

  Year

  Total applications received

  Total decisions

  Recognised as refugee and granted asylum

  Not recognized as refugee but granted exceptional leave3

  Total refused

  Refused asylum and exceptional leave after full consideration

  Refused on safe third country grounds4

  Refused under para. 180F of Immigration Rules5

  19896

  1,790

  880

  10

  840

  30

  30

  —

  —

  19906

  3,330

  475

  15

  455

  5

  5

  —

  —

  19916

  3,765

  765

  20

  730

  20

  15

  5

  —

  199267

  2,085

  4,520

  40

  4,265

  215

  10

  50

  150

  199367

  1,965

  2,690

  10

  2,420

  260

  95

  120

  45

  1Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period.

  2 Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.

  3Where it would have been unreasonable or impracticable to seek to enforce return to country of origin. Usually granted for a year in the first instance, subject then to further review.

  4Figures from 1 January 1991 only. Prior to this, these refusals are included in the column "Refused asylum and exceptional leave after full consideration".

  5Paragraph 101 prior to 26 July 1993. For failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim within a reasonable period, including failure to respond to invitation to interview to establish identity.

  Figures from 1 December 1991 only. Prior to this, these refusals are included in the column "Refused asylum and exceptional leave after full consideration".

  6Figures rounded to the nearest five.

  7Provisonal figures.

  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the average length of time has been between the refusal of an application for asylum on the basis that there is a safe third country to which the applicant may be sent and the removal of the applicant from the United Kingdom;

  (2) what has been the average length of time for the consideration of an asylum application which has been refused on the basis that the applicant travelled through a safe third country where the application could have been made since the coming into force of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993;

  (3) what have been the average lengths of time for a substantive consideration of an asylum application in respect of all decisions reached after the coming into force of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  The estimated average length of time between the receipt of an asylum application and the decision, for cases decided on applications for asylum received since the introduction of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993–26 July 1993 to 30 June 1994—was 3·6 months. Of this, the estimated average length of time for refusals on safe third country grounds was nearly half a month. The figure of 3·6 months reflects the priority that has been given to cases received after the implementation of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 on 26 July 1993, with the aim of resolving the majority of cases within three months.

  Information on the average length of time between the refusal of an application on safe third country grounds and the applicants' subsequent removal would be available only at disproportionate costs.

  Naturalisation
  Mr. Keith Hill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 28 June,Official Report, column 455, how long on average it takes to process applications for naturalisation in cases where the
  410
  applicant has not been free of immigration conditions for 12 months and there are compelling reasons of a business or compassionate nature.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  This information is not recorded.

  Refugees
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the recent Home Office report on refugees; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for his decision.

  Mr. Howard
  The report is currently being revised and will be published in due course.

  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the newsletter published in April 1993 which gave an outline of the refugee study being undertaken by the Home Office research unit in collaboration with Salford university.

  Mr. Howard
  I am placing a copy of this newsletter in the Library.

  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the outcome of his inquiries, in relation to the methodology of the Home Office research unit's refugee study, undertaken in collaboration with Salford university, as to how the interpreters were selected; what training they received; and what were their qualifications for the job.

  Mr. Howard
  Concerns about the methodology of this study, including the selection, training and qualifications of interpreters, are currently being reviewed with the authors. No conclusions have yet been reached.

  Police Officer (Moscow)
  Mr. George
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to appoint a senior police officer to be posted permanently in Moscow.
  411
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  There are no immediate plans for a permanent post, but there are good contacts between Russian and United Kingdom police forces.

  Murder Sentences
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Lord Chief Justice concerning sentences for murder.

  Mr. Maclean
  My right hon. and learned Friend sees the Lord Chief Justice from time to time to discuss matters of common interest. These include the sentence for the crime of murder.

  Coroners Courts
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to assess the competency of coroners courts.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Coroners are independent judicial officers who carry out their duties in accordance with statutory rules and procedures. The principal relevant legislation is the Coroners Act 1988 and the Coroners Rules 1984. Coroners' decisions are subject to judicial review. Additionally, under section 3(4) of the 1988 Act, the Lord Chancellor may, if he thinks fit, remove any coroner from office for inability or misbehaviour in the discharge of his duty.

  Fire Precautions
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to alter the requirements for elderly persons homes;

  (2) what plans he has for fire brigades' statutory powers for inspection of hotels and business premises; and if fire brigades will continue to impose safety measures.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 27 June to the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing) at column 424.

  Fire Deaths
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the death rates per million from fire(a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in each other European Union country.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  There were 14 fire deaths per million population in the United Kingdom in 1992, the latest year for which figures are available. Data are not available for other EU countries.

  Fire Authorities
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) whole-time firefighters, (b) retained firefighters, (c) fire stations and (d) fire engines were available in each English fire authority area in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Information on number of firefighters in each fire authority is published annually in the reports of Her Majesty's chief inspector of fire services for England and Wales—the latest report, for 1992, Cm 2275, contains on page 14 a table giving establishments 412
  and strengths as at 1.1.1993. The Home Department has not collated figures for fire stations or fire appliances, but information has been published annually on these on a fiscal year basis by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. The figures for 1979–80 to 1989–90 are published in the annual series "Fire Service Statistics, Actuals" and the figures for 1990–91 to 1993–94 are published in "Fire Service Statistics, 1992" and "Fire Service Statistics, 1993".

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will urgently review funding arrangements for non-fire and special services provided by fire authorities.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  No.

  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis fire authorities can refuse to assist persons trapped in a car.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  In practice fire brigades attend road accidents where there is a risk of loss of life or injury and would always assist persons trapped in a car.

  Running Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a table showing the running costs of his Department in each region for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. Howard
  Information by region is not available. Details of running costs for each year from 1987–88 to 1993–94 are published in Home Office annual reports. Annex E of the report for 1994, Cm 2508, gives information for 1988–89 onwards. The figures for 1987–88 are to be found in table 2.iii of the report for 1993, Cm 2208.

  Blakenhurst Prison
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many locks and keys had to be replaced at Blakenhurst prison following the publication of a photograph of a bunch of prison keys in The Birmingham Post;

  (2) what was the cost of replacing the locks and keys at Blakenhurst prison following the publication of a photograph of a bunch of prison keys in The Birmingham Post.

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

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 11 July 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about replacing the keys and locks at Blakenhurst prison.
  84 Class 1 locks were replaced together with keys and nib nuts as a result of the photograph in The Birmingham Post. 570 Class 3 A levers were relevered across the prison requiring 500 new keys.
  There was no cost to the Prison Service as the total cost of this replacement was met by United Kingdom Detention Services Limited.
  413
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions United Kingdom Detention Services Ltd. has notified his Department of behaviour by a member of staff at Blakenhurst prison which casts doubt on their fitness to perform the functions of a prison custody officer; what were the circumstances; and what action was taken in each case.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  [holding answer 4 July 1994]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 11 July 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about how many occasions United Kingdom Detention Services Limited has notified his Department of behaviour by a member of staff at Blakenhurst prison which casts doubt on their fitness to perform the functions of a Prisoner Custody Officer (PCO); what were the circumstances; and what action was taken in each case.
  There have been six occasions where the behaviour of members of UKDS staff has led to their fitness as Prisoner Custody Officers being considered.
  The circumstances and action taken in each case is set out below:

  (1) Assault against a prisoner. The officer was dismissed and the PCO certificate revoked.

  (2) Criminal conviction for theft. The officer was dismissed and the PCO certificate revoked.

  (3) Collusion with prisoners to allow an assault on another prisoner. The officer was dismissed and the PCO certificate suspended. The Prison Service is considering representations from the officer.

  (4) Police investigation into criminal offence against prisoners. The officer has been suspended. The PCO certificate has also been suspended, the decision concerning revocation will not be taken until the outcome of the court action is known.

  (5) Insubordination to a senior officer. The officer was dismissed. The status of the PCO certificate is under consideration.

  (6) Resigned and the status of the PCO certificate is under consideration.

  Extradition
  Sir Roger Moate
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last 30 years(a) the United States Government have applied for the extradition of individuals from the United Kingdom and (b) the United Kingdom has applied to the United States for the extradition of individuals to face charges in the United Kingdom; and how many of these were refused in each case.

  Mr. Maclean
  In the last 30 years the United States Government have made 301 such requests to the United Kingdom, of which 37 have been refused. Over the same period, the United Kingdom has made 108 requests to the United States, of which four have been refused.

  Recycled Paper
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of his Department's(a) press releases and (b) written answers are printed on recycled paper.

  Mr. Howard
  [holding answer 4 July 1994]: In accordance with Government policy, all the Department's
  414
  press releases and written answers are printed on environmentally friendly paper from managed forests and bleached using a chlorine-free process. Where possible, press releases are sent electronically.

  Private Prisons
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people whose certification as prison custody officer has been suspended or revoked(a) applied to work at and (b) have been employed at (i) Blakenhurst, (ii) the Wolds and (iii) Doncaster prison.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  [holding answer 4 July 1994]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 11 July 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about how many people whose certification as Prisoner Custody Officer (PCO) has been suspended or revoked (a) applied to work and (b) have been employed at (i) Blakenhurst, (ii) The Wolds and (iii) Doncaster Prison.
  Prisoner Custody Officer certificates are only issued after a person has successfully completed the required training and obtained security clearance. There are therefore no known instances of people having had their certification suspended or revoked applying for employment. It would not be possible for the Prison Service to know if a person had applied and not been offered employment by one company, having previously had their certification suspended or revoked in relation to employment by another company.
  There have been no revocations at Wolds or Doncaster. At Blakenhurst there have been four suspensions: two of these resulted in revocations and two are currently under consideration.

HEALTH

  Physiotherapy
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will undertake a review of the Professions Supplementary to Medicine Act 1960 to introduce a proper regulatory system within the physiotherapy profession.

  Mr. Sackville
  The profession is already regulated under that Act. We have at present no plans to change these arrangements.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to prevent people with no relevant qualifications from describing themselves as physiotherapists and treating patients.

  Mr. Sackville
  The title of state registered physiotherapist is already protected by law.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received about unqualified physiotherapists in the private sector.

  Mr. Sackville
  We have received letters on this subject from 18 right hon. and hon. Members since 1 April.

  Mental Hospitals (Survey)
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the survey of English mental hospitals, initiated by the mental health task force in 1993, is to be repeated annually.
  415
  Mr. Bowis
  The survey has been repeated for 1994, drawing together information on the hospitals as at 31 March. A decision has not yet been taken about whether the survey will be repeated in future years.

  Private Patients
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS doctors and consultants also accept private patients.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The private work of national health service doctors and consultants is a matter for the individuals concerned. Consultants contracted to the NHS are required to devote substantially the whole of their professional time to NHS duties so that NHS patients are not adversely affected by private work.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is(a) the average and (b) the maximum level of remuneration of NHS consultants from (i) their NHS work and (ii) private patients.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The average and maximum level of remuneration of national health service consultants for their NHS work is shown.

  average £53,450 (September 1993)

  maximum £99,770 (April 1994)

  NHS consultants may have their pay negotiated locally if they work for a NHS trust. Information on the level of remuneration for private practice work is not available. Whole-time consultants may not earn more than 10 per cent. of their gross NHS earnings from private work.

  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average percentage and time allocated to(a) NHS responsibilties and (b) private patients by those NHS consultants who do private work; and what percentage of their remuneration is derived from these respective sources.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This information is not available centrally.

  Breastfeeding
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she gives to employers about arrangements for encouraging mothers to continue breastfeeding on their return to work after maternity leave.

  Mr. Sackville
  None.

  Mixed Wards
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are made for patients in district general hospitals to have their privacy and dignity protected while sharing a room or bay with members of the opposite sex.

  Mr. Sackville
  That is a matter for the individual hospital. The patients charter emphasises the patient's right to be treated with respect for their dignity, privacy and cultural beliefs.

  Asthma
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received concerning the link between asthma and rising levels of pollution from motor vehicles.
  416
  Mr. Sackville
  Since the beginning of the 1993–94 Session we have received:

  25 parliamentary questions from hon. Members;

  15 letters from hon. Members and Peers; and

  44 letters from members of the public

  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she has put into effect to provide for the increase in the number of asthma sufferers; and what further measures she has considered to provide for any further increase.

  Mr. Sackville
  Approximately 90 per cent. of general practitioners have been approved to run a continuing programme of chronic disease management for asthma. In 1992–93 the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant-in-aid from my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, spent over £1·5 million on research into asthma and areas which may be relevant to the condition. The Department's centrally commissioned research programme is undertaking four studies on asthma. In 1992 the Department set up the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants—COMEAP—which has since set up a sub-committee to advise on the link between exposure to low levels of air pollution and asthma. As part of "The Health of the Nation" programme the Government are promoting a smoke-free environment.

  Ethnic Monitoring
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 15 April,Official Report, column 314, on the ethnic origin of nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff, if the results of the survey are yet available.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  No.

  Mental Health Care (Management)
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the leadership programme for top managers in mental health will be delivered, so as to develop inspirational leadership, creative thinking, and enhancement of the personal abilities of senior staff; and what contribution carers of severely mentally ill people will make to this programme.

  Mr. Bowis
  The programme will be delivered by means of three, three-day residential workshops held over a period of nine months; and by the pursuit of individual goals and objectives within each participant's organisation; supported by networking activities between participants. The programme, which commenced in May, will evolve in response to the needs of the individual participants. It is probable that, in due course, it will include a contribution from both users of mental health services and their carers.

  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued regarding the post-registration experience and training appropriate in the management and care of mentally disordered persons with behaviours that may challenge for(a) nurses with a learning disability mental health registration and (b) doctors with a registration in psychiatry.

  Mr. Bowis
  The United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting has statutory responsibility for determining the kind, standard and
  417
  content of training courses leading to registration, and further courses for those already registered, as nurses, midwives and health visitors. Statutory responsibility for validating and approving courses and institutions rests with the four national boards. Standards of education and training for psychiatrists are the responsibility of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

  Health Visitors
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the compatibility between "The Health of the Nation" targets, the Children Act 1989 and a reduction in the number of health visitors.

  Mr. Sackville
  Whole-time equivalent nursing and midwifery staff in the community have increased by 14·8 per cent. between 1988 and 1992 and by 1·4 per cent. between 1991 and 1992. Responsibility for meeting targets set out in "The Health of the Nation" and the requirements of the Children Act 1989 are not the sole responsibility of health visitors although their contribution is valued.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health visitors were employed in each district health authority area in September 1988, expressed as whole time equivalents.

  Mr. Sackville
  [holding answer 4 July 1994]:The information will be placed in the Library.

  Redundant Hospitals
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the compatibility with her policy of open government of the refusal of health authorities to disclose the selling price of redundant hospitals.

  Mr. Sackville
  Details of individual land and property sales are commercially sensitive and exempt from disclosure. It is for the regional health authority managing the transaction to determine with their professional advisers if the sale price can be released after completion of the sale.

  Hospital Treatment
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the average number of hospitals available for treatment of a patient in respect of a single episode of illness under the national health service.

  Mr. Sackville
  All acute hospitals provide a wide range of services for acute and chronic illness. Some hospitals provide specialist services for wider populations which would not be viable if they were duplicated in every hospital.

  Nurse to Patient Ratio
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 25 February,Official Report, column 514, if she will give the qualified nurse to patient ratios for which the latest year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 18 April at column 401.

  Regional Health Authorities
  Mr Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the latest figures and list the number of staff employed by the regional health authorities in the last three years.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a table showing for each of the 14 former English regional health authorities(a) the number of core regional health authorities staff, (b) the number of other regional health authority-employed staff and (c) total regional health authority staff for each year since 1990.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The information available is shown in the tables.

  Numbers of regional health authority headquarters staff by function (WTE) March 1994; March 1993; July 1992 (core staff only); September 1990 (total staff only)

  Core Staff

  Other

  Total

  1994

  Northern

  159

  1,328

  1,487

  Yorkshire

  179

  1,311

  1,490

  Trent

  231

  572

  803

  East Anglian

  141

  392

  533

  North West Thames

  134

  292

  426

  North East Thames

  139

  546

  685

  South East Thames

  237

  333

  570

  South West Thames

  161

  292

  453

  Wessex

  242

  335

  577

  Oxford

  167

  651

  818

  South Western

  183

  1,165

  1,348

  West Midlands

  196

  1,029

  1,226

  Mersey

  179

  907

  1,086

  North Western

  265

  1,165

  1,431

  TOTAL

  2,613

  10,318

  12,930

  1993

  Northern

  318

  1,410

  1,728

  Yorkshire

  343

  2,731

  3,074

  Trent

  299

  566

  865

  East Anglian

  163

  413

  576

  North West Thames

  220

  316

  536

  North East Thames

  211

  622

  834

  South East Thames

  338

  323

  660

  South West Thames

  262

  527

  789

  Wessex

  308

  285

  593

  Oxford

  184

  606

  790

  South Western

  228

  1,147

  1,375

  West Midlands

  428

  2,347

  2,775

  Mersey

  194

  931

  1,125

  North Western

  410

  1,148

  1,558

  TOTAL

  3,905

  13,371

  17,276

  1992

  Core staff

  Northern

  656

  Yorkshire

  518

  Trent

  509

  East Anglian

  292

  North West Thames

  361

  North East Thames

  580

  South East Thames

  604

  South West Thames

  611

  Wessex

  331

  Oxford

  567

  South Western

  559

  West Midlands

  1,168

  Mersey

  313

  North Western

  785

  TOTAL

  7,854

  419

  1990

  Total

  Northern

  2,740

  Yorkshire

  3,050

  Trent

  3,340

  East Anglian

  1,330

  North West Thames

  1,750

  North East Thames

  2,710

  South East Thames

  2,210

  South West Thames

  2,080

  Wessex

  1,430

  Oxford

  1,670

  South Western

  1,800

  West Midlands

  4,640

  Mersey

  1,740

  North Western

  3,130

  TOTAL

  33,620

  Notes:

  1. Data separated into 'core' and 'other' functions were not collected before 1992.

  2. 1992 RHA total staffing is not available.

  3. 1990 figures are from the September census data and cannot be disaggregated into 'core' and 'other' staff.

  4. Figures in the 'Total' column include consultants, senior registrars and ambulance staff on RHA payrolls.

  5. No RHA staffing figures are available for 1991.

  Palliative Care
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued regarding the funding of dedicated social work services in(a) hospice units and (b) within palliative care services generally; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  Local authorities are responsible for the cost of social work support to the national health service.

  Domiciliary Care
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the legal powers of local authorities to run voluntary registration schemes for providers of independent domiciliary care; whether they are able to levy charges to cover the cost of such schemes; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  Whether legal powers exist will depend on the purpose for which the scheme is established and how it is used. Local authorities should seek their own legal advice based on the terms of each scheme.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the turnover of each trust in each year since its inception.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information requested, for years 1991–92 and 1992–93, has been placed in the Library. Information for 1993–94 will not be available until the annual accounts have been audited.

  Cost Improvement Programmes
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide a table showing the annual cost improvement programmes of provider units in each region in each of the last four years.
  420
  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not audited and used for management purposes only.

  Running Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide a table showing the running costs of her Department in each region for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. Sackville
  Information about departmental running costs by region is not available. Details of the Department's gross running costs are provided in the Department's annual reports for 1993–94, Cm 2212 and 1994–95, Cm 2512, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Extra-contractual Referrals
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information her Department maintains on extra-contractual referral numbers in each region.

  Mr. Sackville
  The national health service executive quarterly monitoring system collects information by region on their actual spend on extra-contractual referrals compared with their planned levels of spend. Figures on the number of extra-contractual referral numbers in each region are not collected.

  NHS Review Costs
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total cost to date of carrying out the NHS functions and manpower review and of any changes made in the light of the review's findings.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  No estimate has been made of costs incurred to date as a result of changes in the light of the review's findings.

  Life-threatening Pregnancies
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the availability of hospital beds in south Manchester hospitals for women with life-threatening pregnancies.

  Mr. Sackville
  It is the responsibility of district health authorities to ensure that comprehensive health services are available for all their residents, within available resources. The right hon. Member may wish to contact Professor Robert Boyd, chairman of Manchester health authority, for further information.

  Ambulances
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will instruct(a) West Yorkshire, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) Nottinghamshire, (d) South Yorkshire, (e) East Sussex, (f) Berkshire, (g) Avon and (h) West Country and Hampshire NHS ambulance trusts immediately to remove bull bars from all vehicles, and instruct all ambulance services that the fitting of bull bars to emergency vehicles is prohibited on the grounds of safety.

  Mr. Sackville
  I will be consulting the Ambulance Service on this issue.

  Community Care
  Mr. Tracey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will bring forward regulations under the powers provided under section 49 of the National Health Service
  421
  and Community Care Act 1990 to enable staff to transfer from health authority to local authority employment in connection with care in the community.

  Mr. Bowis
  The regulations as described will not now be made. This is because they would not have helped secure the outcome envisaged.

  A more detailed explanation of the reasons for this decision has been placed in the Library.

  Health Service Administration
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Darlington of 25 November,Official Report, column 136, what were the total salary costs for (a) managerial staff, (b) clerical and administrative staff and (c) nursing and midwifery staff in (i) 1992–93 and (ii) 1993–94.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  [holding answer 12 May 1994]: Analyses of salaries and wages costs for hospital and community health services in England are shown in the table. The figures for 1992–93 remain provisional. The information for 1993–94 is not yet available.

  Hospital and community health services salary costs for 1992–931

  £ thousands

  Region

  General and senior managers costs

  Administrative and clerical staff costs

  Nursing and midwifery staff costs

  Northern

  22,651

  66,316

  310,239

  Yorkshire

  27,774

  56,606

  263,872

  Trent

  26,396

  96,330

  411,226

  East Anglia

  17,082

  46,580

  205,326

  North West Thames

  23,251

  72,170

  222,335

  North East Thames

  33,957

  91,814

  338,310

  South East Thames

  30,011

  95,480

  339,045

  South West Thames

  30,514

  75,583

  281,358

  Wessex

  23,209

  56,258

  243,234

  Oxford

  18,677

  60,063

  228,857

  South Western

  10,006

  34,065

  118,118

  West Midlands

  42,224

  139,484

  548,150

  Mersey

  11,094

  29,209

  115,032

  North Western

  30,247

  96,395

  415,600

  SHAs

  7,993

  29,805

  98,219

  NHS trusts

  143,145

  459,743

  2,091,859

  TOTAL

  498,171

  1,505,901

  6,230,780

  Source:

  Annual accounts and financial returns 1992–93 of regional and district health authorities in England, national health service trusts and special health authorities.

  Note: Figures vary from those supplied in the earlier answer to the hon. Member for Darlington, of 25 November 1993, Official Report, column 136, due to the latest validated data being used. Salaries and wages costs incurred by family health services authorities are excluded as corresponding costs are not identified on the same basis. Salary costs are the gross pay costs of directly employed staff including employers' national insurance and superannuation contributions except for nursing and midwifery staff where the costs of agency nurses are also included.

  Asset Sales
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 24 June,Official Report, columns 364–65, if she will make it her policy to require the total income from NHS asset sales as shown in regional health authorities accounts to be itemised, showing the income from individual large disposals.
  422
  Mr. Sackville
  No. Income from the sale of individual assets is commercially confidential and the release of price-sensitive information could disadvantage future asset sales.

  Press and Public Relations
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 2 March 1994,Official Report, column 763, what was the total expenditure on press and public relations by (a) her Department, (b) The national health service management executive and its outposts and (c) health authorities in 1993–94; what was the estimated expenditure on press and public relations in 1993–94; and how much is projected to be spent in 1994–95 and 1995–96.

  Mr. Sackville
  Functions which are commonly associated with press and public relations for the Department of Health including the national health service executive are carried out by the Department's information division. Expenditure on manpower and running costs for 1993–94 was £1·897 million. This information is not yet available for health authorites.

  Projections of expenditure for 1994–95 and 1995–96 are not available.

  Advertising
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 6 December 1993,Official Report, column 61, how much (a) her Department, (b) the NHSME, (c) trusts and (d) health authorities spent on (i) television advertising, (ii) radio advertising and (iii) press advertising in each year since 1987; and how much is projected to be spent in 1994–95.

  Mr. Sackville
  Information for the Department of Health, including the national health service executive, is as follows:

  year

  £ million

  1987–88

  Television

  1·874

  Radio

  0·540

  Press

  1·900

  1988–89

  Television

  1·662

  Radio

  0·205

  Press

  1·196

  1989–90

  Television

  3·549

  Radio

  0·127

  Press

  2·739

  1990–91

  Television

  1·900

  Radio

  0·005

  Press

  2·258

  1991–92

  Television

  4·489

  Radio

  0·015

  Press

  3·104

  1992–93

  Television

  2·773

  Radio

  0·020

  Press

  1·976

  423

  Year

  £ million

  1993–94 (estimated expenditure)

  Television

  2·548

  Radio

  0·818

  Press

  1·475

  Decisions have not yet been made on the use of advertising for 1994–95. Information for health authorities and trusts is not available centrally.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Energy Efficiency
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what financial or other support his Department gives to voluntary organisations promoting energy efficiency for low-income households; what is the value of such assistance in the current financial year; what advice on energy efficiency and reducing fuel bills is available to householders from his Department; what additional funds have been made available in 1994–95 to low income householders to improve efficiency following the introduction of VAT on domestic fuel; if there is a target for the number of households to benefit from such assistance; what progress has been made towards achieving these targets; what health and safety considerations are made when installing draughtproofing in households to ensure adequate ventilation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  My Department provides financial support to eight energy projects engaged in the delivery of draughtproofing to low income households under the action for community employment programme. This assistance will amount to some £440,000 in 1994–95.

  Advice on energy efficiency and reducing fuel bills in the home is available through targeted publicity campaigns and the distribution of a wide range of publications on energy saving measures.

  Following the introduction of VAT on domestic fuel an additional £1 million is available for energy efficiency measures in low-income homes in 1994–95, effectively doubling the budget for these measures. It is planned that an estimated 12,000 households will benefit from such assistance in the current year. Some 3,100 households have benefited to date.

  The ACE energy projects follow a mandatory set of instructions designed to ensure that combustion ventilation within the household will be adequate after draughtproofing. These instructions were drawn up in conjunction with the Building Research Establishment. In addition, each householder receives a safety leaflet giving advice on how to maintain an adequate supply of air to the heating appliance.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Hong Kong
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, columns 397–98, if he will list each account of the meeting or of matters arising at the meeting
  424
  which were transmitted to (a) the Foreign Office in London, (b) the United Kingdom high commissioner in Malaysia and (c) other Government Departments.

  Mr. Goodlad
  A single account of the meeting was transmitted from Hong Kong to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and to the British high commissioner in Malaysia on 17 January 1985. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was sent a copy of the minutes of the meeting in 1992.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, columns 397–98, what is the present relationship between Mr. Chooi Mun Sou and the Hong Kong Government; when and by which officials this relationship was commenced; and how much money has been paid to him and his company by the Hong Kong Government.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Mr. Chooi Mun Sou is the senior partner of a firm of solicitors instructed by the Attorney-General of the Hong Kong Government in December 1985 to act in proceedings in the Malaysian courts. It is not the practice of the Hong Kong Government to disclose the fees that they pay to individual professionals engaged to act on their behalf.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, columns 397–98, who was the person from the Attorney-General's Department who attended the meeting; and in what capacity and on what basis each of the persons at the meeting were present.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The name of the person from the Attorney-General's chambers was not recorded. The names of the other people who attended the meeting, and the capacity in which they attended, were given in my answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 398.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the name of the Hong Kong Government official who authorised the addifavit sworn by C. M. Adkins and filed with the High Court in London on 15 June 1990.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Ms Adkins was employed by solicitors acting for the Hong Kong Government and as such was authorised to swear affidavits on behalf of the Hong Kong Government.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 397–98, if he will list each occasion on which the minutes of the meeting on 17 January 1985 as recorded by the Hong Kong side have been made subject to a public interest immunity certificate; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The document in question was the subject of a certificate claiming public interest immunity in the course of Lorrain Osman's seventh application for habeas corpus.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 397–98, if he will list the files taken to the meeting on 17 January 1985 by the late Sir John Brembridge.
  425
  Mr. Goodlad
  I understand that no files or papers were taken to the meeting by the late Sir John Brembridge.

  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 398, what is the practice of his Law Officers and the Law Officers of Hong Kong, relating to the circulation of information contained in a witness's or defendant's statement to parties not connected to an investigation.

  Mr. Goodlad
  It is not the practice of the Attorney-General in Hong Kong to supply copies of statements of witnesses or defendants to third parties but, exceptionally, he may do so, in the interests of law enforcement, to other law enforcement Departments.

  Macedonia
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the European Court of Justice decision on the Greek sanctions on Macedonia.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  We continue to regard the Greek action against Macedonia as unjustified and to support the Commission's decision to take the case to the European Court of Justice. The Court's decision not to indicate interim measures does not address the main case before the court, or the legality of the Greek action under Community law.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if there has been a recent withdrawal of Serbian forces along the Macedonian border near Straza.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Yes. Under an agreement brokered by UNPROFOR on 1 July, the Serbian forces occupying Straza Peak, and the Macedonian forces observing them, withdrew. UNPROFOR has set up an observation post on the hill.

  Caspian Sea
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 22 June,Official Report, column 181, if he will make a statement on the view submitted by the Government of the Russian Federation to Her Majesty's embassy in Moscow about the legal status of the Caspian sea and the implications of those Russian views on the British-Azerbaijani memorandum signed in February on oil and gas projects in the Caspian sea.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The note from the Russian Foreign Ministry set out the Russian views on the status of the Caspian sea—namely, that this is a single eco-system to be used jointly by all Caspian states. It also stated that steps taken by any Caspian state to obtain any advantages as regards the area and resources of the Caspian sea are contrary to the interests of other Caspian states and cannot be recognised.

  The memorandum on co-operation between the United Kingdom and Azerbaijan in the field of energy indicates the intention of the two Governments actively to encourage increased co-operation in areas of oil and gas exploration and development. This work continues.

  Bangladesh
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the practice in Bangladesh of issuing fatwas against dissidents, with particular reference to Tushma Nasreen; and what representations he has made about this.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The EU presidency has raised with the Bangladesh authorities our concerns for Ms Nasreen's safety. It has called on extremists to refrain from making illegal threats and announced that it will take action against those who ignore the warning.

  Middle East
  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the visits undertaken by members of the royal family to(a) Bahrain, (b) Egypt, (c) Iran, (d) Iraq, (e) Israel, (f) Jordan, (g) Kuwait, (h) Lebanon, (i) Oman, (j) Qatar, (k) Saudi Arabia, (l) Syria, (m) the United Arab Emirates and (n) the Yemen since 1979.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Members of the royal family have paid official visits to these countries during this period as follows:

  (a) Bahrain—The Queen (1979), The Duke of Edinburgh (1989), The Prince of Wales (1986), The Princess Royal (1991), The Duke of Gloucester (1984, 1989), The Duke of Kent (1981);

  (b) Egypt—The Prince of Wales (1981), The Princess of Wales (1982), The Duke of Gloucester (1992), The Duke of Kent (1992);

  (c) Iran—none;

  (d) Iraq—none;

  (e) Israel—none;

  (f) Jordan—The Queen (1984); The Duke of Kent (1993);

  (g) Kuwait—The Queen (1979), The Prince of Wales (1989, 1993), The Princess Royal (1987, 1991), The Duke of Gloucester (1984), The Duke of Kent (1981);

  (h) Lebanon—The Princess Royal (1982);

  (i) Oman—The Queen (1979), The Duke of Edinburgh (1990, 1991), The Prince of Wales (1986, 1992), The Duke of Gloucester (1980), The Duke of Kent (1985, 1989);

  (j) Qatar—The Queen (1979), The Prince of Wales (1986), The Princess Royal (1991), The Duke of Gloucester (1984, 1989), The Duke of Kent (1981);

  (k) Saudi Arabia—The Queen (1979), The Prince of Wales (1986, 1989, 1990, 1993), The Duke of Kent (1993);

  (l) Syria—none;

  (m) United Arab Emirates—The Queen (1979), The Duke of Edinburgh (1991), The Prince of Wales (1989,1993), The Princess Royal (1984, 1987, 1991), The Duke of Gloucester (1991), The Duke of Kent (1981);

  (n) Yemen—The Princess Royal (1982).

  Nuclear Power Stations
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all Chernobyl-type nuclear power stations still in existence, indicating whether they are still in active operation; what measures have been taken to(a) make them safe, (b) convert them or (c) close them in due course; and how many such stations have been closed since the Chernobyl disaster.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The nuclear reactor destroyed in the 1986 Chernobyl accident was an RBMK 1000. Eleven reactors of the same type remain in operation in Russia—four at Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad; four at Kursk; and three at Smolensk. Two 1000s remain in operation at
  427
  Chernobyl, Ukraine where a third unit has been closed following a fire in 1991. Two RBK 1500s are currently operating at Ignalina, Lithuania. Extensive safety improvement programmes have been carried out on RBMK reactors since the Chernobyl accident. Full details could be provided only by the countries concerned, which are responsible for all safety decisions, including whether or not their nuclear power plants should continue to operate.

  Rwanda
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been established by the United Nations investigator about the origins of the massacre in Rwanda.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The initial report by the special rapporteur, Mr. Rene Degni-Segui, found that the massacres were planned in advance, citing as evidence a systematic campaign of incitement to racial hatred by the interim-Government-controlled media, military training and equipping of the Hutu militias from November 1993, the erection of barriers within 45 minutes of the air crash and lists of targets which correspond with those killed.

  A copy of the report has been placed in the Library of the House.

  South Yemen
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has about the adequacy of water supplies in South Yemen; and what initiatives there are by the international community to alleviate suffering from water shortage caused by military activity.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The water supply in Aden has been insufficient to meet the daily needs of the inhabitants. International Committee of the Red Cross, to which we donated £250,000 and the European Union approximately £1·03 million, have done an excellent job in maintaining the supply of some water in difficult circumstances. Now that the fighting is over in Aden we hope that the necessary repairs can be carried out to allow the restoration of normal water supplies.

  We are unaware of any problems with the water supply in other areas of Yemen.

  Gibraltar
  Dr. Marek
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how Gibraltar's interests will be represented in the European Parliament.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Gibraltar does not have an MEP because annexe II of the 1976 EC Act on Direct Elections limits the franchise in European Parliament elections to the United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Government are responsible for representing Gibraltar within the European Union.

  Nuclear Terrorism
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are for the foreign security services to collaborate with the new office of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation established in Moscow to combat nuclear materials smuggling and nuclear terrorism.
  428
  Mr. Hurd
  Our security and intelligence agencies work with the intelligence and law enforcement agencies of a large number of countries where we have common interests and concerns. However, for reasons which were explained during the debates on the Intelligence Services Act 1994, it is not the Government's practice to comment on such operational activities.

  Indonesia
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will declare its support for the proposals in United Nations General Assembly resolutions 36/50 (1981) and 37/30 (1982); and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The hon. Member will know that the United Kingdom abstained on the two UN resolutions that he cites. We did so, in the company of our European Community partners and many other countries, in the belief that by so doing, we would help the process of reconciliation and the search for a diplomatic solution between Portugal and Indonesia. We therefore welcome the current dialogue between Portugal and Indonesia on East Timor's future, which is taking place under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General.

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on sales of military aircraft and armaments to Indonesia.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Our policy on defence sales to Indonesia is based on the principle that all sovereign states enjoy the right, under article 51 of the United Nations charter, to defend themselves. This is a right that we claim for ourselves and it would be inconsistent and discriminatory to deny it to others. All applications for export licences are, none the less, subject to strict controls and scrutinised on a case by case basis. For example, if we believe a prospective purchase is likely to be used for repressive puorposes against a civilian population, the application is rejected.

  Vatican (Diplomats)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has on which countries exclude their Roman Catholic diplomats from the position of their representative to the Holy See.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  We have no such information.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reasons for his Department's policy of excluding Roman Catholic diplomats from appointment as Her Majesty's ambassador to the Holy See.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  There is no such policy.

  EU Accession
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps were taken to ensure the people and Government of Gibraltar will enjoy the same or comparable citizenship, rights, liabilities and other opportunities that are extended to the people of
  429
  the Aland Islands under the provisions of the treaty of accession to the European Union and which are consequent upon Finland acceding to be European Union; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The EC treaty applies to Gibraltar by virtue of article 227.4 of the treaty. It enjoys a special status within the Community negotiated at the time of United Kingdom accession. The common agricultural and fisheries policies do not apply to Gibraltar. Nor is Gibraltar obliged to levy VAT. In addition, Gibraltar is outside the Community customs territory and is a third country for the purpose of the common regime for imports. Community rules on the free movement of goods do not apply to Gibraltar.

  Article 28 of the Act of Accession provides that the EC treaties shall not apply to the Aland Islands unless the Finnish Government so declare, in which case their relationship to the Community will be governed by protocol 2 to the Act of Accession. The differences between the position of the Aland Islands and that of Gibraltar would reflect their different interests within the Community and the different nature of their relationship with the member state.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the people of the Aland Islands and of Svalbard will be represented in the European Parliament upon the accession of Finland and Norway to the European Union.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  This is a matter for the Governments of Finland and Norway respectively. We understand that arrangements for the representation of Norwegian residents on Svalbard and of the people of the Aland Islands in the European Parliament have yet to be decided.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the people of Svalbard will become citizens of the European Union consequent upon Norway acceding to the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Norwegian citizens who live on Svalbard will become citizens of the European Union on Norway's accession to the European Union. Svalbard itself will be excluded from the scope of the European Union treaties in accordance with protocol No. 7 of the accession treaty.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the expected cost and consequences to(a) the Commission, (b) the Parliament, (c) the Court of Justice and (d) other European Union institutions of both Bokmal and Nynorsk being given equal status as official languages of the institutions of the European Union's communities and institutions consequent upon the accession of Norway to the European Union.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  There are no proposals to make Bokmal or Nynorsk official languages of the Union. Section XVIII of annex I of the Act of Accession, annexed to the accession treaty, will amend Council regulation 1 to include only Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish as new official languages subsequent to the entry into force of the treaty. The Kingdom of Norway has made a unilateral declaration—No. 38—stating that 430
  "in the written use of Norwegian as an official language…equal status must be given to Bokmal and Nynorsk".

  This declaration has no budgetary implications.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the consequences to(a) the European Union and (b) the United Kingdom of the declaration by the King of Sweden on open government and which are incorporated in the treaty of accession to the European Union and consequent upon Sweden acceding to the European Union.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Sweden's declaration in the Final Act attached to the accession treaty welcomes the development now taking place in the European Union towards greater openness and transparency. The declaration notes that open government is a fundamental part of Sweden's constitutional, political and cultural heritage. The Union's declaration in response takes note of the Swedish declaration and adds that the member states of the European Union take it for granted that, as a member, Sweden will fully comply with Community law.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the consequences for(a) The European Union and (b) the United Kingdom of the exchange of letters between the Kingdom of Sweden and the European Commission together with the assurances given, with regard to Swedish practices in the labour market and collective agreements, which are incorporated in the treaty of accession to the European Union.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The exchange of letters between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Commission are mentioned in a declaration by Sweden annexed to the Final Act. The Final Act does not form part of the treaty of accession and the declarations annexed to it do not create binding legal obligations. There are no consequences either for the European Union or for the United Kingdom of the assurances given in the exchange of letters, which simply confirm that Swedish practices in labour market matters are compatible with the agreement of the Eleven.

  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the citizenship rights of the Sami people consequent upon the accession of Norway, Sweden and Finland to the European Union; and what special provisions have been made for their interests to be represented in the European Parliament and promoted in other European Union institutions.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  As citizens of Norway, Sweden and Finland, the Sami people will become citizens of the European Union on the accession of these states to the European Union. No special provisions have been made for their representation in the European Parliament, but their interests are recognised in protocol No. 3 of the accession treaty. Norway also made a declaration on the subject.

  Iran
  Mr. David Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations has been made by Her Majesty's Government and the EU
  431
  to the Government of Iran regarding the recent murders in Iran of the Reverend Medhi Dibaj and the Reverend Tateos Michaelian; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  With our full support, the EU is asking the Iranian authorities for an immediate and complete investigation into these deplorable murders. We await further information and Tehran's response before considering how to follow up. We are also urgently seeking information about at least two other Christian pastors who are reportedly detained in Iran.

  Kenya
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been made by the European Union to the Government of Kenya about the importance of democratisation in Kenya; and what has been the response of the Kenyan Government.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Members of the EU have continued to work together in monitoring developments in Kenya. With our partners, we stress the importance of democracy at every suitable opportunity.

  Angola
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the outcome of the United Nations Security Council meeting on Angola on 30 June.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The United Nations Security Council meeting on 30 June adopted a further resolution, UNSCR 932, on Angola. This called on UNITA to accept immediately and unreservedly the compromise proposals for a settlement put forward by the United Nations mediators, and already accepted by the Angolan Government. If, by 31 July, UNITA has not complied, the Security Council has declared its readiness to impose additional sanctions against UNITA as indicated in UNSCR 864. The resolution also extended the mandate of UNAVEM II for three months until 30 September.

TRANSPORT

  Motorway Use
  Sir Geoffrey Pattie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce high occupancy vehicle lanes on the motorway system, with particular reference to the M3, M4 and M25.

  Mr. Key
  I am keeping in touch with experience in the Netherlands where a high-occupancy vehicle lane has recently been introduced, and I am considering. whether there is scope to introduce a trial here. I have no current proposals for high-occupancy vehicle lanes on the M3, M4, or M25.

  Departmental Costs
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 513, if he will provide a detailed breakdown into component parts and costs of the £147·496 million listed under "Other".
  432
  Mr. MacGregor
  The detailed breakdown of the item described as "Other" running costs of my Department for 1993–94 is as follows:

  Activity

  £'000s

  Travel and Subsistence and other Personnel costs

  20,038

  Training

  3,330

  Estate Running Costs

  254

  Office Services, Postage and Carriage

  32,955

  Telecommunications

  8,042

  Office Machinery/Computer Hardware and Software maintenance

  5,224

  Vehicle Running Costs

  989

  Consultants and Agency Costs

  7,417

  Vehicle Licensing Inspection and Testing Costs

  2,082

  Publicity and Advertising

  1,215

  Payments to Auxiliary Coastguard and Merchant Navy Reserve

  1,689

  Medical Services

  1,862

  Bank Charges

  319

  DVLA Post Office Costs

  59,195

  Sale of Vehicle Registration Marks

  1,970

  Refund of Driver Testing Fees

  915

  Total

  147,496

  Charing Cross (Train Departures)
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many trains left Charing Cross station on schedule between 4.30 pm and 7.30 pm on Monday 6, Tuesday 7, Wednesday 8, Thursday 9 and Friday 10 June; how many were late or cancelled; what was the length of lateness in each case on each day; and what was the cause of lateness or cancellation in each case;

  (2) how many trains left Charing Cross station on schedule between 4.30 pm and 7.30 pm on Tuesday 31 May, Wednesday 1 June, Thursday 2 June and Friday 4 June; how many trains were late or cancelled; what was the length of lateness in each case on each day; and what was the cause of lateness or cancellation in each case.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have written to the hon. Member with the information requested and placed a copy of the information in the Library.

  Birmingham North Relief Road
  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those who have seen the report of the public inquiry into the Birmingham north relief road in 1988.

  Mr. Key
  A small number of civil servants involved in the 1988 public sector scheme.

  West Coast Main Line
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the west coast main line reinvestment project under the private finance initiative.

  Mr. Freeman
  Railtrack, together with a private sector consortium—West Coast Main Line Development Company Ltd—have, since April, been carrying out a study aimed at producing design standards for the line and recommending funding options for the project, consistent with the objectives of the private finance initiative. The study is expected to be completed by the end of the year. A further competition will then be held for the contract to undertake the upgrading work. That contract is expected to be let in mid-1995 and the works will start as soon as possible thereafter.

  Rail Privatisation
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the cost, up to 31 March, of setting up the offices of the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising and of the Rail Regulator.

  Mr. Freeman
  Total costs incurred before the formal appointments of the Franchising Director and the Rail Regulator, which include the main setting-up costs, were £1 million and £0·5 million respectively. Subsequent expenditure by OPRAF and ORR until 31 March 1994, a small proportion of which included setting up costs, was £2·4 million and £1·5 million respectively.

  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the cost to his Department of preparing for rail privatisation up to 31 March, identifying separately the costs of external advisers and consultants.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Department's costs on rail privatisation up to 31 March 1994 are £19·8 million, comprising £3·3 million running costs and £16·5 million external consultancy costs.

  Sabrina Bridge
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice was sought from his Department by Worcester city council in connection with the new cycle and footbridge over the River Severn, now known as the Sabrina bridge.

  Mr. Key
  None. The new bridge is part of the local highway network and consultations with the Department would not have been required.

  Transport of Children
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to seek to legislate at the earliest opportunity to prevent any public service vehicle available for hire from being used by school-age children without a seat belt each and in numbers greater than one person per fixed seat; and if he will do this without awaiting EU legislation.

  Mr. Key
  This is part of the wider review which is under active consideration.

  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his policy on the seating of school age children on buses to travel to and from school and to go on school outings, and on the wearing of seat belts, for each year group up to 16 years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Key
  The Public Service (Carrying Capacity) Regulations 1984 permit three seated children under the age of 14 to share a double seat and count as two passengers. This concession has been considered as part of the review of the technical and cost implications of fitting seat belts to all seats in minibuses and coaches recently undertaken by my officials, the report and conclusions of which we hope to publish before the summer recess.

  Seat belts must be worn in minibuses with an unladen weight not exceeding 2,540 kg, and specified front seats in larger vehicles. We will be reviewing the position on wearing, but it raises complex issues of responsibility in the case of children on larger vehicles.
  434
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his officials are having with their counterparts in the European Union with a view to legislating to fit seat belts and keep numbers to one person to each fixed seat on all public service vehicles available for hire for school-age children; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Key
  Following the announcement of the European Commission's strategy for improving bus and coach safety, my officials are taking part in the discussions of the working group convened to consider the technical requirements for belts in vehicles which do not carry standing passengers.

  The number of passengers who may be carried is a question for individual member states.

  Highways Agency
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Highways Agency was established; for what reasons it was established; what are its annual administrative costs, including salaries; what were the equivalent annual costs when the work was done within the Department of Transport; what are the annual salaries and emoluments of, respectively, the chief executive and other principal officers; and what were the annual salaries and comparable payments of those officials who carried out analogous and comparable duties when the work was done within his Department.

  Mr. Key
  The Highways Agency was established on 1 April 1994 as an executive agency of the Department of Transport, to manage and maintain the existing motorway and trunk road network in England and to deliver the Government's road programme. The agency was established as part of the Government's next steps programme, with the aim of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of this major executive business. Copies of the agency's framework document and 1994–95 business plan have been placed in the Library.

  The total provision for administration cost in 1994–95 including pay is £87·8 million, compared to provision of £88·5 million in 1993–94. The chief executive was appointed for a five-year term following an open competition at a salary of £100,000 per annum. He is also eligible for performance pay. The chief executive has additional responsibilities to those of the grade 2 officer who headed the former Highways Safety and Traffic Command within the Department. Other principal officers who transferred to the Highways Agency did so on existing civil service terms and conditions.

  Running Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide a table showing the running costs of his Department in each region for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The information is not available in the form requested.

  Railway Lines (Vandalism)
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent discussions he has had with Railtrack concerning the educational programmes carried out by the safety and school liaison unit; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what recent discussions have taken place with Railtrack and other interested parties concerning the implementation of anti-vandalism programmes; arid if he will make a statement;

  (3) what proposals he has to combat and contain acts of vandalism on railway lines in (a) Strathclyde, (b) Scotland and (c) Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answers 6 July 1994]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I regularly meet the Railtrack chairman and board members to discuss a wide range of matters.

  On 1 April Railtrack took over from British Rail responsibility for the trespass and vandalism campaign, including the related programme of school visits. It has made it clear that it is committed to continuing with, and indeed developing further, this activity, both to broaden its approach beyond schools, and to ensure that specific problems are targeted in the areas where they are most likely to occur.

  Railtrack, working closely with British Rail and the British Transport police, is identifying what further action might be employed to deter the specific problem of vanalism, with particular focus on the known urban problem areas. It is in the course of consulting individuals and organisations to explore the potential for more effective measures.

  In Scotland both ScotRail and the BTP are actively involved in promoting safety on the railways through the safety and schools liaison unit and their involvement in the crucial crew exercises which bring home to school children the dangers.

  Rail Safety
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many reported cases of endangering safety or obstructions there were in each of the past five years in(a) Strathclyde, (b) Scotland and (c) Great Britain; how many of these led to criminal convictions; what was the range of sentences imposed upon those convicted; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  [holding answer 6 July 1994]: Information for 1989 to 1991 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. That which is available is as follows:

  Endangering Safety

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Number of reported offences

  Strathclyde

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  11

  15

  Scotland

  n/a

  21

  8

  19

  30

  Great Britain

  1,067

  848

  783

  642

  754

  Number of convictions

  Strathclyde

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  5

  6

  Scotland

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  5

  6

  Great Britain

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  26

  71

  436 Sentencing Over the past two year period 1992 and 1993, the range of sentencing that has been implemented for the offence of Endangering Safety is as follows:

  Fines

  From £12 to £500.

  Community Service

  From 50 to 200 hours.

  Imprisonment

  From 28 days to 2 years.

  Probation

  From 6 months to 3 years.

  Apart from the above, some cases have involved the accused being bound over, conditionally discharged or sent to an attendance centre.

  Obstruction

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Number of reported offences

  Strathclyde

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  134

  135

  Scotland

  N/a

  446

  333

  238

  223

  Great Britain

  4,070

  3,426

  2,955

  2,585

  2,537

  Number of convictions

  Strathclyde

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  1

  5

  Scotland

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  3

  5

  Great Britain

  N/a

  N/a

  N/a

  49

  78

  Sentencing Over the two-year period 1992 and 1993, the range of sentencing implemented for the offence of obstruction was as follows:

  Fines

  From £10 to £350

  Community Service

  From 40 to 200 hours

  Imprisonment

  From one day to 12 months

  Probation

  From six months to 12 months

  Apart from the above, some cases involved the accused being bound over, conditionally discharged or sent to an attendance centre.

  Access to Environmental Information
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many requests for environmental information under the Access to Environmental Information Regulations 1992 have been received by his Department; how many were answered within two months; how many were refused; and on what grounds in each case.

  Mr. MacGregor
  [holding answer 6 July 1994]: This Department does not keep central records of the number of individual requests for information it receives. We do, however, look very carefully at every case for refusal.

  In the period up to 30 June 1994, the Department gave nine refusals on the grounds of confidentiality of the proceedings of a public authority.

DEFENCE

  Gulf War (Pesticides)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pesticide sprays were used to protect service men and women in Operation Granby prior to and during the Gulf war.

  Mr. Hanley
  One United Kingdom tented camp in Al Jubay1 was sprayed with FICAM, a non-organophosphate residual insecticide. During the conflict itself spray cans of a standard NATO issue pyrethroid "knock-down" insecticide were available to United Kingdom troops, but were little used because the winter insect population was low. No organophosphate insecticide or pesticide sprays were used by British forces.
  437
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the uniforms of soldiers serving in Operation Granby in the Gulf war were impregnated with pesticides.

  Mr. Hanley
  During Operation Granby some desert issue combat clothing for British forces was impregnated with a commercially available, non-organophosphate, insecticide. The impregnation, which has Health and Safety Executive approval, was performed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and supervised by service environmental health staff.

  Nuclear Non-proliferation
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 26 May,Official Report, column 231, when he obtained a copy of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament blueprint report; and what conclusions he has reached following the examination of its proposals.

  Mr. Hanley
  My Department received a copy of the report in early June. While complete and general nuclear disarmament is a desirable ultimate goal we do not believe that the proposals in the CND report represent a realistic approach.

  Vacant Dwellings
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vacant dwellings are owned by his Department in England and Wales; and how many have been empty(a) more than six months and (b) more than 12 months.

  Mr. Hanley
  Records are not maintained precisely in the form requested. However, the following information is available as at 31 March 1994:

  Number

  Married quarters

  Total vacant

  8,839

  Vacant under 12 months

  7,643

  Vacant over 12 months

  1,196

  Civilian houses

  Total vacant

  43

  Vacant under six months

  18

  Vacant over six months

  25

  In addition, 1,407 vacant married quarters and 20 vacant civilian houses were in the process of being sold. Information on the length of time these properties have been vacant could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of vacant dwellings owned by his Department by constituency.

  Mr. Hanley
  The information is not held in the form requested and to provide it for the area requested could be done only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the amount of capital receipts his Department has received from vacant dwellings in each of the past five financial years.

  Mr. Hanley
  Capital receipts from the sale of surplus dwellings in each of the past five financial years was as follows:
  438

  year

  £

  1989–90

  48,000,000

  1990–91

  46,000,000

  1991–92

  54,000,000

  1992–93

  42,000,000

  1993–94

  29,300,000

  Not all these properties were vacant as some were sold to tenants. Figures for vacant dwellings alone could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vacant dwellings owned by his Department in each parliamentary constituency in Devon and Cornwall have been vacant for(a) more than six months and (b) more than 12 months.

  Mr. Hanley
  Records are not maintained precisely in the form requested. However, the following information is available as at 31 March 1994.

  Married quarters

  Vacant under 1 year

  Vacant over 1 year

  North Devon

  27

  —

  Exeter

  7

  —

  Honiton

  12

  2

  Plymouth Devonport

  180

  2

  Plymouth Drake

  52

  —

  Plymouth Sutton

  54

  —

  Torridge and West Devon

  11

  —

  Falmouth and Camborne

  —

  —

  North Cornwall

  89

  84

  St. Ives

  72

  11

  South East Cornwall

  6

  —

  Civilian houses

  Vacant under six months

  Vacant over six months

  Plymouth Devonport

  —

  6

  Former married quarters in the process of being sold

  Vacant under one year

  Vacant over one year

  Honiton

  1

  2

  Plymouth Devonport

  —

  17

  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his estimate of the cost of providing security for empty MOD dwellings in each of the past five years.

  Mr. Hanley
  The cost of providing security for surplus MOD dwellings in the process of being sold, which is carried out under contract, was approximately £231,000 for financial year 1993–94. Such figures are not held centrally, however, and because of changes in numbers of surplus dwellings from year to year, figures for earlier years could be provided, if available, only at disproportionate cost. Security for empty dwellings which are not surplus to requirements is provided by the Ministry of Defence police and military patrols and costs are therefore not separately identifiable.
  439
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many unoccupied dwellings are held by his Department in Scotland; and what plans he has to find occupants for, or dispose of the properties.

  Mr. Hanley
  As at 31 March 1994 my Department owned 798 vacant dwellings in Scotland, of which 736 were married quarters and 62 were civilian houses. The majority of the vacant married quarters were either undergoing or awaiting major maintenance work, allocated to service families due to move in shortly, or held for unit deployments. The vacant civilian houses are leased from the local authority and we are negotiating their early return. In addition, a further 18 vacant civilian houses arid 60 married quarters were in the process of being sold. Any properties which become surplus to our long-term requirements will be sold in line with our normal policy.

  Irregular Tenancy Notices
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many irregular tenancy notices have been served on former service personnel who have left the armed services at the end of their tour of duty;

  (2) how many irregular tenancy notices have been issued in relation to dwellings owned by his Department in each of the past five years.

  Mr. Hanley
  The services do not issue irregular tenancy notices as service personnel are not tenants in the normal sense, but hold a licence to occupy a married quarter. All occupants of service married quarters are given notice of the date when their entitlement to occupy the quarter ceases and that they will become irregular occupants and will be liable for a "damage for trespass" charge in lieu of rent if the quarter is not vacated on the given date.

  In the last five-year period, numbers of personnel leaving the Army at the end of their tour of duty who were irregular occupants was as follows:

  Number

  1989

  858

  1990

  925

  1991

  740

  1992

  598

  1993

  630

  This compares with the total number of irregular occupants of Army married quarters, which can include redundees, estranged families or civilians, in the last five-year period which was as follows:

  Number

  1989

  1,622

  1990

  1,748

  1991

  1,468

  1992

  1,525

  1993

  1,811

  Figures detailing the status of Navy and RAF irregular occupants are not readily available, and total numbers are produced only quarterly. At the end of March in each of the last five years the total number of irregular occupants was as follows:
  440

  Navy

  RAF

  1989

  497

  233

  1990

  507

  214

  1991

  516

  285

  1992

  394

  228

  1993

  289

  227

  Racial Discrimination
  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what disciplinary measures have been taken against those individuals responsible, following the verdict by the Army board of inquiry that Corporal Malcolm of the Royal Tank Regiment has been subject to racial discrimination.

  Mr. Hanley
  Disciplinary action was not considered appropriate on this occasion.

  Mr. Martlew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what disciplinary measures were taken against the individuals responsible following the decision by the Army board that Private Stephen Anderson of the Devon and Dorset Regiment had been subject to racial abuse;

  (2) what disciplinary measures were taken against the individuals responsible following the decision by the Army board of inquiry that Private Evans of the 1st battalion of the Royal Regiment of Wales had been subject to racial abuse.

  Mr. Hanley
  Those responsible were dealt with summarily by their commanding officer. It is not our practice to comment on the disciplinary action taken by commanding officers in such cases.

  Running Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide a table showing the running costs of his Department in each region for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. Hanley
  Details of running cost expenditure since 1988–89 are set out in table 3 of the "Departmental Report by the Ministry of Defence—The Government's Expenditure Plans—1994/95 to 1996/97", Cm 2501. Running costs in 1987-88 are shown in the previous year's departmental report. It is not possible to provide a regional breakdown of these expenditure totals from financial management information available to the Department.

  Lockheed
  Mr. Eastham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from his Department's Procurement Executive have visited the United States of America to see any of the Lockheed facilities since 1 January 1993; what was the duration of those visits; and what was the total cost to public funds.

  Mr. Aitken
  I shall write to the hon. Member.

  Scottish Reserve Forces
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he is proposing to make cuts in the Scottish reserve forces.

  Mr. Hanley
  There are no current plans for reductions in the Scottish elements of the royal naval or royal marines
  441
  reserves, beyond the changes to the royal naval reserve announced to the House on 18 October, Official Report, column 39. A review of the royal marines reserve has recently been undertaken, however, although no decisions have been taken.

  Following reductions in the number of maritime patrol aircraft, the establishments of the three Royal Auxiliary Air Force maritime headquarters units, including No. 2 (City of Edinburgh) marine headquarters unit, have been reviewed. The new establishment for No. 2 MHU exceeds the recruited strength, so there will be no loss of personnel.

  An announcement is to be made shortly about proposals for the Territorial Army as a whole.

  unit

  SER

  Sub Unit/Detachment locations

  Title

  Location

  (a)

  (b)

  (c)

  (d)

  1

  TA Elements of HQ 51 Highland Brigade

  Perth

  2

  TA Elements of HQ 52 Lowland Brigade

  Edinburgh

  3

  RHQ Scottish Yeomanry

  Edinburgh

  Ayr, East Kilbride, Cupar

  4

  BHQ 1/51 Highland

  Perth

  Kirkbaldy, Dundee, Forfar

  5

  BHQ 2/51 Highland

  Elgin

  Wick, Kirkwall, Dingwall, Peterhead, Keith, Turriff, Inverness, Stornoway, Fort William, Aberdeen, Lerwick, Laurencekirk

  6

  BHQ 3/51 Highland

  Stirling

  Cumbernauld, Falkirk, Dumbarton, Dunoon

  7

  BHQ 1/52 Lowland

  Glasgow

  Glasgow, Ayr

  8

  BHQ 2/52 Lowland

  Edinburgh

  Motherwell, Edinburgh, Galashiels, Dumfries

  9

  RHQ 105 Regiment Royal Artillery

  Edinburgh

  Glasgow, Arbroath, Glenrothes

  10

  RHQ 71 Engineer Regiment

  Glasgow

  Paisley, Irvine, Edinburgh, Coatbridge, Dundee

  11

  RHQ 76 Engineer Regiment

  Pitreavie (Dunfermline)

  Kinloss, Aberdeen, Lossiemouth, Leuchars

  12

  RHQ 32 Signal Regiment

  Glasgow

  Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh

  13

  2 Squadron 39 Signal Regiment

  Dundee

  14

  A Squadron 23 SAS

  Hamilton

  15

  D Squadron 23 SAS

  lnvergowrie

  16

  3 Flight AAC

  Turnhouse

  17

  RHQ Scottish Transport Regiment

  Dunfermline

  Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Glasgow, Irvine, Grangemouth

  18

  125 Ration Squadron

  Glasgow

  19

  205 Field Hospital

  Glasgow

  Edinburgh

  20

  225 Field Ambulance

  Dundee

  21

  252 Field Ambulance

  Aberdeen

  22

  243 Provost Company

  Edinburgh

  442
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members the Royal Auxiliary Air Force has in Scotland; and where the squadrons are based.

  Mr. Hanley
  As at 1 April 1994, 217 Royal Auxiliary Air Force personnel were serving with units based in Scotland. The two units are based at No. 2 (City of Edinburgh) maritime headquarters unit, Edinburgh—106 personnel—and 2622 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment, at RAF Lossiemouth—111 personnel.

  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members the Territorial Army has in Scotland; and where the regiments are based.

  Mr. Hanley
  There are currently 6,290 members of the TA serving in Scotland. The locations of the regiments are as follows:
  443

  unit

  SER

  Sub Unit/Detachment locations

  Title

  Location

  (a)

  (b)

  (c)

  (d)

  23

  23 Security Company

  Livingston

  24

  RHF(T) Band (West Lowland)

  Glasgow

  25

  51 Highland Band

  Perth

  26

  RS(T) Band (East Lowland)

  Edinburgh

  27

  Aberdeen University Officer Training Corps (UOTCs)

  Aberdeen

  28

  Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt UOTC

  Edinburgh

  29

  Glasgow and Strathclyde UOTC

  Glasgow

  30

  Tayforth UOTC

  Dundee

  St. Andrews, Stirling

  31

  4 Parachute Regiment

  (RHQ in Leeds)

  Irvine, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen,Glenrothes

  32

  23 Security Company

  Livingston

  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the annual budget for reserve forces is allocated to funding the Scottish reserves in total and per force; and how much that amount is.

  Mr. Hanley
  Planned expenditure on the reserve forces based in Scotland for 1994–95 is £16,874,000. This is 13 per cent. of the total for the reserve forces of £129,800,000. The breakdown by force is as follows:

  Force

  Planned expenditure in Scotland

  £ million

  As percentage of total for Force

  Royal Naval Reserve

  0·882

  10

  Royal Marines Reserve

  0·422

  19

  Territorial Army

  14·901

  13

  Royal Auxiliary Air Force and Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

  0·669

  16

  Notes:

  1. The above figures are for pay, allowances, earnings related national insurance contributions and training bounties for Reserve personnel. They exclude such items as equipment development, fuel, ammunition, accommodation and utilities, food and transport, for which information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  2. The total figures for the TA exclude the home service part-time element of the Royal Irish Regiment.

  3. All figures for the TA exclude non-regular permanent staff.

  4. Figures for the RAF Reserves in Scotland take account only of pay; other costs cannot be apportioned.

  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members the royal naval reserve/royal marine reserve has in Scotland; and where they are based.

  Mr. Hanley
  As at 1 July the Royal naval Reserves had 530 members in Scotland based at HMS Dalriada, Greenock—167; HMS Scotia, Pitreavie—325; and HMS 444
  Claverhouse, Edinburgh—38. The Royal Marines Reserve have 199 members in Scotland based in Royal Marine detachments sited as follows: Glasgow—110; Dundee—37; Greenock—28; and Grangemouth—24. HMS Claverhouse is, however, due to close on 31 July as part of the changes to the Royal Naval Reserve announced to the House on 18 October, Official Report, column 39. Where possible, arrangements have been made for reservists at HMS Claverhouse to transfer to other units.

  Atomic Weapons Establishment
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he has had with the chief executive of the Atomic Weapons Establishment in relation to the announcement of 300 voluntary redundancies requested at Aldermaston, Burghfield and Cardiff; and what proposals he has to encourage diversification into civilian uses for AWE resources and skills.

  Mr. Aitken
  Staffing levels at AWE are a matter for the operating contractor—Hunting-BRAE. However, my Department was aware that the chief executive of AWE would be announcing the introduction of a voluntary redundancy scheme. Hunting-BRAE is fully conscious of the opportunities and benefits that future diversification can offer and these will be actively pursued when they do not conflict with my Department's primary requirement of maintaining the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons capability.

  Project Horizon
  Mr. Carrington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the current progress of Project Horizon, the common new generation frigate.

  Mr. Aitken
  I am pleased to announce that, at a ceremony in Lancaster House today, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and the Defence
  445
  Ministers of France and Italy—Mr. Francois Leotard and Mr. Cesare Previti, respectively—signed a memorandum of understanding, and its preliminary supplement, concerning the joint development of this project. The memorandum of understanding will govern the design, development and production of the frigate, including its combat system, with the exception of the anti-air warfare system which will be covered by a separate MOU. We have also set in hand important preliminary work, under the preliminary supplement to the MOU, to be completed during the course of the next year. The successful completion of this work will enable us to take the project forward to the next stage of commitment, which will be embodied in the AAW system MOU and an additional supplement to the frigate programme MOU. It remains our firm intention to achieve the best possible value for money for the British taxpayer.

  Nuclear Weapons
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation he has made of the reports by the right hon. Member for Honiton (Sir P. Emery), as chairman of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the North Atlantic Assembly, endorsed by the North Atlantic Assembly meeting in Copenhagen in October last year, on multinational control over, and reductions of, nuclear weapons.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Departmental comments on the draft report by my right hon. Friend the Member for Honiton on nuclear proliferation, and North Atlantic Assembly resolution 245 on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, were produced at the time of the autumn session of the NAA. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Trees
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what sums have been expended on grants for planting of(a) broadleaf trees and (b) conifers in England in each of the last three years under the various incentive schemes in force; and what has been the average area of each planting on which grant was paid in those years.

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

  Planting Grants Paid

  £000

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Conifer

  2,400

  1,300

  1,300

  Broadleaf

  5,100

  8,900

  11,500

  TOTAL

  7,500

  10,200

  12,800

  Average Area Approved (hectares)

  2·4

  3·4

  3·7

  Arable Land
  Sir Richard Body
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information she has sought as to whether Germany, France and Italy have complied with their requirement to set aside arable land; and if she will publish the outcome of her inquiries.
  446
  Mr. Jack
  The arable area payments scheme does not impose any set-aside target at a national level. It is for individual farmers to decide whether or not to apply for payments under the main scheme, although if they do they must set aside part of the area on which they are claiming. The area set aside in individual member states each year will therefore depend entirely on the numbers of farmers who have eligible land and who apply under the main scheme. Provisional Commission figures for the 1992–93 scheme year indicate that 1,063,000 hectares of land were set aside under the scheme in the Federal Republic of Germany, 1,589,000 hectares in France and 207,000 hectares in Italy. This is the appropriate proportion of the total area on which farmers in those countries claimed area payments under the main scheme and the figures are close to earlier Commission estimates of the total areas likely to be set aside in each member state.

  Live Sheep Imports
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has received from Birmingham city council about the import of live sheep, and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  My right hon. Friend has been in correspondence with Birmingham city council and encouraged it to take rigorous action over any infringements of the law. A report prepared by the council into the circumstances surrounding imports of sheep from Spain and Poland has been received. It describes the investigations made, and the prosecutions taken.

  EC Intervention Stocks
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which organisations are in receipt of the canned stewed beef produced from the 6,840 tonnes of beef released by the EC from British intervention stocks.

  Mr. Jack
  A list of organisations designated to distribute beef under the EC surplus food scheme in 1993–94 is available in the Library of the House.

  Forestry
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what conclusions she has drawn from the advice of the forestry review group; when she intends to publish proposals for the future management of the Forestry Commission estate in England; and how she intends to consult in England about these conclusions.

  Mr. Jack
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 19 May 1994 to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, East (Dr. Strang),Official Report, column 552.

  Running Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will provide a table showing the running costs of her Department in each region for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. Jack
  The information asked for can be obtained only at disproportionate cost to the Department.

  German Pork
  Sir Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will take steps to ban the import of pork and pork products from Germany in view of the outbreak of swine fever in German pig herds; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  Community rules to control classical swine fever and prevent the risk of spread of the disease via exports are already in place. Responsibility for enforcing those rules lies with the member state of origin. The situation in Germany, including any need for additional measures, is kept under close review by the EC standing veterinary committee. I shall myself continue to monitor the matter to ensure the disease does not spread to this country.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Conspiracy to Defraud
  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement about the validity of the guidance to Crown prosecutors about charging practice in relation to the offence of conspiracy to defraud contained in previous editions of the code for Crown prosecutors.

  The Attorney-General
  Following advice from the Criminal Law Revision Committee, guidance on the use of the offence of conspiracy to defraud was incorporated into the code for Crown prosecutors following enactment of section 12 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987.

  The code for Crown prosecutors has recently been revised. It is intended primarily to provide guidance on the general principles which are applied in the conduct of prosecutions. Detailed guidance on particular offences is not appropriate to the revised code and the paragraphs relating to consiracy to defraud no longer appear. However, the policy and practice of the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to alleged offences of conspiracy to defraud remains unchanged.

SCOTLAND

  Road Schemes
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many representations he has received in support of construction of a three-towns bypass in the area of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston; and if he will make a statement on the current status of this project.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Within recent years the hon. Member and the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South (Mr. Donohoe) have made several representations in favour of a bypass for Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston. Support has also been expressed formally by five representative bodies and two individual correspondents.

  The consulting engineer reviewing the alignment and standards for the new road is expected to report to my officials later this summer. Subject to a satisfactory proposal, the design and preparation of the preferred scheme will then be taken forward.

  Bicycles
  Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what facilities his Department provides for the parking of the bicycles of visitors to its offices in Westminster.

  Mr. Lang
  There are no facilities for parking bicycles outside my office in Whitehall. We can, however, arrange for bicycles to be held for visitors by pre-arrangement.

  Al
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his proposals for the route of the new dual carriageway section of the Al trunk road between Haddington and Dunbar.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The dualling of the Al between Haddington and Dunbar was one of the major schemes which my right hon. Friend recently announced that he expected to start between April 1995 and March 1997 in his statement about progress on trunk road construction and proposed starts in Scotland in the next three years. My officials plan to publish draft road orders in August this year. A public exhibition will be held to explain the details of the proposals. Further progress will, of course, be dependent on the public reaction to the proposals and availability of finance.

  Youssef Chaabane
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Prime Minister's answer of 5 July,Official Report, columns 127–28, what further investigation the Lord Advocate plans into the case of Youssef Chaabane, accused in a Beirut court of murdering a Jordanian diplomat; and whether he is sending Crown Office lawyers to Beirut.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate does not announce publicly what investigative steps he may or may not take in any particular criminal investigation. Criminal investigations could not proceed on any proper basis if they were carried out in such a manner. My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate has sent, and will send, Crown Office lawyers wherever it is necessary and appropriate to send them.

  Public Appointments
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table updating the information provided by written answer to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Shettleston (Mr. Marshall) on 30 April 1991,Official Report, columns 154–57, relating to the paid appointments within his patronage and the annual remuneration paid to each one.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 4 July 1994]: Information concerning the level of any salary or fee paid to a member of a nationalised industry, non-departmental public body or NHS bodies sponsored by my Department as at 1 September 1993 is listed in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1993", copies of which are in the Libraries of the House. The next edition of "Public Bodies" with updated information will be published in December. Information regarding appointments made jointly with other Ministers is no longer held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Child Care
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what provision his Department makes for child care facilities for staff; what is the extent of subsidy to nursery places and holiday play schemes; if his Department(a) subscribes to Childcare Solutions and (b) makes child care vouchers available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: The Scottish Office has its own on-site nursery at East Craigs, Edinburgh which is registered for 15 full-time places and operates on a mix of full and part-time attendance. Those using the facility meet its running costs with accommodation costs being met by my Department. The Scottish Office takes occupancy of a major new building at Victoria Quay, Leith in the autumn of 1995. Plans for this building include a 30–35 place nursery.

  Staff in my Department can also place children in the central holiday playscheme in Edinburgh. The facilities are available to staff on a full repayment basis although my Department makes an annual contribution of around £500 to the playscheme to help with the cost of outings. Discussions are also taking place about access to a playscheme in the Glasgow area.

  Additionally, my Department has several other ways in which it helps its staff with child care responsibilities, including special leave, paternity leave, flexible working patterns and career breaks. Although my Department does not subscribe to Childcare Solutions or make use of child care vouchers, it is shortly to introduce a scheme whereby staff can make claims for the reimbursement of reasonable and unavoidable child care costs incurred when the normal working pattern is disrupted.

  Staff (Attitude Survey)
  Mr. Radice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what surveys of the views, opinions and attitudes of the staff of his Department have been carried out in the last two years; and if he will place copies of the findings in the Library.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: As part of its commitment to achieving the Investors in People standard, the Scottish Office carried out an attitude survey of 20 per cent. of staff in August 1992.

  Information on the key points emerging from the survey was distributed to all staff and a fuller executive summary was made available on request. I have arranged for copies of these documents to be placed in the Library of the House.

EDUCATION

  Primary Schools (Inspections)
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many primary schools, by local education authority, have been informed that they will have Ofsted inspections in the autumn term; how many of them have been informed by Ofsted of the registered inspector 450
  appointed to carry out their inspection; how many of them have been told by Ofsted that their inspection is deferred until the spring term of 1995; and how many of them have neither been informed of their registered inspector nor been told of deferment.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  This is a matter for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools, who heads the independent Office for Standards in Education. I have asked Professor Sutherland to write to the hon. Member.

  Running Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will provide a table showing the running costs of his Department in each region for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  In the years prior to 1993–94 HM inspectorate maintained small local offices in each region, but the Department as currently constituted does not operate a regional structure; its headquarters functions are carried out in offices in London and Darlington. In 1993–94 the Department's running costs expenditure was split broadly 70:30 between the London and Darlington offices. Detailed information on the actual spend between each office for that and previous years could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The net administration costs for the Department in each year since 1987–88 were as follows:

  £'000s

  1987–88

  58,594

  1988–89

  67,402

  1989–90

  74,501

  1990–91

  85,067

  1991–92

  102,414

  1992–93

  108,370

  1993–94

  88,370

  The 1993–94 figure is provisional and reflects changes in the machinery of Government.

  Grant-maintained Schools
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what numbers and percentages of pupils attend grant-maintained secondary schools in England; and what are the figures for each local education authority;

  (2) what numbers and percentages of pupils attend grant-maintained schools in England; and what are the figures for each local education authority;

  (3) what numbers and percentages of secondary schools are grant-maintained in England; and what are the figures for each local education authority;

  (4) what number and percentage of schools are grant-maintained in England; and what are the figures for each local education authority;

  (5) what numbers and percentages of primary schools are grant-maintained in England; and what are the figures in each local education authority.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The information requested is set out in the tables.
  451

  Table A: Number and percentage of pupils at grant-maintained schools

  Primary

  Secondary

  Primary and Secondary

  Lea area

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Corporation of London

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Camden

  0

  0·0

  2,340

  22·3

  2,340

  11·1

  Greenwich

  239

  1·1

  0

  0·0

  239

  0·7

  Hackney

  87

  0·5

  0

  0·0

  87

  0·4

  Hammersmith

  0

  0·0

  1,229

  20·6

  1,229

  8·2

  Islington

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Kensington and Chelsea

  530

  8·4

  629

  19·6

  1,159

  12·2

  Lambeth

  1,250

  6·6

  3,363

  53·0

  4,613

  18·2

  Lewisham

  361

  1·8

  0

  0·0

  361

  1·2

  Southwark

  1,265

  6·0

  2,765

  30·3

  4,030

  13·3

  Tower Hamlets

  0

  0·0

  907

  7·8

  907

  2·8

  Wandsworth

  515

  3·0

  6,487

  72·8

  7,002

  26·8

  Westminster

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Barking

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Barnet

  776

  3·3

  9,836

  53·4

  10,612

  25·1

  Bexley

  643

  3·5

  3,581

  24·9

  4,224

  12·8

  Brent

  1,002

  4·5

  9,377

  75·7

  10,379

  30·0

  Bromley

  1,151

  5·6

  11,342

  68·0

  12,493

  33·6

  Croydon

  836

  3·2

  5,897

  40·5

  6,733

  16·5

  Ealing

  1,217

  4·4

  4,905

  44·6

  6,122

  15·9

  Enfield

  149

  0·6

  5,576

  32·1

  5,725

  14·1

  Haringey

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Harrow

  0

  0·0

  483

  6·1

  483

  1·8

  Havering

  0

  0·0

  3,813

  25·7

  3,813

  11·1

  Hillingdon

  2,602

  13·3

  11,467

  83·6

  14,069

  42·2

  Hounslow

  0

  0·0

  2,108

  15·0

  2,108

  6·3

  Kingston upon Thames

  191

  1·8

  2,859

  37·6

  3,050

  16·9

  Merton

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Newham

  0

  0·0

  556

  4·1

  556

  1·4

  Redbridge

  0

  0·0

  1,113

  7·4

  1,113

  3·3

  Richmond upon Thames

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Sutton

  799

  6·2

  6,591

  59·6

  7,390

  30·9

  Waltham Forest

  0

  0·0

  1,915

  17·3

  1,915

  6·2

  Birmingham

  1,717

  1·6

  14,621

  23·0

  16,338

  9·6

  Coventry

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Dudley

  381

  1·4

  4,458

  25·4

  4,839

  10·6

  Sandwell

  0

  0·0

  658

  3·7

  658

  1·3

  Solihull

  454

  2·3

  0

  0·0

  454

  1·4

  Walsall

  561

  2·0

  5,557

  29·0

  6,118

  12·9

  Wolverhampton

  0

  0·0

  2,348

  14·9

  2,348

  5·7

  Knowsley

  0

  0·0

  719

  8·0

  719

  2·6

  Liverpool

  0

  0·0

  2,260

  7·6

  2,260

  2·8

  St. Helens

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Sefton

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Wirral

  0

  0·0

  2,031

  9·8

  2,031

  3·9

  Bolton

  364

  1·3

  2,755

  16·6

  3,119

  7·1

  Bury

  223

  1·3

  0

  0·0

  223

  0·8

  Manchester

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Oldham

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Rochdale

  1,115

  5·2

  1,053

  8·3

  2,168

  6·4

  Salford

  0

  0·0

  413

  3·6

  413

  1·2

  Stockport

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Tameside

  0

  0·0

  2,332

  18·1

  2,332

  6·5

  Trafford

  0

  0·0

  2,892

  25·4

  2,892

  9·2

  Wigan

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Barnsley

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Doncaster

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Rotherham

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Sheffield

  943

  2·2

  1,893

  7·1

  2,836

  4·0

  Bradford

  539

  1·3

  5,080

  11·1

  5,619

  6·5

  Calderdale

  660

  3·3

  6,337

  48·3

  6,997

  21·3

  Kirklees

  0

  0·0

  1,266

  5·1

  1,266

  2·1

  Leeds

  51

  0·1

  1,138

  2·6

  1,189

  1·1

  Wakefield

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Gateshead

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  North Tyneside

  0

  0·0

  212

  1·5

  212

  0·7

  South Tyneside

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Sunderland

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Avon

  0

  0·0

  1,569

  2·9

  1,569

  1·2

  Bedfordshire

  629

  1·5

  8,568

  19·6

  9,197

  10·7

  Berkshire

  2,242

  3·7

  7,389

  16·0

  9,631

  9·0

  Buckinghamshire

  2,126

  3·5

  9,844

  27·3

  11,970

  12·3

  Cambridgeshire

  1,911

  3·3

  15,109

  37·5

  17,020

  17·2

  Cheshire

  418

  0·5

  2,395

  3·8

  2,813

  1·9

  452 453

  Primary

  Secondary

  Primary and Secondary

  Lea area

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Cleveland

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Cornwall

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Cumbria

  2,399

  5·6

  10,617

  34·6

  13,016

  17·8

  Derbyshire

  1,671

  2·0

  15,275

  26·8

  16,946

  12·0

  Devon

  285

  0·4

  4,571

  8·0

  4,856

  3·5

  Dorset

  415

  0·9

  9,537

  23·6

  9,952

  11·7

  Durham

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  East Sussex

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Essex

  18,774

  15·4

  66,322

  70·1

  85,096

  39·3

  Gloucestershire

  2,820

  6·6

  21,584

  66·2

  24,404

  32·3

  Hampshire

  3,911

  3·0

  15,780

  20·7

  19,691

  9·6

  Hereford and Worcester

  0

  0·0

  3,558

  7·6

  3,558

  3·8

  Hertfordshire

  1,564

  1·9

  20,565

  30·7

  22,129

  14·8

  Humberside

  257

  0·3

  0

  0·0

  257

  0·2

  Isle of Wight

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Kent

  4,877

  3·9

  51,187

  50·8

  56,064

  24·7

  Lancashire

  578

  0·4

  6,593

  8·0

  7,171

  3·4

  Leicestershire

  0

  0·0

  3,222

  5·5

  3,222

  2·3

  Lincolnshire

  6,219

  12·7

  16,323

  44·2

  22,542

  26·3

  Norfolk

  2,623

  4·2

  8,608

  21·4

  11,231

  11·0

  North Yorkshire

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Northamptonshire

  3,072

  6·1

  9,197

  20·7

  12,269

  13·0

  Northumberland

  0

  0·0

  632

  2·2

  632

  1·2

  Nottinghamshire

  0

  0·0

  1,831

  2·9

  1,831

  1·2

  Oxfordshire

  81

  0·2

  0

  0·0

  81

  0·1

  Shropshire

  307

  0·9

  4,324

  17·5

  4,631

  7·7

  Somerset

  374

  1·1

  398

  1·4

  772

  1·2

  Staffordshire

  49

  0·1

  4,298

  6·3

  4,347

  2·7

  Suffolk

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Surrey

  3,546

  4·6

  9,915

  25·5

  13,461

  11·7

  Warwickshire

  0

  0·0

  4,669

  18·9

  4,669

  6·6

  West Sussex

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Wiltshire

  2,915

  6·2

  13,216

  39·2

  16,131

  20·0

  Total England

  84,684

  2·0

  504,258

  17·6

  588,942

  8·4

  Table B: Number and percentage of schools which are grant-maintained

  LEA area

  Primary

  Secondary

  Primary and Secondary

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Corporation of London

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Camden

  0

  0·0

  2

  18·2

  2

  3·8

  Greenwich

  1

  1·3

  0

  0·0

  1

  1·1

  Hackney

  1

  1·6

  0

  0·0

  1

  1·4

  Hammersmith

  0

  0·0

  1

  10·0

  1

  2·1

  Islington

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Kensington and Chelsea

  2

  7·4

  1

  25·0

  3

  9·7

  Lambeth

  5

  6·5

  5

  50·0

  10

  11·5

  Lewisham

  1

  1·4

  0

  0·0

  1

  1·2

  Southwark

  5

  6·6

  5

  35·7

  10

  11·1

  Tower Hamlets

  0

  0·0

  1

  6·7

  1

  1·1

  Wandsworth

  2

  2·8

  6

  60·0

  8

  9·8

  Westminster

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Barking

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Barnet

  2

  2·2

  10

  47·6

  12

  10·9

  Bexley

  3

  4·6

  5

  29·4

  8

  9·8

  Brent

  3

  4·7

  10

  76·9

  13

  16·9

  Bromley

  3

  3·8

  12

  70·6

  15

  15·8

  Croydon

  2

  2·0

  7

  35·0

  9

  7·6

  Ealing

  4

  6·0

  5

  41·7

  9

  11·4

  Enfield

  1

  1·4

  5

  29·4

  6

  6·9

  Haringey

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Harrow

  0

  0·0

  1

  10·0

  1

  1·6

  Havering

  0

  0·0

  4

  21·1

  4

  4·3

  Hillingdon

  11

  15·3

  12

  80·0

  23

  26·4

  Hounslow

  0

  0·0

  2

  14·3

  2

  2·6

  Kingston upon Thames

  1

  2·8

  4

  40·0

  5

  10·9

  Merton

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Newham

  0

  0·0

  1

  7·1

  1

  1·2

  Redbridge

  0

  0·0

  1

  6·7

  1

  1·4

  Richmond upon Thames

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Sutton

  3

  7·0

  8

  57·1

  11

  19·3

  Waltham Forest

  0

  0·0

  2

  12·5

  2

  2·6

  Birmingham

  6

  1·8

  17

  21·3

  23

  5·6

  Coventry

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  454 455

  LEA area

  Primary

  Secondary

  Primary and Secondary

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Dudley

  1

  1·2

  6

  27·3

  7

  6·7

  Sandwell

  0

  0·0

  1

  5·0

  1

  0·8

  Solihull

  1

  1·4

  0

  0·0

  1

  1·2

  Walsall

  2

  1·9

  6

  28·6

  8

  6·4

  Wolverhampton

  0

  0·0

  3

  15·0

  3

  2·5

  Knowsley

  0

  0·0

  1

  9·1

  1

  1·3

  Liverpool

  0

  0·0

  3

  8·3

  3

  1·3

  St. Helens

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Sefton

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Wirral

  0

  0·0

  2

  9·5

  2

  1·6

  Bolton

  1

  1·0

  3

  18·8

  4

  3·3

  Bury

  1

  1·4

  0

  0·0

  1

  1·2

  Manchester

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Oldham

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Rochdale

  4

  5·3

  1

  7·1

  5

  5·6

  Salford

  0

  0·0

  1

  5·6

  1

  0·9

  Stockport

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Tameside

  0

  0·0

  3

  16·7

  3

  3·0

  Trafford

  0

  0·0

  4

  25·0

  4

  4·3

  Wigan

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Barnsley

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Doncaster

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Rotherham

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Sheffield

  6

  3·6

  2

  6·5

  8

  4·1

  Bradford

  3

  1·8

  6

  6·8

  9

  3·6

  Calderdale

  4

  4·4

  7

  43·8

  11

  10·3

  Kirklees

  0

  0·0

  2

  5·9

  2

  1·0

  Leeds

  1

  0·4

  1

  2·2

  2

  0·7

  Wakefield

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Gateshead

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  North Tyneside

  0

  0·0

  1

  3·8

  1

  1·1

  South Tyneside

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Sunderland

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Avon

  0

  0·0

  2

  3·3

  2

  0·5

  Bedfordshire

  3

  1·4

  10

  14·1

  13

  4·5

  Berkshire

  7

  2·5

  10

  16·9

  17

  5·1

  Buckinghamshire

  6

  2·1

  10

  22·2

  16

  4·8

  Cambridgeshire

  6

  2·2

  16

  37·2

  22

  7·1

  Cheshire

  3

  0·7

  3

  4·4

  6

  1·1

  Cleveland

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Cornwall

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Cumbria

  18

  5·8

  14

  33·3

  32

  9·2

  Derbyshire

  7

  1·6

  14

  23·0

  21

  4·1

  Devon

  1

  0·2

  6

  9·4

  7

  1·4

  Dorset

  1

  0·5

  10

  17·9

  11

  4·3

  Durham

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  East Sussex

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Essex

  72

  12·4

  70

  66·0

  142

  20·7

  Gloucestershire

  11

  4·2

  27

  62·8

  38

  12·5

  Hampshire

  13

  2·2

  18

  19·1

  31

  4·6

  Hereford and Worcester

  0

  0·0

  5

  6·6

  5

  1·4

  Hertfordshire

  9

  2·1

  23

  25·6

  32

  6·1

  Humberside

  2

  0·6

  0

  0·0

  2

  0·5

  Isle of Wight

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Kent

  18

  3·2

  62

  45·6

  80

  11·3

  Lancashire

  2

  0·3

  8

  7·5

  10

  1·4

  Leicestershire

  0

  0·0

  5

  6·3

  5

  1·2

  Lincolnshire

  23

  7·8

  24

  38·1

  47

  13·2

  Norfolk

  13

  3·3

  12

  23·1

  25

  5·6

  North Yorkshire

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Northamptonshire

  9

  3·3

  12

  18·8

  21

  6·3

  Northumberland

  0

  0·0

  1

  1·6

  1

  0·5

  Nottinghamshire

  0

  0·0

  3

  3·7

  3

  0·6

  Oxfordshire

  1

  0·4

  0

  0·0

  1

  0·4

  Shropshire

  1

  0·5

  6

  16·2

  7

  2·8

  Somerset

  2

  0·9

  1

  2·6

  3

  1·1

  Staffordshire

  2

  0·5

  5

  5·9

  7

  1·4

  Suffolk

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Surrey

  14

  3·8

  13

  25·5

  27

  6·4

  Warwickshire

  0

  0·0

  8

  21·6

  8

  2·8

  West Sussex

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  0

  0·0

  Wiltshire

  12

  4·1

  16

  36·4

  28

  8·3

  TOTAL

  336

  1·8

  594

  16·2

  930

  4·1

  456 457
  Notes:

  1. All figures for numbers of pupils are derived from the Department's January 1993 Schools Census. In calculating the percentage of primary schools part-time pupils in grant-maintained schools are excluded.

  2. Figures for number of maintained schools are derived from the Department's January 1993 Schools Census. The number of grant-maintained schools is correct as of 1 July.

  3. The percentages represent the number of pupils at grant-maintained schools as a proportion of the number of pupils at all maintained schools, and the number of grant-maintained schools as a proportion of the number of all maintained schools.

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list by local education authority the number and percentage of children in each grant-maintained school with statements of special educational needs.

  Mr. Forth
  A table containing the latest available information has been placed in the Library.

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list by local education authority those grant-maintained schools which had specific units or support services for children with special educational needs when they attained grant-maintained status; and whether those units or support services are still available.

  Mr. Forth
  The Department does not have a comprehensive central record of specific units and support services for children with special educational needs at grant-maintained schools.

  Children (Chronic Allergies)
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance has been issued by his Department to representatives of the teaching profession, regarding the need to cater for school children with chronic allergic conditions who may require the immediate administration of adrenalin injections while at school; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Forth
  General guidance on health care in schools for children with medical conditions is given in the Department's circular 11/90 "Staffing for Pupils with Special Educational Needs". The code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs offers guidance to schools on the circumstances in which they might have recourse to the child health services.

  The statutory responsibility for securing health care for children in school rests with district health authorities. Teachers could not be required in law to administer medicines or to give injections. However, teachers have a general duty of care towards children in schools, and it is therefore reasonable to expect a teacher to react promptly if a child with a chronic allergy condition is suddenly taken ill. Such action could include assisting with the injection of adrenaline, if the teacher is competent and willing to do so and has been appropriately trained.

  Education Costs
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the average cost to the Exchequer of 11 years of compulsory education in local authority-maintained schools.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  In 1992–93, local education authorities spent an average of £1,857 per pupil in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools. LEA spending returns do not allow us to distinguish the amount spent on compulsory education from within that total.
  458
  Most central Government support for local authorities is in the form of unhypothecated revenue support grant. It is not therefore possible to identify the proportion of local authority education spending met by the Exchequer.

  School Meals
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will publish a table showing the number of children receiving free school meals in each local education authority area; what percentage that is of the total number of children receiving school meals in that area; and what are the national totals in each case;

  (2) when he expects to publish the results of his Department's annual survey of school meals relating to 1993.

  Mr. Forth
  The results of the survey are contained in "Statistics of Education for Schools 1993" published on 30 June. A copy is available in the Library.

  The table covers day pupils receiving free school meals in maintained schools in each local education authority in England in January 1993.

  LEA

  Number

  Percentage1

  Corporation of London

  108

  64

  Camden

  5,576

  52

  Greenwich

  9,544

  59

  Hackney

  10,210

  64

  Hammersmith

  4,880

  49

  Islington

  7,943

  61

  Kensington and Chelsea

  2,960

  47

  Lambeth

  9,820

  57

  Lewisham

  9,312

  53

  Southwark

  10,804

  61

  Tower Hamlets

  15,113

  71

  Wandsworth

  7,404

  48

  Westminster

  5,327

  56

  Barking and Dagenham

  3,877

  41

  Barnet

  5,258

  25

  Bexley

  3,705

  30

  Brent

  7,892

  52

  Bromley

  4,392

  28

  Croydon

  7,192

  35

  Ealing

  7,877

  47

  Enfield

  5,912

  36

  Haringey

  8,368

  54

  Harrow

  2,212

  46

  Havering

  3,015

  27

  Hillingdon

  2,952

  40

  Hounslow

  5,576

  35

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  1,232

  35

  Merton

  3,171

  40

  Newham

  9,608

  63

  Redbridge

  4,149

  28

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  1,822

  30

  Sutton

  2,128

  22

  Waltham Forest

  7,626

  47

  Birmingham

  51,990

  53

  Coventry

  10,638

  53

  Dudley

  6,498

  37

  Sandwell

  10,656

  53

  Solihull

  4,201

  26

  Walsall

  10,146

  41

  Wolverhampton

  8,830

  54

  Knowsley

  10,329

  73

  Liverpool

  25,071

  60

  St. Helens

  5,379

  37

  459

  LEA

  Number

  Percentage1

  Sefton

  7,683

  43

  Wirral

  12,158

  47

  Bolton

  7,480

  33

  Bury

  3,809

  27

  Manchester

  26,722

  62

  Oldham

  9,041

  39

  Rochdale

  7,600

  41

  Salford

  9,558

  47

  Stockport

  5,817

  26

  Tameside

  7,067

  38

  Trafford

  4,987

  35

  Wigan

  8,148

  35

  Barnsley

  6,496

  39

  Doncaster

  10,465

  34

  Rotherham

  7,224

  43

  Sheffield

  14,489

  45

  Bradford

  20,249

  43

  Calderdale

  5,341

  35

  Kirklees

  10,230

  32

  Leeds

  17,281

  33

  Wakefield

  7,708

  31

  Gateshead

  6,193

  45

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  11,109

  51

  North Tyneside

  5,262

  33

  South Tyneside

  6,691

  45

  Sunderland

  10,292

  44

  Isles of Scilly

  11

  12

  Avon

  20,979

  38

  Bedfordshire

  13,055

  28

  Berkshire

  10,083

  25

  Buckinghamshire

  6,325

  41

  Cambridgeshire

  11,896

  35

  Cheshire

  19,067

  29

  Cleveland

  23,819

  43

  Cornwall

  10,664

  33

  Cumbria

  8,231

  23

  Derbyshire

  18,994

  20

  Devon

  20,494

  34

  Dorset

  7,053

  40

  Durham

  17,065

  32

  East Sussex

  13,248

  37

  Essex

  25,885

  34

  Gloucestershire

  8,592

  37

  Hampshire

  26,038

  36

  Hereford and Worcester

  7,932

  32

  Hertfordshire

  14,812

  22

  Humberside

  23,091

  30

  Isle of Wight

  3,215

  41

  Kent

  29,238

  33

  Lancashire

  37,774

  37

  Leicestershire

  17,676

  30

  Lincolnshire

  6,201

  31

  Norfolk

  12,146

  32

  North Yorkshire

  7,997

  17

  Northamptonshire

  8,802

  41

  Northumberland

  6,440

  24

  Nottinghamshire

  26,539

  38

  Oxfordshire

  7,172

  28

  Shropshire

  8,305

  26

  Somerset

  6,188

  39

  Staffordshire

  22,188

  31

  Suffolk

  9,327

  27

  Surrey

  9,463

  17

  Warwickshire

  7,560

  28

  West Sussex

  9,249

  27

  Wiltshire

  8,709

  31

  ENGLAND

  1,141,326

  37

  Number of day pupils who received a free school meal as a proportion of all school meals taken.

  Information on pupils is derived from the annual returns made to the Department in January each year (Form 7).

  Includes self-governing (GM) state schools.

  Includes full-time and part-time day pupils in maintained schools, including nursery and special schools, who had a school meal on the Census day.

  Excludes boarding pupils and pupils in hospital schools.

  Special Schools
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the schemes he has approved for the local management of special schools submitted to him by local education authorities.

  Mr. Forth
  No. Section 42(1) of the Education Reform Act 1988 requires LEAs to publish their own LMS schemes. The manner in which they must do so is prescribed in the Education (Publication of Schemes for Financing Schools) Regulations 1993.

WALES

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many new full-time equivalent jobs have been created in Clwyd during the past 15 months; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  Comprehensive information is not collected on new jobs created. However, offers of regional selective assistance accepted during the 15 months ending on 31 May 1994 were forecast to create 2,032 jobs in Clwyd.

  Hedgerows
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the percentage of hedgerows and total hedgerow stock in 1984 which has subsequently been lost; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  A survey carried out by the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology as part of the Department of the Environment's 1990 countryside survey found that in 1984 there was an estimated stock of 71,000 km of hedgerow in Wales, but, by 1990, there had been a net loss of 18,000 km or 25 per cent. of the total stock. The main reason for this loss was poor management and as a result the Countryside Council for Wales in 1992, at the request of the Welsh Office, established the hedgerow renovation scheme.

  The most recent survey of hedgerows in England and Wales will shortly be completed, covering the years 1990–93. This will provide details of more recent changes in stock levels.

  Snowdonia
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times Snowdonia mountain rescue services were called into action in 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  In 1993, there were 174 incidents in Snowdonia involving mountain rescue services.

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all those hospitals and medical establishments that have national health service trust status in Wales.

  Mr. Redwood
  The information is not currently available in the form requested. Actual details on hospitals,
  461
  health centres and clinics, vehicles and other accommodation, assets and equipment that is either vested in, or leased by, national health service trusts in Wales are contained in the individual transfer of assets orders, not all of which have been finalised.

  From 1 April 1994 there are 24 operational national health service trusts in Wales. The details are:

  Pembrokeshire NHS Trust

  Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust

  Carmarthen and District NHS Trust

  Llanelli Dinefwr NHS Trust

  Swansea NHS Trust

  Bridgend and District NHS Trust

  Llandough Hospital NHS Trust

  Glan Hafren NHS Trust

  Gwent Community Health NHS Trust

  Powys Healthcare NHS Trust

  Wrexham Maelor Hospital NHS Trust

  Glan Clwyd District Hospital NHS Trust

  Clwydian Community Care NHS Trust

  Gwynedd Hospitals NHS Trust

  Gwynedd Community Health NHS Trust

  Nevi11 Hall and District NHS Trust

  Velindre NHS Trust

  Rhondda Health Care NHS Trust

  Derwen NHS Trust

  Morriston Hospital NHS Trust

  East Glamorgan NHS Trust

  South and East Wales Ambulance NHS Trust

  North Wales Ambulance NHS Trust

  Mid Glamorgan Ambulance NHS Trust

  Bicycles
  Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what facilities his Department provides for the parking of the bicycles of visitors to its offices in Westminster.

  Mr. Redwood
  There is no provision for any types of transport outside my Department. However, arrangements can usually be made with the Ministry of Defence to park bicycles in its car park close by.

  Special Schools
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the schemes he has approved from the local management of special schools submitted to him by local education authorities.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  My right hon. Friend has no plans to do so. The extension of the local management of schools

  Grant maintained

  All grant maintained primary and Secondary schools

  Primary schools

  secondary schools

  1Number

  2Per cent.

  1Number

  2Per cent.

  1Number

  2Per cent.

  Clwyd

  442

  1·1

  3,349

  12·3

  3,791

  5·6

  Dyfed

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Gwent

  220

  0·5

  1,385

  4·7

  1,605

  2·2

  Gwynedd

  218

  1·1

  0

  0

  218

  0·6

  Mid Glamorgan

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Powys

  36

  0·3

  0

  0

  36

  0·2

  South Glamorgan

  0

  0

  2,971

  10·9

  2,971

  4·4

  West Glamorgan

  0

  0

  933

  4·0

  933

  1·5

  Wales

  916

  0·3

  8,638

  4·5

  9,554

  2·0

  1Pupil numbers as at January 1993 (which is the latest available date), and are for all schools which were grant maintained as at April 1994.

  2Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of full time and part time pupils in the same sector for the LEA.

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what numbers and percentages of schools are grant-maintained in Wales; and what are the figures for each local eduction authority;
  462
  arrangements to special schools was deemed a significant variation to a local education authority's LMS scheme and as such it is for the local authority to publish the changes in accordance with section 42 of the Education Reform Act 1988 and the Education (Publication of Schemes for Financing Schools) Regulations 1993.

  Remploy Centres
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many Remploy centres he has visited since his appointment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  None. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment has responsibility for this organisation.

  Road Improvement Schemes
  Mr. Elfyn Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many road improvement schemes are currently being planned for(a) Gwynnedd, (b) Clwyd, (c) Dyfed, (d) Powyd, (e) Gwent, (f) South Glamorgan, (g) Mid Glamorgan, (h) West Glamorgan and (i) Wales as a whole; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  "Roads in Wales", to be published shortly by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, will set out our priorities and plans for improvements to trunk roads.

  Schools Statistics
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what numbers and percentages of pupils attend grant-maintained secondary schools in Wales; and what are the figures for each local education authority;

  (2) what numbers and percentages of pupils attend grant-maintained primary schools in Wales; and what are the figures for each local education authority;

  (3) what numbers and percentages of pupils attend grant-maintained schools in Wales; and what are the figures for each local education authority.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The numbers and percentages of pupils attending grant-maintained schools in Wales in each local education authority are shown in the table:

  (2) what numbers and percentages of primary schools are grant-maintained in Wales; and what are the figures for each local education authority;
  463
  (3) what numbers and percentages of secondary schools are grant-maintained in Wales; and what are the figures for each local education authority.

  Grant maintained

  All grant maintained primary and Secondary schools

  Primary schools

  secondary schools

  Number1

  Per cent. 2

  Number1

  Per cent. 2

  Number1

  Per cent. 2

  Clwyd

  2

  0·8

  4

  12·5

  6

  2·2

  Dyfed

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Gwent

  1

  0·5

  3

  9·1

  4

  1·6

  Gwynedd

  1

  0·5

  0

  0

  1

  0

  Mid Glamorgan

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Powys

  1

  0·9

  0

  0

  1

  0·8

  South Glamorgan

  0

  0

  3

  11·5

  3

  1·6

  West Glamorgan

  0

  0

  1

  3·7

  1

  0·5

  Wales

  5

  0·3

  11

  4·8

  16

  0·8

  1As at April 1994.

  2Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of schools in the same sector for the local education authority.

  Special Educational Needs
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by local education authority the grant-maintained schools which had specific units or support services for children with special educational needs when they attained grant-maintained status and indicate whether these units or support services are still available.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Details of the grant-maintained schools in Wales were given in my reply of 9 December 1993 and my right hon. Friend's reply of 4 July 1994 to the hon. Members for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) and for Caerphilly (Mr. Davies). All GM schools had support services when they were approved for grant-maintained status, and Ysgol Bryn Elian and St. Cyres had designated special needs units attached to them. The schools' change of status has in no way affected their availability.

  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by local education authority the number and percentage of children in each grant-maintained school with statements of special educational needs.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The numbers and percentages of children in grant-maintained schools with statements of special educational needs in Wales in each local education authority are shown in the following table. This information was not collected from individual schools in 1993.

  Number1

  Per cent.2

  Clwyd

  0

  0

  Dyfed

  0

  0

  Gwent

  8

  0·3

  Gwynedd

  0

  0

  Mid Glamorgan

  0

  0

  Powys

  0

  0

  South Glamorgan

  0

  0

  West Glamorgan

  31

  1·3

  WALES

  39

  0·2

  Source: Form STATS2.

  1As at January 1993.

  2Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of
  464
  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The numbers and percentages of grant maintained schools in Wales in each local education authority are shown in the table

  children with statements of special educational needs (including those being educated outside the local education authority area in which they are registered) in the local education authority.

  NHS Trusts (Pay Awards)
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from NHS trusts in Wales on the effect of the implementation of the current health service pay award on the numbers of staff the trusts employ.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Pembroke (Mr. Ainger) on 13 May, column 268.

  Local Government Reform
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from local authorities or their associations in relation to the execution of their duties to staff affected by staff transfer orders and other procedures occasioned by the reform of local government, particularly with respect to compliance with the duties of employees under the acquired rights directive and the collective redundancies directive of the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  I have received several such representations, which I will take into account in guidance to the Staff Commission for Wales. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State set out the Government's view on how the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations—which implement the acquired rights directive—apply to local government reorganisation in Standing Committee A on 17 May.

  Welsh Language
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when final results of the 1992 Welsh social survey relating to the Welsh language will be published.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Preliminary results relating to the Welsh language were issued in a Welsh Office statistical press release on 29 July 1993. An article on Welsh language aspects of the survey was published in the autumn 1993 edition of "Statistical News", issue 102,
  465
  a copy of which is in the Library of the House. It is planned to produce a further report later this year. This timetable is later than that originally envisaged due to slower than expected progress with other work arising from the survey.

  Training and Enterprise Councils.
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he expects that his Department's financial appraisal and monitoring team will complete(a) the review of the monitoring and sample checking systems of the Welsh training and enterprise councils in relation to operating agreement compliance and (b) the review of the non-vocational qualifications claims under output-related funding of training provided by JHP Training in Wales and their verification; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Department's financial appraisal and monitoring team reviews the systems of training and enterprise councils to ensure compliance with the operating agreement and that standards are maintained.

  The review of NVQ claims following training provided by JHP Training in Wales will be completed by the end of August.

  Ambulances (Bull Bars)
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will instruct South and East Wales Ambulance trust to remove the bull bars fitted to their vehicles and instruct all ambulance services that the fitting of bull bars to emergency vehicles is prohibited on the grounds of safety.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The South and East Wales Ambulance NHS Trust has already made arrangements to remove bull bars from 10 ambulance vehicles. Elsewhere in Wales bull bars are not fitted to front-line ambulance vehicles.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  St. Ethelburga's Church
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to fund the rebuilding of St. Ethelburga's church from the millennium fund or the proceeds of the national lottery.

  Mr. Sproat
  The responsibility for the allocation of lottery proceeds is a matter for independent distributing bodies accountable to Parliament. These bodies—the Sports Councils, the Arts Councils, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the Millennium Commission and the National Lottery Charities Board—will issue full guidance notes for applicants in the autumn. Those interested in receiving grants from the national lottery will need to apply to the relevant distributing body.

  Film Industry
  Mr. Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what consultations he has had with representatives of the film industry.

  Mr. Brooke
  Last year I held a series of 10 consultative meetings with all sectors of the film industry to consider the state of the industry and how the level of investment in British film production might be raised. I have 466
  subsequently had discussions with a number of key industry figures. I will announce the Government's conclusions in due course.

  Arts Council
  Mr. Nicholls
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how he intends to improve the accountability of the Arts Council.

  Mr. Brooke
  I have explored with the chairman of the Arts Council ways in which the council's accountability can be improved. The council has agreed a programme to implement a number of proposals, including an annual Arts Council lecture, twice-yearly public meetings outside London and a series of meetings on each of the different art forms. I welcome these proposals, as a positive move to improve public understanding of the council's operations and decisions.

  Cross-media Ownership
  Mr. Wicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on Government policy towards cross-media ownership.

  Mr. Brooke
  I announced on 3 January that I would be reviewing the rules which restrict cross-media ownership. Ministers will be considering a report by officials during the summer. The timing of an announcement about the outcome will depend on a number of factors, including the nature of those recommendations and any legislative implications.

  Science Museum
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has to help fund the extension to the science museum.

  Mr. Sproat
  Any request for extra funds from the science museum will be considered when I decide the grant-in-aid allocations for the museums and galleries sponsored by my Department. These will be announced at the time of the Budget.

  Competitive Sports
  Mr. Peter Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions he has had with the Sports Council regarding the development of competitive sports.

  Mr. Sproat
  My right hon. Friend and I meet the chairman of the Sports Council regularly to discuss matters of mutual concern, including the development of competitive sports.

  Anabolic Steroids
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what initiatives he intends to take to implement an effective United Kingdom ban on the availability and use of anabolic steroids in sports.

  Mr. Sproat
  In 1993–94, the four sports councils spent over £910,000 on their programmes to combat drug abuse in sport and carried out nearly 4,000 tests. The availability of anabolic steroids is already controlled under the Medicines Act 1968 and the Government are currently considering whether to introduce further controls.

  Televised Sporting Events
  Sir Michael Neubert
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage whether he plans legislation to widen the list of those sporting events which are ensured a showing on a terrestrial television channel.

  Mr. Brooke
  I shall consider what the National Heritage Select Committee says in its report on sports sponsorship and television coverage which was published on 6 July.

  Industrial Heritage Sites
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of Stale for National Heritage how many sites of industrial national heritage he has visited in the last six months; and if he proposes to make additional funding available to such sites.

  Mr. Brooke
  Over the past six months I have visited two sites relating to our industrial heritage: the Quarry Bank Mill museum in Styal, Cheshire, and the Tiverton museum in Devon, with its lace machine gallery.

  On the question of funding, my Department makes substantial resources available each year to English Heritage and the National Heritage Memorial Fund. Both organisations offer grants towards the preservation of our industrial heritage and in so doing have made significant contributions in Burnley, for example, towards the development of Queen Street Mill, as the hon. Member will be aware. The additional resources for the heritage expected from the national lottery will substantially increase the scope for preserving the best of our industrial past.

  Arts (Disabled People)
  Mr. Keith Hill
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps his Department is taking, via its sponsored bodies, to improve access to the arts for disabled people.

  Mr. Sproat
  I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer I gave to the hon. Member for Rochdale (Ms Lynne) earlier today.

  National Lottery
  Mr. Brandreth
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects the first distribution of funds generated by the national lottery to take place; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Brooke
  I expect the bodies responsible for the distribution of national lottery proceeds to invite the first applications for funding from the beginning of 1995. The first funds should be distributed to successful applicants shortly thereafter.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is his estimate of the benefits disability organisations will derive from the national lottery.

  Mr. Brooke
  Organisations for the disabled stand to gain considerably from the net proceeds of the national lottery. They will be able to apply for lottery funding for any project which is on or connected with the arts, sport or national heritage; is for a charitable purpose; or is to mark the year 2000 or beginning of the third millennium.

  Television Licence Fee
  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to help senior citizens living alone with their television licence fee.

  Mr. Brooke
  As the Government have made clear on many occasions, we are sympathetic to pensioners who find difficulty in meeting the cost of the licence fee, but we do not consider the licence fee a suitable instrument of social policy.

  Children's Play Organisations
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make it his policy to ensure that children's play organisations are able to receive directly funds from the national lottery.

  Mr. Sproat
  It is likely that the children's play projects will be eligible for funding from a number of the lottery distributing bodies. Guidance notes explaining the precise eligibility criteria will be published by these distributors later in the year.

  Departmental Strategy Document
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will publish a strategy document for his Department's development and promotion of the nation's arts, culture, sport and heritage for the next five years.

  Mr. Brooke
  My Department's annual report for 1993–94 sets out the Government's overall aims for the national heritage and outline plans, subject to annual review, for the three years ahead. The Department has also issued a short booklet "Preserving the Past, Shaping the Future", which describes the Department's aims in greater detail.

  Royal Palaces
  Ms Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 16 May,Official Report, column 346, what are the capital conservation and improvement schemes which the historic royal palaces agency will fund in 1994–95; how much will be spent on each; and how much will be spent on (a) building maintenance and (b) running costs.

  Mr. Sproat
  Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Historic Royal Palaces Agency under its chief executive, Mr. David Beeton. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from David Beeton to Ms Marjorie Mowlam, dated 11 July 1994:
  The Secretary of State for National Heritage has asked me to reply to your Question about the capital conservation and improvement schemes which the Historic Royal Palaces Agency will fund in 1994–95; how much will be spent on each; and how much will be spent on (a) building maintenance and (b) running costs.
  Planned expenditure by Historic Royal Palaces on capital schemes in 1994–95 is £9·1 million in total (excluding VAT). Of this, the agency plans to spend approximately the following amounts on individual schemes costing more than £0·25 million:
  469

  £ million

  Agency Fire Prevention Programme

  Tower of London

  0·5

  Hampton Court Palace

  0·4

  Kensington Palace

  0·1

  Banqueting House

  0·2

  Kew Palace

  0·3

  Tower of London

  Jewel House and Waterloo Barracks

  3·2

  Renewal of Electricity Supply

  0·2

  Re-presentation of the White Tower

  0·2

  Catering—New Armouries Building

  0·1

  Hampton Court Palace

  Privy Garden Parterre

  0·7

  Restoration of Georgian Rooms

  0·6

  Car Parking

  0·1

  Catering

  0·1

  Kensington Palace State Apartments

  Restoration of King's Gallery

  0·3

  Planned expenditure in 1994–95 on building maintenance is £1·5 million and on running costs is £11·1 million (excluding VAT).

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which have a statutory basis.

  Mr. Sproat
  None of the advisory bodies sponsored by my Department has a statutory basis. However, some of the executive bodies which are established by statute do have an advisory role. Examples are the British Tourist Authority, set up under the Development of Tourism Act 1969, and English Heritage, set up under the National Heritage Act 1983.

  Audio-described Television
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what research has been undertaken by his Department into the availability of audio-described television for visually impaired people in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Brooke
  None. A consortium, which includes the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the Independent Television Commission, the BBC, and the ITV Association, is developing the AUDETEL project, which aims to provide an audio description commentary on television. I understand that the BBC and ITV hope to begin experimental transmissions within the next week.

  Gaelic Radio Service
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations he has received regarding the development of a national Gaelic radio service in Scotland.

  Mr. Brooke
  Since the publication of the Government's consultation document on the future of the BBC in November 1992, I have received representations about the development of a national Gaelic radio service in Scotland from three bodies: An Communn Gaidehealach, Commun na Ghaidhlig and Foram luchd-ionnsachaidh.

  GM Vauxhall Conference
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what representations he has received from the GM Vauxhall conference about its case for parity.

  Mr. Sproat
  I met Mr. William King, chairman, and Mr. Peter Hunter, secretary, of the GM Vauxhall Conference on 1 November 1993 to discuss the funding of safety improvements at GMVC club grounds. During the meeting the GMVC representatives formally submitted their case for parity. On 11 March this year they provided me with additional information.

  Sports Ground Safety
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what representations he has received from the Rugby Football League about their ground safety plans;

  (2) when he last met representatives of the Rugby Football League; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Sproat
  I met Mr. Rodney Walker, chairman, and Mr. Maurice Lindsay, chief executive, of the Rugby Football League on 22 November 1993 to discuss the funding of safety improvements at Rugby Football League grounds. I have received no further representations from the Rugby Football League since then, although I have had since further informal discussions.

  Football Trust
  Mr. Pendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions he has had with the Pools Promoters Association about widening the remit of the Football Trust to include other sports, with particular reference to rugby and cricket.

  Mr. Sproat
  My officials held a meeting with representatives from the Pools Promoters Association on 22 June. Negotiations are at an early stage.

  British Library
  Ms Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what areas will be covered by the most recent report he has commissioned on the British library project from Kennedy and Donkin; what will be the cost to the Exchequer; and if he will place the report in the public domain.

  Mr. Brooke
  The most recent report commissioned from Kennedy and Donkin Building Services Ltd. was for an independent survey of the mechanical and electrical services installed in the first phase of the new British Library building. The report investigated whether services as installed complied with statutory requirements and relevant British Standards and, including follow-up work, has cost £165,000. I do not plan to publish the report because it contains information which is potentially commercially sensitive.

  Maastricht Treaty
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment he has made of the impact upon the arts and heritage in the United Kingdom of article 128 of the Maastricht treaty.

  Mr. Brooke
  Article 128 of the Maastricht Treaty gives the Community a role in support of member states' own
  471
  action in specified areas of culture without enabling it to interfere in national cultural affairs. I am awaiting Commission proposals on what incentive measures should be provided under the new article. These will also suggest how the Community may take cultural aspects into account in its action under other aspects of the treaty

  Items in Lieu of Tax
  Mr. Faulds
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the allocations made to public institutions in the United Kingdom during the half-year ended 30 June of individual works of art and museum objects pre-eminent for national, scientific, historic or artistic interest which have been accepted in satisfaction of inheritance tax, together with information, where applicable, as to conditions or wishes expressed by testators or executors in the matter of allocation; and if he will list the works of art and museum objects which are still awaiting allocation, with the respective dates of their acceptance in satisfaction of inheritance tax.

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: The information is as follows:

  Item

  To whom allocated

  Condition/wishes

  Two Vuillard paintings

  Fitzwilliam Museum (Femme Assisse Tasse de Cafe)

  Unconditional

  Ashmolean Museum (Le Dejeuner)

  Haydn Manuscripts

  National Trust

  Conditional

  Constable painting

  Bristol City Art Gallery

  Conditional

  Land at Sheringham Hall

  National Trust

  Conditional

  Number of visitors in 1992–93(millions)

  Number of visitors in 1993–94(millions)

  Percentage Increase/Decrease over the previous year

  British Museum

  6·914

  6·027

  -12·8

  Imperial War Museum

  1·148

  1·191

  +3·7

  National Gallery

  4·200

  4·015

  -4·4

  National Maritime Museum

  0·541

  0·530

  -2·0

  National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside

  1·207

  1·340

  +11·0

  National Portrait Gallery

  0·563

  0·792

  +41·0

  Natural History Museum

  1·729

  1·744

  +0·9

  Science Museum

  2·579

  2·671

  +3·6

  Tate Gallery

  2·185

  2·747

  +26·0

  Victoria and Albert Museum

  1·454

  1·577

  +8·5

  Wallace Collection

  0·198

  0·154

  -22·0

  Total

  22·718

  22·788

  +0·3

  It is not possible to identify the number of visitors to the Royal Armouries which at present forms part of the Tower of London.

  Export Licences
  Mr. Andrew Faulds
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the items for which the issuing of export licences was withheld on the recommendation of the reviewing committee on the export of works of art during the half-year ended 30 June specifying in each case the valuation and whether an item was exported or retained, with particulars in the latter event of the acquiring institution; and if he will list any items for
  472

  Item

  To whom allocated

  Condition/wishes

  Gainsborough portrait

  National Gallery

  Conditional

  Unallocated items

  Date accepted

  Hilliard miniature portrait

  15 December 1993

  J. F. Herring painting

  15 December 1993

  Wrest Park papers and albums

  15 December 1993

  Gomm furniture

  17 February 1994

  Ardizzone sketchbooks

  31 March 1994

  Lawrence portrait

  31 March 1994

  Three works by Picasso and one work by Klee

  27 April 1994

  George I silver kettle and stand

  24 April 1994

  Museums and Galleries
  Mr. Andrew Faulds
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will publish the attendance figures for the financial year ended 31 March reported by the national museums and galleries for which he is responsible, broken down into the individual institutions, but including their outstations, with figures in each case of the percentage increase or decrease on the attendance figures for the preceding year.

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: The information is as follows:

  which licences have been withheld but the final disposal of which is not yet decided, specifying in each case (a) the valuation and (b) the relevant time limit.

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: The information is as follows:
  473

  Description of item

  Valuation (£)

  Outcome

  A marble effigy of the Duchesse de Nemours, by Chapu, dated between 1881–1883

  79,987·50

  Purchased by the Walker Art Gallery which is part of the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside

  A pastel portrait of Caroline, 4th Duchess of Marlborough, by Gainsborough, c. 1767–72

  236,919·00

  Export licence granted

  A painting, 'Saint Sebastian Succoured by Two Angels', by Guercino, 1617

  400,000·00

  Decision deferred until after 31 July 1994

  A painting, 'The Miraculous Transportation of the Holy House of Loreto', by Tiepolo (1696– 1770)

  3,200,000·00

  Export licence granted

  A marble bust of Lady Harriet Pellew, by Thorwaldsen, 1817

  170,404·00

  Export licence granted

  A drawing 'A Canephorous in profile to the left', by in Parmigianino (1503–1540)

  90,000·00

  Decision deferred until after 7 August 1994

  An electroplated teapot, by James Dixon & Sons, designed by Dr. Christopher Dresser, 1879

  68,812·50

  Decision deferred until after 7 August 1994

  Child Care
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what provision his Department makes for child care facilities for staff; what is the extent of subsidy to nursery places and holiday playschemes; if his Department(a) subscribes to "Childcare Solutions" and (b) makes child care vouchers available; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 7 July 1994]: In the 1993–94 financial year, this Department spent £1,650, excluding running costs, on child care. This provides one day care place in a nursery which opened in November 1993. In this instance the place is subsidised as it can be justified in value for money terms.

ENVIRONMENT

  Habitat and Species Directive
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library copies of the responses he has received following his consultation on the European habitat and species directive.

  Mr. Atkins
  Copies of the responses to my Department's consultation paper have already been placed in the Library.

  Species at Risk
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many species of(a) animal and (b) plant, which are native to the United Kingdom, were considered to be at risk in (a) 1964, (b) 1973, (c) 1983 and (d) 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, 39 British species or families of animal and 62 species of plant were protected in 1983, reflecting the Government's concern for those species at risk. In 1993, 94 species of animals were protected, and 168 species of plant. All wild birds in Britain are protected under the Act.

  In Northern Ireland, all wild birds are protected under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, with 17 vulnerable species of animal and 55 species of plant.

  Data on species at risk for 1964 and 1973 are not readily available.

  The lists of protected species may be reviewed and amended in responses to species' changing conservation status.

  Water Pollution, Worcester
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations his Department has received from Kay and Co. on the Worcestershire Water pollution incident; and what assessment he has made of the representations.

  Mr. Atkins
  A report on the water pollution incident in Worcestershire has been received from Kay and Co. In its continuing investigation of this incident, the drinking water inspectorate will assess the points raised in the report. In investigating an incident of this nature, the inspectorate needs to check each piece of information at source and obtain independent expert advice including on toxicology.

  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations his Department has received from Kay and Co. on the Worcestershire water pollution incident; and what assessment he has made of the representations.

  Mr. Atkins
  A report on the water pollution incident in Worcestershire has been received from Kay and Co. In its continuing investigation of this incident, the drinking water inspectorate will assess the points raised in the report. In investigating an incident of this nature, the inspectorate needs to check each piece of information at source and obtain independent expert advice including on toxicology.

  Westminster Council
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost of the press conference held by Mr. Magill on 11 January; and who meets it.

  Mr. Baldry
  I have no information on this point.

  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the cost to date of the investigation into Westminster by Mr. Magill; and who will cover the costs.

  Mr. Baldry
  I understand from the Audit Commission that the cost of Mr. Magill's investigation into Westminster up to January 1994 was approximately £1¼ million. This has been paid by Westminster city council.
  475
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how often a district auditor has called a press conference to announce provisional findings of an investigation; and what guidance is given in respect of the propriety of holding such conferences.

  Mr. Baldry
  I am not aware of any press conferences being given to announce an auditor's provisional findings and views, although I understand that press statements in such circumstances are common practice. This is a matter for the auditor's discretion; it is always open to him or her to take legal advice.

  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the impartiality of Mr. Magill following the press conference on 11 January.

  Mr. Baldry
  This is not a matter for the Government. District auditors are appointed by the Audit Commission and are bound by the commission's code of audit practice, which imposes a duty of impartiality. However, I have no reason to believe that Mr. Magill is not acting impartially in his conduct of the investigation at Westminster city council.

  Land Use
  Mr. Robert Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) how many applications for a certificate of lawfulness of existing use or development have been refused by local authorities in England in each of the last five years;

  (2) how many applications for a certificate of lawfulness of existing use or development have been accepted in England in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Baldry
  This information is not available. Although local authorities provide my Department with quarterly statistics of planning applications and decisions, these do not differentiate applications for certificates of lawfulness of existing use or development and other kinds of planning application. Moreover, the legislation providing for such applications did not come into force until July 1992.

  Energy Saving Trust
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the level of funding currently avilable to the Energy Saving Trust for programmes of work in 1994–95; what is the source of these funds; and what further resources are expected to be made available during the current financial year.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Energy Saving Trust is an independent organisation, but I understand that its programmes for 1994–95 are as follows:

  (a) The Trust's pilot scheme for local energy advice centres is expected to spend about £3m, derived from a variety of sources, including this Department;

  (b) The Trust's pilot scheme to promote domestic combined heat and power is expected to spend about £lm. This is funded by British Gas out of a corresponding increase in gas tariff income approved by OFGAS. Similar funding for any further schemes developed by the Trust and put forward by British Gas will be subject to decision by OFGAS;

  (c) Regional Electricity Companies (RECs) have been set energy efficiency targets by OFFER in consultation with the Trust, and may raise around £22m from
  476
  electricity franchise customers in 1994–95 to fund energy efficiency schemes. The savings achieved by schemes will be calculated by a method proposed by the Trust, and the Trust are devising various national schemes which would help achieve those savings.

  Single Regeneration Budget
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all the European Union's funds, programmes or grants available for local authorities or others to apply for in respect of the regeneration of deprived and depressed areas; how these link to the single regeneration budget; and where details of all these funds, programmes or grants, including the criteria for successful applications, are made publicly available.

  Mr. Baldry
  The principal sources of European funding available to local authorities and others in respect of the regeneration of deprived and depressed areas are two of the European Community structural funds. These are the European regional development fund and European social fund. As grants from the structural funds normally contribute part of the total cost of a project, the single regeneration budget will provide an important source of matching funding. Both programmes will be administered by Government offices in the regions.

  Regional plans for the Merseyside objective 1 area, covering 1994–99; objective 2—areas in industrial decline—for 1994–96; and objective 5b—rural areas—for 1994–99, are currently being considered by the European Commission. Once these have been agreed, the formal arrangements for considering project applications, such as selection criteria, can be determined. Details of EC regulations and decisions relating to the funds are published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, and information about programmes and guidance for applicants, can be obtained from the Government offices in the regions.

  Radioactive Waste
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent changes have been made to the composition and remit of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee.

  Mr. Atkins
  All appointments to the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee, except three, end on 31 August 1994. An announcement about membership of the Committee will be made in due course.

  Benefit Hostels
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the Government are yet in a position to say whether it will introduce a licensing system for benefit hostels.

  Sir George Young
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Thanet, North (Mr. Gale) on Friday 8 July,Official Report, column 327.

  Dog Fouling
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to announce the recommendations of his Department's advisory group on litter on national legislation for dog fouling and the
  477
  definition of dog mess as litter together with his response on a day on which the House is sitting before the end of July.

  Mr. Atkins
  I intend to publish before the recess the report of the Department's advisory group on litter as a consultation document and I shall be encouraging all interested parties to let me have their views on its recommendations.

  Multiple Occupation Houses
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many fire inspections of bed-sitters and houses in multiple occupation have taken place in each year since 1983.

  Sir George Young
  This information is not held centrally. Local housing authorities are responsible for inspecting houses in multiple occupation for fire safety and other purposes.

  Captive Animals
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether it is his Department's policy to apply regulation 2(2) (a) of the Environmental Information Regulations 1992 in relation to the state of any flora or fauna in the definition of the environment to animals held in captivity for scientific purposes.

  Mr. Atkins
  Where information falls within the scope of the regulations my Department's policy is to make it available unless there are good reasons, related to the regulations, for not doing so.

  Whether information about animals held in captivity for scientific purposes is environmental information is a mixed question of fact and law which would need to be determined on a case by case basis.

  Ofwat
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is his policy on the spending by Ofwat of money on hiring Government relations consultants to communicate with hon. Members or others;

  (2) what reasons he has been given by the Director General of Ofwat for hiring Ludgate Land Government Relations in order to write to hon. Members; what was the cost; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  These are matters for the Director General of Water Services.

  Urban Development Corporations
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much grant in aid has been made available to each urban development corporation since 1981 as a cash sum(a) at current prices and (b) at 1981 prices.

  Mr. Baldry
  The amount of grant in aid made available to each urban development corporation between April 1981 and March 1994,(a) at current prices and (b) at 1981 prices, is set out in the table.
  478

  Grant in aid

  £ millions

  1At current prices

  1At 1981 prices

  Birmingham Heartlands

  14·9

  29·5

  Black Country

  222·7

  439·9

  Bristol

  64·1

  126·6

  Central Manchester

  59·0

  116·5

  Leeds

  44·7

  88·3

  London Docklands

  1,280·2

  2,528·2

  Merseyside

  229·6

  453·5

  Plymouth

  7·4

  14·6

  Sheffield

  65·1

  128·6

  Teesside

  206·2

  407·3

  Trafford Park

  133·7

  263·9

  Tyne and Wear

  197·8

  390·6

  1Actual grant in aid paid to urban development corporations has been adjusted in line with Her Majesty's Treasury's GDP Deflator Indices. Current prices are 1994–95 prices.

  Running Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide a table showing the running costs of his Department in each region for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. Gummer
  Information in the form requested is not available, but details of total running costs between 1987 and 1994 are published in the Department's annual reports.

  Pollution Control
  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will provide guidance to local planning authorities on the relationship between planning and pollution controls.

  Mr. Curry
  I have today published planning policy guidance note 23 "Planning and Pollution Control", which clarifies the roles of the planning and pollution control systems. This stresses the need to avoid duplication of controls while improving dialogue between the different regulatory bodies. It provides guidance on the relevant issues planning authorities should consider in drawing up their development plans and in determining planning applications for certain industrial development proposals.

  It builds on the long-established policy that planning should not duplicate other legislative controls. We have significantly strengthened our pollution control systems in recent years. Planning authorities should therefore focus on the wider land-use implications of proposed development leaving the control of emissions to pollution control authorities.

  Trees (Environmental Damage)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the damage to Britain's trees caused by(a) ozone smogs and (b) acid rain.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 28 June I 994]: An assessment of the impact of air pollution on tree health in the United Kingdom was made in the terrestrial environment review group's second report, produced for my Department and published in April 1993. A copy of the report is available in the Library of the House. My

  479
  Department's critical loads advisory group and photochemical oxidants review group are currently engaged in a further assessment of the impacts of both acidic deposition and ozone on trees in the United Kingdom.

  Contracts
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on what occasions in the last 10 years he or a Minister in his Department has given a direction to civil 480
  servants to award a contract against the advice of the civil service; what was the subject matter of the contract and its value; and when it was awarded.

  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 8 July 1994]: To the best of my knowledge, there have been no occasions over the last 10 years on which Ministers of this Department have given a direction to award a contract against the advice of the civil service.

  BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: WASHINGTON ACCORD
  BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: WASHINGTON ACCORD
  BOSNIA: ALLEGED USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS
  BOSNIA: ALLEGED USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS
  AFGHANISTAN: UN SPECIAL MISSION REPORT
  AFGHANISTAN: UN SPECIAL MISSION REPORT
  HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRE, GENEVA: DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY
  HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRE, GENEVA: DOCUMENT AVAILABILITY
  AUSTRIA: ACCESSION TO THE EU
  AUSTRIA: ACCESSION TO THE EU
  EU COUNCIL: FORTHCOMING BUSINESS
  EU COUNCIL: FORTHCOMING BUSINESS
  GAZA AND JERICHO: SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIAN ADMINISTRATION
  GAZA AND JERICHO: SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIAN ADMINISTRATION
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  CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: REPORT
  HOUSES IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION: SAFETY
  HOUSES IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION: SAFETY
  WAR CRIMES ACT 1991
  WAR CRIMES ACT 1991
  CARE IN THE COMMUNITY: TRANSFER OF STAFF
  CARE IN THE COMMUNITY: TRANSFER OF STAFF
  EU CITIZENS: RIGHT TO LIVE AND WORK IN THE UK
  EU CITIZENS: RIGHT TO LIVE AND WORK IN THE UK
  NON-EU CITIZENS: EMPLOYMENT IN UK
  NON-EU CITIZENS: EMPLOYMENT IN UK
  HOMOSEXUALITY IN PRISONS
  HOMOSEXUALITY IN PRISONS
  HOUSE OF LORDS: AIR CONDITIONING
  HOUSE OF LORDS: AIR CONDITIONING