Written Answers of 1 February 1995

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the severance payments made to special advisers in each of the last five years indicating(a) the amount and (b) the date.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Lord Chancellor's Department has not employed any special advisers during the last five years.

  Legal Aid
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the total sum paid in legal aid for Mr. Jawad Hashim in connection with legal action between him and the Arab monetary fund.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  A total of £2.8 million has been paid on account to lawyers representing Dr. Hashim. However, the principal legal aid certificate issued in respect of proceedings between Dr. Hashim and the Arab monetary fund has been revoked pending an appeal against revocation by Dr. Hashim. If the decision to revoke is upheld Dr. Hashim will be deemed never to have been legally aided, in which case the Legal Aid Board would be entitled to recover its costs from Dr. Hashim. The final cost of the case to the legal aid fund will depend on the outcome of the appeal and, if appropriate, any legal aid costs would be subject to taxation by the court.

TREASURY

  Disabled People
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the Departments and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document, "Focus on Ability".

  Mr. Nelson
  At 1 July 1994 the number of registered disabled people employed in the Chancellor's departments and agencies was 1,686, representing 1.8 per cent. of total staff. Figures for the number and proportion of all disabled people employed in the Chancellor's departments and agencies are not available, but surveys carried out by some of the Chancellor's departments and agencies suggest that there may be as many non-registered disabled people as there are registered.

  Advertisements
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions and in what circumstances in the last five years advertisements have been placed in newspapers or periodicals which have been described as being issued by or on behalf of Ministers in his Department rather than on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.

  Mr. Nelson
  None.

  Standard Chartered Bank
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has met the Governor of the Bank of England to discuss the activities of Standard Chartered bank.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I meet the Governor of the Bank of England regularly, and a wide range of issues is discussed.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the chairman of Standard Chartered bank.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I cannot recall and I have no record of meeting the current chairman of Standard Chartered bank, or his predecessor, since my appointment as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has called for a report from the Governor of the Bank of England on Standard Chartered bank's involvement in India.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  I receive regular reports from the Bank of England on a range of issues.

  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what improvements he is to make to banking supervision following the involvement of Standard Chartered bank in India.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  None. The Banking Acts already give the Bank of England the powers it needs to supervise the world-wide operations of United Kingdom authorised institutions.

  Budget Report
  Mr. Matthew Banks
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will revise the tables in the 1995–96 "Financial Statement and Budget Report" to take account of the measures he announced on 8 December.

  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  Copies of a document which contains a full set of revised tables, corresponding to those in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1995–96", are available today from the Vote Office.

  Taxes
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer on 19 December,Official Report, column 944, if he will now show the figures for indirect taxes, broken down into (a) VAT and (b) other indirect taxes; and when figures for council tax will be available.

  Sir George Young
  [holding answer 25 January 1995]: The breakdown requested is in the table. Figures for council tax on a similar basis to those provided for other taxes will need to be estimated from family expenditure

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  survey data on actual council tax payments. At present we have figures only for such payments for the first nine months of its operation after April 1993. We need to investigate further to see whether this provides data of sufficient quantity and quality to enable reliable estimates to be made. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as I have further information on when these figures might be available.

  Indirect taxes at multiples of average earnings 1993–941

  Percentages of average male earnings

  75

  100

  150

  Single Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  269.33

  359.10

  538.65

  VAT

  14.81

  19.77

  30.37

  Other indirect taxes

  19.56

  24.10

  33.80

  Total indirect taxes

  34.37

  43.86

  64.17

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  5.5

  5.5

  5.6

  Other indirect taxes

  7.3

  6.7

  6.3

  Total indirect taxes

  12.8

  12.2

  11.9

  Married, no children Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  269.33

  359.10

  538.65

  VAT

  13.57

  18.98

  30.75

  Other indirect taxes

  21.93

  26.55

  36.62

  Total indirect taxes

  35.50

  45.52

  67.37

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  5.0

  5.3

  5.7

  Other indirect taxes

  8.1

  7.4

  6.8

  Total indirect taxes

  13.2

  12.7

  12.5

  Married, two children Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  269.33

  359.10

  538.65

  VAT

  13.44

  19.56

  32.89

  Other indirect taxes

  21.71

  25.38

  33.39

  Total indirect taxes

  35.15

  44.94

  66.28

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  5.0

  5.4

  6.1

  Other indirect taxes

  8.1

  7.1

  6.2

  Total indirect taxes

  13.1

  12.5

  12.3

  Married, two earners, no children: Earnings split 60:40

  Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  269.33

  359.10

  538.65

  VAT

  15.64

  21.53

  33.25

  Other indirect taxes

  25.46

  29.47

  37.43

  Total indirect taxes

  41.10

  51.00

  70.68

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  5.8

  6.0

  6.2

  Other indirect taxes

  9.5

  8.2

  6.9

  Total indirect taxes

  15.3

  14.2

  13.1

  1 Figures for indirect taxes are only shown for a narrow earnings range because the margin of error outside this range is too high to produce even illustrative estimates using the methods outlined in the notes below. Spending patterns vary widely between households with the same income and composition and all figures shown for indirect taxes are very approximate.

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  Indirect taxes at multiples of average earnings 1994–951

  Percentages of average male earnings

  75

  100

  150

  Single Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  278.78

  371.70

  557.55

  VAT

  16.40

  21.70

  32.97

  Other indirect taxes

  20.49

  25.26

  35.39

  Total indirect taxes

  36.89

  46.96

  68.35

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  5.9

  5.8

  5.9

  Other indirect taxes

  7.4

  6.8

  6.3

  Total indirect taxes

  13.2

  12.6

  12.3

  Married, no children Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  278.78

  371.70

  557.55

  VAT

  15.04

  20.79

  32.99

  Other indirect taxes

  22.77

  27.63

  37.92

  Total indirect taxes

  37.81

  48.41

  70.91

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  5.4

  5.6

  5.9

  Other indirect taxes

  8.2

  7.4

  6.8

  Total indirect taxes

  13.6

  13.0

  12.7

  Married, two children Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  278.78

  371.70

  557.55

  VAT

  14.89

  21.43

  35.32

  Other indirect taxes

  22.63

  26.51

  34.74

  Total indirect taxes

  37.52

  47.94

  70.06

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  5.3

  5.8

  6.3

  Other indirect taxes

  8.1

  7.1

  6.2

  Total indirect taxes

  13.5

  12.9

  12.6

  Married, two earners, no children: Earnings split 60:40

  Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  278.78

  371.70

  557.55

  VAT

  17.19

  23.49

  35.97

  Other indirect taxes

  26.67

  30.88

  39.19

  Total indirect taxes

  43.86

  54.37

  75.16

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  6.2

  6.3

  6.5

  Other indirect taxes

  9.6

  8.3

  7.0

  Total indirect taxes

  15.7

  14.6

  13.5

  1 Figures for indirect taxes are only shown for a narrow earnings range because the margin of error outside this range is too high to produce even illustrative estimates using the methods outlined in the notes below. Spending patterns vary widely between households with the same income and composition and all figures shown for indirect taxes are very approximate.

  Indirect taxes at multiples of average earnings 1995–961

  Percentages of average male earnings

  75

  100

  150

  Single Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  291.30

  388.40

  582.60

  VAT

  17.55

  23.26

  35.33

  Other indirect taxes

  21.74

  26.86

  37.65

  Total indirect taxes

  39.29

  50.12

  72.98

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  6.0

  6.0

  6.1

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  Indirect taxes at multiples of average earnings 1995–961

  Percentages of average male earnings

  75

  100

  150

  Other indirect taxes

  7.5

  6.9

  6.5

  Total indirect taxes

  13.5

  12.9

  12.5

  Married, no children Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  291.30

  388.40

  582.60

  VAT

  15.84

  22.03

  35.12

  Other indirect taxes

  23.96

  29.14

  40.11

  Total indirect taxes

  39.80

  51.18

  75.23

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  5.4

  5.7

  6.0

  Other indirect taxes

  8.2

  7.5

  6.9

  Total indirect taxes

  13.7

  13.2

  12.9

  Married, two children Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  291.30

  388.40

  582.60

  VAT

  15.55

  22.59

  37.47

  Other indirect taxes

  23.88

  28.07

  36.91

  Total indirect taxes

  39.43

  50.66

  74.38

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  5.3

  5.8

  6.4

  Other indirect taxes

  8.2

  7.2

  6.3

  Total indirect taxes

  13.5

  13.0

  12.8

  Married, two earners, no children: Earnings split 60:40

  Amounts, £ per week

  Gross income

  291.30

  388.40

  582.60

  VAT

  18.08

  24.87

  38.31

  Other indirect taxes

  28.20

  32.69

  41.58

  Total indirect taxes

  46.29

  57.56

  79.88

  Percentage of earnings

  VAT

  6.2

  6.4

  6.6

  Other indirect taxes

  9.7

  8.4

  7.1

  Total indirect taxes

  15.9

  14.8

  13.7

  1 Figures for indirect taxes are only shown for a narrow earnings range because the margin of error outside this range is too high to produce even illustrative estimates using the methods outlined in the notes below. Spending patterns vary widely between households with the same income and composition and all figures shown for indirect taxes are very approximate.

  Notes to tables:

  1. Earnings are taken to be the average gross weekly earnings of all full-time males on adult rates with pay unaffected by absence. Estimates of earnings in 1994–95 and 1995–96 are based on earnings growth assumptions of 3½ per cent. in 1994–95 and 4½ per cent. in 1995–96.

  2. The estimates of indirect taxes shown exclude council tax, but include estimates of the impact of intermediate taxes on households as well as taxes on final goods and services. Estimates of the impact of taxes on final goods and services assume that these taxes are fully incident on households. Estimates of the impact of intermediate taxes are based on the relation between intermediate production costs and final consumption derived using input-output techniques.

  3. Estimates for most indirect taxes are based on equations derived from the 1985 family expenditure survey uprated to later years using forecasts of aggregate tax receipts. Estimates of VAT on domestic fuel and power, airline passenger duty and insurance premium tax are based on equations using results from the 1991 and 1992 family expenditure surveys uprated using a similar methodology. All estimates are based on the illustrative assumption that 10 per cent. of disposable income is saved.

  4. Estimates of indirect taxes are very approximate because spending patterns vary widely between households with the same composition and income. The margin of error is even higher outside

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  the range of earnings shown, and even illustrative estimates cannot be made. Because of sampling variation, there can be substantial differences between estimates obtained from family expenditure surveys for different years.

  5. Net disposable income after income tax and national insurance is calculated on the assumption that the household receives no tax reliefs other than the standard allowances and only have income from employment. All earners, including wives, are assumed to pay class 1 NI contributions at the contracted-in rate. Child benefit is treated as a negative income tax in order to provide comparability with support given through child tax allowances.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when severance pay for special advisers was introduced; for what reasons; and what are the terms of the scheme.

  Sir George Young
  [holding answer 31 January 1995]: Severance pay for special advisers was introduced in 1977. Under current arrangements, advisers are eligible for severance payments when their appointments are terminated automatically with the end of an administration, or on the day after polling day in a general election, or when the appointing Minister leaves his or her appointment. Where an adviser is reappointed immediately after one of those occurrences, no payment is made. Similarly, if an adviser is reappointed following a break of service, the adviser may be required to pay back a proportion of any severance payment received. Severance payments, subject to tax and national insurance, are made in accordance with the scale in the table.

  Number of months pay in lieu of notice for those aged:

  Years of service

  Under 34

  34

  35 and above

  Less than two

  3

  3.0

  3

  Two but less than three

  3

  3.5

  4

  Three but less than four

  3

  4.0

  5

  Four and over

  3

  4.5

  6

  All special advisers, regardless of age, are entitled to one month's severance pay if their appointment is made within six months of the latest date by which a general election must take place, or if they resign to take part in national political activities within six months of their appointment.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Flagpole
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee why the flagpole at Westminster is not perpendicular.

  Mr. Ray Powell
  I have no reason to believe that the flagpole is not perpendicular.

  Private Dining Facilities
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee, pursuant to his answer of 1 December,Official Report, column 804, when he expects the Catering Committee to conclude its review of private dining facilities; and if he will make a statement.
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  Mr. Colin Shepherd
  The Catering Committee has now concluded its review of private dining facilities. In its deliberations, the Committee endorsed several general principles on the proper use of these facilities, and agreed that a reasonable degree of transparency would be appropriate in releasing statistics on bookings in response to parliamentary questions, based on those provided by the then Leader of the House on 10 November 1989.

  The Committee also considered whether Members hosting a function should indicate whether they had a relevant registered interest, and agreed to a new procedure which is set out in the resolution passed on 25 January 1995, which records the Committee's conclusions and is, for the benefit of the House, set out in full:

  Resolved, That the Committee, having considered the principle and operation of private dining facilities in the House, do conclude that:

  (a) it is appropriate for the House to have private dining rooms; it is acceptable for these facilities to be used for party political functions or for "lobbying purposes"; and because of security and other implications, no alternative use of the rooms is considered appropriate.

  (b) it is unacceptable for the private dining rooms to be used for any purpose involving direct commercial gain, or as an inducement to recruit new members of outside organisations or non-Parliamentary associations.

  (c) the special status of the following Parliamentary organisations be recognised by permitting them to book the private dining rooms in their own names:

  (i) Select Committees of the House and the British-Irish Parliamentary Body;

  (ii) The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the British-American Parliamentary Group, the Council of Europe, the Western European Union, the North Atlantic Assembly and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly;

  (iii) The Industry and Parliament Trust;

  (iv) registered All-Party and Parliamentary Groups; and

  (v) established Dining Clubs.

  (d) in the interests of clarifying the stance of a Member hosting a function in a private dining room, he or she should indicate a relevant registered interest by answering the following questions, to be added to the booking form:

  (i) "Do you have a registered interest relating to your sponsorship of this function? Yes/No".

  (ii) "Are you making this booking on behalf of another Member? Yes/No."

  (iii) "If Yes, does this other Member have a registered interest relating to the sponsorship of this function? Yes/No";

  and that, in addition, invitations should be annotated appropriately "Relevant registered interest declared"".

  The Committee also agreed that the resolution should take effect from the return of the House after the Easter adjournment, and that in response to future parliamentary questions requesting statistics of the booking of private
  672
  dining rooms, I should answer giving figures on the basis of the statistics compiled from the date of implementation of this resolution.

  Finally, I wish to advise the hon. Member that the Committee's full formal "Minutes of Proceedings" are today available from the Vote Office or through HMSO.

TRANSPORT

  Drivers (Eyesight)
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent his Department's system for determining the causes of road accidents seeks to identify visual defects as causative factors; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Norris
  The reports completed by police officers for national statistical purposes—STATS 19—are confined to the objective circumstances of the accident and do not record views about possible causes.

  Road Schemes
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those road schemes approved at the public inquiry stage since 1985 and since built, in each case giving(a) the capital cost estimate submitted to the public inquiry, (b) the actual cost, (c) the net present value estimated at the public inquiry and (d) his estimate of the net present value had the correct capital cost been approved.

  Mr. Watts
  This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Ms Joan Walley, dated 1 February 1995:
  As you know, Mr. Watts, Minister for Railways and Roads, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for a list of those road schemes approved at the public inquiry stage since 1985 and since built, in each case giving (a) the capital cost estimate submitted to the public enquiry, (b) the actual cost, (c) the net present value estimated at the public inquiry and (d) his estimate of the net present value had the correct capital cost been approved.
  I regret that the information you asked for is not held centrally by the Agency and given the number of schemes involved a file search to extract it could only be done at disproportionate cost.
  However, I can say that a recent study of 6 schemes has indicated that the overall post-construction net present value is very close to that predicted prior to public inquiry on those schemes.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road schemes approved since 1985 are at the stage where(a) orders have been published, (b) an inquiry is pending, (c) an inquiry has been completed, the road approved and no contract has been let and (d) an inquiry has been completed, the road approved and the contract let.

  Mr. Watts
  This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
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  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Ms Joan Walley, dated 1 February 1995:
  As you know, Mr Watts, Minister for Railways and Roads, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many road schemes approved since 1985 are at the stage where (a) orders have been published, (b) an inquiry is pending, (c) an inquiry has been completed, the road approved and no contract has been let and (d) an inquiry has been completed, the road approved and the contract let.
  The information you requested will take a little time to retrieve.
  I shall write with your answer as soon as possible.

  Training Courses
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list each training and tuition course with a total cost exceeding £5,000 paid for by(a) his Department and (b) his agencies during the last 12 months, showing the title and objectives of each course, the name of the organisations engaged, the total cost of each course, a summary of the responsibilities of staff members taking part and the process for course evaluation by the Department or agency.

  Mr. Norris
  This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Red Routes, Lambeth
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects red routes to come into operation in Lambeth and on which roads.

  Mr. Norris
  The traffic director for London is currently considering a revised timetable for the project as a whole, under which red routes in Lambeth would come into operation progressively between 1996 and 2000. The routes in question are specified in SI 1992 No. 1372.

  Channel Tunnel Link
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the status of the final line of the route for the channel tunnel link route announced by his predecessor in October 1991 at the time of that announcement.

  Mr. Watts
  The route announcement in October 1991 was of a broad corridor for an easterly approach to London along the lines of the proposals by Ove Arup, following a comparative assessment by British Rail of four strategic route options.

  London Regional Transport
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the actual or approximate public support in pence per passenger mile on services to which London regional transport provides financial support.

  Mr. Norris
  Government grant to London Transport is now used almost entirely for investment, rather than revenue support to services. However the current year's grant of £373 million is equivalent, on average, to approximately 6p per passenger mile travelled on London Transport's underground and bus services. Decisions on support for individual services are an operational matter for London Transport.

  Through Ticketing
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ensure that through ticketing facilities will continue to be available at(a) Nunhead, (b) Peckham Rye, (c) Denmark Hill, (d) West Dulwich, (e) North Dulwich and (f) Sydenham Hill stations.

  Mr. Watts
  [holding answer 24 January 1995]: None of these stations currently offer a complete through ticketing service because they are not linked to the computer seat reservation system which is essential for some tickets. All are able to offer through tickets not requiring seat reservations.

  The rail regulator is consulting on the requirements which should be imposed on station operators. The regulator and I are committed to easy access to through tickets for passengers.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Television Reception
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when he expects all parts of Great Britain to be able to receive television signals from the BBC and independent television.

  Mr. Dorrell
  An estimated 99.4 per cent. of the United Kingdom population can receive television signals from the BBC and independent television. To extend coverage still further, the BBC and independent broadcasters are pursuing a programme of building about 25 new transmitters a year. The self-help television scheme provides unserved communities with the option of making their own arrangements to obtain TV signals. Technological developments, including cable and satellite, provide further opportunities for securing TV reception.

  National Lottery
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to commission market research into the socio-economic groups of lottery ticket purchasers; if he will monitor the advertising policies of the national lottery operators to ensure that tickets are not marketed specifically to groups in receipt of social security benefits or otherwise unlikely to be able to afford them; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I have no plans to commission such market research at present.

  The advertising policy of the national lottery operator is an operational matter. I have therefore asked Peter Davis, the director-general of the national lottery, who is responsible for regulating the operation of the national lottery, to write to the hon. Member, placing copies of his response in the Library of the House.

  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what has been the total and average weekly value of ticket sales by the national lottery to date; how much of that money has been(a) allocated to good causes, (b) retained by the Treasury, (c) retained by the company and (d) awarded in prizes; and what percentage of the sums retained by the company he estimates are its operating profits.
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  (2) whether the national lottery operators are required to make known their operating profits; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  In the first eleven weeks, national lottery sales have reached £619,694,634—a weekly average of £56,334,875. Of this, to the nearest pound, £161,303,539 has been paid to the national lottery distribution fund for distribution to the good causes; £74,363,356 has been paid in lottery duty; £297,456,628 has been paid in prizes to over 12 million winners; and the remaining £86,569,121 has been retained by Camelot Group plc to cover its operating costs and profit, including the 5 per cent. commission on ticket sales paid to its retail agents.

  Figures for the operating profits of Camelot Group plc are a matter for the company. It will be filing annual returns and meeting other reporting requirements in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act and other relevant regulations.

  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much interest has been earned to date on that money raised via the national lottery for distributing to charities.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 30 January 1995]: To date, interest of £661,699 has been earned by the national lottery distribution fund. Of this £132,869 has been attributed to the National Lottery Charities Board.

  Executive Search Agencies
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what guidelines are operated by his Department as regards the use of executive search agencies to fill vacancies within his Department and his Department's executive agencies; and in what circumstances his Department employs executive search agencies instead of relying fully on departmental resources to fill vacant posts.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 26 January 1995]: The guidelines operated by my Department are those set out in the section of the civil service management code covering recruitment as augmented by the more detailed guidance set out in "Executive Searchlight" produced by the public appointments unit of the Cabinet Office and made widely available within my Department. No additional guidelines are issued. To date no executive search agency has been employed to fill a post within my Department or its two agencies. We rely almost completely on filling vacancies with staff from other Government Departments; linked non-departmental public bodies; and local authorities.

  Recruitment
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much his Department spent during 1994 on recruiting staff to his Department and its executive agencies; and how many staff were recruited.

  Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 27 January 1995]: My Department and its agencies spent £60,654.05 on recruiting staff during 1994. The number of staff recruited was 46.

  N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on 676
  privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1992 after taking account of inflation.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 31 January 1995]: There has been no expenditure of this kind.

  Ian Greer Associates
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates(a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 31 January 1995]: None of my Department's officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates, either formally or informally, on 26 January.

  Protected Wrecks
  Sir Cranley Onslow
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what progress he now expects to make towards the resolution of the issues which have prevented the transfer of responsibility for protected wrecks in English waters to English Heritage.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 31 January 1995]: It remains departmental policy to seek to transfer responsibility for protected wrecks in English waters to English Heritage. Some issues needing to be resolved are still under discussion but the Treasury Solicitor advises that no transfer can in any case be made without primary legislation, for which there is no immediate parliamentary opportunity.

  Sir Cranley Onslow
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many licences are currently in force for archaeological work on protected wreck sites; and how many of these licensees have so far published field work information or deposited copies of their reports with the Royal Commission on the historical monuments of England.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 31 January 1995]: There are currently four licences in force covering archaeological investigation of protected wreck sites. In the last diving season 26 licences were issued in respect of archaeological investigation: three by the Secretary of State for Scotland, two by the Secretary of State for Wales, and 21 by my own Department. I expect that a similar number will be issued for the next diving season.

  There is published information about 23 of the sites for which licences were issued in 1994 and those licensed to dive are known to have published information on nine of those sites. Since 1992 one report has been formally deposited with the Royal Commission on the historical monuments of England. Full information about fieldwork reports published by those licensed to dive is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Sir Cranley Onslow
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what has been the annual cost to his Department of the functions relating to protected wrecks in English waters in each of the past five years.
  677
  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 31 January 1995]: The costs of exercising the functions relating to protected wrecks in United Kingdom waters' for the last five years are as follows:

  £000

  1990–912

  110

  1991–923

  227

  1992–934

  5307

  1993–94

  271

  1994–95

  255

  1 The majority of expenditure is incurred on a United Kingdom basis.2 The Department of Transport was responsible for underwater archaeology until April 1991.

  3 The Department of the Environment was responsible for underwater archaeology until April 1992.

  4 The Department of National Heritage has been responsible for underwater archaeology since April 1992.

  5 This figure includes costs associated with a new, expanded contract with the ADU.

  The figures include the cost of marking wrecks on land and at sea and a contract with the archaeological diving unit based at St. Andrew's university to provide advice in relation to wrecks of historical, archaeological or artistic interest. They also include approximate figures to cover the varying costs of the advisory committee on historic wreck sites, and, from April 1991, diminishing grants to voluntary organisations carrying out projects connected with the Department's underwater archaeology objectives, and departmental staff costs.

  Coaching (Cricket and Rugby)
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assistance his Department has given towards the development of coaching of(a) cricket and (b) rugby football in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dorrell
  [holding answer 30 January 1995]: Total Sports Council funding for these sports, which includes support for the development of coaching, is as follows:

  1992–93 £

  1993–94 £

  Cricket

  802,114

  587,732

  Rugby Union

  118,320

  219,196

  Rugby League

  322,110

  197,654

  A total figure is not available for 1991–92. The council also gives an annual grant to the National Coaching Foundation—£1.064 million in 1992–93, £1.494 million in 1993–94 and £1.420 million in 1994–95—which contributes to the development of coaching in these and other sports. In addition, Sportsmatch has provided total awards to cricket, rugby league and rugby union projects which include coaching or training as follows:

  1992–93 £

  1993–94 £

  1994–95 £

  Cricket

  3,000

  248,192

  199,000

  Rugby League

  40,000

  118,650

  138,042

  Rugby Union

  12,000

  352,412

  415,144

HOME DEPARTMENT

  DNA Databases
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration his Department has given to providing additional funding to police authorities to enable them to establish full DNA databases; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Maclean
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) on 16 December 1994,Official Report column 828.

  British Citizens (Extradition)
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British citizens have been extradited to face criminal charges involving child sexual abuse for each year since 1989.

  Mr. Maclean
  Since 1989 three British citizens have been extradited for offences involving child abuse; one each year in 1990, 1992 and 1993.

  Probation Service
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what advice will be given to the probation service on efficiency savings following the 1994 Budget statement and current probation caseload;

  (2) what efficiency savings he expects will be made by the probation service in England and Wales during the financial year 1995–96.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  The Government have already made clear to the probation service their expectation that improvements in efficiency across the full range of operational and support services will be vigorously pursued. It will be for individual probation committees to judge what specific steps should be taken in the light of local circumstances; but among the efficiencies to which the Government expect committees to give particular attention are the use of accommodation, information systems, inter-area collaboration and quality control.

  Probation Service
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the estimated additional cost to the probation service of working with victims during 1995–96;

  (2) what is the estimated additional cost to the probation service of enforcing national standards during 1995–96.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  Grant support for the probation service in 1995–96 should be sufficient to enable it to carry out its responsibilities in relation to the enforcement of national standards and working with victims without additional provision.

  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff employed by the probation service in England and Wales have a previous background which is either(a) military, (b) police or (c) industry for the latest date available.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  This information is not readily available.
  679
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what adjustments were made to the probation service budget in England and Wales as a result of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget statement.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  The provisional current grant baseline for 1995–96 published after the 1993 Budget statement was £309.1 million, net of retentions and balances. The grant settlement for that year will be £306.3 million plus a further £14.8 million to support probation service partnerships with the independent sector previously funded by the Home Office.

  Community Sentencing
  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will be publishing his Department's consultation paper on community sentencing.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  My right hon. and learned Friend hopes to do so before too long.

  Electro-Shock Equipment
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have taken place with Mr. Gerry Hall on the need to apply for a section 5 permit for the manufacture, possession or sale of repressive technologies, including electro-shock treatment.

  Mr. Maclean
  None.

  Confiscation Orders
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic confiscation orders have been made under(a) the Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986 and (b) part VI of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 in each year since 1992; and what were the amounts ordered to be confiscated and the amounts actually realised under each Act for each year.

  Mr. Maclean
  The information is given in the table.

  Confiscation order data England and Wales

  Act/Year

  Number of confiscation orders

  Amount ordered to be confiscated £

  Year

  1Amount realised £

  Drug Trafficking Act 1986

  1992

  1,002

  9,129,863

  21992–93

  5,180,900

  1993

  983

  9,678,100

  1993–94

  5,377,400

  Part VI—Criminal Justice Act 1988

  1992–93

  19

  1,354,000

  21992–93

  481,600

  1993–94

  13

  412,200

  1993–94

  265.600

  Note:

  Annual data is taken from the Criminal Statistics England and Waltes, financial year data from the Confiscation Order Financial return. The figures are therefore not directly comparable.

  1 The amounts overstate the amounts reaching the Consolidated Fund, a magistrates' courts deduct from these figures any costs incurred in enforcing domestic confiscation orders. Receivers' costs can vary from £1,000 to £5,000, depending on the complexity of the case.

  2 For 1992–93 the information collected centrally is known to be incomplete as returns were not received from all petty sessional divisions.

  Crime Prevention
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on crime prevention in the latest year for which figures are available; and what percentage this was of total spending on the criminal justice service.

  Mr. Maclean
  The information available is as follows. Home Office expenditure on crime prevention in 1993–94 was £13.1 million. That figure is separate from and additional to public expenditure on the police which was £6.2 billion in 1993–94, an increase of 87 per cent. in real terms since 1978–79. The prevention of crime is one of the key functions of the police. Public expenditure on the criminal justice system as a whole in 1993–94 is estimated to have been £9.5 billion.

  Humberside Probation Committee
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to announce a date for the replacement of Humberside probation committee by the shadow probation boards.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  My right hon. and learned Friend will bring forward legislative proposals for the replacement of probation committees by boards when the parliamentary timetable permits.

  Reconvictions
  Mr. Michael
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 January,Official Report, column 138, what are the current reconviction rates for (a) adult males, (b) adult females, (c) young adult males, (d) young adult females, (e) juvenile males and (f) juvenile females commencing probation orders and community service orders and for persons discharged from custodial sentences.

  Mr. Maclean
  The information is as follows:

  Percentage of offenders convicted 1 within a two-year period following commencement of an order in 1987–90 or discharged in 1987–90 from a custodial sentence by sex and age at commencement or discharge

  Males

  Females

  All

  Aged under 172—Juveniles

  Community service order

  78

  361

  77

  Custodial sentence

  85

  58

  85

  Aged 17 to 20—young adults

  Probation order

  70

  45

  66

  Community service order

  65

  45

  65

  Custodial sentence

  71

  56

  70

  Aged 21 and over—adults

  Probation order

  50

  36

  46

  Community service order

  47

  42

  47

  Custodial sentence

  47

  36

  47

  All ages

  Probation order

  58

  39

  54

  Community service order

  56

  44

  56

  Custodial sentence

  55

  40

  54

  1 Reconvicted of a serious offence as defined by the standard list in appendices 4 and 5 of "Criminal Statistics England and Wales 1993"

  2 Until the Criminal Justice Act was implemented on 1 October 1992 it was not possible to sentence an offender aged under 17 to a probation order. Those aged under 17 who were sentenced to a community service order were all aged 16.

  681
  3 Based on a sample of only 23 offenders.

  Comparisons between different types of sentence are affected by differences in the age, sex, previous convictions and other characteristics of offenders receiving the sentences, as described in the forthcoming Home Office Research Study, "Explaining reconviction rates: a critical analysis".

  Sponsor Interviews
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals for changes to procedures used for recording and progressing requests from entry clearance officers overseas and others for sponsors living in the United Kingdom to be interviewed have been canvassed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  The system of recording and progressing requests from entry clearance officers for interviews is reviewed from time to time. As a way of progressing applications, consideration is given, as necessary, to offering sponsors the opportunity for interview at a location outside their immediate area if capacity exists at another port.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many requests for sponsor interviews have been recorded by his Department in each of the last three years to date; and what is the current target time between the recording of a request for a682
  sponsor interview and the official requesting the interview receiving a report on the outcome of such an interview;

  (2) in how many cases over the last three years his Department has recorded more than one request for a sponsor interview in the United Kingdom from an entry clearance officer overseas; in how many a sponsor has waited to be interviewed more than (a) six months; (b) nine months and (c) 12 months;

  (3) how many requests for sponsor interviews have been recorded by his Department over the past year; if he will list the ports of entry to which those interview requests have been referred; in each port in how many cases (a) the interview has taken place, (b) an interview date has been offered, (c) no offer of an interview has yet been offered, (d) an interview report has been passed to his Department and (e) an interview report has yet to be despatched.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  This information is not available. Some 1,700 entry clearance interviews with sponsors were conducted between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 1994. The waiting time for interview may vary according to the operational commitments at a particular port at a particular time but the objective is for interviews on deferred EC applications to be carried out within three months of receipt of the request from the entry clearance officer.

  Leeds-Bradford Airport
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Leeds-Bradford airport was designated as a port of entry; how many and what grades of immigration service officers are currently based at the airport; what was the establishment of immigration officer staff at the comparable period of each year since the airport became a port of entry; how many immigration clerical support staff have been employed at the airport each year since it became a port of entry; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  Leeds-Bradford airport was designated as a port of entry on 1 March 1987. Records indicate that, since 1987, the immigration office at Leeds-Bradford airport has had the following staff in post:

  1 March 1987:

  1 Chief Immigration Officer

  7 Immigration Officers

  1 part-time Administrative Officer and

  1 part-time typist.

  1 January 1988:

  1 Inspector

  1 Chief Immigration Officer

  7 Immigration Officers

  1 part-time Administrative Officer and

  1 part-time typist.

  1 January 1989:

  1 Inspector

  2 Chief Immigration Officers,

  8 Immigration Officers and

  1 part-time typist.

  1 January 1990:

  1 Inspector

  2 Chief Immigration Officers

  9 Immigration Officers

  1 part-time Administrative Officer

  1 part-time typist.

  1 January 1991:

  1 Inspector

  2 Chief Immigration Officers

  8 Immigration Officers

  1 part-time Administrative Officer and

  1 part-time typist.

  1 January 1992:

  1 Inspector

  2 Chief Immigration Officers

  8 Immigration Officers

  1 part-time Administrative Officer

  1 part-time typist.

  1 January 1993:

  1 Inspector

  2 Chief Immigration Officers

  9 Immigration Officers

  1 part-time Administrative Officer and

  1 part-time typist.

  1 January 1994:

  1 Inspector

  2 Chief Immigration Officers

  10 full-time and I part-time Immigration Officers

  1 part-time Administrative Officer and

  684

  1 part-time typist.

  1 January 1995:

  1 Inspector

  2 Chief Immigration Officers

  10 full-time and 1 part-time Immigration Officers,

  1 Executive Officer, 1 part-time Administrative Officer and

  1 part-time typist.

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of requests outstanding for sponsor interviews at Leeds-Bradford Airport; and over the last three years(a) what has been the average delay between the date a request for a sponsor interview being recorded in his Department and the interview being conducted by immigration officers based at Leeds-Bradford airport and (b) how many sponsor interviews have been conducted each week; and what representations has he received about delays in holding sponsor interviews by immigration office staff at Leeds-Bradford airport.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  Local records indicate that there are currently 135 requests for sponsor interviews outstanding at Leeds-Bradford airport where the average delay in 1992 and 1993 in dealing with cases was 2.14 months in 1992 and 3.29 months in 1993. In 1994 the average delay in completed cases was 2.29 months. Some cases from 1994 have not yet been completed.

  Records of interviews are not kept on a weekly basis but a total of 27 interviews took place in 1992, 20 in 1993 and 69 in 1994.

  The information requested about representations received in respect of delays in holding sponsor interviews at Leeds-Bradford airport is not held in the form requested and cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.

  Boards of Visitors
  Sir Ivan Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what are his proposals for reviewing the role of boards of visitors at prison establishments.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I am currently setting up a review of the role of boards of visitors.

  The Prisons Act 1952 provides for a board of visitors to be appointed to every prison and young offender institution. Members of boards are lay volunteers drawn from the local community. I value the work of boards and the participation of the local community, and I am keen to maintain this involvement of lay people in the prison system. My objective for the review is to strengthen the role of boards and help them undertake their duties more effectively. With this background the review is asked to make recommendations with particular respect to:

  how this role should be redefined or clarified;

  the interface between boards of visitors, HM Chief Inspector of Prison and the prison ombudsman;

  the recruitment and appointment of boards of visitors members;

  the training of boards of visitors members;

  the national representation of boards of visitors;

  the administrative support at national and local level funding of the work of boards visitors;

  an appropriate title for boards of visitors;

  I shall be helped in the work of the review by Her Majesty's chief inspector of prisons; a small number of hoard members; representatives of their national

  685
  organisations and a co-opted prison governor. We will be supported by a small team of Home Office officials.

  Board members and groups with an interest in penal affairs are being invited to submit representations to the review group by 3 March. I would also welcome any representations from hon. Members. I hope to reach conclusions by the beginning of April and will announce these to the House.

  Alleged Rape Charges
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that the names and addresses of persons charged with the offence of rape and not published in the press or broadcast media unless and until those persons are found guilty.

  Mr. Maclean
  [holding answer 30 January 1995]: I am satisfied that the present law, which affords anonymity for complainants in sexual offence cases but offers no special protection for defendants in such cases, strikes a proper balance between the principle of open justice on one hand and the need to ensure that victims of sexual offences come forward on the other. I therefore have no plans to alter the law in this area.

ENVIRONMENT

  Right to Buy (Repurchase)
  Ms Gordon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to allow local authorities to use a proportion of their capital receipts to repurchase properties from tenants who exercised their right to buy and now find themselves living in accommodation which is no longer suitable and which is unsaleable on the property market.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  We are currently looking at an exchange sale scheme to help local authorities to take back certain flats, which are affected by mortgageability difficulties, in exchange for selling leaseholders another home more suitable for their needs. We have received a number of representations on this which we are currently considering.

  Social Housing
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the background information on the need for new social housing lettings which he used in his decisions on the 1995–96 Housing Corporation approved development programme.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  My Department takes a view on the medium-term demand for rented housing as part of the annual public expenditure survey. I will publish the necessary background information in due course.

  Housing Co-operatives
  Mr. Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the figures for the Housing Corporation's allocations for co-operatives for the year 1995–96; and if he will make a statement on how these relate to their housing co-operative strategy.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The Housing Corporation's total allocation to housing co-operatives in 1995–96 is £9.514 million.
  686
  The projects supported reflect the policies set out in the corporation's "Housing Co-operatives Strategy" published in March 1993.

  Pollution Levels, Rotherham
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to measure levels of(a) nitrogen oxides, (b) sulphur dioxide, (c) ozone, (d) carbon monoxide and (e) PM10 in Rotherham.

  Mr. Atkins
  My Department, in co-operation with local authorities, operates national monitoring networks which measure, inter alia, levels of smoke and sulphur dioxide on a daily basis, and the levels of nitrogen dioxide on a monthly basis. the sites at Brampton, Dinnigton, Maltby and Wath upon Dearne in the Rotherham area form part of the national smoke and sulphur dioxide network. The levels of nitrogen dioxide are measured at four separate sites in the Rotherham metropolitan area: Doncaster gate, Wellgate, Broom and Eastwood.

  I understand that further air quality monitoring is undertaken in Rotherham by the local authority, and at present covers ozone, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide.

  The Government's strategy for the general development of air quality monitoring was recently set out in "Air Quality: Meeting the Challenge", a copy of which has been deposited in the Library of the House. This includes proposals for the progressive integration of national and local authority monitoring networks into a single quality-assured network.

  Research and Development
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what his Department's budget for research and development was in 1994; and what proportion of this was spent on research into radioactive waste management and disposal.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  My Department's budget for research and development in 1994–95 is £112 million. The proportion of the Department's total research expenditure to be spent on research into radioactive waste management and disposal is expected to be 3.5 per cent.

  Absenteeism
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what were the absenteeism rates for(a) the Planning Inspectorate and (b) the Ordnance Survey in 1994.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The provision of information on absenteeism rates in the Planning Inspectorate is the responsibility of the agency itself under its chief executive, Mr. Chris Shepley. For the Ordnance Survey this is the responsibility of its chief executive, Professor Rhind.

  I have therefore asked them to reply.

  Letter from C. J. Shepley to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 1 February 1995:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the absenteeism rate for the Planning Inspectorate (PQ/940/94/95).
  The average number of days absent due to sickness, both certificated and uncertificated, was 8.75. This covers both Planning Inspectors and administrative staff.
  687
  Letter from David Rhind to Mr. David Chidgey, dated 27 January 1995:
  The Secretary of State for the Environment has asked me to reply to your Question about absenteeism in Ordnance Survey.
  As I intimated in my letter of 16 January, since the Occupational Health Service keeps the statistics you seek from information supplied regularly by individual departments, Ordnance Survey does not itself keep duplicate records. I am told by the Occupational Health Service that details of absenteeism rates for 1994 will be available to departments in July 1995.
  I regret that I cannot supply the information you have requested at this time.

  Westminster City Council
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he will be replying to the letter dated 12 January from Mr. Andrew Disnall, regarding an extraordinary audit of Westminster city council.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  My hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Urban Regeneration replied to Councillor Dismore's letter on 30 January.

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to order an extraordinary audit into the affairs of Westminster city council.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The Secretary of State has no such plans.

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he first became aware of the allegations of malpractice at Westminster city council; and how these were brought to his attention.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Neither the Audit Commission nor its appointed auditors has any duty to advise the Secretary of State of audit inquiries that may be initiated.

  Since late 1991 my right hon. Friend has been aware, from coverage in the media and motions before this House, that the auditor was carrying out an investigation. The Westminster auditor published his provisional findings on 13 January 1994 which was the first occasion upon which the nature of the allegations and his investigation was confirmed. My right hon. Friend made a statement to the House on that day.

  Parking Charges
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if income from parking charges made by local authorities is taken into account when calculating standard spending assessment settlements.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The income of local authorities from car parking is taken into account in determining the total of standard spending assessments. Income of this kind is also taken into account in the analyses on which the SSA formula for 'all other services' is based. But the standard spending assessment of an individual authority does not take specific account of the income from car parking of that authority.

  Standard Spending Assessment
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the 10 local authorities 688
  that gained and lost the largest sums through the changes to the education standard spending assessment formula, stating how much each gained or lost.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Taken on a comparable basis the 10 authorities which have gained the most in their education standard spending assessment for 1995–96, and the amount, are:

  £million

  Surrey County Council

  16.766

  Hertfordshire County Council

  10.328

  London Borough of Lambeth

  6.926

  Devon County Council

  6.848

  Lancashire County Council

  6.688

  East Sussex County Council

  6.404

  London Borough of Southwark

  6.308

  Berkshire County Council

  5.788

  London Borough of Croydon

  5.329

  Wiltshire County Council

  4.878

  The 10 authorities which have lost the most, and the amount, are:

  £million

  London Borough of Havering

  2.485

  Northumberland County Council

  1.980

  Norfolk County Council

  1.580

  Cheshire County Council

  1.428

  Essex County Council

  1.391

  Birmingham City Council

  1.316

  Stockport Metropolitan Borough

  1.140

  Gateshead Metropolitan Borough

  1.052

  Sunderland City Council

  0.993

  Cumbria County Council

  0.934

  These tables compare the Education SSA for 1995–96 with the sum of the Education SSA for 1994–95 and the estimated net income from recoupment payments in 1994–95.

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities that made representations to him regarding the changes to the education standard spending assessment formula; and on what dates these representations were made.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The authorities listed have made representations about the education element in standard spending assessments during the 1995–96 consultation period.

  Authorities

  Avon County Council

  5 January 1995

  Bedfordshire County Council

  5 January 1995

  Berkshire County Council

  5 January 1995

  Birmingham City Council

  7 December 1994

  6 January 1995

  Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

  7 December 1994

  22 December 1994

  5 January 1995

  Bradford City Council

  5 December 1994

  14 December 1994

  6 January 1995

  Buckinghamshire County Council

  4 January 1995

  Bury Metropolitan Borough Council

  16 December 1994

  Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council

  7 December 1994

  20 December 1994

  Cheshire County Council

  9 January 1995

  Coventry City Council

  23 December 1994

  10 January 1995

  689

  Authorities

  Cumbria County Council

  20 December 1994

  11 January 1995

  Derbyshire County Council

  29 December 1994

  Dorset County Council

  4 January 1995

  Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

  5 January 1995

  Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council

  21 December 1994

  Hampshire County Council

  9 December 1994

  10 January 1995

  Hereford and Worcester County Council

  6 January 1995

  10 January 1995

  Hertfordshire County Council

  6 January 1995

  Kent County Council

  3 January 1995

  6 January 1995

  Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council

  6 January 1995

  10 January 1995

  Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

  9 December 1994

  County of the Isles of Scilly

  6 January 1995

  Lancashire County Council

  12 January 1995

  Lincolnshire County Council

  12 December 1994

  19 December 1994

  6 January 1995

  12 January 1995

  Liverpool City Council

  23 December 1994

  London Borough of Bexley

  12 January 1995

  London Borough of Brent

  12 December 1994

  5 January 1994

  9 January 1995

  London Borough of Bromley

  9 December 1994

  5 January 1995

  London Borough of Camden

  7 December 1994

  22 December 1994

  London Borough of Croydon

  15 December 1994

  21 December 1994

  29 December 1994

  London Borough of Ealing

  9 January 1995

  London Borough of Enfield

  11 January 1995

  London Borough of Harrow

  4 January 1995

  London Borough of Havering

  4 January 1995

  10 January 1995

  London Borough of Hillingdon

  23 December 1994

  12 January 1995

  Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

  13 December 1994

  London Borough of Lewisham

  6 January 1995

  London Borough of Merton

  10 January 1995

  London Borough of Redbridge

  21 November 1994

  5 January 1995

  London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames

  6 January 1995

  London Borough of Southwark

  4 January 1995

  London Borough of Sutton

  22 December 1994

  21 December 1994

  London Borough of Tower Hamlets

  5 January 1995

  London Borough of Wandsworth

  4 January 1995

  Norfolk County Council

  23 December 1994

  Northamptonshire County Council

  13 December 1994

  3 January 1995

  Northumberland County Council

  4 January 1995

  Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

  2 December 1994

  5 January 1995

  Salford City Council

  5 January 1995

  11 January 1995

  17 January 1995

  Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

  6 January 1995

  Sheffield City Council

  6 January 1995

  9 January 1995

  Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

  4 January 1995

  5 January 1995

  6 January 1995

  19 January 1995

  Staffordshire County Council

  3 January 1995

  6 January 1995

  St. Helens Metropolitan Borough Council

  5 January 1995

  13 January 1995

  Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

  6 December 1994

  4 January 1995

  690

  Authorities

  Suffolk County Council

  12 December 1994

  Surrey County Council

  12 December 1994

  23 December 1994

  Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

  22 December 1994

  12 January 1995

  Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council

  5 January 1995

  Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council

  29 December 1994

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what contribution the highway maintenance indicator makes to the standard spending assessment of(a) Westminster, (b) Coventry and (c) Birmingham councils.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The table shows the information requested in respect of standard spending assessments for 1995–96.

  Local Aurhority

  Highway Maintenance Assessment £million

  Total Standard Spending Assessment £million

  Highway Maintenance as percentage of total percentage

  Westminster

  9.680

  241.849

  4.0

  Coventry

  10.244

  227.863

  4.5

  Birmingham

  35.567

  880.278

  4.0

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the effect of the changes to the education standard spending assessment formula on the standard spending assessment of Westminster and Coventry councils.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Taken on a comparable basis, the percentage increases between 1994–95 and 1995–96 in the Education standard spending assessments for Westminster and Coventry are:

  Westminster: 2.6 per cent.

  Coventry: 2.0 per cent.

  These figures compare the education SSA for 1995–96 with the sum of the education SSA for 1994–95 and the estimated net income from recoupment payments in 1994–95.

  Planning Inquiries
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the local authorities in England and Wales which have paid him the costs of local plan inquiries together with(a) the amount paid, (b) whether this money has been paid back, (c) when it was paid back, if applicable, and (d) the amount of interest from the date of refund to the present day.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  I am writing to the hon. Member.

  Audit Commission
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the members of the Audit Commission with the terms of appointment, the payment received per year and the number of days worked.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Audit Commission members serving at 31 January 1995 were:
  691

  Time input (per calendar month (pcm)

  Remuneration for 1994–95 £

  Chairman—Sir David Cooksey

  4 days

  19,000

  Murray Stuart (Deputy)

  4 days

  13,034

  Sir Peter Bowness CBE

  1 day

  2,948

  Alan Brown CBE

  2 days

  5,896

  Anthony Christopher CBE

  2 days

  5,986

  Sir Terence English

  1 day

  2,948

  Sir Donald Irvine CBE

  1 day

  2,948

  Kate Jenkins

  1 day

  2,948

  Sir Peter Kemp

  1 day

  2,948

  Jeremy Orme

  1 day

  2,948

  Peter Soulsby

  1 day

  2,948

  Iris Tarry CBE

  1 day

  2,948

  Clive Thompson

  1 day

  2,948

  Tony Travers

  1 day

  2,948

  Clive Wilkinson

  2 days

  5,896

  Peter Wood

  2 days

  5,896

  Members' remuneration is taxable and non-pensionable. Adult Commission members are required to comply with the requirements placed upon the commission by statute—primarily the Local Government Finance Act 1982. Members are also expected to adhere to the Audit Commission's code of conduct which is based upon the Treasury's model code of best practice for NDPB boards.

  They are debarred from standing for Parliament and are required to declare their interests and to take steps to disengage from any activities which may lead to a conflict of interest with their responsibilities to the Commission.

  The terms of appointment of four commission members—Murray Stuart, Sir Peter Bowness, Alan Brown CBE and Anthony Christopher—end on 31 January 1995. The appointment of three new members, effective from 1 February 1995, have been announced; they are Helena Shovelton, Ron Watson CBE and John Foster OBE. From that date the deputy chairman of the commission will be Clive Thompson.

  Advertisements
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment on how many occasions and in what circumstances in the last five years advertisements have been placed in newspapers or periodicals which have been described as being issued by or on behalf of Ministers in his Department rather than on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Some 2,641 statutory notice advertisements have been issued by the Department of the Environment over the last five years. These normally appear under the Secretary of State's or his Ministers' name, in exercise of a statutory duty, and reflect the work of a wide range of divisions within this Department.

  Smoke Alarms
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage the fitting of smoke alarms in flats of multiple occupation; and what plans he has to make their fitting compulsory.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Local authorities have powers under part XI of the Housing Act 1985, as amended, to require houses in multiple occupation—HMOs—to have 692
  adequate means of escape from fire and other fire precautions. They have a statutory responsibility to ensure adequate fire safety precautions in HMOs with three storeys or more and with a floor space exceeding 500 sqm.

  My Department's Circular 12/92 contains the current guidance on fire precaution standards in HMOs. For smoke and fire detection, the minimum standard recommended for two-storey houses is for single-point smoke alarms. For houses of three-storeys or more, L2 fire warning systems are recommended.

  The Housing (Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation) Regulations 1990 (SI 1990 No. 830) require managers of HMOs to ensure that all fire precautions are in and are maintained in good order and repair.

  The Government also published a consultation paper in November 1994 inviting views by 18 February 1995 on the desirability of introducing a licensing system for HMOs in England and Wales.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) when he first became aware of the malpractice which led to the surcharging of councillors in(a) Liverpool and (b) Lambeth; and how this was brought to his attention;

  (2) when he ordered an extraordinary audit into the affairs of (a) Lambeth and (b) Liverpool councils.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The failure of the members of both Liverpool and Lambeth councils to set a legal rate before midnight on 31 March 1985 and the district auditor's investigations which led to surcharging in each case were widely reported in the press.

  The Secretary of State did not order an extraordinary audit of either authority. The Audit Commission exercised its own power under section 22(1) of the Local Government Finance Act 1982 to direct an extraordinary audit.

  Noise Pollution
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to encourage local authorities to give higher priority to tackling noise pollution.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Local authorities have a wide range of powers to tackle noise pollution from premises and from vehicles, machinery and equipment in the street. In response to rising numbers of complaints about noise, an increasing number of authorities have introduced 24-hour noise complaint services but this is a matter for each authority to decide on the basis of local priorities and needs. An inter-departmental working party was set up in October last year to review the controls over neighbour noise and to investigate options for swifter remedies. The working party expects to complete its review shortly and I intend to consult fully on its conclusions and recommendations.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many(a) successful and (b) unsuccessful prosecutions have been brought for noise nuisance for each year since 1979.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The numbers of prosecutions and convictions for noise nuisance in England and Wales for
  693
  each year since 1979 are as shown in the table. Figures are not yet available for 1993–94.

  Noise nuisance prosecutions and convictions

  Prosecutions

  Convictions

  1979

  245

  144

  1980

  240

  171

  1981

  269

  249

  1982

  263

  205

  1983–84

  495

  332

  1984–85

  355

  298

  1985–86

  318

  251

  1986–87

  430

  342

  1987–88

  404

  322

  1988–89

  446

  418

  1989–90

  284

  233

  1990–91

  559

  465

  1991–92

  367

  310

  1992–93

  416

  343

  Source:

  Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

  Planning, Yorkshire and Humberside
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how he intends to introduce an adequate planning structure to implement the planning strategy he outlined in paragraph 4.9 of the Yorkshire and Humberside planning guidance January 1995.

  Mr. Paul Beresford
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced on 20 January his proposals on how to take forward strategic planning in North Yorkshire, Humberside and Lincolnshire.

  The Secretary of State has endorsed the commission's comments on the need for continued local authority co-operation on economic and planning issues across the Humber estuary. It is this need which is addressed in paragraph 4.9 of the draft regional planning guidance. The Secretary of State would look to the authorities concerned to put in hand the necessary administrative arrangements to achieve this. A formal structure for this purpose is not necessary. The Government office for Yorkshire and Humberside in Leeds is, however, ready to discuss with the authorities concerned any informal arrangements they might like to develop.

  Business Rates
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many appeals have been made against the business rate revaluation of 1 April 1990; how many are still outstanding nationally, regionally and by valuation office; and when this process is expected to be completed.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  A total of 1,231,145 proposals to alter the 1990 rating lists had been received in England by 31 December 1994, of which 295,222 were outstanding. I am placing in the Library a table which breaks these totals down by valuation office region and office.

  We expect that the vast majority of proposals received by the end of March 1995 will be cleared by the end of 1995–96. Proposals will continue to be made up to 31 March 1996, and the remainder will therefore be settled as early as possible thereafter.

  North Yorkshire
  Mr. Sykes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the county name of North Yorkshire.

  Mr. Gummer
  In the light of representations I have received about the changes I am proposing to make to the structure of local government in North Yorkshire I have decided to change the name of the county to the county of the North Riding of Yorkshire. For ceremonial and related purposes the City of York, which will be a unitary authority, will be deemed to be part of the County of the North Riding of Yorkshire. This change will be reflected in the draft structure order.

  Genetically Modified Organisms
  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment which companies or other organisations are conducting contained use work with genetically modified organisms—group I or group II for research or commercial programmes—and at which sites in the United Kingdom; if he will list the documentation he or other public bodies hold concerning the nature of the work undertaken; and what monitoring he has implemented at these sites.

  Mr. Oppenheim
  I have been asked to reply.

  I have arranged for the names and addresses of all persons, companies and other organisations, who have notified premises to be placed in the Library. For all of these notifications the Health and Safety Executive holds the information provided, which includes a description of the modified organism and the activity, and an assessment of the risks to human health and the environment. It also holds similar information for certain individual activities of higher risk.

  There are two forms of monitoring of the regulations. It is the responsibility of the person notifying to monitor, where necessary, for the presence of viable genetically modified organisms outside the primary physical containment. In addition, HSE's specialist inspectorate monitors compliance through a programme of inspection and enforcement.

  Mr. Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the regulation of contained use activities with genetically modified organisms.

  Mr. Oppenheim
  I have been asked to reply.

  All contained use activities involving genetically modified organisms are controlled under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 1992. The regulations have now been in force for two years. The experience so far has been that they have provided adequate safeguards to protect human health and the environment.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Iraq
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade whether the possible falsification of export licences to Iraq referred to in his Department's press statement of 20 September 1993 have now been proved; what formal
  695
  investigations have been commenced; and what criminal prosecutions have been undertaken.

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  Inquiries have established that, as far as the Department is aware, falsification of United Kingdom export licences for Iraq has, in the main, taken place outside UK jurisdiction. Since the introduction of new procedures the number of export licences issued for Iraq has fallen significantly. One investigation was undertaken by HM Customs and Excise but no criminal prosecution has taken place.

  Regional Electricity Companies
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what matters of public interest he will take into account in the event of a foreign conglomerate proposing to take over one of the regional electricity companies.

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  In the event of such a takeover qualifying for investigation under the Fair Trading Act 1973, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade would be advised on the matter by the Director General of Fair Trading. In giving his advice the DGFT would take account of all relevant factors as would the president in making his decision.

  Nort hern Electric
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what matters of public interest he will take into account when considering Trafalgar House's bid for Northern Electric;

  (2) if he will take into account the views of consumers in the north-east in his consideration of the proposed take over by Trafalgar House of Northern Electric.

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade will be advised on the proposed merger by the Director General of Fair Trading. In giving his advice the DGFT will take account of all relevant factors, as will the President in making his decision.

  Euratom Treaty
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade which of the facilities operated by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority have had sanctions imposed for infringement of article 88 of the Euratom treaty since 1988; what specific infringement occurred; and what has been done to rectify the situation.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Article 88 of the Euratom treaty provides that"The Agency shall keep a special account in the name of the Community, called Special Fissile Materials Financial Account." It contains no provision for the imposition of any sanctions.

  Nuclear Waste Shipments
  Ms Walley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the first shipment of high level waste will take place from Sellafield via Barrow in Furness.

  Mr. Charles Wardle
  Arrangements for the return of such waste are, in the first instance, a matter for British Nuclear Fuels plc and its customers in line with the 696
  contracts between them. I understand that no date has yet been set for the first commercial shipment.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  EU Fisheries Policy
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food at what date, and in what circumstances, qualified majority voting was agreed to by the United Kingdom Government for fisheries policy.

  Mr. Jack
  While the Community's market regime for fish and fish products has always been based on article 43 of the treaty, on United Kingdom accession regulation 2141/70 gave vessels of all member states, subject to certain limited derogations, the right to fish throughout all member states waters and was also based on article 235 which requires unanimity.

  The UK accession treaty included a 10-year derogation from the provisions of regulation 2141/70. This enabled the UK to maintain a six-mile exclusive limit and impose certain restrictions in the six to 12 mile belt.

  In 1976, regulation 2141/70 was replaced by regulation 101/76. This regulation's treaty base also included article 235. The regulation stated that in principle vessels of all member states should have equal access to the use of all fishing grounds within the fisheries limits of member states.

  Later in 1976, the member states of the EC agreed to extend their fishery limits to 200 miles. The UK Government sought to extend the UK exclusive limit significantly, but a Council resolution, adopted in The Hague on 3 November 1976 about the creation of a 200 mile fishing zone in the Community, made no reference to this. The outcome of a European Court case in the early 1980s also suggested that, unless a decision to the contrary were taken, the principle of "free access to waters" came into force at the end of the period specified in the accession treaty.

  This was the background to the negotiations on the CFP regulations which were formally adopted at the beginning of 1983. These regulations substantially reduced other member states' access to waters within the UK six to 12 mile belt, while continuing their total exclusion from the six mile belt, and also provided for the Shetland box. Regulation 170/83 was the principal regulation and was based on article 43.

  Milk Quotas
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the three largest registered owners of milk quota in the United Kingdom, with(a) the quota held by each, (b) the amount of quota held which is leased, (c) the amount of agricultural land owned by each of these registered milk quota holders and (d) the amount of milk produced annually by each of the above.

  Mr. Jack
  No. An individual's entry in the Intervention Board's milk quota register, maintained under the Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations 1994, is confidential and is
  697
  disclosed only to that individual or to a person with a valid interest in his or her holding.

  Caviar
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quantity of caviar

  Imports of caviar (sturgeon roe) (tonnes)

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Russia/USSR

  7.4

  3.4

  7.4

  18.7

  19.4

  16.5

  8.7

  8.4

  10.3

  5.3

  Elsewhere

  25.5

  38.4

  11.9

  10.6

  25.2

  24.8

  25.7

  14.4

  22.0

  27.5

  Total

  32.9

  41.8

  19.3

  29.4

  44.6

  41.3

  34.4

  22.8

  32.3

  32.8

  Imports of caviar substitutes (tonnes)

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Russia/USSR

  0.1

  0.0

  0.0

  0.1

  0.3

  0.1

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  0.0

  Elsewhere

  173.0

  173.5

  236.4

  254.2

  505.6

  745.1

  388.5

  246.4

  315.4

  305.0

  Total

  173.1

  173.6

  236.4

  254.3

  506.9

  745.2

  388.5

  246.4

  315.4

  305.0

  Source:

  HM Customs & Excise (Country of Origin data).

  British Association of Sheep Exporters
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last met the chairman of the British Association of Sheep Exporters.

  Mrs. Browning
  My right hon. Friend and I have not met representatives of the British Association of Sheep Exporters nor have we been requested to meet them.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  National Insurance Numbers
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what purposes other than those connected with the tax and benefits systems the national insurance number may be used; what plans he has to make the number more widely available for those purposes; if legislation is necessary; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moss
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 6 December 1994,Official Report, column 163. The national insurance number can be used only for national insurance, tax and social security benefit purposes and there are no plans at present to introduce legislation to extend its use.

  Health and Social Services Councils
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) Roman Catholics and (b) Protestants are employed by each health and social services council.

  Mr. Moss
  There are no staff employed by health and social services councils. Staff employed by the health and social services boards service the councils.

  Disabled People
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion and number of 698
  has been imported from (a) Russia and the Soviet Union before it and (b) elsewhere in each year since 1984.

  Mr. Jack
  Official figures on imports, by quantity, of caviar—sturgeon roe—and caviar substitutes originating from Russia and the former Soviet Union and from elsewhere are given in the tables:

  non-industrial civil servants in the departments and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document, "Focus on Ability".

  Sir John Wheeler
  At 1 January 1994 there were 1,073 non-industrial staff in the Northern Ireland civil service—4.2 per cent. of the non-industrial service—who self-reported a disability. Of these 413–1.6 per cent. of the non-industrial service—were, or had been registered as disabled. In addition 81 registered disabled people are working in the Northern Ireland civil service under the employment support programme.

  Of the home civil service staff in the Northern Ireland Office one person is known to be registered disabled—0.45 per cent. of the work-force.

  Egg Production
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are employed in the egg production industry; and what was the figure five years ago.

  Mr. Ancram
  A total of 522 people are estimated to have been working on specialist egg production farms in 1989 and 605 in 1994. In addition 422 people are estimated to have been working in packing, processing and marketing eggs in 1989 and 462 in 1992, the latest year for which an estimate is available.

  Parliamentary Answers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many parliamentary answers on health issues have been refused on the grounds of disproportionate cost or information not being held centrally(a) as a total and (b) as a percentage of all health answers in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Moss
  The information is as follows:
  699

  Year

  Number of PQs unable to be answered (a)

  PQs as a percentage of all Health answered (b)

  19901

  8

  4

  19911

  11

  4

  19921

  9

  4

  1993

  15

  4

  1994

  14

  4

  1 Due to implementation of computer system the percentage of PQs prior to 1993 are approximate.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  United States Congress
  Mr. Brazier
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he is taking to build relations with the new United States Congress.

  Mr. Hurd
  I visited Washington last month, partly to meet the new congressional leaders. Ministers visiting Washington invariably see Members of Congress and I have no doubt that our excellent relations with the US Congress will continue.

  Fisheries
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food relating to the re-negotiation of the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food have been in close contact on this subject, and will continue to liaise as negotiations with Morocco develop.

  Falkland Islands
  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Argentina and the future sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

  Mr. Hurd
  Co-operation between Britain and Argentina has developed well since 1990. Our exports in the first 10 months of 1994 rose 35 per cent.

  My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, visited the Falkland Islands last weekend. He reassured the islanders that we will continue to uphold their right to self-determination and are not prepared to discuss sovereignty with Argentina.

  We have co-operated with Argentina over fisheries conservation since 1990 and we are now examining the prospects for co-operation over oil.

  China
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to visit 700
  the People's Republic of China to discuss Anglo-Chinese relation.

  Mr.Goodlad
  I have no plans to visit China at present.

  Iraq
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has had about hunger and health problems in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates as a result of the implementation of United Nation sanctions against Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Iraqi regime, not the United Nations, is responsible for the suffering in Iraq. Food and medicines are exempt from UN sanctions. Iraq has twice rejected UN schemes to provide much-needed humanitarian aid in return for limited sales of oil. The Iraqi regime's continued refusal of these offers and its exploitation of human suffering show its callous disregard for its own people.

  Overseas Missions
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the proportion of the budget for United Kingdom overseas missions currently devoted to promoting trade and commercial relations; and what was the position in 1979.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Commercial work, including export promotion and inward investment, is the FCO's largest single activity overseas, accounting for 23 per cent. of the cost of running overseas missions or 30 per cent. of frontline staff. This is broadly the same level as in 1989, the first year in which comparable data were available. With the help of efficiency savings, including a programme to reduce staff and costs in support areas, the FCO is planning to create over 100 additional commercial staff slots in posts overseas during 1995, an increase of over 9 per cent. in frontline commercial staff.

  Armenia
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made towards opening an embassy in Armenia.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The possibility of opening an embassy in Yerevan is currently being carefully considered as part of the regular review of our representation in the states of the former Soviet Union.

  Middle East
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the peace process in the middle east.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We welcome the substantial progress that has been made, but we are concerned at the strains on the peace process resulting from a number of recent development, especially the dreadful bombing near Tel Aviv. We will continue to lend our full support to the peacemakers to ensure that those who oppose them do not succeed.

  UNESCO
  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the United Kingdom rejoining UNESCO.
  701
  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We are continuing to keep this issue under review, but have not yet reached a decision.

  Departmental Staff
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the academic background of graduates entering his Department.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Graduates entering the fast and main streams of the diplomatic service and the Overseas Development Administration come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds.

  European Union
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the President of the European Commission to discuss the future of the European Union.

  Mr. Goodlad
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary meets Mr. Santer as a matter of course at Foreign Affairs Councils. The next Foreign Affairs Council is on 6 and 7 February.

  Pirate Attacks
  Mr. Dowd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many attacks by pirates on British shipping off the coast of Brazil have been recorded since 1987.

  Mr. Goodlad
  Our records show six attacks since 1987: three attacks on British-flagged ships, one attack on a Hong Kong-flagged, British-managed ship and two attacks on ships with a British interest, but flagged in other countries.

  Chechnya
  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to assist the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe to establish a mission in Chechnya.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We welcome the Russian decision to agree to an Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe fact-finding mission to Moscow and Chechnya on 24 to 27 January which explored the possibilities for greater OSCE involvement. A United Kingdom official, the director of the OSCE office for democratic institutions and human rights, was a member of the team.

  Human Rights
  Mr. Jessel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet representatives of(a) the Red Cross and (b) Amnesty International to discuss human rights overseas.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross in October last year and I hope to meet him in Geneva in the margins of my visit to the UN Commission on Human Rights in February. I have no immediate plans to meet representatives from Amnesty International. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs met Amnesty 702
  representatives in November. FCO officials are in regular contact with Amnesty International.

  UN Peacekeeping
  Mr. Grocott
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet the Secretary-General of the United Nations organisation to discuss the United Nations' peacekeeping work.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I last met the Secretary-General of the United Nations when he visited the United Kingdom in October. We had wide-ranging discussions covering a number of UN-related topics including peacekeeping operations.

  Cyprus
  Mr. O'Hara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the application of Cyprus for full membership of the European Union.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Corfu European Council agreed that Cyprus will be involved in the next phase of enlargement. The Council is committed to a review of the application, in the light of progress in the intercommunal dispute, early in 1995. We welcome the prospect of eventual Cypriot accession.

  Kashmir
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new proposals he has to assist the Governments of Pakistan and India to resolve the Kashmir dispute.

  Mr. Baldry
  Our position has not changed. We continue to believe that the best way forward on Kashmir should involve simultaneous progress on dialogue between India and Pakistan as provided for under the 1972 Simla agreement; an improvement in human rights in Kashmir and a genuine political process there; and a clear cessation of external support for violence in Kashmir. We stand ready to offer our good offices to help resolve the dispute if both sides so wish.

  Malta
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Malta's application for membership of the European Union.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The Corfu European Council agreed that Malta will be involved in the next phase of enlargement. The Council will review the application this year. We welcome the prospect of Maltese accession to the European Union.

  Africa
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about areas of disagreement with France about foreign policy in Africa; and what he proposes to try and ensure a joint approach.

  Mr. Baldry
  We work closely together with the French both bilaterally and within the EU. On 18 November, my
  703
  right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister and Mr. Balladur said both Governments would explore ideas on peacekeeping further with African partners. We are following this up. More recently, on 25 January, my right hon. and noble Friend, the Minister for Overseas Development had wide-ranging talks in Paris with French experts on Africa.

  India
  Mr. Spring
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his assessment of current relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of India.

  Mr. Baldry
  Relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of India are excellent, as my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary saw when he visited Calcutta and Delhi last month. In particular the Indo-British partnership initiative continues to flourish. British exports to India have increased by 40 per cent. in the last 18 months, and investment approvals have increased dramatically in the last two years. The UK's largest bilateral aid programme is in India.

  Sudan
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the current status of the mission of the United States special representative to Sudan; what he is seeking to achieve; and what progress he is making.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The US special envoy on the Sudan, Ambassador Melissa Wells, was appointed last May to work in support of regional efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Sudan. She has visited Sudan and neighbouring countries in pursuit of this.

  Palestinian National Authority
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further international discussions are taking place that are leading to proposals further to assist the Palestinian national authority with its internal security and terrorist problems.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  The international committee, which co-ordinates assistance to the Palestinian police force, will meet in Gaza as one of the working groups under the local aid co-ordination committee, supported by the UN special co-ordinator for the occupied territories. The first meeting is expected to take place on 7 February.

  Afghanistan
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the recent arrest and release by rebels of a British citizen in Afghanistan.

  Mr. Baldry
  We welcomed the release of Eden Fernandez, on humanitarian grounds. Swift and effective action by a British diplomat, who fortunately was visiting Kabul, and the helpful co-operation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, enabled his release and return, via Pakistan, to the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Ray Nelson
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations have been made into the circumstances of the death of Mr. Ray Nelson in a fire at a works living quarters in Tengiz, Kazakstan on 29 December 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  The police in Tengiz, Kazakstan are treating the tragic death of Mr. Raymond Anthony Nelson as an accident. Mr. Nelson was sub-contracted to TengizChevroil, which is holding its own investigation. The company's initial accident report states that Mr. Nelson remained in a burning building, looking for another person when he was overcome by smoke. The full report has not yet been completed.

  Gibraltar
  Mr. David Young
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors preclude residents of Gibraltar from voting for and being represented by a Euro-MP.

  Mr. Baldry
  Annex II of the 1976 Act on direct elections limits to the United Kingdom itself the franchise for elections to the European Parliament.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Independent Counsel
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions in 1994 the Government sought opinions from independent counsel; and what was the total cost.

  The Attorney-General
  Information is not held centrally and could be obtained from Departments only at disproportionate cost.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Indonesia
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list all Overseas Development Administration-funded forestry and forestry-related projects since 1980 in Indonesia, providing(a) the dates approved and the status of their implementation, (b) the amount and type of aid funding, (c) the main objectives of the projects and (d) the counterpart Indonesian Government or private sector bodies involved in each of the projects.

  Mr. Baldry
  A list of forestry projects has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Sudan
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which parts of Sudan are still inaccessible to international aid agencies and humanitarian relief.

  Mr. Baldry
  Operation Lifeline Sudan was refused access in January to seven of the 95 destinations
  705
  designated as relief distribution centres: Maiyut, Pariang, Boma, Nimule, Chunkodum, Ikotos and Mundri. These are all located in areas of military activity. Access to the Nuba mountains remains as described in my answer of 25 October 1994, Official Report, column 546.

  Pergau Dam
  Mr. Bayley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his oral statement of 13 December,Official Report, column 773, if he will make a further statement on the Pergau dam project.

  Mr. Baldry
  As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs announced to the House on 13 December, arrangements are being made for the outstanding commitments on this project to be met from the reserve voted by Parliament. This is outside the scope of the Overseas Development and Co-operation Act 1980.

  International Development Association
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to argue in the forthcoming IDA replenishment negotiations, that the bulk of IDA funds should be allocated to social sectors and direct poverty reduction programmes; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Baldry
  In the report on the 10th replenishment of IDA, donors underlined the central importance of poverty reduction in IDA's policy dialogue with borrowers, and stated that they expected the share of social sector and poverty-targeted interventions to increase steadily where justified by the country assistance strategy. In IDA-11, we will press IDA to intensify its efforts in this area.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's plans for(a) the size of the 11th IDA replenishment and (b) the allocation of IDA-11 among the various objectives towards which it is directed.

  Mr. Baldry
  We shall be working for a substantial replenishment of the International Development Association, while taking account of the constraints on available aid programme resources. We do not expect any major shift in IDA's priority objectives of poverty reduction, sound economic management and environmentally sustainable development.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy(a) to support the United States Government's position on mandatory social safety net programmes and public consultation campaigns for all structural adjustment loans and (b) to press for their implementation, at the Paris meeting of International Development Association delegates in February.

  Mr. Baldry
  If the United States tables proposals during the IDA-11 negotiations, we and other donors will give them careful consideration.

  Turkey Ankara Metro
  Mr. James Clappison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are being made by the Overseas Development Administration to meet expenditure in 1994–95 on the Turkey Ankara metro mixed credit aid and trade provision project.
  706
  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs announced to the House on 13 December 1994,Official Report, columns 773–74, that, following a review of aid and trade provision projects in the light of the judgment of the divisional court on the Malaysia Pergau hydro-electric dam project, arrangements would be made for outstanding commitments to certain projects to be met from funds voted by Parliament outside the scope of the Overseas Development and Co-operation Act 1980.

  Financial aid for the Turkey Ankara metro project, including the cost of monitoring, will be met from funds outside the overseas aid budget. Parliamentary approval to this new service will be sought in a spring supplementary estimate for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office—Overseas Development Administration: external assistance vote, class II, vote 5. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure, estimated at £4.627 million, will be met by repayable advances from the contingencies fund.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Raynsford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of housing benefit claimants who are likely to be affected by the tighter restrictions on the level of rent eligible for housing benefit consequent on the change to the housing benefit regulations he proposes to make from October 1995.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  Much will depend on the definition of average rents to be used in the calculation of housing benefit, and other factors, including the behavioural effects of the proposals. A realistic estimate will not be possible until we have made decisions on the detailed structure of the new arrangements, following consultation with the local authority associations, the social security advisory committee and other interested bodies.

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in how many cases the Child Support Agency has had to trace the absent parent; and what is the rate of success.

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

  Letter from Ann Chant to Mr. Adam Ingram, dated 1 February 1995:
  I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about the number and success rate of specialist traces performed by the Child Support Agency.
  Since launch to the end of November 1994, specialist tracing action has been completed in almost 77,000 cases, 58,000 of which were successful; a success rate of 75 per cent.
  I hope that this is of help.

  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what was the outcome of the 13,281 section
  707
  18 reviews outstanding as at 31 March 1994 cited in his answer of 18 May 1994, Official Report, column 526; how many section 18 reviews of child support officers' decisions have been requested since then and how many have been cleared; and what efforts are being made to monitor the outcomes and length of time that reviews are taking to be decided;

  (2) how many section 17 reviews of child support officers' decisions have been cleared in the first half of 1994–95; how many of these resulted in a fresh assessment; and what efforts are being made to monitor the number of requests made for section 17 reviews and the length of time that reviews are taking to be decided.

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

  Letter from Miss Ann Chant to Mr. Adam Ingram, dated 1 February 1995:
  I am replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Section 17 and Section 18 reviews completed by the Child Support Agency.
  Between April and september 1994, 15,562 Section 17 reviews were cleared. From April to the end of July, 13,065 reviews resulted in the maintenance assessment being revise. From August 1994, numbers of reviews resulting maintenance assessments were no longer collected because there was no business need for the information and data collected for earlier periods had clearly shown that the overwhelming majority of reviews cleared result in a fresh assessment.
  Following enhancements to the Agency's management information systems it was found that the number of Section 18 review applications outstanding at 1 April 1994 was 9,537, which differs from the figure of 11,732 given in the answer of 18 May 1994. Between April and November 1994, a further 18,766 review applications were received and 18,671 applications were cleared.
  Enhancements to our Management Information Systems enable us, from August 1994, to identify the number of Section 18 review clearances which actually result in a review being completed, against those considered not appropriate to Section 18 and those refused or withdrawn. However, there is no business requirement to record the number of completed reviews which result in a change to assessment. From August we are also now able to measure the proportion of Section 17 and Section 18 reviews completed within specific age bands.
  I hope that this is of help.

  Number of unemployed claimants by benefit entitlement at the second Thursday of the given months (GB)

  thousands

  All unemployed claimants

  Unemployment Benefit only

  Unemployment Benefit and Income Support

  Income Support only

  No benefit

  1991

  November

  2,313

  507

  119

  1,386

  301

  1992

  February

  2,553

  566

  129

  1,530

  328

  May

  2,546

  545

  124

  1,564

  313

  August

  2,641

  525

  117

  1,651

  347

  November

  2,687

  534

  121

  1,664

  368

  1993

  February

  2,840

  578

  123

  1,769

  370

  May

  2,759

  543

  116

  1,765

  335

  August

  2,821

  532

  108

  1,817

  364

  November

  2,640

  483

  101

  1,744

  312

  Household Commodities
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he has on the proportion of households in the bottom 10 per cent. of income distribution which have(a) a car, (b) a television, (c) a video, (d) a telephone, (e) a washing machine, (f) a fridge freezer or freezer and (g) a home computer (i) in the latest year for which figures are available and (ii) in 1979.

  Mr. Burt
  The available information is in the table.

  Percentage of individuals in the bottom 10 per cent. of the income distribution who live in households with access to consumer durables, in 1979 and 1991–921

  Before Housing Costs

  After Housing Costs

  1979

  1991–92

  1979

  1991–92

  Car or van

  39

  51

  40

  53

  Television

  93

  297

  93

  297

  Video

  4—

  60

  4—

  65

  Telephone

  47

  74

  47

  73

  Washing machine

  69

  87

  69

  86

  Fridge freezer or freezer1

  29

  79

  32

  81

  Home computer

  4—

  20

  4—

  21

  Notes:

  1 The latest period for which figures are available is 1991–92; that is the calendar years 1991 and 1992 combined.

  2 The latest period for which information on televisions is available is 1990–91.

  3 The large increase in access to fridge freezers or freezers mainly reflects a rise in the access to fridge freezers over the period.

  4 Information on videos and home computers was not available in 1979.

  Unemployment
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list for each of the last three years the numbers unemployed and drawing(a) national insurance benefit only, (b) national insurance and income support and (c) income support only; and if these three sets of data for each year could also be presented in percentage terms of the total claimant unemployment count.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The information is set out in the tables.
  709

  Number of unemployed claimants by benefit entitlement at the second Thursday of the given months (GB)

  thousands

  All unemployed claimants

  Unemployment Benefit only

  Unemployment Benefit and Income Support

  Income Support only

  No benefit

  1994

  February

  2,727

  503

  104

  1,802

  317

  May

  2,551

  428

  113

  1,729

  281

  August

  2,542

  381

  132

  1,763

  266

  Notes:

  Figures are based on a 100 per cent. count.

  Figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and component parts may not sum to totals.

  Source:

  Quarterly Analysis of Unemployed Claimants.

  Percentage of unemployed claimants by benefit entitlement at the second Thursday of the given months (GB)

  Percentages

  Year

  All unemployed claimants

  Unemployment Benefit only

  Unemployment Benefit and Income Support

  Income Support only

  No benefit

  1991

  November

  100

  21.9

  5.2

  59.9

  13.0

  1992

  February

  100

  22.2

  5.0

  59.9

  12.8

  May

  100

  21.4

  4.9

  61.4

  12.3

  August

  100

  19.9

  4.4

  62.5

  13.2

  November

  100

  19.9

  4.5

  61.9

  13.7

  1993

  February

  100

  20.4

  4.3

  62.3

  13.0

  May

  100

  19.7

  4.2

  64.0

  12.1

  August

  100

  18.9

  3.8

  64.4

  12.9

  November

  100

  18.3

  3.8

  66.1

  11.8

  1994

  February

  100

  18.4

  3.8

  66.1

  11.6

  May

  100

  16.8

  4.4

  67.8

  11.0

  August

  100

  15.0

  5.2

  69.3

  10.5

  Notes:

  Figures are based on a 100 per cent. count.

  Percentages are rounded to one decimal place and component parts may not sum to totals.

  Disabled People (Discrimination)
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the cost of the report prepared by SIA Ltd. on the analysis of responses to consultation on Government measures to tackle discrimination against disabled people.

  Mr. Hague
  The total cost of producing and printing the document, including the sum paid to SIA Ltd. for research and analysis, was £73,000.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will commission a report on the analysis of responses to the Government consultation on pensions similar to the analysis carried out by SIA Ltd. on Government measures to tackle discrimination against disabled people.

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  No. The report of the pension law review committee included an analysis of the written responses to the committee's consultation document. Since the publication of that report, the Department has consulted widely on a large number of issues, and received detailed and technical responses. These were placed in the Library on Thursday 22 December 1994 in 710
  response to the hon. Member's earlier question, on 19 December 1994, Official Report columns 930–31.

  Benefits
  Mr. Roy Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to help improve the take up of benefits by older people.

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The Benefits Agency pursues a number of initiatives to ensure that all sectors of the public, including older people, are aware of the availability of benefits. A leaflet, FB32 "Benefits after retirement", gives information on a wide range of benefits available to older people. The first stage of the one-step benefit delivery service was completed in July, providing information locally on all major benefits, plus help with claims. Information material is also available through other, non-Benefits Agency, outlets. The social security freeline service provides information and advice on all benefits.

  Pensions, Australia
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what recent representations he has had
  711
  about the level of British pensions paid to people living in Australia; what replies he has sent; what action he is taking; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  We have received a number of letters recently about non-payment of annual pension increases to British pensioners living in Australia. We have also received representations from the Government of Australia. It would cost an additional £105 million a year to uprate British pensions paid there. In view of the continued need to contain public expenditure, we have no plans to change our policy on this issue.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has studied the comments made on 24 January by Australia's Minister for Social Security about the level of British pensions paid to people living in Australia; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  We have seen the press release issued by the Minister's office. We have no plans to change our existing policy on indexation.

  Private Hospitals
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what use his Department or its executive agencies makes of private hospitals in testing applicants for benefits; if he will list(a) those private hospitals which have contracts from his Department or its executive agencies to carry out work during the current financial year, (b) the types of medical testing which will be carried out, (c) the number of patients to be treated under those contracts and (d) the value of the contracts; and what factors led his Department to use these facilities rather than national health service hospitals.

  Mr. Hague
  Only the War Pensions Agency makes use of private hospitals in testing applicants for benefit.

  (a) General Healthcare Group plc trading as BMI Healthcare Audiology Services (BMI) are currently contracted to carry out audiological examinations for the War Pensions Agency.

  (b) In each case pure tone audiometry is performed and depending on the circumstances, tympanometry and/or Evoked Response Audiometry may also be performed.

  (c) BMI performed just over 105,000 pure tone audiometric tests.

  (d) This information is commercial in confidence.

  Prior to this contract being awarded, audiological services were provided by a fragmented network of private individuals throughout the United Kingdom that had been appointed by senior medical officers in the various regions. However, a wide variance of service reporting standards and unacceptable delays in some areas led to the decision to undertake a competitive tendering exercise for the nationwide provision of audiological services. Many expressions of interest were received, including some from individual NHS hospitals. However, upon extensive and thorough evaluation of all submissions, a single contract was awarded to General Healthcare Group plc, its tender best matching the contract strategy of providing a uniform quality service to pre-determined standards and offering the best value for money.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Disabled People
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the Department and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document, "Focus on Ability".

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  The number of registered disabled people in the Departments and agencies for which my right hon. Friend is responsible and other areas which fall to the Cabinet Office vote is as follows:

  Number of RDP

  Total staff in department

  Percentage of RDP

  Cabinet office OPSS (including CCTA)

  18

  1,316.5

  1.4

  CCC

  3

  397.5

  0.75

  CSC

  —

  253

  —

  OHS

  0.5

  113

  0.4

  RAS

  3

  137.5

  2.2

  COI

  4

  502

  0.8

  HMSO

  40.5

  2,002

  2

  The figures represent full time equivalent posts; part time staff are shown as 0.5.

  Figures for the number of all disabled people employed within the Departments and agencies as a whole are not available. However, 51 staff in the central Cabinet Office/OPSS and CCTA have a disability which they consider might affect them at work.

  Housing Benefit
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many tenants of the Duchy are in receipt of housing benefit.

  Mr. David Hunt
  The Duchy has no record of tenants who may themselves be in receipt of housing benefit. The Duchy receives housing benefit in the form of rental payments on behalf of tenants for four properties.

  Open Government
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many applications for the release of information under the code of practice on access to government information since April 1994 have been(a) successful and (b) unsuccessful; and in the latter case what reasons have been given.

  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  This information is not available centrally, but information on the first nine months of operation of the code of practice is being collected for a report to be issued shortly by the Office of Public Service and Science.

  Open Government
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will make available documentation in its original form in instances where information is released under the code of practice on access to government information.
  713
  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  There is no commitment that pre-existing documents, as distinct from information, will be made available, but paragraph 52 of the guidance on the code of practice states:"Requests for information should be met in the simplest, most cost-effective way. This will usually be by letter giving the information requested […] There may be occasions on which it is appropriate to send photocopies—for example of a letter which has been published or a factual record …"

PRIME MINISTER

  Ministerial Visits
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Prime Minister (1) in which circumstances a Minister is not expected to notify the Member for the constituency visited by the Minister of a ministerial visit to the constituency, under paragraph 71 of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers", May 1992;

  (2) what constitutes adequate notice of a ministerial visit, under paragraph 71 of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" May 1992;

  (3) in which circumstances hon. Members are (a) invited and (b) not invited to make suggestions to Ministers about the inclusion of places which it would be helpful to visit, under paragraph 71 of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers", May 1992.

  The Prime Minister
  It is for individual Ministers to ensure that they comply with paragraph 71 of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" and to judge what constitutes adequate notice. "Questions of Procedure for Ministers" makes it clear that informing the Members for the constituencies that they intend to visit is a courtesy which they should take special care not to overlook.

EMPLOYMENT

  Employment Medical Advisory Service
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many nurses were employed by the Health and Safety Executive's employment medical advisory service in the years 1974 to 1994;

  (2) how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses were employed within the Health and Safety Executive's Health policy division and its predecessors in each year since 1974;

  (3) how many doctors were employed by the Health and Safety Executive's employment medical advisory service in each year since 1974.

  Mr. Oppenheim
  I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my reply in the Library.

  Job Vacancies (Rural Areas)
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what initiatives he is developing to improve access to information on employment vacancies for people living in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment 714
  Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 February 1995:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about initiatives to improve access to information on employment vacancies for people living in rural areas.
  Local initiatives are being developed by many of the Employment Service's (ES) rural offices to improve our clients' access to vacancy information. These often involve provision of vacancy displays in post offices, libraries, community centres and other focal points in small rural communities. Local press and radio are also used to publicise our services.
  The ES programme Development Fund is being used to develop rural initiatives and supplement the more traditional forms of vacancy filling in scattered communities. Mobile Jobcentres have been provided in several areas and Freephone services are being used to make Jobcentre services more accessible to clients in the more remote areas. Access to vacancies and advisory services has also been provided by our Claimant Advisers through Outreach projects. These initiatives will be subject to evaluation in the future and consideration may then be given to wider delivery.
  You may also be interested to know that an internal working group has been set up in Scotland to consider how existing ES services might be further developed to meet the needs of ES clients in rural areas.

  Jobcentres
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what guidelines he has issued in respect of the geographical size of the catchment area served by the Jobcentres.

  Miss Widdecombe
  Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Malcolm Bruce, dated 1 Februry 1995:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the guidelines he has issued in respect of the geographical size of the catchment area served by Jobcentres.
  There are no specific guidelines on the geographical size of catchment areas. Decisions on the location of Jobcentres and the area they serve are made primarily on the basis of how the best possible service can be provided to clients taking economic, demographic and geographic factors such as travel to work patterns into account.
  The network of local offices nationally was reviewed in 1990 as part of the Employment Service's (ES) integration programme, which is about merging Jobcentres and Benefit Offices into a single location of ES Jobcentres.
  The location of the new integrated Jobcentres and the areas they serve were decided using the factors mentioned above to provide, wherever possible a service appropriate to the local economy and labour market. Since 1990, 925 integrated Jobcentres have been created, with a further 47 planned in the current financial year.

  Disabled People
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the Departments and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document,"Focus on Ability".

  Miss Widdecombe
  On 1 July 1994 the number of registered disabled people employed as non-industrial civil servants in the Employment Department group was
  715
  2,342, representing 3.9 per cent. of the total. Figures for the number and proportion of all disabled people are not available as the Department does not record information on people who have chosen not to register as disabled.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of men aged 55 to 64 years were active in the labour market in(a) 1967, (b) 1977, (c) 1987 and (d)

  Miss Widdecombe
  Latest estimates from the summer 1994 labour force survey show that 64 per cent. of men aged 55 to 64 were economically active. Equivalent figures for 1987 and 1979—the earliest available comparable data—were 68 per cent. and 84 per cent. respectively.

  South Thames TEC
  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what indicators were available, and when, to providers to South Thames TEC in respect of its insolvency;

  (2) when the state of solvency of the South Thames TEC was at such a point as to render it advisable for providers to ask for cash in advance.

  Mr. Paice
  I understand that the board of South Thames training and enterprise council invited my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to appoint a receiver as soon as it became apparent to them that the TEC was insolvent. This was as a result of a report by a team of accountants acting on behalf of the Department, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

  Before that point the terms on which providers contracted with the TEC were a matter for their commercial judgment. I have no direct knowledge of the indicators available to providers prior to the appointment of the receiver though I understand that the appointment was preceded by a period of difficulty in relations between TEC and its providers when, for example, payments to some providers were delayed.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what alternatives to the South Thames TEC existed for providers of training opportunities guaranteed by Government before the insolvency of the TEC.

  Mr. Paice
  The Government do not guarantee that training opportunities will be contracted to any provider of training. The extent to which training providers had alternatives to their commercial contracts with South Thames training and enterprise council will have depended on the nature of their business. Many providers will also have contracts with other TECs in London and elsewhere.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many training providers were not paid by(a) the Manpower Services Commission at the time it was wound up and (b) the South Thames TEC.

  Mr. Paice
  At the time the Manpower Services Commission ceased to exist, its contractual responsibilities on training were transferred to the Training Commission and business continued as normal. As for South Thames training and enterprise council, it is for the receiver to specify what number of training 716
  providers have not been paid as a result of it's receivership.

  Advertisements
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment on how many occasions and in what circumstances in the last five years advertisements have been placed in newspapers or periodicals which have been described as being issued by or on behalf of Ministers in his Department rather than on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.

  Miss Widdecombe
  There have been no occasions where advertisements have been placed in newspapers or periodicals which have been described as being issued by or on behalf of Ministers in the Employment Department rather than on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.

  North West Training and Enterprise Council
  Mr. Bermingham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many members are on the board of the North West training and enterprise council; and what is the gross turnover.

  Mr. Paice
  The total number of board members on the 14 north-west training and enterprise councils is currently 198. Their total income in 1993–94 was £263,600,572.

HEALTH

  Next Steps Agencies
  Ms Janet Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary questions she has referred to chief executives of next steps agencies in each year since 1992.

  Mr. Sackville
  Five parliamentary questions were referred to agency chief executives in the 1992–93 parliamentary Session. Two parliamentary questions were referred to chief executives in 1993–94 and so far in 1994–95 one parliamentary question has been referred.

  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out for each of the next steps agencies in her Department, whether they have acquired their own headquarters buildings and, if so, at what purchase cost or annual rental; how many support staff they have required who were not required when their operations were within her Department; how many of them publish periodical journals and at what annual cost; how many have fleets of executive cars or single executive cars and at what annual cost; how many have specially designed logos and at what cost; how many have corporate clothing and at what cost; and what is the cost of specially designed and printed corporate stationery.

  Mr. Sackville
  There are four next steps agencies within the Department of Health:

  Medicines Control Agency

  Medical Devices Agency

  National Health Service Estates

  National Health Service Pensions Agency

  I have asked the chief executive of each of them to reply to the right hon. Member in respect of their own agency.
  717
  Agencies operate within the framework of demanding quality standards and tight financial control of civil service running costs and other financial targets, set out in the White Paper "The Civil Service, Continuity and Change", Cm 2627. In the usual way their expenditure is subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Staff in agencies remain civil servants, but total civil service manpower in my Department has reduced at the same time as my Department's next steps agencies have established. Improvements in efficiency or effectiveness brought about by my Department's agencies are a matter of record.

  Letter from A. F. Cowen to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 26 January 1995:
  The Secretary of State for Health has asked me to reply to your question in so far as it relates to the NHS Pensions Agency.
  The NHS Superannuation Scheme became an Executive Agency of the Department of Health from 20 November 1992 and continued in it existing premises (Hesketh House) at Fleetwood which are leased via Property Holdings from the Co-operative Society. The acquisition of a separate Headquarters was not necessary. At launch the Agency had some 650 staff. It currently employs 494 whole-time equivalent staff which includes 4 staff recruited on contracts to support the Agency's development—the Chief Executive; a professionally qualified accountant; a human resources professional; and an information technology specialist. Our corporate objective is to secure a running cost reduction of 20 per cent. below the 1992–93 baseline whilst measurably improving our service to customers.
  We do not publish periodical journals, we are required to publish our statutory Annual Report and Accounts. With regard to vehicles, the Agency has continued to use the Private Use Scheme run by the Department of Social Security. There are currently six vehicles available to regular travellers. The annual stationery budget pre and post Agency status remains at £110,000 per annum. The Agency does not have a corporate clothing policy but on launch 22 messengerial staff were provided with replacement uniforms needed because of the nature of their work. This is a continuation of pre Agency practice.

  Letter from Alan Kent to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 26 January 1995:
  The Secretary of State for Health has asked me to reply to your recent question insofar as it relates to the Medical Devices Agency.
  The Medical Devices Agency was established in September 1994 with the primary purpose of protecting the public health and safeguarding the interests of patients and users by ensuring that medical devices meet appropriate standards of safety, quality and performance.
  The Agency remains in the same premises it occupied as the Medical Devices Directorate of the Department of Health. In May 1995 we will move to another building on the civil estate, sharing facilities with other staff of the Department of Health and making an estimated saving on Departmental budgets of about £4.5 million over the four years to 1998–99.
  The Agency employs the same number of support staff now as before its establishment. We have accommodated within existing resources work on personnel and finance services previously provided centrally by the Department.
  The Agency does not publish periodical journals and has neither executive cars nor corporate clothing.
  The Agency logo and stationery were designed together at a cost of just over £12,000. The extra cost of printing the stationery was just under £6,000. The new logo and stationery have improved our communication with manufacturers and users of medical devices and so contributed to the Agency's primary purpose of safeguarding public health.
  718
  Letter from Dr. K. H. Jones to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 24 January 1995:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to the points of detail in your Parliamentary Question with respect to Medicines Control Agency (MCA).
  You may be aware that the MCA has been fully funded by fees from the pharmaceutical industry since it became a Next Steps agency in July 1991.
  We have remained in our original accommodation on the civil estate. No additional support staff have been employed other than those required to handle functions conducted now by MCA that were previously the responsibility of the Department of Health or to service the Agency's growing workload from the pharmaceutical industry.
  We publish a bi-monthly newsletter, MAIL, which has been in publication since June 1973. The annual cost is £18,000 and, while it is supplied free of charge to all licence holders, a small annual fee is paid by subscribers who are not licence holders and who are not directly involved in regulatory affairs. The Agency also publishes, three or four times a year, "Current Problems", first produced in 1975, which is a newsletter to all doctors and pharmacists in the UK, updating them on issues in the field of drug safety. The cost of each bulletin is £55,000, the bulk of which relates to distribution costs. Like MAIL and all MCA activities, it is fully funded by fees from the pharmaceutical industry.
  The Agency has no executive cars or corporate clothing. Our logo was designed in-house by a member of staff at no additional cost and our stationery is of a similar weight and quality to that used by other parts of the Department of Health.

  Letter from J. Locke to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 27 January 1995:
  Further to the Secretary for States written answer to you on the 24th January 1995, I detail below the information requested:
  NHS Estates was established as a Next Steps Agency on the 1st April 1991. From that date until the 28th March 1993 its staff were mainly based in London using existing Department of Health accommodation. The notional cost of the accommodation was £1,617,000. From the 1st April 1993 the Agency moved to offices in Trevelyan Square Leeds for which the Agency pays a current annual rent of £370,000.
  Currently the Agency has 9 support staff who were not required when the Agency was part of the Department. These generally represent Finance and Personnel functions taken over from the Department. The total cost of services provided by the Department to the Agency has dropped from £999,000 in 1991–92 to £347,000 in 1994–95.
  We publish one periodical every quarter known as "Newslink", a review of the latest developments affecting the healthcare estate. In 1994–95 its production costs were £18,786. Prior to this the Department published "Health Service Estate", a more substantial and expensive publication, until April 1991.
  We do not provide a fleet of executive or individual cars. Providing they meet the normal Government usage criteria, our staff may apply for vehicles provided by the Department's transport section.
  The Agency has a logo that was designed in parallel with the NHS Management Executive logo, before it was established in 1991. The costs of producing the logo were paid by the Department.
  The only item of corporate clothing commissioned by the Agency was a bulk purchase of specially designed ties at a cost of £931.
  Our stationery incorporates the Agency logo and office address details to a similar specification and cost as the Department of Health. No extra costs are incurred by their inclusion.
  I hope this answer provides you with the information requested.

  NHS Beds
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS beds, overall and by region, have been closed since 1979; and how many NHS beds there are at present.
  719
  Mr. Sackville
  Information on bed closures is not available centrally. The latest information on the average number of available national health service beds is published in "Beds availability for England, Financial Year 1993–94", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Tranquillisers
  Mr. Jack Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence her Department has of the effect of the use of the benzodiazepine group of tranquillisers upon patients to whom they have been prescribed by their general practitioner.

  Mr. Bowis
  The effects of benzodiazepines on patients are described in the British National Formulary, a copy of which is available in the Library, which is issued by the Department to all general practitioners free of charge. The main effects include reduction in anxiety and induction of sleep. The British National Formulary also gives details of the side effects which some patients may experience from using benzodiazepines.

  Mr. Jack Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been done by her Department into involuntary tranquilliser addiction.

  Mr. Bowis
  None.

  Mr. Jack Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals she has to encourage the development of non-addictive tranquillisers.

  Mr. Bowis
  None. We are seeking to reduce tranquilliser dependency by encouraging general practitioners to review use of benzodiazepines and replace them, as necessary, with behavioural, cognitive and other psychotherapeutic methods of treatment and, if appropriate, antidepressants. Family health services authorities have been asked to discuss with GPs local targets for reductions in benzodiazepine prescribing. To assist with this process, the Department has distributed copies of the Mental Health Foundation's booklet "Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Benzodiazepine Dependence" to every family health services authority, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Air Fresheners (Allergies)
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each regional health authority, the number of patients diagnosed as suffering from an allergy to air fresheners for the latest year she has figures; and what were the figures(a) five and (b) 10 years ago.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available.

  Waiting Lists
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the correlation between specialties that have the longest waiting lists in the NHS and the level of private sector earnings of the consultant concerned.

  Mr. Malone
  None.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what correlation she has made between the English regions with the most private sector beds and the length of their waiting lists.
  720
  Mr. Malone
  We have no evidence of a causal connection between the number of private sector beds in a region and length of waiting lists.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of private patients see an orthopaedic surgeon in under a month; what is the figure for NHS patients; and what assessment she has made of the reason.

  Mr. Malone
  Waiting times for private patients are not identifiable from information available centrally. In the quarter ended 30 September 1994 approximately 44 per cent. of patients seen in the trauma and orthopaedics specialty, which includes orthopaedic surgery, were seen within four weeks of written referral by a general practitioner.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those NHS trusts where over the past 12 months patients have reportedly been kept waiting on a trolley for longer than two hours.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  Patients Charter
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost to public funds of the production, printing, distribution and advertising of the patients charter when launched(a) in 1991 and (b) in 1995; and how many copies were printed in each case.

  Mr. Malone
  The cost of producing, printing, distributing and advertising the original patients charter when launched was just over £2.8 million. Twenty three million copies of a summary version were printed, and half a million copies of the full charter. The cost of launching the new charter is estimated as £535,000 and 3.25 million copies have been printed.

  Blood Transfusion Centres
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions she has had with the National Blood Authority regarding the future of regional blood transfusion centres;

  (2) what response she has made to the Keith Jerrome report on the future of the national blood transfusion centres; and what plans she has for implementing its recommendations.

  Mr. Sackville
  The National Blood Authority has undertaken a thorough and widespread consultation on its proposals for reorganisation. It is currently considering the comments received during the consultation, including those received from trades unions. The authority has announced the establishment of an independent panel which will ensure that the comments received during the consultation have received full and objective consideration. The authority hopes to produce final proposals in around three months.

  Central Heating
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will commission research into the links between central heating and long-term illness and disability;

  (2) whether possible links between central heating and long-term illness and disability have been taken into account in setting "The Health of the Nation" targets.
  721
  Mr. Bowis
  The relationship between central heating and health is complex. For this reason no account was taken of such a postulated link in setting "The Health of the Nation" targets. The Department has no plans to commission research specifically on central heating and long-term illness and disability.

  Drug Treatment Services
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she intends to complete and publish her review of the drug treatment service.

  Mr. Bowis
  The task force to review the effectiveness of treatment services for drug misusers is due to report to Ministers in January 1996.

  Advertisements
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions and in what circumstances in the last five years advertisements have been placed in newspapers or periodicals which have been described as being issued by or on behalf of Ministers in her Department rather than on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.

  Mr. Sackville
  None. In the last five years, the Department has where necessary used the description Department of Health or Departments of Health.

  Elderly People
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for improving care given to the elderly in need of health care.

  Mr. Bowis
  We have made substantial improvements to services for elderly people and will continue to do so. The priorities and planning guidance for the NHS: 1995–96 requires authorities to identify needs and put specific actions in hand to ensure further improvements, and to secure care in the community, including continuing health care, in effective collaboration with local authorities and other agencies.

  Physiotherapy
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified and unqualified physiotherapists are practising in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Sackville
  At 30 September 1993 there were 10,460 state registered physiotherapists practising in the national health service in England. Legislation provides that for direct employment in the NHS and local authorities, practitioners must be "state registered". No figures are available centrally on the number of physiotherapists practising in the private sector.

  Information relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

  Note:

  Figure rounded to the nearest 10 whole-time equivalents.

  Absenteeism
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the absenteeism rates for(a) the Medicines
  722
  Control Agency, (b) National Health Service Estates, (c) the NHS Pensions Agency and (d) her Department.

  Mr. Sackville
  The absenteeism rate for the Department including the Medicines Control Agency, National Health Service Estates and NHS Pensions Agency for 1994 is not yet available.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary answers have been refused on the grounds of disproportionate cost or information not being held centrally(a) as a total and (b) as a percentage of all answers in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) and the right hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) on 12 December 1994,Official Report, columns 470–71 for information on replies stating that information is not held centrally for the 1989–90 to 1993–94 sessions. A search on POLIS has shown that, up to 26 January, 50 questions have been replied to in this form which is 3.7 per cent. of replies given so far in the 1994–95 Session.

  Information on disproportionate costs replies is shown in the table.

  Session

  Number

  Percentage of total answered

  1989–90

  11

  0.24

  1990–91

  21

  0.68

  1991–92

  5

  0.33

  1992–93

  38

  0.64

  1993–94

  42

  0.83

  1994–951

  7

  0.52

  Source:

  POLIS.

  1To 26 January 1995.

  Long-term Care
  Mr. David Young
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health on whom do the costs fall when a long-stay stroke patient is transferred from a hospital bed to a nursing home but requires continued nursing.

  Mr. Bowis
  The decision would depend on the results of an assessment of the patient's health and social care needs.

  Hospitals, Bolton
  Mr. David Young
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many long-stay beds for the elderly are available in Bolton hospitals;

  (2) if Hulton hospital is planned to continue as a hospital for the long-stay elderly;

  (3) what plans there are to close Hulton hospital without replacement.

  Mr. Bowis
  The provision of health services in Bolton is a matter for Wigan and Bolton health authority, and the hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman for details of hospital services for the elderly and its plans for the future.

  Resident Accommodation Charges
  Mr. David Young
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make a statement on the position of the spouse of an elderly person contributing to nursing home care whose sole asset is part ownership with the spouse of the marital home in respect of continued residence in that home;

  (2) if she will make it her policy that in no case the spouse of an elderly person contributing to nursing home care whose sole asset is part ownership of the marital home will have to leave that home against his or her wish.

  Mr. Bowis
  When assessing a resident's ability to contribute towards the costs of nursing home care, the legislation already requires local authorities to ignore the value of property when the spouse continues to live there.

  1989–90

  1990–91

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  England

  2,517

  2,483

  2,475

  2,525

  2,606

  Northern and Yorkshire

  351

  353

  333

  346

  388

  Trent

  272

  262

  255

  250

  265

  Anglia and Oxford

  170

  192

  198

  184

  183

  North Thames

  398

  392

  370

  401

  369

  South Thames

  323

  314

  340

  335

  355

  South and West

  304

  312

  336

  315

  320

  West Midlands

  251

  259

  244

  263

  260

  North West

  386

  352

  347

  380

  405

  Special Health Authorities

  56

  48

  52

  53

  60

  Source:

  KH03 returns.

EDUCATION

  Surplus School Places
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is her latest estimate of the cost of a surplus primary and secondary school place.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The average premises-related cost of maintaining a surplus place is estimated to be £182 a year for a primary school and £303 a year for a secondary school at 1995–96 prices. The actual cost and the scope for realising savings from removal of surplus places in practice will depend on local circumstances.

  National Curriculum
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if she will list for each subject on the national curriculum, except English, history and mathematics, the publications, guidance and teaching material which has been sent to schools since 1988; if she will give the cost for each subject; and whether the publications are pertinent to the revised national curriculum;

  (2) pursuant to her answer on 24 January, Official Report, columns 169–72, if she will list for each of (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) history which publications, guidance and teaching material sent to schools are pertinent to the revised national curriculum.

  Mr. Forth
  The documents listed under the first heading in the answer of 24 January set out the

  Intensive Therapy Beds
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive therapy unit beds there were in each region in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Sackville
  [holding answer 13 January 1995]: Information is provided in the table on the average daily number of available designated intensive therapy beds for England, excluding neonatal intensive care, and for each regional health authority area, in the years 1989–90 to 1993–94. However, in addition to these services provided in units designated as intensive therapy units, intensive therapy can also be delivered in a variety of hospital departments, such as neonatal intensive care, coronary care units, accident and emergency departments, renal units and high dependency units. It is for each purchasing authority to determine the appropriate level and type of provision of intensive therapy based on an assessment of the needs of their population, taking account of local priorities.

  requirements of the current or previous national curriculum for English, mathematics and history; and the curriculum guidance listed under heading 3a related to these requirements. The current requirements will be superseded by those of the revised national curriculum as set out in the documents listed under the second heading, but the guidance listed under heading 3a will continue to be relevant to the revised national curriculum in as much as this is essentially a slimmed down version of the existing curriculum.

  The documents listed under heading 3b are in the main annual publications relating to each year's assessment. arrangements and are directly relevant therefore only to the year to which they relate, though teachers may use a previous year's tests in their teaching and, as with the curriculum materials, the content remains relevant because the tests assess core elements of the curriculum which are largely unchanged.

  The following list shows the publications relating to national curriculum subjects other than English, mathematics and history, arranged under similar headings to those used in the answer of 24 January. The separate costs of the documents listed under the second heading cannot be disaggregated for the reason given in the answer of 24 January, but the total costs of the revised national curriculum documents were included in that answer. I will write the hon. Member as soon as possible with the costs of the documents listed under the third and fourth headings. The relevance of the documents listed to the revised national curriculum is as explained above.
  725

  1. Statutory documents containing or relating to attainment targets and programmes of study for the current or previous national curriculum

  Production costs £

  Distribution costs £

  Science in the National Curriculum

  762,0001

  198,0001

  Science in the National Curriculum (1991)

  251,000

  76,000

  Technology in the National Curriculum

  630,0001

  185,0001

  Geography in the National Curriculum

  888,000

  243,000

  Modern Foreign Languages in the National Curriculum

  172,000

  90,000

  Music in the National Curriculum

  488,000

  175,000

  Art in the National Curriculum

  490,000

  175,000

  Physical Education in the National Curriculum

  502,000

  179,000

  Order removing sex education from "Science in the National Curriculum"

  12,000

  7,000

  1 These figures are estimates.

  The cost of miscellaneous deliveries in all subjects subsequent to the initial bulk distributions has totalled approximately £257,000.

  2. Statutory documents containing Attainment Targets and Programmes of Study for the revised National Curriculum

  Science in the National Curriculum

  Design and Technology in the National Curriculum

  Information Technology in the National Curriculum

  Geography in the National Curriculum

  Modern Foreign Languages in the National Curriculum

  Music in the National Curriculum

  Art in the National Curriculum

  Physical Education in the National Curriculum

  The National Curriculum

  Key Stages 1 and 2 of the National Curriculum

  3. Non-Statutory Curriculum guidance Science

  1989 Science Non-Statutory Guidance

  1991 Science Explorations

  1991 Science Non-Statutory Guidance

  1992 Forces

  1993 Electricity and Magnetism

  1993 Energy

  1993 Teaching Science at Key Stages 1 and 2

  1993 Teaching Science at Key Stages 3 and 4

  1993 Earth Sciences—Primary

  1993 Earth Sciences—Secondary

  1994 Chemical Changes

  1994 Genetics and Ecology

  Design and Technology

  1990 Design and Technology Non-Statutory Guidance

  1991 Implementing Design and Technology at Key Stages 1 and 2

  1991 Implementing Design and Technology at Key Stage 3

  Information Technology

  1990 Information Technology Non-Statutory Guidance

  Geography

  1991 Geography Non-Statutory Guidance

  1993 Teaching Geography at Key Stages 1 and 2: an INSET Guide

  1993 Teaching Geography at Key Stage 3: an INSET Guide

  1993 An Introduction to Teaching Geography at Key Stages 1 and 2

  1993 An introduction to Teaching Geography at Key Stage 3

  Modern Foreign Languages

  1992 Modern Foreign Languages Non-Statutory Guidance

  1993 Target Practice

  726
  Art

  1992 Art Non-Statutory Guidance

  Music

  1992 Music Non-Statutory Guidance

  Physical Education

  1992 Physical Education Non-Statutory Guidance

  4. Assessment of pupils Science

  Key Stage 1

  1994 Optional Science Pack

  Key Stage 2

  1993 Pilot Tests

  1994 Pilot Tests

  1995 Tasks

  Key Stage 3

  1991 INSET material (Ma & Sc)

  1992 Pupils' Work Assessed

  1992 School Assessment Folder

  1992 Tests

  1993 Sample Test Questions

  1993 Tests

  1993 Assessing Sc1

  1993 Pupils' Work Assessed

  1994 Level 1&2 Tasks

  1994 Tests

  1995 Level 1&2 Tasks

  Key Stage 4

  1993 Scl: Scientific Investigation

  Technology

  Key Stage 1

  1992 Children's Work Assessed

  1992 Optional Tasks

  1993 Optional Level 4 Tasks

  1993 Working with the current Order (D&T)

  Key Stage 2

  1993 Working with the current Order (D&T)

  Key Stage 3

  1993 Assessment material Te5

  1993 Sample Test Questions (IT)

  1993 Long Task and Test Questions (D&T)

  1993 Tests

  1993 Pupils' Work Assessed (IT)

  1994 Optional Tasks

  Geography

  Key Stage 1

  1993 Optional Tasks

  Key Stage 3

  1992 Teacher Assessment at KS3

  1993 Pupils' Work Assessed

  Modern foreign languages

  Key Stage 3

  1992 Teacher Assessment at KS3

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the total income received since 1988 for the sale of documentation relating to changes in the national curriculum.

  Mr. Forth
  Information on income from the sale of documents relating specifically to changes to the national curriculum is not available. Income from the sale of all documents relating to the national curriculum and its assessment since 1988 by the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority and its predecessors is estimated at around £0.9 million. In addition the Department for Education has received royalties from Her Majesty's Stationery Office as a result of its sales of national curriculum documents estimated at £0.2 million since 1988.

  Bradford University (Bursaries)
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations she has received about her decision to cease offering bursaries for those wishing to undertake postgraduate language training at Bradford university; what consultation took place with Bradford university prior to her decision being announced; what evidence she has that bursaries for such courses are available from alternative sources; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  My right hon. Friend has received correspondence from Professor David Johns. vice chancellor and principal of Bradford university, and five other letters about the withdrawal of bursary support for students undertaking the postgraduate diploma in interpreting and translating course at Bradford university. The decision was taken as part of the review of public expenditure for 1995–96 in which my right hon. Friend takes account of demands and priorities for spending.

  A survey undertaken in January 1994 by the Department indicated that more than 60 per cent. of students on the interpreting and translation courses at the four institutions receiving bursaries through the scheme were undertaking their studies without support from the Department.

  Schools (Special Measures)
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list those schools which have been identified by Her Majesty's chief inspector as in need of special measures.

  Mr. Forth
  The following schools have been identified as failing or likely to fail to provide an acceptable standard of education, and hence as in need of special measures:

  LEA maintained secondary schools

  Battersea Technology College, Wandsworth

  Cross Green High School, Leeds

  Dick Sheppard School, Lambeth

  Fairfax Community School, Bradford

  Hackney Downs School, Hackney

  Lilian Baylis School, Lambeth

  Northicote School, Wolverhampton

  St. Mark's School, Hammersmith and Fulham

  St. Joseph's Academy, Lewisham

  St. Richard of Chichester School, Camden

  Tamarside Community College, Devon

  The Hammersmith School, Hammersmith and Fulham

  Grant maintained secondary schools

  Stratford School, Newham

  LEA maintained middle schools

  Abbey Farm Middle School, Norfolk

  LEA maintained primary schools

  Crook Primary School, Durham

  Earlsmead Primary School, Haringey

  Francis Askew Primary School, Humberside

  Hockwold Primary School, Norfolk

  Morningside Primary School, Hackney

  Norbridge Primary School, Nottinghamshire

  Rough Hay Primary School, Walsall

  Roundthorn Primary School, Oldham

  St. John the Divine C of E Primary School, Lambeth

  St. Stephen's C of E Primary School, Lambeth

  South Park Infants School, Redbridge

  The Drive County Primary School, Gateshead

  728
  LEA maintained special schools

  Brookside Special School, Derbyshire

  Fred Nicholson Special School, Norfolk

  Secondary School Performance Tables
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the cost of circulating a copy of the secondary school performance tables for 1994 to every school.

  Mr. Forth
  The secondary schools performance tables 1994 were distributed to schools as part of the same exercise as the distribution of 1994 tables of school and college performance 16 to 18 age group. It is not possible to disaggregate these costs. Single photocopied pre-publication tables were mailed to all schools and colleges listed in the tables at an estimated cost of £4,500. Further printed copies, to pass on to parents, were sent to all schools and colleges for an additional cost estimated at 106,000.

  Nursery Education
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many three-year-olds and four-year-olds there are in nursery classes in schools, not including primary reception classes, in each local education authority in England and Wales; and what percentage this represents of the population in those age groups for the latest figures available.

  Mr. Forth
  Information about the number of pupils under five years of age being taught in nursery classes in maintained primary schools in each local education authority area in England in January 1994 is shown in the table. Under fives provision in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Pupils under five years of age in nursery classes in maintained primary schools in each LEA in England January 1994

  LEA

  Pupils1

  Percentage of population

  Camden

  794

  20

  Greenwich

  2,354

  34

  Hackney

  2,038

  33

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  898

  24

  Islington

  1,134

  28

  Kensington and Chelsea

  560

  17

  Lambeth

  1,742

  25

  Lewisham

  2,264

  32

  Southwark

  2,038

  29

  Tower Hamlets

  2,088

  36

  Wandsworth

  1,885

  28

  Westminster3

  880

  23

  Barking and Dagenham

  1,833

  40

  Barnet

  1,669

  20

  Bexley

  1,373

  22

  Brent

  2,270

  33

  Bromley

  156

  2

  Croydon

  1,080

  11

  Ealing

  2,720

  34

  Enfield

  1,622

  22

  Haringey

  2,223

  38

  Harrow

  1,003

  19

  Havering

  454

  8

  Hillingdon

  3,049

  45

  Hounslow

  2,493

  43

  Kingston upon Thames

  851

  24

  Merton

  2,142

  44

  Newham

  3,496

  44

  Redbridge

  1,156

  19

  Richmond upon Thames

  723

  17

  729

  Pupils under five years of age in nursery classes in maintained primary schools in each LEA in England January 1994

  LEA

  Pupils1

  Percentage of population

  Sutton

  1,603

  34

  Waltham Forest

  2,270

  34

  Birmingham

  7,935

  26

  Coventry

  1,837

  21

  Dudley

  2,390

  29

  Sandwell

  3,687

  44

  Solihull

  1,837

  35

  Walsall

  2,943

  40

  Wolverhampton

  2,478

  35

  Knowsley

  2,059

  42

  Liverpool

  4,597

  37

  St, Helens

  1,401

  30

  Sefton

  1,746

  22

  Wirral

  1,894

  21

  Bolton

  2,255

  29

  Bury

  1,341

  26

  Manchester

  6,441

  48

  Oldham

  2,429

  37

  Rochdale

  1,174

  18

  Salford

  2,511

  40

  Stockport

  1,007

  13

  Tameside

  1,991

  31

  Trafford

  1,872

  33

  Wigan

  1,898

  22

  Barnsley

  2,665

  45

  Doncaster

  3,427

  41

  Rotherham

  2,822

  39

  Sheffield

  4,640

  35

  Bradford

  5,146

  35

  Calderdale

  1,834

  34

  Kirklees

  3,425

  32

  Leeds

  7,139

  37

  Wakefield

  3,857

  43

  Gateshead

  1,514

  30

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  2,318

  33

  North Tyneside

  2,005

  42

  South Tyneside

  1,537

  37

  Sunderland

  2,237

  28

  Avon

  3,334

  13

  Bedfordshire

  3,906

  24

  Berkshire

  4,181

  19

  Buckinghamshire

  2,152

  12

  Cambridgeshire

  1,452

  8

  Cheshire

  3,791

  14

  Cleveland

  6,815

  42

  Cornwall2

  1,466

  12

  Cumbria

  2,223

  18

  Derbyshire

  7,440

  30

  Devon

  2,395

  9

  Dorset

  741

  5

  Durham

  3,949

  25

  East Sussex

  1,178

  7

  Essex

  2,218

  5

  Gloucestershire

  —

  —

  Hampshire

  1,554

  4

  Hereford and Worcester

  1,276

  7

  Hertfordshire

  7,074

  26

  Humberside

  7,414

  31

  Isle of Wight

  143

  5

  Kent

  1,723

  4

  Lancashire

  3,870

  10

  Leicestershire

  5,093

  20

  Lincolnshire

  1,165

  8

  Norfolk

  466

  3

  North Yorkshire

  3,222

  18

  Northamptonshire

  2,308

  14

  Northumberland

  2,318

  30

  Nottinghamshire

  11,995

  43

  Oxfordshire

  1,768

  11

  Shorpshire

  1,784

  16

  Somerset

  425

  3

  730

  Pupils under five years of age in nursery classes in maintained primary schools in each LEA in England January 1994

  LEA

  Pupils1

  Percentage of population

  Staffordshire

  4,560

  16

  Suffolk

  2,906

  16

  Surrey

  2,349

  9

  Warwickshire

  1,301

  10

  West Sussex

  518

  3

  Wiltshire

  548

  3

  England2 3

  268,361

  21

  1 Excludes pupils who became five years of age by 1 January 1994.

  2 Includes the Isles of Scilly.

  3 Includes the Corporation of London.

  Schools, Warwickshire
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much Warwickshire is spending on non-statutory areas of education.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  This information is not collected centrally. Local education authorities' returns of their expenditure do not distinguish between expenditure on pupils of statutory and non-statutory school age. However, I understand that Warkwickshire LEA may be able to provide this information, and I suggest that the hon. Member writes to the chief education officer.

  Training Courses
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list each training and tuition course with a total cost exceeding £5,000 paid for by(a) her Department and (b) her agencies during the last 12 months, showing the title and objectives of each course, the name of the organisations engaged, the total cost of each course, a summary of the responsibilities of staff members taking part and the process for course evaluation by the Department or agency.

  Mr. Boswell
  Only one course costing £5,000 or more was attended by a member of DFE staff in the last 12 months. The course was "Challenges for Change" organised by Shell International Petroleum Company Ltd. group training. The cost of the course was £5,136 plus VAT. The main course objective was:"to identify emerging social, political, economic and technological trends".

  The officer concerned was responsible for providing advice on schools policy for a region of England. The officer was required to report on the value of the course both to himself and to the Department.

  Education Committee, Warwickshire
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the current number of officers employed by the Warwickshire county council's education committee; and what the number was in 1990.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The employment of LEA officers rn
  is entirely a matter for the LEA concerned. The Department does not collect such information.

  Further Education Colleges
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many further education colleges have achieved their student targets;
  731
  (2) how many further education colleges have had their budgets cut because of non-attainment of student targets;

  (3) if the methodology used by the Further Education Funding Council in allocating money to further education colleges includes criteria covering socio-economic factors.

  Mr. Boswell
  Details of individual colleges' student targets, the funding of individual colleges, and the funding methodology, are matters for the Further Education Funding Council. I am asking the council's chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Severance Payments
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what advice and guidance she offers to universities and other institutions of higher and further education concerning severance payment to senior staff.

  Mr. Boswell
  The Secretary of State does not offer advice and guidance on severance payments to institutions within the higher and further education sectors. However, the Further Education Funding Council has required its institutions, from their first accounting period in 1993–94, to disclose in their final accounts emoluments of senior postholders, showing the principal separately; and the aggregate amount paid to senior postholders as compensation, together with the number of persons receiving such compensation.

  The Higher Education Funding Council for England requires the institutions for which it is responsible to disclose separately details of any compensation for loss of office to the vice-chancellor, or equivalent, and higher paid staff whose annual remuneration exceeds £50,000, together with the salaries of senior staff and vice-chancellor's emoluments. This requirement will be effective for institutions' 1994–95 accounts.

  Patent Royalties
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list for each university the amount of patent royalties received for each year since 1986; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Boswell
  This information is not currently available centrally.

  Religious Festivals
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what account has been taken of religious festivals in drawing up the 1995 GCSE timetable.

  Mr. Forth
  The construction of the GCSE common timetable is a matter for the examining groups, acting through the joint council for the GCSE.

  Advertisements
  Ms Corston
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions and in what circumstances in the last five years advertisements have been placed in newspapers or periodicals which have been described as being issued by or on behalf of Ministers in her Department rather than on behalf of Her Majesty's Government.

  Mr. Forth
  In the last five years all departmental advertisements have been issued under the Department's name.

  Pupil Statistics
  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list for each local education authority(a) the education standard spending assessment per pupil for (i) primary, excluding non-statutory age pupils, (ii) secondary and (iii) post-16 and (b) the actual expenditure per sector and the percentage difference between the standard spending assessment and the actual expenditure.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The information is not available in the form in which it has been requested. I will write to my hon. Friend.

  Independent Schools
  Mr. Walden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications she has had from independent schools to join the grant-maintained sector.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  To date, applications have been received from three independent schools to join the grant-maintained sector. One is from an interdenominational Christian school in Bradley Stoke, Avon. The other two are from independent Catholic grammar schools in Wirral. Other schools have expressed interest or sought further information.

  Assisted Places Scheme
  Mr. MacShane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what account is taken of savings, investments or value of property in determining who is eligible for assisted places at independent schools.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 20 January,Official Report column 722. Eligibility for an assisted place is determined by reference to parents' gross income from all sources. No account is taken of capital and other assets or the value of property in assessing parental means.

  Direct Grant Schools
  Mr. Walden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education from which former direct grant schools she has received applications to enter the grant-maintained sector.

  Mr. Robin Squire
  The following grant-maintained schools were formerly direct grant schools:

  Canon Slade School, Bolton

  Notre Dame School, Sheffield

  St. Boniface's College, Devon

  St. Anne's Convent School, Hampshire

  St. Francis Xavier's College, Liverpool

  Ursuline Convent High School, Essex

  National Youth Agency
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what have been the main components of the cost of the National Youth Agency in each year since its establishment, including(a) the yearly Government grant and (b) the initial start-up costs.

  Mr. Boswell
  Grants paid or allocated to the National Youth Agency by the Department for Education in the period 1991–92 to 1995–96 were as follows:
  733

  £ million

  Core grant

  Additional grants

  Total grant

  1991–92

  1.165

  0.180

  1.345

  1992–93

  1.236

  0.068

  1.304

  1993–94

  1.287

  0.399

  1.686

  1994–95

  1.336

  0.380

  1.716

  1995–96

  1.297

  0.358

  1.655

  Core grant provides funding for the agency's agreed annual work programme including internal audit and the administration of youth work development grants. Additional grant covers funding for initial start-up costs, special initiatives, and grants for disbursement to other bodies.

  In addition to these grants, the agency received in 1991–92 grants from the Home Office—£232,640—the Department of Health—£69,000—and the Welsh Office—£18,000. It received further grants from the Home Office in 1992–93—£143,834–1993–94— £149,000 and 1994–95—£151,111.

SCOTLAND

  NHS Supplies Division
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure that the redundancies announced at the NHS supplies division of the Common Services Agency do not impair that division's ability to monitor and advise trusts on potential hazards in equipment involved in patient care.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The restructuring of the supplies division makes provision for the continued availability of the defects and hazards service. A service level contract with the management executive of the NHS will provide for defects in equipment and other items to be fully investigated and the outcomes reported to the NHS in Scotland.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff were employed in each of the past five years in the NHS supplies division of the Common Services Agency.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The number of staff— whole—time equivalent—employed was:

  1990: 139

  1991: 139

  1992: 139

  1993: 137

  1994: 106

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the turnover of the NHS supplies division of the Common Services Agency in the most recent year; and what is his estimate of the savings it achieved through discounts for bulk purchase.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The turnover in 1993–94—the latest year for which information is available—was £201 million.

  Savings through discount on bulk purchases are estimated to be in the region of £23 million per annum. This level of savings is expected to continue to be achieved through the mechanism of central contracts.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many NHS trusts in Scotland(a) have
  734
  contracts with the NHS supplies division of the Common Services Agency for equipment service and (b) have switched such contracts to alternative suppliers.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Six trusts have entered into firm contracts for equipping work for the next year. Information is not available on alternative contracts which trusts may have entered into with other providers. Not all trusts will require an equipping service in the course of the coming year and in the past some directly managed units who have since become trusts provided their own in-house equipping service.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the meeting took place between Mr. Dunmore, the director of the NHS supplies division of the Common Services Agency, and the NHS executive in Scotland to discuss the future of the division; if he will place copies of the minutes of that meeting in the Library; and what guidance was issued to NHS trusts in Scotland relating to purchasing of equipment through the NHS supplies division.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Staffing and organisation of the supplies division is a matter for the board of the Common Services Agency.

  There have been no meetings between the NHS management executive and Mr. Dunmore, the director. No specific guidance has been given to NHS Trusts, but they are expected to obtain best value for money in purchasing.

  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what studies he has undertaken to assess the additional administrative costs to the NHS in Scotland if NHS trusts cease to purchase equipment in common through the NHS supplies division of the Common Services Agency, and instead enter into separate contracts with individual suppliers.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  No studies are required since in making purchasing decisions NHS trusts will ensure that best value for money is achieved.

  Disabled People
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the Departments and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document "Focus on Ability".

  Mr. Lang
  The number and proportion of non-industrial staff who were registered disabled in the Departments and agencies for which I have responsibility are set out in the table that follows. The table records the position as at 1 July 1994. The table also lists those cases where central personnel records indicate that an individual is disabled although not registered.

  The Scottish Office, moreover, recently undertook a survey of disability and long-term health conditions in the workplace, which covered staff in the Scottish Office and its agencies—for the Scottish Prison Service only headquarters staff were covered. The survey of some 7,680 staff—including 493 industrial staff—revealed that 97 felt that they were affected "a great deal" and a further 300 "to some extent" by a disability or long-term health condition in the workplace. This represented a total of 5.2 per cent. of all staff. These results suggest that there may be at least as many non-registered disabled people in Departments as there are registered.
  735

  Non industrial staff at 1 July 1994—Disability

  Headcounts

  Department/Agency

  Disabled—Registered

  Disabled—Not Registered

  Number

  Percentage

  Number

  Percentage

  All Staff

  The Scottish Office and its Executive Agencies:

  SO Core

  63

  1.4

  8

  0.2

  4,590

  Historic Scotland

  1

  0.3

  —

  —

  386

  Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency

  1

  0.5

  —

  —

  193

  Scottish Agricultural Scientific Agency

  1

  0.8

  1

  0.8

  125

  Scottish Office Pensions Agency

  7

  4.0

  2

  1.1

  174

  Student Awards Agency for Scotland

  4

  2.6

  —

  —

  151

  Scottish Prison Service

  2

  0.1

  —

  —

  4,110

  Associated Departments:

  General Register Office for Scotland

  2

  0.8

  —

  —

  257

  Scottish Records Office

  2

  1.6

  —

  —

  129

  Other Responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Scotland:

  Forestry Commission

  21

  1.0

  51

  2.4

  2.092

  Crown Office

  6

  0.5

  —

  —

  1,126

  Scottish Courts Administration

  6

  0.8

  7

  0.9

  760

  Registers of Scotland

  37

  3.1

  —

  —

  1,136

  School Class Sizes
  Mrs. Ray Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what was the number and percentage of pupils in primary schools in(a) January 1992 and (b) January 1994, being taught in classes of over 30 in (i) each local education authority and (ii) in total; and what was the percentage change;

  (2) what was the number and percentage of pupils in secondary schools in (a) January 1992 and (b) January

  Education authority primary schools

  September 1991

  September 1993

  Education authority

  Number of pupils in classes over 30

  Percentage of all pupils

  Number of pupils in classes over 30

  Percentage of all pupils

  Percentage change

  Scotland

  72,202

  16.4

  74,894

  17.1

  +0.7

  Borders

  448

  5.3

  544

  6.3

  +1.0

  Centra]

  3,954

  16.9

  3,972

  17.1

  +0.2

  Dumfries and Galloway

  2,137

  16.7

  2,052

  15.9

  -0.8

  Fife

  4,944

  15.9

  5,435

  17.5

  +1.6

  Grampian

  6,900

  15.6

  6,556

  14.6

  -1.0

  Highland

  1,503

  7.6

  1,996

  10.4

  +2.8

  Lothian

  11,344

  20.2

  11,885

  20.7

  +0.5

  Strathclyde

  34,235

  16.7

  34,642

  17.2

  +0.5

  Tayside

  6,580

  20.3

  7,558

  23.1

  +2.8

  Orkney

  157

  8.7

  64

  3.5

  -5.2

  Shetland

  —

  0.0

  —

  0.0

  0.0

  Western Isles

  —

  0.0

  190

  7.2

  +7.2

  Strathclyde Divisions

  September 1991

  September 1993

  Education authority

  Number of pupils in classes over 30

  Percentage of all pupils

  Number of pupils in classes over 30

  Percentage of all pupils

  Percentage change

  Argyll and Bute

  538

  9.5

  287

  5.3

  -4.2

  Ayr

  6,424

  18.7

  6,478

  19.2

  +0.4

  Dunbarton

  5,798

  19.2

  5,138

  17.5

  -1.7

  736
  1994, being taught in classes of over 30 in (i) each local education authority and (ii) in total; and what was the percentage change.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information on class size is that which is collected biennially in the September school census. The information requested, for education authority primary and secondary schools at September 1991 and September 1993, is given:
  737

  Strathclyde Divisions

  September 1991

  September 1993

  Education authority

  Number of pupils in classes over 30

  Percentage of all pupils

  Number of pupils in classes over 30

  Percentage of all pupils

  Percentage change

  Glasgow

  8,321

  14.6

  8,068

  14.3

  -0.3

  Lanark

  7,172

  15.4

  6,717

  14.8

  -0.5

  Renfrew

  5,982

  18.8

  7,954

  25.2

  +6.3

  Education authority secondary schools'

  September 1991

  September 1993

  Education authority

  Number of pupils in subject classes ver 30

  Percentage of all pupils in subject classes

  Number of pupils in subject classes over 30

  Percentage of all pupils in subject classes

  Percentage change

  Scotland2

  57,109

  1.7

  89,069

  2.5

  +0.8

  Borders

  31

  0.0

  342

  0.5

  +0.5

  Central

  3,497

  1.7

  535

  0.3

  -1.4

  Dumfries and Galloway

  1,530

  1.5

  615

  0.6

  -0.9

  Fife

  1,765

  0.8

  2,371

  0.9

  +0.1

  Grampian2

  1,129

  0.3

  4,189

  1.2

  +0.9

  Highland

  2,015

  1.3

  3,616

  2.0

  +0.7

  Lothian

  2,311

  0.6

  8,996

  2.1

  +1.5

  Strathclyde

  41,869

  2.8

  62,282

  3.8

  +1.0

  Tayside

  2,962

  1.2

  6,123

  2.4

  +1.2

  Orkney

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  0.0

  Shetland

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  0.0

  Western Isles

  0

  0.0

  0

  0.0

  0.0

  Strathclyde Divisions

  September 1991

  September 1993

  Education authority

  Number of pupils in subject classes over 30

  Percentage of all pupils in subjest classes

  Number of pupils in subject classes over 30

  Percentage of all pupils in subject classes

  Percentage change

  Argyll and Bute

  2,153

  4.6

  155

  0.3

  -4.3

  Ayr

  4,246

  1.7

  2,715

  1.0

  -0.7

  Dunbarton

  560

  0.2

  13,975

  5.4

  +5.2

  Glasgow

  11,501

  3.3

  15,224

  4.0

  +0.7

  Lanark

  14,595

  4.0

  9,168

  2.3

  -1.7

  Renfrew

  8,814

  3.5

  21,045

  7.9

  +4.4

  1 The information available only allows the numbers of pupils in classes over 30 to be estimated from the average class size of a subject-stage entry in each school's timetable. Pupils are counted once for each subject taken.

  2 The figures for 1993 exclude two schools for which information is not available.

  Countryside Commission
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of remuneration and expenses for the board members of the Countryside Commission for Scotland during its last full year of existence.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The chairman and vice-chairman of the Countryside Commission for Scotland received remuneration and reimbursed expenses. The other 12 board members received reimbursed expenses only. The annual report of the commission for 1991–92 shows that total remuneration was £23,793 and the total of reimbursed expenses was £28,216.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff have(a) retired at age 60 years or (b) retired early before age 60 years in each of the
  738
  department's and agencies for which he is responsible, in each of the past five years; and what was the cost to the public purse of retirement packages in each case in each of these years.

  Mr. Lang
  This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Nature Conservancy Council
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of remuneration and expenses for the board members of the Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland during its year of existence.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Members of the main board, the regional boards and of the science, research and development board of the Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland received remuneration, according to their time commitment, and reimbursed expenses. The annual
  739
  report for the council for 1991–92 shows that total remuneration for the 67 people involved for all or part of the year was £418,000 and the total of reimbursed expenses was £80,000.

  Patients Charter
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost to public funds of the production, printing, distribution and advertising of the patients charter when launched in 1991; and how many copies were printed.

  NHSiS—discharges2 by health board area of residence; years ending 31 March

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  19941

  All areas3

  1,015,151

  1,059,951

  1,094,827

  1.158,055

  1,230,326

  Argyll and Clyde

  86,596

  90,655

  96,979

  102,200

  108,616

  Ayrshire and Arran

  70,803

  75,092

  78,822

  83,365

  91,556

  Borders

  20,039

  21,129

  21,619

  23,755

  25,092

  Dumfries and Galloway

  26,489

  28,827

  29,966

  32,446

  35,198

  Fife

  65,583

  68,727

  72,955

  75,394

  78,756

  Forth Valley

  51,994

  56,956

  59,797

  62,927

  65,158

  Grampian

  101,205

  104,052

  104,368

  108,474

  112,057

  Greater Glasgow

  202,695

  207,707

  210,736

  221,818

  236,531

  Highland

  37,712

  39,130

  40,980

  43,536

  45,600

  Lanarkshire

  106,942

  110,783

  114,259

  121,948

  130,692

  Lothian

  142,158

  149,851

  154,798

  168,549

  182,389

  Orkney

  3,426

  3,628

  3,593

  3,759

  3,966

  Shetland

  4,495

  4,828

  4,630

  5,023

  5,275

  Tayside

  81,919

  84,927

  86,232

  89,265

  93,453

  Western Isles

  5,784

  5,887

  6,466

  6,666

  7,056

  1 Provisional.

  2 Comprises inpatient and day case discharges for non-psychiatric specialties and inpatient admissions for psychiatric specialties.

  3 Includes those patients resident outwith Scotland and those whose area of residence was not recorded, Excludes patients treated outwithi Scotland.

  Labour Statistics
  Mr. Ingram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobs there were in(a) the manufacturing

  Employees in employment, in each industry, at September

  Manufacturing

  Engineering1

  Aerospace2

  Year

  Number of employees

  As percentage of all industries

  Number of employees

  As percentage of all industries

  Number of employees

  As percentage of all industries

  1979

  601,700

  28.5

  255,200

  12.1

  10,600

  0.5

  1980

  549,700

  26.6

  231,000

  11.2

  11,200

  0.5

  1981

  502,400

  25.3

  211,300

  10.6

  11,100

  0.6

  1982

  470,600

  24.4

  203,400

  10.S

  9.900

  0.5

  1983

  441,700

  23.3

  194,100

  10.2

  8,500

  0.4

  1984

  433,700

  22.8

  187,500

  9.8

  7,900

  0.4

  1985

  433,000

  22.7

  184,600

  9.7

  8,200

  0.4

  1986

  415,500

  22.2

  170,300

  9.1

  8,200

  0.4

  1987

  406,900

  21.6

  163,200

  8.7

  8,200

  0.4

  1988

  412,600

  21.2

  163,900

  8.4

  8,100

  0.4

  1989

  402,400

  20.5

  165,800

  8.4

  8,600

  0.4

  1990

  403,300

  20.2

  170,600

  8.S

  8,800

  0.4

  1991

  381,000

  19.0

  160,200

  8.0

  8,900

  0.4

  1992

  368,800

  18.5

  155,400

  7.8

  8,000

  0.4

  1993

  361,800

  18.2

  151,000

  7.6

  7,800

  0.4

  1994

  352,100

  17.9

  149,800

  7.6

  6,800

  0.3

  Main source:

  Employment Department, Quarterly Employment Estimates.

  Notes:

  1 Figures represent Standard Industrial Classification (1980), Division 3, Metal Goods, Engineering and Vehicles Industries.

  Source:

  2 Scottish Register of Employment.

  740
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The total cost of launching the patient's charter in Scotland in 1991, was £32,550. This included printing and distributing 16,000 copies.

  Hospital Admissions
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of admissions for each health board for the last five years for which figures are available.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is shown in the table.

  industry, (b) the engineering industry and (c) the aerospace industry in Scotland in each year since 1979; and what those figures represented in percentage terms of the total Scottish work-force.

  Mr. Stewart
  The information is given in the table.

  Private Health Contracts
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South can expect a reply to his letter of 9 November 1994 to the general manager of Orkney health board concerning private contracts for non-NHS facilities entered into by the health board;

  (2) when the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South can expect a reply to his letter of 9 November 1994 acknowledged on 10 November 1994, to the general manager of Greater Glasgow health board concerning private contracts for non-NHS facilities entered into by the health board.

  (3) when the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South can expect a reply to his letter of 9 November 1994 to the general manager of Highland health board concerning private contracts for non-NHS facilities entered into by the health board.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The acting general manager of Greater Glasgow health board replied to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South on 2 December 1994. Replies to his letters to the general managers of Orkney and Highland health boards are for these boards to consider.

  Scottish Homes
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many properties have been transferred by Scottish Homes from its ownership to that of other landlords; if he will indicate(a) when these properties were transferred, (b) the results of the ballots undertaken among the tenants prior to these properties being transferred, (c) the numbers of tenants in each case transferred against their expressed wishes to another landlord and (d) the name of the landlord to whom the properties in these cases were transferred;

  (2) how much Scottish Homes has spent on its public relations function during the financial year 1993–94; how much it has set aside for tenant information relating to its stock transfer proposals; and how much money has been spent up until this point on publicising its stock transfer proposals.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is a matter for Scottish Homes. I have asked the chairman of Scottish Homes, Sir James Mellon, to write to the hon. Member with the relevant information.

  National Library
  Mr. Kynoch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to ensure the sound use of available resources at the national library of Scotland.

  Sir Hector Monro
  The national library of Scotland is an important natational institution which provides valuable services to users in Scotland and beyond. My officials and I take a close and regular interest in the effectiveness of the corporate planning and financial management systems in the library. In keeping with the Government's policy towards non-departmental public bodies, the Scottish Office Education Department will now undertake a regular policy and financial management review of the library, focusing on key issues which will have a bearing on future policy developments at the library. The review will be conducted by Mr. Colin Imrie, a principal at the Scottish Office attached to the Scottish 742
  Office Education Department for the purpose of this review. I expect his report, including recommendations, to be completed this spring. Interested parties can contact Mr. Imrie at the following address:

  The Scottish Office Education DT0

  Room 613, 43 Jeffrey Street

  Edinburgh

  EH1 1DN

  Tel: 031 244 5360

  Fax: 031 244 5526

  M74
  Mr. Welsh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what contractors are responsible for upgrading the M74; what is the deadline for improvements by contractors upgrading the M74; what are the daily financial penalties incurred by the contractors for work completed after the deadline on the M74; and what changes have been made to the contract concerning completion by the deadline on the M74.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 23 January 1995]: At present, there are two contractors working on the upgrading of the A74 to motorway: Morrison Construction on the length between Ecclefechan and Eaglesfield and Castelli-Girola between Eaglesfield and Kirkpatrick Fleming. Contracts have recently been completed by Barr, Balfour Beatty and Miller Civil Engineering. A contract to divert the Evan Water in advance of the main works has been let to Barr very recently; but work has not yet started.

  When bidding for the Scottish Office road contracts, contractors submit their own completion dates with their tenders and these are taken into account when deciding which firm should be awarded the contract. The completion date becomes part of the contract, and the contractor becomes liable for liquidated damages if he is late. There is provision in such contracts to extend the time for completion—for example, due to exceptional weather conditions, which would delay the onset of liquidated damages.

  The Ecclefechan to Eaglesfield contract is due to be completed on 3 December 1995, and the liquidated damages payable for late completion are £5,500 per day. The contract is on programme.

  The Eaglesfield to Kirkpatrick Fleming contract was due for completion on 26 November 1994, and liquidated damages of £8,200 per day will be due, calculated from that date, except to the extent that the contract conditions relating to an extension of time apply. The appropriate application of these conditions to the circumstances of this contract is currently being considered. The terms of the contract therefore render it unnecessary to make changes concerning the completion date. The road is expected to open to traffic in mid-1995.

DEFENCE

  Regimental Mascots
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost of regimental mascots in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Soames
  The costs of purchasing officially recognised mascots, together with the cost of food, accommodation and ceremonial accoutrements, are met
  743
  privately by regimental associations. Their travel and veterinary costs are met by my Department, but these are minimal and are not therefore separately identifiable.

  RAF Finningley
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list(a) the bids he received for the sale of houses at RAF Finningley, near Doncaster, (b) the criteria for determining the successful bid, (c) the name of the successful organisation and (d) the agreed purchase price.

  Mr. Soames
  Bids for the sale of 93 houses at RAF Finningley were received from the following:

  Bassinder Dapo Housing Association

  Ellinson

  Five Jays

  Gerrard Lewis

  Glaister

  Hetton Properties

  Hodge and Co.

  JSM Properties

  G.A. Melt

  R. Northgreaves

  J. B. Pettifer

  Sable Properties

  South Yorkshire Housing Association

  Woodwiss

  Yorkshire Metropolitan Housing Association

  The highest compliant bid was accepted once it had been determined that the bidder was capable of honouring the conditions of sale. The successful bidder was Hodge and Co. The agreed purchase price is commercial in confidence.

  Executive and Advisory Bodies
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of Stale for Defence if he will list by name and rank those personnel who have left his Department in the last two years and who now serve on his Department's executive or advisory bodies; if he will identify the advisory or executive body in each case; and if he will give the remuneration received in each case.

  Mr. Soames
  Four appointees have retired from my Department in the last two years and currently serve on a Ministry of Defence non-departmental public body. These are detailed:

  Executive body
  Vice Admiral Sir Barry Wilson KCB, appointed as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Royal Naval Museum.
  Captain B. Gibbs RM, appointed as a Trustee of the Royal Marines Museum.

  Advisory body
  Flight Lieutenant Z. Gunn, appointed as member of the Anglo-American Community Relations Committee.
  Major P. Lawson, appointed as member of the Anglo-American Community Relations Committee.

  None receives any remuneration.

  Recruitment Applications
  Mr. Fatchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications to join defence or defence-related companies from his Department's personnel have been refused in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Freeman
  None. The purpose of the rules on the acceptance of outside appointments is to ensure that no cause of suspicion of impropriety exists. All applicants are therefore approved either unconditionally or subject to 744
  a waiting period of up to two years, or with a ban on the involvement of the applicant in a specific project or area of work on behalf of the employer.

  Property Sales
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many dwellings owned by his Department have been sold to(a) local authorities, (b) housing associations and (c) other buyers since 1 January 1994.

  Mr. Soames
  The number of dwellings sold to local authorities, housing associations and other buyers between 1 January and 31 December 1994 was as follows:

  Local Authorities: Nil

  Housing Associations: 231

  Other Buyers: 1,315

  Unfortunately, my answer of 15 December, Official Report, column 814, contained an error. The number of dwellings sold to housing associations during financial year 1994–95 should have read 229, not 237.

  Housing Offices
  Mr. Jamieson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) in which city the Crown housing trust has its offices; and what has been the total cost of building and leasing the offices since 1 January 1994;

  (2) in which city the defence housing executive has its offices; and what has been the total cost of building and leasing the offices.

  Mr. Soames
  The staff initially recruited for a housing trust and now employed on setting up the defence housing executive were originally accommodated in Ministry of Defence offices in London. Since August 1994, they have occupied other Government offices in central London at a cost to my Department of approximately £165,000.

  Eurofighter 2000
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's latest estimate for the cost of the Eurofighter 2000 project; what was the original estimated cost; when the Eurofighter is due in service; and when it was originally due in service.

  Mr. Freeman
  The estimated total cost of EF2000, comprising the costs of development, production and integrated logistic support, to the United Kingdom is £14.9 billion. The original estimated total cost in 1986 was £12.7 billion at today's prices.

  At the time of the original approval, the EF2000 entry into service date was December 1998. Reorientation of the project, agreed by the Defence Ministers of the EF2000 partner nations in December 1992, has changed this to December 2000.

  Bowman Combat Radio System
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's latest estimate for the cost of the Bowman combat radio system; what was the original estimated cost; when the Bowman system is expected to be in service; and what was the original in-service date of the project.
  745
  Mr. Freeman
  The latest estimate for the cost of the Bowman combat radio system is £1.9 billion. The original estimated cost in 1988 was £1.5 billion, which equates to £2.1 billion at current prices. The in-service date for Bowman is January 2000. The original in-service date was 1995.

  EH101 Helicopters
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's latest estimate for the cost of the EH101 Merlin; what was the original estimated cost; when the EH101 is expected to be in service; and what was the original in-service date of the project.

  Mr. Freeman
  The Department's latest estimate for the cost of the EH101 Merlin is £3,925 million. The estimated cost in 1991, at the time the Merlin prime contract was placed on Loral-ASIC—then IBM-ASIC—was £3,799 million, at 1994–95 prices. The Merlin is expected to be in service in 1998; the original in-service date, upon the approval of development in 1982, was 1993.

  Boxer Communications System
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's latest estimate for the cost of the Boxer communications system; what was the original estimated cost; when the Boxer communications system is expected to be in service; and what was the original in-service date of the project.

  Mr. Freeman
  The latest estimate for the cost of Boxer is £337 million at 1994–95 prices. The original cost was £211.3 million at 1994–95 prices. Boxer is planned to be in service on 30 June 1996. The original in-service date was 31 December 1992.

  Facsimile Messages
  Mr. Peter Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will prohibit the use of facsimile messages between royal naval establishments unless the telephones used have automatic memory dialling facilities to avoid mis-dialling errors.

  Mr. Soames
  No. Automatic memory dialling is already widely used where appropriate.

  Electric-shock Equipment
  Ms Janet Anderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with BAe Royal Ordnance about the sale of electric-shock batons to(a) Saudi Arabia and (b) other countries.

  Mr. Freeman
  None, prior to the recent publicity regarding the alleged supply of such equipment. The company has denied both publicly and to my officials that it has ever supplied such equipment.

  Infantry Regiments
  Mrs. Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will name each of the front-line infantry regiments.

  Mr. Soames
  A list of current Regular infantry regiments is as follows:

  Regular Infantry Regiments

  The Guards Division

  Grenadier Guards

  Coldstream Guards

  Scots Guards

  746

  Irish Guards

  Welsh Guards

  The Scottish Division

  The Royal Scots

  The Royal Highland Fusiliers

  The King's Own Scottish Borderers

  The Black Watch

  The Highlanders

  The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

  The Queen's Division

  The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (First and Second Battalion)

  The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (First and Second Battalion)

  The Royal Anglian Regiment (First and Second Battalion)

  The King's Division

  The King's Own Border Regiment

  The King's Regiment

  The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire

  The Green Howards

  The Royal Irish Regiment

  The Queen's Lancashire Regiment

  The Duke of Wellington's Regiment

  The Prince of Wales's Division

  The Devonshire and Dorset Regiment

  The Cheshire Regiment

  The Royal Welch Fusiliers

  The Royal Regiment of Wales

  The Royal Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Berkshire Regiment

  The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment

  The Staffordshire Regiment

  The Light Division

  The Light Infantry (First and Second Battalion)

  The Royal Green Jackets (First and Second Battalion)

  The Parachute Regiment (First, Second and Third Battalion)

  The Brigade qt. Gurkas

  The Royal Gurkha Rifles (First, Second and Third Battalion)

  Residential Garrison Duty
  Mrs. Margaret Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the known and foreseeable residential garrison duty tours; if the units on residential garrison duty are more or less than battalion size; and if he will name those units which are on residential garrison duty tours at present and planned to be in the future.

  Mr. Soames
  Apart from Germany, there are three overseas garrisons that include resident major units: Hong Kong, Brunei and Cyprus. In Hong Kong the only such unit is the 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles. It is due to leave Hong Kong in October 1996 and will be replaced by two successive battalions on four month unaccompanied tours. In Brunei there is one Gurkha battalion, currently the 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles which is due to remain there until November 1996 when it will be replaced by the 3rd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles. In Cyprus there are two battalions resident at any one time. The current battalions are the 1st Battalion; the Royal Irish Regiment, which will be replaced by the 1st Battalion Royal Gloucester, Wiltshire and Berkshire Regiment in May 1995, and the 1st Battalion, Royal Green Jackets, which will be replaced by the 1st Battalion, Royal Kings Regiment in January 1996. Each garrison also includes minor units from non-infantry arms and services.

WALES

  Teenage Pregnancies
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the trend in the number of unwanted teenage pregnancies in Wales.

  Mr. Richards
  The number of teenage pregnancies in Wales fell from 7,300 in 1984, to 6,400 in 1991—the earliest and most recent years for which figures are available. Over the same period the rate of conceptions per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 increased from 64.5 to 70.4. It is not known how many of these pregnancies were unwanted.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the departments and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document, "Focus on Ability."

  Mr. Redwood
  There are 48 registered disabled people amongst the non-industrial staff in the Welsh Office, representing 2 per cent. of the total. Figures for the number and proportion of all disabled people employed in the Welsh Office are not available. A survey of staff using self-categorisation of disability suggested that there were a further 53 staff with a disability who have chosen not to register.

  Hospital Waiting Lists
  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients by general practitioner practice are waiting to be seen for in-patient treatment for orthopaedics and ophthalmology in South Glamorgan.

  Mr. Richards
  The requested information is not held centrally.

  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the average waiting time of patients, by general practitioner practice, for in-patient treatment for orthopaedics and ophthalmology in South Glamorgan.

  Mr. Richards
  The information requested could be provided only with the consent of individual general practitioners. The consent could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Consultants
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what average hours consultants on maximum part-time contracts work for the NHS and how many hours in the private sector.

  Mr. Richards
  Maximum part-time consultants are expected to devote substantially the whole of their professional time to their NHS work. Information is not available centrally on the average number of hours such consultants work in the private sector.

  Language Units, Clwyd
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make new funds available for language units in Clwyd local education authority; and if he will make a statement.
  748
  Mr. Richards
  My right hon. Friend announced final decisions on the local government revenue settlement for 1995–96 for Wales on Monday 30 January. It will be for Clwyd local education authority to decide how much they spend on the services for which they are responsible, including language units.

  In addition to the above, Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools in Wales is to report to my right hon. Friend on the recording, monitoring and follow-up of absence by schools, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of current practices. This is expected shortly.

  School Repairs Programmes
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how he proposes to assist those local education authorities that have initiated programmes of major repairs to schools.

  Mr. Richards
  My support for local authority expenditure is in the form of revenue support grant arid permission to borrow. It is for each local authority to determine how its available resources are allocated between the services it provides, in the light of its statutory responsibilities and its perception of local needs and priorities.

  Local Authority Schools
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many local education authority schools there are in Wales.

  Mr. Richards
  A total of 2,021 as at January 1994.

  School Staff Redundancies
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from schools concerned about teaching and staffing redundancies in 1995–96 following consultations on revenue support allocations for education in the next financial year.

  Mr. Richards
  The Department has received a number of representations from schools concerned about staffing levels in 1995–96. My right hon. Friend does not make revenue support allocations for education. It is for each local authority to determine how much of its available resources to direct to the services it provides, including education, in the light of its statutory responsibilities and its perception of local needs and priorities.

  School Class Sizes
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy concerning class sizes.

  Mr. Richards
  Class sizes are a matter for individual school governing bodies.

  Consultants
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of whether hospital consultants are complying with the terms of their NHS contracts and whether private practice interferes with the function of the NHS or disadvantages non-paying patients.

  Mr. Richards
  It is a matter for individual health authorities and NHS trusts to satisfy themselves that hospital consultants are fulfilling the terms of their NHS
  749
  contracts. Consultants who undertake private practice accept that their NHS work should receive priority at all times and employing authorities are entitled to expect no diminution in the level of service to NHS patients as a result of this arrangement.

  Special Needs Children
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new funds he proposes to assist special needs children; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Richards
  Local authority expenditure on education, including provision for special needs children, is funded through the local government revenue settlement. It is for individual local authorities to determine how much is allocated to education, in the light of local needs and priorities.

  Upland Farm Incomes
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what were the net income figures for upland cattle and sheep farms in each year from 1988–89 to 1993–94; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) what were the net farm incomes for hill sheep farms in each year from 1988–89 to 1992–93; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) what were the net income figures for hill cattle and sheep farms in each year from 1988–89 to 1993–94; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information requested is included in the statistical tables which were released when the results of the autumn hill review were announced on 29 November. A copy of these tables is available in the Library of the House.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people sit on two or more non-departmental public bodies in Wales.

  Mr. Redwood
  As at 1 December 1994, there were 59 people appointed to two or more non-departmental public bodies in Wales.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people sit on non-departmental public bodies in Wales.

  Three and four-year-olds in nursery education

  Four-year-olds in nursery education

  Part time

  Full time

  Part time

  Full time

  Number

  Per cent.1

  Number

  Percent.1

  Number

  Per cent.2

  Number

  Per cent.2

  Clwyd

  4,622

  44.3

  90

  0.9

  1,551

  30.1

  90

  1.8

  Dyfed

  937

  11.3

  1,101

  13.3

  266

  6.5

  609

  14.8

  Gwent

  4,463

  35.9

  313

  2.5

  1,488

  24.0

  154

  2.5

  Gwynedd

  641

  10.8

  194

  3.3

  217

  7.3

  194

  6.5

  Mid Glamorgan

  1,565

  10.2

  3,339

  21.8

  477

  6.1

  1,176

  15.1

  Powys

  4

  0.1

  294

  10.5

  1

  0.1

  198

  14.1

  South Glamorgan

  3,121

  26.8

  128

  1.1

  1,036

  17.8

  48

  0.8

  West Glamorgan

  4,333

  46.3

  1

  —

  1,354

  29.4

  —

  —

  Wales

  19,686

  25.8

  5,460

  7.2

  6,390

  16.8

  2,469

  6.5

  1 As a percentage of three and four-year-old population.

  2 As a percentage of four-year-old population.

  Note:

  Ages are estimated as at 31 December 1993.

  Source:

  School Census January 1994.
  750
  Mr. Redwood
  As at 1 December 1994, 1,377 people sat on non-departmental public bodies in Wales. Of these, 761 have been appointed by me or my predecessors. Details are given in "Appointments by the Secretary of State for Wales, 1 December 1994" which is available in the Library of the House.

  GP Fundholders
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many general practitioner fundholders there are in the county of Gwynedd;

  (2) how many general practitioner fundholders there are in the county of Clwyd.

  Mr. Richards
  In Gwynedd there are nine general practitioner fundholding practices—one third wave and eight fourth wave; these include five practices in one group of three and one group of two. A further two practices are preparing to become fundholders from 1 April 1995.

  There at 19 general practitioner fundholding practices in Clwyd—one first wave, nine second wave, eight third wave and one fourth wave; these include four practices in two groups. Another practice is preparing to become a fundholder from 1 April 1995.

  Education Spending
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how much was spent per pupil on(a) primary and (b) secondary education in the counties of (i) Dyfed, (ii) Mid Glamorgan, (iii) South Glamorgan and (iv) Gwent in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993; and if he will make a statement;

  (2) how much was spent per pupil on (a) secondary and (b) primary education in the county of Gwynedd in each year from 1990 to 1993; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) how much was spent per pupil on (a) primary and (b) secondary education in the county of Clwyd in each year from 1990 to 1993; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Richards
  The information requested for 1993–94 is not yet available. Figures for earlier years are available in tables 10 and 14 in the Welsh Office "Education Finance Bulletin" produced by the training and education intelligence unit, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

  Farm Incomes
  Mr. Liwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the figures for net product and farming income in Wales in each year from 1981 to 1994; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information is as follows:

  Net product £000

  Farming income £000

  1981

  202,645

  60,035

  1982

  228,274

  78,856

  1983

  200,304

  40,434

  1984

  233;185

  58,686

  1985

  228,735

  29,946

  1986

  237,012

  46,957

  1987

  251,565

  55,484

  1988

  261,338

  69,780

  1989

  268,062

  45,987

  1990

  261,032

  28,499

  1991

  268,266

  28,318

  1992

  272,086

  39,687

  1993

  339,067

  117,246

  1994

  360,868

  139,518

  Truancy
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives he is taking to eradicate truancy.

  Mr. Richards
  We attach great importance to the elimination of truancy and are continually looking at ways in which to effect this. Over the past 12 months or so we have;issued guidance to schools and LEAs on the policy and practice on categorisation of absence;
  published details of absence levels at individual secondary schools for the first time;
  encouraged LEAs to look more closely at individual pupils' absence rates and the reasons for them, and urged them to make more use of school attendance orders where appropriate; reminded parents through the revised Charter for Parents in Wales of their duty to ensure that their children attend school regularly; and
  supported projects totalling £663,500 on pupil discipline, bullying, and attendance including initiatives to combat truancy. The level of funding for 1995–96 has increased to £800,000 and the successful projects will be announced shortly.

  Nursery Education
  Mr Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many(a) four-year-olds and (b) three and four-year-olds are in receipt of nursery education; what percentage of the total number of children in that age

  Session

  Total number

  Not answered on the grounds of disproportionate costs or information not held centrally

  Per cent.

  1989–90

  63

  4

  2.52

  1990–91

  37

  3

  1.11

  1991–92

  23

  2

  0.46

  1992–93

  63

  9

  5.67

  1993–94

  39

  5

  1.95

  1994–95 (up to 23 January 1995)

  9

  —

  —

  752
  group that constituted; and if he will give the figures by each education authority.

  Mr. Richards
  The figures in the following table relate to children in maintained nursery schools and nursery classes in maintained primary schools. Children in reception or ordinary classes in maintained primary or special schools are not included, neither are children in non-maintained schools, nurseries and playgroups.

  Ysgol y Berwyn, Y Bala
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when a decision will be made on the application by Ysgol y Berwyn, Y Bala for the reinstatement of its sixth form; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Richards
  As soon as possible.

  Quarrymen
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now take steps to facilitate a study into the incidence of emphysema and chronic bronchitis amongst slate quarrymen and former quarrymen, compared to the whole population; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Oppenheim
  I have been asked to reply.

  There are no plans to set up such a study.

  Housing
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 25 January,Official Report, column 155, on the Department of the Environment's consultation document on a licensing system for houses in multiple occupation in England and Wales, if he has anything to add to his answer.

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  This document was issued in England only. The separate consultation arrangements, I described in my last answer, apply in Wales. The Welsh Office and the Department of the Environment will, of course, be discussing the outcomes of our separate consultations.

  Parliamentary Answers
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many parliamentary answers on health issues have been refused on the grounds of disproportionate cost or information not being held centrally(a) as a total and (b) as a percentage of all health answers in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Redwood
  Following a general search on POLLS, answers which contained the words "Health" or "NHS" are shown in the following table:

  BENEFITS: FRAUDULENT APPLICATIONS
  BENEFITS: FRAUDULENT APPLICATIONS
  BRITISH FISHING FLEET: DECOMMISSIONING SCHEMES
  BRITISH FISHING FLEET: DECOMMISSIONING SCHEMES
  TURKEY ANKARA METRO PROJECT
  TURKEY ANKARA METRO PROJECT
  BAHRAIN DEMONSTRATIONS, DECEMBER 1994
  BAHRAIN DEMONSTRATIONS, DECEMBER 1994
  INDONESIA, EXECUTIONS: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR'S RECOMMENDATIONS
  INDONESIA, EXECUTIONS: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR'S RECOMMENDATIONS
  CAR-FREE ZONES: DISABLED PEOPLE
  CAR-FREE ZONES: DISABLED PEOPLE
  BUDGET REPORT: REVISED TABLES
  BUDGET REPORT: REVISED TABLES
  ARMY PERSONNEL CENTRE RELOCATION
  ARMY PERSONNEL CENTRE RELOCATION
  OTTERBURN TRAINING AREA: AS90 FIRING PLAN
  OTTERBURN TRAINING AREA: AS90 FIRING PLAN
  OTTERBURN TRAINING AREA: NOISE
  OTTERBURN TRAINING AREA: NOISE
  NATO: COMBINED JOINT TASK FORCE CONCEPT
  NATO: COMBINED JOINT TASK FORCE CONCEPT
  CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE UK DEFENCE CONTRACTS
  CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE UK DEFENCE CONTRACTS
  UN RWANDA APPEAL: UK RESPONSE
  UN RWANDA APPEAL: UK RESPONSE
  PRISON BOARDS OF VISITORS: REVIEW
  PRISON BOARDS OF VISITORS: REVIEW