Written Answers of 30 June 1994

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his Department's involvement with TECs.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Lord Chancellor's Department has sought information and guidance from Central London's training and enterprise council in connection with initiatives such as investors in people and NVQ national standards.

  Public Trust Office
  Mr. Stephen
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Public Trust Office is to be established as an agency.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Further to my answer of 28 October 1993,Official Report, column 794, to my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Hawkins), I am pleased to confirm that the Lord Chancellor shall establish the Public Trust Office as an executive agency on 1 July 1994. I will arrange for a copy of the Public. Trust Office's framework document to be placed in the Library.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Victim Compensation
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that compensation awarded by the courts to victims of criminal acts is always paid.

  Mr. Maclean
  Courts already have substantial powers of enforcement for use when an offender fails to pay promptly a compensation order or other monetary penalty. These include means inquiry and attachment of earnings or social security benefits, seizure and sale of property and imprisonment. Decisions about which enforcement sanctions to use in a particular case are for the courts. Magistrates courts are responsible for the collection and enforcement of compensation orders in individual cases. My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor has recently circulated fresh guidance on how enforcement procedures might be improved.

  Prison Statistics
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many discretionary life sentence prisoners do not qualify as such for the purposes of the Criminal Justice Act 1991; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  In the case of prisoners sentenced before 1 October 1992, section 34 of the 1991 Act applies 648
  where the Secretary of State so certifies under the transitional provisions of the Act. One prisoner was not so certified.

  The application of section 34 to prisoners sentenced on or after 1 October 1992 is a matter for the courts. Information on the number of cases where section 34 has not been applied is not available.

  The status of prisoners serving a discretionary life sentence who have been transferred to hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983 is currently subject to appeal. Information on the number who may or may not qualify for section 34 provisions could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people sentenced to detention at Her Majesty's pleasure under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 are currently detained; how many of these are now adults; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  The latest available information is for 30 April 1994. On that date there were 250 persons, of whom 61 were aged under 21 and 189 were adults, held in England and Wales who had been sentenced to detention at Her Majesty's pleasure under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mandatory life sentence prisoners have been told their tariff dates following the decision of the House of Lords in the case of R.v. Secretary of State for the Home Department ex parte Doody and others; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  As at 27 June 1994, 966 mandatory life sentence prisoners had been informed of their tariff in accordance with the arrangements set out in my right hon. and learned Friend's reply to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Burton (Sir I. Lawrence), on 4 November 1993,Official Report, columns 376–78.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases the Home Secretary has increased the tariff period recommended by the judiciary in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The number of cases in which the tariff has been set higher than the period recommended by either the trial judge or the Lord Chief Justice is as follows:

  Year

  Number

  11990

  57

  1991

  32

  1992

  19

  1993

  4

  1Figures available only for August—December.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been permanently or temporarily transferred to Northern Ireland following the interdepartmental working group's review of the provisions for the transfer of prisoners between United Kingdom jurisdictions in 1992; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Since 1 December 1992, four prisoners have been permanently transferred to Northern
  649
  Ireland and nine prisoners have been temporarily transferred. In addition, four prisoners previously temporarily transferred have been granted further periods of temporary transfer in Northern Ireland.

  Police Authorities
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in respect of the age limit of 70 years for members of the new proposed police authorities; and if he will list them.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  I have received four letters from hon. Members specifically on this subject since the Police and Magistrates' Courts Bill entered the House of Commons. Information relating to letters from hon. Members received before this date, and to correspondence from the general public, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in respect of the timetable for people who wish to apply for membership of the new proposed police authorities; and if he will list them.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  None.

  Electoral Law and Procedure
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now announce the results of his Department's review of electoral law and procedure.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I would refer the hon. Member to a question from the hon. Member for Colchester, North (Mr. Jenkin) on 4 March,Official Report, column 933. My officials have now met representatives of the local authority associations and will report to me in due course on the outcome of the review.

  Euthanasia
  Mr. Khabra
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he intends to take in respect of doctors who have intentionally ended the life of a patient.

  Mr. Maclean
  Any person who intentionally kills another person is liable to prosecution under the criminal law for murder. The investigation and prosecution of offences are matters for the police and Crown Prosecution Service.

  May Report
  Sir Ivan Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the report of Sir John May's inquiry into the convictions of the Guildford Four will be published; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Howard
  As I announced on 16 May, my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General and I have received Sir John May's report of his inquiry into the case of the Guildford Four who were convicted in 1975 of murder and conspiracy to cause explosions following the Guildford public house bombings in October 1974. Paul Hill and Patrick Armstrong were additionally convicted of murder and conspiracy to cause explosions in connection 650
  with the Woolwich public house bombing in November 1974. Their convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal on 19 October 1989 following the decision of the then Home Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr. Hurd) to refer their case to the Court of Appeal under the provisions of section 17(1)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968.

  This report is being published today in response to an Order of the House for a Return. We wish to thank Sir John, and all those who assisted him throughout his inquiry, for the care and thoroughness with which he and they have examined the circumstances surrounding the convictions of the four and the subsequent consideration given to representations made on their behalf to my Department that a miscarriage of justice may have occurred.

  In his report, Sir John examines how the Guildford and Woolwich public house bombings were investigated by Surrey constabulary and the Metropolitan police respectively, the circumstances which led to the Four's arrest, and to the arrest of others in connection with the offences, and reviews the basis of the decision to prosecute the four. He then details the admissions made by the four in various statements to the police and sets out their respective explanations for why these were made. The alibis of the four for the Guildford bombing are examined in detail, as are the alibis of Paul Hill and Patrick Armstrong for the Woolwich bombing. Sir John has also considered the conduct of the trial, the interviews given by three of the four to the police following their convictions, the disclosure of forensic correlation evidence at the trial, the arrest of the Balcombe street gang in December 1975 and the admissions made by some of them and by one of their associates with regard to the Guildford and Woolwich bombings. Sir John has also examined the events which preceded the four's appeal against conviction in 1977, the conduct of that appeal, the role of Home Office Ministers and officials in considering representations alleging that a miscarriage of justice had occurred in their case and finally the 1989 appeal which resulted in their convictions being quashed.

  This was a very serious miscarriage of justice. The Government are determined that lessons are learned from such cases and applied effectively in the future. This is why we set up Sir John's inquiry and, more recently, the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice.

  Sir John's report contains a number of serious criticisms about the handling by the police of the original investigation, for example the number of arrests made, the inadequate basis for many of those arrests and the treatment accorded to those held in custody. However, it also acknowledges the many changes which have already taken place with regard to police powers and practice following the enactment of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the resulting improvements achieved through the regulation of such matters as the interrogation of suspects, the time for which they can be detained in custody before being brought before the courts and their treatment while in custody under the codes of practice issued under the 1984 Act.

  The report refers to the Prevention of Terrorism Act, in connection with the number of people arrested during the early stages of the police investigations of the Guildford and Woolwich bombings and concludes that, in relation to many of them, the police exceeded the powers available to them under the Act. Sir John draws attention to the

  651
  safeguards provided by PACE and expresses concern that there are greater risks of injustice in terrorist cases where some of the PACE safeguards do not apply.

  I have noted those points very carefully but think it important to stress that whatever early difficulties were encountered in using the Act's provisions, those do not reflect upon the way in which the Act is used now. The police are now very much better informed about the way in which their powers should be exercised. Detailed guidance has been issued and is supplemented by regular briefings. All persons detained under the PTA in England and Wales are covered either by the statutory safeguards in PACE or by the specific safeguards which have been built into PTA itself. In particular, PACE code of practice C, covering the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers applies to all persons in police detention including those arrested under the PTA.

  The allegations of misconduct and ill treatment by police officers reported by Sir John have been the subject of appropriate action, including disciplinary action, wherever sufficient evidence has been available. Since the 1970s, considerable improvements have been made to the way in which complaints against the police are conducted. If similar allegations were to be made now, the police investigation would be likely to be undertaken by another police force under the supervision of a member of the Police Complaints Authority. The Police and Magistrates' Courts Bill, currently before Parliament, will provide scope for police disciplinary action to be quicker and less legalistic.

  Sir John's report notes the prosecution's failure to disclose before the trial expert witness statements and an alibi statement that might have been helpful to the defence; but he attributes those failures to regrettable human error rather than to any deliberate attempt to pervert the course of justice or to any failure of the criminal justice system itself. He also recognises that in certain other respects the prosecution team made fuller disclosure than its legal obligations required. It is worth noting that since the Guildford four's convictions, the law and practice on disclosure has developed in such a way that it should be much less likely that such a situation could occur.

  In reviewing the Home Office's role in this case, Sir John concludes that the criteria which successive Home Secretaries have used to determine whether a case should be referred to the Court of Appeal are sound in law and logic and provide no grounds for criticism. I welcome his further conclusion that, within the limits imposed by those criteria, the Home Office investigated the representations it received with care and efficiency. We seek constantly to apply the lessons to be learned from cases of this kind and we shall go on doing so. In the years since the Guildford case was referred my Department has developed a broader approach to cases that come to it for review, in particular by being ready where appropriate to investigate cases more widely than the specific points raised in representations, and by being ready to start up inquiries where a case comes to attention without necessarily waiting for representations to be made.

  The Government have accepted the Royal Commission's recommendation that a new independent body should be established to take over my responsibilities for reviewing such cases in the future, and I am currently considering the responses we have received to the discussion paper which we issued last March.
  652
  Clearly, much has already been done to correct past mistakes and failings, but the Government are anxious that the criminal justice system in England and Wales should be as effective and efficient as possible in investigating crimes and prosecuting and convicting the guilty—and only the guilty.

  The Royal Commission made 352 recommendations for changes to be made to improve the criminal justice system in this country. Almost half of those have now been accepted by the Government, and some are included in the current Criminal Justice Bill before the House of Lords.

  The Government attach very great importance to the proper administration of justice and will take whatever action may be necessary in the future to safeguard against miscarriages of justice.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Attorney-General what is his Department's involvement with TECs.

  The Attorney-General
  The Law Officers' departments have not been involved formally with TECs.

  Prosecuting Authorities
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Attorney-General what plans he has to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the prosecuting authorities.

  The Attorney-General
  The review team, headed by Mr. John Graham, which examined the handling of serious fraud has now delivered its report. Copies of the report and of annexes 1 to 5 and 7 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Annex 6 of the report has not been published. It is a summary of some recent and current cases in both Departments which should, in line with the general handling of such material, be retained within the prosecuting departments.

  The review team undertook a comprehensive study of the arrangements for the investigation and prosecution of criminal fraud cases in the Serious Fraud Office and the Crown Prosecution Service, examining in particular relative work loads and the criteria for allocating cases between the two Departments and the organisation and management of investigation and prosecution work in the two Departments. It took account of the role of the police in fraud investigations and of the DTI in company matters generally. The review did not constitute the feasibility study into the possibility of a merger between the Serious Fraud Office and the fraud investigation group of the Crown Prosecution Service suggested by the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice, but the review team was asked in its terms of reference to carry out its work in the light of the Royal Commission's recommendation 36.

  I am grateful to Mr. John Graham and his team for the work which they have done. The report identifies management and organisational issues which need to be addressed by the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office and on which the review team has made helpful recommendations. In many cases, the issues had already been identified within the prosecuting Departments and improvements set in hand. The vast majority of the remaining recommendations are accepted and I have asked the Director of Public Prosecutions and the director of the

  653
  Serious Fraud Office to take these forward urgently, consulting the police where appropriate. A joint vetting committee is being established to ensure all complex and serious fraud cases are handled by the prosecuting department which has the most suitable powers and resources for the particular case. The copies of the report placed in the Libraries are accompanied by a response jointly prepared by the Serious Fraud Office and the Crown Prosecution Service, which deals briefly with each recommendation in so far as it affects each Department.

  The report concludes that there is a range of cases which can be satisfactorily handled only through the multidisciplinary approach to investigation and prosecution recommended by the fraud trials committee chaired by Lord Roskill. There are, however, some cases which can be described as serious or complex but which do not require that approach. The review team noted that there was some overlap between cases allocated to the fraud investigation group of the Crown Prosecution Service and to the Serious Fraud Office. It identified some potential benefits which could flow from the establishment of a single organisation which would deal with all serious or complex fraud cases but handle them on a differential basis. The review team saw scope for arrangements under which some cases would be both investigated and prosecuted by the new organisation while other cases would only be prosecuted by it. The review team made no recommendation as to whether any new organisation should constitute part of an enlarged Serious Fraud Office or Crown Prosecution Service but identified advantages and disadvantages associated with each option.

  Further consideration will be given to the question of merger in conjunction with the studies I announced on 6 December 1993, Official Report, column 60, to establish whether executive agency status was appropriate for the Serious Fraud Office and the Crown Prosecution Service. Ministers will wish to take a final decision about a possible merger in the light of recommendations arising from those studies.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  BSE
  Dr. Liam Fox
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will make a statement on BSE.

  Mrs. Gillian Shephard
  The Government's Chief Medical Officer continues to advise that there is no evidence that humans can contract Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease from an animal with BSE. There has been no significant increase in the incidence of CJD in the United Kingdom over the years 1985 to 1993. Also, the Chief Veterinary Officer advises me that the incidence of BSE among cattle in the United Kingdom continues to fall as a result of the control measures that have been put in place. There has been a particularly sharp decline in the incidence of the disease in cattle less than five years old.

  A large number of monitoring and research studies have been undertaken into BSE since 1988, and these continue. They include a BSE pathogenesis experiment which has involved the feeding of calves with a high dose of BSE-infected brain tissue. Some preliminary positive results from the BSE pathogenesis experiment will be published shortly in the "Veterinary Record". The
  654
  experiment, begun in December 1991 and still continuing, is designed to investigate the biological pathways through which the disease develops in cattle.

  These results show that it is possible to transmit BSE to laboratory mice from intestines taken from young cattle when fed a substantial dose of brain material known to contain BSE. It is not surprising that BSE has been found in those tissues, which scientists have always considered a likely route for feedborne infection. The relatively short period in which the infectivity has shown up, in one case six months after being fed the BSE dose, does however raise the issue of whether calves up to six months should continue to be exempt from the ban on the use of specified bovine offals—SBOs—of which the intestine is one.

  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and I have sought the advice of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee—SEAC—and have considered this with the Chief Medical Officer. The Committee noted the reduced risk of feedborne infection following the ban on feeding ruminant protein to ruminants such as cattle, which was introduced in 1988, and the continuing lack of evidence of significant maternal or horizontal transmission. They concluded that the theoretical risk of infection of man from food from infected calves is minuscule. They advised that the continuing results of the experiment should be carefully monitored to confirm this basic conclusion.

  I have carefully considered this advice in consultation with my right hon. Friends the other Agriculture Ministers and the Secretary of State for Health. We have concluded while the assessment of SEAC and of the CMO is that any risk to health is minuscule, the Government's policy of extreme caution in relation to BSE requires us to ensure that the tissues in which infectivity might potentially occur are removed from the human and animal food chain. We accordingly propose to extend the scope of the existing ban on the use of specified bovine offals to the intestines and thymus of calves under the age of six months. An exception will be made for calves which die before two months of age which cannot be used for human consumption under other existing legislation. The necessary orders will be duly made with the minimum of delay. This action is purely precautionary and will be kept under review.

  I intend to give particular thought to the possible scope for alternative safeguards less restrictive than those now in place in the case of cattle from herds which have not been exposed to BSE. Such an approach is now becoming appropriate as the epidemic continues to decline.

  I should repeat that the Chief Medical Officer continues to advise that there is no evidence whatever that BSE causes Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease and, similarly, not the slightest evidence that eating beef or hamburgers causes CJD.

  I am making available, in the House Library, a background document giving more detailed information about the experimental results and the advice of SEAC, the CMO and the CVO.

  I am informing the EU Commission and the EU Scientific Veterinary Committee of the action being taken.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many individual payments have been made to farmers as compensation for the slaughter of cows infected with BSE; and if she will make a statement.
  655
  Mr. Jack
  It is not possible without disproportionate costs to break down the total amount paid out in BSE compensation into a list of individual payments made to specific farmers. However, the total number of cattle compulsorily slaughtered as BSE suspects since August 1988 and up to 28 June 1994 on which compensation would have automatically been paid is 122,171 in England, 6,455 in Scotland and 13,603 in Wales. There are also occasions where, because compulsory slaughter has not taken place, compensation is not automatically paid. In those circumstances, each individual case is assessed on its merits and ex-gratia payments may be awarded.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what amount of compensation is given to farmers for each cow slaughtered because of BSE; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  Compensation paid to farmers for an animal compulsorily slaughtered as a BSE suspect is an amount equal to 100 per cent. of either the market value of the animal or the monthly indicative market price—IMP—whichever is the lower figure. Where subsequent laboratory examination does not confirm that the animal was affected by BSE, compensation is an amount equal to 100 per cent. of the market value of the animal or 125 per cent. of the monthly IMP, whichever is the lower figure. The monthly IMP is a weighted average of prices of Friesian and Holstein cows, heifers in milk and in calf, and barren dairy cattle taking into account the age distribution of cattle slaughtered as BSE suspects in the month. The IMP for July will be £890.

  Cormorants
  Sir Cranley Onslow
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations her Department has received from angling organisations and angling clubs in England and Wales, and from individual anglers, about cormorant predation; what action is being taken in response; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Jack
  The following individuals, organisations and clubs have expressed their concern to the Ministry about cormorant predation.

  G. R. Hemus, Esq.

  P. M. Hobson, Esq.

  F. Sandison, Esq.

  Major D. J. Shaw

  Aramstone Fishery

  Atlantic Salmon Association

  Blue Circle Northfleet Works Coarse Angling Club

  British Field Sports Society

  Duncan Cameron and Sons Ltd.

  Ernest Cook Trust

  Furness Fishing Association

  Hampton Bishop Fishery

  Harris and Sheldon Group Ltd.

  Hereford and District Angling Association

  Kingfisher Angling and Preservation Society

  Lancashire Fishery Conservation Association

  Luggs Mouth and Lower Carrots Fishery

  Orpington and District Angling Association

  Ouse Angling Preservation Society

  P. M. Fisheries

  Salmon and Trout Association

  Sam Davies Angling Syndicate

  Severn Fisheries Consultative Council

  St. Helens Angling Association

  Wantsum Angling Association

  Wye Salmon Fishery Owners Association

  656
  Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Ministry is a licensing authority for the killing of cormorants where evidence of serious damage to a fishery has been provided. The Ministry considers each application on its merits and is advised by Agricultural Development Advisory Service, the Ministry's wildlife advisers. In addition, the Ministry consults English Nature. Together with other Government Departments, conservation bodies and fisheries interests such as the Salmon and Trout Association, the Atlantic Salmon Trust, the Country Landowners Association and the British Field Sports Society, the Ministry is reviewing its research and development programme on piscivorous birds to inform policy better.

  Dogs
  Sir David Madel
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes she is planning to the regulations that apply to the bringing into the United Kingdom of dogs from other European Union countries; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Soames
  [holding answer 24 June 1994]: The Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) (Amendment) Order 1994 has been made today. This order implements the derogation negotiated by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland for the importation of commercially traded dogs and cats under the live animals trade directive (92/65/EEC), commonly called the "balai".

  Under the amendment order, from 1 July 1994, commercially traded dogs and cats will be able to be imported into the United Kingdom from other member states without quarantine if they comply with all the following strict criteria. They must:

  be the subject of a commercial trade;

  come from a registered holding;

  on the day of dispatch show no signs of contagious disease;

  have an implanted microchip identifying the animal with a unique number which will also be shown on the accompanying certification (the importer will be required to supply a suitable reader with each import);

  have been born and kept on the holding of origin since birth with no contact with wild animals;

  in the case of dogs, have been vaccinated against distemper; be transported by an authorised carrier;

  have vaccination and health certificates signed by an Official Veterinary Surgeon;

  have been vaccinated against rabies when at least 3 months old and at least 6 months prior to export (with boosters if appropriate);

  have been blood tested not less than 30 days after vaccination to show that the vaccination has been effective; and have the movement notified in advance to the local Divisional Veterinary Officer.

  The order also includes powers to check the identity of the imported animals and their vaccination status. These stringent new procedures replicate our quarantine arrangements in many respects and provide sufficient safeguards to protect our rabies-free status.

PRIME MINISTER

  EC President
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will make it his policy not to agree to any change in the procedure for choosing a President of the European Commission which would directly or indirectly remove or restrict the requirement for consensus;
  657
  (2) if he will make it his policy not to agree to the appointment as a member of the European Commission any person who has not made it clear that he is opposed to any further transfer of power from Whitehall and Westminster to Brussels and Strasbourg;

  (3) if he will make it his policy not to agree to the appointment as President of the European Commission of a person with known federalist views;

  (4) if he will make it his policy not to agree to the appointment as a member of the European Commission of any person who has advocated the transfer of responsibility for monetary and exchange rate policy to the EC and its institutions.

  The Prime Minister
  I shall continue to insist that the President and other members of the Commission are appointed by common accord of the Governments of the member states, as the treaty requires. I shall consider candidates for the Presidency of the Commission on their merits.

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 30 June.

  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 30 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 this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

  Lockerbie
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Prime Minister what response Her Majesty's Government have given to lawyers of the two Libyan suspects of the bombing of Pan Am 103 who have made representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the statement of Youssef Chaabane in a Beirut court that he planted the bomb.

  The Prime Minister
  We have received no such representations.

  Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill
  Mr. Berry
  To ask the Prime Minister when the Government decided to oppose the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill at Report stage.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 14 June 1994]: The Government made clear their doubts about the Bill as a whole at Second Reading and on other occasions, but we had also indicated that we would see what, if any, parts were appropriate to take further. In the event, debates during Committee confirmed our doubts, and the Government explained the reasons why they were unable to support the Bill at Report stage on 6 May.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Accountancy Firms
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many contracts and for what total sum were let out by his Department and agencies for which 658
  it is responsible to (a) Coopers and Lybrand, (b) KPMG Peat Marwick, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) Price Waterhouse, (e) Arthur Andersen, (f) Touche Ross, (g) Grant Thornton, (h) Robson Rhodes and (i) Pannell Kerr Forster for (i) privatisation, (ii) market testing, (iii) management advice, (iv) accounting, (v) audit, (vi) consultancy and (vii) other services in (1) 1980 to 1983, (2) 1984 to 1987, (3) 1988 to 1991 and (4) 1992–93.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  Information is not available for the period January 1980 to December 1983. From 1984 on, the available information on the number and value of contracts let to these consultancies by my Departments and their predecessors is as follows:

  Period

  Contracts let

  Costs (£000)

  Firms1

  1984 to 1987

  6

  216

  (a), (d), (e), (f)

  1988 to 1991

  9

  177

  (a), (b), (d), (f)

  1992–93

  56

  2,723

  (a), (b), (c). (d), (e), (f)

  Note: To preserve commercial confidentiality contracts have not been identified under specific categories. The costs of contracts have been aggregated and are attributable to the firms indicated1.

  1(a) Coopers and Lybrand

  (f) Touche Ross

  (b) KPMG Peat Marwick

  (g) Grant Thornton

  (c) Ernst and Young

  (h) Robson Rhodes

  (d) Price Waterhouse

  (i) Pannell Kerr Forster

  (e) Arthur Andersen

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required to consult prior to legislation proposals; and in respect of which bodies the Government must publish their response to advice supplied by them.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  None.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which are required to publish their advice to Government.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  None.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which have a statutory base.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The Political Honours Scrutiny Committee, sponsored by the Cabinet Office, was set up by an Order in Council which resulted from the Abuses of Honours Act 1925.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the advisory bodies which he has set up in his Department since the publication of "Public Bodies 1993."

  Mr. Waldegrave
  "Public Bodies 1993", published in December 1993, lists non-departmental public bodies in existence at 1 April 1993. The following advisory non-departmental public bodies have been established by my Department since then:Citizen's Charter Complaints Task Force
  Technology Foresight Steering Group
  659
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which are required to lay their annual reports before Parliament.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  None.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which are required to produce annual reports.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  None.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Executive Agencies
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to review the need to bring executive agencies of Government fully within the scope of competition regulation and fair trading control.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  As the citizens charter second report 1994 explains, Crown immunity is being progressively reduced as legislative opportunities arise. In the meantime, Crown bodies are expected to behave as if they were bound by regulations. This applies to executive agencies, which are required to behave in accordance with the principles underlying competition law.

  Receivers
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to proposals under which accountants acting as receivers, administrators and liquidators would be required to publish information about their affairs.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I am not aware of any proposals under which accountants acting as receivers, administrators and liquidators would be required to publish information about their affairs.

  Insolvency Regulator
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration he has given to proposals for appointing an independent regulator for insolvency.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  I have considered proposals for the appointment of an independent monitor in individual insolvencies. I am anxious to encourage creditors to make use of the powers available to them to supervise insolvencies and I do not believe that the additional cost of such an independent monitor is justified.

  However, the Government welcome the setting up of the joint institute monitoring unit by professional bodies whose members are engaged in insolvency practice. This will provide users of insolvency procedures with a basic level of assurance as to professional standards and regulatory compliance.

  Intra-EEC Trade
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish figures corresponding to those in the December 1993 issue of "Business Monitor MM20" for total trade in tables 3 and 4 for intra-EEC trade together with those for 1992.
  660
  Mr. Needham
  Information for 1993, including intra-EC trade, was published by the Central Statistical Office in tables 2 and 3 in the December 1993 issue of "Business Monitor MM20A", "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom with the World (including data for countries within the European Community: Intrastat)". Information for 1992 was published in "Business Monitor MA20", "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom". Both publications are available in the Library of the House.

  External Trade Statistics
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table corresponding to table F2 of the 1991 "Supplement to the Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics" showing separately the weighted average, excluding the United Kingdom, against the EC Six and the other listed countries.

  Mr. Needham
  The information requested is given in the table.

  Main manufacturing countries' exports of manufactures: unit value indices 1985=100

  Weighted average excluding United Kingdom

  Non-EC1

  EC(6)

  1975q1

  64

  83

  1975q2

  65

  83

  1975q3

  63

  78

  1975q4

  64

  77

  1976q1

  64

  77

  1976q2

  66

  78

  1976q3

  66

  80

  1976q4

  68

  83

  1977q1

  68

  85

  1977q2

  69

  86

  1977q3

  70

  88

  1977q4

  73

  91

  1978q1

  75

  96

  1978q2

  78

  98

  1978q3

  83

  102

  1978q4

  85

  108

  1979q1

  87

  112

  1979q2

  88

  112

  1979q3

  91

  121

  1979q4

  92

  126

  1980q1

  93

  132

  1980q2

  96

  131

  1980q3

  99

  134

  1980q4

  101

  129

  1981q1

  101

  120

  1981q2

  100

  113

  1981q3

  100

  109

  1981q4

  104

  116

  1982q1

  104

  113

  1982q2

  103

  112

  1982q3

  101

  107

  1982q4

  100

  107

  1983q1

  102

  110

  1983q2

  101

  106

  1983q3

  100

  102

  1983q4

  102

  102

  1984q1

  102

  103

  1984q2

  103

  103

  1984q3

  100

  98

  1984q4

  99

  95

  1985q1

  97

  91

  1985q2

  98

  96

  1985q3

  101

  104

  1985q4

  105

  112

  1986q1

  108

  122

  1986q2

  110

  124

  1986q3

  114

  131

  1986q4

  115

  135

  1987q1

  119

  145

  661

  Non-EC1

  EC(6)

  1987q2

  122

  147

  1987q3

  122

  145

  1987q4

  126

  155

  1988q1

  129

  156

  1988q2

  130

  155

  1988q3

  127

  145

  1988q4

  131

  155

  1989q1

  131

  152

  1989q2

  128

  148

  1989q3

  128

  149

  1989q4

  130

  157

  1990q1

  132

  167

  1990q2

  132

  169

  1990q3

  137

  177

  1990q4

  142

  187

  1991q1

  141

  183

  1991q2

  136

  163

  1991q3

  136

  162

  1991q4

  139

  174

  1992q1

  125

  —

  Weighted average excluding United Kingdom

  Year

  Non-EC1

  EC (6)

  1975

  64

  80

  1976

  66

  80

  1977

  70

  88

  1978

  80

  101

  1979

  90

  118

  1980

  97

  131

  1981

  101

  115

  1982

  102

  110

  1983

  101

  105

  1984

  101

  99

  1985

  100

  101

  1986

  112

  128

  1987

  122

  148

  1988

  130

  153

  1989

  129

  152

  1990

  138

  175

  1991

  134

  170

  1Non-EC comprises: Sweden, Switzerland, United States of America, Canada and Japan.

  Note: Manufactures is defined as SITC sections 5–8.

  Data is only available back to 1975.

  Updated and rebased to 1990=100 data will be available from 8 July 1994 on the central shared database, which can be accessed from the Library.

  Trade and Industry Statistics
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing by standard industrial trade classification two-digit division the industries whose share of the United Kingdom market has increased(a) since 1973 and (b) since 1979.

  Mr. Needham
  The information requested is not available.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing by SITC two-digit division the industries whose share of exports by the main manufacturing countries has declined since 1985.

  Mr. Needham
  The information requested is given in the table.
  662

  SITC divisions for which the United Kingdom share of main manufacturing countries' exports decreased between 1985 and 1991.

  SITC Code

  Description

  00

  Live animals

  01

  Meat, meat preparations

  05

  Vegetables and fruit

  06

  Sugar, surgical preparations, honey

  07

  Coffee, tea, cocoa, spices

  09

  Miscellaneous edible products etc.

  12

  Tobacco, tobacco manufactures

  21

  Hides, skins, furskins, raw

  22

  Oil seed, oleaginus fruit

  24

  Cork and wood

  28

  Metalliferous ore, scrap

  29

  Crude animal, vegetable material

  32

  Coal, coke, briquettes

  33

  Petroleum, petroleum products

  34

  Gas, natural, manufactured

  43

  Animal, vegetable fats, oils, nes

  51

  Organic chemicals

  52

  Inorganic chemicals

  53

  Dyes, colouring materials

  55

  Essential oils, perfume, etc.

  57

  Plastics in primary form

  59

  Chemical materials nes

  61

  Leather, leather goods

  63

  Cork, wood manufactures

  65

  Textile yarn, fabric, etc.

  66

  Non-metallic, mineral manufactures

  69

  Metals manufactures, nes

  72

  Special industrial machinery

  73

  Metal working machinery

  74

  General industrial machinery nes

  77

  Electrical mch. apparatus, parts nes

  81

  Prefabricated buildings, fittings etc.

  82

  Furniture, bedding, etc.

  84

  Clothing and accessories

  87

  Scientific equipment nes

  Postal Services
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement about his plans for the postal service.

  Mr. Heseltine
  I am today publishing a Green Paper on the future of postal services. It sets out the challenges and opportunities facing the Post Office businesses and the Government's response to them.

  We have one of the best postal services in the world. The Post Office and its employees have responded well to the challenges of recent years, but enormous changes are taking place in the markets in which the Post Office operates. If the Post Office businesses are to seize the opportunities and respond to increasing competition, while providing further improvements in the service to customers, then more fundamental changes are required. In its recent report on the future of the Post Office, the Select Committee on Trade and Industry said:
  "What is undoubtedly true is that the Post Office cannot be retained in its present form".

  The Government agree. The status quo is not an option.

  As I made clear in my statement to the House on 19 May, the Government's consideration of those issues is subject to three vital and non-negotiable commitments. These are the maintenance of a nationwide letter and parcel service with daily delivery to every address in the United Kingdom, a uniform and affordable structure of prices, and a nationwide network of post offices.

  The Government propose to retain the current structure of the nationwide network of post offices, keeping Post

  663
  Office Counters in the public sector. It believes that the present partnership between Post Office Counters, at the hub of the network, and the private sector business people who run sub-post offices—which represent over 19,000 of the nearly 20,000 post offices—works well and should continue. The Government intend to maintain and strengthen the business and the network by allowing them to take on new areas of work, building on their existing activities. It also proposes that there should be significant investment in the automation of many of their clerical routines, in particular benefit payments.

  As for Royal Mail, the Government accept that, to survive and prosper, the business needs greater commercial freedom to seize new opportunities and to meet greater competitive challenges in the communications market. The Green Paper sets out the options for achieving this that the Government are considering.

  The Government's preferred option is a new partnership arrangement under which the Royal Mail, together with Parcelforce, would be jointly owned by the Government, the public, sub-postmasters and employees, with the Government retaining a stake of 49 per cent. of the shares. Any further sale of shares by the Government would be subject to parliamentary approval. Under this option, the Government would guarantee the three non-negotiable commitments through legislation.

  The Green Paper discusses the issues of regulation and competition in the postal sector, and describes how greater competition and choice would be progressively introduced for customers. It also discusses consumer representation, the position of the Post Office's employees and sub-postmasters and VAT, as well as the royal associations which the Post Office has traditionally enjoyed.

  The Government are inviting comments on the Green Paper by 30 September.

  Mr. Hain
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether consideration has been given to the impact of paragraph 6.4.2 of chapter 3 of the European Green Paper on post as it relates to the privatisation of(a) the Royal Mail and (b) Parcelforce; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The EC Green Paper has no legislative force and therefore has no impact on the legal position. The section referred to by the hon. Member does indicate that the Commission intends to review the competitive interface between public postal services and those of other operators in respect of VAT. The Government have also addressed this issue in their own Green Paper, published today. The Commission has not, however, brought forward any proposals in this sector. Public postal services, such as the universal services which will under any outcome continue to be provided by Royal Mail and Parcelforce, therefore remain free of VAT.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many people are in current full-time employment with Parcelforce in Stoke-on-Trent; how many of them are currently in temporary contracts; how many of them are currently employed as casual workers; what are the recruitment procedures used in respect of(a) permanent, (b) part-time and (c) casual work; and if he will give details of different rates of pay and conditions of employment in respect of (i) permanent, (ii) part-time and (iii) casual work.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  Parcelforce's staffing and recruitment practices are commercial matters for the business.

  EC Sixth VAT Directive
  Mr. Hain
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with the European Commission about amending article 13(a)(1)(a) of the EC sixth VAT directive, whereby public postal services are exempt from VAT.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The Commission has indicated in its Green Paper on postal services its intention to review the VAT treatment of postal services, and this has arisen in discussions with them. The Commission has not, however, brought forward any proposed amendment.

  Mr. Hain
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions he has had with the European Commission about the interpretation of article 13(a)(1)(a) of the EC sixth VAT directive as it relates to the privatisation of Parcelforce.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  My officials, together with those of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise, have had a number of contacts with the Commission of the European Communities about that provision of the sixth directive. The Government are satisfied that, under the directive as it stands, privatisation would not mean the imposition of VAT on the universal letter and parcel services provided by Royal Mail and Parcelforce. The Government have made it clear that under any option they finally adopt, stamps will continue to be free of VAT.

  Invisible Exports
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the share of invisible exports which go to other EC countries; and if he will make a statement about the significance of invisible exports to the United Kingdom economy.

  Mr. Needham
  EC member states accounted for 35 per cent. of the United Kingdom's invisible credits in 1992, the latest year for which an analysis by country is available. Total invisible credits accounted for nearly half of United Kingdom's overseas earnings in 1993, and represented 18 per cent. of "money GDP".

  Asil Nadir
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what consideration was given to evidence from the trustees before the Official Receiver's decision not to apply to the courts for a suspension before the automatic discharge in November of the bankruptcy of Mr. Asil Nadir; and on what grounds this decision was reached.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  The Official Receiver's application under section 279(3) of the Insolvency Act 1986 in the case of Mr. Asil Nadir—Suspension of automatic discharge—was lodged in court on 5 May 1994 and is due to be heard on 1 July 1994.

  Manufacturing Industry
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 22 June,Official Report, column 225, if he will publish a table indicating the downtrend of manufacturing employment in the developed world between 1979 and 1994.
  665
  Mr. Sainsbury
  [holding answer 28 June 1994]: The information requested is published in the OECD's "Labour Force Statistics (1971–1991)", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

  Business Statistics
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the rate of new business formation and failure in(a) Fife and (b) Scotland on a quarterly basis over the last three years.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  [holding answer 27 June 1994]: Not all the figures requested are available. The best guide to trends in the number of business starts and closures comes from the annual VAT data; quarterly data are not available. Figures for the years 1990 to 1992 are published in "VAT Registrations and Deregistrations, County and District Analysis", 1980 to 1991, and 1992 editions. Both these documents are available in the Library of the House or online via NOMIS.

  Quarterly figures for company insolvencies in Scotland were last published on 6 May in the Association of British Chambers of Commerce's "Business Briefing", which is available in the Library of the House. Equivalent figures for Fife are not available.

EMPLOYMENT

  Training Initiative
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what his estimate is of(a) current job vacancies and (b) job vacancies to be covered by the new training initiative.

  Miss Widdecombe
  In May 1994, the seasonally adjusted number of unfilled vacancies at United Kingdom jobcentres stood at 147,000. It is estimated that, nationally, jobcentre vacancies represent about one third of all unfilled vacancies.

  Modern apprenticeships are training places; high-quality training, typically taking about three years to complete. In five years' time there could be over 150,000 apprentices in training if employers respond, as I am sure that they will.

  Disabled People (Employment)
  Sir Harold Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what sum his Department is currently spending on promoting the employment of disabled persons; and what the figures were in each of the last 15 years.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  People with disabilities have access to all the Department's employment and training programmes, and benefit from all the Department's initiatives on promoting employment opportunities. Expenditure on disabled people within mainstream programmes cannot be disaggregated from overall programme expenditure. The following table contains such information as is available on programme expenditure on specialist programmes and initiatives for disabled people only and relates to expenditure from 1986–87 onward. It is not possible to provide figures for the years before 1986–87 without incurring disproportionate cost.
  666

  Employment Department Expenditure on Promoting People with Disabilities

  £000

  1986–87

  90,451

  1987–88

  94,181

  1988–89

  98,465

  1989–90

  1116,764

  1990–91

  128,892

  1991–92

  142,807

  1992–93

  2160,011

  1993–94

  163,651

  1994–95

  3174,461

  Notes: All yearly totals are cash figures. The figures are based on Employment Department and Employment Service (ES) published appropriation accounts, except the 1993–94 and 1994–95 figures, which are based on the ES supply estimates. They do not include any administration costs or Supported (formerly sheltered) Employment research and development costs.

  1From and including 1989–90, totals include expenditure on services for people with disabilities which, in previous years, were not separately identifiable.

  2Totals for 1992–93 and 1993–94 include expenditure on advertising and publicity which, in previous years, were not separately identifiable.

  3Includes resources transferred from the revenue support grant of the Department of the Environment, Scottish and Welsh Offices for local authority expenditure on Supported Employment.

  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will announce the membership of the National Advisory Council on Employment of People with Disabilities following its reconstitution.

  Mr. David Hunt
  I am appointing seven new members and reappointing 10 existing members to the National Advisory Council on Employment of People with Disabilities for a period of three years from 1 July 1994. The chairman of the Council, Mr. Alan Smith MBE, FIPM, FBIM, FinstD, has also been reappointed.

  The members of the council are:

  Members appointed after consultation with organisations representing employers

  Ms J. T. Mellor

  Mr. P. H. Newman

  Mr. R. C. Spoor OBE, RD. DCL, DL, FCA

  Members appointed after consultation with organisations representing workers

  Mrs. G. M. Davies RGN

  Ms R. Donaghy

  Mr. R. D. Exell

  Other Members

  Professor I. W. Bruce BSocSc, CIMgt

  Mr. W. G. Davies

  Dr. S. Duckworth MSc., LRCP., MRCS

  Dr. A. L. M. Fingret MBBS., MFOM

  Sir P. Large CBE

  Mr. H. W. Massie OBE

  Mr. T. V. F. Papé BSc

  Ms S. Scott-Parker

  Mr. T. R. Sermon FCIS

  Mr. I. N. Sneddon

  Ms F. D. Worman FIPM

  Job Finders' Grant
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to extend the job finders' grant to areas other than the pilot areas.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The job finders' grant pilots are being evaluated. No decision has been taken to extend them to other areas.

  Trade Union Membership
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what account was taken in preparation of the Government's White Paper on competitiveness (Cm 2563) of the paper by Professor Beenstock et al on the United Kingdom economic recovery in the 1930s published in Bank of England Panel Paper No. 23; and if he will publish a table giving figures comparable to their Chart 42 for trade union membership as a percentage of employees in employment of the period since 1964.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Today's circumstances are very different from those of the 1930s. The trend in trade union membership from 1964 to 1992 is presented in the following table:

  Trade union membership as a percentage of employees in employment in the United Kingdom 1964–1992

  Year

  Per cent.

  1964

  45

  1965

  45

  1966

  44

  1967

  45

  1968

  45

  1969

  46

  1970

  50

  1971

  50

  1972

  51

  1973

  51

  1974

  52

  11975

  54

  11975

  53

  1976

  55

  21977

  57

  21978

  57

  1979

  57

  1980

  58

  1981

  56

  1982

  55

  1983

  53

  1984

  51

  1985

  50

  1986

  49

  1987

  48

  1988

  46

  1989

  44

  1990

  44

  1991

  43

  1992

  42

  Note:

  Union membership totals are the end of year figures.

  1Discontinuity:—Thirty-one organisations previously regarded as trade unions are excluded from 1975 onwards because they failed to satisfy the statutory definition of a trade union in the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act, 1974. To help provide a link in the series, two sets of figures are given for 1975. The first gives the figures on the original basis for comparison with earlier years, while the second gives estimates for comparison with later years.

  2The employees in employment estimates are at June of each year between 1964 and 1977, and at December of each year between 1978 and 1992.

  British Telecom
  Dr. Bray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information has been given to his Department by BT plc about the expected number of redundancies of each grade of employee for the year April 1994 to March 1995.
  668
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information given to the Department under the statutory redundancy handling provisions is provided in confidence.

  Redundancies
  Dr. Bray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will now introduce legislation requiring companies to consult representatives of their employees on redundancies.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Employers have been required since 1975 to consult recognised trade unions about proposed redundancies. The Government are presently considering what changes need to be made to those arrangements following a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the percentage of the total work force working under 20 hours per week for(a) 1984 and (b) 1994; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Estimates from the labour force survey for Great Britain show that 11·per cent. of employees and self-employed people usually worked fewer than 20 hours per week in their main job in spring 1984, compared with 13·6 per cent. in winter 1993–94.

  Training
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by what process his Department monitors companies which provide training or initiate quotations as training providers; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Training and enterprise councils contract directly with training providers. The TEC operating agreement between the Department and TECs sets out the monitoring requirements placed on them in a number of areas to ensure that their providers give value for money and that the use of public funds is managed in a robust and efficient manner.

  Cathedral Employment Enterprises
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what help, financial or other, his Department is prepared to offer Cathedral Employment Enterprises; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Employment Department does not contract directly with providers for training—other than the Employment Service for job clubs. Therefore, it is not in a position to give financial support to Cathedral Employment Enterprises. The ES currently has around £20,000 owing to Cathedral and is waiting to be advised by Cathedral's accountants of new arrangements for paying this figure. Both the ES and South Thames training and enterprise council, with which Cathedral had substantial contracts, gave Cathedral's invoices priority treatment to ease its cash-flow problems. All three TECs that currently have contracts with Cathedral, and the ES, are making alternative arrangements to help those trainees affected.

HEALTH

  Bullying (NHS Staff)
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department intends to take to eliminate the bullying of national health staff at work.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  This is a matter for individual national health service employers, who will want to take account of the general Whitley council agreement on harassment at work, copies of which are available in the Library.

  South West Thames Region
  Mr. Wicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will detail for each financial year since 1990–91 the resource allocation, per head of population, for each health district in the old South West Thames region.

  Mr. Sackville
  The per capita spend for 1990–91, 1991–92 and 1992–93 is shown in the table. Comparisons of those per capita spend figures need to be treated with caution. First, not all the expenditure covered arises from population related activities. Secondly, crude populations do not reflect differences in age structure or relative health care need. Those differences feature in the formulae used to inform the main allocations made to district health authorities. Thirdly, before 1991–92, DHAs were funded for their catchment populations and not for their resident populations.

  District health authority

  1990–91 (£)

  1991–92 (£)

  1992–93 (£)

  North West Surrey

  278

  341

  369

  West Surrey

  182

  268

  285

  South West Surrey

  346

  361

  359

  Mid Surrey

  396

  372

  407

  East Surrey

  361

  379

  402

  Chichester

  266

  336

  377

  Mid Downs

  233

  305

  314

  Worthing

  229

  332

  355

  Croydon

  280

  342

  365

  Kingston and Esher

  325

  373

  407

  Richmond and Twickenham

  237

  413

  425

  Wandsworth

  702

  534

  569

  Merton and Sutton

  279

  386

  410

  Source: Expenditure - 1992–93 annual accounts of health authorities (England)

  Population - Mid year population estimates.

  Figures for 1993–94 and 1994–95 are not yet available.

  Community Care Policy
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate of the cost of providing public-funded residential care for people in England who have returned to, or remained within, the community under the community care policy ; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowls
  The policy of replacing long-stay hospitals when appropriate with a range of health and social services in the community has been pursued by successive Governments over many years. It is not therefore possible accurately to estimate either the total or the current cost of residential care solely for people discharged from long-stay hospitals and those who might in other circumstances have entered such hospitals.

  IGF-1
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the extent of a link between IGF-1 levels in milk and serious gastro-intestinal disorders in humans; and what research her Department has undertaken into the link.

  Mr. Sackville
  IGF-1 is a naturally occurring hormone in humans. Human blood normally contains 10 times the concentration of IGF-1 as that found in cows' milk. Any contribution to this from ingestion of milk would be minimal.

  The Department has undertaken no research into the link between IGF-1 levels in milk and serious gastro-intestinal disorders in humans.

  Doctors and Dentists (Working Hours)
  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors and dentists in each region in England are contracted for more than(a) 83 hours a week or (b) 72 hours a week in on-call posts.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  At 31 March 1994, the returns from the 14 English regional task forces on junior doctors' hours were as follows:

  Region

  (a) Contracted for more than 83 hours a week

  (b) Contracted for between 73 and 83 hours a week in hard-pressed on-call posts

  Northern

  0

  453

  Yorkshire

  2

  978

  Trent

  0

  342

  East Anglian

  0

  254

  North West Thames

  1

  419

  North East Thames

  0

  674

  South East Thames

  5

  392

  South West Thames

  4

  478

  Wessex

  0

  323

  Oxford

  0

  263

  South Western

  1

  128

  West Midlands

  0

  529

  Mersey

  0

  317

  North Western

  0

  974

  Total

  13

  6,524

  Research Units
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 26 November,Official Report, columns 240–2, if she will list for each of the 13 research units which have been subject to peer review, the date of the site visit, whether the report of the review has now been discussed with the unit, whether a decision has been made about the future of the unit and the nature of the decisions which have been made.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The dates of site visits are shown in the table:

  Research Unit

  Site Visit Date

  Completed

  Childhood Cancer Research Group

  October 1991

  Medical Care Research Unit

  October 1992

  National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit

  June 1993

  Social Medicine and Health Services Research Unit

  July 1993

  671

  Research Unit

  Site Visit Date

  Centre for Primary Care Research

  July 1993

  Cancer Screening Evaluation Unit

  October 1993

  National Institute for Social work

  October 1993

  Clinical Operational Research Unit

  November 1993

  Social Policy Research Unit

  January 1994

  Thomas Coram Research Unit

  March 1994

  Personal Social Services Research Unit

  April 1994

  Dartington social Research Unit

  April 1994

  Centre for Health Economics

  (planned for July 1994)

  With the exception of the centre for health economics, where the visit has yet to take place, the conclusion of the site visit teams are now being prepared.

  Latest developments regarding some of the units visited early in the programme are as follows:
  National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit
  Announcements have been made about the appointment of a new Director and the appointment process is currently in train.
  Centre for Primary Care Research
  Won a competitive tender for new Research Centre funding. I announced this on 21 February 1994.
  Social Medicine and Health Services Research Unit
  A new Director has been appointed and discussions are taking place about a new programme of work.

  Discussions are currently taking place with the directors of the cancer screening evaluation unit, the childhood cancer research group, the medical care research unit and the clinical operational research unit.

  The remaining units work in personal social services. They were visited and reviewed later in the cycle of visits. In respect of the National Institute for Social Work, the report of the reviewing panel has been sent formally to the institute's director. The review team's report on the social policy research unit has also been completed and will shortly be sent formally to the unit's director. Reports on the remainder are nearing completion. Decisions on those units will be taken as soon as possible.

  Grants
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total amount of grant which could have been claimed by each local authority, and how much was claimed by each authority, for(a) community care special transitional grant, (b) projects working with people with HIV-related illness and (c) for other health and community care projects, in each year for which such grants were claimable.

  Mr. Bowls
  [holding answer 6 May 1994]: The community care special transitional grant was allocated to local authorities on the basis of a formula for both 1993–94 and 1994–95 and not on the basis of claims made. Details of the allocations are set out in special grant reports 6 and 7—HC 404 and HC 405—for 1993–94 and special grant report 10—HC 218—for 1994–95, copies of which are available in the Library.

  From its introduction in 1989–90 to 1993–94, local authorities were invited to submit bids for the HIV/AIDS specific grant without reference to indicative allocations but subject to an agreed national total. Details of the bids submitted and grants awarded will be placed in the Library. For 1994–95, local authorities were invited to submit expenditure plans which were assessed against indicative allocations of grant based on information provided to the Department by the Public Health Laboratory Service and
  672
  available for the first time on the distribution of AIDS cases by local authority area. Details of the indicative allocations and grants awarded will be placed in the Library.

  Two other specific grants support health and community care projects: they are for services for people with a mental illness and for people who misuse alcohol and drugs. For each year since its introduction in 1991–92, local authorities have been invited to bid for the mental illness specific grant against indicative allocations issued by the Department of Health. Details of the indicative allocations and the grants awarded will be placed in the Library. From its introduction in 1991–92, the alcohol and drugs specific grant has been allocated on the basis of open-ended bids invited by the Department of Health from local authorities supporting voluntary sector projects. Information about the original bids made could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Details of the successful bids made by voluntary organisations for each year since 1991–92, together with details of the local authority supporting each project, will be placed in the Library.

TREASURY

  Public Borrowing
  Mr. Jacques Arnold
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of maintaining the current level of public borrowing.

  Mr. Portillo
  Had we not taken effective action to put public finances on a sound and sustainable basis, confidence would have been severely damaged and the recovery weakened.

  Profit Share Tax Relief Schemes
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what analysis he has made of the efficacy of profit share tax relief schemes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  An evaluation of the tax relief for profit-related pay has been commissioned by the Inland Revenue, the Department of Employment and the Treasury, and is currently under way.

  Alcohol and Tobacco (Illegal Imports)
  Mr. Waterson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reduce the volume of illegal imports of alcohol and tobacco.

  Sir John Cope
  The law prescribes severe penalties of up to seven years' imprisonment and unlimited fines for smuggling. Customs and Excise have deployed specially assigned staff and intelligence directed checks are used to seek out illicit goods. When cases are detected, the contraband is seized and in some cases the vehicle, too. Prosecutions have resulted in fines and custodial sentences.

  Growth Forecast
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest forecast for growth during the current financial year.
  673
  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  We are now facing the prospect of sustained growth and low inflation. I am forecasting that the economy will grow by 2¾ per cent. in both 1994 and 1995.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what economic conclusions he draws from the most recent unemployment figures.

  Mr. Portillo
  Unemployment has now fallen by over 300,000 since December 1992, much sooner and much faster than most people expected. In part that reflects the improved labour markets flexibility resulting from our supply-side reforms.

  VAT (Average Payments)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much an average family paid per week in VAT in(a) 1979 and (b) 1993; and what he estimates this figure will be in 1994.

  Sir John Cope
  A couple with two children on average earnings paid VAT of £12.95 per week in 1979–80, in 1993–94 prices, and an estimated £19.48 per week in 1993–94. Since 1978–79, the real take-home pay of such a family has risen by £83 per week.

  Taxation Changes
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on changes in taxation.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I have received a wide range of representations on changes in taxation.

  Income Tax
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many more people will pay income tax this year than last year; and what proportion of these are pensioners.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The total number of income tax payers is expected on increase by 300,000 in 1994–95, mainly because of increases in income. About 70,000 of the increase in the respect of taxpayers aged 65 and over.

  Mr. Nigel Evans
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on Government income tax policies over the last 15 years.

  Mr. Dorrell
  Since 1979, Government policy has been to reduce marginal rates of income tax, whenever it has been prudent to do so, to sharpen incentives to work and create wealth.

  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much he estimates will be raised by the Treasury in(a) 1994–95, (b) 1995–96 and (c) 1996–97 from the freezing of personal income tax allowances.

  Mr. Dorrell
  That information was given in table 4.1 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1994–95" published on 30 November 1993.

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the total revenue raised by value added tax in the last financial year; and what will be the likely value added tax take in the current financial year.

  Sir John Cope
  Net VAT receipts by Customs and Excise amounted to £39,248 million in 1993–94. The forecast for 1994–95 is £43,400 million.

  Training
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much Government investment in training will be cut next year.

  Mr. Portillo
  The Government's spending plans for the years 1995–96 to 1997–98 will be announced at the time of the Budget in the normal way.

  Film Industry
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received about the need to review the tax regime to encourage film producers to use British facilities.

  Mr. Dorrell
  My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has received no recent representations.

  Public Sector Investment
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much public sector investment will change over the next three years, as measured by public sector asset creation; and if he will estimate by how much public sector investment has changed in real terms since 1989–90.

  Mr. Portillo
  The information requested is provided in the following table:

  Public Sector Asset Creation, 1989–90 to 1996–97

  £ billion

  Cash

  Real1

  1989–90

  29.2

  34.8

  1990–91

  28.8

  31.8

  1991–92

  28.5

  29.5

  1992–93

  29.0

  29.0

  1993–94

  29.3

  28.4

  1994–95

  28.8

  26.8

  1995–96

  29.3

  26.3

  1996–97

  29.8

  26.1

  11992–93 prices

  German GDP
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the revised OECD estimate in respect of the change in the level of German gross domestic product in 1994.

  Mr. Nelson
  The OECD, along with most forecasters, has revised upwards its estimates of the growth in German gross domestic product for 1994. The OECD now expects growth in Germany to be 1.8 per cent. in 1994. That compares with its projection for United Kingdom growth in 1994 of 2.8 per cent.

  VAT (Standing Charges)
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received over the adding of value added tax on standing charges for gas and electricity; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Cope
  I have received a large number of representations, both from right hon. and hon. Members and from members of the public. I have made it clear on a number of occasions that the standing charge has always been regarded as part of the consideration for a single supply of fuel and power. If it were not, it would have been liable to VAT at the standard rate since 1 April 1973 and would be liable at that rate now.

  Royal Family (Tax Returns)
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements he has made for the market testing of the office dealing with the tax returns of the Royal Family.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Inland Revenue's current market testing programme consists of typing, secretarial, information technology and ancillary support services. If such services were to be transferred to a private sector organisation, the Inland Revenue would remain responsible for continuing to ensure proper standards of privacy and confidentiality for all citizens. Confidentiality is not a

  Average equivalised disposable income by household type and by quintile groups

  £ million

  1992

  Quintile groups of all households ranked by equivalised disposable income

  Household type

  Bottom

  2nd

  3rd

  4th

  Top

  All households

  One adult with children

  5,275

  7,816

  11,106

  15,892

  27,471

  8,449

  Two adults with one child

  4,635

  8,140

  11,416

  15,883

  30,236

  16,117

  Two adults with two children

  4,875

  8,231

  11,297

  15,837

  28,369

  13,899

  Two adults with three or more children

  4,924

  8,085

  11,190

  15,877

  27,524

  11,052

  Other households with children

  5,137

  8,092

  11,377

  15,834

  24,362

  11,578

  The quintile groups are based on all households ranked by equivalised disposable income. The difference between the average equivalised disposable income of household types within each quintile group is affected by the composition of the quintile group and the distribution of the incomes of the different household types within the quintile group.

  Those figures are not strictly comparable over time because of changes in classification of both income and taxation and because of changes in the family expenditure survey.

  The information is taken from an analysis published in "Economic Trends" which examines the differential impact of taxes and benefits on households at different income levels in the given year. It provides five measures of income and appropriate deflators have not been developed across the range of measures. For the particular measure of disposable income, a possible deflator would be the all-items retail prices index, excluding local taxes.

  EEC Membership Costs
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now publish a White Paper setting out the effect on(a) jobs, (b) the balance of payments and (c) food prices in the United Kingdom of joining the EEC.
  676
  bar to market testing, but the Inland Revenue would need to be sure that an outside contractor could replicate existing security procedures and conditions.

  Manufacturing Sector
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will next meet the Engineering Employers Federation to discuss ways in which he could stimulate the country's manufacturing sector.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I have no plans at present to meet the Engineering Employers Federation. My hon. Friend the Financial Secretary attended a presentation by it on 11 May and spoke to its council on 15 June. My officials have had regular contacts with the EEF over the last year.

  Income Statistics
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average equivalised income at current prices for 1979 and 1992 of (i) single-parent households, (ii) two-parent households with(a) one child, (b) two children and (c) three or more children, and (iii) other households with children, by quintile groups of households; and if he will make a statement on the unavailability of such information at other than current prices.

  Mr. Nelson
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 July 1993,Official Report, column 238, for the figures for 1979. The figures for 1992 are in the table.

  Mr. Nelson
  No. I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 17 March,Official Report, column 822, and the reply my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave on 18 May, Official Report, column 470, in answer to very similar questions from the hon. Member.

  Price Increases
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish a list of production industries as described in tables 7.1, 9 and 10 of the "Monthly Digest of Statistics" for which he has evidence of price increases in excess of that required to provide a return on capital sufficient to enable the industry to maintain its United Kingdom assets at current rates of exchange.

  Mr. Nelson
  Price indices of the output of manufacturing industry are published in table 18.6 of the "Monthly Digest of Statistics". Information on required rates of return on capital is not available.

  Money Supply
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account is taken of the level of employment in the Government's policy on increases in the money supply.
  677
  Mr. Nelson
  It is the role of monetary policy to deliver low inflation. Decisions are based on an assessment of a range of indicators including the money supply and estimates of spare capacity in the economy. The minutes of the monthly monetary meetings with the Governor of the Bank of England set out the basis for monetary policy decisions and are now published.

  Investment
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal measures he is taking to encourage investment in(a) the private sector and (b) the public sector; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The Government are taking a number of measures to encourage investment:

  (i) in his November Budget last year my right hon. and learned Friend announced three tax measures to attract equity investment into unlisted companies: the Enterprise Investment Scheme, Venture Capital Trusts and an extension of Capital Gains Tax reinvestment relief;

  (ii) the Government now make a clear distinction between capital and current spending in the fiscal projections. This recognises that capital spending generates a future stream of benefits which current spending does not;

  (iii) the Private Finance Initiative will lead to more and better capital projects by allowing the public sector to draw on private sector management skills and financial resources.

  More generally, the Government have delivered the best possible economic environment for investment: low inflation, low interest rates and a clear strategy to reduce the PSBR, all of which provide the key to sustainable growth.

  Local Government Reform
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the cost of local government reform in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Portillo
  We have received a number of representations on the cost of local government reform from interested parties, including the hon. Member.

  English Wine
  Mr. Lord
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the level of tax on English wine; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Cope
  Each year, before making his budget decisions, the Chancellor of the Exchequer reviews the level of taxation on alcoholic beverages, including wine. Consideration is given to a wide range of social, economic and health factors as well as the revenue effect.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Benefits
  Mr. Marlow
  To ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his answer of 27 June,Official Report, column 402, if he will set out the severance benefits including pension, life insurance policies or grants that are available to Members of the European Parliament which are not available to hon. Members.
  678
  Mr. Newton
  As I said in my answer of 27 June,Official Report, column 402, resettlement grants and pensions are available to Members of the European Parliament and Members of this House on the same basis.

  There are differences in the arrangements for the reimbursement of expenses and other allowances. Payments of this kind to Members of the European Parliament are the responsibility of the European Parliament, but I am not aware of any payments from that source which relate to severance.

  1 Parliament Street
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee how many meals have been sold each day since the opening of Bellamy's Club dining room at 1 Parliament street; how the takings differ from those of the former coffee lounge; and what representations he has received from staff now excluded from the two rooms.

  Mr. Colin Shepherd
  The conversion of the Clubroom, on a trial basis, was undertaken in response to representations from Members. Numerous representations have been received from staff now excluded from the two rooms, but it is as yet too early to form an opinion regarding the long-term viability of the new Clubroom. I understand that the Director of Catering Services intends to review the operation of the Clubroom after Christmas. The Catering Committee will wish to be informed of the results of that review and will then also consider the representations which it has received.

  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee how much the recent adaptions to the coffee bar and lounge in the Parliament street buildings has cost; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Colin Shepherd
  I understand from the Director of Catering Services that the new servery counters purchased for Bellamy's Clubroom cost £25,849, paid from funds available in the Refreshment Department trading account. No costs have been incurred by the House of Commons works vote or administration vote. The servery counters have been specifically designed for flexibility of use and can, if necessary, be used for other purposes in the Refreshment Department.

  Visually Impaired Visitors
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, representing the House of Commons Commission, what information is available in Braille to blind and visually impaired people visiting the House; if he will review how the availability of this information is advertised in the House; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Beith
  Braille guides, which include a tactile map of the Line of Route, are available from the Serjeant at Arms and braille guides to the Galleries are available from the Admissions Order Office and Doorkeepers on request. These guides are described in the leaflet "Arrangements for the Assistance of Disabled Visitors", which is available from the Sergeant at Arms Office and reception desks in the outbuildings. The current inquiry by the Accommodation and Works Committee into ways of improving access for disabled people visiting the Palace includes consideration of the provisions made for blind and partially sighted visitors.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Burundi
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the role of the Organisation of African Unity's observer mission in Burundi: what countries contribute personnel; and how the British Government have responded to its appeal for financial and logistical support.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The OAU mission is to assist in restoring democratic institutions, rebuilding confidence and stabilising the situation in Burundi. Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Cameroon, Tunisia and Egypt have contributed personnel.

  We have no plans to contribute towards this initiative. The United Kingdom has already committed $1 million to the United Nations Trust Fund for Liberia and we anticipate that others, who did not contribute to this fund, will take the lead in Burundi.

  Rwanda
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of Slate for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the French Government about its proposed military mission in Rwanda; and what assessment he has made about France's suitability for military involvement after its past involvement in that country.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We have supported the French initiative. A military mission as authorised by Security Council resolution 929 has a specific and restricted humanitarian mandate.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what terms and conditions he has put on his support for the French initiative in Rwanda.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Under the terms of SCR 929, France is required to co-ordinate its initiative closely with the United Nations, and to complete its mission within two months.

  Kenya
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Kenya about ethnic clashes in the country.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Ethnic clashes are a major concern. We raise the issue regularly with the Kenyan authorities at all levels.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what human rights issues he has raised with the Government of Kenya in the past year.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Human rights issues such as ethnic clashes and press freedom feature prominently in our regular discussions at all levels with the Kenyan Government.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the European Union about the issues Involved in continued support for Kenya.
  680
  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We discuss regularly with our EU partners all issues relevant to continued support for Kenya.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the role of the Kenyan Government in ethnic clashes; and what representations he has made on this subject.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We are concerned at continued ethnic clashes in Kenya and regularly make our concerns known to the appropriate authorities. We were recently more reassured by the Government's speedy action to contain violence in the Rift valley.

  Nigeria
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent British oil interests in the Ogoni area of Rivers state in Nigeria are being damaged by political unrest; and what representations he has made to the Nigerian Government on this issue.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I understand that the political unrest in the Ogoni area has led to a significant reduction in output from the Shell/AGIP/Elf joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. The oil companies concerned have made representations to the Nigerian Government for a greater share of the oil revenue to be expended in the oil producing area.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking further to improve the United Kingdom's relationship with Nigeria.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We value our relationship with Nigeria and maintain close contact with the Nigerian Government through our high commission. We look forward to progress towards a restoration of democratic civilian government, which would permit closer relations to develop.

  Sir Michael Grylls
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the possible impact on the United Kingdom, its investors, and its exporters, if further economic sanctions were to be imposed limiting trade with Nigeria; if he will make it his policy to oppose the introduction of any such sanctions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We and our European Union partners have introduced a number of measures directed at Nigeria's military Government to demonstrate our strong support for a return to democratic civilian rule. It is not the intention that such measures should harm economic relations.

  Nigeria
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received about the plight of the Ogoni people in the Rivers state of Nigeria; what view he has formed on this; and what representations he has made to the Nigerian Government.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We have received a number of representations on this matter f0rom hon. Members and
  681
  from the public. The problems in Rivers state are rooted in a complex set of issues. The Nigerian Government are fully aware, through our contacts with them, of the importance that we attach to human rights.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met the Nigerian high commissioner; and what was discussed at that meeting.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met the Nigerian high commissioner to London briefly at the diplomatic banquet on 17 June. A wide range of issues are discussed in the course of regular diplomatic contacts with the high commissioner.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he has made to the announcement by the Nigerian Government of its federal government political programme; and what steps he is taking to assist the work of the local government caretaker committee, the national constitutional conference, and other bodies established by the Nigerian authorities to prepare the ground for further movement towards democracy.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave her on 28 June,Official Report, columns 525–26. We are not familiar with the work of the local government caretaker committee. We do, however, welcome the start of the national constitutional conference, and hope to see firm progress towards democratic, civilian rule.

  Diplomatic Entertaining Costs
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of entertaining foreign guests at each British high commission situated in each other Commonwealth country in 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Expenditure on official entertainment in 1993 at British high commissions overseas was £1,343,538. It is our practice not to publish how this is divided between posts.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of entertaining foreign guests at each British embassy situated in each other EU country in 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Expenditure on official entertainment in 1993 at British embassies in European Union countries was £1,595,717. It is our practice not to publish how this is divided between posts.

  Switzerland
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 22 June,Official Report, column 178, if he will propose that regulations with Switzerland on bilateral agreements include extradition for tax evasion.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The Foreign Affairs Council agreed in November 1993 that the priority areas for negotiations with Switzerland were road transport,682
  aviation, research, free movement of people, trade in agricultural goods, public procurement and technical barriers to trade. Extradition is not a matter of Community competence. The United Kingdom has reciprocal extradition arrangements with Switzerland through the Council of Europe convention on extradition, but tax offences are not covered since, unlike the United Kingdom, Switzerland is not party to the relevant section of the second protocol to the convention.

  Turkish Cypriots
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning the movement of Turkish Cypriots into the United Kingdom from Cyprus.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  A person who is neither a British citizen nor a Commonwealth citizen with right of abode nor an EEA national would need to fulfil the requirements of the immigration rules in order to be admitted to the United Kingdom.

ENVIRONMENT

  Sewerage Pipe
  Mrs. Helen Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 17 May,Official Report, column 393, what are the statutory obligations relating to pollution that concern the standards of equipment used to transport sewage.

  Mr. Atkins
  There are none applying to equipment and sewers. It is up to the water companies how they comply with the conditions attached to discharge consents issued by the National Rivers Authority and more generally how they avoid infringing other requirements relating to pollution.

  Minis Report
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he plans to publish his departmental Minis report 15.

  Mr. Gummer
  I expect to publish Minis 15 during July.

  Drinking Water
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 14 June,Official Report, column 344, how many times the drinking water inspectorate has been informed by water companies of incidents which affected, or threatened to affect, drinking water quality (a) for each year since 2 January 1990 and (b) by each company.

  Mr. Atkins
  The numbers of incidents reported to the drinking water inspectorate during the years 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993 were 79, 59, 56 and 52 respectively. Additionally, for those years there were 24 informal notifications where, although the water companies had been concerned about a threat to drinking water quality, it did not materialise; these are classified as non-incidents. For 1994, up to 8 June, 25 notifications have been received. The total number of notifications for the period 2 January 1990 to 8 June 1994 was 295.
  683
  Most of the incidents were minor happenings. A typical reported incident is one where some failure in the system resulted in a company advising consumers to boil their water as a precautionary measure while the microbiological quality of the water was carefully investigated.

  Incidents by company for years 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 and to 24 June 1994

  Company

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  19941

  Total

  Bournemouth

  —

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Bristol

  2

  —

  2

  —

  1

  5

  Cambridge

  —

  —

  1

  —

  —

  1

  Chester

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  2

  Cholderton

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  East Surrey

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  Shields

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  East Worcester

  —

  —

  —

  1

  —

  1

  Essex

  2

  —

  2

  1

  —

  5

  Folkestone

  —

  2

  —

  —

  —

  2

  Hartlepools

  1

  —

  1

  —

  —

  2

  Mid Kent

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  Mid Southern

  2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  2

  North East2

  1

  —

  —

  5

  1

  7

  North Surrey

  3

  —

  1

  —

  1

  5

  Portsmouth

  —

  1

  2

  2

  —

  5

  South East3

  2

  3

  1

  —

  1

  7

  South Staffordshire

  1

  1

  —

  —

  —

  2

  Suffolk

  4

  1

  —

  2

  —

  7

  Sutton

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  Tendring Hundred

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  0

  Three Valleys4

  3

  4

  2

  1

  2

  12

  West Hampshire

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Wrexham

  —

  2

  1

  —

  —

  3

  York

  —

  1

  —

  —

  —

  1

  Anglian

  1

  1

  —

  —

  —

  2

  Northumbrian

  1

  3

  1

  6

  1

  12

  North West

  11

  7

  5

  7

  3

  33

  Severn Trent

  —

  3

  14

  7

  1

  25

  Southern

  2

  1

  4

  —

  2

  9

  South West

  9

  5

  2

  3

  1

  20

  Thames

  8

  3

  3

  1

  —

  15

  Welsh

  20

  13

  8

  2

  2

  45

  Wessex

  1

  4

  2

  3

  2

  12

  Yorkshire

  3

  3

  4

  11

  5

  26

  Non-incidents

  9

  2

  10

  3

  —

  24

  TOTAL

  79

  59

  56

  52

  25

  295

  1To 24 June 1994.

  2North East Water includes the original companies of Newcastle and Gateshead and Sunderland and South.

  3South East includes original companies of Eastbourne, Mid-Sussex and West Kent.

  4Three Valleys includes the original companies of Colne Valley, Lee Valley and Rickmansworth.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tests in each year since 1990 by water companies of compliance with the standards for drinking water did not demonstrate compliance with the relevant water quality standards(a) by year and (b) by water company.

  Mr. Atkins
  Each year, the companies collectively carry out a total of around 3·75 million tests on drinking water. These data are audited by the drinking water

  Drinking Water Quality—Compliance Results

  Number of Tests

  Company

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Total

  Non Compliance

  Total

  Non Compliance

  Total

  Non Compliance

  Anglian

  329,789

  6,506

  353,673

  5,181

  311,531

  3,697

  Bournemouth1

  6,506

  9

  8,529

  61

  8,106

  34

  Bristol

  25,464

  737

  28,647

  727

  35,058

  491

  Cambridge

  7,952

  26

  8,814

  20

  9,626

  29

  684
  Data on individual companies, showing the number of incidents reported each year, is as tabulated.

  inspectorate. In 1992, 98·7 per cent. of these tests demonstrated compliance with the standards. Of the 1·3 per cent. which demonstrated non-compliance with standards, there is no evidence that any of these contraventions was of such a magnitude or duration as to endanger the health of consumers.

  The breakdown of the results by company are given in the table for the years 1990, 1991 and 1992. Data for 1993 are being processed and will be published in the drinking water inspectorate's next annual report.
  685

  Company

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Total

  Non Compliance

  Total

  Non Compliance

  Total

  Non Compliance

  Chester

  3,027

  3

  3,996

  3

  4,302

  1

  Cholderton and District

  l04

  0

  310

  3

  298

  0

  Colne Valley2

  19,997

  980

  18,807

  759

  22,451

  550

  Dw^r Cymru

  107,066

  730

  123,692

  1,154

  111,493

  764

  East Surrey

  20,130

  242

  13,092

  176

  16,899

  238

  East Worcester3

  8,229

  37

  12,546

  18

  12,028

  49

  Eastbourne4

  5,389

  38

  12,375

  54

  13,935

  180

  Essex

  30,451

  1,486

  114,077

  3,672

  152,603

  5,316

  Folkestone and Dover

  13,000

  40

  5,429

  29

  4,669

  52

  Hartlepools

  1,333

  11

  1,190

  2

  1,156

  6

  Lee Valley2

  22,561

  327

  27,416

  287

  42,937

  310

  Mid Kent

  12,719

  133

  18,904

  144

  17,859

  251

  Mid Southern

  28,491

  326

  28,341

  203

  26,965

  135

  Mid Sussex4

  23,239

  254

  31,892

  379

  24,548

  726

  North East5

  48,146

  476

  60,503

  221

  51,141

  187

  North Surrey

  11,965

  174

  17,472

  529

  21,570

  462

  North West

  455,023

  3,258

  303,015

  2,132

  294,380

  1,774

  Northumbrian

  64,069

  281

  65,093

  436

  62,112

  212

  Portsmouth

  15,391

  52

  17,755

  41

  16,540

  36

  Rickmansworth2

  16,434

  81

  18,676

  67

  23,328

  45

  Severn Trent

  583,433

  2,512

  451,245

  2,271

  402,934

  1,381

  South Staffordshire

  23,450

  268

  29,128

  193

  23,232

  144

  South West

  50,980

  457

  66,257

  273

  73,819

  238

  Southern

  61,563

  487

  74,311

  474

  78,187

  453

  Suffolk

  12,259

  105

  11,744

  38

  12,161

  36

  Sutton District

  7,359

  40

  8,335

  65

  9,978

  59

  Tendring Hundred

  2,751

  29

  3,074

  15

  3,347

  9

  Thames Water

  130,624

  5,959

  346,957

  19,690

  492,311

  27,532

  Wessex

  54,248

  204

  76,500

  270

  74,087

  235

  West Hampshire1

  5,644

  14

  6,628

  23

  6,820

  33

  West Kent4

  7,528

  49

  10,388

  23

  6,185

  12

  Wrexham and East Denbighshire

  5,932

  11

  5,564

  19

  4,896

  13

  York Waterworks

  5,882

  22

  7,259

  27

  6,481

  12

  Yorkshire

  136,072

  1,459

  233,133

  2,046

  295,614

  1,937

  1Bournemouth and West Hampshire are now one company.

  2Colne Valley, Lee Valley and Rickmansworth together are now Three Valleys Water Co.

  3East Worcester is now part of Severn Trent.

  4Eastbourne, Mid-Sussex and West Kent together are now South East Water.

  5North East was previously Newcastle and Gateshead and Sunderland and South Shield Water Companies.

  Foleshill Gas Works
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the current position concerning negotiations with British Gas on the redevelopment of the Foleshill gas works site; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  This is a matter for English Partnerships and British Gas. However, I understand that negotiations are continuing on the basis of English Partnerships's earlier proposal of grant and a possible joint venture to cover the two parts of the site.

  Sea Pollution
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the outcome of the Paris Commission meeting on sea pollution held in Karlskrona, Sweden, indicating the decisions taken and the United Kingdom position in each instance.

  Mr. Atkins
  The annual joint meeting of the commissions established by the 1972 Oslo convention for the prevention of marine pollution by dumping from ships and aircraft and the 1974 Paris convention for the prevention of marine pollution from land-based sources took place in Karlskrona from 13 to 17 June. The commissions consist of representatives of the contracting parties, which are the littoral states of the north-east Atlantic and the European Community.
  686
  The commissions reviewed progress in implementing the conventions and in bringing into force the 1992 convention on the protection of the marine environment of the north-east Atlantic, and took a number of decisions about their future internal organisations. They adopted the following decisions and recommendations under the conventions—decisions bind those contracting parties that accept them; recommendations have no binding force.

  They are:

  a. PARCOM Recommendation 94/1 on best available techniques for new aluminium electrolysis plants: adopted by a three-quarters majority with reservations by Germany and the UK; the UK reservation was entered because the recommendation selected only certain features from the agreed description of best available techniques and therefore risked distorting the effects of the description, because the emission limit values were only specified in relation to production volumes and not to total emissions, and because no target date was set for bringing emissions from existing plants within the emission limit values for new plants, which could distort competition;

  b. PARCOM Recommendation 94/2 on best available techniques and best environmental practice for the integrated and non-integrated sulphite paper pulp industry: adopted by a three-quarters majority with reservations by France, by Portugal and by the UK (for the same reasons, in part, as with Recommendation 94/1):

  c. PARCOM Recommendation 94/3 on best available techniques and best environmental practice for the integrated and non-integrated kraft pulp industry: adopted by a three quarters majority with reservations by France and by the UK (for the same reasons, in part, as with Recommendation 94/1):

  d. PARCOM Recommendation 94/4 on best available techniques for the organic chemical industry: adopted by a

  687
  three-quarters majority with reservations by the UK and Portugal; the UK reservation was entered because the four-page recommendation was too superficial for such a complex subject;

  e. PARCOM Recommendation 94/5 concerning best available techniques and best environmental practice for wet processes in the textile processing industry: adopted by a three-quarters majority with reservations by Portugal and by the UK (for the same reasons, in part, as with Recommendation 94/1).

  f. PARCOM Decision 94/1 on substances/preparations used and discharged offshore: adopted by a three-quarters majority with reservations by France, by the European Community, by Spain and by the UK; the UK reservation was entered because the decision gave no basis for the selection of the substances named in it and thus cut across the collective work already successfully being undertaken to develop a harrnonised control system;

  g. PARCOM Recommendation 94/6 on best environmental practice for the reduction of inputs of potentially toxic chemicals from aquaculture use: adopted by a three-quarters majority with reservations by Belgium, by Spain and by the UK; the UK reservation was entered because the Recommendation does not adequately describe best environmental practice;

  h. PARCOM Recommendation 94/7 on the elaboration of national action plans and best environmental practice for the reduction of inputs to the environment of pesticides from agricultural use: adopted unanimously; this Recommendation amended last year's Recommendation on the same subject;

  i. PARCOM Recommendation 94/8 concerning environmental impact resulting from discharges of radioactive substances: adopted unanimously; this Recommendation commits the Commissions to further review of the environmental impacts of radioactive discharges, past and present;

  j. PARCOM Recommendation 94/9 concerning the management of spent nuclear fuel: adopted unanimously; this Recommendation commits the Commissions to requesting the Nuclear Energy Agency of the OECD to carry out a review of the management of spent nuclear fuel.

  The Commissions also discussed a number of other draft recommendations and decisions which failed to achieve a three-quarters majority. These are to be studied further. The Commissions also agreed that the difficulties seen by the United Kingdom in a number of the recommendations and decisions were of importance for establishing future recommendations and decisions, and should be looked into during the forthcoming year.

  North Sea Pollution
  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures have been taken to control the discharge of industrial effluent into the North sea; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  Under the Water Resources Act 1991, discharges of effluent to rivers and coastal waters require the consent of the relevant regulatory authority—the National Rivers Authority for England and Wales. Consents are designed to ensure that the receiving waters meet environmental quality standards. In addition, the Environmental Protection Act 1990 introduced a system of integrated pollution control for industrial processes with the most potential for polluting releases. Tight control of discharges has led to a progressive reduction in United Kingdom inputs of the most hazardous substances to the North sea, in line with international commitments made at North sea conferences.

  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures he is taking to monitor chemical pollution of the North sea; and if he will make a statement.
  688
  Mr. Atkins
  The marine pollution monitoring management group, consisting of scientists from the relevant Government Departments and regulatory authorities, has prepared a national monitoring plan, which is implemented by the agencies with statutory monitoring responsibilities. This is based on a network of inshore, estuarine and offshore monitoring sites. This provides comprehensive information on the seas around the United Kingdom and formed the basis of the United Kingdom input to the monitoring master plan of the North sea task force, which was established by the North sea states,inter alia, to prepare the North sea quality status report, which was published in March this year.

  Cleveland
  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral answer to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr. Duncan) of 16 June,Official Report, column 754, regarding consultation on local government reorganisation in Rutland and Huntingdon, if he will make it his policy to ensure that every household in Cleveland is also consulted on the future of local government in its area.

  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend's decisions on the future local government of Cleveland, which were announced on 18 January, took into account the extensive local consultation undertaken by the Local Government Commission, as well as the representations we received on the Commission's final recommendations for the area.

  Council Tax Appeals
  Mr. Rendel
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals against council tax banding have been received to date; how many have already been decided; and how many are expected to have been decided by(a) 31 December 1994 and (b) 31 March 1995.

  Mr. Curry
  The Valuation Office Agency received 909,365 banding appeals in respect of dwellings in England by the end of May, of which 363,542 had already been settled. Around 690,000 appeals are expected to be settled before 31 December 1994 and around 793.000 before 31 March 1995.

  Hazardous Wastes
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which developing country parties to the Basel convention have replied to the European Commission indicating(a) they do not want to receive exports of green list wastes as classified by the OECD and (b) they would like the red and amber list procedures applied to green list wastes; and what measures he intends to take to respect their wishes.

  Mr. Atkins
  We understand from the European Commission that the following non-OECD parties to the Basel convention have said that they do not wish to receive shipments of any "green list" waste from the European Community:

  Chile

  Indonesia

  Maldives

  Saudi Arabia

  Senegal

  689

  Seychelles

  St. Lucia

  Tanzania

  Brazil and the Republic of Korea have said that they would allow imports of some green list wastes. The following non-OECD parties to the Basel convention have said that they wish amber or red list procedures to apply to shipments of green list waste from the European Community:

  Argentina

  Czech Republic

  Estonia

  India

  Malaysia

  Mexico

  Poland

  Trinidad and Tobago

  Discussions are taking place within the European Community on appropriate action.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment with which parties and non-parties to the Basel convention the United Kingdom has established bilateral agreements for the import or export of hazardous waste; and what steps he has taken to prohibit imports of hazardous waste from(a) the United States and (b) other non-parties under article 4.5 of the Basel convention.

  Mr. Atkins
  The United Kingdom has concluded no bilateral agreements under article 11 of the Basel convention. Imports of hazardous waste into the United Kingdom from non-parties to the convention, other than imports of waste destined for recovery from OECD countries, are prohibited by Council regulation (EEC) No. 259/93. It is for competent authorities to ensure compliance with the provisions of the regulation.

  Colchester (Officials' Visits)
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment for what reasons the EC paid for the mayor of Colchester, the town clerk and the community services director of Colchester borough council to visit Argos in Greece; under what programme this expenditure was made; who authorised it; how much is to be spent on such trips in the current year; which EC official is responsible; and to which director general in the Commission he is answerable.

  Mr. Curry
  I understand that the visit was made under the EC's exchange of experience programme, which is run by DG XVI of the Commission. In the United Kingdom, the programme is managed by the Local Government International Bureau, which is sponsored by the local authority associations. Participation in the programme is a matter for individual authorities.

  British Waterways Board
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the British Waterways Board has responded to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on the service provided by the BWB; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  I have today placed in the Library of the House the British Waterways Board's initial response to the report by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, which was published in January 1994.

  I am grateful to the commission for the extensive review of the British Waterways Board which it has undertaken. I
  690
  am happy to report that, in addition to meeting its statutory duties, the MMC found an organisation which has been transformed by devolving responsibility from the centre to individual waterways, the overall performance of which has been improved, and which is developing a strong commercial outlook. The enthusiasm and dedication of staff and their substantial achievements since the MMC's last report in 1987 have been commended. The commission concluded that the BWB must aim to strike the right balance between sustaining the considerable progress already made in developing its commercial ethos and discharging its wider responsibilities, especially for conservation. It made 48 recommendations aimed at securing further improvements in the BWB's performance, in particular in expanding its share of the leisure market. I welcome and endorse the commission's recognition of the BWB's achievements and its constructive recommendations for the future.

  I also welcome the BWB's positive response to the MMC's report, which demonstrates a firm commitment to improving the efficiency of the business. Most of the commission's recommendations have been accepted in whole or in part and many have already been implemented. Where appropriate, the board has embarked upon further work as recommended by the MMC. I am satisfied that the BWB has addressed fully those recommendations which have not been accepted. I support the board's programme of seeking increased private sector involvement in the business through market testing and contracting out and I am pleased that the BWB has taken steps to explore potential in the leisure market and to improve relations with its customers.

  A number of recommendations would require action either by the Government or jointly by the Government and the BWB. We are keen that the BWB should develop its commercial approach and, with the new chairman, Mr. Bernard Henderson, will be reviewing the board's strategy during 1994–95, in particular the prospects for increasing private sector—including voluntary sector—participation in the BWB's business. This will include consideration of the criteria against which strategic options for the future should be assessed and corporate planning and targets. In the light of the MMC's recommendations we shall also look at appointments to the board and the time that the chairman needs to spend on board matters. We have already confirmed arrangements with the BWB over the treatment of proceeds from property disposals. We are taking into account, as the opportunity arises, the MMC's recommendations on radio communications, development of the BWB's property, development control, dredging tips, wayleaves and inland waterway commercial transport.

  I shall continue to monitor the BWB's progress in implementing the MMC's recommendations and will report to the House in due course.

  Warrington Borough Council
  Mr. John Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he has decided to take against Warrington borough council following the notice served on the authority on 17 February, under section 13 of the Local Government Act 1988, in respect of street cleaning work.

  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend has given careful consideration to the response which Warrington borough council has made to the notice served earlier this year and
  691
  has today given a direction under section 14 of the Local Government Act 1988. The effect of the direction is to require the authority to seek the Secretary of State's consent if it wishes to award street cleaning work to their Direct Service Organisation again when the current arrangements expire in 1997.

  Local Government Earnings
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish for each local authority area and for England as a whole, for the latest available date, the average earnings of local government employees.

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 29 June 1994]: Information on the earnings of employees in local government is available from the "New Earnings Survey". The table gives the average weekly earnings of all employees in the local government sector for each county area for London boroughs and for England as a whole. The figures include employees of both district and county councils. Information on individual county and district councils is not held centrally.

  Average gross weekly earnings of full time employees on adult rates—pay unaffected by absence: April 1993

  Local government sector

  £

  England

  340·8

  South East Region

  Greater London

  389·0

  City of London

  1—

  Barking

  369·3

  Barnet

  406·3

  Bexley

  1—

  Brent

  354·7

  Bromley

  366·0

  Camden

  415·9

  Croydon

  350·5

  Ealing

  389·0

  Enfield

  1—

  Greenwich

  362·0

  Hackney

  387·8

  Hammersmith

  383·2

  Haringey

  354·2

  Harrow

  377·0

  Havering

  1—

  Hillingdon

  346·9

  Hounslow

  339·5

  Islington

  381·1

  Kensington and Chelsea

  1—

  Kingston-upon-Thames

  407·3

  Lambeth

  1—;

  Lewisham

  362·9

  Merton

  1—

  Newham

  349·6

  Redbridge

  396·5

  Richmond-upon-Thames

  1—;

  Southwark

  413·8

  Sutton

  1—

  Tower Hamlets

  420·6

  Waltham Forest

  1—

  Wandsworth

  1—

  City of Westminster

  451·9

  Remainder of South East Region

  Bedfordshire

  334·0

  Berkshire

  368·0

  Buckinghamshire

  343·0

  East Sussex

  331·8

  Essex

  338·9

  Hampshire

  355·0

  Hertfordshire

  353·2

  Isle of Wight

  1—

  Kent

  341·6

  692

  Local government sector

  £

  Oxfordshire

  344·9

  Surrey

  356·1

  West Sussex

  326·8

  East Anglia Region

  Cambridgeshire

  323·4

  Norfolk

  345·5

  Suffolk

  349·0

  South West Region

  Avon

  333·3

  Cornwall

  319·4

  Devon

  345·8

  Dorset

  319·3

  Gloucestershire

  326·7

  Somerset

  323·7

  Wiltshire

  362·1

  West Midlands Region

  West Midlands MC

  328·9

  Hereford and Worcester

  332·1

  Shropshire

  310·9

  Staffordshire

  304·2

  Warwickshire

  339·5

  East Midlands Region

  Derbyshire

  311·9

  Leicestershire

  324·8

  Lincolnshire

  346·9

  Northamptonshire

  334·0

  Nottinghamshire

  302·7

  Yorkshire and Humberside Region

  South Yorkshire MC

  320·7

  West Yorkshire MC

  326·9

  Humberside

  305·8

  North Yorkshire

  328·6

  North West Region

  Greater Manchester MC

  321·1

  Merseyside MC

  326·6

  Cheshire

  360·8

  Lancashire

  329·1

  North Region

  Tyne and Wear MC

  306·4

  Cleveland

  257·5

  Cumbria

  352·9

  Durham

  313·5

  Northumberland

  335·7

  Source: "New Earnings Survey".

  1Denotes sample too small and/or standard error too large for reliable estimate.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Northern Ireland Tourist Board
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are(a) the names of all members of the Northern Ireland tourist board, (b) the organisation each member represents, (c) the perceived religious affiliation of each member, (d) the date of appointment and the period of such appointment, (e) the political party affiliation of each member and (f) the council area of Northern Ireland in which each member resides.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  Members do not represent an organisation, but are appointed on merit. Personal information on religious and political affiliation cannot be disclosed. The other information requested is as follows.
  693

  Northern Ireland Tourist Board

  Name

  Date of Appointment

  Period of Appointment

  Northern Ireland Council Area in which Member Resides

  Hon. Hugh O'Neill (Chairman)

  1 July 1994

  2 Years

  Ballymena Borough Council

  Mr. Brian Adgey

  1 April 1993

  3 Years

  Ards Borough Council

  Mr. Roy Bailic

  1 July 1994

  3 Years

  Antrim Borough Council

  Mr. Gerry Bums, MBE

  1 July 1994

  3 Years

  Fermanagh District Council

  Mrs. Annie Courtney

  1 July 1994

  3 Years

  Derry City Council

  Mr. Tony Hopkins

  1 April 1992

  3 Years

  North Down Borough Council

  Mr. Alan Lambert

  1 April 1994

  3 Years

  Great Britain Resident

  Mr. William McGinnis

  1 July 1994

  3 Years

  Magherafelt District Council

  Dr. Mary Peters, CBE

  1 April 1993

  3 Years

  Lisburn Borough Council

  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria he applies when selecting persons for appointment to the Northern Ireland tourist board.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  Appointments are made on the basis of an individual's experience and expertise and potential to contribute to the functions of the tourist board.

  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which of the current members of the Northern Ireland tourist board have a career background in(a) the hotel, (b) the catering and (c) the tourist sectors.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  The NITB chairman, the hon. Hugh O'Neill, and Mr. Brian Adgey have a career background in these fields. Other members bring further experience in financial and business matters, local/regional issues and PR/events management.

  Fair Employment Commission
  Mr. Trimble
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what were the conclusions of the Fair Employment Commission on the areas from which the work force of Howden Sirocco is drawn; which of those areas were omitted from the catchment area on which the quotas were set for applications and appointees; and what was the reason for the omission of each of those areas;

  (2) how many of the employees of the Sunblest bakery at Orby Link, Castlereagh, were found by the Fair Employment Commission to be drawn from the district council areas of North Down and Ards;

  (3) in how many of the cases setting the quotas for applicants and appointees specified in the affirmative action programmes published by the Fair Employment Commission in June, the commission omitted the requirement that all appointments will be made on the basis of merit; and for what reasons in each case;

  (4) which district council areas were omitted in the affirmative action programme published by the Fair Employment Commission in June for the Sunblest bakery at Orby Link, Castlereagh from the catchment area on which the quotas set for applications and appointees are based; and for what reason in each case.

  Mr. Tim Smith
  This is primarily a matter for the Fair Employment Commission. I am satisfied that in agreeing affirmative action programmes with firms, the Fair Employment Commissioin acts with due regard to all the circumstances of each particular case. The content of those agreements and the data upon which they are based are a matter for the Commission and the firms concerned. Under fair employment legislation, quotas are unlawful but there 694
  is provision for setting goals and timetables—that is, targets that firms would expect and should make good faith efforts, to reach within a certain time scale.

  Neil Latimer
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress there has been in the review of the conviction of Neil Latimer; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  In my reply of 22 April,Official Report, columns 721–22, I explained the criterion for the exercise of my statutory power to refer a case to the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland. I pointed out that so far none of the representations received had fulfilled that criterion.

  Since then, I have given consideration to the points raised about Mr. Latimer's conviction during an Adjournment debate on 23 February and have requested further material. When I have received and considered it I shall write to all those hon. Members who have made representations to me in recent months about this case.

  Lisnevin Training School
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of children who are currently being held in Lisnevin training school, by(a) age, (b) sex, (c) ethnic origin and (d) legislation under which they are being held; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The number of children detained in Lisnevin training school on Friday 24 June 1994 is as follows:

  Age

  Special unit

  Remand unit

  PACE orders

  Total

  13

  1

  nil

  nil

  1

  14

  nil

  3

  nil

  3

  15

  3

  11

  nil

  14

  16

  4

  7

  nil

  11

  17

  1

  2

  nil

  3

  18

  nil

  nil

  nil

  nil

  Total

  9

  23

  nil

  32

  Note:

  All children detained in the School on 24 June 1994 are (a) male; (b) white; and (c) detained under the provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1968.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the number of children who were received into Lisnevin training school, by(a) age, (b) sex, (c) ethnic origin and (d) legislation under which they were held, for each year since 1985; and if he will make a statement.
  695
  Sir John Wheeler
  The number of children received into Lisnevin training school in the(a) special unit; (b) remand unit; and (c) PACE remand categories are given in the tables.

  Special Unit

  Year

  Age

  Total

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  1985

  —

  —

  1

  2

  8

  5

  2

  —

  18

  1986

  —

  —

  1

  2

  4

  2

  —

  1

  10

  1987

  —

  —

  1

  1

  4

  2

  1

  —

  9

  1988

  —

  —

  2

  4

  3

  2

  —

  —

  11

  1989

  —

  —

  1

  2

  7

  1

  2

  —

  13

  1990

  —

  —

  —

  3

  6

  —

  —

  —

  9

  1991

  —

  —

  2

  4

  5

  1

  —

  —

  12

  1992

  —

  —

  —

  4

  3

  3

  —

  —

  10

  1993

  —

  —

  2

  1

  3

  1

  —

  —

  7

  Total

  —

  —

  10

  23

  43

  17

  5

  99

  Grand Total

  99

  Note: All children included in this table are (a) male, (b) while and (c) detained under the provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1968.

  Remand Unit

  Year

  Age

  Total

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  1985

  —

  —

  1

  21

  38

  48

  16

  —

  124

  1986

  —

  —

  10

  30

  60

  62

  5

  —

  167

  1987

  —

  5

  12

  29

  50

  67

  7

  —

  170

  1988

  —

  2

  10

  22

  34

  62

  —

  —

  130

  1989

  —

  2

  5

  21

  42

  88

  4

  —

  162

  1990

  —

  —

  4

  19

  40

  66

  4

  —

  133

  1991

  —

  —

  7

  21

  47

  75

  14

  —

  164

  1992

  —

  4

  12

  27

  35

  82

  14

  —

  174

  1993

  1

  5

  8

  35

  62

  92

  4

  1

  208

  Total

  1

  18

  69

  225

  408

  642

  68

  1

  1,432

  Grand Total

  1,432

  Note: All children included in this table are (a) male, (b) white and (c) detained under the provisions of the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1968.

  PACE Remands

  Year

  Total

  1990

  69

  1991

  31

  1992

  61

  1993

  96

  Total

  257

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the occupancy rate of Lisnevin training school(a) as a total and (b) broken down by age for each month since January 1990; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Wheeler
  Lisnevin training school is registered to accommodate up to 40 children—15 special unit places and 25 remand unit places.

  The average occupancy figure for each month since January 1990 is shown in the table.

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  January

  28

  20

  21

  22

  February

  30

  25

  25

  31

  March

  30

  26

  28

  34

  April

  28

  29

  34

  37

  May

  28

  26

  38

  36

  696

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  June

  27

  25

  40

  31

  July

  20

  24

  37

  25

  August

  17

  25

  28

  21

  September

  20

  28

  28

  25

  October

  24

  26

  32

  23

  November

  18

  28

  28

  19

  December

  15

  23

  23

  25

  Note: Breakdown by age could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the current re-offending rate for children leaving Lisnevin training school; if he will place a copy of research into this matter in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir John Wheeler
  Research into reconviction rates for those young persons who had been at Lisnevin was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Office in 1990. The draft report was submitted in October 1993. It contains information which would suggest that the average reconviction rates for those leaving the special unit at Lisnevin after one year is 37 per cent. which rises to 85 per cent. after three years. The latter figure should not be attributed to the effects of the secure environment because the young person has long since returned to the crimogenic environment from whence he originally came. The
  697
  researcher is presently working on a final version of the report, a copy of which, when it is published, will be placed in the Library.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the riot which occurred in Lisnevin training school over Easter 1994, with particular reference to(a) how the incident started, (b) how long it lasted, (c) how many children were involved, (d) how many children were hurt in the riot and (e) how much damage was caused by the riot.

  Sir John Wheeler
  There was no riot, but an incident did occur at 7.30 pm on 5 April when young men, evacuated to the dining room following the activation of the fire alarm, took advantage of the situation and caused damage estimated at £29,000 to that area. There were 32 young men in the establishment at that time. Control was restored at approx 10.15 pm. Two young men received hospital treatment as a result of injuries received during the disturbance.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement regarding the current inquiry into the riot at Lisnevin training school, the inquiry's terms of reference, the inquiry team's members, the progress of the report to date and the expected completion and publication dates for the inquiry report; and if he will place a copy of the inquiry report in the Library when it is available.

  Sir John Wheeler
  I requested an investigation into the unrest at Lisnevin on 5 April 1994. Its terms of reference were"To examine the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the unrest at Lisnevin over the Easter period in April 1994 and report to the Minister lessons to be learnt".

  Membership was drawn from the criminal justice services division of the Northern Ireland Office, the social services inspectorate of the Department of Health and Social Services and the Lisnevin management board.

  The report of the investigation, which is now complete, will be with me on 1 July 1994. The investigation, as is normal in such circumstances, is internal. A report therefore will not be placed in the Library.

  Compensation Agency
  Mr. Roger Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the business plan for 1994–95 for the Compensation Agency will be published.

  Sir John Wheeler
  The Compensation Agency's business plan will be published today. The plan explains the agency's business and organisation and sets out assumptions about work loads and resources which underpin the plans and targets identified for this year. I have made arrangements for copies to be placed in the Library.

  Human Rights
  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he has received the nineteenth report of the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Patrick Mayhew
  The report for the period 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994 has been published today, and copies have been laid before Parliament.
  698
  The Commission has considered a wide and varied range of matters during the period under review. They include important questions relating to the findings of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice and how they could be applied to Northern Ireland and a conclusion to the Commission's examination of the problems of under-achievement in schools. I welcome also its careful and considered views on security-related issues. They raise a number of issues which I shall keep under review.

  I very much value the advice and insight which the Commission gives me on a wide range of human rights issues. The Commission's recommendations have influenced the evolution of a number of important policy proposals affecting the rights of children. I look forward to the outcome of its work on disability, and to the important contribution that it will make to the employment equality review.

  Copies of my response to the Commission's 19th report and the report itself have been placed in the Library.

TRANSPORT

  Driving Test Centres
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) pursuant to his answer of 24 February,Official Report, column 333, if he will list how each driving test centre in the United Kingdom scored on the criteria listed as marked A to D in the chief executive's reply;

  (2) if he will list by driving test centre the number of driving tests conducted during 1993;

  (3) if he will list the driving test centres that are being considered for closure by the Driving Standards Agency.

  Mr. Key
  Responsibility for the subject of these questions has been delegated to the Driving Standards Agency under its chief executive, Dr. S. J. Ford. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. An annex of figures on total tests conducted by region will be placed in the Library.

  Letter from John Ford to Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody, dated 20 June 1994:
  Driving Standards Agency
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to the questions you raised about certain of DSA's operations.
  PQ 2552/93/94
  You asked about the driving test centres currently being considered for closure.
  Although the Agency will continue to keep its estate under review, there are no driving test centres, in addition to the 22 announced recently, that are currently being considered for closure.
  PQ 2596/93/94
  You also asked by driving test centre for the number of tests conducted during 1993.
  The figures are in the attached annex for the second half of the year, the first being for car tests and the second for LGV/PCV. Because of changes in the way statistics were compiled, the information for the last six months of 1993 is more readily available. Those tests conducted at occasional centres are included in the those for the main centre. I hope this will be satisfactory.

  699
  PQ 2560/93/94
  Finally, you asked, pursuant to Mr. Key's reply of 24 February to Mr. Brian Donohoe, Official Report, column 333, about how each driving test centre in the United Kingdom scored on the criterion I listed as marked A to D in my reply.
  In reviewing its test centre estate, the Agency did not score each and every test centre individually against the criteria quoted in my reply of 24 February. Centres were identified for consideration against the criteria based upon the experience of our Regional staff.

  Road Schemes
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements have been made by his Department for private investigators to gather data on protesters against road schemes, other than the contract awarded to Bray's detective agency regarding Twyford down.

  Mr. Key
  As the information requested relates to operational matters of the Highways Agency, I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 28 June 1994:
  I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about whether any arrangements have been made for the use of private investigators, other than at Twyford Down, to gather data on protestors against road schemes.
  In addition to the contract awarded to Brays Detective Agency for the M3 extension at Twyford Down, the Highways Agency have made arrangements for the gathering of information about protestors against road schemes at three other locations.
  The Agency will be using the information gathered to ensure that the progress of these particular schemes, which have all successfully completed the statutory procedures, is not unduly disrupted and that they can he completed as quickly as possible.

  Salisbury Bypass
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the Salisbury bypass; and what are(a) the current estimated costs, (b) the planned commencement date and (c) expected completion date of the project.

  Mr. Steven Norris
  The question is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. The chief executive, Mr. Lawrie Haynes, will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Nigel Jones, dated 29 June 1994:
  A36 Salisbury Bypass
  I am writing in response to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Transport about the A36 Salisbury Bypass. This is a matter for which the Highways Agency is responsible.
  In response to the published proposals, the Highways Agency received 296 objections, 39 letters of support and 26 other representations. At the public inquiry, which ran from April 1993 to April 1994, there were 87 personal appearances. The need for the bypass and the published route is supported by Wiltshire County Council, Salisbury District Council and Salisbury's Civic Society and Chamber of Commerce. There were no objections from the statutory environmental bodies, ie the Countryside Commission, English Nature, the National Rivers Authority and English Heritage.
  The estimated cost of the scheme is approximately £65M for works excluding VAT, and land. The start of construction depends upon the outcome of the recent public inquiry, the subsequent decision of the Secretaries of State for Environment and Transport and the continuing availability of funds.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what decisions his Department has taken in respect of TECs over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement on his Department's involvement with TECs over the same period.

  Mr. Norris
  My Department has no responsibilities for the funding and sponsorship of TECs. The Department and its agencies have dealt with local TECs in connection with work to meet the investors in people standard in respect of the Department's own staff. The Department has also worked with appropriate TECs in their role in the regeneration of local economies. TEC resource centres have been used to preview training material and staff have occasionally attended events sponsored by TECs.

  Passenger Rail Franchises
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he now expects the Franchising Director to publish the minimum specification requirements for proposed passenger train franchises.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Franchising Director will be formally consulting local authorities and rail users consultative committees on the proposed specifications for franchises before inviting tenders. I expect the first of those consultations to take place early next year.

  I understand that the Franchising Director is also intending to submit for comment his overall approach to setting such specifications, as the policy on this is further developed.

  Railtrack
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of the Railtrack board since 1 April.

  Mr. Freeman
  Railtrack began operations as planned on 1 April as a separate Government-owned company following many months of work to put the necessary organisation and contracts in place. Railtrack has successfully established itself as the owner and operator of the national railway infrastructure.

  Rail Consultants
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Shandwick Consultants is being paid by(a) the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising and (b) by his Department; and what is its remit.

  Mr. Freeman
  Payment to Shandwick Consultants by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising and the Department of Transport will be by reference to hourly rates for work done. For commercial reasons, it is not the practice to disclose these rates. Shandwick Consultants's remit is to provide advice to Opraf on the marketing of franchises, and to the Department on overarching privatisation marketing issues.

  Vehicle Emissions
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the introduction of a remote sensing system to measure vehicle emissions.
  701
  Mr. Key
  The Department of Transport has been undertaking research on a remote sensing emissions analyser developed with the aim of detecting "gross polluters" as they pass through a beam crossing the carriageway. Results so far are, however, disappointing and we see no immediate prospects of using such a device as means of assessing vehicle emissions.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has to improve and encourage proper levels of vehicle maintenance to reduce emissions.

  Mr. Key
  The Government have already adopted a number of measures. Since September 1992, heavy diesel-powered vehicles have been required to meet specified smoke limits based on an instrumented test carried out at the annual inspection. The test was extended to diesel cars and other light vehicles from February this year as a requirement of the MOT test. For petrol vehicles, the MOT test has included checks on CO and hydrocarbons since November 1991. I shall be consulting shortly on new regulations that will tighten the limits for all vehicles in line with the EC roadworthiness directive 92/55/EEC.

  The Department regularly issues publications advising motorists and vehicle operators on the need for good maintenance and other measures that will reduce emissions.

  In the longer term, the Department is pressing the European Commission to introduce a requirement for "on-board" diagnostic systems for post-2000 vehicles that will warn the driver in the event of a malfunction of the emissions control system and prompt him to seek immediate repairs. Such a system could be highly effective not only in promoting rapid repairs but in permitting more effective roadside and annual enforcement of emissions standards.

  London underground fire and smoke incidents between 1 January 1994 and 28 May 1994

  Period 11

  Period.12

  Period.13

  Period 1

  Period.2

  1 January 1994 to 29 January 1994

  30 January 1994 to 26 February 1994

  27 February 1994 to 31 March 1994

  1 April 1994 to 30 April 1994

  1 May 1994 to 28 May 1994

  Category

  A

  B

  C

  A

  B

  C

  A

  B

  C

  A

  B

  C

  A

  B

  C

  Bakerloo

  1

  1

  19

  0

  0

  17

  0

  2

  19

  3

  0

  14

  0

  0

  9

  Central

  1

  4

  14

  1

  5

  22

  2

  3

  21

  0

  2

  15

  3

  0

  9

  Circle/H and C

  0

  0

  6

  0

  0

  13

  0

  0

  5

  1

  0

  4

  0

  1

  12

  District

  1

  2

  8

  0

  1

  6

  0

  4

  12

  1

  1

  15

  1

  4

  8

  Jubilee/ELL

  0

  1

  2

  1

  2

  2

  1

  0

  6

  1

  0

  2

  2

  4

  6

  Metropolitan

  0

  1

  8

  0

  2

  15

  2

  2

  14

  0

  0

  14

  1

  3

  7

  Northern

  0

  0

  17

  3

  1

  18

  3

  4

  22

  2

  1

  21

  1

  2

  19

  Piccadilly

  0

  0

  27

  0

  1

  23

  0

  0

  16

  0

  1

  17

  0

  0

  16

  Victoria

  0

  1

  12

  0

  0

  13

  0

  0

  11

  0

  0

  4

  0

  0

  7

  Notes:

  H and C= Hammersmith and City Line; ELL=East London Line.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a table showing for each London Underground line and for each four-week period

  Traffic Area Officers
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date traffic area co-ordinating division reached the decision that traffic area officers would withdraw from Driving Standards Agency work; when the Driving Standards Agency was notified; and when the unions were informed.

  Mr. Key
  The possible withdrawal of the traffic area offices from Driving Standards Agency work has been under consideration for some time, and the Driving Standards Agency was informed of the intention to withdraw on 1 June 1994. No decision has yet been taken on the precise date of withdrawal. This matter is on the agenda for a meeting with the unions on 11 July.

  Car Design
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to urge the European Commission to bring forward proposals for(a) a side-impact protection directive and (b) a new European standard for car design for pedestrian protection; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Key
  We have already urged the Commission to bring forward early proposals for both of these.

  London Underground
  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a table showing for each London underground line and for each four-week period between 1 January and 24 June the number of fire and smoke incidents and the proportion that were(a) category A, (b) category B and (c) category C.

  Mr. Norris
  [holding answer 28 June 1994]: The figures requested are available up to 28 May. These are shown on a line-by-line basis in the table.

  between 1 January and 24 June the number of (i) crimes of violence, (ii) robbery and (iii) other offences; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  [holding answer 28 June 1994]: Figures are available up to 28 May. These are shown in the table:
  703

  London underground: crime figures

  Line

  Type of crime

  Period 11

  Period 12

  Period 13

  Period 1

  Period 2

  1 January 1994 to 29 January 1994

  30 January 1994 to 26 February 1994

  27 February 1994 to 31 March 1994

  1 April 1994 to 30 April 1994

  1 May 1994 to 28 May 1994

  Bakerloo

  Crimes of violence

  4

  5

  4

  0

  5

  Robbery

  6

  3

  4

  5

  4

  Other offences

  53

  24

  44

  42

  25

  Central

  Crimes of violence

  9

  5

  12

  10

  8

  Robbery

  14

  3

  6

  7

  8

  Other offences

  179

  189

  211

  153

  143

  Circle/H and C

  Crimes of violence

  0

  0

  1

  1

  2

  Robbery

  1

  1

  3

  0

  0

  Other offences

  22

  40

  48

  47

  26

  District Line

  Crimes of violence

  14

  7

  13

  10

  8

  Robbery

  5

  4

  6

  5

  3

  Other offences

  123

  95

  153

  142

  145

  Jubilee/ELL

  Crimes of violence

  7

  5

  4

  3

  5

  Robbery

  2

  3

  5

  2

  3

  Other offences

  42

  26

  40

  51

  44

  Metropolitan

  Crimes of violence

  4

  4

  9

  6

  7

  Robbery

  5

  8

  8

  4

  5

  Other offences

  100

  107

  109

  96

  82

  Northern

  Crimes of violence

  8

  7

  14

  14

  8

  Robbery

  5

  11

  6

  9

  10

  Other offences

  147

  151

  178

  147

  114

  Piccadilly

  Crimes of violence

  12

  12

  9

  7

  9

  Robbery

  11

  5

  9

  9

  6

  Other offences

  298

  196

  206

  255

  221

  Victoria

  Crimes of violence

  6

  1

  7

  8

  2

  Robbery

  5

  2

  4

  7

  1

  Other offences

  88

  74

  119

  94

  70

  Notes:

  1. H and C=Hammersmith and City Line; ELL=East London Line.

  2. Crimes of violence include aggravated assaults on staff, BTP officers and passengers.

  3. Robbery offences include assaults with intent to rob.

  4. All data supplied to LUL by the BTP.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the actual number of new jobs created by the establishment of the Child Support Agency; what was the original estimate; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Gordon McMaster, dated 30 June 1994:
  I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number of new jobs created by the Child Support Agency.
  The original staffing requirement for the Child Support Agency was estimated at 5,000 made up of 3,000 new posts and approximately 2,000 posts previously allocated to the Benefits Agency.
  The Agency has now recruited up to its original requirement and is continuing to recruit to meet identified staffing needs. The number of staff currently in post is 5,268.
  I hope this reply is helpful.

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how often he meets the chief executive of the Child Support Agency to discuss the operation and policy of the agency; what is his best estimate of how long, on average, he spends at such meetings each month; and if he will make a statement.
  704
  Mr. Burt
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State does not have a regular schedule of meetings with the chief executive of the Child Support Agency. Although much of the contact between the chief executive and Ministers is in writing, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I do have frequent meetings with the chief executive to discuss items of particular significance. In addition, as Minister responsible for matters relating to child support, I have monthly meetings with the chief executive to discuss the operation and performance of the agency. Those meetings are usually of two hours duration, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, is kept fully appraised of the issues that arise from them.

  Independent Living Fund
  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he expects the annual reports of the independent living (1993) fund and the independent living (extension) fund to be made available to Parliament.

  Mr. Scott
  I am informed by the director of the funds that the annual reports of both funds will be published during the first week in July. Copies will be placed in the Library.

  Benefits (Irish Citizens)
  Mr. John Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what instructions he has given to his officers at Neath and Port Talbot regarding residence qualifications for new entrants to the area from Ireland and their entitlement to social security payments.

  Mr. Burt
  None.
  705
  Mr. John Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the cost of social security payments made to caravan owners and their families coming to the United Kingdom from Ireland.

  Mr. Burt
  None. Information is not held centrally on the number of people coming to the United Kingdom from Ireland who are in receipt of social security benefits.

  Information Technology Services Agency
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether the Director of ITSA has been paid a performance-related bonus for the most recent reporting year.

  Mr. Hague
  The ITSA chief executive's entitlement to a performance-related bonus is largely determined by the achievement of key performance targets for the agency. Details of achievement against these targets will be included in the agency's 1993–94 report and accounts, a copy of which will be placed in the Library before the summer recess.

  Industrial Injuries Benefit
  Mrs. Angela Knight
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will review the decision to abolish reduced earnings allowance for people claiming industrial injuries benefit; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  Reduced earnings allowance for new accidents and diseases was abolished in October 1990 as part of a package of measures designed to focus benefit on those with the most severe disabilities. The REA may still be claimed for accidents occurring before October 1990 or prescribed diseases which were listed before then and where the onset of the disease was earlier.

  A defect in the legislation also enables claims to be made in respect of diseases added to the prescribed list since October 1990, although only where the onset was before that date. This was never the policy intention. We shall bring forward an amendment with effect from October 1994 so that the REA will not be payable for any further extension of the prescribed list.

  In the meantime, the Benefits Agency will carry out a special exercise to identify people who have been awarded an assessment of at least 1 per cent. for diseases added to the list since October 1990 and where the date of onset was earlier. Those people will be invited to make a claim for REA.

WALES

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many steel manufacturing jobs there were in Wales(a) in 1988 and (b) in 1993.

  Mr. Redwood
  A total of 20,207 jobs in 1988 and around 18,000 in 1993. The steel industry has improved its productivity substantially and is an important Welsh success story.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the number of jobs in manufacturing in Wales(a) in 1979 and (b) in 1993; and if he will make a statement.
  706
  Mr. Redwood
  The number of employees in employment in manufacturing in Wales in June 1979 was 315,000 and in June 1993 was 210,000. This reflects the remarkable growth in productivity in Wales over the period. Output per employee in the production industries in Wales increased by almost 70 per cent. between 1979 and 1993. There was also, over the same period, an increase in employment in service industries of 100,000.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many coal industry jobs there were in Wales(a) in 1988 and (b) in 1993.

  Mr. Redwood
  Some 9,200 jobs in 1988 and 3,200 in 1993.

  Teachers (Assaults)
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of pupils assaulting teachers have been reported in Wales in(a) 1973, (b) 1983 and (c) 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The information is not collected centrally.

  Best-kept Village Competition
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to reinstate on a national level the best-kept village competition; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  This scheme was previously organised by the voluntary sector in Wales, but it has not operated on an all-Wales basis since 1991. I understand the voluntary sector considers that other schemes, such as the Prince of Wales awards and the Shell Better Britain campaign are better able to promote environmental improvements in local communities. I believe that this view has not really been contested to date.

  Mussel Purification Centre
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will permit the mussel purification centre in Conwy to remain open until alternative arrangements can be made; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) if he will explain the reasons for the closure of the mussel purification centre at Benarth road, Conwy; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) what financial assistance his Department will give to establish modern mussel purification facilities in Conwy; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Conwy mussel purification centre was closed at the end of the 1993–94 season because it does not comply with the minimum European Union standards for construction and hygiene set out in the Food Safety (Live Bivalve Mollusc and Other Shellfish) Regulations 1992. For the same reasons, the facilities cannot be temporarily reopened. The Welsh Office has been in contact with representatives of the local shellfish industry to offer advice on the availability of financial assistance from United Kingdom and EC sources for any private sector project to establish a new purification facility.

  Local Government Reorganisation
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what restrictions there will be upon employees of the Welsh Joint Education Committee standing for election to the new Welsh unitary authorities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  The Welsh Office's view is that employees working for the Welsh Joint Education Committee would be disqualified for standing for election to a unitary authority under section 80 of the Local Government Act 1972.

  BSE
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what amount of compensation is given to farmers in Wales for each cow slaughtered because of BSE; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  Compensation paid to farmers in Wales for an animal compulsorily slaughtered as a BSE suspect is an amount equal to 100 per cent. of either the market value of the animal or the monthly indicative market price—IMP—whichever is the lower figure. Where subsequent laboratory examination does not confirm that the animal was affected by BSE, compensation is an amount equal to 100 per cent. of the market value of the animal or 125 per cent. of the monthly IMP, whichever is the lower figure. The monthly IMP is a weighted average of prices of Friesian and Holstein cows, heifers in milk and in calf, and barren dairy cattle, taking into account the age distribution of cattle slaughte. ed as BSE suspects in the month. The IMP for July will be £890.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many individual payments have been made to farmers in Wales as compensation for the slaughter of cows infected with BSE; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  It is not possible without disproportionate costs to separate the total amount paid out in BSE compensation into individual payments made to farmers. However, the total number of cattle compulsorily slaughtered as BSE suspects since August 1988 and up to 28 June 1994 on which compensation would have automatically been paid in Wales is 13,603. There are also occasions where because compulsory slaughter has not taken place compensation is not automatically paid. In those circumstances, each individual case is assessed on its merits and ex-gratia payments may be awarded.

  Brynmawr School
  Mr. Murphy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he received an application from Brynmawr grant-maintained school for extra grant.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  I have not received an application for extra grant from Brynmawr grant-maintained school.

  Welsh Health Common Services Agency
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what provisions have been made to advertise for competitive tender the proposed privatisation of the supplies division of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority in Wales; and if he will make a statement.
  708
  Mr. Redwood
  The authority will be preparing specific proposals for market testing.

  Repair Grants
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action has been taken to fulfil his departmental commitment to discuss with Church authorities in Wales the need for repair grants arising from damage caused by atmospheric polluters.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  [pursuant to his reply, 21 June, c. 156]: A printing error was made in the final sentence. The figure for repairs to historic religious buildings should have read £577,331 in 1993–94.

DEFENCE

  RAF Flying Training
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of the practical viability of completing the full advanced flying training requirement at RAF Chivenor;

  (2) how much would be saved annually by closing RAF Valley.

  Mr. Hanley
  My Department's study of the RAF's flying training organisation which I announced on 7 December 1993,Official Report, column 177, considered options for providing RAF flying training in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. The scope for carrying out flying training at RAF Chivenor was considered as part of this study. Chivenor does not, however, have the capacity to undertake all the future advanced flying training—AFT—task and, because it only has a single runway—compared to Valley's three—it would not be suitable for a high volume of concentrated AFT operations.

  The study also concluded that, for operational reasons, RAF Valley should not be closed, and figures relating to savings which might result from its closure are not therefore available.

  Service Forecasts
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the trend in pilot into productive service forecasts.

  Mr. Hanley
  There is at present and for the foreseeable future a sufficient number of pilots coming out of training to meet the needs of the Royal Air Force. Since the mid-1980s, the number of pilots entering productive service has progressively reduced because of reductions in the front line caused by "Options for Change" and other adjustments.

  RAF St. Athan
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the on-going costs of operating the entire weapons range training requirement from RAF St. Athan;

  (2) if he will estimate the costs involved in increasing the licensed weapons loading platforms and otherwise preparing the base at RAF St. Athan for the task of supporting weapons range training sorties.
  709
  Mr. Hanley
  As set out in the consultation document issued on 7 December 1993, the cost of preparing RAF St. Athan for use as a weapons detachment facility is estimated to be around £3,500,000. In addition, the associated annual operating costs are estimated to be £470,000. The savings from closing RAF Chivenor are assessed to be approximately £127 million, at net present values, over 10 years.

  Land Mines
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many self-destruct mines have been recovered intact in Kuwait; and what are the policy consequences of this.

  Mr. Hanley
  Figures for the whole of Kuwait are not available. However, I understand that Royal Ordnance plc discovered 146 self-destruct mines in its clearance area, all of which, for safety reasons, it destroyed in situ, without attempting to establish their condition. There are no policy consequences from this.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy on the manufacture or export by British firms of anti-personnel landmines that are not of a self-destructive or self-neutralising kind.

  Mr. Aitken
  No such landmines have been manufactured or exported by British industry for over a decade.

  Training and Enterprise Councils
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's involvement with TECs.

  Mr. Hanley
  My Department liaises closely with the training and enterprise councils in areas where significant reductions in either service or civilian staff are planned. For civilian staff, all major decisions likely to affect employment are notified separately to the appropriate TECs at the time that they are announced, and the commercial companies providing my Department's outplacement service work with the local TEC to ensure the best direction of effort to help those staff made redundant. Service leavers are more dispersed geographically and obtain TEC services through measures such as the tri-service resettlement organisation's regional resettlement centres.

  Royal Naval College
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) pursuant to his answer of 12 May,Official Report, column 203, what further consideration has been given to the costs of maintaining the premises currently occupied by the Royal Naval College at Greenwich, if they were no longer used as a staff college, and if no other appropriate use could be found for them;

  (2) what consideration he has given to the feasibility of locating all three service staff colleges at Greenwich, if buildings adjacent to the Royal Naval College which are currently vacant, such as the former Dreadnought seaman's hospital, were to be brought into use for this purpose;

  (3) further to his answer of 12 May, Official Report, column 203, whether he has yet received recommendations concerning the future location of the three service staff colleges and the future of the Royal Naval College premises at Greenwich;
  710
  (4) what consideration has been given by his Department to the use of the premises formerly occupied by the Dreadnought seaman's hospital at Greenwich to enhance the staff college facilities at Greenwich.

  Mr. Hanley
  The defence costs study into training has examined staff training at all three service staff colleges. The study has completed its work and has made a number of formal recommendations which are now under consideration by Ministers. No decisions have yet been taken. We hope to announce the broad outcome of the defence costs study as a whole before the House rises for the summer recess.

  Defence Satellites
  Mr. Eric Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much it cost to send into orbit the two defence satellites recently launched by a French ballistic rocket.

  Mr. Aitken
  Details of the cost of sending into orbit the two small defence technology research satellites launched by an Ariane 4 commercial launcher on 17 June 1994 are subject to commercial confidentiality.

  Russian Nuclear Submarines
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessments have been made by the nuclear-powered warships safety committee of the safety record, and conformity with United Kingdom nuclear safety standards, of the Russian Typhoon class submarine.

  Mr. Aitken
  None.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Russian authorities concerning visits by Russian nuclear-powered submarines to British ports during 1994.

  Mr. Hanley
  My right hon. and learned Friend has had no such discussions.

  Clyde Submarine Base
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the names, countries of origin and dates of all foreign naval vessel visits to the Clyde submarine base since 1990.

  Mr. Hanley
  The information requested is as follows:

  Date

  Vessel

  Nationality

  1990

  16–20 February

  HNLMS Isaac Sweers

  Netherlands

  11–13 March

  HNLMS Potvis

  Netherlands

  22 September

  HMCS Ojibwa

  Canada

  1–5 October

  FS Rubis

  France

  6–12 October

  HMCS Ojibwa

  Canada

  20 October

  HNLMS Tijgerhaai

  Netherlands

  20 October

  HNLMS Haarlem

  Netherlands

  26–29 October

  HNLMS Tonjin

  Netherlands

  3–5 November

  HMCS Ojibwa

  Canada

  8 November

  HNLMS Zeeleeuw

  Netherlands

  21–22 November

  BNS Westdiep

  Belgium

  1991

  8–10 February

  HNLMS Potvis

  Netherlands

  18–21 May

  HNLMS Walrus

  Netherlands

  711

  Date

  Vessel

  Nationality

  26 May

  HNLMS Walrus

  Netherlands

  7–10 June

  HNLMS Zwaardvis

  Netherlands

  14–18 June

  HNLMS Zwaardvis

  Netherlands

  23–27 September

  USS Groton

  USA

  6–7 October

  HNLMS Potvis

  Netherlands

  8–12 November

  FS Beveziers

  France

  22 November

  BNS Wielengen

  Belgium

  27 November to 1 December

  HNLMS Tijgerhaai

  Netherlands

  1992

  29 February to 3 March

  HMCS Ojibwa

  Canada

  6 March

  HMCS Ojibwa

  Canada

  17–18 April

  HNLMS Zeeleeuw

  Netherlands

  1 May

  HNLMS Zeeleeuw

  Netherlands

  15–18 May

  HNLMS Walrus

  Netherlands

  22–27 May

  HNLMS Walrus

  Netherlands

  29 May

  NHLMS Walrus

  Netherlands

  13 June

  HNLMS Walrus

  Netherlands

  29–31 July

  USS Newport News

  USA

  25–31 August

  FS Emeraud

  France

  31 August to 3 September

  USS Albany

  USA

  14–23 September

  USS Sturgeon

  USA

  16–18 November

  USS Finback

  USA

  1993

  8–9 January

  USS Baltimore

  USA

  19–22 February

  HNLMS Zeeleeuw

  Netherlands

  6–13 April

  HNLMS Tijgerhaai

  Netherlands

  19–20 April

  HNLMS Tijgerhaai

  Netherlands

  21–23 April

  HNLMS Tijgerhaai

  Netherlands

  10–17 May

  USS San Juan

  USA

  21–24 May

  HNLMS Zwaardvis

  Netherlands

  25–28 May

  HNLMS Dolfijn

  Netherlands

  27–29 May

  HNLMS Bruinvis

  Netherlands

  31 May to 1 June

  HNLMS Zwaardvis

  Netherlands

  31 May to 2 June

  HNLMS Dolfijn

  Netherlands

  2–3 June

  HNLMS Zwaardvis

  Netherlands

  3 June

  HNLMS Dolfijn

  Netherlands

  3–7 June

  HNLMS Bruinvis

  Netherlands

  4 June

  HNLMS Dolfijn

  Netherlands

  20–22 August

  USS Alexandria

  USA

  30 August

  FS Amethyste

  France

  13 September to 5 October

  FS Agosta

  France

  14–16 October

  USS Dallas

  USA

  14–18 October

  HNLMS Dolfijn

  Netherlands

  19–22 October

  USS Dallas

  USA

  25–28 October

  HNLMS Dolfijn

  Netherlands

  29 October to 1 November

  SNS Andalucia

  Spain

  31 October to 1 November

  USS Dallas

  USA

  23–30 December

  USS Albany

  USA

  1994

  18–22 February

  HNLMS Tijgerhaai

  Netherlands

  18–22 February

  HNLMS Mercuur

  Netherlands

  24–25 February

  HNLMS Mercuur

  Netherlands

  13–17 March

  USS Phoenix

  USA

  31 March to 1 April

  HNLMS Walrus

  Netherlands

  11–12 April

  HNLMS Walrus

  Netherlands

  23–27 May

  HNLMS Zeeleeuw

  Netherlands

  3–6 June

  KNM Utsira

  Norway

  10–13 June

  KNM Utsira

  Norway

  23–25 June

  USS Whale

  USA

  Peace Operations
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much in cash terms and in constant prices the Government spent in 1980, 1990, 1991 and 1992 on peace operations in east and central Europe involving British military personnel.

  Mr. Hanley
  British military personnel were not involved an any peacekeeping operations in east and west Europe in 1980, 1990 or 1991. During 1992, the cost of the United Kingdom contribution to the UN protection force in the former Yugoslavia was £64,310,000.

  Air Training Corps
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Air Training Corps, with particular reference to units in Renfrewshire.

  Mr. Hanley
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) on 21 February 1994,Official Report, columns 67–68. Those apply equally to the units in Renfrewshire.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list (1) those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required to consult before legislation proposals; and in respect of which bodies the Government must publish their response to advice supplied by them;

  (2) his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which are required to publish their advice to Government.

  Mr. Hanley
  There is no statutory requirement for the Government to consult any of MOD's advisory non-departmental public bodies before legislation proposals or to publish any advice that might be provided, or responses to that advice. More recently, however, in line with our commitment to greater oppenness, my Department has placed the report by the National Employer Liaison Committee on the subject of consultation with employers on the future of the armed forces, and a summary of the response by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, in the Libraries of both Houses.

  South Georgia
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assistance military personnel have given to the refurbishment of the church on South Georgia;

  (2) what funds are available for a grant towards the replacement of the windows and painting of the church in South Georgia.

  Mr. Hanley
  The work to refurbish the church at Grytviken, South Georgia was undertaken by tradesmen of the Royal Engineers who are part of the Falkland Islands field squadron. It was undertaken under the standard rules for military aid to the civil community and no charge was therefore raised for labour. No grant was available to defray the costs of materials used in the refurbishment—£3,100—nor was this sum provided from the defence budget.

  Kirkcudbright Test Site
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the reply by the Minister of State for Defence Procurement to the Member of the European Parliament for South of Scotland on 24 August 1993 regarding depleted uranium testing at the Kirkcudbright test site.

  Mr. Aitken
  Yes. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

  Test Ranges
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has reviewed the future of the Defence Research Agency and the proof and experimental establishment at Dundrennan and Eskmead test ranges in regard to work conducted for his Department's testing programme on depleted uranium shells.

  Mr. Aitken
  The future of all our test and evaluation establishments was recently reviewed by the Director General of Test and Evaluation. Options arising from this are still being considered, but I hope that an announcement can be made in the not-too-distant future. This will be followed by a period of consultation with interested parties.

  Volunteer Services
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated total cost of(a) the Territorial Army and (b) the total volunteer services during the current financial year.

  Mr. Hanley
  The full cost of maintaining the reserve forces, including such things as equipment development, fuel, ammunition, accommodation and utilities, food or transport, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  The figures for pay, allowances, earnings-related national insurance contributions and training bounties are as follows:

  1994–95 estimates£ million

  Territorial Army

  114·2

  Total Volunteer Services

  129·8

  Those figures exclude the home service part-time element of the Royal Irish Regiment, and the TA non-regular permanent staff.

  Territorial Army
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated recruited strength of the Territorial Army at the most recent available date.

  Mr. Hanley
  The recruited strength of the Territorial Army as at 1 May 1994 was 63,204.

  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the established strength, including overbearing, of the Territorial Army at the present time.

  Mr. Hanley
  The estimated strength of the Territorial Army in peacetime is 63,500. We would, however, expect this figure to rise to around 78,000 in times of war.

SCOTLAND

  Playing Fields
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what powers he has to call in any planning application which relates to or includes the change of use of playing fields; what steps may be taken by the local community and by the district council to ensure that zoning for recreational purposes in the urban area local plans and the district local plans is adhered to; what powers are enjoyed by regional councils in relation to their role as strategic planning authorities as distinct from their role as property owners; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  My right hon. Friend is empowered by section 32 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1972 to call in any planning application for his own determination. These powers are exercised sparingly.

  As far as district and community interests are concerned, section 18A of the 1972 Act provides that any planning authority must determine planning applications in accordance with the relevant development plans unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Sections 10 and 26 also provide that district authorities must take into account any representations made in their preparation of local plans and in their determining of particular planning applications.

  As far as regional interests are concerned, sections 5 to 8 of the 1972 Act provide powers for the preparation of structure plans by the relevant planning authorities, and for their approval by the Secretary of State. Similarly, section 179 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 provides such regional authorities with powers to call in planning applications which are contrary to their approved structure plans or which raise major planning issues of general significance to the districts in question.

  Infertility
  Mr. Ernie Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the provision for infertility treatment in the Tayside health board area;

  (2) what provision is made for infertility investigation in the Tayside health board area;

  (3) whether Tayside health board has sought advice from this Department as to the most cost-effective and cost-efficient means of providing for infertility investigation and treatment in its area.

  Mr. Stewart
  A full range of infertility investigation and treatment is provided in Tayside heath board through General Medical Services and at Perth royal infirmary and Ninewells hospital.

  Following the publication of the National Medical Advisory Committee report on infertility services in Scotland in March 1993, Tayside health board is examining the needs of its population in relation to infertility services.

  Fire Services
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the salary range of each rank of fire service officer in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Relevant information is as follows:
  715

  Salary range

  Rank

  Minimum2 £

  Maximum £

  (Whole-time operational personnel)1

  Firefighter

  12,705

  15,300

  Leading firefighter

  17,046

  17,745

  Sub-officer

  17,724

  18,852

  Station officer

  20,559

  21,864

  Assistant divisional officer

  21,669

  23,691

  Divisional officer III

  23,211

  24,885

  Divisional officer II

  24,645

  27,318

  Divisional officer I

  27,219

  29,178

  Senior divisional officer

  29,301

  31,608

  Assistant firemaster

  38,673

  3—

  Firemaster4

  38,960

  68,124

  (Whole-time control room personnel)

  Fire control operator

  9,876

  15,501

  Leading fire control operator

  13,824

  16,548

  Senior fire control operator

  14,178

  17,571

  Fire control officer

  18,924

  20,391

  Group fire control officer

  21,351

  22,872

  Principal fire control officer

  23,565

  25,683

  1Retained personnel receive an annual retaining fee of from £1,314 to £2,184 together with turn-out and attendance fees. Volunteer personnel receive an hourly fee for authorised duty.

  2Incremental stages between minima and maxima at most ranks are related to both years of service in rank and total years of service.

  3The salary scale for an Assistant Firemaster is at 75 per cent. at all points of the scale of the Firemaster except where an Assistant Firemaster is appointed as Deputy Firemaster, in which case the salary scale is at 80 per cent. at all points of the scale of the Firemaster.

  4The salary range for Firemasters has a minimum and a maximum for each of 9 population bands. The minimum shown is that for the lowest population band of up to 240,000. The maximum is that for the highest band in Scotland of 1,700,001 to 2,300,000.

  This table reflects in summary form salary scales agreed by the National Joint Council for Local Authorities' Fire Brigades and the National Joint Council for Chief and Assistant Chief Officers of Local Authorities' Fire Brigades.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the identifiable(a) capital and (b) revenue or current expenditure by Strathclyde regional council by regional council electoral division, or on any other geographical basis on which the data is collated or accounted, in each year since 1990; how much in both expenditure categories is (i) Legally committed and (ii) planned for fiscal years 1994–95 and 1995–96; what is the pro-rata expenditure in each category for each regional council electoral division, expressed as a percentage of the total capital and revenue budgets measured against their respective populations; if he will rank the regional council electoral divisions in decending order by level of expenditure in both categories; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Information about the geographical breakdown of expenditure by Strathclyde regional council is not held by the Scottish Office.

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the identifiable(a) capital and (b) revenue or current expenditure by Renfrew district council by regional council electoral division, or on any other geographical basis on which the data is collated or accounted, in each year since 1990; how much in both expenditure categories is (i) legally
  716
  committed and (ii) planned for fiscal years 1994–95 and 1995–96; what is the pro-rata expenditure in each category for each regional council electoral division, expressed as a percentage of the total capital and revenue budgets measured against their respective populations; if he will rank the regional council electoral divisions in descending order by level of expenditure in both categories; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Information about the geographical breakdown of expenditure by the Renfrew district council is not held by the Scottish Office.

  Arthritis Care
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to meet representatives of Arthritis Care to discuss needs and concerns of its members; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Arthritis Care has not sought a meeting with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and he therefore currently has no plans to meet its representatives.

  Renfrewshire Enterprise
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his most recent estimate of the population of(a) the area covered by Renfrewshire Enterprise, (b) each of its three constituent district councils and (c) each regional council electoral division within the area.

  Mr. Stewart
  The Registrar General's latest estimates for(a) and (b) are as follows. I regret that population estimates are not available for regional council electoral divisions.

  Mid-1993 population estimates

  Estimate

  (a) Renfrewshire Enterprise area

  352,070

  (b) Eastwood District

  60,930

  Inverclyde District

  89,990

  Renfrew District

  201,150

  Trespass
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the laws relating to trespass in Scotland.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Simple trespass is not an offence under the criminal law of Scotland. However, the Trespass (Scotland) Act 1865 provides that it is an offence to lodge in private premises or occupy or encamp on private land, without the owner's consent. In addition, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill contains provisions which extend to Scotland and which address certain types of disruptive behaviour often associated with trespass.

  As regards the civil law, if someone intrudes on land without permission and without any other legal right to do so then this will constitute trespass under Scots civil law. There are two possible civil remedies open to the owner of the land. An action of ejection would secure the removal of a person from occupying heritable property without right or title hitherto. An action of interdict would seek to prevent a person from doing something, such as returning

  717
  to the property. The two processes can be combined in one action, namely an action of ejection of a trespasser and interdict against his or her return.

  Dog Registration
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his latest estimate of the fee that would be required to be charged to fund a self-financing dog registration scheme in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  The Government do not believe that a registration scheme would address the main problems associated with dogs. No estimate of the fee which would be required to fund a self-financing scheme in Scotland has been made.

  Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the cost of implementation of sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 in Scotland; what would be the total annual cost to(a) central Government, (b) local authorities and (c) other bodies of full implementation, what would be the total cost expressed in (i) annual and (ii) weekly terms for each (1) council tax payer and (2) taxpayer—including and excluding indirect taxation—when he plans to fully implement the Act; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Information on the estimated cost of implementation of sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 in Scotland is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  There are no plans at present to implement sections 1, 2 and 3 of this Act. Most of the major provisions of the Act have been implemented bringing substantial benefits to disabled people and their carers. The requirements of the sections of the Act which have not been implemented are now, to a very large extent, reflected in the new and wide-ranging community care arrangements which demonstrates our commitment to high quality care responsive to the needs and wishes of service users and their carers. We intend to review the situation once we have some years' experience of the community care arrangements.

  Council Services (Contracting Out)
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he or officers of his Department have had with councillors or officers of Kyle and Carrick district council regarding contracting out of council services; which services were the subject of these discussions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  The Scottish Office provides advice to Scottish local authorities regarding the legal context of public procurement. Kyle and Carrick district council has sought general advice about the compulsory competitive tendering legislation and the European Community public procurement directives. Responsibility for placing individual contracts rests entirely with local authorities, who must satisfy themselves that their actions are within the law.

  Evening Primrose Oil
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what research his Department has funded into the efficacy of evening primrose oil as a treatment for arthritis; in what circumstances evening primrose oil is available on prescription; if he Department intends to fund further research into the value of evening primrose oil for treatment or illness and disease; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Two evening primrose oil products, Epogam and Efamast, are licensed by the Medicines Control Agency and are prescribable on the NHS. Epogam is prescribable for use in the treatment of atopic eczema, and Efamast for use in the treatment of mastalgia. No evening primrose oil preparation has satisfied the licensing requirements of safety and efficacy for any other medical condition.

  The Scottish Office Home and Health Department has not funded, and has no present plans to fund, any research into the value of evening primrose oil for the treatment of arthritis or any other medical condition. However, the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Office Home and Health Department is always willing to consider any applications for the funding of soundly based reasearchable projects related to health and health services.

  Mr. Andrew Freemantle
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the posts held by Mr. Andrew Freemantle before his appointment to his current position in the Scottish ambulance service.

  Mr. Stewart
  Prior to his appointment three yeas ago as general manager of the Scottish Ambulance Service Mr. Freemantle served for a number of years as a member of Her Majesty's forces, latterly with the rank of brigadier. Details of his career can be found in "Who's Who in Scotland".

  Local Authority Direct Service Organisations
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what restrictions apply to the sale of products to the general public from factories which are wholly or mainly owned by local authorities; if he will bring forward measures to allow local authority direct service organisations to sell manufactured goods designed for house improvement to owner-occupiers who wish to purchase these goods; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  It is for local authorities, in the first instance, to satisfy themselves that, in the individual circumstances of a particular case, their actions are within the law. The Government have no plans to bring forward measures in relation to direct service organisations and owner occupiers.

  Disabled People (Voting Rights)
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he takes to ensure that all disabled people are able to exercise their right to vote in elections for which he is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Section 18(3)(a) of the Representation of the People Act 1983, as amended by
  719
  the Representation of the People Act 1985, provides that returning officers should designate as polling places, so far as is reasonable and practicable, places which are accessible to disabled voters. The Government also provide financial assistance towards the cost of providing temporary ramps for polling stations to assist access by disabled voters. Guidance on this matter is issued from time to time to returning officers.

  Local Enterprise Companies
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) adults and (b) young people on average participated in local enterprise company-sponsored training schemes in each month in the past two years; if he will break down these figures into local enterprise company areas; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Questions relating to the numbers of adults and young people participating in each local enterprise company area are a matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I have asked the chairmen of these bodies to write to the hon. Member with the figures requested for each local enterprise company and totals for each of their networks.

  Police
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the latest estimate of the(a) normal and (b) overtime hours spent by police officers giving evidence and waiting to give evidence in each constabulary in Scotland; what was the total cost of this; what is the estimated burden on (i) normal payroll and (ii) overtime budgets expressed in cash terms and as a percentage of each budget; what was the effect of these duties on the ability of officers to be relieved of duties on scheduled rest days; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Current information is not available. The most recent estimate of which the Government are aware is that contained in the report by the Commission for Local Authority Accounts in Scotland entitled "Police Waiting Time at Court". A copy of the report, which was published in November 1992, is in the Library.

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of the police service and the procurators fiscal service to discuss initiatives to reduce the amount of time police officers spend waiting to give evidence in courts; what was the outcome of these discussions; and what new initiatives he intends to introduce.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The Government's White Paper—"Firm and Fair—Improving the Delivery of Justice in Scotland" published, following consultation with a wide range of interests, on 27 June contains proposals which should contribute positively to reducing the time all witnesses have to spend in court.

  Low Moss Prison
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he is giving to extending Low Moss prison ; and if he will make a statement.
  720
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I have no plans to extend Low Moss prison, but the Scottish Prison Service's estates strategy does anticipate that a feasibility study will be carried out at a future date to examine the possibility of replacing the existing hutted prisoner accommodation by the construction of new houseblocks, adjacent to the present site. The study has not yet been commissioned and if, in the light of it, a project were to proceed, planning consent would be necessary and decisions on financing, which have not yet been taken, would be required.

  Obscene Publications Branch
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he is giving to future national co-ordination between police forces in Scotland, England and Wales on matters relating to pornography and obscenity following the proposed disbanding of the obscene publications branch at Scotland Yard.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 29 June 1994]: Each chief constable in Scotland is responsible for the investigation of crime in his force area. Where cross-force crime occurs, collaborative arrangements can be established to deal with it. These arrangements work satisfactorily, and there are no proposals to change existing procedures.

  Metropolitan police headquarters functions and specialist units fall within the scope of a restructuring exercise, which aims to make the best possible use of resources and to place functions where they are most appropriate. I understand that no proposals about the future of the Metropolitan police's obscene publications branch have yet been made.

  Sandeel Fishing
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what measures he intends to take to protect the livelihoods of East Neuk of Fife fishermen affected by the sandeel fishing of Danish vessels over traditional Fife fishing grounds;

  (2) what representations he has made on behalf of East Neuk of Fife fishermen to the Danish Government about the extent of sandeel fishing over traditional Fife fishing grounds.

  Sir Hector Monro
  [holding answer 29 June 1994]: Sandeels are normally caught with only minimal by-catches of other species. By-catches of whitefish species will typically comprise around 1 per cent. of total catch. The European Union also sets maximum levels for by-catches of protected species, such as cod and haddock.

  Inspectors from the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency regularly board sandeel vessels to ensure that these by-catch limits are observed. In 1993, there were over 150 such boardings and no cases were found of a breach of the EC by-catch regulations. This year, up to 24 June, 38 boardings had been made of 36 vessels, again without any evident breach of by-catch limits.

  All the available evidence indicates that sandeel vessels are operating within the terms of EC regulations. Even so, I recognise the concern in the industry at the possible impact which current levels of sandeel fishing may be having on other fish stocks and on the marine eco-system in general. At last December's Fisheries Council, the United Kingdom persuaded the Council to call for an investigation of the broader effects of industrial fishing. A

  721
  working group consisting of fisheries biologists and marine ecologists from all relevant member states is expected to report later this year.

  Dangerous Dogs Act 1991
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the cost to date of implementing the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 24 June 1994]: Information on the costs to the police, local authorities, the prosecution and courts of operating the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is not held centrally.

  Type of grant

  Travel to work area

  Standard Industrial Classification (1980)

  Grant offered £

  Period in which offer accepted: 1 April 1988 to 30 September 1988

  Investment

  Dundee

  Pulp, paper and board

  3,900

  Period in which offer accepted: 1 October 1990 to 31 March 1991

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Textile finishing

  14,700

  Period in which offer accepted: 1 April 1991 to 30 September 1991

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Construction and earth moving equipment

  10,050

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Retail distribution of household goods, etc.

  3,263

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Soft furnishings

  1,652

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Bacon curing and meat processing

  3,008

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Professional and technical services not elsewhere specified

  4,200

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Household textiles

  8,519

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Metal doors, windows, etc.

  1,238

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Computer services

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Computer services

  22,981

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Machinery for working wood, rubber, etc.

  25,000

  Period in which offer accepted: 1 October 1991 to 31 March 1992

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Other printing and publishing

  5,325

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Wholesale distribution of household goods

  4,050

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Electric instruments and control systems

  11,182

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Bread and flour confectionery

  15,000

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Steel tubes

  12,939

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Metal storage vessels (non industrial)

  4,500

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Engineers' small tools

  13,900

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Female light outer-ware, lingerie, etc.

  6,300

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Computer services

  13,448

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Hosiery and other weft knitted goods

  9,000

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Working of stone and non-metal minerals not elsewhere specified

  6,600

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Optical precision instruments

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Production and distribution of other forms of energy

  17,500

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Electronic data processing equipment

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Radio and electronic capital goods

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Business services not elsewhere specified

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Shop and office fitting

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Plastics products not elsewhere specified

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Caravans

  25,000

  Period in which offer accepted: 1 April 1992 to 30 September 1992

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Ceramic goods

  3,990

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Hiring out other moveables

  13,503

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Other printing and publishing

  15,000

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Other printing and publishing

  12,561

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Production and distribution of electricity

  15,000

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Plastics packaging products

  14,546

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Engineers' small tools

  8,600

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Other printing and publishing

  1,000

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Electronic data processing equipment

  15,000

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Computer services

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Mechanical lifting and handling equipment

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Electronic equipment not elsewhere specified

  11,250

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Radio and electronic capital goods

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Alarms and signalling equipment

  24,971

  Regional Enterprise Grants
  Mr. McLeish
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the REG awards in Fife on a six-monthly basis from start-up of the scheme specifying the company location, industrial sector, level of award and whether the award was REG (Investment) or REG (Innovation).

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 27 June 1994]: The information requested is given in the table.
  723

  Type of grant

  Travel to work area

  Standard Industrial Classification (1980)

  Grant offered £

  Period in which offer accepted: 1 October 1992 to 31 March 1993

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Medical and surgical equipment

  11,250

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Bread and flour confectionery

  10,050

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Other wholesale distribution

  15,000

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Production and distribution of electricity

  15,000

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Finished metal products not elsewhere specified

  15,000

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Compressors and fluid power equipment

  15,000

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Medical and surgical equipment

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Alarms and signalling equipment

  22,659

  Period in which offer accepted: 1 April 1993 to 30 September 1993

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Retail distribution of books, stationery, etc.

  6,409

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Finished metal products not elsewhere specified

  9,677

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Electronic data processing equipment

  25,000

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Telegraph, telephone apparatus

  25,000

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Refrigerating and ventilating equipment

  25,000

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Wholesale distribution of machinery, etc.

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Other industrial and commercial machinery

  25,000

  Period in which offer accepted: 1 October 1993 to 31 March 1994

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Computer services

  15,000

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  General construction/demolition work

  15,000

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Finished metal products not elsewhere specified

  1,733

  Investment

  Dunfermline

  Installation of fixtures and fittings

  3,747

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Professional and technical services not elsewhere specified

  11,250

  Innovation

  Dundee

  Measuring and checking instruments

  25,000

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Alarms and signalling equipment

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Computer services

  22,800

  Period in which offer accepted: 1 April 1993 to 23 June 1994

  Investment

  Kirkcaldy

  Wooden containers

  12,559

  Innovation

  Dunfermline

  Optical precision instruments

  25,000

  Innovation

  Kirkcaldy

  Sports goods

  25,000

  Skin Cancer
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people have died from skin cancer in Scotland in each year since 1979.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 28 June 1994]: The information is given in the table:

  Deaths from skin cancer, Scotland 1979 to 1993

  Cause:

  Malignant melanoma of skin

  Other malignant neoplasm of skin

  ICD Code:

  172

  173

  Year

  1979

  91

  49

  1980

  67

  46

  1981

  74

  56

  1982

  87

  47

  1983

  90

  43

  1984

  95

  27

  1985

  95

  27

  1986

  104

  43

  1987

  114

  44

  1988

  89

  47

  1989

  109

  52

  1990

  84

  49

  1991

  98

  43

  1992

  102

  46

  19931

  112

  49

  1Provisional.

  Alcohol (Prisons)
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in which prisons alcohol abuse and misuse programmes are available to prisoners; how many prisoners(a) commenced and (b) completed the programme in each prison in 1991, 1992, 1993 and so far this year; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [pursuant to his reply 15 June 1994, c. 610]: The chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, Mr. E. W. Frizzell, has mind further to the hon. Member.

  Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Dr. Norman Godman, dated 30 June 1994:
  I wrote to you on 15 June in response to your question about alcohol abuse and misuse programmes within Scottish penal establishments and undertook to write again when the figures for Barlinnie prison were available.
  These are now included in the table attached which, for ease of reference, also repeats the information given in my earlier letter.
  725

  Establishment

  Alcohol programme run by

  1991 1Number completed

  1992 1Number completed

  1993 1Number completed

  1994 To date number completed

  Aberdeen

  Aberdeen Alcohol Advisory and Counselling Service Prison Social Work Unit

  2—

  2—

  24

  46

  Barlinnie

  Glasgow Council on Alcohol Alcoholics Anonymous Trained Prison Staff

  221

  130

  81

  31

  Barlinnie Unit

  Glasgow Council on Alcohol

  1

  2

  Nil

  Nil

  Castle Huntly

  Prison Social Worker Prison Education Officer

  27

  15

  30

  19

  Cornton Vale

  Scottish Council on Alcohol Alcoholics Anonymous Trained Prison Staff Prison Social Workers

  2—

  2—

  2—

  9

  Dumfries

  Nil (contact is maintained with Alcoholics Anonymous)

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Dungavel

  Prison Social Work Unit Alcoholics Anonymous

  18

  40

  43

  15

  Edinburgh

  Prison Education Unit Alcoholics Anonymous

  28

  32

  27

  18

  Friarton

  Alcoholics Anonymous Prison Education Unit

  10

  10

  10

  4

  Glenochil

  Alcoholics Anonymous Scottish Council on Alcohol

  80

  80

  80

  80

  Greenock

  Inverclyde Alcohol Project Prison Social Work Unit Alcoholics Anonymous

  2—

  5

  15

  17

  Inverness

  Scottish Council on Alcohol

  40

  40

  40

  40

  Longriggend

  Alcoholics Anonymous Prison Social Work Unit Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Addiction and Advisory Centre

  259

  312

  476

  113

  Low Moss

  Prison Addictions Unit Alcoholics Anonymous

  2—

  2—

  2—

  34

  Noranside

  Alcoholics Anonymous Tayside Council on Alcohol Prison Education Unit

  4

  14

  19

  21

  Penninghame

  Prison Education Unit Prison Social Work Alcoholics Anonymous Al-teen

  2—

  2—

  54

  12

  Perth

  Tayside Council on Alcohol Alcoholics Anonymous Prison Social Work Unit

  13

  21

  12

  32

  Peterhead

  Prison Education Unit Alcoholics Anonymous

  26

  46

  80

  40

  Polmont

  Prison Social Work Unit Scottish Council on Alcohol

  65

  63

  42

  16

  Shotts

  Alcoholics Anonymous

  30 prisoners attend per week

  30 prisoners attend per week

  30 prisoners attend per week

  30 prisoners attend per week

  Shotts Unit

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  Nil

  TOTAL

  792

  810

  1,033

  547

  726 727
  1The numbers quoted show the total number of prisoners who completed alcohol programmes. The number of prisoners who commenced but did not complete the programmes is not available.

  2No figures available.

  Note:

  The figures do not include the prisoners who receive individual counselling from prison based social workers or community based addiction counsellors.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Middle East
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will define the Government's commitment to the reconstruction of Gaza and Jericho following the middle east peace award(a) in terms of financial assistance and (b) in terms of technical assistance.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Both financial and technical assistance are needed to support the establishment of a Palestinian administration in Gaza and Jericho. We intend to spend £70 million on aid to the Palestinians, over the three financial years from 1994–95, through our contributions to EC aid programmes and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, as well as bilaterally. The EC assistance includes 10 mecu in 1994 for the start-up costs of the Palestinian police force. Our bilateral aid takes the form of technical assistance, concentrating on providing know-how and institution building.

  Sub-Saharan Africa
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the public and private financial flows to each country in sub-Saharan Africa.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Available information is contained in an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development publication "Geographical Distribution of Financial Flows to Developing Countries—1989 to 1992," a copy of which is available in the Library.

  Sudan
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on the extent of the emerging famine in southern Sudan;

  (2) what assessment he has made of the degree of access that Operation Lifeline Sudan is being given to famine areas in southern Sudan.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The World Food Programme estimates that 2.2 million people in the south and the transition zone will need emergency food aid in 1994. Information on access to populations at risk is contained in "The Delivery of Humanitarian Assistance: Issues Facing UN Agencies and NGOs in 1994" a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the causes of the famine in Sudan; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which the causes were man-made.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  Failed harvests, primarily due to lack of rain and inappropriate economic and agricultural policies, have resulted in serious food shortages in many areas of both north and south Sudan. The situation has been exacerbated in the south by fighting between the Government and rebel forces, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

  Ethiopia
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on the extent of the famine in Ethiopia;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the response of (a) the British Government and (b) the European Union to the famine in Ethiopia.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 10 May,Official Report, column 79 and on 23 June, Official Report, column 270. Information on EU member states' pledges is not available.

  THE GUILDFORD FOUR: MAY REPORT
  THE GUILDFORD FOUR: MAY REPORT
  THE POSTAL SERVICES
  THE POSTAL SERVICES
  COPYRIGHT PROTECTION
  COPYRIGHT PROTECTION
  EUROPEAN COMMISSION STAFF: REDUNDANCY PROPOSALS
  EUROPEAN COMMISSION STAFF: REDUNDANCY PROPOSALS
  EUROPEAN ELECTIONS: EXPLANATORY PAMPHLET
  EUROPEAN ELECTIONS: EXPLANATORY PAMPHLET
  ISRAELI BOMB ATTACK ON IRAQ, 1981
  ISRAELI BOMB ATTACK ON IRAQ, 1981
  PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE EXECUTIVE AGENCY
  PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE EXECUTIVE AGENCY
  PHYSIOTHERAPISTS: REGISTRATION PROPOSAL
  PHYSIOTHERAPISTS: REGISTRATION PROPOSAL
  FUNDHOLDING PRACTICES: EFFICIENCY SAVINGS
  FUNDHOLDING PRACTICES: EFFICIENCY SAVINGS
  CARDIFF INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT LAND
  CARDIFF INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT LAND
  CARDIFF: HOUSING LAND SUPPLY
  CARDIFF: HOUSING LAND SUPPLY