Written Answers of 3 March 1994

ENVIRONMENT

  Listed Buildings
  Ms Mowlam
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will consider issuing statutory guidelines to local authorities to limit enabling development to those listed buildings with negative equity;

  (2) what plans he has to provide guidelines to local authorities in dealing with planning applications involving enabling development which contravene policies incorporating protection for the countryside, registered parks and gardens and the setting of listed buildings.

  Mr. Baldry
  The term "enabling development" is not found in the Planning Acts and there are no plans to give it any statutory significance or make any specific reference to it in guidance.

  City Grant
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the schemes given city grant in the north-west region in the last two years with the amounts in each case; and what were the amounts of any clawback of grant.

  Mr. Baldry
  The schemes in the Department of the Environment's north-west region for which the provision of city grant was approved since April 1992, and the approved level of grant, are set out in the table. None of these schemes has yet reached the date for determining the level of any clawback. The urban development corporations offer their own grants analogous to city grant; schemes funded in this way are not included.

  Project

  Approved Grant (£)

  Blackburn

  Enamel Street housing

  735,782

  Farmers Market site offices

  672,717

  Hornby Hotel

  127,439

  Bolton

  Sunnyside Mills housing

  1,413,441

  Burnley

  Holy Trinity Church flats

  300,000

  Manchester

  Broughton Street cash and carry warehouse

  249,835

  Sherborne Street housing

  835,700

  Blackett Street units

  425,000

  Express Offices redevelopment

  1,972,000

  Lever Street offices

  350,000

  Jackson Crescent student flats

  575,000

  Energy Street housing

  520,000

  Louisa Street housing

  774,093

  Kelbrook Road units, phase 1

  151,000

  Kelbrook Road units, phase 2

  370,000

  790

  Project

  Approved Grant (£)

  Oldham

  Cromford Street units

  121,877

  Park Road flats/units

  1,012,316

  Greengate Industrial Estate, phase 2

  1,306,000

  Preston

  Avenham Terrace housing

  101,170

  Queens Mill housing

  291,440

  Rochdale

  Perseverance Mill units

  475,000

  HQ Co-op Retail Building

  3,000,000

  Smallbridge Business Park

  216,000

  Salford

  Deva Centre offices

  2,770,000

  Hamilton Garden housing

  380,717

  Griffin Court offices

  220,000

  Liverpool Road industrial units

  196,981

  Albion units

  1,550,000

  Wigan

  Gordon Close housing

  130,605

  Kent Street mixed development

  280,863

  Piatt Lane units

  147,405

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary aof State for the Environment what is the current situation regarding the city grant application made in respect of the Foleshill gas works site.

  Mr. Baldry
  English Partnerships has made a proposal to British Gas, the site owners, under which a grant could be offered for a first phase of development on the Foleshill site. English Partnerships has also suggested a possible joint venture for the development of a second phase.

  Pollution, Lewisham
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table showing the levels of atmospheric pollution and the levels of nitrous oxide and black smoke emissions in the Lewisham area in each year since 1985.

  Mr. Atkins
  Annual average concentrations of black smoke and nitrogen dioxide in Lewisham is given in the table. No monitoring data on levels of nitrous oxide in the Lewisham area is available. However, Lewisham was included in both the 1986 and 1991 national nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube surveys. Black smoke is monitored in areas of the United Kingdom at risk of exceeding the limit value of the European Community directive on smoke and sulphur dioxide—89/427/EEC. The site in Lewisham was closed in 1989 since concentrations of these pollutants were not at risk of exceeding the directive limit values.

  Annual emissions of smoke and nitrogen dioxide between 1985 and 1991 are given in the Department of the Environment's 15th edition of the Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
  791

  Annual average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and black smoke at Ladywell Baths, Lewisham High Street, Lewisham, London

  Year

  Black smoke (ug/m3)

  NO2 (ppb)1

  1985

  12

  —

  1986

  15

  26

  1987

  17

  —

  1988

  23

  —

  1989

  —

  —

  1990

  —

  —

  1991

  —

  32

  1 Parts per billion at 20°C and 1013 millibars pressure.

  CIPFA Employees
  Mr. Straw
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give the grade and present duties of each member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy employed in his Department; and if he will cross-refer each post to his Department's latest MINIS report.

  Mr. Gummer
  Three members of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy are employed in the Department of the Environment. They are Mr. P. Rowsell, grade 5, listed as head of finance and local authority expenditure and resources division in page 28 of part 1 of MINIS 14; Mr. D. Weatherly, SEC) in construction division 5—page 38 of part 6 of MINIS 14 dealing with prequalification systems and the consultants register; and Mr. J. Gauld, SEO in management audit services division—page 32 of part 5 of MINIS 14 where the division is shown under its former name of finance management audit.

  Council Tax
  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans he has to review the council tax transitional relief scheme;

  (2) what plans he has to change the rules governing transitional relief following the letter of 18 February from the hon. Member for Woolwich;

  (3) what estimate he has of the number of cases where persons in a higher property band pay less in council tax than someone in the same district or borough in a lower property band but in otherwise similar circumstances as a result of transitional relief; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 24 February 1994]: We have no plans to change the rules governing transitional relief. I have written to the hon. Member about the application of the transitional relief scheme in Greenwich.

  King's Cross Conference
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to respond to the invitation he has received from the Metropolitan police, local churches, and local authorities, to attend the conference on King's Cross due to be held on 8 March.

  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 2 March 1994]: Following an invitation from the leaders of Camden and Islington councils, my office telephoned the conference organisers on 18 February to say that, because of other commitments, I would be unable to attend.
  792

ATTORNEY GENERAL

  Public Interest Immunity Certificates
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Attorney-General whether the common law duty of a Minister of the Crown to sign public interest immunity certificates rests upon the contents of(a) an individual document or (b) the class of document; and if he will make a statement.

  The Attorney-General
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to him on 3 February 1994,Official Report, column 833, and to the extract from the "Supreme Court Practice 1993" which I have already placed in the Library.

SCOTLAND

  Criminal Proceedings
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will make it his policy that the identities of all witnesses as to fact in a criminal investigation which leads to proceedings by way of complaint or indictment are disclosed to an accused person facing trial in a sheriff court or the High Court of Justiciary;

  (2) if he will make it his policy to accept the principle of full disclosure of evidence to the defence in criminal cases.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  In Scotland, disclosure of the case for the prosecution is achieved by providing the defence with a list containing the names and addresses of witnesses who may be called to give evidence. The defence is then entitled to obtain statements from these witnesses. In summary cases, copies of all police witness statements are given to the defence on request.

  An experiment in the provision of some civilian witness statements is being conducted in Paisley. In cases prosecuted on indictment, the accused will also have a list of productions served on him. The production will be lodged in court prior to the trial diet, and they may be examined by the accused or his represenative prior to the trial.

  My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate confirms that the policy of the Crown in Scotland is to disclose to the defence any information which supports the defence, even though it may be damaging to the prosecution case. Procurators fiscal are also instructed to provide assistance to the defence if it is necessary to enable witnesses for the defence to be traced. The overall aim is to ensure that the true facts of any case are laid before the judge or jury.

  Health Service Contracts
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement regarding contact between Dumfries and Galloway health board, and Mr. Frank Brown of Ayrshire and Arran health board on urology services.

  Mr. Stewart
  Mr. Brown, commissioning manager of Ayrshire and Arran health board, contacted Dumfries and Galloway health board in September 1993 to establish that board's purchasing intentions for urological services.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 2 December,Official

  793
  Report, column 689, if he will list the contracts currently in operation between the South Ayrshire and North Ayrshire and Arran NHS trusts and Dumfries and Galloway health board; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  Currently, the South Ayrshire hospitals and North Ayrshire and Arran NHS trusts each have a block contract with Dumfries and Galloway health board for a variety of specialties.

  Forestry
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to assess whether, in deciding not to oppose afforestation plans at Cloanaig, Kintyre, Scottish Natural Heritage took adequate account of the interests of local communities within the terms of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The formulation and provision of advice to the Forestry Commission on the natural heritage aspects of woodland grant scheme applications is solely a matter for Scottish Natural Heritage.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether tax options of the kind described in the recent Country Landowners Association report, "Focus on Woodlands", are being considered by the forestry review group.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The Country Landowners Association report was one of a large number of representations received by the review group in the course of its work. The views expressed in these representations have been valuable to the group in preparing its advice to Ministers.

  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that the Government's forestry review group is considering in detail all types of incentive for both tree planting and management.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The forestry review group was asked, among other things, to review the effectiveness of the current incentives for forestry investment, in accordance with the manifesto commitment. Ministers are now considering its advice before deciding what action, if any, should be taken.

  Health Service Management
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the targets for each national health service general manager, unit general manager and chief executive in the next year; and what is the performance-related pay payable for achievement of these targets.

  Numbers of personal injury accidents on the A1

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Fatal

  Serious

  Slight

  Total

  Fatal

  Serious

  Slight

  Total

  Fatal

  Serious

  Slight

  Total

  East Lothian

  January

  —

  2

  3

  5

  —

  3

  2

  5

  —

  —

  6

  6

  February

  —

  —

  3

  3

  —

  1

  1

  2

  —

  1

  —

  1

  March

  —

  1

  1

  2

  —

  —

  3

  3

  —

  —

  1

  1

  April

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  —

  1

  1

  —

  —

  2

  2

  May

  —

  1

  3

  4

  2

  —

  2

  4

  —

  —

  2

  2

  June

  —

  1

  2

  3

  —

  1

  1

  2

  —

  1

  1

  2

  July

  1

  —

  2

  3

  1

  —

  5

  6

  1

  1

  5

  7

  August

  1

  1

  3

  5

  —

  —

  4

  4

  —

  3

  5

  8

  September

  —

  —

  3

  3

  2

  —

  2

  4

  —

  —

  2

  2

  October

  —

  1

  2

  3

  2

  —

  2

  4

  —

  2

  2

  4

  November

  —

  —

  2

  2

  —

  —

  —

  0

  n/a

  n/a

  a/a

  n/a

  794
  Mr. Stewart
  This information is not held centrally. The setting of targets for each NHS general manager, unit general manager and chief executive is determined locally. Arrangements for assessment of performance-related pay for achievement of targets are matters for the remuneration committee of the employing body.

  Insolvency Statistics
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) corporate and (b) individual insolvencies were recorded in Scotland for each of the past five years.

  Mr. Stewart
  The number of insolvencies in Scotland for each of the past five full accounting years was as follows:

  (a) Corporate insolvencies

  Year

  Number

  1988–89

  663

  1989–90

  651

  1990–91

  720

  1991–92

  862

  1992–93

  915

  Source: Table C2 of "Companies in 1992–93".

  (b) Individual insolvencies

  Year

  Number

  1988–89

  1,612

  1989–90

  2,618

  1990–91

  5,451

  1991–92

  8,584

  1992–93

  11,970

  Source: Office of the Accountant in Bankruptcy.

  A1 (Accidents)
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the total number of(a) minor, (b) serious and (c) fatal road traffic accidents on the Al in (i) East Lothian and (ii) Berwickshire in each month for the last three years.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information is given in the table.
  795

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Fatal

  Serious

  Slight

  Total

  Fatal

  Serious

  Slight

  Total

  Fatal

  Serious

  Slight

  Total

  December

  —

  2

  4

  6

  —

  —

  3

  3

  n/a

  n/a

  n/

  n/a

  Totals

  2

  9

  28

  39

  7

  5

  26

  38

  1

  8

  26

  35

  Berwickshire

  January

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  1

  4

  5

  February

  —

  2

  2

  4

  —

  1

  4

  5

  —

  —

  4

  4

  March

  —

  1

  1

  2

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  —

  3

  3

  April

  —

  —

  1

  1

  —

  —

  1

  1

  —

  1

  3

  4

  May

  1

  —

  —

  1

  1

  —

  1

  2

  —

  —

  1

  1

  June

  —

  1

  —

  1

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  —

  —

  0

  July

  —

  1

  2

  3

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  —

  2

  2

  August

  —

  —

  —

  0

  1

  1

  —

  2

  —

  1

  —

  1

  September

  —

  —

  1

  1

  —

  1

  —

  1

  —

  —

  1

  1

  October

  —

  —

  1

  1

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  —

  —

  0

  November

  —

  —

  1

  1

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  1

  —

  1

  December

  —

  —

  —

  0

  —

  —

  —

  0

  1

  —

  1

  2

  Totals

  1

  5

  9

  15

  2

  3

  6

  11

  1

  4

  19

  24

  Note: n/a=not available as the accident figures for these months have not yet been verified.

  New Home Building
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the number of new homes to be built in the Blairgowrie, Alyth, Coupar Angus, Meigle, Newfyle, Birk Hill and Muirhead areas of Tayside in the next three years and five years, as advised by Tayside regional council, Angus district council and Perth and Kinross district council.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is not held centrally.

  Forestry Review Group
  Sir Thomas Arnold
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he intends to publish the report of the forestry review group.

  Sir Hector Monro
  No. The report of the forestry review group was prepared for the confidential advice of Ministers.

  Seals
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how the Sea Mammals Research Unit estimates the number of grey and common seals in Scotland; if the seal population of lochs is included; and what assessment he has made of the method of counting.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Each year, the sea mammal research unit—SMRU—carries out counts of grey seal pups using aerial photography. All major Scottish colonies are surveyed, including Loch Eriboll—the only site within a loch where significant numbers breed.

  The SMRU counts common seals along the Scottish coastline during August each year, using a thermal-imaging camera mounted in a helicopter. The survey is repeated on a five-year cycle and includes all islands and sea lochs.

  The SMRU survey programme for Scottish seals is reviewed annually by the special committee on seals, an independent group of experts.
  796

  Assisted Places Scheme
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 17 February,Official Report, columns 955–56, if he will make a statement listing the current annual fees levied by the private schools with pupils under the assisted places scheme.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  This information is publicly available in the publication "Which School" which is available from the Independent Schools Information Service (Scotland) at the following address:

  Floor 2/1

  11 Castle Street

  Edinburgh

  EH2 3EH

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what agencies are employed by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise to provide its public relations; and what is the annual cost to the company.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its chairman to write to the hon. Member.

  Speech, Paisley
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of his speech on Saturday 26 February.

  Mr. Lang
  I have placed in the Library a copy of the extract from my speech at Paisley on 26 February which was released to the press. I shall be replying shortly to the hon. Member's letter to me on the subject.

  Howie Report
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will publish the Howie report on the reform of the upper secondary school curriculum.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The Howie report was published on 5 March 1992.
  797
  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the report of the Howie committee on curriculum and examinations in upper secondary education in Scotland.

  Mr. Lang
  I am pleased to announce that I am publishing the Government's response to the Howie committee's proposals today. Details of my decisions, which build on the strengths of the current system, are set out in the document "Higher Still: Opportunity For All", copies of which have been deposited in the Library of the House and the Vote Office.

  Nurses
  Mr. Dunnachie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of newly qualified nurses completed their training in Scotish NHS hospitals in the 12-month period ended December 1993 and found full-time permanent employment in NHS hospitals in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 3 February 1994]: The exact information requested is not available centrally. The table shows the status of nurses who were final year students in Scotland on 30 September 1992 one year later.

  It should be noted that the methods by which this information is collected do not permit account to be taken of certain students, for example those who have been unable to complete their training within the normal three year period; those who, having qualified, may have chosen to have a break in service before seeking employment; those who have found employment as a nurse outwith the NHS; and those who may have qualified, joined the NHS and left. Those who qualify and work occasionally in the NHS, for example, bank or agency nurses, also cannot be identified and have therefore been counted with the "not employed" category.

  Status of final year basic student nurses in Scotland one year later: year beginning 30 September 1992:

  Status at 30 September 1993

  Headcount

  Per cent.

  In full-time post in NHS

  889

  37·5

  In part-time post in NHS

  325

  13·7

  Total in post in NHS

  1,214

  51·2

  Taking further training in NHS

  16

  0·7

  Not employed in NHS

  1,143

  48·1

  TOTAL

  2,373

  100

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who are the members currently appointed to the Scottish health service advisory council.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 24 February 1994]: The advisory council was abolished last year.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the people from Clydebank who have been appointed to(a) Glasgow health board, (b) Dumbartonshire local enterprise company, (c) the board of management of Clydebank technical college and (d) other Government bodies;
  798
  (2) which people from Eastwood have been appointed to (a) Greater Glasgow health board, (b) Argyll and Clyde health board, (c) the boards of local enterprise companies, (d) local hospital trusts, (e) the board of management of technical colleges and (f) other Government bodies;

  (3) how many people on local hospital trusts live in (a)Clydebank and (b) Eastwood.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 28 February 1994]:No resident of Clydebank has been appointed to Greater Glasgow health board. One resident of Eastwood has been appointed to the board, Rev. R. D. M. Campbell.

  No resident of Eastwood has been appointed to Argyll and Clyde health board.

  No resident of Clydebank has been appointed to local NHS hospital trusts. The names of those residents of Eastwood who have been appointed to local NHS hospital trusts are as follows:

  Southern General Hospital NHS Trust:—Mrs. Ann P. Moore

  Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust:—Mrs. Alison Gilchrist

  Dr. Robert Colville

  Yorkhill NHS Trust:—Mrs. Gwendoline Garner

  Information identifying the place of residence of members of the boards of management of further education colleges is not held centrally.

  I do not make appointments to the boards of local enterprise companies and so I am not in a position to give the information requested in respect of them.

  The addresses of appointees to non-departmental public bodies are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to secure greater transparency in the affairs of non-elected bodies whose membership in whole or in part is appointed by him or who exercise functions previously carried out by local authorities.

  Mr. Lang
  [holding answer 28 February 1994]: Such action as is necessary has already been taken or is in hand. All the bodies to which I appoint members and which undertake expenditure directly either produce audited accounts or, in some minor cases, have their expenditure included in the accounts prepared by my Departments. Most also produce annual reports. These reports and accounts are laid before Parliament and they may be examined by the Committee of Public Accounts.

  In addition, the Comptroller and Auditor General may conduct inquiries into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which bodies to which I appoint members and which receive more than half their income from public funds, have used their resources. Reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General may be submitted to Parliament and the Committee of Public Accounts may question senior officials both of my Department and, in many cases, of the bodies themselves.

  Management statements have been, or will be, prepared for most executive NDPBs. These will be published and will define the role and responsibilities of the body, its relationship with its sponsor departments, its accountability, aims and objectives. In addition, executive NDPBs are expected to meet the charter standards of the citizens charter and the principles of the Government's White Paper, "Open Government". A code of conduct for NHS boards which encourages transparency about NHS activities has already been issued for consultation. It is also planned to produce a code of practice to follow up steps

  799
  already taken as part of the patients charter initiative to incorporate into the NHS the principles of the Government's White Paper, "Open Government".

  The only bodies which carry out functions formerly undertaken by local authorities, are the colleges of further education for which I became responsible on 1 April 1993. The colleges produce annual reports and audited accounts and the Comptroller and Auditor General has a right to inspect their books and records and to carry out value for money studies. Again, he may report the results of these studies to Parliament and the Committee of Public Accounts can question relevant officials. This year, for the first time, each college will also be required to publish a shortened development plan, describing its forward objectives and its performance in meeting past objectives.

  Carstairs State Hospital
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received a report on the escape of two patients from Carstairs state hospital; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Stewart
  [holding answer 2 March 1994]: Yes. On 27 January two patients who were being transported from the west wing to the east wing of the State hospital, forced open the back door of the van and attempted to escape. They were in sight of security staff at all times and monitored by the hospital's close circuit television. They were apprehended within 90 seconds.

  As a result of the incident rigorous daily checks are now carried out on all vehicles used for transporting patients at Carstairs.

  The recent announcement by my noble and learned Friend to invest £14 million in the creation of the state hospital on a single site will remove the possibility of a recurrence of this type of incident.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  British Virgin Islands
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 15 February, c.683–84 what is the total cost per annum to the Overseas Development Administration, including accommodation and air fares of (a) the inspector of banks and trust companies, (b) the insurance services adviser and (c) the principal tax adviser in the British Virgin Islands.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  It is usual in this country to observe the practice of maintaining the confidentiality, on pay and allowances, between employer and employee and therefore it is not our practice to reveal remuneration details for individual technical co-operation officers. However, average costs for the British Virgin Islands were contained in my answer of 15 February, columns 683–84.

  Vietnam
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what bilateral aid programmes the United Kingdom is pursuing with Vietnam; what is the level of aid; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  We are providing know-how to help prepare for investments in strategic infrastructure and assistance for resettlement of returned economic migrants.800
  Expenditure in 1993–94 will be about £3 million. We also intend to provide concessional support for £50 million worth of projects.

  Mozambique
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to, or received from, authorities and agencies in Mozambique in respect of the diversion of aid.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The only reported losses of British bilateral aid have been pilferage of food aid. We estimate losses of about 2 per cent. in 1993. All out bilateral food aid in 1993 was provided through British nongovernmental organisations—NGOs—who employ contractors, paid on performance, to store and transport the food to specific destinations. Distribution to beneficiaries is supervised by NGOs. Where there are losses in storage and transit, we expect the NGOs to recoup the losses from the contractors concerned.

  Regular co-ordination meetings are held between the Government of Mozambique, donors, and implementing agencies to monitor the distribution of emergency relief and food aid. Where specific cases of diversion of United Kingdom bilateral food aid has been suspected, they have been taken up by the ambassador with Ministers in the Government of Mozambique and provincial governors. In such cases assurances have been received that action is being taken to prevent further instances.

  Malaysia
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payments were made to Biwater Berhad of Malaysia in 1986; and for what purpose.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  One payment of £48·6 million was made to Antah Biwater JV under the United Kingdom—Malaysia grant 1986 in respect of the rural water supply project, which provides clean water supplies to about 4 million people in 134 areas in Malaysia.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payments were made in 1986 to Antah Holdings of Malaysia; and for what purpose.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  None.

  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payments were made to citizens of Malaysia and Malaysian companies by the ODA for proposed aid-related projects in the years 1985, 1986; 1987 and 1988; and for what purposes such payments were made.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  None.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Computer Exports
  Mr. Alison
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of United Kingdom exports of computers in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
  801
  Mr. Needham
  The United Kingdom exported computers worth £3·8 billion in 1992, the last full year for which data are available. Exports of computers in the first nine months of 1993 were worth £3·5 billion. Due to changes in the system of collecting trade data, figures for 1993 as a whole are not yet comprehensive enough for direct comparisons with earlier data. However, the value of United Kingdom exports of computers in 1993, as a whole, are expected to reach a record level.

  International Trade Centre
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received about Liverpool as the location for an international trade centre; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Heseltine
  My Department has received only one such representation, from a local Liverpool resident. It is being considered by officials.

  Post Office
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he intends to complete his review of the Post Office.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade is anxious to complete the Post Office review as soon as possible. The Government will not however set an artificial date.

  Modems
  Mr. David Shaw
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans his Department has to resolve the legal anomalies regarding the import and sale of moderns not approved for connection to the United Kingdom public telephone network; and whether he intends to press for a Europewide solution.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  My Department is reviewing the United Kingdom approvals regime for telecommunications terminal equipment, including the placing on the market of modems capable of, but not approved for, connection to the network. One of the main objectives of the review is to introduce a regime consistent with our obligations under the Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive —91/263/EEC. At the same time, my officials are discussing the particular problems caused by unapproved modems with the Commission and other member states with a view to developing a pan-European solution.

  Trade and the Environment
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what decisions were taken at the governing council of GATT in Geneva on 22 February on the link between trade and the environment.

  Mr. Needham
  On 22 February the GATT council considered and agreed the outline of the GATT report to the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development on GATT activities following the 1992 UNCED conference. The report will highlight the contribution of the Uruguay round to sustainable development, as well as pointing to the value of analytical work already carried out in GATT. Contracting parties see the December 1993 decision on future trade and environment work as evidence of continued commitment to this important issue.

  Fire Safety
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information his Department has on the benefits to date arising from regulations covering furniture foam; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988, as amended, include requirements for the flammability resistance of foam filled furniture. Statistics for deaths and injuries in fires are compiled by the Home Office from data collected by fire brigades. The data records that the number of deaths caused by combustion originating in upholstery and covers in dwellings has fallen from 193 in 1988 to 117 in 1991. Though other factors, such as an increased use of smoke alarms, may have influenced these figures the fall in the death rate associated with fires in upholstery and covers was much steeper than the fall in death rate from fires in dwellings overall.

  Information Super-highways
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures he has taken to promote the development of information super-highways in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  A recent study, commissioned by this Department, concluded that the United Kingdom is one of the most advanced countries worldwide on a range of key telecommunications infrastructure indicators, including use of optical fibre at trunk and local level, digitalisation of exchanges and availability of advanced services such as ISDN. This position has been achieved through our policies of privatisation, liberalisation and competition. A large number of companies are now competing to provide high-capacity telecommunication services, including BT, Mercury, Energis, COLT, MFS and the cable TV operators. I hope to license more shortly.

  Aviation Services
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the progress of the general agreement on tariffs and trade regulations on aviation services.

  Mr. Needham
  Air transport services fall within the scope of the general agreement on trade in services, which forms part of the GATT agreement. The annex on air transport services notes that the agreement does not apply to measures affecting air transport traffic rights. A number of countries have made liberalisation commitments in services related to repair and maintenance, sales and marketing and computer reservation systems. There will be periodic reviews to consider whether the extent of the application of the agreement to air transport services should be expanded.

  The GATT negotiations on trade in civil aircraft will continue for a further year following the conclusion of the GATT round. The Government are keen that these negotiations should resume at the earliest opportunity, in order to allow time for the negotiation of an agreement covering the whole aerospace sector, to include balanced disciplines on direct and indirect support while protecting existing Government launch aid. Meanwhile, the Government, in conjunction with industry, the European

  803
  Commission, and other EU Governments, are carrying out an analysis of the various options for achieving such an agreement.

PRIME MINISTER

  Nursery (Official Visit)
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Prime Minister what further plans he has to visit a children's nursery.

  The Prime Minister
  I have no immediate plans to do so.

  Milton Keynes
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit Milton Keynes.

  The Prime Minister
  I have no immediate plans to do so.

  Public Interest Immunity Certificates
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister how many public interest immunity certificates he or his predecessor have been asked to sign in each year since 1979; how many he or his predecessor declined to sign; and if he will make a statement on his policy of signing public interest immunity certificates.

  The Prime Minister
  No central record has been kept of the number of public interest immunity certificates put to Ministers since 1979, and a search of all the records in No. 10 would involve disproportionate cost. I do not recall being asked to sign such a certificate and it is unlikely that either I or my predecessor would have been asked to sign one since immediate responsibility for the relevant documents or information would normally rest with the head of a separate Department.

  USA (Official Visit)
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister what matters were discussed, and what decisions taken, during his visit to the United States of America.

  The Prime Minister
  We discussed current international issues, and established a wide measure of agreement on points for joint United Kingdom-United States action. These included sending a joint British-American civil planning mission to Sarajevo; continuing support for the process of democratic and economic reform in Russia; steps to promote the process of democratic reform in South Africa; reaffirmation of United States support for the joint declaration on Northern Ireland; and support for Governor Patten's policies on Hong Kong.

  Lords Lieutenant
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Prime Minister who pays for the ceremonial dress worn from time to time by the Lords Lieutenant of England.

  The Prime Minister
  On appointment, Lords Lieutenant are offered a contribution from public funds towards the cost of the ceremonial uniform worn on their official engagements.
  804

  Official Gifts
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 28 February, column 579, if he will place in the Library a copy of the official inventory of items given to Prime Ministers.

  The Prime Minister
  A variety of gifts are received from heads of government, heads of state and others. They are all handled in accordance with "Questions of Procedure for Ministers". It is not considered appropriate to provide a list.

  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will give details of the official gifts he has presented on the official visits abroad he has made since November 1990.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 2 March 1994]: No. The customary practice is to give official gifts to heads of government, heads of state and small numbers of officials on the occasion of each visit to a country, but it is not considered appropriate to give details of these.

  Engagements
  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 3 March.

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 3 March.

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

  St. Winwaloe's Day
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Prime Minister what plans Her Majesty's Government have to celebrate St. Winwaloe's day.

  The Prime Minister
  None.

  Malaysia
  Sir David Steel
  To ask the Prime Minister what offers of aid to Malaysia were discussed during his visit to Malaysia in September 1993; and what were the amounts involved for each potential project.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 28 February 1994]: There was no substantive discussion of aid offers during this visit.

  However, I attended the unveiling of a plaque at the Connaught Bridge power plant for which the Government had provided £23·485 million aid and trade provision support. I was also present at the signature of a document between the Kuala Lumpur international airport Berhad and the Anglo-Japanese airport consortium, on the role the consortium would play in the Kuala Lumpur airport project.

  St. David's Day
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Prime Minister what plans Her Majesty's Government have to celebrate St. David's day.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 1 March 1994]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales held a reception on the eve of St. David's Day, to mark the occasion.
  805

  Cabinet Meetings
  Mr. Kenneth Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister where the handwritten records of the Cabinet Secretary of each Cabinet meeting are kept; and how far back such records go.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 2 March 1994]: The Cabinet Secretary's notebooks, which contain the handwritten records of each Cabinet meeting, have been preserved since 1947. They are retained in the Cabinet Office with the approval of the Lord Chancellor under section 3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958.

  Air Miles
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Prime Minister what rules apply to the use of air miles credited to Ministers undertaking official journeys.

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 2 March 1994]: I have recently made it clear that I do not believe that Ministers or officials travelling on Government business, necessarily paid for from public funds, should make private use of air miles which may arise as a result of that expenditure. There is no objection to re-applying the benefits of these schemes to travel on Government business.

EDUCATION

  Colleges of Further Education
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking, and what funding is being withheld from colleges of further education, to require them to change the contracts of existing staff; whether any targets for the percentage of existing staff moving to new contracts have been proposed by him; what additional finance is being made available to colleges to allow them to offer incentive packages to existing staff to take new contracts; what limits he has placed on the scale of these offers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  The holdback of grant from the Further Education Funding Council relates to newly employed staff. It is for individual colleges to decide whether they wish to move existing staff onto new contracts and how rapidly they wish to do so. It is also for individual colleges to decide what incentives they will offer their staff, within the resources available to each college and within the framework of the Government's policy on public sector pay.

  Female School Leavers
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will give a ranking by county of the percentage of female school leavers leaving school with five or more GCSEs at grades A to C.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The table gives details of the ranking by county of the percentage of female school leavers estimated to be leaving maintained schools in England in 1992 with five or more GCSEs at grades A to C. The latest year for which the information is available is 1991–92, when the school examinations survey was undertaken with a reduced sample of 3 per cent.
  806

  Female school leavers achieving 5 or more grades A-C at GCSE in English schools in 1991–92

  Per cent.

  Rank

  Avon

  46·1

  16

  Bedfordshire

  50·2

  12

  Berkshire

  38·3

  30

  Buckinghamshire

  53·1

  6

  Cambridgeshire

  41·5

  25

  Cheshire

  42·8

  21

  Cleveland

  32·3

  37

  Cornwall

  52·4

  9

  Cumbria

  38·4

  29

  Derbyshire

  38·8

  27

  Devon

  48·8

  15

  Dorset

  43·7

  19

  Durham

  45·5

  17

  East Sussex

  49·5

  13

  Essex

  49·2

  14

  Gloucestershire

  51·5

  11

  Hampshire

  52·0

  10

  Hereford and Worcester

  34·3

  35

  Hertfordshire

  54·1

  3

  Humberside

  34·4

  34

  Isle of Wight

  52·5

  8

  Kent

  43·7

  19

  Lancashire

  32·6

  36

  Leicestershire

  30·4

  38

  Lincolnshire

  35·2

  32

  Norfolk

  38·5

  28

  North Yorkshire

  42·2

  22

  Northamptonshire

  41·2

  26

  Northumberland

  53·0

  7

  Nottinghamshire

  35·0

  33

  Oxfordshire

  44·0

  18

  Shropshire

  42·1

  23

  Somerset

  53·3

  4

  Staffordshire

  41·6

  24

  Surrey

  63·6

  2

  Warwickshire

  68·4

  1

  West Sussex

  53·2

  5

  Wiltshire

  35·4

  31

  Source: School Examinations Survey 1991–92.

  Student Grants
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to amend the regulations for mandatory awards for those students in higher education, who were abducted from the United Kingdom as children, and who therefore would not qualify for an award under the current regulations because of their limited period of residence; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  My right hon. Friend has no present plans to amend the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations in the way the hon. Member proposes. Normally, a student must have been ordinarily resident in the British Islands throughout the three years immediately preceding the start of the first year of his course to qualify for a mandatory award. Periods of temporary absence abroad do not breach a person's ordinary residence in the British Islands. Under the regulations, it is for an applicant's local education authority to decide whether the period during which he was abroad as a result of his abduction should be considered a temporary absence in deciding if he is eligible for a mandatory award. Where a student is not eligible for a mandatory award, the LEA has the power to make a discretionary award to him.
  807

  Malaysian Students
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Malaysian students have entered the United Kingdom in each year since 1980 for the purpose of studying; and what financial support they directly, or the Malaysian Government on their behalf, received from the Government.

  Mr. Boswell
  The following table shows the number of Malaysian students enrolled as full-time and sandwich course students at universities, polytechnics, Scottish central institutions and all other colleges maintained or assisted by local authorities or grant-aided by Education Departments in the United Kingdom. Information on independent sector further and higher education institutions is not collected centrally.

  (000s)

  Year

  Number

  1980

  12·9

  1981

  9·0

  1982

  6·5

  1983

  5·5

  1984

  5·0

  1985

  6·3

  1986

  6·5

  1987

  6·8

  1988

  6·4

  1989

  7·5

  1990

  7·5

  1991

  7·9

  United Kingdom Government support for Malaysian students is shown in the following table; figures are not available prior to the 1984–85 financial year.

  £000s

  1984–85

  3,063

  1985–86

  2,947

  1986–87

  2,836

  1987–88

  3,158

  1988–89

  2,560

  1989–90

  2,797

  1990–91

  2,874

  1991–92

  2,913

  1992–93

  2,403

  School Governors
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the amount of paperwork sent to chairmen of governors of secondary schools;

  (2) what measures are being taken to reduce the level of documentation being sent to chairmen of governors of secondary schools.

  Mr. Forth
  We are aware of concerns expressed about the amount of paperwork sent to schools from my Department. We have responded to those concerns by regulating, since 1991, the flow of paper so that only essential documents, mainly those relating to statutory responsibilities, are sent automatically. I constantly invite suggestions from schools of paperwork which is redundant —with a view to reducing or eliminating it.
  808

  Crook Primary School
  Ms Armstrong
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library the action plan from Crook primary school governors; and if he will also place in the Library the advice to him on that plan from(a) Durham county council and (b) Ofsted.

  Mr. Forth
  I have deposited a copy of the governors' action plan in the Library. As required by section 211 of the Education Act 1993 Durham local education authority has sent its commentary on the action plan to my right hon. Friend and Her Majesty's chief inspector for schools. It is for the LEA to decide whether to make copies more widely available. HMCI's advice to my right hon. Friend is given in confidence.

  Ministerial Instructions
  Mr. Rowlands
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the occasions since 1979 when Ministers have issued written instructions to override his Department's accounting officer's objections.

  Mr. Forth
  [holding answer 24 February 1994]: The Secretary of State has not since 1979 issued any formal instructions to override the advice of his accounting officer.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will give a full list of all non-ministerial Government Departments financed from public funds in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  A list of non-ministerial Government Departments is contained in the list of ministerial responsibilities produced by the Cabinet Office. Copies of the latest LMR—June 1993—are available from the Vote Office. Since June 1993, three new non-ministerial Government Departments have been established—the Office of the National Lottery, the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising, and the Office of the Rail Regulator.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will list the non-departmental public bodies in operation in the United Kingdom each year since 1979;

  (2) if he will list all publicly funded advisory bodies in the United Kingdom;

  (3) what has been the total cost of non-departmental public bodies to the Exchequer in each year since 1979;

  (4) how many people are employed in non-departmental public bodies in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  Such information is contained in the publication "Public Bodies 1993", and earlier editions of the same publication. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list all non-ministerial Government Departments responsible for regulating the privatised utility services.
  809
  Mr. Waldegrave
  The following non-ministerial Government Departments are responsible for regulating the privatised utility services—the Office of Electricity Regulation, the Office of Gas Supply, the Office of Telecommunications, and the Office of Water Services.

  Bacteria
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what research the Government are funding or initiating into the dangers of bacterial strains becoming resistant to available antibiotics; and if he will make a statement.

  (2) what research the Government are funding or initiating into the possibility that antibiotic-resistant strains of enterococcus may pass on their immunity to other more deadly types of bacteria; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) what research has been conducted into the antibacterial resistant traits of staphylococcus aureus.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  The Medical Research Council attaches importance to research into the mechanisms of pathogenicity and drug resistance in bacterial infections and supports a range of studies in this area which are relevant to understanding how antibiotic resistance develops. As part of its clinical research initiative in Nottingham, the council is building up support for several groups studying a range of bacterial infections. One group has a particular interest in problems related to staphylococcal infections. The MRC is also reviewing the literature relating to septic shock, especially in relation to possible studies of monoclonal antibody therapy. In addition, the Public Health Laboratory Service, a non-departmental public body, is undertaking surveillance programmes to monitor the incidence and effects of multiple antibiotic resistance to staphylococcus aureus and to enterococcus bacteria.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those answers to parliamentary questions since 1990 that have subsequently turned out to be incorrect.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  Such information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Research Establishments
  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which bodies will be covered by the multi-departmental scrutiny of public sector research establishments.

  Mr. Waldegrave
  I announced the terms of reference for this efficiency scrutiny on 2 February. The bodies which will be covered are listed in the table. The team will make recommendations to Sir Peter Levene, the Prime Minister's efficiency adviser, by the end of April 1994. It is normal practice for efficiency unit reports to be published.

  Science and technology establishments included in the PSRE scrutiny

  Life sciences sector

  Topic area

  MAFF

  1.ADAS

  Plant/Animal/ Environment

  2. Central Veterinary Laboratory

  Animal

  810

  Life sciences sector

  Topic area

  3. Central Science Laboratory

  Plant/Animal/Environment

  4. Food Science Laboratory

  Food

  5. Torry Research Station

  Food

  6. Directorate of Fisheries Research

  Fish/Environment

  ODA

  7. Natural Resources Institute

  Plant

  Scottish Office

  8. Marine Laboratory/Fisheries Research Services

  Fish

  9. Scottish Agricultural Science Agency

  Plant

  SARI

  10. Scottish Crop Research Institute

  Plant

  11. Rowett Research Institute

  Food

  12. Hannah Research Institute

  Animal

  13. Macaulay Land Use Research Institute

  Plant/Animal/Environment

  14. Moredun Research Institute

  Animal

  AFRC

  15. Institute for Animal Health

  Animal

  16. Institute for Food Research

  Food

  17. Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research

  Plant/Animal/Environment

  18. Institute of Arable Crops Research

  Plant

  19. Roslin Institute

  Animal

  20. Babraham Institute

  Animal

  21. Institute of Plant Science Research

  Plant

  MRC

  22. Radiobiology Unit

  Health

  23. Toxicology Unit

  Health

  24. Dunn Nutrition Unit

  Health

  25. Virology Unit

  Health

  26. Reproductive Biology Unit

  Health

  NERC

  27. Institute of Virology and Environmental Microbiology

  Environment

  28. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology

  Environment

  29. Institute of Fresh Water Ecology

  Environment

  30. Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory

  Environment

  31. Plymouth Marine Laboratory

  Environment

  Other public bodies

  32. Public Health Laboratory Service (DH)

  Health

  33. Horticultural Research International (MAFF)

  Plant

  34. National Institute of Agricultural Botany (MAFF)

  Plant

  35. National Radiological Protection Board (DH)

  Health

  36. National Institute for Biological Standards (DH)

  Health

  37. Forestry Commission Laboratories (Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food)

  Plant

  Science and technology establishments included in the PSRE scrutiny

  Physical sciences sector

  Topic area

  DOE

  1. Building Research Establishment

  Engineering

  DOT

  2. Transport Research Laboratory

  Engineering

  Home Office

  3. Police Scientific Development Branch

  Engineering

  4. Forensic Science Service

  Forensic

  DTI

  5. National Engineering Laboratory

  Engineering

  6. National Physical Laboratory

  Analytical

  7. AEA Technology (and Warren Spring)

  Engineering

  8. Laboratory of the Government Chemist

  Analytical

  9. National Weights and Measures Laboratory

  Analytical

  811

  Physical sciences sector

  Topic area

  HSE

  10. Research and Laboratory Services Division

  Analytical

  AFRC

  11. Silsoe Research Institute

  Engineering

  NERC

  12. Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory

  Environment

  13. Institute of Hydrology

  Environment

  14. British Geological Survey

  Environment

  SERC

  15. Daresbury Laboratory

  Analytical

  16. Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

  Analytical

AGRICULTURE,FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Public Appointments
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will give the details of the public appointments she is responsible for making in addition to those identified in "Public Bodies 1993", including non-executive agency and other departmental management boards.

  Mr. Jack
  The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Fish Passes and Screens
  Mrs. Golding
  to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will give the(a) number and (b) location of (i) fish passes and (ii) screens.

  Mr. Jack
  The Minister and the State for Wales are required only in certain circumstances to approve the design of fish passes and gratings—screens—installed in England and Wales. Our records show that 212 fish passes and 10 gratings have received such approval or have been granted provisional approval. The location of each is as shown. No record is kept of those passes and gratings which do not require approval.

  Location of approved fish passes and gratings in England and Wales

  NRA region and river

  Location

  GRATINGS

  North West

  Leven

  Low Wood power station

  Southern

  Cuckmere

  Arlington reservoir

  South West

  Bole

  Longham pumping station

  Exe

  Exwick mills

  Exe

  Pynes water works

  Taw

  East Yelland power station

  Thames

  Thames

  Chertsey intake

  Welsh

  Wye

  Bwlch-Gwyn

  Wessex

  Avon

  Sluice at Chippenham

  Yorkshire

  Esk

  Ruswarp

  812

  NRA region and river

  Location

  PASSES

  Anglian

  Chad Brook

  Hall mill

  Stour

  Brandon hall

  Stour

  Brandon mill

  Stour

  Cornand weir

  Stour

  Flatford mill

  Stour

  Judas Gap weir

  Stour

  Lamara weir

  Northumbrian

  Coquet

  Moor ford

  Saltburn by the Sea

  Skelton Beck dam

  Tees

  Blue House point

  Tees

  Broken Scar

  Wansbeck

  Amenity weir

  Wear

  Harelow bridge

  Wear

  Harelow weir

  Wear

  Harelow dam

  North West

  Calder

  Oakenclough Garstang

  Calder

  Calder hall

  Caldew

  Cummersdale weir

  Caldew

  Hawksdale weir

  Caldew

  Holme head

  Derwent

  Fitz weir

  Derwent

  Yearl weir

  Duddon

  Duddon hall

  Duddon

  Ulpha

  Eamont

  Brougham mill

  Ehen

  Ennerdale lake

  Ellen

  Netherhall weir

  Kent

  Burneside mills

  Kent

  Bumeside weir

  Kent

  Cowen head weir

  Kent

  Staveley mill weir

  Kent

  Stramongate

  Leck

  Cowan bridge

  Lowther

  Askam

  Lune

  Broadraine weir

  Lune

  Lower Halton weir

  Lune

  Halton weir

  Lune

  Skerton weir

  Lune

  Upper Halton weir

  Marron

  Branthwaite weir

  Leven

  Low Wood, Haventhwaite

  Ribble

  Locks weir

  Ribble

  Settle weir

  Ribble

  West Bradford weir

  Wiza

  Wigton

  Severn Trent

  Severn

  Castle weir

  Severn

  Shrewsbury weir

  Tanat

  Carreghofa weir

  Trent

  Beeston weir

  Trent

  Cromwell weir

  South West

  Avon

  Bicton mill

  Avon

  Chippenham

  Avon

  Downton

  Avon

  Lower Twerton

  Axe

  Axminster bypass

  Axe

  Tower weir

  Axe

  Westford mill

  Axe

  Weycroft weir

  Axe

  Whitford bridge

  Barle

  Perry weir

  Barle

  Sticks weir

  Bray

  Clapworthy weir

  Bray

  Skentaway bridge, Muxworthy

  Camel

  Camelford weir

  Coly

  Coles weir

  Dart

  Totnes weir

  Dean Burn

  Buckfast Leigh

  813

  NRA region and river

  Location

  Exe

  Boleham weir

  Exe

  Bridgetown weir

  Exe

  Pynes weir

  Exe

  Rushford and Witney Brooks

  Exe

  Thorverton weir

  Exe

  Thorverton weir

  Exe

  Trew's weir

  Kensey

  Ridgegrove weir

  Mole

  Head weir

  Okement

  Monkokehampton weir

  Otter

  Honiton flood alleviation

  Quarme

  Enterwell

  Rushy Ford

  Rushy Ford and Witney Brook

  Stannon

  Allenford

  Swincombe

  Swincombe intake works

  Tamar

  Gunnislake weir

  Tavy

  Abbey weir

  Tavy

  Denham bridge

  Tavy

  Evans weir

  Tavy

  Lopwell dam

  Taw

  Colleton weir

  Taw

  Eggesford weir

  Taw

  Meahay Dunsford

  Tone

  Firepool weir

  Tone

  French weir

  Tone

  Ham weir

  Tone

  Newbridge

  Torridge

  Torrington weir

  Southern

  Bull

  Leabridge farm

  Cuckmere

  Milton lock

  Great Stour

  Abbots mill

  Itchen

  Gaters mill

  Itchen

  Woodmill pool

  Itchen

  Woodmill

  Itchen

  Allbrook lock

  Little Test

  Drawing room pool

  Medway

  Eldridges sluice

  Meon

  Longwater bridge, Fontley

  Meon

  Titchfield mill

  Meon

  Wickham mill

  North

  Newhurst lane

  Ouse

  Fletching mill

  Ouse

  Goldbridge weir

  Ouse

  Pools bay

  Rother

  Coltershore bridge

  Rother

  Goldbridge weir

  Rother

  Hardman weir

  Rother

  Hardman

  Rother

  Moorland farm

  Stour

  Deans (Hookers) mill

  Test

  Abbey mill

  Test

  Nursling mill and Testwood mill

  Test

  Testwood mill

  Uck

  Uckneld mill

  Thames

  Charwell

  Banbury town

  Thames

  Cookham weir

  Thames

  Molesey weir

  Thames

  Molesey upper weir

  Welsh

  Afon Syfynwy

  Llys-y-Fran

  Bowy

  Blynpurffaith

  Brynbonian

  Llethrmadynt Rhyd-y-Bed

  Brynbonian

  Pont Brynbonian weirs

  Ceiriog

  Brynkinalt

  Ceiriog

  Clynceirlog weir

  Cleddau

  Haverfordwest

  Cledlyn

  Maes-y-Felin weir

  Clwyd

  Bala lake

  Clwyd

  Bala lake

  Clwyd

  Bala lake scheme

  Clwyd

  Nant Clwyd hill

  Clwyd

  Ruthin weir

  Clwyd

  Ruthin weir

  814

  NRA region and river

  Location

  Conwy

  Conwy falls

  Dee

  Chester weir

  Dee and Clwyd

  Tryweryn weir

  Dulais

  Talyfan

  Eastern Cleddau

  Canaston bridge

  Eastern Cleddau

  Canaston intake

  Eastern Cleddau

  Vickers mill weir

  Eddw

  Franksbridge

  Elwy

  Bont Newydd weir

  Elwy

  Nont Newydd

  Glandy

  Glandy Joint ford

  Grannel

  Penbry dam

  Gwendraeth Fach

  Old Forge weir

  Gwyrfou

  Llyn Cwellyn

  Honddu

  Castle weir

  Istrad

  Brookhouse weir

  Leri

  Talybont

  Leri

  Leri weir

  Llethi

  Llanarath bridge

  Nant Crymlyn

  Corneldu Mawr Farm

  Reidol

  Reidol falls weir

  Shedi

  Derw mills

  Solva

  Whitechurch

  Syfynwy

  Llys-Fran

  Taff

  Black weir

  Taff

  Radyr weir

  Tarvelan

  Johnstown

  Tawe

  Swanage barrage

  Tawe

  Panteg weir

  Tawe

  Tawe barrage

  Tolog

  Tolog weir

  Tryweryn

  Bala weir

  Twrch

  Penarth bridge

  Usk

  Berthin brook

  Usk

  Pentrefelin weir

  Usk

  Pentrefelin weirs

  Westfield Pill

  Neyland

  Yseir Fawr Brook

  Upper weir

  Wessex

  Avill

  Hurlypool weir

  Avill

  Loxhole bridge

  Avon

  Avon mill

  Avon

  Bickton mill

  Avon

  Bickton top weir

  Avon

  Downton

  Avon

  Great weir, Knapp mill

  Avon

  Keynsham weir

  Avon

  Keynsham weir

  Avon

  Knapp mill

  Avon

  Knapp mill works extension

  Avon

  Lower Tiverton

  Avon

  Melksham Townbridge

  Avon

  Old mill, Harnham

  Avon

  Ringwood

  Avon

  Salisbury generating station

  Avon

  Standlynch mill

  Avon

  Standlynch weir

  Avon

  Wild weir

  Chew

  Chewton place

  Chew

  Keysham park weir

  Dart

  Staverton weir

  Exe

  Exeford

  Frome

  Bindon mill

  Frome

  Welsh mill

  Nadder

  Harnham mill

  Stour

  Throop mill weir

  Tone

  Longaller weir

  Washford

  Upstream and downstream

  Wylye

  Chilhampton

  Yorkshire

  Derwent

  Kirkham abbey weir

  Don

  Thrybergh weir

  Esk

  Ruswarp weir

  Ouse

  Linton weir

  Ure

  Boroughbridge

  815

  Milk Marketing Board
  Mr. Dafis
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the revised scheme for the reorganisation of the Milk Marketing Board will be sent out for consultation.

  Mr. Jack
  My right hon. Friends the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Secretary of State for Wales hope to issue a consultation document on the amended reorganisation scheme shortly.

  Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list the contracts presently held for disposal of bovine spongiform encephalopathy-infected carcases.

  Total number of cases by month confirmed and county—1993

  County/month year

  January

  February

  March

  April

  May

  June

  July

  August

  September

  October

  November

  December

  Total

  Avon

  82

  63

  65

  55

  59

  53

  38

  37

  31

  57

  58

  37

  635

  Bedfordshire

  11

  8

  13

  7

  4

  11

  8

  6

  6

  2

  9

  13

  98

  Berkshire

  21

  14

  14

  8

  18

  9

  8

  13

  13

  15

  17

  7

  157

  Borders

  15

  20

  15

  11

  15

  15

  5

  9

  10

  10

  13

  16

  154

  Buckinghamshire

  46

  37

  30

  23

  33

  21

  19

  27

  19

  23

  34

  21

  333

  Cambridge

  14

  15

  13

  7

  12

  16

  11

  7

  6

  9

  12

  8

  130

  Central

  3

  9

  10

  1

  5

  2

  11

  5

  3

  4

  9

  5

  67

  Cheshire

  166

  172

  136

  122

  115

  142

  98

  125

  100

  109

  166

  106

  1,557

  Cleveland

  6

  8

  7

  4

  4

  5

  0

  9

  2

  5

  3

  5

  58

  Clwyd

  48

  67

  54

  53

  39

  67

  51

  50

  48

  54

  49

  44

  624

  Cornwall

  145

  318

  222

  209

  129

  205

  156

  79

  151

  218

  135

  157

  2,124

  Cumbria

  149

  134

  117

  150

  88

  94

  79

  83

  104

  90

  145

  95

  1,328

  Derbyshire

  96

  84

  130

  75

  54

  103

  47

  64

  79

  63

  96

  50

  941

  Devon

  285

  330

  250

  242

  209

  218

  214

  281

  232

  208

  253

  190

  2,912

  Dorset

  180

  181

  162

  203

  107

  181

  110

  163

  124

  131

  178

  102

  1,822

  Dumfries

  72

  58

  68

  45

  66

  66

  36

  56

  22

  68

  68

  46

  671

  Durham

  23

  16

  14

  12

  13

  14

  3

  12

  12

  20

  16

  16

  171

  Dyfed

  190

  229

  179

  157

  151

  149

  136

  119

  133

  130

  194

  136

  1,903

  Essex

  20

  14

  21

  13

  19

  18

  14

  18

  11

  15

  22

  14

  199

  Fife

  13

  8

  7

  8

  10

  6

  3

  9

  10

  8

  9

  14

  105

  Glamorgan Mid

  5

  4

  5

  5

  3

  4

  4

  1

  4

  1

  10

  5

  51

  Glamorgan South

  8

  16

  11

  5

  9

  7

  7

  8

  9

  9

  10

  7

  106

  Glamorgan West

  6

  2

  1

  0

  6

  3

  3

  0

  2

  6

  4

  3

  36

  Gloucestershire

  95

  57

  82

  52

  50

  40

  31

  47

  41

  60

  63

  34

  652

  Grampian

  35

  43

  29

  36

  26

  34

  29

  21

  27

  36

  47

  33

  396

  Gwent

  27

  37

  31

  19

  25

  11

  16

  22

  13

  13

  23

  18

  255

  Gwynedd

  17

  20

  19

  11

  14

  12

  9

  12

  16

  17

  17

  22

  186

  Hampshire

  91

  39

  106

  51

  81

  63

  51

  49

  67

  40

  72

  29

  739

  Hereford & Worcester

  54

  77

  52

  55

  61

  38

  35

  50

  58

  50

  70

  46

  646

  Hertfordshire

  17

  9

  12

  6

  19

  22

  4

  15

  8

  14

  16

  14

  156

  Highland

  12

  7

  7

  5

  4

  9

  4

  11

  4

  6

  9

  11

  89

  Humberside

  31

  19

  19

  15

  20

  16

  12

  22

  17

  16

  13

  14

  214

  Isle of Wight

  14

  8

  24

  14

  13

  18

  3

  5

  8

  11

  13

  6

  137

  Kent

  64

  17

  34

  25

  63

  52

  23

  30

  48

  25

  35

  39

  455

  Lancashire

  158

  105

  130

  173

  103

  125

  78

  89

  104

  95

  120

  75

  1,355

  Leicestershire

  88

  38

  67

  59

  37

  68

  51

  39

  61

  38

  78

  40

  664

  Lincolnshire

  27

  5

  24

  13

  23

  31

  11

  16

  14

  34

  25

  29

  252

  London

  2

  1

  8

  3

  3

  4

  0

  4

  1

  3

  1

  4

  34

  Lothian

  8

  8

  5

  6

  3

  8

  3

  4

  3

  9

  3

  8

  68

  Manchester

  9

  3

  12

  8

  12

  12

  6

  4

  4

  8

  11

  5

  94

  Merseyside

  2

  1

  4

  5

  0

  1

  1

  1

  5

  0

  4

  1

  25

  Norfolk

  106

  25

  80

  29

  95

  107

  80

  111

  76

  64

  105

  88

  966

  Northamptonshire

  43

  15

  30

  17

  35

  23

  15

  20

  22

  19

  23

  20

  282

  Northumberland

  38

  18

  32

  13

  22

  20

  13

  23

  14

  33

  19

  35

  280

  Nottinghamshire

  19

  18

  26

  21

  27

  19

  13

  16

  19

  9

  19

  6

  212

  Orkney

  2

  4

  5

  3

  2

  1

  1

  2

  2

  5

  3

  3

  33

  Oxford

  66

  39

  44

  44

  33

  39

  21

  49

  20

  24

  46

  29

  454

  Powys

  56

  59

  46

  49

  33

  47

  45

  48

  56

  36

  66

  53

  594

  Shropshire

  98

  98

  80

  68

  74

  90

  59

  79

  61

  71

  101

  67

  946

  Shetland

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Somerset

  287

  268

  270

  220

  110

  316

  163

  167

  216

  175

  227

  116

  2,535

  Staffordshire

  78

  113

  97

  67

  72

  118

  70

  96

  92

  66

  74

  49

  992

  Strathclyde

  59

  66

  47

  29

  47

  50

  19

  32

  26

  60

  61

  44

  540

  Suffolk

  56

  22

  33

  35

  48

  54

  22

  44

  28

  32

  47

  43

  464

  Surrey

  36

  11

  32

  17

  40

  24

  16

  13

  17

  16

  26

  21

  269

  Sussex East

  50

  19

  36

  26

  48

  49

  13

  26

  22

  24

  50

  31

  394

  Sussex West

  97

  36

  62

  51

  80

  66

  42

  58

  50

  40

  58

  62

  702

  Tayside

  19

  13

  11

  12

  13

  4

  12

  10

  10

  17

  11

  12

  144

  Tyne and Wear

  3

  3

  2

  1

  1

  2

  1

  1

  0

  1

  0

  1

  16

  West Midlands

  3

  1

  4

  5

  3

  1

  1

  3

  2

  0

  7

  5

  35

  Warwickshire

  34

  27

  43

  27

  34

  29

  22

  35

  27

  30

  35

  27

  370

  Wiltshire

  168

  163

  166

  108

  123

  127

  79

  93

  97

  85

  145

  81

  1,435

  816
  Mr. Soames
  The Ministry presently holds nine contracts for the incineration and 65 contracts for the transportation of carcases of cattle suspected of being affected by BSE, with companies throughout Great Britain. Specific information relating to these contracts is classified as commercial-in-confidence.

  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of cases of BSE by county for each month from January to December 1993.

  Mr. Soames
  The numbers of cases of BSE in Great Britain listed by month of confirmation and county from January to December 1993 inclusive, are as follows:
  817

  County/month year

  January

  February

  March

  April

  May

  June

  July

  August

  September

  October

  November

  December

  Total

  Yorkshire North

  181

  151

  164

  97

  160

  130

  106

  157

  97

  143

  93

  141

  1,620

  Yorkshire South

  14

  16

  24

  8

  9

  7

  12

  13

  12

  15

  5

  10

  145

  Yorkshire West

  29

  26

  20

  13

  21

  16

  17

  23

  12

  25

  18

  23

  243

  Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many producers failed to submit applications for hill livestock compensatory allowances by the deadline of 20 February.

  Mr. Jack
  [holding answer 1 March 1994): We cannot say definitely how many producers failed to submit claims for HLCAs by the due date of 20 February. In 1993 we received some 14,151 claims in England; by 20 February this year we had received 13,066. Those producers who have not claimed by 20 February will still be eligible to receive payments if claims are received by 12 March, but under EC rules they will lose 1 per cent. of the payment due for each working day by which their claim is late. A reminder to producers and others on this was given in MAFF news release 61/94. Claims received after 12 March cannot be accepted.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the powers of the Child Support Agency in relation to deductions from an individual's salary.

  Mr. Burt
  Under section 31(2) of the Child Support Act 1991, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has the power to impose a deduction from earnings order against a liable person to secure payment of the amount due under a maintenance assessment, and any arrears which may have accrued, where other methods of collection have been unsuccessful, or where the liable person specifically requests it. The decision to impose such an order will be taken in the light of the individual circumstances of each case.

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether an employee must be informed before any deduction from salary is made to the Child Support Agency.

  Mr. Burt
  An absent parent will always be notified that a deduction from earnings order will come into effect before any money is deducted from his earnings.

  Mr. Alan Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many parents with care are presently owed arrears from the Child Support Agency because sums collected from absent parents in receipt of income support have not been paid over by the Benefits Agency;

  (2) what steps his Department is taking to set up arrangements between the Benefits Agency and the Child Support Agency for the transfer of benefit deducted from absent parents as a contribution in lieu of child support to be paid to parents with care who are not in receipt of income support;
  818
  (3) how much money, deducted by the Benefits Agency from income support payable to absent parents, is waiting for transfer to the Child Support Agency to paid to parents with care.

  Mr. Burt
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for East Kilbride (Mr. Ingram) by Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive of Child Support Agency on 23 February 1994 at columns 366–67.

  Mr. Dewar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will break down by area CSAC the cumulative summary of the Child Support Agency performance from 5 April 1993 to 31 December 1993 which has been placed in the Library.

  Mr. Burt
  The administration of the Child Support Agency is the responsibility of its chief executive, ROS Hepplewhite. She will write to the hon. Member shortly.

  Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 2 March 1994:

  I am writing to you subsequent to the Ministerial reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking for a breakdown by Child Support Agency Centre of the cumulative summary of Child Support Agency performance which has been laid in the Library of the House.

  The information you requested, broken down by CSAC and covering the period 5 April 1993 to 31 December 1993 is attached. As a result of ongoing validation some totals differ from those previously provided, although the differences are not significant. All figures should therefore continue to be regarded as provisional and may be subject to further amendment.

  I hope you find the information helpful.

  Mr. Hall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what basis the figures for amounts of money recovered by the Child Support Agency are calculated.

  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. Mike Hall, dated 3 March 1994.

  I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking on what basis the figures for amounts of money recovered by the Agency are calculated.

  Where the parent with care is receiving Income Support, a saving is recorded if action taken to arrange maintenance results in benefit reducing or ceasing. If the maintenance arranged is collected by the Agency, the figure for the amount recovered is obtained from the receipts into the Agency's bank account.

  If the maintenance arranged is instead paid directly from the absent parent to the parent with care, a total of the amount by which benefit reduces is kept clerically. Records are similarly kept of voluntary and court-ordered maintenance payments made directly to parents with care which reduce Income Support entitlement.

  Where the absent parent is in receipt of Income Support, a nominal maintenance contribution of £2·20 may be deducted from his or her benefit. Totals of these maintenance deductions are periodically reported to the CSA by the Benefits Agency.

  Where the involvement of the Agency results in benefit ceasing, because the maintenance arranged exceeds benefit entitlement or for some other reasons, a saving is calculated by

  819
  multiplying the weekly amount of benefit previously in payment by the estimated number of weeks for which the claim would have continued, in the absence of CSA involvement.

  Where the parent with care is receiving Family Credit and Disability Working Allowance savings are determined by information from periodic scans of the relevant computer data-base. If the involvement of the Agency results in benefit ceasing, savings are estimated retrospectively, by analysis of a sample of cases.

  I hope this reply is useful.

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what representations he has received from people in Coventry concerning the Child Support Agency being given access to personal information when approaching employers;

  (2) what representations he has received from employers concerning their duty to supply information to the Child Support Agency.

  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. Robert Ainsworth, dated 2 March 1994:

  I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about representations received from the people of Coventry concerning the Child Support Agency gaining access to personal information from employers; and representations from employers on the same subject.

  There are no recorded representations from people living in Coventry concerning the Agency being given access to personal information.

  Although records are not kept of individual occurrences, we are aware that one employer has contacted the Agency concerning the duty to provide information on employees. In this case, the employer was made aware of the relevant legislation, and to date, nothing further has been heard.

  I hope this reply is helpful.

  Mr. Channon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what resources are devoted to the prevention of fraud by the Child Support Agency.

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

  Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Paul Channon, dated 2 March 1994:

  I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the resources that the Child Support Agency devotes to the prevention of fraud.

  As the Agency acts as intermediary between two parties in the arrangement of child maintenance, it has no discrete resources devoted to the prevention of fraud. Where Social Security benefits are in payment, however, and a potential fraud against the benefits system comes to light, relevant information is passed to the Benefits Agency or Employment Services to investigate.

  If an allegation of misrepresentation is made which does not involve the incorrect payment of a Social Security benefit, then the child support officer will consider whether there is sufficient evidence to review the maintenance assessment.

  I hope you find this reply helpful.

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what instructions he has given to the Child Support Agency as to their conduct when seeking information from an individual's employer.

  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.
  820
  Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Robert Ainsworth, dated 2 March 1994:

  I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security concerning the instructions given to the Child Support Agency's staff when contacting employers.

  The Child Support Manual stresses the need for care and the avoidance of disclosure of confidential information when contacting employers. Normally employers are contacted only where clients are unable to provide sufficient information or verification of their income for child maintenance to be assessed. Exceptionally, an employer may be approached where all other attempts to contact a client has failed.

  A copy of the Child Support Manual is available in the Library.

  I hope this reply is helpful.

  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when Mr. W. J. Potts of Chelmsford (CSA Reference: 6455 WAL 1004029951) can expect a reply to his letter of 1 November 1993 to the Child Support Agency requesting a reassessment of his child maintenance assessment.

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

  Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Simon Burns, dated 2 March 1994:

  I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about correspondence between your constituent Mr. W. J. Potts, and the Child Support Agency.

  I am afraid that the Agency has no record of a letter from Mr. Potts dated 1 November 1993, although correspondence was received from him dated 21 November 1993, which requested a reassessment of his maintenance. This review has now been carried out, and Mr. Potts was notified of its outcome on 25 February. Please accept my apologies for the delay.

  I understand that you contacted the Customer Services manager at the Belfast Agency Centre on 25 February about Mr. Potts' case, and that he replied to you by letter the same day.

  Income Support
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people living in(a) each of the counties, (b) each local authority and (c) each parliamentary constituency in Yorkshire and Humberside were dependent on (i) supplementary benefit in 1979 and (ii) income support in the latest year for which data are available.

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

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many families with children in(a) each of the counties, (b) each local authority and (c) each parliamentary constituency in Yorkshire and Humberside were dependent on (i) supplementary benefit in 1979 and (ii) income support or family credit in the latest year for which data are available.

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

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many children in(a) each of the counties, (b)

  821
  each local authority and (c) each parliamentary constituency in Yorkshire and Humberside were living in families which were dependent on (i) supplementary benefit in 1979 and (ii) on income support or family credit in the latest year for which data are available.

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

  Graham Case
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what advice he is giving to those women inquiring about the interim arrangement pending the determination of the Graham case by the European Court of Justice.

  Mr. Scott
  Women are informed if they are entitled to an increase in invalidity benefit as a result of the Social Security Commissioner's decision in this case. Where payment of the increase is suspended they are also advised that the suspended benefit will be paid in full if the commissioner's decision is upheld; and that if they have difficulty managing in the meantime they should contact their local Benefits Agency office, so that the decision to suspend can be reconsidered.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he has on the date when the European Court of Justice will begin its hearing of the Graham case in respect of invalidity benefit; and when a decision is likely to be announced.

  Mr. Scott
  The Court of Appeal decided on 18 January to refer the Graham case to the European Court of Justice. The European Court's procedure necessitates inviting all other member states to submit observations on the point at issue should they wish to do so. It normally takes about 18 months following a reference before judgment is handed down.

  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many days per year the chief executive of the Prison Service agency spends on his other business interests.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Under the terms of his appointment the Director-General of the Prison Service is permitted to spend a maximum of one and a half days a month in normal working hours as a non-executive director of other organisations.

  Child Maintenance
  Mr. Hall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what were the actual and average amounts of child maintenance paid by absent parents through court orders in the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  I have been asked to reply. The information requested is not kept centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Racial Violence
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he intends to take to help reduce racial violence; and if he will make a statement.
  822
  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) on 25 November 1993 at column 167–69 for details of the steps taken by the Government to combat racial violence.

  Since then, we have reconvened the interdepartmental racial attacks group, chaired by the Home Office, as a forum for gathering information and sharing good practice on the multi-agency approach to combating racially motivated crime. The group had its first meeting on 25 February and is now developing a work programme of specific projects aimed at addressing the problem of racial attacks and harassment.

  In January I gave oral evidence to the Home Affairs Committee for its current inquiry into racial attacks and harassment. The Committee's report is due to be published in April, and future Government action will be informed by the Committee's recommendations.

  Commission for Racial Equality
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the annual budget over the last three years of the Commission for Racial Equality.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  The Commission for Racial Equality's budget over the last three years was as follows:

  £

  1991–92

  14,075,000

  1992–93

  14,996,000

  1993–94

  15,051,000

  Parole
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the statutory basis for the ineligibility for parole of those serving sentence for murder who have never admitted their guilt;

  (2) how many prisoners, serving sentences for murder, are ineligible for parole at all times having never admitted their guilt.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Prisoners serving the mandatory life sentence for murder are released on life licence, not parole. There is no statutory basis, rule or policy which automatically prevents a prisoner who denies guilt from being released from custody although a prisoner's willingness and ability to tackle their offending behaviour is an important element in the difficult process of assessing potential future risk. However, mandatory life sentence prisoners who deny their guilt can be, and have been, released on life licence if the parole board so recommends and the Secretary of State accepts the recommendation.

  Mounted Police
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many police forces in England and Wales have mounted police units; and what information he has on the average cost per mounted police unit;

  (2) what consultations he has had in relation to the value for money of mounted police units; what is the most recent report from the chief inspector of constabulary on the criteria for established mounted police units; and if he will make a statement.
  823
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Eighteen police forces in England and Wales have mounted police units. These vary in size from the Metropolitan police, with 201 horses, to the Essex police, with four horses. The average size of a mounted unit is 26 horses with 34 police officers and civilian staff. The total cost of such a unit is estimated at £820,900 for the current financial year.

  I have not had any recent consultations in relation to the value of money of mounted police units. Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary identifies and gives advice on good practice in the course of inspections of mounted units but there has been, as yet, no specific study of value for money or the criteria for establishing mounted units. However, the Metropolitan police is currently carrying out an efficiency scrutiny of its mounted unit.

  Taylforth Libel Case
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 7 February,Official Report, column 19, what investigation has been made into police involvement in the release of the story which led to the recent Taylforth libel case, before the reporter from The Sun telephoned the Metropolitan police press bureau; what action will be taken against officers found to have released such items to the press if discovered; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  An investigation was carried out in 1992 by the Metropolitan police, in accordance with the procedures for handling police complaints contained in part IX of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. A report was submitted to the Police Complaints Authority which concluded that the allegation of improper disclosure of information by police officers could not be substantiated. No officer has therefore faced any disciplinary proceedings in relation to the case.

  Wheelclamping
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to make the maximum sum which can be charged by private wheelclampers the same as the fixed charge of the Metropolitan police for wheelclamping.

  Mr. Maclean
  The Government are still considering what action, if any, it would be appropriate to take in respect of wheelclamping on private land. Questions relating to charges for the release of clamped vehicles form part of this consideration.

  Prison Service
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which members of senior Prison Service personnel working in the Prison Service agency received bonus payments in 1992; and what were the amounts.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  None, though members of the senior open structure were eligible to receive performance pay increases in accordance with the arrangements for the civil service generally. The amounts of such pay increases are personal to the individuals concerned and are not published.
  824

  Custodial Sentences
  Mr. Alison
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made to the extent to which reducing the use of custodial sentences contributes to a reduction in the levels of crime.

  Mr. Maclean
  Levels of crime are affected by a wide range of factors. It is possible to make some estimate of the effect of the use of custodial sentences in terms of the incapacitation of offenders. But it is not possible to make any meaningful assessment of the overall effect of custodial sentencing on crime levels because of uncertainties surrounding the effects of other factors.

  Political Parties (Election Spending)
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to introduce a limit on the overall spending by political parties on election campaigns; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  We have no plans to do so.

  UK Gold Television
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work the consultant, UK Gold Television, is doing on behalf of the Prison Service agency; how many companies were involved in tendering for the work; and how much UK Gold is being paid.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  No consultant from UK Gold Television is doin work on behalf of the Prison Service.

  Fire Services
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many firemen have been injured in Wales in the line of duty in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Numbers of firefighters killed or seriously injured in Wales in the line of duty in each year since 1980 are shown in the following table. Serious injuries are defined as those which result in absence of duty for at least one month.

  Serious injuries

  Fatalities

  1980

  37

  —

  1981

  50

  —

  1982

  42

  —

  1983

  26

  —

  1984

  21

  —

  1985

  76

  —

  1986

  51

  —

  1987

  34

  1

  1988

  50

  —

  1989

  36

  —

  1990

  59

  1

  1991

  42

  1

  1992

  50

  —

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he proposes to ensure that the fire services in the counties of Wales will retain their professionalism in the proposed reorganised local government units; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  On the date of reorganisation of local government in Wales, my right hon. and learned
  825
  Friend proposes to establish three combined fire authorities with responsibility for providing fire services in Wales. We believe that this will improve the strategic capability of fire services in Wales, and ensure that they continue to operate effectively and efficiently. Her Majesty's inspectorate of fire services will continue to report to me on the manner in which fire authorities in Wales are performing their statutory duties under the Fire Services Act 1947. I am confident that the new brigades, and the officers serving in them, will maintain and continue to develop the high level of professionalism with which fire services in Wales are provided.

  Directorate of Telecommunications
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many firms were invited to tender in the proposed sale of DTELS; how many bids were received; how many bids were still active when the Government made their decision about the preferred bidder; between which firms the final sales decision was made; what was the sale price; and what degree of debt write-off, deferred payment or preferential agreement was involved in the sale of DTELS;

  (2) what are the public interest considerations which relate to the sale of DTELS to NTL;

  (3) what contractual obligations were written into the sale of DTELS in respect of price stability in the telecommunications contracts for Britain's emergency services.

  Mr. Howard
  The privatisation of DTELS was advertised twice in the Financial Times and copies of the information memorandum inviting indicative bids were issued to some 40 organisations. Seven bids were received by 22 October which were short-listed to three for submission of final bids by 17 December. Two final bids were taken forward from National Transcommunications Ltd. and from Pell Frischmann Consulting Engineers Ltd. The latter also offered the option of a joint bid with Serco Ltd.

  The sale of DTELS was completed on 1 March. Full consideration of £6·6 million has been received in lump sum payment. In accordance with normal commercial practice, certain limited sums may become payable by the Department to the purchaser as a result of claims under the terms of the sale contract.

  Brigade casualties, England and Wales 1988–92

  Fatal1

  Non-fatal casualties

  Fire-related

  Non fire-related

  Year

  Fire related

  Non fire-related

  Total

  Of which: serious injuries2

  serious injuries2

  1988

  0

  0

  1,158

  298

  430

  1989

  1

  1

  1,462

  325

  394

  1990

  2

  4

  1,287

  317

  413

  1991

  2

  2

  1,020

  302

  620

  1992

  2

  1

  1,079

  264

  597

  1 Includes road traffic accidents.

  2 Resulting in absence of duty for at least one month.

  Information on the number of injuries to police officers is not held centrally. The number of police officers
  826
  The objectives of the sale were to:

  maximise sale proceeds consistent with preserving the best prospects for effective competition in the market for telecommunications support services for the emergency services;

  obtain reassurances that the purchaser should have the capacity to meet transferred liabilities and obligations.

  I am satisfied that sale to NTL meets those objectives.

  The stability of contract prices for telecommunications support to the emergency services is determined by the market and by the nature of the agreements with the emergency services entered into. There is competition for these contracts.

  Sir Ivan Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the sale of DTELS, formerly the Directorate of Telecommunications.

  Mr. Howard
  DTELS has been sold to National Transcommunications Ltd.—NTL. The sale was successfully completed on 1 March for a consideration of £6·6 million, subject to post-completion audit.

  The objectives of the sale, which were announced on 14 July 1993 at column 495 were:
  to maximise sale proceeds consistent with preserving the best prospects for effective competition in the market for telecommunication support services for the emergency services;
  to obtain reassurance that the purchaser should have the capacity to meet transferred liabilities and obligations.
  I am satisfied that these objectives have been met.

  I am confident that DTELS in NTL ownership and with increased commercial opportunities can continue to compete vigorously for telecommunications business i n support of the emergency services. This healthy competition will help ensure that the emergency services will get best value for their expenditure.

  Police and Fire Services
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in each of the last five years how many (i) firemen and (ii) police officers in each region have been injured in the line of duty.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Fire brigade casualties for England and Wales for the years 1988–92 are shown in the following table. The cost of extracting the data for each brigade area would be disproportionate.

  assaulted on duty in England and Wales since 1989 is shown in the following table. Figures for 1993 are not yet available.
  827

  Total Police Officers assaulted

  Forces

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  Avon and Somerset

  543

  437

  522

  485

  Bedfordshire

  155

  241

  195

  152

  Cambridge

  175

  176

  115

  116

  Cheshire

  341

  651

  644

  715

  City of London

  34

  27

  26

  12

  Cleveland

  274

  304

  241

  183

  Cumbria

  136

  130

  154

  130

  Derbyshire

  330

  359

  370

  317

  Devon and Cornwall

  304

  416

  490

  311

  Dorset

  133

  158

  141

  138

  Durham

  274

  256

  233

  227

  Dyfed-Powys

  84

  112

  95

  76

  Essex

  141

  193

  190

  209

  Gloucestershire

  210

  189

  120

  145

  Greater Manchester

  1,067

  1,216

  1,126

  1,009

  Gwent

  65

  413

  347

  289

  Hampshire

  406

  343

  374

  388

  Hertfordshire

  246

  181

  180

  133

  Humberside

  560

  318

  282

  217

  Kent

  320

  192

  225

  207

  Lancashire

  285

  397

  439

  436

  Leicestershire

  259

  189

  179

  150

  Lincolnshire

  176

  145

  126

  106

  Merseyside

  668

  247

  231

  1,039

  Norfolk

  240

  235

  206

  223

  North Wales

  240

  193

  92

  132

  North Yorkshire

  126

  146

  149

  140

  Northamptonshire

  163

  208

  169

  136

  Northumbria

  461

  677

  872

  432

  Nottinghamshire

  207

  354

  431

  366

  South Wales

  759

  793

  688

  583

  South Yorkshire

  334

  308

  180

  197

  Staffordshire

  474

  515

  420

  401

  Suffolk

  151

  167

  186

  132

  Surrey

  145

  198

  238

  239

  Sussex

  330

  356

  348

  310

  Thames Valley

  434

  427

  380

  374

  Warwickshire

  75

  88

  82

  129

  West Mercia

  303

  286

  277

  241

  West Midlands

  1,224

  1,034

  1,347

  1,645

  West Yorkshire

  713

  650

  682

  739

  Wiltshire

  166

  261

  195

  194

  Provincial Total

  13,731

  14,186

  13,987

  13,803

  Metropolitan Police

  3—

  12,647

  3,960

  3,413

  England and Wales Total

  413,731

  16,833

  17,947

  217,216

  1 Excludes other assaults.

  2Revised figure from that previously published.

  Figures not available.

  4 Figures excludes Metropolitan Police.

  Mr. Lorrain Osman
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he removed Mr. Lorrain Osman from Brixton prison on 12 December 1992 and placed him on a flight to Hong Kong without any notice to, and entirely without the knowledge of, his legal advisers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  After protracted legal proceedings in this country lasting for seven years, Mr. Osman was extradited to Hong Kong on 15 December 1992—not 12 December —to face serious charges, to certain of which he subsequently pleaded guilty. He was returned to Hong Kong on the day on which the House of Lords finally dismissed his ninth application for habeas corpus, at which time there were no further proceedings outstanding. Throughout the proceedings, Mr. Osman's legal representatives were kept well aware of the Secretary of State's intention to surrender him as soon as there was no longer
  828
  any legal impediment to his removal. They were notified by the House of Lords as soon as his final petition was refused; and they would have been aware that, with no further legal bar to surrender, steps would immediately be taken to return him to Hong Kong.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in considering whether to order the extradition of Mr. Lorrain Osman to Hong Kong on 15 June 1992, refused the request of Mr. Osman's legal advisers that he should personally inspect documents which had been the subject of claims by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for non-disclosure on public interest immunity grounds; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  Disclosure of the documents which were subject to public interest immunity certificates was sought by Mr. Osman in various habeas corpus applications. The High Court did not accept that they were relevant to the
  829
  arguments which he was seeking to advance. The Secretary of State therefore saw no reason to inspect the documents himself before issuing his surrender warrant. His decision to order surrender was upheld by the High Court in subsequent judicial review proceedings initiated by Mr. Osman.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why the Secretary of State for the Home Department cancelled the appointment which he had made with a cross-party delegation of hon. Members who wished to make representations to him on 15 June 1992 against extraditing Mr. Lorrain Osman; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  On 10 June 1992, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Ruchcliffe (Mr. Clarke) agreed to see a number of hon. Members on 16 June 1992 about Mr. Osman's case, which was then pending before the House of Lords. The hon. Members gave no indication that they were then acting on behalf of Mr. Osman; and his solicitors had stated that, apart from a covering letter from Mr. Osman, the representations submitted by them on 12 June 1992 were complete. In those circumstances, the Secretary of State saw no reason to delay making an order for return and he signed a surrender warrant on 15 June 1992. Mr. Osman's solicitors had indicated that if a surrender warrant was signed they would seek a judicial review of the decision. The meeting with the hon. Members was cancelled because the Secretary of State considered that in the circumstances then obtaining, it would serve no useful purpose.

  Safer Cities Programmes
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new safer cities programmes were funded each year since 1991.

  Number of persons convicted of drug offences in the West Midlands police force area and Coventry petty sessional division by age group 1991 and 1992

  Age group and year

  West Midlands PFA

  Coventry PSD1

  Number

  Per cent.

  Number

  Per cent.

  Under 21

  1991

  235

  25

  66

  35

  1992

  145

  20

  29

  23

  All ages

  1991

  950

  100

  191

  100

  1992

  732

  100

  126

  100

  1 Including offenders convicted at the Crown Court who were committed by Coventry PSD.

  Immigration
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his letter dated 25 January, concerning the application of Mr. Marendra Kumar Patel (Ref. P380877/2 (S). PO 31329/93) to Her Majesty's post in Bombay to join his wife in the United Kingdom, when Mr. Patel's wife in the United Kingdom is to be interviewed; and if he will arrange for her to be interviewed close to her home in Bradford.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Mrs. Patel will be invited for interview in March. The interview will be conducted by the immigration office at Leeds Bradford airport.
  830
  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Four new safer cities projects were set up in 1991, and a further 10—which were announced in December 1993—are currently being established. Announcements on further projects are planned for 1994–95.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new safer cities programmes were discontinued through a lack of funding in each year since 1991.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  None.

  Sixteen of the original 20 projects will, as planned, cease to receive Government funding in March 1994 in order to release funds for a second phase of the programme in up to 40 new areas which have not yet benefited from safer cities funding.

  Drugs
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people in(a) Coventry and (b) the west midlands were convicted of drug offences in each year since 1991;

  (2) how many of those convicted of drug offences in the west midlands and Coventry in the last year for which figures are available were under 21 years of age;

  (3)what the figures are for drug-related offences committed by young people in Coventry for each year since 1991.

  Mr. Maclean
  Information available centrally on persons convicted of drug offences by age group in the West Midlands police force area and the Coventry petty sessional division for 1991 and 1992 is given in the table.

  It is possible to distinguish centrally only offenders who have committed drug offences as opposed to drug-related offences.

  1993 data will not be available until the autumn.

  Life Imprisonment
  Mr. Dixon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on how many occasions since 1985 he has imposed a minimum sentence for persons sentenced to life imprisonment of the same length as the recommendation of the trial judge or the Lord Chief Justice;

  (2) on how many occasions since 1985 he has increased the minimum period of sentence for a person sentenced to life imprisonment beyond the recommended minimum length of sentence by the trial judge or the Lord Chief Justice; and on how many such occasions the trial judge and the Lord Chief Justice have subsequently concurred in the increase;
  831
  (3) on how many occasions since 1985 he has imposed a minimum life sentence on a person sentenced to life imprisonment of less than the period recommended by the trial judge or the Lord Chief Justice.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  Information in the form requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  The readily available information is for the period August 1990 to July 1993 inclusive. During this period a total of 806 mandatory life sentence cases were considered. Of these, Ministers set a period the same length as that recommended by the trial judge in 409 cases—in 325 of these the Lord Chief Justice agreed with the period recommended by the trial judge. In a further 244 cases Ministers set a period in accordance with the recommendation of the Lord Chief Justice.

  A period higher than either of the periods recommended by the judiciary was set in 112 cases. The question of subsequent concurrence by the judiciary did not arise, since the final decision is for the Secretary of State.

  A period lower than either of the periods recommended by the judiciary was set in three cases.

  In the remaining 38 cases, Ministers set a period between the recommendations of the trial judge and the Lord Chief Justice.

  Firefighters (Pensions)
  Sir Ivan Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to review the pension arrangements for firefighters.

  Mr. Howard
  The terms of reference for the review of the police service pension scheme require that review to include in its report an assessment of the read-across to the fire service. I propose, in addition, to set up a separate review of pension arrangements for firefighters. My officials are drawing up terms of reference for the review, and will circulate them to the fire service employers' and employees' organisations. I will consult the Central Fire Brigades advisory council on any proposals which emerge from the two reviews for change to the pension arrangements for firefighters.

  Mohammed Riaz and Abdul Raja
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 February,Official Report, column 641, what decision as to the period to be served for retribution and deterrence he reached in the case of Mohammed Riaz and Abdul Qayyum Raja; what were the recommendations made to him in each case by the trial judge and the Lord Chief Justice; what rights both men have to make representations against his decision; in coming to his decision, what account he took of any recommendation made by the trial judge about deportation at the end of sentence; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Peter Lloyd
  [holding answer 9 February 1994]: The period for retribution and deterrence in these cases was originally set in 1988. At that time the trial judge recommended 10 years for Mr. Riaz and 15 years for Mr. Raja. The Lord Chief Justice of the day recommended a minimum period of 16 years for Mr. Riaz and 21 years for Mr. Raja. The Minister then set a period of 20 years for Mr. Riaz, and 25 years for Mr. Raja. In doing so he would have had regard to the statement by Sir Leon Brittan, as Home
  832
  Secretary in 1983, that terrorists and certain other specified categories of murderer could normally expect to serve at least 20 years.

  Following the Doody judgment of June 1993, the above details were disclosed to Mr. Riaz and Mr. Raja individually. They subsequently made representations and their cases were considered afresh in December 1993. My right hon. and learned Friend concluded that there were no grounds in either case to justify disapplying the policy set out in the Brittan statement. He therefore confirmed the existing periods in both cases. The possibility of deportation was not a factor which was taken into account in reaching his decision.

  My right hon. and learned Friend is always prepared to consider any written representations from mandatory life sentence prisoners as to the period they should serve. However, as the cases of Mr. Riaz and Mr. Raja have already received very careful consideration, further representations are unlikely to succeed in the absence of new information.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Sport
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what attention he has given children's play in the course of his current review into the structure of sport in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Sproat
  We are considering the Sport Council's role in relation to children's play as part of our current review of the council's structure and functions. We expect to announce fresh proposals for the reorganisation of the Sports Council around Easter.

  Public Appointments
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what percentage of public appointments made by his Department in 1993 were of women; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 28 February 1994]: Of the public appointments made during 1993 to bodies for which my Department has responsibility, 31 per cent. were of women.

  Water
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps he is taking to reduce the effect on the south-west tourist industry of water charges, the rate of progress towards agreed waste water directives and the level of funding required to prevent bathing being banned from local beaches.

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 28 February 1994]: Water charges are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and, primarily, for the independent Director General of Water Services. My Department has, however, received representations from the tourism industry about the level of water charges in the south-west and in other parts of the country. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last year wrote both to the Secretary of State for the Environment and to the Director General of Water Services about the industry's concerns with regard to water infrastructure and connection charges.

  833
  The Director General is currently reviewing the price limits for water and sewerage services and is due to announce new limits in July 1994. The Government attach great importance to improving beaches and bathing water quality. A substantial programme of improvement in the south-west is already under way to secure compliance with EU standards. Many of these schemes are due to be completed in the next two years. Beach quality is important to holiday-makers, and proper attention to it will therefore significantly benefit the British tourism industry.

TRANSPORT

  Advertising
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 16 February,Official Report, column 776, what was the budgeted and actual cost of each public information campaign listed.

  Mr. Norris
  The budgeted cost and estimated outturn of each of the Department of Transport public information campaigns listed in my answer of 16 February is as follows:

  Budgeted £ million

  Estimated outturn £ million

  Drink drive

  2·6

  2·6

  Kill your speed

  2·8

  2·8

  Rear seat belts

  0·5

  0·6

  Drive booklet

  0·2

  0·2

  Other road safety

  0·7

  0·6

  Coastal and Marine Safety

  0·3

  0·3

  The budgeted cost and estimated outturn of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's public information campaigns listed in my answer is:

  Budgeted £ million

  Estimated outturn £ million

  DVLA

  Road tax evasion

  0·7

  0·7

  Vehicle Reg Nos.

  0·6

  0·6

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 14 February Official Report, column 644, if he will place in the Library the results of independent research on his Department's major advertising campaigns during the current financial year.

  Mr. Norris
  Copies of the independent research into the Department's major advertisting campaigns during the current financial year are being placed in the Library. These cover the spring and autumn phases of the "Kill your Speed" campagin and the summer drink drive campaign. The results of research into the Christmas drink drive campaign will be available later this month when they will also be placed in the Library.

  Channel Tunnel Rail Link
  Mr. Rowe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make it his policy to ensure that fast trains using the channel tunnel rail link will stop at Ashford international passenger station;
  834
  (2) if he will make it his policy to secure a regular service of fast trains on the channel tunnel rail link which stops at Ashford.

  Mr. Freeman
  It is a commercial matter for the railway operator what services to run from the station. European passenger services expect about one third of the international services, and about 2 million passengers per year by the turn of the century, to use Ashford international. Provision of a junction with the rail link west of Ashford, providing access to the station for fast domestic and international services, is already Government policy.

  Mr. Dunn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will make a further announcement on the proposed competition to select a private sector promoter for the channel tunnel rail link.

  Mr. Freeman
  The competition begins today. The first stage will be for consortia to seek to pre-qualify, and the Department is today making available to interested parties a document which provides information about the project and sets out the procedure for pre-qualification. I am placing a copy in the Library.

  Roads, Warwickshire
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 22 February,Official Report, column 118, if he will give his reasons for deciding not to provide a means of access from the M45 to the A5 in Warwickshire.

  Mr. Key
  My decision not to provide a means of access from the M45 to the A5 in Warwickshire was because no obvious need has been demonstrated.

  Road Traffic Patterns
  Mrs. Lait
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the variables taken into account in calculating future road traffic patterns and projections.

  Mr. Key
  In calculating future road traffic patterns for road schemes, the starting point is a good understanding of the existing patterns of movement. This is usually obtained by roadside interviewing supported by manual and automatic traffic counts.

  Working from this basis, the future pattern of movements is derived by application of growth factors. To ensure consistency with other appraisals, these are constrained at the district level to centrally produced estimates which are, in turn, constrained to agree with the national road traffic forecasts. Within these constraints, analysts are encouraged to take account of local variations in growth, as a result of new development, and so on. The key variables involved in these calculations include projections of the numbers of households, numbers of workers, and numbers of jobs.

  Calculation of future traffic flows on roads—with and without schemes—is critically dependent upon the characteristics of the road network. The process of determining the routes that travellers take through the network depends upon the nature of the network, with congested urban networks requiring more complex methods than relatively uncongested inter-urban networks. Typically, relevant network characteristics can include

  835
  carriageway type and width, hilliness and bends, junction types and geometric characteristics, and the operation of traffic signals.

  The methods available for calculating future road traffic patterns and projections are described in detail in the Department's "Traffic Appraisal Manual". A short summary document is also available. These are available through the House of Commons Library.

  Written-off Motor Vehicles
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that motor vehicles written off for insurance purposes do not reappear in the used car market as vehicles of merchantable quality.

  Mr. Key
  Vehicles are generally written off by insurance companies for economic reasons rather than on the basis of whether they are capable of being safely repaired. Where such vehicles are repaired and subsequently relicensed DVLA automatically notifies the police so that they can make inquiries where appropriate. Many written off vehicles are properly restored to a roadworthy condition each year and so legislation in this area would be unwarranted. Information on whether a vehicle has been previously written off by an insurance company is available to prospective purchasers from specialist data collection companies in the private sector. My advice would aways be to have a car inspected by an independent expert before agreeing to make a purchase.

  Highways Agency
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that no Department of Transport members of staff will be transferred to the new headquarters of the Highways Agency in St. Christopher house until all relevant EC directives/ regulations and United Kingdom safety law/rules have been fully complied with; and if he will make it his policy that full and open consultation will take place between his Department's officials and the appropriate trade unions.

  Mr. Norris
  Establishing the Highways Agency's headquarters in St. Christopher house will enable the agency to develop its own corporate identity and sense of purpose as soon as possible. It is my firm policy, and one to which the chief executive is equally committed, that the offices there should comply with all relevant health and safety requirements. Staff have already been consulted about their individual needs in St. Christopher house, and my officials have had a number of open and productive discussions with trade union representatives. Further discussions are planned.

  Car Boot Sales
  Mr. Mills
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to introduce legislation to prevent the sale of second-hand tyres at car boot sales.

  Mr. Key
  I propose to go out to consultation shortly on draft safety regulations to be made under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 to supplement that Act by making it an offence to sell or otherwise supply in the course of business any part-worn tyre that is defective. In the meantime, section 76(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which is enforceable by trading standards officers, already 836
  makes it an offence for any person to sell or offer to sell a vehicle part—including a part-worn tyre—if that person has reasonable cause to believe that it will be fitted to a motor vehicle and the use of that vehicle would thereby contravene the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, including the various requirements for tyres.

  Disabled Passengers
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will direct Railtrack to undertake a programme of modernisation of stations to allow easy access to trains for passengers with disabilities.

  Mr. Freeman
  We wish to see improved access to train services for disabled people. These facilites are generally best incorporated into broader projects for station refurbishment, within Railtrack's overall investment programme. In designing station refurbishment projects, Railtrack will be able to draw on the code of practice for disabled passengers which the regulator will publish in accordance with section 70 of the Railways Act. This will include advice and design standards for the facilities disabled people need.

  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct Railtrack to include in its franchise documents a commitment to allow easy access for passengers with disabilities.

  Mr. Freeman
  All operators of passenger rail services or stations will be required to produce and implement a disabled person's protection policy, to be approved by the regulator, as a condition of being granted a licence to operate. In producing their policies, operators will need to have regard to the regulator's code of practice for disabled passengers, which he will publish in accordance with section 70 of the Railways Act after consultation with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

  Cyclists
  Mr. French
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedal cyclists were(a) killed and (b) seriously injured in each of the past five years.

  Mr. Key
  The information requested is shown in the table.

  Pedal cyclist casulaties Great Britain 1988–1992

  Number of casualties

  Killed

  Seriously injured

  1988

  227

  4,652

  1989

  294

  4,836

  1990

  256

  4,344

  1991

  242

  3,946

  1992

  204

  3,787

  British Transport Police
  Mr. Trotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the effect on the jursidiction of the British Transport police of the Railways Act 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  From 1 April 1994, the British Transport police's jurisdiction in respect of British Rail,
  837
  London Underground Limited and the docklands light railway will be unchanged. It appears, however, that in respect of matters soley affecting Rai1track, its powers of pursuit and investigation could be limited.

  The Government regard such a limitation, which arises from a purely legal point, as undesirable and are urgently considering with BR and BTP how it might be addressed.

  Tolls
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those tunnels and bridges for which his Department has responsibility where tolls are levied which have exemptions for disabled motorists in receipt of mobility supplement and road tax exemption.

  Mr. Key
  The Department is the highway authority for the Severn bridge and the Dartford-Thurrock crossing. At both crossings, vehicles which are driven or used by disabled people and which are exempt from vehicle excise duty are exempt from tolls.

  Scaffolding (Controls)
  Mr. Channon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the local authorities which have not adopted section 2 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

  Mr. Key
  [holding answer 1 March 1994]: This provision requires any person erecting scaffolding on or above a highway to be authorised by a licence issued by the highway authority. We are not aware of any highway authority which is not complying with this requirement; detailed information could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.

  If my right hon. Friend has a particular concern he may care to write to me.

WALES

  Pit Closures
  Mr. Rowlands
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the specific projects, and the amount which(a) has been spent and (b) will be spent to alleviate job losses from coal closures since October 1992 in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.

  Mr. Redwood
  The information requested is shown in the following table.

  Assistance for area affected by closure of Taff Merthyr colliery

  £000

  Expenditure 1992–93

  Provision 1993–94

  Mid Glamorgan Training and Enterprise Council

  Meithyr Modern Manufacturing Training Centre

  100

  —

  Cynon Valley Technology Centre

  100

  51

  Employment Training and Employment Action (Training for Work from 1 April 1993)1

  2135

  3450

  Improved Engineering training facilities at Merthyr College

  —

  50

  Improved Engineering training facilities at Ystrad Mynach College

  —

  50

  Improved access to training for Merthyr and Rhymney residents at Alan Davies Training Centre

  —

  20

  838

  Expenditure 1992–93

  Provision 1993–94

  Increased Business Enterprise Support1

  —

  450

  Aberdare Opportunity Shop

  —

  110

  Improved Engineering training facilities at other Mid Glamorgan colleges

  —

  170

  Access to Training for the Homeless in Aberdare

  —

  10

  Women in the Workforce1

  —

  5

  Education/Business Links1

  —

  45

  Enhanced Careers Guidance1

  —

  20

  Creation of training/work opportunities for the Disabled1

  —

  15

  Urban Programme

  Merthyr Tydfil BC:

  Goatmill Road, Dowlais

  250

  —

  Repairs and Renewal to Treharris Boys Club

  53

  —

  Cyfarthfa Park

  60

  140

  Rhymney Valley DC:

  Caerphilly Business Park

  58

  —

  Infrastructure Works at Duffryn

  Industrial Estate

  100

  —

  Cynon Valley DC:

  Cwm Cynon Enterprise Centre

  100

  100

  River/Sewer Diversion, Mountain Ash

  130

  —

  Technology Centre, Aberaman

  30

  —

  1 Cannot be disaggregated to separately identify costs relating to Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.

  2 Excluding participants allowances.

  3 Including participants' allowances.

  In addition, expenditure on Welsh Development Agency projects in the hon. Member's constituency is as follows:

  Expenditure October 1992 to date £000

  Planned expenditure £000

  General site improvements completed since October 1992

  103

  —

  Adoption works under construction

  18

  60

  Fitting out works at Triangle Business Park

  57

  527

  13k sq ft extension at Pentrebach

  447

  —

  Property Development Grant assistance for speculative units totalling 14k sq ft

  —

  50

  Acquisition of Whitbread Enterprise Centre, Rhymney and refurbishment

  250

  150

  Urban Development activity in Merthyr

  2,164

  1,240

  Land reclamation activity in the constituency

  6,300

  1,770

  Loans to businesses

  40

  —

  Public Appointments
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of the public appointments he is responsible for making in addition to those identified in "Public Bodies 1993", including non-executive agency and other departmental management boards.
  839
  Mr. Redwood
  The details of the public appointments I make are given in "Public Bodies: Appointments Made by the Secretary of State for Wales, 1 December 1993", copies are in the Library of the House.

  In addition, I appoint jointly with the Secretary of State for the Environment, the following:

  Planning Inspectorate Executive Agency —

  Advisory panel on standards

  Michael Fitzgerald, QC (Chairman)

  Jeremy Baylis

  Michael Rush, CBE

  Robin Thompson

  The members of Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments Advisory Committee were given in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley (Mrs. Clwyd), c. 946.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will publish guidelines on the conduct of members of non-departmental public bodies in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  I expect the highest standards in the conduct of public business in Wales. General guidance is available in "Non Departmental Public Bodies: A Guide for Departments". I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library of the House. The Welsh Office draws on this to provide members of executive non-departmental public bodies in Wales, on appointment, with guidelines

  1992–93 Allocations

  Council

  Urban Programme

  Rural Initiative

  PRNI/SP

  Total

  Alyn and Deeside District Council

  110,000

  —

  —

  110,000

  Colwyn Borough Council

  137,000

  —

  —

  137,000

  Delyn

  765,658

  —

  2,000,000

  2,765,658

  Glyndwr District Council

  225,237

  —

  —

  225,237

  Rhuddlan Borough Council

  1,129,500

  —

  825,000

  1,954,500

  Wrexham Maelor Borough Council

  562,059

  —

  200,000

  762,059

  Carmarthen District Council

  £17,865

  126,500

  —

  144,365

  Ceredigion District Council

  107,163

  100,000

  —

  207,163

  Dinefwr Borough Council

  1,083,375

  125,000

  600,000

  1,808,375

  Llanelli Borough Council

  1,103,627

  —

  1,200,000

  2,303,627

  Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council

  112,439

  342,104

  700,000

  1,154,543

  South Pembrokeshire District Council

  198,000

  142,000

  —

  340,000

  Blaenau Gwent Borough Council

  1,692,885

  —

  700,000

  2,392,885

  Islwyn Borough Council

  852,476

  —

  —

  852,476

  Monmouth District Council

  32,724

  211,000

  —

  243,724

  Newport Borough Council

  840,426

  —

  —

  840,426

  Torfaen Borough Council

  484,436

  —

  —

  484,436

  Aberconwy Borough Council

  190,900

  617,983

  2,185,000

  2,993,883

  Arfon Borough Council

  661,932

  94,500

  —

  756,432

  Dwyfor District Council

  150,000

  156,400

  1,900,000

  2,206,400

  Meirionnydd District Council

  223,529

  100,000

  —

  323,529

  Ynys Mon Borough Council

  325,282

  135,000

  —

  460,282

  Cynon Valley Borough Council

  2,334,765

  —

  —

  2,334,765

  Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council

  1,499,581

  —

  —

  1,499,581

  Ogwr Borough Council

  1,363,902

  —

  —

  1,363,902

  Rhondda Borough Council

  1,909,285

  —

  —

  1,909,285

  Rhymney Valley Borough Council

  1,173,766

  —

  —

  1,173,766

  Taff Ely Borough Council

  1,094,591

  —

  —

  1,094,591

  Brecknock Borough Council

  252,000

  —

  —

  252,000

  Montgomeryshire District Council

  —

  196,826

  —

  196,826

  Radnor District Council

  15,836

  —

  250,000

  265,836

  Cardiff City Council

  1,099,683

  —

  —

  1,099,683

  Vale of Glamorgan County Council

  587,677

  —

  —

  587,677

  Port Talbot Borough Council

  191,047

  —

  —

  191,047

  Lliw Valley Borough Council

  439,078

  —

  —

  439,078

  Neath Borough Council

  686,811

  —

  —

  686,811

  Swansea City Council

  564,697

  —

  500,000

  1,064,697

  Wales Total

  24,219,232

  2,347,313

  11,060,000

  37,626,545

  840
  describing the purpose and function of the body, and their responsibilities as board members. The Government are also considering ways in which the approach recommended in the Cadbury committee's report could be adapted to meet the needs of non-departmental public bodies.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many non-departmental public bodies there are in Wales as at 1 January; and what is their total budget.

  Mr. Redwood
  The information requested is given in HMSO "Public Bodies 1993" which is in the Library of the House.

  Strategic Development Scheme
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was allocated to the district and borough councils in Wales by the Welsh Office out of the strategic development scheme in 1992.

  Mr. Redwood
  The strategic development scheme was launched on 11 June 1993 when a Welsh Office circular invited local authorities to submit bids for support in 1994–95. The scheme brought together support previously administered separately through the urban programme, rural initiative, projects of regional and national importance and special project schemes. The allocations to the district and borough councils in Wales in 1992–93 under these separate schemes is set out in the table.
  841

  Welsh Development Agency
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received in favour of the intention to replace the Welsh dragon with the Union Jack on Welsh Development Agency literature; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Redwood
  There is no such intention. However, based on my personal experience of meeting business people from overseas while promoting Wales, I have suggested to the Welsh Development Agency that the recognition of Wales as a first-class location for inward investment would be assisted by having both symbols prominent in the literature.

  Railway Lines
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make provision, in his reorganisation of local government in Wales for specific funding for unitary authorities to underpin financially socially necessary railway lines; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  No.

  Clwyd (Job Losses)
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of(a) steel and (b) aerospace jobs lost in Clwyd since 1979.

  Mr. Redwood
  The information requested cannot be given as to do so would breach rules of company confidentiality.

  Poolside Development, Caernarfon
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to expedite the necessary decisions, currently being discussed between the Welsh Development Agency, Arfon borough council, Gwynedd county council and the Welsh Office, in relation to the Poolside development at Caernarfon.

  Mr. Redwood
  I understand that a meeting between Arfon BC and Bangor Market Company Ltd.—to discuss design proposals for this site—is due to take place within the next two weeks. Once the company has firm proposals

  1993–94 Allocations

  Council

  Urban Programme

  Rural Initiative

  PRNl/SP

  Total

  Alyn and Deeside District Council

  337,500

  —

  —

  337,500

  Colwyn Borough Council

  70,000

  36,000

  1,226,000

  1,332,000

  Delyn

  337,998

  —

  1,950,000

  2,287,998

  Glyndwr District Council

  118,131

  174,540

  —

  292,671

  Ruddlan Borough Council

  1,137,554

  27,000

  1,200,000

  2,364,554

  Wrexham Maelor Borough Council

  246,401

  —

  2,085,000

  2,331,401

  Carmarthen District Council

  17,865

  120,000

  —

  137,865

  Ceredigion District Council

  76,781

  519,000

  500,000

  1,095,781

  Dinefwr Borough Council

  427,830

  236,000

  —

  663,830

  Llanelli Borough Council

  764,057

  —

  1,500,000

  2,264,057

  Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council

  140,000

  1,007,460

  —

  1,147,460

  South Pembrokeshire District Council

  221,792

  672,238

  1,000,000

  1,894,030

  Blaenau Gwent Borough Council

  915,728

  —

  655,000

  1,570,728

  Islwyn Borough Council

  722,920

  —

  —

  722,920

  Monmouth District Council

  183,306

  111,911

  —

  295,217

  Newport Borough Council

  1,034,386

  —

  —

  1,034,386

  Torfaen Borough Council

  345,344

  —

  —

  345,344

  Aberconwy Borough Council

  170,450

  440,000

  —

  610,451

  842
  my officials will be happy to discuss the possibility of urban investment grant support for a retail development on the site.

  National Curriculum
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what considerations underlay the issue of English language versions of material used in connection with the implementation of the national curriculum before the Welsh language versions were made available; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  It is my aim to issue national curriculum documents in Welsh and English simultaneously whenever possible. Where the documents are not issued at the same time, this is for practical reasons.

  Lorry Routes
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration has been given to the establishment of a national network of lorry routes based on weight and speed limits; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Motorways and trunk roads form a national network of through routes in Wales. They are suitable for all classes of vehicle except where specific constraints necessitate weight, height or length restrictions.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was allocated to each district and borough council in Wales out of the strategic development scheme fund in 1993; and how this figure was reached in each case.

  Mr. Redwood
  Allocations for, 1993–94 through the urban programme, rural initiative, projects of regional and national importance and special project schemes were determined by a number of factors. A strategic approach was positively encouraged under the urban programme and bids forming part of an acceptable local strategy received priority. Voluntary sector bids under the urban programme and rural initiative were also given some priority. Other factors taken fully into account for all schemes included value for money, jobs created and sustainable economic development.

  The allocations to the district and borough councils in Wales under these separate schemes is set out in the following table:
  843

  Council

  Urban Programme

  Rural Initiative

  PRNI/SP

  Total

  Arfon Borough Council

  381,854

  590,000

  —

  971,854

  Dwyfor District Council

  121,475

  501,300

  1,000,000

  1,622,775

  Meirionnydd District Council

  157,595

  457,500

  —

  615,095

  Ynys Mon Borough Council

  116,291

  165,000

  —

  281,291

  Cynon Valley Borough Council

  1,725,532

  —

  —

  1,725,532

  Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council

  987,046

  —

  —

  987,046

  Ogwr Borough Council

  1,165,412

  —

  —

  1,165,412

  Rhondda Borough Council

  2,799,766

  —

  —

  2,799,766

  Rhymney Valley Borough Council

  744,720

  —

  —

  744,720

  Taff Ely Borough Council

  533,282

  —

  —

  533,282

  Brecknock Borough Council

  —

  110,000

  720,000

  830,000

  Montgomeryshire District Council

  —

  262,000

  —

  262,000

  Radnor District Council

  15,836

  —

  —

  15,836

  Cardiff City Council

  1,305,692

  —

  —

  1,305,692

  Vale of Glamorgan County Council

  760,882

  —

  —

  760,882

  Port Talbot Borough Council

  330,809

  —

  —

  330,809

  Lliw Valley Borough Council

  338,504

  8,344

  —

  346,848

  Neath Borough Council

  310,285

  —

  —

  310,285

  Swansea City Council

  964,804

  —

  165,000

  1,129,804

  Wales total

  20,027,828

  5,438,293

  12,121,000

  37,587,121

  Water Disconnections
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the number of domestic water disconnections in Wales for 1993.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The collection of statistics on water disconnections is a matter for the Director General of Water Services, who publishes this information on a half yearly basis.

  The data for the period 1 April 1993 to 30 September 1993 are held in the Library of the House. The results for the period 1 October 1993 to 31 March 1994 will be published in May.

  Rural Roads
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make available extra resources to enable highway authorities to improve the maintenance of rural roads.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  Resources for local authorities' responsibility for highway maintenance are provided through the local government revenue settlement. They determine the level of expenditure in the light of total resources available and local needs.

  Social Services (Charging)
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has had from representatives of people with learning difficulties concerning county personal social services charging policies.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  I have received six letters on this subject.

  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the Clwyd People First Committee to discuss charging policies.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  No. The charging policies to which the hon. Member is referring are entirely a matter for Clwyd county council.
  844

  Children's Play
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about his policy on children's playing fields and children's play; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Wyn Roberts
  The main planners and providers in this field are local authorities and the voluntary sector. Central Government support is provided by way of grant to help meet the costs of Play Wales, an advisory body made up of representatives from county and district councils and the voluntary sector.

  Private Patients
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total income from private patients in the national health service in each year since 1989–90.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) on 10 February, column 433–35.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the income from private patients of each trust hospital in each year since 1990–91.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  There were no NHS trusts in operation in Wales prior to 1992–93. In that year the Pembrokeshire NHS trust came into effect and received 155,000 income from private patients. However, separate figures for each of the trust's hospitals are not available centrally.

  Consultants
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of(a) finished consultant episodes and (b) private patient finished consultant episodes in each year since 1989–90.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Information in Wales is collected on the basis of in-patient cases treated in NHS hospitals and is given in the following table.
  845

  Total number of in-patient cases

  of which private patients

  1989–90

  475,515

  1,994

  1990–91

  482,473

  1,760

  1991–92

  500,336

  1,558

  1992–93

  503,657

  1,257

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Pergau Dam
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he will use in directing what to include in the summary documents to be submitted to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on the aid support given to the Pergau dam project in Malaysia.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The summaries of documents which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has provided with his memorandum to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Pergau and aid and trade provision were drawn up in line with the long-standing conventions relating to the release of documents to Select Committees.

  GCHQ
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the(a) planned costs and (b) actual spending on GCHQ civil servants' travel expenses for the last five years for which figures are available.

  Mr. Hurd
  It is not the Government's policy to give detailed information about the expenditure of individual security and intelligence agencies. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 30 November 1993,Official Report, columns 419–20, figures for the aggregate expenditure on the security and intelligence agencies will be published with main estimates.

  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria are applied by civil servants at GCHQ as to what class of air-travel they use.

  Mr. Hurd
  In determining travel arrangements for GCHQ civil servants, use is made where practicable of RAF flights, economy fares and MOD charter. Otherwise, normal commercial carriers are used with class of air travel determined in accordance with the following criteria:

  Structure

  1Grade 3 and above

  Other grades

  First/Economy

  (a) Economy

  Economy

  (b) First

  Economy

  Business/Tourist1

  (a) Business

  Tourist

  (b) Business

  Business

  First/Business/Tourist1

  (a) Business

  Tourist

  (b) Business

  Business

  1 Or equivalent.

  Note: (a) relates to flights up to 2.5 hours long;

  (b) to longer flights.
  846

  Chemical Weapons Convention
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made as to the implications of the United Kingdom Government failing to implement the chemical weapons convention before July 1994.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  There are unlikely to be any significant implications if the Government do not implement the chemical weapons convention by July 1994, as the earliest the convention can enter into force is January 1995.

  Mr. Lorrain Osman
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why his Department issued a fresh public interest immunity certificate on the seventh application by Mr. Lorrain Osman for habeas corpus in January 1992; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  A public interest immunity certificate was signed in the course of Lorrain Osman's seventh application for habeas corpus to reassert the public interest in non-disclosure of documents sought by Mr. Osman.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will specify the reasons why he, on 26 October 1990, applied for a court order to strike out from affirmations made by Mr. Lorrain Osman all passages referring to nine FCO documents already disclosed to his advisers and the removal of copies of all nine documents from the possession of Mr. Osman and from the record of the court; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  The order was applied for on the grounds that the documents in question were subject to public interest immunity and irrelevant.

  Public Interest Immunity Certificates
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will specify the reasons why the disclosure of documents which were the subject of a public interest immunity certificate issued by the former hon. Member for Warwickshire, North on 12 June 1990 was thought likely to prejudice relations between Her Majesty's Government and an overseas Government or affect the efficiency of the officers concerned in carrying out negotiations or other diplomatic duties overseas; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Confidential diplomatic communications are a well-established class of documents whose disclosure would not be in the public interest.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will specify the nature of the relations, dealing or negotiations between the Government of the United Kingdom and other Governments referred to in paragraph 4 of the public interest immunity certificate issued on 12 June 1990 by the former hon. Member for Warwickshire, North in connection with communications between the Hong Kong Government, the United Kingdom high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and if he will make a statement.
  847
  Mr. Goodlad
  No. Our relations with other Governments are confidential.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times since 1979 a public interest immunity certificate has been issued by a Government Minister in a criminal case affecting the liberty of the subject; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  As regards Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers, the information sought is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in respect of how many documents the former hon. Member for Warwickshire, North, then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, claimed public interest immunity by a certificate dated 12 June 1990 in connection with communications between the Hong Kong Government, the United Kingdom high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Sixty-nine.

  Dependent Territories
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current rate of(a) income tax, (b) capital gains tax and (c) corporation tax in each British dependent territory.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  I shall write to the hon. Gentleman shortly with the information requested.

  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was(a) the total revenue received from off-shore financial activities and (b) the total expenditure on regulating such activities by the locally elected administration of each British dependent territory in the Caribbean in the most recent year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Lennox-Boyd
  The information is as follows:

  Caribbean Dependent Territories: Offshore Finance Financial year 1992–93

  Total Revenue (£)

  Total cost of regulation (£)

  Anguilla1

  155,750

  77,500

  British Virgin Islands1

  12·66 million

  733,333

  Cayman Islands

  19·52 million

  1·16 million

  Montserrat

  159,000

  33,000

  Turks and Caicos Islands

  1·54 million

  200,000

  1 Estimate.

HEALTH

  Kidney Transplants
  Mr. Churchill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many kidney patients died in 1992 while awaiting a suitable donor organ.
  848
  Mr. Sackville
  There is no information about the number of people awaiting a kidney transplant who died of kidney disease during 1992. Kidney failure is fatal unless treated with dialysis or transplantation. People on dialysis awaiting a transplant may live for many years and may die from causes other than kidney failure.

  Minimal Access Surgery
  Mr. Sims
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health with which bodies her Department is consulting as to the implications of the Cuschieri report on minimal access surgery; what plans she has to implement the report's recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  We have referred Professor Cuschieri's report to the Standing Medical Advisory Committee and the Standing Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Committee for advice.

  Discussions are taking place with the competent authorities regarding standards of training of doctors in relation to minimal access surgery. The Department of Health and the Wolfson Foundation are funding the establishment of two minimal access therapy training units in England. Minimal access therapy has been identified as a priority for research to obtain better information about outcomes and the cost-effectiveness of new treatments.

  Regional Offices
  Mr. Bates
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to reorganise the regional offices of the national health service; what criteria will be applied to potential locations in the north-eastern region.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in her statement on managing the NHS on 21 October 1993 her intention to abolish regional health authorities and reorganise the National Health Service Management Executive to include eight regional offices. As a first step towards the new structure she has decided, following consultation, to reduce the number of regional health authorities from 14 to eight, creating common boundaries with the regional offices. Decisions regarding the location of the new regional offices have yet to be reached.

  Generic Substitution
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the proposal to allow pharmacists to substitute cheaper non-branded drugs for the drug prescribed by the general practitioner; whether the general practitioner would be consulted; and how patients would be protected from fake and substandard drugs.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The Department has opened discussions with the medical and pharmaceutical professions about generic substitution. We are seeking a way forward which would leave the clinical decision about whether a generic substitute was appropriate, to the prescribing doctor.

  All medicines, whether branded or generic, have to meet the standards of safety, quality and efficacy required by the licensing authority.
  849

  NHS Trusts
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed by trusts in each region in each year since 1991–92; and what are these figures as a percentage of the total number of NHS provider staff.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The number of staff employed by trusts in each region is shown in the table. The total number of national health service provider staff cannot be separated from aggregated figures including all staff in regional and district health authorities. The growth in numbers of trust staff between 1991 and 1992 reflects the 57 trusts created on 1 April 1991 and a further 99 which came into being on 1 April 1992—replacing units formerly directly-managed by health authorities. Figures for September 1993 will not be available until later this year.

  NHS staff numbers in trusts by region in England as at 30 September 1991

  1991

  1992

  Northern

  4,090

  12,910

  Yorkshire

  11,060

  23,500

  Trent

  5,790

  20,570

  East Anglia

  1,600

  5,220

  North West Thames

  5,380

  23,410

  North East Thames

  11,850

  16,930

  South East Thames

  5,860

  18,750

  South West Thames

  7,600

  13,910

  Wessex

  2,760

  13,360

  Oxford

  550

  5,980

  South Western

  19,740

  35,480

  West Midlands

  3,660

  11,020

  Mersey

  15,570

  25,310

  North Western

  5,460

  16,590

  Total

  100,970

  242,950

  Source:

  DoH non-Medical Workforce Census, Medical Workforce Census and form KM 49.

  Note:

  All figures are rounded to the nearest ten whole-time equivalents.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what inquiries her Department has made into the use of the financial assets of NHS trusts(a) generally and (b) with particular reference to currency speculation.

  Mr. Sackville
  None. Trusts account for the use they have made of their assets in their annual accounts which are subject to external audit.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how NHS trusts' annual accounts are publicised; and to whom they are distributed.

  Mr. Sackville
  National health service trusts must present their audited accounts at a public meeting. For accounts covering the financial year 1993–94 onward it is a mandatory requirement that this meeting, and the availability of copies of the accounts, must be advertised in the media local to the NHS trust no less than 14 days prior to the date of the meeting. Previously this was regarded as good practice and the procedure was followed by most trusts.

  NHS trusts are required to distribute a copy of the audited accounts to any member of the public who requests one. A reasonable fee to cover copying costs may be charged. It is a matter for trusts themselves who they distribute copies of the accounts to without such a request having been received.
  850
  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has given to board numbers of NHS trusts regarding use of NHS resources for purposes other than for health care provision.

  Mr. Sackville
  No specific advice has been given to trust board members regarding the use of national health service resources for purposes other than healthcare provision. Trusts are expected to use resources effectively, efficiently and economically whatever authorised purpose they are applied to. Advice on the use of resources generally is contained in the trust finance and capital charges manuals which are issued to trusts and are available to board members. Copies of these manuals are available in the Library.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statutory provisions govern the use by NHS trusts of resources for purposes other than those related to health care provision; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  Paragraph 15 of part II of schedule 2 to the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 specifies that trusts shall have the powers specified in section 7(2) of the Health and Medicines Act 1988. These powers enable trusts to engage in activities, some of which may not be directly healthcare related, for the purpose of generating additional income to enable them better to perform their healthcare functions.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statutory provisions specifically prevent NHS trusts using financial assets for current speculation.

  Mr. Sackville
  The statutory provisions relating to the use of financial assets by national health service trusts are contained in schedule 3 to the National Health Service and Commuity Care Act 1990. Paragraph 1(3) of the schedule prohibits trusts from borrowing in any currency other than sterling except with the consent of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the approval of my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. No such consent has been given. Paragraph 7 of the schedule limits the manner in which trusts can invest any money held to securities of the Government of the United Kingdom or such other manner as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, approve. Approval has been given for investment in certain United Kingdom public sector institutions, banks which are authorised under part 1 of the Banking Act 1987, and building societies authorised under the Building Societies Act 1986.

  Mr. Ainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which legislative provision limits the uses to which the financial assets of NHS trusts may be put.

  Mr. Sackville
  The principal legislative provision relating to the financial assets of trusts is in schedule 3 to the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990: paragraphs 1 and 2 of the schedule govern trust borrowing, including the provision that a trust may not use its assets as security for loans, and paragraph 7 governs investment.

  Paragraph 6(2)d of schedule 2 to the Act provides for the Secretary of State to make directions restricting or prohibiting the disposal of an asset worth in excess of a value specified in trust establishment orders. All trusts have £1 million as the specified amount in their establishment order.
  851

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

  Mr. Bowis
  This year in England we estimate that between them local authorities and the Department of Social Security will incur net expenditure in the region of £3·5 billion supporting people in residential care and nursing homes. It is not possible to say how much of this is supporting people who have been resettled from long-stay hospitals or who might, under other circumstances, have entered such hospitals.

  Family Health Services Authorities
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost of(a) FHSA administration and (b) FHSA medicines in the latest available year.

  Mr. Sackville
  In 1992–93, the latest year for which figures are available, family health services authority administration amounted to £161,881,000. Expenditure on drugs by the family health services was £2,641,332,000.

  FHSAs manage the introduction of general practitioner fundholding, the monitoring of GP prescribing, and the development of clinical audit in primary care—all initiatives aimed at improving the effectiveness of patient care and value for money.

  Number of dentists deregistering patients and number of patients deregistered July 1992 to February 1994

  Number of dentists deregistering adults

  Number of adult patients deregistered

  Number of dentists deregistering children

  ' Number of child patients deregistered

  London FHSAs

  338

  39,127

  15

  85

  Barnet

  42

  4,858

  2

  8

  Brent and Harrow

  7

  1,542

  2

  2

  Ealing, Hammersmith and Houslow

  1

  35

  —

  —

  Hillingdon

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Kensington, Westminster and Chelsea

  15

  2,256

  —

  32

  Barking and Havering

  13

  3,842

  3

  7

  Camden and Islington

  12

  295

  —

  2

  City and East London

  31

  546

  3

  11

  Enfield and Haringey

  3

  978

  2

  3

  Redbridge and Waltham Forest

  9

  2,192

  1

  14

  Greenwich and Bexley

  23

  4,355

  —

  —

  Bromley

  39

  13,175

  1

  2

  Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

  29

  446

  —

  —

  Croydon

  69

  1,889

  —

  —

  Kingston and Richmond

  9

  972

  —

  —

  Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

  36

  1,746

  1

  4

  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of increases in the costs of dental treatment in(a) London and (b) England as a result of the Government's changes in the payment framework for dentists treating NHS patients.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  There have been no changes to the system for paying dentists since October 1990, when continuing care and capitation payments were introduced. The consequences of these changes, and other relevant factors, were considered at the time by the dental rates study group and were reflected in its recommended dental fee scale.
  852
  In 1992–93 FHSA administration expenditure represented only 2·5 per cent. of the £6·5 billion of taxpayers' money spent on the FHS.

  Dentistry
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of dentists deregistering their patients on the level of dental health in(a) London and (b) England.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Dental treatment under the national health service is available throughout England. Over the period July 1992 to December 1993 there was a net increase in the number of patients registered with dentists and in the number of dentists in contract with family health services authorities, in both London and England.

  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been deregistered by their dentists in each of the London health authority areas during each of the last five years; and how many dentists in each of the London health authority areas have been involved in the deregistration.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The available information is shown in the table. In the London area 338 dentists deregistered 39,127 adult patients and 15 dentists deregistered 85 child patients between July 1992 and February 1994. Some dentists will appear in both counts. Over the period July 1992 to December 1993, in the London area there was a net increase of 168,000 registrations and a net increase of 21 dentists contracted to family health services authorities.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when she will publish her Department's response to the oral health strategy; and if she will make a statement;

  (2) if she will publish the Government's response to the Bloomfield report on dental services; and if she will make a statement.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Gower (Mr. Wardell) on 18 February at column 1042.
  853

  Asthma
  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence has been presented to her Department about the incidence of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in the London borough of Lewisham.

  Mr. Sackville
  None, as far as I am aware.

  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how she proposes to protect the health of asthma sufferers in London; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  Whilst no specific initiative is proposed for London, last July the Department of Health launched the chronic disease management programme, which is an organised programme of care run by general practitioners for people with asthma. The national health service management executive wrote to health authorities, GP purchasers and hospital providers last December, EL(93)115, asking them to work towards providing services based on the British Thoracic Society's "Guidelines on the Management of Asthma". Copies are available in the Library.

  In 1992–93 the Medical Research Council, which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, spent £1·5 million on research into asthma and areas which may be relevant to the condition. Moreover, we attach high importance to the prompt and appropriate treatment of people with asthma.

  Mrs. Bridget Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her policy concerning the allocation of resources to the treatment and prevention of asthma; and what studies her Department has made of its incidence in childhood.

  Mr. Sackville
  The care of asthma patients is provided for through resources made available to the national health service.

  It is for individual health authorities to determine the level of service provision required to meet the needs of people with asthma in their area. Priorities are determined in the light of local circumstances.

  West Midlands Regional Health Authority
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring her Department is undertaking of the current performance of the West Midlands regional health authority; and what oversight is being conducted of its attempts to clear up past problems identified by the Committee of Public Accounts.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The performance of all regional health authorities is monitored by the national health service management executive—NHSME—through a process of continuous review, including quarterly meetings and an annual review by the chief executive of the NHSME. Performance is measured against progress being made on objectives agreed each year between the NHSME and each regional health authority set out in their regional corporate contracts. With regard to the past problems in west midlands identified by the Public Accounts Committee, actions have been taken by the RHA to resolve these problems and these actions have been closely monitored by the NHSME.
  854

  Leeds Health Authorities
  Mr. Gunnell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the combined administrative costs of the Leeds East and Leeds West health authorities in 1988–89; and what is the administrative cost of Leeds healthcare in 1992–93.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  The combined total administrative costs of Leeds East and Leeds West health authorities in 1988–89 were £5,907,495. The administrative cost of Leeds health authority in 1992–93 was £4,308,416. The 1992–93 figures are provisional and are not comparable to those of 1988–89.

  Press and Public Relations Officers
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 18 February,Official Report, column 1048, if she can now supply the figures for press and public relations officers employed by the NHS in 1991, 1992 and 1993.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Information is not available centrally on the numbers of press and public relations officers. After 1990 the method of collecting staffing figures changed and it was no longer possible to disaggregate staff engaged in particular areas of work.

  Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths have occurred as a result of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is shown in the table.

  Number of deaths from hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (ICD 425.1)1 in the United Kingdom 1988 to 1992

  Total

  1988

  79

  1989

  76

  1990

  64

  1991

  77

  19922

  78

  1 International Classification of Diseases 9th revision.

  2Data for 1992 are provisional.

  Wandsworth Health Authority
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the present number of psychiatric nurses employed within the Wandsworth health authority.

  Mr. Sackville
  This is a matter for Wandsworth health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact Dr. Enid Vincent, the chairman of the authority, for details.

  Long-term Care
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will give details of the guidelines issued by her Department to local health authorities on their responsibilities to provide long-term care for people who need it for reasons of ill-health; and what monitoring is done by her Department on provisions;

  (2) what guidelines have been issued by her Department to local health authorities defining their responsibilities to

  855
  provide long-term care for people who need it for reasons of ill-health; and what monitoring is done by her Department on availability of provision.

  Mr. Bowis
  The "Caring for People" White Paper makes it clear that the provision of continuing care for those who need it for reasons of ill health remains the responsibility of the national health service. It is a matter for district health authorities to determine in consultation with local social services authorities the level and type of care required. As part of the new community care arrangements we have required health and local authorities to agree their respective responsibilities for long-term care. This was a pre-condition of the 1993–94 and 1994–95 special transitional grant and covered by guidance in executive letters EL(92)82 and EL(93)97, copies of which are in the Library. There has been an extensive programme of monitoring of the new community care arrangements including the operation of agreements on continuing care responsibilities.

  Eye Tests
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been given by her Department to opticians on the content of a standard eye test.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  An optician who carries out a sight test is required, by regulations, to perform (i) an examination of the external surface of the eye and its immediate vicinity, (ii) an infra-ocular examination, and (iii) such additional examinations as the optician considers clinically necessary.

  Bassetlaw Hospital
  Mr. Ashton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the nature of the recent incidents which resulted in(a) the calling of an inquiry at Bassetlaw hospital, Worksop, and (b) the calling in of the Nottinghamshire police;

  (2) how many (a) members of the public and (b) members of the staff and of the latter in which grades, and which departments, were involved in the inquiry at Bassetlaw hospital;

  (3) what consultations will take place between trade unions at Bassetlaw hospital and the hospital trust and the North Nottinghamshire regional health authority following the recent inquiry.

  Mr. Sackville
  This is a matter for the Bassetlaw hospital and community services national health service trust. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman, Mrs. Valerie Dickinson, for details.

  Mr. Ashton
  To ask the Secretary of. State for Health what has been the involvement of her Department in the inquiry into the security of the intensive care unit at Bassetlaw hospital.

  Mr. Sackville
  None.

  Mr. Ashton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the report of the inquiry into the intensive therapy unit at Bassetlaw hospital.

  Mr. Sackville
  We understand that the Bassetlaw hospital and community services national health service trust has conducted an internal investigation and a report has been handed to the police.
  856
  Mr. Ashton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department first learned that an inquiry into the security and tampering of equipment in the intensive therapy unit at Bassetlaw hospital was taking place.

  Mr. Sackville
  The Department was notified on Friday, 25 February.

  London Ambulance Service
  Mr. Brandreth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has received a report from the South West Thames regional health authority showing the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the 1993 inquiry report into the failure of the computer-aided dispatch system at the London ambulance service.

  Mr. Sackville
  I understand that the South West Thames regional health authority—RHA—is today publishing a report of progress by the London ambulance service—LAS—in implementing the inquiry team's recommendations. The report, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, will be considered at a public meeting of the RHA next week.

  As the Government announced in December, a further £14·8 million is being invested in the LAS in 1994–95 to help it improve its services. This money will enable the LAS to buy 120 new accident and emergency vehicles and recruit 240 additional staff. The extra money is being tied to specific targets for improving ambulance performance against national patients charter standards.

  Hospital Security
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures she has taken to prevent the abduction of children from hospital maternity wards;

  (2) what resources are available to NHS trusts and district health authorities to improve the security of hospitals;

  (3) what guidelines she will issue to health authorities and NHS trusts following the recent abduction of a baby from the Royal United hospital in Bath.

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) on 26 May 1993 at columns 577–78. Security arrangements at all health service premises, for the protection of patients and the staff who care for them, rests with local managers. They are in the best position to decide what is needed to cope with the local situation and what proportion of their resources should be directed to security matters.

  To help them in this task, in March 1992 the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts—NAHAT —published, with financial assistance from the Department, a revised edition of the "National Health Service Security Manual". The Department provided copies for each unit and commended it to them as an excellent source of advice and guidance, copies of which are available in the Library.

  National health service managers have a difficult balance to strike between allowing access to visitors, families and staff, while ensuring that there are satisfactory arrangements for the security of all those who use the hospital for lawful purposes.
  857

  GP Fundholders
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent general practitioner fundholders may vary national terms and conditions of employment for directly employed staff; and whether such conditions of employment or any applicable professional code of practice take precedence in the event of conflict.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Like all general practitioners, GP fundholders are independent contractors who employ staff on the basis of statutory employment legislation.

  Staff Relations (Public and Media)
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps have been taken to ensure that primary care staff are aware of the guidance on staff relations with the public and media;

  (2) if the guidance for staff on relations with the public and media is applicable to staff directly employed by general practitioner fundholding general practitioners.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 25 February at column 525.

  Private Health Insurance
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had in the last 12 months with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of(a) extending tax relief on private health insurance to those aged under 60 years or (b) abolishing tax relief for those aged over 60 years; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  None. The tax relief on private medical insurance enables those with insurance to retain cover at a time when income falls and premiums rise and also reduces pressure on the national health service.

  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will recommend that the schedule for the 1995 general household survey contain questions on private medical insurance in British households.

  Mr. Sackville
  Questions for possible inclusion in the 1995 general household survey have yet to be agreed.

  Pay Beds
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list each dedicated national health service pay bed unit and its total income from private patients in each year since 1990–91.

  Mr. Sackville
  Information on the local provision of pay beds is held by health authorities and national health service trusts. The income raised is used to improve services for all patients.

  Hospital Equipment
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what safeguards exist to protect patients from unauthorised interference with equipment in hospitals.

  Mr. Sackville
  It is a matter for the local management to ensure that appropriate strategies and procedures are in place which will ensure a safe and secure environment for patients.

  NHS Supplies Authority
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the scope of the NHS Supplies Authority research in the summer of 1993; and what was the circulation of the results.

  Mr. Sackville
  An extensive survey of customers was carried out by national health service Supplies last summer covering a wide cross-section of almost 2,000 people within the customer base, ranging from chief executives to ward sisters. The results were communicated to staff, customers and the media.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average length of time between orders being placed with the NHS Supplies Authority and the delivery of goods.

  Mr. Sackville
  Between three and five working days for stock goods. All distribution centres operate a two to three-hour emergency service.

  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trusts contract with the NHS Supplies Authority; and what percentage the NHSSA has as its sole supplier.

  Mr. Sackville
  National Health Service Supplies has contracts to provide a supplies service to 99 per cent. of NHS trusts. There are no trusts that use NHS Supplies to supply every item they purchase.

  Sulphamethoxazole
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths linked to the use of sulphamethoxazole have been reported by doctors to the Committee on Safety of Medicines; what research the committee has undertaken into the number of unreported cases; what action has been taken; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Sackville
  Sulphamethoxazole has not been available as a single constituent product since 1977. Prior to this time, no suspected adverse reactions with a fatal outcome were reported in association with Sulphamethoxazole alone. Since 1977, it has been available only as a multi-constituent product in combination with trimethoprim, as co-trimoxazole. The Committee on Safety of Medicines—CSM—has received 135 reports of deaths suspected to have been associated with the use of co-trimoxazole. Such reports do not necessarily mean that the drug was responsible. Co-trimoxazole has been very widely used. Some 87 million prescriptions have been dispensed since the drug was first marketed in the United Kingdom.

  No specific research has been undertaken by the CSM with respect to under-reporting of suspected adverse reactions to co-trimoxazole.

  Reports of serious and fatal adverse reactions to co-trimoxazole have been kept under review by the CSM. In July 1985 an article was published in "Current Problems", its regular drug safety bulletin, informing doctors of deaths, predominately due to blood dyscrasias and skin reactions, reported in association with co-trimoxazole. In addition, the data sheet for cotrimoxazole, produced by the manufacturer and authorised by the licensing authority, fully reflects its known side-effects.
  859

  Out-patient Consultant Episodes
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of out-patient consultant episodes for each year since 1987–88.

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is shown in the table:

  Consultant out-patient activity 1987–88 to 1992–93

  All out-patient attendances

  First out-patient attendances

  1987–88

  36,846,100

  8,513,700

  1988–89

  36,117,800

  8,389,400

  1989–90

  36,305,200

  8,519,400

  1990–91

  36,111,500

  8,501,800

  1991–92

  36,893,700

  8,941,500

  1992–93

  37,527,000

  9,342,300

  Source: Department of Health return KH09.

  Social Work Training
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the expected cost of her proposals for a national care curriculum for social work training; and whether extra funding will be made available to meet this cost;

  (2) when she will introduce her proposed national care curriculum for social work training;

  (3) if she will list the organisations that will be consulted on her proposals for a national care curriculum for social work training.

  Mr. Bowis
  We know of no such care curriculum. Perhaps the hon. Member will write to me.

  Finished Consultant Episodes
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what considerations underlie the publication of the total number of finished consultant episodes in national health service hospitals in 1992–93 and not of the number of private patient finished consultant episodes.

  Mr. Sackville
  Information on private patients treated in national health service hospitals is not collected separately via aggregate central returns, but is obtainable from "Hospital Episode Statistics". These data are not yet available for 1992–93. Information on patients in private hospitals is not collected by the Department.

  Rampton Hospital
  Mr. Ashton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many and what percentage of patients have been injured by other patients in each of the past 10 years at Rampton hospital;

  (2) how long the review of the management of violence and aggression at Rampton hospital is estimated to last;

  (3) what assessment she has made of reasons for variations in the annual number of attacks on staff by patients at Rampton hospital;

  (4) how many recorded incidents there were of attacks on staff by patients at Rampton hospital in each of the past 10 years;

  (5) what changes there have been in the training of staff in restraint in the past five years at Rampton hospital; and what was the expenditure on restraint and control training in each of those years;

  (6) how many working days were lost at Rampton hospital in respect of staff suffering from violent attacks or stress-related illness in each of the last five years;
  860
  (7) if she will give the reasons behind the withdrawal and non-replacement of defence shields at Rampton hospital.

  Mr. Bowis
  The information requested is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of the Special Hospitals Service Authority.

  Ministerial Meetings
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings there have been in the last 12 months between herself, a Health Minister, parliamentary private secretaries or parliamentary under-secretary and representatives of private health insurance companies.

  Mr. Sackville
  Five meetings.

  Consultants (Merit Awards)
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the allocation of merit awards to consultants is dependent on whether a consultant is employed by the national health service in a part-time or full-time capacity; and how many consultants earn less than £1,000 annually in private sector work.

  Dr. Mawhinney
  Eligibility for distinction awards is not dependent on whether a consultant is employed in a part-time or whole-time capacity. The actual amount payable to a part-timer is determined on a pro rata basis. Information on the number of consultants with private earnings of less than £1,000 per annum is not available. However, in 1988–89 it is estimated that about 25 per cent. of hospital consultants had no private earnings.

  Mentally Ill People
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has held with the Home Office and the Department of the Environment regarding the need to improve co-ordination between the Department, the police and social services in the treatment of her mentally ill in the wake of the report of the inquiry into the care and treatment of Christopher Clunis.

  Mr. Bowis
  We fully endorse the importance placed by the inquiry on co-ordination in this area. The Department works closely with the Home Office to encourage effective liaison between the police and other criminal justice agencies and the health and social services.

  Amenity Beds
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national health service patients paid a charge for an amenity bed in 1992–93; and what percentage of them were receiving national health service treatment in NHS hospitals, excluding trusts.

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 4 February at columns 985–86.

EMPLOYMENT

  Job Clubs
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total cost for the recent market testing of Employment Service job clubs, including the staff time of those involved in preparing the bids.
  861
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The costs of running the market test, including the staff time of those involved in preparing the bids has been estimated to be £132,000. The full annual value of the services prior to testing was £8·4 million and following the market test the equivalent cost is anticipated to be £8·1 million. The competition costs should be recovered within six months.

  Advertising
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to his answer of 14 February,Official Report, column 644, what was the budgeted and actual cost of each of the public information campaigns listed.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information requested is set out in the following table:

  Campaign

  1993–94 Budgeted spend £

  Make it your Business

  2,000,000

  1993 National Training Awards

  564,000

  Career Development Loans

  1,870,000

  Careers Service

  150,000

  New Horizons for Women

  300,000

  Just the Job/New Measures

  1,800,000

  Employer Campaign

  1,300,000

  Disability

  1,300,000

  Employees in Employment: Great Britain (seasonally adjusted)

  Thousands

  Full-time males

  Percentage of male working age population

  Full-time females

  Percentage of female working age population

  1973

  12,824

  77·2

  5,530

  36·6

  1979

  112,390

  73·0

  5,598

  35·9

  1989

  10,814

  60·3

  5,936

  36·3

  19932

  9,405

  52·2

  5,485

  33·3

  1Employees data relates to 1978.

  2September 1993; latest data available.

  Full-time employees data are unavailable prior to 1971.

  Manufacturing Industry
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by what percentage the number of weekly hours worked by all operators in manufacturing industry has fallen since 1989; and when he expects the number to recover to the 1989 level.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Since 1989, the index of total weekly hours worked by all operatives in manufacturing fell by 29 per cent.

  Construction Industry
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what statistics are available on the construction industry regarding(a) fatalities and (b) injuries that were directly the result of negligent employers breaking criminal health and safety laws over the last five years.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Information is not available in the form requested. The number of fatalities and other injuries occurring in the construction industry over the last five years was set out in tables 2., 3 and 4 of the Health and Safety Commission's 1992–93 annual report.
  862
  As these campaigns are ongoing and will continue after the end of the current financial year, actual costs are not yet known.

  Campaign

  1993–94 Budgeted Spend £

  Actual cost £

  Workstart

  15,000

  14,079

  Jobfinders Grant

  35,000

  18,419

  Work Trials

  15,000

  13,541

  Community Action

  15,000

  12,403

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the number of full-time(a) male and (b) female employees in 1968, 1973, 1979, 1989 and 1993 in numbers and as a percentage of the population of adult working age in each case.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The available information is given in the following table:

  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the estimated cost of occupational ill-health in the construction industry during 1993.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  No estimates are available of the specific cost of occupational ill health in the construction industry during 1993. However, a recent study by the Health and Safety Executive shows that in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the direct cost to employers of work-related ill health in Great Britain.

  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made in the last five years in reducing the. accident level in the construction industry.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Both the numbers and rates of injuries to employees have continued to fall over the last five years; the trend for every category of injury and for each year is downwards, more sharply in the last two years. Injury rates among the self-employed are also improving, the last three years' figures being generally lower than at the end of the 1980s.

  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from the Health and Safety Executive regarding predictable and
  863
  preventable construction fatalities that were directly a result of negligent employers breaking health and safety laws.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The Health and Safety Executive has periodically briefed Ministers on the preventable nature of construction industries and the need to improve health and safety management in the industry. With this objective I expect shortly to receive proposals from the Health and Safety Commission for new Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.

  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people over the past five years have died in the construction industry due to accidents on site and industrial-related diseases.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The hon. Member will have the Health and Safety Commission's 1992–93 annual report, published last November, tables 2, 3 and 4 of which contain the detailed injury figures. Figures for work-related ill health in construction or any other industry are not generally available due to the difficulty in relating deaths to possible fatal exposures occurring years before. However, for the five-year period 1987 and 1991, about 20 per cent. of the people whose death certificates mentioned mesothelioma as a cause of death had a last full-time occupation in the construction industry.

  Upper Limb Disorders
  Mr. Parry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures his Department has undertaken to provide information and appropriate occupational health expertise to employers who have employees that are in high-risk work related upper limb disorders occupations.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Measures taken by the Health and Safety Executive in recent years have included:

  General guidance for employers on preventing work related upper limb disorders published in 1990;

  A four-year campaign to raise employer awareness of work-related musculo-skeletal harm, including workplace visits, presentations, and leaflets. The final phase will be launched in April;

  Guidance to family doctors on identifying any workplace dimension to upper limb disorders in patients, through a booklet and audio cassette;

  An expansion of ergonomics training for HSE's employment medical advisory service staff and inspectors;

  HSE ergonomic advice in workplaces identified as high risk.

  An action programme recently agreed by the Health and Safety Commission included further plans for a simple guide for supervisors on assessing risks of these disorders; a booklet of case studies of practical solutions to ergonomic problems and guidance for the ceramics, food processing, and rubber sectors.

  Career Development Loans
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the annual cost to his Department of administering the operation of the career development loans scheme.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Administration costs associated with the career development loan programme were £212,000 in 1992–93, compared with £206,000 in 1991–92.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what arrangements exist for writing off the debt incurred by those applying for funding under the career development loan scheme.
  864
  Miss Widdecombe
  There are no arrangements for writing off career development loan debts. CDLs operate similar to normal unsecured personal loans and, as CDL literature points out, borrowers are responsible for repaying to the bank the loan and interest on it at the end of the repayment holiday period, currently the period of training and up to three months afterwards.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many loans made under the career development loan scheme in each year since the introduction of the scheme were for courses with a duration of(a) less than three months, (b) between three and six months, (c) between six and 12 months and (d) more than 12 months.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The following table sets out the number of approved career development loans by course duration, for each of the financial years since the scheme was introduced nationally in July 1988.

  Career development loans by course duration

  Financial year

  Less than three months

  Three months and up to six

  Six months and up to 12

  More than 12 months1

  1988–89

  401

  188

  1,787

  —

  1989–90

  842

  369

  5,286

  —

  1990–91

  1,033

  498

  6,073

  —

  1991–92

  1,543

  788

  8,233

  —

  1992–93

  1,237

  935

  8,172

  —

  21993–94

  1,153

  889

  8,321

  26

  1 CDLs for courses lasting longer than one year and up to two years were only available from April 1993 through local sponsorship by training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies. From April 1994 the criteria for all CDLs will be extended to courses lasting up to two years.

  2 Figures for 1993–94 are as at 1 March 1994.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the annual cost to his Department of meeting interest charges on interest-free loans awarded under the career development loan scheme.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Employment Department currently pays the interest on career development loans whilst the borrower is undertaking training and for up to three months afterwards. From April this year the Department will pay the interest during the period of training and for up to one month afterwards. Borrowers who are registered unemployed one month after completing training may apply to the bank to defer repayments for up to a further five months. During 1992–93 the cost to the Department of meeting interest charges was £3·4 million, compared with £2·8 million in 1991–92.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which financial institutions operate the career development loan scheme in conjunction with his Department; and what remuneration they receive for this service.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The Department operates career development loans in partnership with three major high street banks—Barclays, the Co-operative and the Clydesdale. Under the conditions of the scheme the Department agrees to pay interest charges on loans while the borrower is training and for up to three months afterwards. From April this year, the Department will pay the interest during the period of training and for up to one
  865
  month afterwards. Borrowers who are registered unemployed one month after completing training may apply to the bank to defer repayments for up to a further five months.

  In addition, the Department agrees to pay the banks the value of defaulted CDLs up to an agreed percentage limit of the bank's CDL lending portfolio.

  The Department also pays the banks a small administration charge, £45 plus VAT in each case, in connection with loans of less than £300 and costs associated with recovering moneys on defaulted loans. Total costs since the scheme began have been modest, £3,491 and £1,532, respectively.

  Number of approved career development loans

  Value of approved loans

  1988–89

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–95

  1993–941

  Up to £500

  211

  347

  334

  658

  609

  613

  £501 to £1,000

  467

  1,410

  1,049

  1,467

  1,383

  1,286

  £1,001 to £2,000

  612

  2,064

  2,906

  3,068

  2,752

  2,379

  £2,001 to £3,000

  306

  594

  894

  1,501

  1,360

  1,476

  £3,001 to £5,000

  780

  2,082

  2,421

  3,870

  4,240

  4,622

  Over £5,0002

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  13

  Total number of loans

  2,376

  6,497

  7,604

  10,564

  10,344

  10,386

  Average value of loans

  £2,401

  £2,417

  £2,477

  £2,643

  £2,778

  £2,911

  Notes: 1Figures for 1993–94 are as at 1 March 1994.

  2CDLs for loans over £5,000 and up to £10,000 were only available from April 1993 through local sponsorship by training and enterprise councils (TECs) and local enterprise companies (LECs). From April 1994 the loan criteria for all CDLs will extend to £8,000.

  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the career development loan scheme; what assessment has been made of the employment status of applicants to the scheme; what assessment has been made of the employment status of those who complete the scheme; and what types of courses were founded under the scheme.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The career development loan programme is monitored closely and includes follow-up questionnaires being sent to a sample of trainees three months after they have completed their training. The 1992–93 annual report on CDLs shows that with total public expenditure costs for CDLs amounting to £15·27 per training week, costs are much smaller than those associated with other publicly funded training programmes.

  Currently, 30 per cent. of trainees are employed full-time at the time of applying for a CDL and a further 30 per cent. are registered unemployed. More than two out of three obtain jobs as soon as they finish their training.

  A wide variety of courses are supported by CDLs, ranging from postgraduate to sport and tourism. Further information on CDLs, including a list of the varying types of courses undertaken, can be found in the 1992–93 annual report, a copy of which is available in the Library.

  Freephone and Freepost
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the annual cost to his Department of running freephone and freepost facilities related to the career development scheme.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The cost of the Department of freephone and freepost facilities associated with career development loans were £10,000 and £4,500, respectively
  866
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have been accepted under the career development loans scheme for each year since its introduction; what was the average amount of loan made; and how many loans were made(a) up to £500, (b) between £500 and £1,000, (c) between £1,00 and £2,000, (d) between £2,000 and £3,000, (e) between £3,000 and £5,000 and (f) and over £5,000 in each year since the introduction of the scheme.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The following table sets out the number of approved career development loans by loan value, for each of the financial years since the scheme was introduced nationally in July 1988.

  in 1992–93. The further costs of handling the freephone and freepost responses and dispatching the requested literature amounted to some £145,000.

  Industrial Tribunals
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many decisions calling for the reinstatement of employees dismissed by their employers have been given by industrial tribunals; and how many of these have been(a) acted on and (b) not acted on by those employers in each of the last five years.

  Miss Widdecombe
  The details, which are for both reinstatement and re-engagement orders, are as follows:

  Complied with

  Not complied with

  Total

  1988–89

  1—

  1—

  59

  1989–90

  1—

  1—

  59

  1990–91

  1—

  1—

  64

  1991–92

  70

  1

  71

  1992–93

  65

  8

  73

  1 Not available.

  I regret that figures showing the numbers of orders complied with or not complied with are not available for the years 1988 to 1990.

  Labour Statistics
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women between the ages of 16 and 59 years there are; and what percentage of them are economically active in(a) Cornwall (b) Devon, (c) East Sussex, (d) Essex, (e) Hereford and Worcester, (f) the Isle of Wight, (g) Merseyside, (h) Mid-Glamorgan and (i) West Sussex.
  867
  Miss Widdecombe
  Estimates from the summer, June to August, 1993 Labour Force Survey show that 65.5 per cent. of women aged between 16 and 59 in Merseyside were economically active. LFS estimates, by sex, for this specific age group are not available for levels below region or metropolitan area.

  Population estimates and economic activity rates for each area, relating to women aged 16 to 59 are available from the 1991 census of population and can be obtained via the NOMIS database in the Library. In addition, the population estimates are updated annually and the most recent figures, relating to June 1992, are given in the following table:

  Estimated resident population at mid-1992

  thousands

  Counties

  Women aged 16–59

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  131·6

  Devon

  289·2

  East Sussex

  196·8

  Essex

  453·3

  Hereford and Worcester

  199·3

  Isle of Wight

  33·0

  Merseyside

  418·2

  Mid-Glamorgan

  155·6

  West Sussex

  195·9

  Source:

  Population Estimates Unit, OPCS.

  Employment Agencies
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will consider introducing legislation to amend the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 to allow workers who are paid by and contracted to a temporary employment agency, yet classed as being self-employed, to claim redundancy payments if the employment agency goes into liquidation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Payments under the redundancy and insolvency provisions of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 can be made to employees, as

  Places allocated

  Resources allocated £

  Percentage of places taken up after six months Per cent.

  1 Cost of scheme after six months £

  East Kent

  250

  660,000

  39

  61,880

  South London

  250

  660,000

  32

  48,550

  Tyneside

  250

  660,000

  18

  25,440

  Devon and Cornwall

  250

  660,000

  2

  2,280

  1The figures given are the amounts paid to employers under the scheme. In addition each pilot will have Incurred marketing and administration costs from within its total allocation of £660,000.

LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

  Privy Council
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Lord President of the Council to which bodies the Privy Council makes appointments; what is the total membership of these bodies; how many members of each are appointed by the Privy Council; and 868
  defined in the Act. Workers contracted to a temporary employment agency are not excluded from the legislation and may be eligible for payments provided that the facts of their contract with the agency are consistent with employee status, whether or not the agency classified them as self-employed. Whether a particular individual is an employee for these purposes is therefore a question of fact to be determined where necessary by an industrial tribunal. The courts have laid down criteria for distinguishing employees from the self-employed. There are no plans to change the legislation.

  Youth Training Scheme
  Sir Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of participants on the former youth training scheme found subsequent employment as a result of a placement on the scheme.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Of all those who left the former youth training scheme in its last full year of operation—April 1989 to March 1990—in Great Britain, 67 per cent. went into full-time or part-time employment or self-employment.

  Workstart
  Sir Ralph Howell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many places were allocated to each of the four workstart pilot schemes and the North Norfolk Action pilot scheme; how much money was allocated to each scheme; what percentage of places was taken up on each of the five schemes after the first six months of operation in each case; and how much each scheme has cost after the first six months of operation.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  A total of £750,000 was allocated to the North Norfolk Action pilot scheme. One hundred and eight work experience opportunities are available. After six months, 125 have participated in the work experience part of North Norfolk Action. Currently 58 per cent. of the places are filled. The cost of these places is some £114,000.

  The informtion requested on the Workstart pilots is as follows:

  if he will list the bodies according to the Government Department or other organisation that makes the recommendations for appointments.

  Mr. Newton
  In respect of the first and third parts of the question, I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's reply of 27 January 1994 at columns 359–60, to a question from the hon. Member for Cannock and Burntwood (Dr. Wright).
  869
  The full information relating to the second part of the question is not held centrally and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. The remaining information requested is as follows:

  Body to which appointments are made

  Recommendations/comments sought from

  Council and Academic Advisory Committee of the University of Buckingham

  The University

  Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine

  Health Departments

  Court of the University of Kent at Canterbury

  The University

  General Optical Council

  Health Departments

  Court of the University of Lancaster

  The University

  Council and Statutory Committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

  The Society, and Health Departments

  Council of the University of the South Pacific

  Foreign and Commonwealth Office

  Court and Conference of the University of Stirling

  The University

  General Convocation of the University of Strathclyde

  The University

  Court of the University of Sussex

  The University

  Council of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

  The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

  Council of the Royal Veterinary College

  The College

DEFENCE

  Operation Sharp Guard
  Sir Dudley Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the continued progress and effectiveness of Operation Sharp Guard; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  Royal Navy ships and aircraft and RAF Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft continue to contribute to operations in the Adriatic to monitor and enforce compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions on trade sanctions and the arms embargo against the former Yugoslavia. NATO/WEU Operation Sharp Guard continues to be highly successful. Since enforcement operations began, there have been over 27,000 challenges of suspected violators and over 1,900 instances of ships being stopped and boarded, with over 450 diversions for inspections.

  Environmental Damage
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies have been carried out by his Department on the costs of damage to the environment caused by its activities.

  Mr. Hanley
  In line with Government policy, the Ministry of Defence seeks to identify, assess and, where practicable, minimise the environmental impacts of its activities. The identification and, where appropriate, rectification of environmental damage attributable to past defence activity, principally soil contamination, is 870
  undertaken where there is considered to be a risk to health and safety, where water quality is threatened or where land is being sold.

  Indonesia
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent additions there have been to the contracts for supplying military equipment to Indonesia.

  Mr. Aitken
  This is a matter for the customer and the supplier.

  Soviet Nuclear Submarine
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the implications for his Department of the sunken Soviet nuclear submarine Komsomolets.

  Mr. Hanley
  I am not aware of any specific implications for my Department.

  Radar Installations
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask. the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation has been made of the possible health risks of siting Ministry of Defence radar installations within close proximity to settlements; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  My Department sites radar installations in accordance with national guidelines. However, where there is concern about possible health implications from facilities in close proximity to settlements, my Department commissions independent consultants to carry out a full evaluation in accordance with DOE circular 15/88, Welsh Office circular 23/88—"Assessment of Environmental Effects"—and Scottish Office circular SDD 3/88.
  871

  Hercules
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the projected cost of replenishment of the current fleet of Hercules aircraft in use by the Royal Air Force; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  It would not be appropriate to release sensitive cost information particularly during the competitive procurement process that we are pursuing for the Hercules replacement/refurbishment programme. I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House in closing the debate on the Royal Air Force on 27 January,Official Report, columns 506–7.

  Air Training Corps
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations have been received on the question of the future of the Air Training Corps; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  My Department has received a number of representations on the future of the Air Training Corps. I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave during the Adjournment debate on the future of the Corps on 23 November 1993,Official Report, columns 421–28, and in my answer to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) on 21 February 1994, Official Report, column 68.

  C-130J Aircraft
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what would be the total cost of purchasing 30 C-130J aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force; what proposals there are to purchase such aircraft; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  It would not be appropriate to release sensitive cost information particularly during the competitive procurement process that we are pursuing for the Hercules replacement/refurbishment programme. As I explained to the House in closing the debate on the Royal Air Force on 27 January, columns 506–7, the C-130J aircraft is only one of the options under consideration.

  Anti-ballistic Missiles
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy on the development of a British or collaborative European anti-ballistic missile capability.

  Mr. Aitken
  We are considering whether the United Kingdom might have a future requirement for ballistic missile defence and are about to embark on a two-year programme of pre-feasibility studies to determine what options might be available. The United Kingdom is also fully involved in a number of international studies.

  Live Firing Exercises
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what notice was given to local fishermen before the live firings exercise involving the RAF and HMS Fearless, conducted outside the established exercise areas in the Minch in the week beginning 7 February; and if he will make a statement on future policy regarding notice for such exercises.

  Mr. Hanley
  The activity in the Minch involving HMS Fearless and the RAF took place on 10 February.872
  It was not a live firing exercise; only inert practice bombs were used and the activity was conducted wholly within the Clyde exercise areas. The firing was carried out in full accordance with established safety procedures which ensure the safety of other vessels. Since there is currently no requirement to inform mariners of this type of activity, no formal notification was given of the firing, although notices had been issued indicating that HMS Fearless would be operating in support of exercises in the area. There are no plans to alter the requirements governing the issue of formal warning notices, but we intend shortly to introduce a system for broadcasting details of firing intentions in local sea areas.

  Defence Review
  Mr. Macdonald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to conduct a review similar to that being conducted by the Director General of Testing and Evaluation, for all service ranges not under the director general; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Aitken
  The future requirements for MOD ranges are being reviewed as part of the defence costs study "Front Line First". The study is progressing well. As my hon. Friend the Minister for the Armed Forces made clear in his written answer of 18 February to the hon. Member for Warley, West (Mr. Spellar), the study is due to report in March, but it will not be until some time after this that final conclusions will be reached. Decisions taken as a result of the study will be announced in due course.

  Woolwich Arsenal
  Mr. Austin-Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were employed by his Department or its agencies at the Ministry of Defence Woolwich arsenal in each of the years 1964, 1970, 1980 and 1990; and how many are employed there currently.

  Mr. Aitken
  The number of staff currently employed by the MOD and Defence Research Agency at the Royal Arsenal is 413. Records do not exist for years prior to 1975, but available figures are: 1975–3,799;, 1980–2,823; 1990–1,544.

  Mozambique
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British military personnel are presently in Mozambique; and what tasks they are performing.

  Mr. Hanley
  As well as the defence attaché and his supporting staff of one, there are currently 14 British military personnel in Mozambique making up the Mozambique short-term training team. Their role is to supervise and monitor Mozambican instructors, previously trained by the Mozambique training team at Nyanga, Zimbabwe, in the training of the unified Mozambican army.

  Defence Contracts
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been the value to United Kingdom companies of defence contracts following the establishment of memoranda of understanding with(a) Bangladesh, (b) Ecuador, (c) India, (d) Indonesia, (e) Jordan, (f) Nigeria, (g) Oman, (h) Pakistan and (i) Thailand in each of the last five years.
  873
  Mr Aitken
  It is not generally Government policy to comment on the value of defence sales to individual countries.

  Defence Export Services Organisation
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to appoint the new head of the Defence Export Services Organisation; when the post was advertised; and how the successful candidate will be chosen.

  Mr Aitken
  The post was advertised on 29 September 1993. Executive search consultants were employed to help to identify suitable candidates. A decision on the appointment will follow in due course.

  Arms Sales
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with which countries the Government have a protocol on arms sales; and when each one was entered into.

  Mr Aitken
  Her Majesty's Government signed protocols on arms sales with the Government of Malaysia in 1988 and with the Government of Brunei in 1989.

  Desert Storm Syndrome
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will establish an independent scientific inquiry into reports of the existence of a medical condition peculiar to service in the Gulf conflict; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  We have no plans to do so as there remains no clinical evidence that members of the British armed forces who served in the Gulf conflict are suffering from any unexplained medical symptoms which would call for such an inquiry. My Department continues to monitor all the available information on the alleged syndrome and continues to offer medical assessments for those United Kingdom Gulf war personnel who are concerned about their health. Of the 11 so far assessed—of the 14 who have come forward for examination—all have been found to be suffering from separate but recognised medical conditions unconnected with their service in the Gulf.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent communications he has received from legal firms concerning Desert Storm syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  The Ministry of Defence has received correspondence from two firms of solicitors concerning the reported effects of the so-called Desert Storm syndrome. One is acting on behalf of an individual; the other wrote on behalf of a group of solicitors who have indicated that they will be acting for a number of service and ex-service personnel. We have not yet been informed how many individuals this group will represent.

  Yugoslavia
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to send additional British troops to Bosnia; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  A total of 120 additional British troops were deployed to UNPROFOR Bosnia-Herzegovina 874
  command last month. The Government have no plans at this stage to send further troops, but will continue to keep developments in Bosnia under review.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 18 February,Official Report, column 1054, whether those British service personnel in the former Yugoslavia who will be participating in the two-month trial of the United Nations system of supply are volunteers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Hanley
  British personnel stationed at Tomislavgrad have been chosen to participate in the United Nations food trial. Tomislavgrad is a staging post for convoys and as such is subject to a fluctuating complement of personnel. This unit has been chosen, therefore, as it represents a rigorous examination of the United Nation's ability to maintain the quantity and quality of rations demanded by the British contingent in Bosnia. Since the trial must involve a complete unit, seeking individual volunteers would be impractical.

  Mountain Rescue
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost per hour of operating the RAF search and rescue mountain rescue teams based at Scottish airfields.

  Mr. Hanley
  No charges are recovered for assistance given by the RAF mountain rescue teams except when provided in connection with civil aviation incidents. The cost per hour of operating the RAF MRTs is dependent upon the manpower and resources utilised in undertaking the task and costs vary in accordance with the number and grade of personnel involved, and the number and type of vehicles used.

  Sea King Helicopters
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost per hour of operating a Sea King helicopter on search and rescue duty.

  Mr. Hanley
  The cost of operating an RAF Sea King search and rescue helicopter on duty is £5,210 per hour at full cost.

  Defence Contracts
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wallsend (Mr. Byers) of 24 February,Official Report, column 383, in the case of which countries with whom memoranda of understanding were agreed such agreement was preceded by the drawing up of a protocol.

  Mr. Aitken
  Malaysia is the only country with which the Government have signed a defence procurement protocol prior to a memorandum of understanding.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Playing Fields
  Ms Hoey
  To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee when hon. Members will be given full access to the "Register of Playing Fields in England and Wales"; and what has caused the delay in access for Members.
  875
  Mr. Waller
  In answer to the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Mr. Pendry) on 12 January 1994,Official Report, column 209, the Department of National Heritage stated that the Sports Council would be providing the register's database on diskette to the Library of the House. Unfortunately the database has been supplied in a form which is not usable with existing Library software without significant programming effort, and the volume of data is too great to be provided in the form of a print-out. The Library has, however, made arrangements to obtain sample data in spreadsheet format from Birkbeck college, which maintains the database, and will continue to explore alternative means of access for Members.

  7 Millbank
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what was the cost of the initial refurbishment of 7 Millbank; if he will identify the cost of building the canteen and kitchen area; what is the estimated cost of further refurbishment of 7 Millbank; and if he will identify the cost of expanding the canteen and kitchen area.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  The cost of the building works at 7 Millbank will be some £6·3 million. The cost of the canteen and kitchen area is not separately identified in the contract. £100,000 is provided in the estimate for 1994–95 for an extension to the cafeteria and servery—there are no plans to expand the kitchen.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Value Added Tax
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the latest estimate of the total revenue raised by VAT in the current financial year; and what will be the likely take in each of the next two financial years.

  Sir John Cope
  A total of £38½ billion, £43 billion and £48 billion respectively.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the average family paid in VAT in 1979; and what is the most recent figure.

  Sir John Cope
  [holding answer 23 February 1994]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer gave to the hon. Member for Halifax (Mrs. Mahon) earlier today.

  Interest Rates
  Mr. David Martin
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the Governor of the Bank of England to discuss interest rates.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I meet the Governor regularly to discuss a range of economic and monetary issues, including interest rates.

  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average rate of interest over each of(a) the past two years and (b) the average between February 1974 to May 1979; and if he will make a statement.
  876
  Mr. Nelson
  (a) In 1992 the average level of interest rates was 9.6 per cent. In 1993 the average level of interest rates was 6 per cent. Between March 1992 and February 1994 the average level of interest rates was 7·4 per cent.

  (b) Between February 1974 to May 1979 the average level of interest rates was 10½ per cent.

  Interest rates are set to achieve the Government's inflation objectives. Base rates now stand at 5.25 per cent. and are among the lowest in the EC.

  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much British industry has saved from the reduction in interest rates in the last 18 months.

  Mr. Portillo
  United Kingdom base rates have fallen by 4¾ percentage points over the past 18 months. It is estimated that, when fully passed on, that will have reduced United Kingdom companies' interest bills by over £6 billion a year.

  City of London
  Mr. Carrington
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he is proposing to take to ensure that the City of London remains the dominant financial centre in Europe.

  Mr. Nelson
  The Government remain committed to providing an environment which will enable the City to maintain and enhance its position as a leading world financial centre and the pre-eminent financial centre of Europe.

  Public Sector Borrowing Requirement
  Mr. Mans
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received encouraging him to increase the size of the public sector borrowing requirement; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  I do not believe that any reputable organisation would recommend that we increase the level of public borrowing.

  Taxation
  Mr. Roger Evans
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the total income tax take was being contributed by top rate tax in 1979 and the latest available year.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The higher rate of tax currently accounts for 24 per cent. of total income tax compared with 9 per cent. in 1978–79.

  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the cost to the average family from (i) April 1994 and (ii) April 1995 of the cumulative tax increases announced since last March.

  Mrs. Anne Campbell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the increase a typical family will have to pay over the next two years in taxes announced in last year's Budgets.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the cost to the average family from(a) April 1994 and (b) April 1995 of the cumulative tax increases announced since last March.
  877
  Mr. Dorrell
  The Budget measures restore sound public finances. This is the only basis for a sustained recovery that will create more jobs and higher living standards.

  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to compensate families on 75 per cent. or less of average earnings, following the changes announced in last year's Budgets concerning income tax and national insurance.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to compensate families with two children and one spouse working on average male earnings, following the increases in income tax and national insurance coming into effect in April 1994.

  Mr. Portillo
  Since 1979 families on three quarters of average earnings have enjoyed an increase in real net income of over 62 per cent.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people with earnings below the income tax threshold will be affected by the increases in indirect taxation announced in November's budget.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 23 February 1994]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) on 14 December 1993 at column 579.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the Government's tax policies on the income of a family with two children and one spouse on average male earnings.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 23 February 1994]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston (Mr. Keen) earlier today.

  Landfill Levies
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies the Treasury has commissioned on the effect of inflation on landfill levies.

  Sir John Cope
  None.

  Family Incomes
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the average income of a family of four in 1994; and what it was in 1979 at 1994 prices.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The real take-home pay of a one-earner married couple on average earnings with two children has risen by £83, over 40 per cent. since 1978–79.

  Public Assets (Sales
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue he is expecting from the sale of public assets during the next three years.

  Mr. Portillo
  I am expecting privatisation proceeds of £5·5 billion in 1994–95 and £1 billion in each of 1995–96 and 1996–97.

  Economic Demand
  Sir David Knox
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about the level of total demand in the economy.
  878
  Mr. Portillo
  For domestic demand, the most recent figures available are for the fourth quarter of 1993. By then, it had risen for seven successive quarters, to a level over 4 per cent. above its trough in the first quarter of 1992. Its growth is forecast to strengthen in 1994.

  Drugs
  Mr. Page
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the street value of drugs seized by Customs and Excise last year.

  Sir John Cope
  The street value of drugs seized by Customs and Excise during the calendar year 1993 was about £518,500,000

  This included:

  £(Thousand)

  Heroin

  97,955

  Cocaine

  110,244

  Cannabis

  176,033

  Synthetic drugs

  134,210

  Sport (Taxation)
  Ms Hoey
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to decrease the taxation burden on sport in the United Kingdom.

  Sir John Cope
  A new VAT exemption for the supply of certain services by non profit-making organisations to persons taking part in sport will be introduced shortly. Copies of an information paper giving further details including a draft Treasury order have been placed in the Library.

  Inland Revenue (Inquiries)
  Mr. Mandelson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many counter callers and telephone queries the Inland Revenue has had in the period January and February in 1992, 1993 and 1994.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The information is in the table. The figures relate only to tax offices and there is no available data for specialist or collection offices.

  Counter callers

  Telephone callers

  mid December-mid January 1992

  219,889

  1,224,936

  mid January-mid February 1992

  493,927

  2,521,731

  mid December-mid January 1993

  270,589

  1,891,875

  mid January-mid February 1993

  380,439

  2,212,201

  mid December-mid January 1994

  235,969

  1,857,123

  mid January-mid February 1994

  343,349

  2,579,192

  There has been an increase in the aggregate number of counter and telephone callers in the reporting period to mid-February this year, compared with the previous month, but this follows the pattern in previous years, as the table shows.

  Hotels and Boarding Houses
  Sir Terence Higgins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 17 February,Official Report, column 890, why in carrying out the national

  879
  revaluation 1995, hotels and boarding houses' district valuers required a detailed breakdown for each of the items requested to establish rental values; if he will give respondents more than 21 days to carry out the work involved; and if he will introduce a simplified form.

  Mr. Nelson
  Forms requesting the supply of information served by valuation officers on the occupiers or owners of hereditaments have been designed to enable those officers to obtain the information they require in order to compile and maintain rating lists.

  A general form requiring rental details is used in most cases but for some types of business information is required about receipts because rental details are scarce. Hotels and boarding houses fall within this category.

  The law requires that the form seeking information is returned to a valuation officer within 21 days. However, where there are particular difficulties in complying with this time limit, a longer period may be agreed.

  It is not considered appropriate to introduce a further simplified form. Any ratepayer who is having difficulty with the form should approach his or her local valuation officer who will offer guidance on its completion.

  Public Appointments
  Dr. Wright
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give details of the public appointments he is responsible for making in addition to those identified in "Public Bodies 1993" including non-executive agency and other departmental management boards.

  Mr. Nelson
  In addition to the public appointments he is responsible for making which are identified in "Public Bodies 1993", my right hon. and learned Friend is also responsible for appointments to the following bodies:

  Building Societies Commission;

  Friendly Societies Commission;

  Crown Estate Commission;

  Public Works Loan Board;

  Retail Price Index Advisory Committee;

  Securities and Investments Board;

  Treasury Academic Advisory Panel;

  National Savings Board;

  Central Statistical Office Management Board;

  VAT Tribunals;

  Central Statistical Office Advisory Committee;

  Royal Mint Management Board;

  Financial Services Tribunal

  Spouse's Transitional Exemption
  Mr. Hutton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the cost to the Exchequer of the spouse's transitional exemption in 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96 and 1996–97 in constant 1994 prices.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The legislation which introduced independent taxation for married women provides for two transitional allowances. One enables a husband who has been unable, since 1989–90, to use all his allowances effectively to transfer to his wife as much of his personal allowance as is necessary to bring the total allowances usable by the couple to the level of the allowances they could set against their income in 1989–90. The other 880
  transitional allowance protects the entitlement of husbands aged under 65 whose wives are entitled to age-related allowances. The Exchequer cost of these provisions is not available centrally.

  International Monetary Fund
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Government agencies and Departments currently subscribe funds to the International Monetary Fund, and what is the level of subscription for each agency and Department.

  Mr. Nelson
  As a member of the International Monetary Fund, the United Kingdom pays a subscription, its "quota", by placing a proportion of the reserves at the IMF's disposal. These funds are available for use by the United Kingdom in the event of balance of payments need. The quota is transferred to the IMF by the Bank of England acting as the Treasury's agent for the management of the reserves. In addition, the Overseas Development Administration makes an annual contribution to the interest subsidy account of the enhanced structural adjustment facility—ESAF—which is a trust fund administered by the IMF.

  Details of the level of these payments were provided in my response to a question from the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) on 10 December 1993 at columns 403–4, to which I refer the hon. Gentleman. In addition, the ODA has made a one-off pledge of up to £50 million towards the enlarged ESAF and I refer the hon. Gentleman to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on 3 December 1993 at columns 795–96.

  Annuality
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the rules on annuality for nationalised industries; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  I have decided that from 1994–95 nationalised industries should, as a general rule, be allowed to defer spending equal to up to 5 per cent. of their capital investment from one year to the next. This will be achieved by adjusting the industries' external finance limits, so that extra spending in the later year is matched by reduced spending in the earlier year. This change should make it easier for nationalised industries to manage their capital expenditure programmes.

  Low Incomes
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the Government's tax policies on the economic well-being of people on low incomes who are below pension age.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 23 February 1994]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the hon. Member for Wallasey (Ms Eagle) earlier today.

  SARAJEVO MARKET MASSACRE
  SARAJEVO MARKET MASSACRE
  EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS: PAYMENT OF COMPLIANCE COSTS
  EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS: PAYMENT OF COMPLIANCE COSTS
  BOSNIA: AIR SUPPORT FOR UNPROFOR
  BOSNIA: AIR SUPPORT FOR UNPROFOR
  SUDAN
  SUDAN
  LIBERIA
  LIBERIA
  HOUSE OF LORDS: RADIO AND TELEVISION COVERAGE
  HOUSE OF LORDS: RADIO AND TELEVISION COVERAGE
  NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE SUPPLIES
  NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE SUPPLIES
  HIGHER EDUCATION: QUALITY ASSESSMENT REVIEW
  HIGHER EDUCATION: QUALITY ASSESSMENT REVIEW
  BANANA INDUSTRY: PIPELINE INVESTMENT
  BANANA INDUSTRY: PIPELINE INVESTMENT
  INNOVATION IN INDUSTRY
  INNOVATION IN INDUSTRY
  BOSNIA: ARMY RATIONS
  BOSNIA: ARMY RATIONS
  ARMED FORCES PENSI ON SCHEME REVIEW
  ARMED FORCES PENSI ON SCHEME REVIEW