Written Answers of 16 June 1994

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Government Information
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he plans to publish his departmental guidance on the implementation of the code of practice on access to Government information, as promised at paragraph 3(ii) of the code issued on 4 April; and what has been the cause of the delay in publishing the departmental guidance.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Lord Chancellor's Department's guidance on the implementation of the code of practice on access to Government information has been available since the end of March. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

DEFENCE

  Food Supply
  Mr. David Martin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in his plans to transfer the armed services food supply task to the Navy, Army and Air Force Institute; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Negotiations with the Navy, Army and Air Force Institute are proceeding satisfactorily and I expect shortly to be able to provide full details of the future food supply arrangements for the armed services. As part of our review of this task, the future of victualling depots operated by the Ministry of Defence has been examined. This work is continuing, but the conclusions reached so far are that the Royal Navy victualling depots at Burnetts Lane, near Southampton, and Royal Elizabeth Yard, Kirkliston, near Edinburgh, are no longer required. It is therefore proposed the Burnetts Lane should close by 30 September 1995, and that REY Kirkliston should close by 31 March 1996.

  These proposals are subject to consultation with the trade unions and other interested parties. No final decisions will be taken until consultation has been completed, and negotiations with NAAFI have been concluded.

HEALTH

  Heart Transplants
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals covering the Greater London area carry out heart transplant surgery.

  Mr. Sackville
  St. George's Healthcare NHS trust, St. George's hospital, Tooting; the Great Ormand Street Hospital for Children NHS trust; and the Royal Brompton hospital which operates in association with Harefield hospital.

  Infertility
  Mr. Etherington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what provision is made for(a) infertility treatment and (b) infertility investigation in Sunderland district health authority;

  (2) what advice the Sunderland district health authority has sought from her Department as to the most cost-effective and cost-efficient means of providing for infertility investigation and treatment.

  Mr. Sackville
  These are matters for the Sunderland district health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. George Bedell, chairman of the authority, for details.

  The national health service provides a wide range of treatments for subfertility. Individual health authorities determine priorities in the light of local needs and circumstances.

  Advice is available to health authorities and clinicians in two publications drawn to the attention of the NHS in 1992:

  (a) The Effective Health Care Bulletin on management of subfertility, published for the NHS Management Executive by a consortium of Leeds and York Universities and the Research Unit of the Royal College of Physicians.

  (b) The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists publication "Infertility—Guidelines For Practice".

  Copies of the documents are available in the Library.

  Mr. Couchman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what advice the West Kent health authority has sought from her Department as to the most cost-effective and cost-efficient means of providing for infertility investigation and treatment in its area;

  (2) what provision is made for (a) infertility investigation and (b) infertility in West Kent health authority.

  Mr. Sackville
  This is a matter for West Kent health authority. My hon. Friend may wish to contact Mr. Peter Edgely, the chairman of the authority, for details.

  The national health service provides a wide range of treatments for subfertility. Individual health authorities determine priorities in the light of local needs and circumstances. Advice is available to health authorities and clinicians in two publications drawn to the attention of the NHS in 1992:

  (a) The Effective Health Care Bulletin on management of subfertility, published for the NHS Management Executive by a consortium of Leeds and York Universities and the Research Unit of the Royal College of Physicians.

  (b) The Royal College of Obstreticians and Gynaecologists publication "Infertility—Guidelines For Practice".

  Copies of the documents are available in the Library.

  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what provision is made for infertility investigation in(a) the South Birmingham district health authority area and (b) the area covered by West Midlands Health.

  (2) what is the provision for infertility treatment in (a) the South Birmingham district health authority area and (b) the area covered by West Midlands Health.

  (3) whether the South Birmingham district health authority has sought advice from her Department on the most cost-effective and cost-efficient means of providing for infertility investigation and treatment in its area.

  Mr. Sackville
  This is a matter for individual health authorities. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. B.
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  Stoten, chairman of South Birmingham health authority and Mr. B. Edwards, chairman of West Midlands regional health authority for further information.

  The national health service provides a wide range of treatments for subfertility. Individual health authorities determine priorities in the light of local needs and circumstances. Advice is available to health authorities and clinicians in two publications drawn to the attention of the NHS in 1992:

  (a) The Effective Health Care Bulletin on management of subfertility, published for the NHS Management Executive by a consortium of Leeds and York Universities and the Research Unit of the Royal College of Physicians.

  (b) The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists publication "Infertility Guidelines for Practice".

  Copies of the documents are available in the Library.

  General Practitioners
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the recruitment of general practitioners.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The number of general practitioners is at an all-time high and has risen from 21,357 at 1 October 1979 to 26,289 at 1 October 1993, an increase of over 23 per cent.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on stress among general practitioners.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Family doctors deliver a high standard of care across a wide range of services. We recognise that the responsibility for maintaining high-quality services can lead to stress in some doctors and we have recently agreed to provide financial support for a study by the Royal College of General Practitioners into the effects of stress on general practitioners.

  Cataract Surgery
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what(a) percentage discount rates and (b) special offers have been offered by each national health service trust provider in England to GP fundholders who place block orders for cataract surgery; and if she will indicate the thresholds at which the discount changes.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  These are local contractual matters between individual national health service trusts and general practitioner fundholders and district health authorities as purchasers.

  Nursing Homes
  Mrs. Browning
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response she has made following the report by the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting on standards of nursing in nursing homes; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  I welcome the clear statement by the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting that the vast majority of residents of nursing homes are looked after well. I share the UKCC's concern about the rare cases where abuse or neglect by nursing staff occurs. Any single such case is a betrayal of nursing trust.
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  I endorse the practical advice given in the report and the messages that it sends to the nursing profession, to nurse trainers, to managers and matrons of nursing homes and to district health authorities as responsible for inspections and registration under the Registered Homes Act 1984.

  We shall be seeking to ensure that lessons are learned and advice carried forward, in the light of this report, by nurses' representatives, trainers, supervisors and inspectors.

  The message of this report is that the number of incidents leading to disciplinary proceedings against a nurse in a nursing home is small in relation to the considerably increased number of residents in nursing homes over the past years.

  Nevertheless, we believe that one case is a case too many.

  Care in the Community
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list each housing association which is contracted to provide social services under the care in the community programme.

  Mr. Bowis
  Contracts for social care are made by individual social services authorities in accordance with the needs of their areas.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will itemise each community care service for which there is a charge and indicate the variation in charges found within England.

  Mr. Bowis
  Local authorities are required to make charges for adults for whom they arrange residential accommodation. The amounts payable in charges vary depending on the actual costs of the accommodation and the resources of each resident. Local authorities have discretion about the amount charged for short-stay residents. They also have discretionary powers to make charges for non-residential services. There is no requirement to inform the Department about individual charges.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has undertaken of the effect of the homelessness legislation review on her care in the community policy; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  The Department has been fully involved in the review of access to local authority and housing association tenancies. The Government's conclusions, when announced, will take into account the implications for the policy areas, including care in the community.

  Health Expenditure
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 26 May,Official Report, columns 294–95, (1) if she will list all the factors, and their relative weights, taken into account when determining per capita spending by district health and family health services authority;

  (2) pursuant to her answer of 26 May, Official Report, columns 294–95, regarding per capita spend by health authorities, what factors determined the relative allocation to (a) Preston and (b) Newham.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The figures for per capita spending were calculated by dividing the total expenditure for each
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  authority—from the provisional 1992–93 accounts—by the crude population figures, mid 1992 estimates, for each respective authority.

  It is the responsibility of regional health authorities to make allocations to district health authorities and to family health services authorities for cash-limited expenditure. The majority of FHSA expenditure is determined by demand for services and there are no predetermined allocations.

  Organ Donation
  Mr. Churchill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her best estimate of the numbers of patients in end-stage renal failure dying each year due to non-availability of sufficient donor organs; what steps she is taking to reduce destruction of such organs; and if she will enter into discussions with the medical profession with a view to establishing an organ transplant opt-out register in place of the current donor cards.

  Mr. Sackville
  Information is not available centrally on the number of people who die while awaiting a kidney transplant. People awaiting kidney transplants may live for many years and may die from causes other than kidney failure. The Government are continuing to take a number of initiatives to increase the number of donor organs available for transplant. The Department of Health is in regular contact with the medical profession on this subject but the legislation for the presumption of consent unless otherwise indicated, regardless of the views of relatives, does not have widespread support.

EDUCATION

  Academic Work Force
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his oral answer of 29 March to the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston (Mr. Keen),Official Report, column 787, what study he is making of the age profile of the academic work force.

  Mr. Boswell
  It is for universities and colleges as employers to consider in the first instance the age profile of their academic staff. My right hon. Friend will continue to keep the general situation under review, in the light of any advice from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

TREASURY

  National Debt
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the United Kingdom's level of non-marketable debt minus national savings has increased in line with Government estimates for each of the last 15 years.

  Mr. Nelson
  Non-marketable debt represents only a small proportion of total Government debt. Figures for the components of national debt at end-March, including sterling non-marketable debt and national savings, are 626
  published annually in the Bank of England's quarterly bulletin debt article—see the November 1993 edition for end-March 1993. Sterling non-marketable debt excluding national savings, calculated from these articles, for the last 15 years are given in the table:

  Sterling non-marketable debt excluding national savings

  End-March

  £ million

  1979

  1,575

  1980

  821

  1981

  1,410

  1982

  1,968

  1983

  3,002

  1984

  3,171

  1985

  3,704

  1986

  4,205

  1987

  3,239

  1988

  3,529

  1989

  2,869

  1990

  3,591

  1991

  3,389

  1992

  3,275

  1993

  4,096

  There are no official forecasts of Government debt by instrument.

  Rough Sleepers and Beggars
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what instructions are given to security staff in his departmental offices in London for dealing with(a) those sleeping rough in departmental doorways and (b) beggars in the vicinity; and how many problems have been experienced with each category in the last three months.

  Mr. Nelson
  No specific instructions are issued to security staff; it is the practice for anyone causing a nuisance to be asked to move on. No problems have been experienced in the past three months.

  Company Dividends
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proposals he has for encouraging companies to retain profits rather than distribute them as dividends.

  Mr. Nelson
  The Chancellor has no plans to intervene in the control of dividends.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average level of dividends of the top 50 companies in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. Nelson
  The Treasury does not monitor individual company results and does not have this information.

  Wages
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average price of 20 cigarettes, the average gross weekly wage for adult male manual workers and the proportion of the latter represented by the former in each year since 1964.

  Mr. Nelson
  The table shows available data.
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  Average retail price Cigarettes (20)

  Year

  Type of cigarette

  Pence

  Average gross weekly earnings of men Full-time manual Great Britain £

  Average cost of 20 cigarettes as a percentage of weekly earnings Per cent.

  1964

  Plain

  24·6

  —

  —

  1965

  Plain

  27·1

  —

  —

  1966

  Plain

  27·1

  —

  —

  1967

  Plain

  27·1

  —

  —

  1968

  Filter tip

  24·2

  —

  —

  1969

  Filter tip

  25·8

  —

  —

  1970

  Filter tip

  26·2

  26·40

  0·99

  1971

  Filter tip

  27·0

  29·00

  0·93

  1972

  Filter tip

  26·5

  32·30

  0·82

  1973

  Filter tip

  26·5

  37·60

  0·70

  1974

  Filter tip

  32·0

  43·00

  0·74

  1975

  Filter tip

  42·0

  54·90

  0·77

  1976

  Filter tip

  45·0

  64·20

  0·70

  1977

  Filter tip

  55·0

  70·50

  0·78

  1978

  Filter tip

  57·0

  79·60

  0·72

  1979

  Filter tip

  67·0

  91·70

  0·73

  1980

  Filter tip

  72·0

  110·10

  0·65

  1981

  Filter tip

  97·0

  120·20

  0·81

  1982

  Filter tip

  106·0

  131·90

  0·80

  1983

  —

  —

  141·60

  —

  1984

  —

  —

  152·70

  —

  1985

  —

  —

  163·60

  —

  1986

  —

  —

  174·40

  —

  1987

  King size filter tip

  144·0

  185·50

  0·78

  1988

  King size filter tip

  149·0

  200·60

  0·74

  1989

  King size filter tip

  152·0

  217·80

  0·70

  1990

  King size filter tip

  168·0

  237·20

  0·71

  1991

  King size filter tip

  191·0

  253·10

  0·75

  1992

  King size filter tip

  209·0

  268·30

  0·78

  1993

  King size filter tip

  229·0

  274·30

  0·83

  Notes:

  1. Average retail prices of cigarettes prior to 1971 have been converted to decimal equivalent.

  2. Average cigarette prices 1983–86 and earnings prior to 1970 are not available.

  Source: Retail Prices (CSO).

  New Earnings Survey (ED).

  Exchange Rates
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the change in the real exchange rate as measured by relative unit values of exports to(a) European Union countries and (b) the rest of the world from January 1993 to the latest available date.

  Mr. Nelson
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 21 March 1994,Official Report, column 15, which provides references to exchange rate and export price data for Community and other countries, which can be used to calculate the information requested.

  Economic Forecast
  Mr. Watts
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the Government's latest economic forecast.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  Under the terms of the Industry Act 1975 the Government have to publish two forecasts a year. Following the move to a unified Budget, forecasts will be published in the summer and in the Budget in November. The first summer forecast will be published on 28 June. Copies will be available from the House of Commons Vote Office at 11 am.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Citizens Charter
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what mechanisms exist for the independent monitoring of charter standards; and if he will give details of the mechanism for each public service covered by a charter.

  Mr. David Davis
  Under the citizens charter, each public service organisation is responsible for setting its own charter standards and ensuring that they are monitored. The public services publish details of actual performance against standards on a regular basis. Later this month, for example, the Department of Health will publish comparative information on the performance of health authorities. In November, the Department for Education will again publish performance tables for schools and colleges with students in the 16 to 18 age range. London Underground publishes four-weekly performance figures against its charter targets, and British Rail publishes four-weekly performance figures for the punctuality and reliability of lines.

  The citizens charter second report published in March 1994 reports generally on the progress achieved in improving standards of service and gives details of new commitments made under the charter.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Plug and Socket Harmonisation
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action he will take on the conclusions of reports which he commissioned on plug and socket harmonisation on the level of disruption and costs to industry, customers and the time taken for benefits to accrue.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation—CENELEC—the body responsible for electrical standards in Europe, has referred the proposed standard back to the relevant technical committee for further work. The study recently undertaken by the Building Services Research and Information Association for my Department will provide a useful factual background for comments from consumers and industry if and when a draft standard is issued for national consultation.

  Competitiveness White Paper
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade further to his White paper "Competitiveness: Helping Business to Win", what evidence he has in respect of profit levels of(a) United Kingdom manufacturers and (b) major foreign based manufacturers; and what was the estimated return on capital in manufacturing industry for each year since 1970 in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) other major Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.

  Mr. Sainsbury
  For the United Kingdom, the gross trading surplus of manufacturing companies and public corporations plus income from self-employment from manufacturing can be obtained from table 2.2 of the Central Statistical Office Blue Book. The rate of return on capital employed by manufacturing companies is shown in CSO Bulletin 64/93 "Profitability of UK Companies (1962–1992)".

  Table 14 of the OECD's "National Accounts 1993" contains information on the operating surplus and rates of return on capital employed in manufacturing for OECD countries. These figures are on a slightly different basis from those published by CSO, and are provided for a variety of years.

  Copies of all the above-mentioned publications are available in the Library of the House.

  Cabling
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the areas of the United Kingdom which have been cabled to date and those areas which are programmed for cabling over the next 12 months.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  To date, 125 franchises have been licensed, covering 14.5 million homes. Services are now being offered in 65 of these franchises and cable networks now pass over 3 million homes. The cable operators will continue to build out their franchises over the course of the next few years in line with the build obligations set out in their licences. The Department does not hold precise details of the areas which have been cabled, and the 630
  construction plans of the cable operators for the next 12 months are primarily a matter for the companies themselves.

  Post Office
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy that the articles for the blind facility will remain a Freepost service following any reorganisation of the Post Office.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The Government are well aware of the importance of the free postage facility currently offered by the Royal Mail for articles for the blind. The Green Paper on the Post Office, which is due to be published shortly, will, therefore, make clear that, under any option, the Royal Mail will be required to continue to offer this valued service.

  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what approval is required from institutions of the European Union, and in what form, for the zero-rating of VAT on postage for letters and parcels in the event of privatisation or part-privatisation of the Post Office.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Arrangements in respect of VAT and postal services need to conform with EC VAT legislation and, in particular, the sixth EC VAT directive, which provides VAT exemption for the universal letter and parcel services. In the light of discussions with the European Commission, as well as earlier jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice, the Government are satisfied that privatisation would not mean the imposition of VAT on these services. The Government have made it clear that, under any option that they finally adopt, stamps will continue to be free of VAT.

  Fire Safety
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will publish the scrutiny team's report and evidence;

  (2) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of consideration given to the views of the Fire and Rescue Service in the present deregulation of fire safety legislation.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The Fire and Rescue Service has taken every opportunity to make its views known to Government and the fire safety review team during the widespread consultation on the review of fire safety legislation and enforcement. I know that the review team has found these and others' comments constructive and comprehensive.

  On the question of publication of the review team's report, I have nothing to add to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy) on 14 June, Official Report, columns 427–28.

  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, when he expects to publish the inter-departmental report on fire safety scrutiny.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy) on 14 June,Official Report, columns 427–28.

  Environmental Information
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many requests he has received for environmental information under the Access to Environmental Information Regulations 1992; and how many requests were refused.on grounds of commercial confidentiality.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  [holding answer 14 June 1994]: The Department has to date received around 187 requests for information under the Environmental Information Regulations 1992, none of which have been refused on grounds of commercial confidentiality.

PRIME MINISTER

  Engagements
  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 16 June.

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 16 June.

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

  Iraq
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his letter of 13 May to the hon. Member for Linlithgow, if he will make an assessment of the background work and credentials of Mr. Max van der Stoel for making a report on Iraq.

  The Prime Minister
  Mr. van der Stoel is the United Nations special rapporteur on Iraq. It is for the chairman of the Commission on Human Rights to appoint special rapporteurs, who must be impartial. Mr. van der Stoel's international reputation and his wide experience of human rights issues make him an excellent choice as rapporteur on human rights in Iraq.

ENVIRONMENT

  Conservation Bodies
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the summary of responses received by his Department as part of the consultation process following his proposal to merge English Nature and the Countryside Commission for England.

  Mr. Atkins
  A summary of the responses received will be placed in the Library of the House once an announcement has been made on the outcome of the study.

  Land Use, West Midlands
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to protect green-field sites in the west midlands region.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Secretary of State will continue to uphold policies that protect the green belt and open countryside in the west midlands. He will maintain his 632
  commitment to urban regeneration and will stress the importance of accommodating any necessary development within urban areas wherever possible.

  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has received as to a need for the release of land for house building in the west midlands.

  Mr. Baldry
  The West Midlands Forum of Local Authorities has recently submitted advice to the Secretary of State. The forum estimated that 275,000 additional dwellings would be required in the region between 1991 and 2011.

  Housing Demand, West Midlands
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the demand for new private sector housing in the west midlands.

  Sir George Young
  The Secretary of State will set out his view of the need for new housing in the region in the forthcoming consultation draft of regional planning guidance. That need is based on a number of different factors and will be met by housing of a variety of tenures.

  County Hall (Sale)
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which parts of the county hall complex have been sold; and which parts remain unsold.

  Mr. Baldry
  The riverside or "main" building has been sold. The remainder of the county hall land and buildings at present remain unsold.

  Rough Sleepers and Beggars
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what instructions are given to security staff in his departmental offices in London for dealing with(a) those sleeping rough in departmental doorways and (b) beggars in the vicinity; and how many problems have been experienced with each category in the last three months.

  Mr. Baldry
  My Department's standing instructions do not contain anything specifically related to the categories mentioned, nor have there been any problems in the last three months.

  Urban Air Quality
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to establish an urban air quality monitoring station in the Nottingham area; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  We take advice on this matter from the quality of urban air review group and as priorities develop over the next three years, we will consult the review group on the location of monitoring sites.

  Building Research Establishment
  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the current key performance targets for the Building Research Establishment.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Building Research Establishment is working to the following key targets for 1994–95:
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  £920,000 net contribution to the Exchequer income to cover full economic costs on a trading basis gross non-Exchequer income of £3.6 million taking into account changes in BRE's charging policy, an improvement of 3 per cent. in the average daily cost of commissions.

TRANSPORT

  Transport Council
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what matters were discussed and what decisions taken at the European Transport Council on 13–14 June in Luxembourg; and how the United Kingdom voted on matters decided by vote.

  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the outcome of the Transport Council in Luxembourg on 13 and 14 June.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The Transport Council met in Luxembourg on 13 and 14 June. I represented the United Kingdom.

  On the first day, the Council discussed a number of maritime safety issues and reached a common position on proposals on the training of seafarers, minimum standards for ship classification societies and lower port fees for environmentally friendly oil tankers.

  I gave a presentation on the Donaldson report into the Braer incident off Shetland. I emphasised three recommendations of special interest: port state control, improved ship identification using transponders and emphasis on the "polluter pays" priniciple. I received strong support from all member states and the Commission, which felt that the report was a very positive basis for future work on maritime safety and agreed to further detailed discussion by the Council.

  Other items discussed included maritime competition, freedom to provide maritime services and maritime relations with west Africa.

  On the second day, the Council reached provisional agreement, subject to a United Kingdom parliamentary scrutiny reserve, on a common position on a directive harmonising conditions for transport of dangerous goods by road. The Netherlands and Spain entered abstentions.

  The Commission presented a communication on the way forward for civil aviation in Europe, drawn up in response to the wise men's report published in January of this year. I welcomed the Commission's paper, while emphasising the importance of elimination of state aids and full implementation of the third package of aviation liberalisation measures.

  Among the other items discussed was a proposed measure that aims to establish common criteria for allocating train paths to operators and charging for access to the railway network. I argued that the scope of the measure should be limited to international services and drew attention to the special treatment that would be needed where traffic rights had already been laid down —for example, the channel tunnel—or where necessary to get new infrastructure built. The Council also discusssed, but made little progress on, mandates for road transport negotiations with eastern Europe and transport negotiations with Switzerland.

  Under any other business, I reported on the review recently undertaken by the United Kingdom into the provision of seat belts in coaches and minibuses. My
  634
  conclusion from this report was that there was now a good case for requiring the fitting of seat belts to new vehicles. I emphasised the importance of this issue for road safety and asked how work was progressing within the Commission. In its response, the Commission informed the Council that it was working on a directive that would introduce new roof rigidity standards and emergency exit requirements. Existing seat belt legislation was also being reviewed under the guidance of a group of experts and a separate proposal covering the fire resistance of materials was being examined. The Commission was committed to having all these proposals on the table by the end of 1994.

  Two votes were taken. On the dangerous goods directive, as noted above, I entered a parliamentary scrutiny reserve and the Netherlands and Spain abstained. On the seafarers' training proposal, Italy abstained.

  Driving Tests
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is the estimated(a) demand and (b) cost to public funds of motorcycle tests over the next three years; what is the cost to the Driving Standards Agency of providing personal protective equipment to each motorcycle examiner; and what is the type and cost of the motorcycles used for the tests;

  (2) if he will list the reasons for which the block booking of heavy goods vehicle driving tests has been discontinued by the Driving Standards Agency; and if he will make a statement.

  (3) if he will list the number of (a) motorcycle tests and (b) "L" tests conducted at Evesham during the last 12 months and the comparable period for the previous three years; and for how many days a week examiners are employed at Evesham.

  (4) what were the costs to public funds following the liquidation of the contractor employed to build the new driving test centre at Worcester; what attempts have been made by the Driving Standards Agency to recover this; and if he will list the reasons as to why these costs were not included in the financial report;

  (5) if he will list each driving test centre which currently operates a motorcycle test facility; and which of these he intends to close.

  Mr. Key
  Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Driving Standards Agency under its chief executive, Dr. Ford, and I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from S. J. Ford to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 8 June 1994:

  Driving Standards Agency
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to the questions you have raised about DSA's operations.

  PQ 2461/93/94
  You asked about the costs to public funds following the liquidation of the contractor employed to build the new driving test centre at Worcester, what steps were taken to recover this and why the figures were not included in the Agency's financial report.
  Enquiries have been made with the Agency's Managing Agent for the Worcester scheme and with the Contractor Management Information System operated by the Department of the Environment Property Holdings. The Agency has no information to suggest that the contractors concerned with the Worcester scheme have been in receivership or liquidation.
  635
  PQ 2462/93/94
  You asked which Driving Standards Agency test centres currently provide a motorcycle riding test facility and which of these are to close.
  A list of the centres, with those scheduled for closure indicated, is below:

  Aberdeen, Balgownie Road

  Abergavenny

  Aberystwyth

  Aldershot

  Ammanford

  Arbroath

  Arran

  Ashford (Kent)

  Aylesbury

  Ayr

  Ballachulish

  Ballater

  Banbury

  Banff

  Bangor

  Barnet

  Barnsley

  Barnstaple

  Barra

  Barrow

  *Bath (to close on 15 July 1994)

  Bedford

  Belvedere

  Benbecula

  Berwick-on-Tweed

  Bettyhill

  Birmingham, Kingstanding

  Birmingham, South Yardley

  Blackburn

  Blackpool

  Bletchley

  Blyth

  Bodmin

  Bolton

  Boston

  Bournemouth

  Bradford, Wibsey

  Bridgend

  *Bridgwater (to close on 22 July 1994)

  Brighton

  Bristol, Brislington

  Broadstairs

  Burton-on-Trent

  Bury St. Edmunds

  Cambridge, Brooklands Avenue

  Campbeltown

  Cardiff, Cathays Terrace

  Cardigan

  Carlisle

  Carmarthen

  Chelmsford

  Cheltenham

  Chester

  Chesterfield

  Chichester

  Chingford

  Chippenham

  Chorley

  Cleethorpes

  Colchester

  Coventry, Mason Road

  Crawley

  Cupar

  Darlington

  Derby, Sinfin Lane

  Derby, Chaddesden

  Dingwall

  Doncaster

  Dorchester

  Dumbarton

  Dumfries

  Dundee

  Dunfermline

  Durham

  636

  Eastbourne

  Edinburgh, Joppa

  Edinburgh, Parkhead

  Elgin

  *Evesham (to close on 16 June 1994)

  Exeter

  Falkirk

  Failsworth

  Folkestone

  Fort Augustus

  Fort William

  Fraserburgh

  Gairloch

  Galashiels

  Gateshead

  Gillingham

  Glasgow, Anniesland

  Glasgow, Shawlands

  Glasgow, Shettleston

  Gloucester

  Golspie

  Gosport

  Grantham

  Grantown-on-Spey

  Gravesend

  Greenford, Ruislip Road

  Greenock

  Guildford

  Halifax

  Hamilton

  Harrogate

  Hartlepool

  Haverfordwest

  Helmsdale

  Hendon

  Hereford

  Heysham

  Hexham

  Hinckley

  Hornchurch

  Horsforth

  Hull, Chamberlain Road

  Huntly

  Inveraray

  Inverness

  Inverurie

  Ipswich

  Islay

  Isles of Scilly

  Keighley

  Kendal

  Kenton Bar

  Kettering

  Kilmarnock

  King's Lynn

  Kingussie

  Kirkcaldy

  Kyle of Lochalsh

  Lairg

  Lampeter

  Launceston

  Leicester, Gipsy Lane

  Leighton Buzzard

  Lewis

  Leamington

  Lichfield

  Lincoln

  Liverpool, Crosby

  Llandrindod Wells

  Lochgilphead

  Loughborough

  Lowestoft

  Lower Gornal

  Macclesfield

  Mallaig

  Manchester, Cheetham Hill

  Melton Mowbray

  Merthyr Tydfil

  Middlesborough

  Minehead

  637

  Monmouth

  Montrose

  Mull

  Newcastle-under-Lyme

  Newport

  Newport (IOW)

  Newton Abbot

  Newton Stewart

  Newtown

  Northampton

  Northwich

  Norwich, Jupiter Road

  Nottingham, Gedling

  Nottingham, West Bridgford

  Oban

  Orkney

  Oxford

  Penzance

  Perth

  Peterborough

  Peterhead

  Pinner

  Plymouth

  Portsmouth

  Reading

  Redditch

  Rhyl

  Rotherham (from 1 July 1994)

  Rugby

  Salisbury

  Scarborough

  Scunthorpe

  Shetland

  Shrewsbury

  Sidcup

  Skye, Portree

  Southend-on-Sea

  Southampton

  Southport

  St. Albans

  Stirling

  Strontian

  Sutton

  Sutton-in-Ashfield

  Swansea

  Swindon

  Tain

  Taunton

  Thurso

  Tiree

  Truro

  Tunbridge Wells

  Ullapool

  Wakefield

  Wallasey

  Wallington, Old Town Hall

  Wellingborough

  Wellington

  *Wells (to close on 15 July 1994)

  Weston-super-Mare

  Weybridge

  Wick

  Widnes

  Wigan

  Wolverhampton

  Worcester (from June 16)

  Workington

  Worksop

  Worthing

  Wrexham

  Yeovil

  York

  PQ 2466/93/94
  You asked the reasons why the present block booking arrangements were being ended by the Driving Standards Agency and for a statement.
  As you may be aware, the Secretary of State for Transport recently tasked all parts of the Department to find 20 per cent, efficiency savings over the next two years and this package of measures will help the Agency to achieve its part. The Agency
  638
  announced in April a package of measures, to be introduced in October, designed to improve service and reduce costs by an estimated £148,000 annually. The package includes ending the present block booking arrangements. As waiting times for driving tests have continued to fall, the inflexibilities of allowing certain training bodies to reserve blocks of driving tests, without naming candidates or paying the test fee, has become/becoming increasingly uneconomic. Block booking involved DSA operating a parallel booking system with the attendant costs having to be recovered from candidates via the test fee. Also, it was unfair as well as inefficient as it prevented cancelled appointments being used by other prospective candidates and meant that examiner time was wasted, reducing productivity and further increasing costs. The revised arrangement will remove an uncompetitive practice which has been the subject of a recent query from the Office of Fair Trading. Trainers will still be able to plan courses and book tests on behalf of trainees, if that is what their pupils prefer, on payment of the relevant fee.

  PQ 2484/93/94
  You asked about the estimated demand for and costs to public funds of motorcycle tests for the next three years, the cost of providing examiners with protective equipment and the type and cost of motorcycles used for tests.
  The estimated demand for motorcycle tests is between 80,000 and 90,000 for each of the financial years 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97. The Agency is currently conducting a tendering exercise for motorcycles to replace the present lease hire contract. Also a new specification for motorcycle clothing is being considered by the Agency with a view to inviting tenders for supply in Autumn 1994. The precise cost of providing the motorcycle testing service, and the types of bikes to be used, during the next three years will not be known until after the tendering exercises.

  PQ 2497/93/94
  You asked for the number of motorcycle and car tests conducted at the Evesham driving test centre over the last year and the previous three years as well as how many days a week examiners were employed at the centre. The figures are as follows:

  Year

  Cars

  Motorcycles

  April 1990 to March 1991

  2,179

  n/a

  April 1991 to March 1992

  1,906

  n/a

  April 1992 to March 1993

  1,934

  155

  April 1993 to March 1994

  1,760

  221

  Before April 1992 separate figures for motorcycle tests were not kept for outstation centres such as Evesham, where no driving examiners were permanently based. Examiners based at Redditch have been detached to the Evesham centre for between 2 to 4 days per week, depending on demand.

  Jubilee Line
  Ms Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is his Department's policy in respect of the proportion of the jobs created by the construction of the Jubilee line extention to be taken up by members of the communities adjacent to the extension.

  Mr. Norris
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 14 June 1994,Official Report, column 523.

  Bus and Coach Safety
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research evidence known to his Department demonstrates that the imposition of a ban on coaches using the third lane on motorways would reduce the risk of accidents.

  Mr. Key
  The available evidence is referred to in the consultation document issued on 9 May 1994, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House.

  Channel Tunnel Rail Link
  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish W. S. Atkins's independent review of Union Railways' work on the London terminus of the new channel tunnel rail link.

  Mr. Freeman
  I have today published W. S. Atkins's report. Copies have been placed in the Library.

EMPLOYMENT

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Ms Short
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made in awarding three-year licences to training and enterprise councils; against what criteria TEC bids are being assessed; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The prospectus which launched the licensing process for training and enterprise councils was published at the end of May. TECs have between now and 1997 to demonstrate that they have met the criteria. We expect that the first licences will be awarded with effect from April 1995.

  The criteria cover TEC's corporate plans, strategic impact, programme performance and internal capability.

  A copy of the prospectus, "The New Contract Framework: 3 Year Licences", has been placed in the Library.

  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many and what proportion of(a) chairmen, (b) chief executives and (c) board members of training and enterprise councils are women.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Records held centrally on the numbers and proportion of training and enterprise council chairmen, chief executives and board members in England and Wales who are women show the following:

  Number

  Propertion Per cent.

  Chairmen

  3

  3·6

  Chief Executive

  11

  13·4

  Board Members

  120

  12·4

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Cyprus
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under which treaty provisions Cyprus is prohibited from joining the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heathcoat Amory
  Under article 0 of the treaty on European Union any European state may apply to become a member of the Union. There is no prohibition in this treaty, or in the treaty of Rome, on Cyprus joining. But there are clearly difficulties in its doing so while the inter-communal dispute remains unresolved. The Council will review Cyprus's application early in 1995 in the light of developments in the inter-communal process. The United Kingdom supports Cyprus's membership application and the Commission's talks with Cyprus to familiarise it with the EC's existing legislation.

  Data Protection
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the derogations entered by the United Kingdom Government from the Council of Europe recommendations that pertain to the use of personal data; and what was the reason in each case for such a derogation being entered.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The United Kingdom has entered the following reservations. In each case the reservations were entered because the provisions in question were inconsistent with United Kingdom law, policy or practice.Recommendation No. R(83)10 on the protection of personal data used for scientific research and statistics (adopted 23/9/1983): the United Kingdom reserved its right not to comply with the recommendation as far as it relates to manually processed data.
  Recommendation No. R(85)20 on the protection of personal data used for the purposes of direct marketing (adopted 25/10/1985): the United Kingdom reserved its right to comply or not with the first sentence of paragraph 2.4, the second sentence of paragraph 3.1 and with paragraph 3.3 as a whole.
  Recommendation No. R(86)1 on the protection of personal data used for social security purposes (adopted 23/1/1986): the United Kingdom reserved its right to comply or not with the second sub-paragraph of paragraph 1.2, the second sentence of paragraph 3.3 and paragraph 5.
  Recommendation No. R(87)15 regulating the use of personal data in the police sector (adopted 17/9/1987): the United Kingdom reserved its right to comply or not with principles 2.2 and 2.4.
  Recommendation No. R(90)19 on the protection of personal data used for payment and other related operations (adopted 13/9/1990): the United Kingdom reserved its right to comply or not with paragraph 3.3, 3.4, 5.1.c and 7.1.
  Recommendation No. R(91)10 on the communication to third parties of personal data held by public bodies (adopted 9/9/1991): the United Kingdom reserved its right to comply or not with principles 6.2 and 6.3 paragraph 2.

  Rwanda
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the United Kingdom is taking as a member of the Security Council to ensure that safe areas are established across Rwanda other than those on the border areas and in Kigali.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The United Kingdom supported Security Council resolutions 918 and 925 expanding the United Nations Aid Mission in Rwanda force and mandating it to provide support and protection for civilians at risk. Since the situation on the ground is constantly changing, Security Council resolution 925 gives the force commander the flexibility to deploy his force in the way that he considers most likely to enable UNAMIR to fulfil its mandate.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the United Kingdom and other Security Council members are taking to ensure that those responsible for the genocide in Rwanda are held accountable under the 1948 United Nations genocide convention.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The United Kingdom has welcomed the appointment by the special session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva on 24–25 May of a special rapporteur. His task will be to
  641
  gather information on acts which may constitute breaches of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity, including acts of genocide, and report to the Secretary-General.

  The special session also affirmed that all persons who commit or authorise violations of human rights or international humanitarian law are individually responsible and accountable for those violations and that the international community will exert every effort to bring those responsible to justice, while affirming that the primary responsibility for bringing perpetrators to justice rests with national judicial system.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he supports calls for human rights monitors to be deployed as part of the United Nations force in Rwanda; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The United Kingdom supported the adoption of the recent resolution by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights which, inter alia, called for human rights field officers to be deployed in Rwanda. Proposals for a deployment have not yet been made.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what request the United Kingdom Government have received for logistical assistance with the deployment of UNAMIR troops in Rwanda; and what was their response.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The United Kingdom, along with other United Nations member states, has received a request to provide logistical support. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs informed the House on 15 June,Official Report, column 615, we are keen and ready to provide such support and are looking with the United Nations at ways in which we can contribute, for example by providing trucks. Since the start of the crisis in Rwanda we have given over £11 million in humanitarian aid.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the emergency session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights which met on 24 and 25 May to discuss Rwanda.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We welcomed the outcome of the special session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to discuss Rwanda, and in particular its decision to appoint a special rapporteur to investigate the human rights situation, assisted by a team of human rights field officers. We look forward to receiving the first report of the special rapporteur by 24 June.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries which have responded positively to the United Nations Secretary General's appeal for troops to augment United Nations UNAMIR in Rwanda.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Congo and Mali have all responded positively to the United Nations Secretary-General's appeal for troops to augment UNAMIR.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the predicted timetable for the deployment of 642
  the addition 5,500 United Nations troops to Rwanda as agreed under United Nations Security Council resolution 918.

  Mr. Hogg
  The Secretary-General's report to the Security Council of 31 May 1994 outlined a three-stage deployment schedule. The first stage, the strengthening of the Ghanaian battalion in Kigali and the deployment of a number of military observers is to begin by mid-July 1994. Phase two, the deployment of one mechanised and one motorised battalion, will take place in close synchronisation with phase 1. The timing of phase three, the deployment of an additional two battalions, will depend upon how the initial deployment of the force unfolds.

  Civil Servants (Outside Appointments)
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many job offers were reported by staff in his Department under the requirements of the rules on the acceptance of outside appointments in each of the last 10 years by(a) staff of grade 3 and above, (b) staff below grade 3, (c) staff in sections concerned with procurement or contract work, under section 15 of the rules of 1 February 1993 and (d) staff in other sections, under section 14; and how many of these reports were followed by an application to join the company concerned.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The information requested by the hon. Member is only available for the past nine years and is as follows:

  (a) 159

  (b) 25

  (c) 0

  (d)(i)) 184

  (d(ii)) 183 (One application granted but job offer not taken up).

  British Prisoners Abroad
  Sir Russell Johnston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British subjects are awaiting trial having been in custody for over one year since arrest in(a) other member states of the European Union, (b) Belgium, (c) Denmark (d) France, (e) Germany, (f) Greece, (g) Italy, (h) the Netherlands, (i) Portugal and (j) Spain.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The following numbers of British citizens have been awaiting trial in custody for over one year since arrest:

  Numbers

  (a) Belgium

  1

  (b) Denmark

  0

  (c) France

  10

  (d) Germany

  4

  (e) Greece

  0

  (f) Italy

  0

  (g) Netherlands

  5

  (h) Portugal

  4

  (i) Spain

  40

  (j) European Union

  64

  British Prisoners Abroad
  Sir Russell Johnston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British subjects are awaiting trial having been in custody for over two years since arrest in(a) other member states

  643
  of the European Union, (b) Belgium, (c) Denmark, (d) France, (e) Germany, (f) Greece, (g) Italy, (h) the Netherlands, (i) Portugal and (j) Spain.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The following numbers of British citizens have been awaiting trial in custody for over two years since arrest:

  Numbers

  (a) European Union

  15

  (b) Belgium

  0

  (c) Denmark

  0

  (d) France

  2

  (e) Germany

  0

  (f) Greece

  0

  (g) Italy

  0

  (h) Netherlands

  0

  (i) Portugal

  0

  (j) Spain

  13

  Rough Sleepers and Beggars
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what instructions are given to security staff in his departmental offices in London for dealing with(a) those sleeping rough in departmental doorways and (b) beggars in the vicinity; and how many problems have been experienced with each category in the last three months.

  Mr. Goodlad
  No specific instructions are given to FCO security staff for dealing with anyone sleeping rough in doorways of our buildings or with beggars. We have had no problems with either category.

  EC Directives
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give details of the record of member states in implementing EC directives; and how many times the Commission took member states to court in the years 1983 to 1993.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  These figures were published in the Commission's 1993 report on application of Community law, available in the House Library. They are as follows:

  Member States

  Percentage of Directives Implemented as at 31 December 1993

  Number of Referrals to Court 1989–1993

  United Kingdom

  92·3

  10

  Belgium

  90·7

  48

  Denmark

  95·4

  5

  Germany

  88·9

  19

  Greece

  88·1

  37

  Spain

  90·1

  20

  France

  89·7

  21

  Ireland

  88·7

  17

  Italy

  88·9

  102

  Luxembourg

  90·7

  39

  Netherlands

  92·4

  24

  Portugal

  89·2

  6

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Milk Marketing Board
  Mr. Marland
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when she will announce a decision on the milk marketing board's reorganisation scheme; and if she will make a statement.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The Agriculture Act 1993 gave to me and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales the task of deciding on a milk marketing reorganisation scheme submitted by the England and Wales milk marketing board. Since receiving the board's application last October we have conducted two formal rounds of consultation and held discussions with the European Commission, the board itself, the Dairy Trade Federation and other parties whose interests are at stake. We have given full consideration to the many and complex issues involved as required by the Act.

  I am able to announce today that we have informed the board of the modifications which we considered necessary to enable us to grant its application for approval. The board has agreed to them and we have granted approval. The industry is therefore poised to take a great step forward.

  Under the now approved reorganisation scheme the existing milk marketing scheme will come to an end on 1 November 1994. From that date, producers will be free to sell their milk wherever they wish, while dairies and other purchasers will be free to buy direct from producers. The present system of managed markets and end-use pricing will be replaced by the normal disciplines of a competitive market. Our industry will have greater freedom to compete on level terms within the wider European market.

  It is evident that the full benefits of competition could more rapidly be achieved if Community milk quotas were abolished so that production could expand as the reward for success. This remains an important Government objective but not one which can be accomplished overnight. In the meantime I shall continue to press at next week's Council of Agriculture Ministers for milk quota to be made tradeable between producers in different member states.

  Up to 1 November 1994, which is vesting day under the board's reorganisation scheme, the requirement for producers to sell their milk to the board remains in force. But after 1 November those producers who continue to want the security of collective marketing will have a number of options. They can form their own marketing groups, as many are already doing in anticipation of the ending of the milk marketing scheme; they can form an association with a particular purchaser; or they can join Milk Marque, the board's successor marketing body under the reorganisation scheme.

  The scheme provides for Milk Marque to inherit certain assets of the MMB, including a sum of cash, property, staff and laboratories. It will not inherit Dairy Crest, which is to be floated on the stock market as an independent company. Nor will it inherit Genus, which is to become an independent company with all the shares distributed to producers. National Milk Records will remain with the residuary body for an initial period pending decisions on its longer-term future.

  The total market value of the assets to be passed to Milk Marque is around £39 million. In considering whether this transfer was acceptable, my right hon. Friend and I had to

  645
  balance two considerations in particular. The first was the importance that we both attach to ensuring, in the interests of producers, that Milk Marque has a sound financial base. The second was the need to ensure fairness as between those producers who join the new body and those who do not. We are satisfied that the outcome is a satisfactory balance. Milk Marque will have an adequate asset base but will be required to issue interest-bearing certificates of entitlement so that producers who choose not to join will receive their full share of the value of transferred assets.

  I know that many purchasers are opposed to the establishment of a body such as Milk Marque which may have a large share of the market for raw milk in England and Wales. My right hon. Friend and I have considered Milk Marque's proposed trading practices, as we are required to by the Act, and have concluded that, taking account of the amendments made by the board to its October proposals, it does, indeed, take account of the interests of purchasers. Many, if not most, of the fears of the purchasers relate to the possibility of Milk Marque's abusing its market power in a discriminatory or otherwise unfair manner. Milk Marque will, however, be aware that it is under continuous scrutiny and will be well advised to conduct itself in such a way that there are no grounds for complaint. My right hon. Friend and I look to the Office of Fair Trading and the European Commission to monitor the situation closely and to act decisively if the need should arise.

  A great deal now has to be accomplished in a short time. Producers who have already signed contracts with Milk Marque, and wish to reconsider, have two weeks from today, that is until 30 June, to give Milk Marque written notice in order to secure release from their contract without paying compensation. I would however urge all producers to come to a decision on who they are going to sell to, and sign up, by four weeks from now. That will give the dairy companies, Milk Marque and others the ability to plan their sales and purchases from 1 November with the maximum of confidence. That is very much in the interests of consumers. It is also important for the flotation prospects of Dairy Crest, in which producers have a particular interest under the scheme.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I will be laying regulations before Parliament to establish the constitution of the residuary MMB which will deal with the MMB's remaining rights and obligations on behalf of producers after vesting day. It is our intention that the residuary body should be required to have due regard to the financial interests of milk producers. It will be answerable to them and not to Government. There will be a strong producer presence on the new board.

  I am pleased to be able to announce also that we shall be laying an order to establish a milk development council for England and Wales. This is in response to proposals submitted by the National Farmers Union. The object of the council will be to continue certain functions of the MMB, such as the financing of research and development, which would otherwise be likely to lapse. In order to establish how much support for such a body exists among producers my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales and I recently carried out a postal ballot of producers in Great Britain. In England and Wales 67 per cent. of the forms sent out were returned. Some 74 per cent. of those voting favoured the establishment of a development council. The Secretary of State for Wales and I conclude that this meets the requirement for
  646
  substantial support set out in the relevant Act. We hope that a development council will be operational from 1 November or soon after. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland is considering whether Scotland should join in.

  The granting of approval of the board's reorganisation scheme opens up the prospects of a brighter future. I am pleased, therefore, that the board has agreed to take an important step towards clearing up some of the unfinished business of the past by setting up an arbitration mechanism to deal with claims by certain producers against payment of levy on direct sales of low-fat milk from 1 January 1992. This follows the decision of the European Court of Justice in March that low-fat milk comes within the board's purchasing monopoly. It has been argued that some producers have claims, based in particular on the principle of legitimate expectations, which should limit their levy liability. The board's decision is intended to establish a more flexible and less expensive means of resolving the issues than would be available through the courts. I very much welcome it.

  Returning to the board's reorganisation scheme, the Act requires the principles of the approved scheme to be published. We have already published more detail of the proposed scheme than the Act requires in our March consultation document. We are now depositing in the Library of the House two further documents setting out the effects of amendments to the reorganisation scheme submitted by the MMB since March and of the modifications proposed by myself and the Secretary of State and accepted by the board.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Facilities (Children)
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what plans he has to improve facilities for children of hon. Members and visitors including changing facilities for babies in the House and its out-buildings.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  I understand that child care facilities for Members and staff are at present under consideration by the Administration Committee and the House of Commons Commission. The Accommodation and Works Committee would be prepared to examine accommodation requirements arising from any decisions that are taken.

  The provision of facilities for the families of Members was among the bids put forward for space in the phase 2 building. The Committee has yet to decide to what extent that request can be accommodated within the limited space available. No change is at present contemplated for the families room. I am confident that the issue of changing facilities for babies will be considered in the context of any planned development of appropriate accommodation.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Civil Servants (Outside Appointments)
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many job offers were reported by staff in his Department under the requirements of the rules on the acceptance of outside appointments in each year since its establishment by(a) staff of grade 3 and above, (b)

  647
  staff below grade 3, (c) staff in sections concerned with procurement or contract work, under section 15 of the rules of 1 February 1993 and (d) staff in other sections, under section 14; and how many of these reports were followed by an application to join the company concerned.

  Mr. Sproat
  The Department of National Heritage has been in existence only since April 1992. To date no job offers have been reported by staff in this Department under the requirements of the rules on acceptance of outside appointments.

  Public Consultation
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage in what circumstances it is his Department's practice, when issuing a public consultation document, to inform those consulted that their responses will be made public unless they explicitly ask for them to be kept confidential; and if he will arrange for his Department to do so in all cases in future.

  Mr. Sproat
  My Department has not issued any consultation documents where the intention has been to make individual responses available to the public. If such an occasion arose, the Department would make it clear that the response would be made available unless the respondent wished it to remain confidential.

  Royal Palaces (Admission Charges)
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much has been raised from admission charges to Windsor castle and Buckingham palace.

  Mr. Sproat
  Gross income, excluding VAT, from admission charges to Buckingham palace state apartments in 1993 was £2.277 million and from admission charges to Windsor castle between 4 January and 31 March 1994 was £0.754 million. Net income from Buckingham palace state apartments and from charges for the precincts of Windsor castle go towards the cost of the restoration of Windsor castle.

  Private Members' Bills
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on what occasions since April 1992 Ministers from his Department have(a) requested parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.

  Mr. Sproat
  Parliamentary counsel does not draft amendments on behalf of private Members but on the instructions of Departments acting on the authority of Ministers. On that authority, amendments were drafted by parliamentary counsel on instructions from my Department and subsequently made available following the Government's decision to support Lord Perth's Treasure Bill.

  Rugby Union
  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assistance his Department has given, directly or indirectly, to the sport of rugby union in Wales; and if he will make a statement.
  648
  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 14 June 1994]: None.

  Citizens Charter
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals he has to introduce a citizens charter for participants in sport.

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 14 June 1994]: None. The main providers of sports facilities in the public sector are local authorities, a number of whom have been awarded the charter mark for their sports and leisure provision. The Sports Council is working towards a set of charter standards for its own services.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Urban Regeneration
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for the regeneration of areas of deprivation in Belfast, South.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  The recently published strategy proposals for the "Making Belfast Work" initiative sets out how the Government propose to tackle deprivation in Belfast.

  Equine Exports
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many equines were exported from Northern Ireland for human consumption in the past year; what was their value; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Ancram
  There are no exports of equines for human consumption from Northern Ireland direct to Europe. Horses are exported to both Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland but there is no information available on the number or value of Northern Ireland horses which may be consigned to licensed abattoirs in either country. We will continue to monitor the situation carefully.

  Anglo-Irish Talks
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the latest discussions he has had with the Irish Government relating to Northern Ireland.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I periodically meet members of the Irish Government to discuss matters of mutual interest. The last such meeting was with Mr. Spring on 23 May. Our discussions are necessarily confidential but are generally the subject of a joint statement at their conclusion.

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

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  Consultations are continuing with the Irish Government on the construction of a framework conforming to the principles of the joint declaration. This would facilitate a comprehensive political settlement involving the main constitutional parties, and covering all the main relationships in accordance with the statement of 26 March 1991.
  649
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he will be putting to the Irish Government for advancing the peace process in Northern Ireland.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  The Government are consulting closely with the Irish Government on the construction of a framework conforming to the principles of the joint declaration which would facilitate a comprehensive political settlement involving the main constitutional parties, and covering all the main relationships in accordance with the statement of 26 March 1991.

  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with political leaders from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland about prospects for peace.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I have continued, with the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram), to hold such discussions, which necessarily remain confidential.

  Inter-party Talks
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a further statement about the progress of the inter-party talks.

  Mr. Ancram
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Members for Glasgow, Rutherglen (Mr. McAvoy) and for Lewisham, East (Mrs. Prentice) earlier today.

  Downing Street Declaration
  Mr. Wilkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the benefits to the security situation in Northern Ireland following the Downing street declaration.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I assess that the joint declaration, which is a declaration for democracy and against coercion, has beneficially still further isolated from public support and toleration those who employ violence for political advancement within our democracy.

  Mr. Robathan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress on the Downing street declaration.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell).

  Open Government
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the application to the Northern Ireland Office of the policy on open government.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The Northern Ireland Office is committed to the application of the principles contained within the code of practice on Government information, which came into effect on 4 April 1994.

  Security
  Mr. Cyril D. Townsend
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on cross-border security.
  650
  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  Co-operation north and south of the border on matters of security is a matter of great importance for both Governments, and continues to be very effectively practised.

  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Irish Republic regarding cross-border security.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath (Mr. Townsend).

  Integrated Schools
  Ms Hoey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support he is giving to integrated schools.

  Mr. Ancram
  Integrated schools receive 100 per cent. recurrent funding immediately and become eligible for 100 per cent. capital grants when viability is confirmed. In March 1994, the Department of Education for Northern Ireland provided a £1 million grant to the integrated education fund for the development of integrated education. This is in addition to annual grant aid of some £250,000 to the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education.

  Domestic Heating
  Mr. Clifford Forsythe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Housing Executive houses are heated by(a) electricity, (b) solid fuel and (c) other means.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive but I am advised by the chief executive that there are 25,605 houses heated by electricity, 125,427 by solid fuel and 1,900 by other means.

  Inward Investment
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the latest figures on inward investment to Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  The financial year from 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994 has been the most successful 12-month period for inward investment since the Industrial Development Board for Northern Ireland was established in 1982.

  During the year, 13 projects were secured offering a potential 2,309 jobs. Associated investment in these projects amounts to £259 million.

  I am much encouraged by this success, and by the prospects for securing further inward investment for the Province.

  Vehicle Registration
  Mr. Connarty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what considerations led to the decision to cease the issuing of vehicle registration licences through post offices in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  This is an operational matter for the chief executive of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Northern Ireland. I understand that he wrote to the hon. Member on 6 June 1994 setting out the reasons for his decision.

WALES

  Nursing Students
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the number of health visitor students and district nurse students in training expressed as whole-time equivalents in March of each year from 1988 to 1993.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information available is given in the table:

  Students in Training in Wales1

  Year

  Health visitor

  Type of Student District nurse

  Enrolled nurse converting2

  1988

  61

  62

  32

  1989

  58

  61

  25

  1990

  54

  50

  —

  1991

  41

  37

  6

  1992

  43

  30

  19

  1993

  42

  29

  14

  1991–92 £

  1992–93 £

  1993–94 £

  1994–95 £

  Church in Wales Children's Society

  21,894

  82,693·90

  112,350·00

  89,077

  Barnadoes in Wales

  5,000

  3,000·00

  1,531·76

  1,531

  National Children's Home Action for Children, Cymru

  105,459

  135,300·00

  121,470·00

  94,800

  National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Wales/Cymru

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Save the Children Fund in Wales

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Local Government Reorganisation
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends to issue a Welsh language version of the document on the "Implications of Local Government Reorganisation in Wales for Health Boundaries and Proposals for Restructuring Health Authorities"; if he will make it his policy to issue all consultation documents in bilingual form; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  There are no plans to issue this paper in Welsh.

  Water and Sewerage
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to meet representatives of water companies and the Office of Water Services to discuss the replacement of the present system of basing charges for water and sewerage services by reference to the rateable value of properties.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Decisions on methods of charging are a matter for the water companies in conjunction with the Director General of Water Services. Under existing legislation rateable values cannot be used as a basis for water charging after 31 March 2000.

  Radioactive Pollution
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what research is currently being conducted in Wales(a) by his Department, (b) on behalf of his Department and (c) as notified to his Department on the levels of radioactive pollution.
  652
  1 Number of students, as at March of each year. Figures for whole time equivalents are not available. Source: Welsh National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

  2 Enrolled nurses who are converting to 1st level district nursing ie qualifying as a district nurse.

  Children's Charities
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what amount of funding his Department has provided for each year since 1991, to(a) Church in Wales Children Society, (b) Barnadoes in Wales, (c) the National Children's Home in Wales (d) the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Wales/Cymru and (e) Save the Children in Wales.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Under the support for child and family services grant scheme, some of these organisations have had awards to support various projects from 1991–92 to date. The table sets out, where applicable, the total amount granted in each financial year.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Full details of the Welsh Office's environmental research programme in Wales is published annually in "Research Wales", copies of which are placed in the Library of the House. Current research projects on radioactivity involve a study of tidal washed pastures on the eastern Irish sea coast, jointly funded with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of the Environment and Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution; and on plutonium in soils in Wales.

  As reported in the annual environmental digests for Wales, also placed in the Library of the House, continuous monitoring of radioactivity is carried out on behalf of the Welsh Office by a number of organisations.

  Environment
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what further commitments he intends to make to publish further reviews of environmental research and the ranking of priorities of environmental protection initiatives in Wales.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  As stated on page 9 of "The Environment in Wales: Third Report", copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House, a review of environmental research priorities has been completed by the Welsh Office. There are at present no plans for a further specific review but the programme continues to be monitored.

  Paragraph 12 of the third report sets out the Government's broad objectives for environmental protection in Wales.
  653
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what efforts were made to publicise the publication of his Department's third report on the environment in Wales.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  A press release was issued by the Welsh Office on 10 May to announce publication of the report. Copies of the report were also sent to a wide range of interests in Wales including all local authorities, public bodies and voluntary organisations. Copies were also placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Out-of-town Shopping
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many(a) out-of-town shopping centres, (b) out-of-town warehouse parks and (c) warehouse clubs are (i) currently under construction and (ii) have planning permission but have yet to start construction in Wales.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  This information is not held centrally.

  GP Fundholders
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what quality indications are used by GP fundholders in determining the hospitals at which they will place contracts for their patients.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The quality measures used to inform the contracting process are a matter for individual GP fundholders. They will include patients charter standards, the quality of clinical care and patient satisfaction.

  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library the details of the circumstances in which GP fund holders cannot refer a patient extra-contractually without the permission of his Department.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The guidance covering extra-contractual referrals from GP fundholders, for non-fundholding procedures, is the same as that for non-fundholder GPs. The Department is involved where GPs wish to refer patients abroad. All other extra-contractual referrals are subject to health authority procedures, and are not affected by fundholding status.

  Ambulance Service
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidelines he issues to chief ambulance officers in Wales on the timing and release of information to the press following a 999 call requiring the attendance of an ambulance at a serious road accident.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  There are no central guidelines for the release of information by chief anbulance officers. In the event of a major incident, the responsibility for dealing with the media lies with the receiving hospital. A copy of the guidelines dealing with such incidents—Welsh Office circular WHC(93)(69)—has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Planning
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will issue new guidance on the charging policy of local authorities and on minimum standards for providing access to planning documents by local authorities.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  My right hon. Friend has not issued general guidance on local authority fees and charges and has no plans to do so in the near future.

  Section 69 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 requires local planning authorities to keep a register of planning applications and to make it available for public inspection. This duty is referred to in planning policy and minerals planning guidance notes produced by the Welsh Office. Welsh Office circular 11/86 gives guidance on the provisions of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985. My right hon. Friend has no proposals to issue new guidance.

  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it a new duty for local authorities to supply copies of planning documents on request.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  No. The Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 provides for public inspection of certain background papers about local authority proceedings. The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 removed certain impediments on copyright and permits the copying of material open to public inspection.

  Medical Consultants (Merit Awards)
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library the names of the medical consultants who currently hold merit awards in Wales; and if he will indicate the grade that each has been awarded.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Information about the awards status of individual consultants is confidential.

  Prostheses
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy that any directly managed unit or NHS hospital trust which changes the prosthesis used for hip or knee replacement surgery informs all purchasing authorities before such changes are introduced.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The type of prostheses used for hip and knee replacements is currently a matter for agreement between commissioning authorities, GP fundholders and hospitals, when agreeing contracts. Commissioners are able to stipulate that they wish to be informed before any changes are made.

  Surgical Appointments
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients have been re-referred in the last three months from in-patient surgical appointments at the Carmarthen and district NHS trust to the Pembrokeshire NHS trust.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  This is a matter for the health authorities and GP fundholders involved. The information is not held centrally.

  Welsh Water
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library details of the statutory indemnity existing for Dwr Cymru Cyf in respect of costs, damages and expenses not otherwise covered by insurance arising from claims against Dwr Cymru Cyf on the grounds of harm to health arising solely from fluoridation.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Arrangements have been made to do so.

  Oystermouth Bus Station
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the public planning inquiry was held at the Guildhall, Swansea into the proposed development at the Oystermouth bus station; and on which date he announced his decision.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The public local enquiry was completed on 16 March 1994. The Secretary of State will announce his decision as quickly as possible after the inspector's report is received.

  Home Care Services
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now issue further guidance to local authorities on the principles to be supplied in determining discretionary charges for home care services.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Guidance on charging for non-residential social services for adults was issued on 18 January 1994 under cover of Welsh Office circular 4/94. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

  Drug and Alcohol Abuse
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what sums have been provided by the Welsh Office for health promotion initiatives to combat drug and alcohol misuse in(a) 1993–94 and (b) 1994–95.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  A number of statutory and voluntary organisations undertake initiatives to combat drug and alcohol misuse as part of their overall remit. It is not possible to disaggregate this expenditure from total allocation. Additional Welsh Office support is provided for specific national activity. In 1993–94, £90,000 was provided and for the current financial year, some £100,000 is available.

  Surgery
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy that any directly managed unit or NHS hospital trust which introduces a new form of surgical intervention should inform all purchasers before such changes are introduced.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  There is a clear expectation that any significant change or development in the pattern of treatment and care should be subject to a dialogue between hospitals and commissioners prior to their introduction.

  Nuclear Installations (Cancer)
  Mr. Richards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the findings of the investigation into the incidence of cancer around Trawsfynydd and Wylfa nuclear installations.
  656
  Mr. Redwood
  I have today published the report of an investigation into the incidence of cancer around Trawsfynydd and Wylfa nuclear installations over the period 1974 to 1986. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.

  The report gives the results of a statistical analysis of the incidence of seven groups of cancer near to the two installations. The results have been examined by the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, which concluded that the study demonstrates that there is no association between the incidence of the cancers studied and residence near Wylfa and Trawsfynydd nuclear installations.

  In the light of COMARE's conclusions and advice I do not propose any further investigation of the incidence of cancer in the vicinity of Trawsfynydd and Wylfa nuclear installations. The full text of the committee's advice is as follows.

  COMARE STATEMENT
  Investigation of the Incidence of Cancer around Wylfa and Trawsfynydd Nuclear Installations
  Background
  A detailed investigation of the incidence of cancer around the Trawsfynydd and Wylfa nuclear installations has been undertaken by the Welsh Cancer Registry. The study has now been published.
  The Study
  The object of the study was to investigate the incidence rates from 1974–1986 of the following groupings of cancer: all leukaemias, lymphoid leukaemia, all lymphomas, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, brain cancer and thyroid cancer. These cancers were selected because of their suggested links with radiation in the medical literature at the time the study was undertaken. The geographical regions were defined as the pre-1974 local authority areas within Gwynedd. The time span was the years for which data were available from the Welsh Cancer Registry. Data were analysed by Stone's method for all ages combined and further analyses of lymphoid leukaemia and thyriod cancer were undertaken for three age groups (0–24 years, 25–64 years and 65 years and over).
  Results

  (i) For both Trawsfynydd and Wylfa no significant results were found for all leukaemias, all lymphomas, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, brain cancer or thyroid cancer.

  (ii) The analysis of lymphoid leukaemia was undertaken separately for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). However, in attempting to undertake these analyses account had to be taken of the approximately 9 per cent. of registrations which were recorded neither as ALL (ICD code: 204.0) nor CLL (ICD code: 204.1) but as 'other and unspecified lymphoid leukaemia' (ICD codes: 204.2, 204.8 and 204.9). It was not possible to determine the type of lymphoid leukaemia for such cases and therefore the analysis was undertaken in two ways, either with the cases recorded as unspecified lymphoid leukaemia analysed as if they were all ALL or with the cases recorded as unspecified lymphoid leukaemia analysed as if they were all CLL;

  The results analysed in these two ways were as follows:
  Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL)

  (a) Trawsfynydd. No significant results were obtained.

  (b) Wylfa. No significant results for ALL were found for all ages and in the age groups 0–24 and 25–64. If the single case of unspecified lymphoid leukaemia was included as ALL a significant result was obtained in the age group 65 and over (P=0.027, two cases observed in the area containing Wylfa compared to 0.25 expected).

  Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL)

  (a) Trawsfynydd. No significant results were obtained for CLL when analysis was undertaken for all ages and for the age group 65 and over. Considering the age group 25–64 four cases were observed in the

  657
  area containing the installation compared to 0.57-0.66 expected with the relative risk decreasing as the distance from Trawsfynydd increased (p< 0·01).

  (b) Wylfa. No significant results were obtained.

  (iii) Data for 1987 and 1988 became available during the period of the study. No further cases of lymphoid leukaemia were recorded in the local authority areas containing either installation.
  COMARE'S ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT
  COMARE considered and welcomed this study.
  The Committee endorsed the statistical methods used.
  In interpreting the results on ALL at Wylfa, the Committee noted that the statistically significant increase in ALL rests on a single case of unspecified leukaemia being included as acute lymphoid leukaemia rather than chronic lymphoid leukaemia. It was considered that this finding could be disregarded for the following reasons:
  Statistical associaton based on a single case is extremely unreliable.
  Placing weight of opinion on a finding based on reclassification of a case of unspecified leukaemia to ALL in the 65 years and over age group was felt to be unreasonable, since in this age group chronic leukaemia is very much more common than acute leukaemia.
  Equally, the finding of cases of CLL around Trawsfynydd should not give rise to public concern because:
  The overwhelming weight of evidence from international studies leads to the conclusions that CLL is a leukaemia sub-type which has not been shown to be associated with, or induced, by ionising radiation. This fact alone should be sufficient to allay concern that environmental radiation might have played a part in causing such cases observed in this study.
  CLL is an indolent disease, predominantly of the elderly, which may cause few symptoms over long periods. Diagnosis is often the result of investigation of an unrelated complaint and incidence in a geographical area depends on the intensity of such investigations. Hence the baseline incidence is uncertain, particularly for relatively small areas and it is unwise to calculate rates, raised or otherwise, in subgroups in such areas.
  Given the number of statistical tests undertaken on this body of data there is a strong likelihood that at least one subgroup will show a statistical association by chance.
  The Committee noted the considerable effort that had been made to confirm the diagnosis in the cases investigated. Further research to establish the diagnosis with greater certainty was not felt to be justified.
  The Committee concluded that the study demonstrated no association between the incidence of the cancers studied and residence near Trawsfynydd and Wylfa nuclear stations. No further work to investigate such an association is recommended.

SCOTLAND

  Health Care International
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if it is his policy that Health Care International will be permitted to seek contracts to treat NHS patients; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  The Health Care International business plan is based on overseas and private business. If however, health boards wish to use HCI to the benefit of patients and they provide value for money my right hon. Friend would not object to HCI or any other private hospital accepting NHS patients in circumstances where the hospital could offer a specific medical technique not readily available elsewhere or where the NHS saw a need for particular waiting lists to be reduced more quickly than the service itself was in a position to achieve.

  European Council
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings of the European Council of Ministers took place in the past year; how many Scottish Office Ministers have attended in each case; which Minister attended; and what was the subject discussed at each of these meetings.

  Mr. Stewart
  The European Council of Ministers meets on average 125 times each year.

  Since the beginning of 1993 Scottish Ministers have attended the following meetings:

  Date

  Minister

  25 January 1993

  Environment/Transport Council

  Secretary of State

  18 March 1993

  Fisheries Council

  Sir Hector Monro

  24 June 1993

  Fisheries Council

  Sir Hector Monro

  20 September 1993

  Joint Foreign Affairs/Agriculture Council

  Secretary of State

  21 September 1993

  Agriculture Council

  Secretary of State

  20 October 1993

  Fisheries Council

  Sir Hector Monro

  29–30 November 1993

  Justice/Interior Issues

  Lord Fraser

  20 December 1993

  Fisheries Council

  Sir Hector Monro

  12 April 1994

  Fisheries Council

  Lord Fraser

  27–28 May 1994

  Justice/Interior issues

  Lord Fraser

  3–4 June 1994

  Regional Policy

  Mr. Stewart

  In addition to the above, Scottish Office officials have also attended a further 15 Agriculture Councils and four Education Councils since the beginning of 1993.

  Agendas for meetings of the Council of Ministers usually cover a number of different subjects, but all within the area of responsibility of the particular Council. Ministers generally report to Parliament on the outcome of discussions at the Council of Ministers.

  Raymond Gilmour
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what meetings and discussions his right hon. Friend the Minister of State was involved in the prosecution of the case of Raymond Gilmour when the right hon. Gentleman occupied the office of Solicitor-General for Scotland; what were the subjects of discussions; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  It is not the policy of the Crown to reveal details of private meetings and discussions between prosecutors. Such matters must, for sound reasons of public policy, remain confidential.

  Breast Screening
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what procedures are used by Ayrshire and Arran health board to arrange appointments for women for breast screening; in what circumstances this is done without the patient's prior approval; whether this procedure is adopted by other health boards; and if Ayrshire and Arran health board has assessed the costs to them of arranging appointments where the patient has failed to turn up or cancelled her appointment.

  Mr. Allan Stewart
  National appointment procedures are followed in each breast screening centre. An initial letter inviting the patient to attend on a specific
  659
  appointment date is sent to each patient based on a list which has been endorsed by the patients' GPs. Experience has shown that if they are offered a firm date, some 80 per cent. of women invited in this way are able to attend without the need for any further letters. The screening centres have assessed the economic implications of call-up and have taken this into account by calling up enough patients to ensure that the maximum numbers are screened after allowing for non-attenders. This still enables all patients to be screened timeously.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much the national health service has spent on its breast screening programme in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 14 June 1994]: Expenditure on the Scottish breast screening programme has been as follows:

  £ million

  Year

  Revenue

  Capital

  Total

  1989–90

  1·7

  3·0

  4·7

  1990–91

  2·8

  0·7

  3·5

  1991–92

  3·4

  —

  3·4

  1992–93

  3·5

  —

  3·5

  1993–94

  3·7

  0·2

  3·9

  Health Service Waiting Lists
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people not on waiting lists for treatment were waiting to see a specialist in the national health service at the end of March.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 15 June 1994]: Information on waiting times to first out-patient appointment is set out in the NHS "Patient Treatment and Waiting Time Bulletin". Copies of the bulletin, which is published quarterly, have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Crosshouse Hospital
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department will be taking to seek further compensation for design faults at Crosshouse hospital from the architects Boissevain and Osmond.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 14 June 1994]: None. In December 1989, Ayrshire and Arran health board accepted an offer of payment from Boissevain and Osmond of £470,000, together with the abandonment of the architect's claim for outstanding professional fees. I am satisfied that this represented a reasonable and acceptable conclusion to the dispute.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the contacts between his Department, the North Ayrshire and Arran NHS trust and Ayrshire and Arran health board concerning the further repair of Crosshouse hospital.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 14 June 1994]: The management executive of the national health service in Scotland maintains regular contact with all health bodies concerning major capital investment proposals.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the latest faults in the roof and drainage 660
  systems of Crosshouse hospital were identified; and whether these were included in Ayrshire and Arran health board's original damages claim with the architects responsible for the building of the hospital.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 14 June 1994]: Faults in the roof and drainage systems of Crosshouse hospital have been evident since the hospital opened in 1982 and were included in Ayrshire and Arran health board's damages claim against the architects responsible.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  May Report
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy that Sir John May's report will be published before the summer recess.

  Mr. Maclean
  The final report of Sir John May's inquiry will be published as soon as practicable.

  Criminal Injuries Compensation
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total amount given by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board in each of the last five years; how many people were compensated in each of the last five years; how many were compensated for loss of earnings; and if he will break down these figures by category of occupation.

  Mr. Maclean
  Information about the total amount paid and the numbers of people compensated each year are given in the board's annual reports, copies of which are held in the Library of the House. The board does not collate centrally information about the numbers of people compensated for loss of earnings or categories of occupation. The available information is summarised as follows:

  Year

  Compensation Paid £ million

  Number of Awards Made

  1989–90

  72·7

  27,926

  1990–91

  109·3

  35,190

  1991–92

  143·7

  39,249

  1992–93

  152·2

  36,638

  1 1993–94

  165·7

  40,635

  1The figures for 1993–94 are provisional, and subject to audit·

  West Midlands Probation Committee
  Mr. Hawksley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs his Department incurred in defeating the High Court action by the West Midlands probation committee.

  Mr. Maclean
  I will write to my hon. Friend when the costs have been settled.

  Young Offenders
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of 16-year-old(a) men and (b) women being held in prison establishments in England and Wales on 10 June.

  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.
  661
  Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 16 June 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking what was the number of sixteen year old (a) men and (b) women being held in prison establishments in England and Wales on 10 June.
  The latest available provisional information is for 30 April 1994. On that date there were 386 sixteen year olds (377 males and 9 females) held in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales.

  Life Sentences
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the prison population in England and Wales is serving a life sentence.

  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 Mr. Tom Cox, dated 16 June 1994:
  The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking what percentage of the prison population in England and Wales is serving a life sentence.
  The latest available information is for 31 March 1994. On that date life sentence prisoners accounted for 8.8 per cent of the sentenced prison population in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales.

  London Church of Christ
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy toward the London Church of Christ.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Our policy towards new religious movements, including the London Church of Christ, is that such groups must be allowed to practise freely so long as their actions remain lawful. We do not believe that legislation should be introduced to restrict the establishment or operation of cults or new religious movements. The existing criminal law is sufficient to regulate the behaviour of individuals who may infringe the rights of others.

  Crown Prosecution Service
  Mr. Blair
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Home Office research into the reasons for the termination of cases by the Crown Prosecution Service was completed; and what were its findings.

  Mr. Maclean
  A report on the Home Office study of termination of cases by the Crown Prosecution Service is nearing completion, and will be published later in the year. An article summarising key findings of the study was published by the Home Office research and statistics department in research bulletin No. 32. A copy of the bulletin is available from the House Library.

  Domestic Burglaries, London
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest trend in domestic burglaries in London.
  662
  Mr. Maclean
  The information available centrally shows that there were 114,778 offences of burglary in a dwelling recorded in the Metropolitan police district in 1993. This represents a fall of 10 per cent. over the previous 12 months.

  Child Crime Victims
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the Government's policy concerning the establishment of a service which would specifically help children who are the victims of crime; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  There are no plans to establish a service specifically to help child victims of crime. Government help for all victims of crime is provided principally through the voluntary organisation Victim Support, which helps families when they or their children have been victims of crime. Help for child victims is also available from other sources, such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Childline, as well as from statutory agencies.

  Immigration
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 26 May,Official Report, column 253, when the hon. Member for Linlithgow may expect to receive the letter on the case of Mrs. Carole Raja.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I wrote to the hon. Member on 14 June.

  Sentencing
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what percentage of(a) male juveniles and (b) female juveniles convicted of an indictable offence received a custodial sentence in 1993–94;

  (2) what percentage of (a) men and (b) women convicted of an indictable offence received a custodial sentence in 1993–94.

  Mr. Maclean
  Information for 1993 will not be available until the autumn.

  Information for 1992 on persons sentenced to immediate custody by age and gender is published in table 7.15 of the Command Paper "Criminal Statistics England and Wales 1992", a copy of which is in the Library.

  Prisoners (Mental Health)
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in England and Wales were made subject to hospital orders under sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983; and how many were transferred to hospital under section 47 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in the year 1993–94.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 26 May 1994]: Some 156 persons were made subject to hospital orders with restrictions—sections 37 and 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983—in 1992, of whom 51 had previously been transferred from prison to hospital under section 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Information for 1993–94 is not yet available.
  663
  Information on prisoners transferred to hospital under section 47 of the Mental Health Act 1983 is published annually in the Home Office statistical bulletin "Statistics of Mentally Disordered Offenders England and Wales" of which the latest edition is that for 1992.

  Prison Statistics
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of prisoners per 100,000 population in(a) each EC country, (b) each other Council of Europe country and (c) the United States of America at the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 26 May 1994]: All the EC countries are covered by the statistics collated by the Council of Europe. The latest available information is given in the table.

  An article on "International Comparisons of Prison Populations" by Collier and Tarling—Home Office research bulletin No. 23, pages 48 to 54—showed that the figures for different countries are unlikely to be strictly comparable because the definitions of prisons and prisoners vary from one country to another, reflecting different legal and administrative systems. Examples of differences in the definitions are the inclusion or exclusion in a country's figures of juvenile offenders and mentally disordered offenders. The table is not a reliable indication of punitiveness since it takes no account of the relative levels of crime or of the proportions successfully prosecuted.
  664

  Comparisons of prison population per 100,000 of national population by country, 1992

  Country

  Number per 100,000 population

  Austria

  88

  Belgium

  71

  Bulgaria

  102

  Cyprus

  32

  Czech Republic

  129

  Denmark

  66

  Finland

  65

  France

  84

  Germany1

  79

  Greece

  60

  Hungary1

  146

  Iceland

  39

  Ireland, Republic of

  62

  Italy

  80

  Luxembourg

  92

  Netherlands

  49

  Norway1

  59

  Portugal

  93

  Slovak Republic

  123

  Spain

  90

  Sweden

  63

  Switzerland

  77

  England and Wales

  91

  Scotland

  105

  Northern Ireland

  114

  USA

  547

  1 For these countries 1992 data was unavailable, published 1991 data has been used instead.

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