Written Answers of 20 June 1995

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Sick Leave
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for every police force in England and Wales for each year since 1989(a) the total number of sickness days taken due to injury on duty and (b) the average number of days lost per police officer due to injury on duty. [28165]

  Mr. Maclean
  Information on the number of injuries sustained on duty is not held centrally. However, information has been kept since 1990 on days' sick leave taken due to assault and is shown in the table.

  Total Number of Days Sick Leave Due to Assault

  Forces

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Avon and Somerset

  1,402.00

  840.00

  868.00

  906.00

  Bedfordshire

  582.00

  831.00

  633.00

  341.00

  Cambridgeshire

  213.00

  589.00

  391.00

  400.00

  Cheshire

  1,109.00

  921.00

  777.00

  1,119.00

  City of London

  37.00

  6.00

  4.00

  9.00

  Cleveland

  731.00

  610.00

  654.00

  1,069.00

  Cumbria

  169.00

  358.00

  563.00

  457.00

  Derbyshire

  648.00

  1,135.00

  1,331.00

  1,502.00

  Devon and Cornwall

  865.00

  986.00

  423.00

  712.00

  Dorset

  406.00

  325.00

  456.00

  490.00

  Durham

  1,191.00

  1,129.00

  708.00

  448.00

  Dyfed-Powys

  622.00

  223.00

  636.00

  557.00

  Essex

  629.00

  454.00

  1,291.00

  582.00

  Gloucestershire

  259.00

  338.00

  475.00

  482.00

  Greater Manchester

  3,708.00

  3,618.00

  1,712.00

  1,427.00

  Gwent

  330.00

  126.00

  317.00

  342.00

  Hampshire

  2,170.00

  930.00

  1,030.00

  1,535.00

  Hertfordshire

  650.00

  640.00

  403.00

  214.00

  Humberside

  895.00

  856.00

  829.00

  727.00

  Kent

  542.00

  190.00

  231.00

  400.00

  Lancashire

  1,371.00

  2,422.00

  2,024.00

  1,160.00

  Leicestershire

  644.00

  678.00

  1,320.00

  469.00

  Lincolnshire

  670.00

  758.00

  639.00

  709.00

  Merseyside

  4,086.00

  4,264.00

  2,560.00

  2,825.00

  Norfolk

  381.00

  157.00

  405.00

  256.00

  North Wales

  623.00

  810.00

  531.00

  61.00

  North Yorkshire

  274.00

  419.00

  332.00

  119.00

  Northamptonshire

  132.00

  65.00

  538.00

  370.00

  Northumbria

  4,296.00

  3,993.00

  2,585.00

  4,048.00

  Nottinghamshire

  1,302.00

  1,081.00

  1,160.00

  1,161.00

  South Wales

  2,422.00

  2,874.00

  2,786.00

  3,414.00

  South Yorkshire

  1,297.00

  600.00

  813.00

  697.00

  Staffordshire

  1,120.00

  1,096.00

  622.00

  345.00

  Suffolk

  443.00

  333.00

  440.00

  122.00

  Surrey

  811.00

  641.00

  442.00

  240.00

  Sussex

  1,026.00

  1,708.00

  1,083.00

  738.00

  Thames Valley

  1,144.00

  761.00

  1,152.00

  668.00

  Warwickshire

  438.00

  275.00

  498.00

  375.00

  West Mercia

  487.00

  405.00

  598.00

  504.00

  West Midlands

  2,992.00

  1,279.00

  1,979.00

  2,054.19

  West Yorkshire

  2,455.00

  2,880.00

  2,396.00

  2,017.00

  Wiltshire

  456.00

  400.00

  266.00

  249.00

  Provincial Total

  46,028.00

  43,004.00

  38,901.00

  36,320 69

  Metropolitan Police

  7,598.00

  10,564.00

  8,122.00

  11,323.00

  England and Wales Total

  53,626.00

  53,568.00

  47,023.00

  47,643 69

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  Average number of days sick leave due to the assault

  Forces

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Avon and Somerset

  12.41

  7.43

  10.59

  10.53

  Bedfordshire

  11.41

  21.87

  22.61

  13.12

  Cambridgeshire

  7.34

  18.41

  17.77

  17.39

  Cheshire

  14.04

  17.71

  16.53

  19.29

  City of London

  7.40

  3.00

  4.00

  3.00

  Cleveland

  14.06

  16.05

  16.77

  19.80

  Cumbria

  8.45

  8.95

  20.11

  19.04

  Derbyshire

  12.00

  30.68

  21.47

  32.65

  Devon and Cornwall

  18.02

  12.97

  8.13

  10.79

  Dorset

  31.23

  10.16

  12.67

  18.85

  Durham

  26.47

  23.04

  19.67

  13.18

  Dyfed-Powys

  22.21

  22.30

  42.40

  27.85

  Essex

  12.58

  11.95

  25.31

  10.39

  Gloucestershire

  7.85

  13.52

  14.39

  17.21

  Greater Manchester

  15.32

  16.45

  8.65

  8.49

  Gwent

  10.65

  12.60

  19.81

  21.38

  Hampshire

  19.38

  16.61

  25.12

  17.64

  Hertfordshire

  12.50

  26.67

  13.90

  9.30

  Humberside

  18.27

  16.78

  16.58

  12.32

  Kent

  12.90

  4.52

  5.13

  9.30

  Lancashire

  12.81

  27.52

  23.26

  12.08

  Leicestershire

  12.63

  12.56

  32.20

  8.53

  Lincolnshire

  13.14

  15.79

  13.04

  12.66

  Merseyside

  25.86

  30.68

  20.48

  20.62

  Norfolk

  10.03

  5.61

  11.25

  7.11

  North Wales

  12.98

  4.68

  23.09

  4.36

  North Yorkshire

  14.42

  16.12

  11.45

  7.93

  Northamptonshire

  7.33

  5.42

  35.87

  18.50

  Northumbria

  23.22

  18.66

  16.46

  21.31

  Nottinghamshire

  25.53

  15.23

  14.50

  20.73

  South Wales

  14.33

  19.55

  18.82

  21.88

  South Yorkshire

  23.16

  14.63

  14.78

  20.50

  Staffordshire

  14.55

  17.68

  14.81

  9.34

  Suffolk

  19.26

  11.10

  19.13

  6.78

  Surrey

  17.63

  16.03

  13.39

  10.43

  Sussex

  16.29

  33.49

  21.66

  17.57

  Thames Valley

  30.11

  31.71

  46.08

  22.27

  Warwickshire

  15.10

  10.58

  22.64

  14.42

  West Mercia

  11.33

  11.25

  17.09

  14.82

  West Midlands

  17.00

  13.61

  3.50

  13.97

  West Yorkshire

  43.07

  24.20

  18.02

  13.36

  Wiltshire

  10.36

  10.53

  9.85

  10.83

  Provincial Total

  17.08

  16.89

  14.35

  15.51

  Metropolitan Police

  8.67

  13.47

  18.09

  12.36

  England and Wales Total

  15.02

  16.09

  14.88

  14.62

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he intends to send asylum seekers under 18 years of age, or who claim to be under 18, to Campsfield house detention centre when Group 4 sets up its tactical support unit at the centre; [29663]

  (2) if he will take into account the advice of an independent medical expert in helping to determine the age of an asylum seeker who claims to be under 18 years old when detention is being considered. [29673]

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  The availability of staff trained in control and restraint techniques is required to meet extreme operational demands. This facility will not affect the fundamental regime at Campsfield house, which will remain suitable for the detention of young people and those claiming to be under the age of 18.

  Asylum applicants who are, or claim to be, under 18 are detained only in the most exceptional circumstances where this appears appropriate in the light of all relevant considerations. In assessing the person's age, medical evidence may be taken into account and if that were

  135
  available from an independent medical expert that would be considered. However, I see no justification for formal arrangements to seek such independent evidence in all cases where the detainee claims to be under 18.

  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children are currently held in detention in connection with asylum applications; what are their nationalities; how many have been held for more than two months; and if he will list the detention establishments where they are being held. [29885]

  Mr. Baker
  As at 16 June 1995, there was one recognised minor who had claimed asylum in the United Kingdom being held in detention. This Algerian national, who is 17 years of age, was an illegal entrant and has been held at Campsfield house for less than two months.

  Mr. Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if unaccompanied children seeking asylum will be excluded from the short procedure pilot scheme; and if he will make a statement. [29672]

  Mr. Baker
  Asylum applications made by or on behalf of unaccompanied children under the age of 18 are not included in the short procedure pilot.

  Special Security Unit (Whitemoor Prison)
  Sir Ivan Lawrence
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the special security unit at Whitemoor prison will reopen. [30059]

  Mr. Howard
  The special security unit at Whitemoor prison reopened yesterday. Comprehensive changes have been made to the unit since it closed following the escape attempt last September. These changes are in line with the recommendations in Sir John Woodcock's report. They include: major construction work to upgrade physical security measures; mandatory operating standards which lay down procedures for staff; carefully selected with trained staff, and a reorganised management structure with clear lines of responsibility.

  I have also decided to introduce a policy of closed visits for all exceptional risk prisoners in the light of the Prison Service's assessment of their security requirements. By removing all physical contact between prisoner and visitor, the opportunity for the passing of weapons or other illicit items should be eliminated. As a result, all exceptional risk prisoners in the Whitemoor special security unit and the category A unit at Belmarsh prison will be subject to closed visits arrangements. The policy will be applied at the Full Sutton special security unit when it reopens following the construction work necessary to implement the Woodcock recommendations.

  Immigration
  Mr. Hawkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his current policy on allowing switching after entry into the minister of religion category by people who are admitted to the United Kingdom, under the immigration rules, in another capacity. [30060]

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  The immigration rules require that a person entering the United Kingdom as a minister of religion must obtain an entry clearance for that purpose in advance. The purpose of the entry clearance requirement is to ensure that the bona fides of the applicant as a minister of religion can be fully assessed,136
  in the country where he lives and works, in advance of his coming to the United Kingdom. An application to remain as a minister of religion in the United Kingdom by a person who has not entered in that capacity is therefore to be refused. We would be prepared, exceptionally, to waive this requirement only where a bona fide minister of religion had been granted a visa or leave to enter as a visitor specifically to attend an interview for a job as a minister in the United Kingdom and was offered the job; or where a bona fide minister of religion, who had been granted a visa or leave to enter as a visitor specifically for a preaching tour of the United Kingdom, was asked to fill a vacant post as a minister in this country, the job offer appeared to be genuinely unexpected at the time the applicant entered the United Kingdom and there were good community relations reasons for allowing him to stay.

  Community Service
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convicted offenders failed to complete their community service orders, and were not taken back to court, in west Yorkshire in each year since 1985. [27706]

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  [holding answer 13 June 1995]: Complete information about whether offenders who fail to comply with their orders are taken back to court is not collected centrally. The available information is given in the table.

  Termination of Community Service Orders, West Yorkshire Probation Service, 1985–93

  Year

  Percentage of CSOs completed without termination for breach or further offence

  Percentage of CSOs terminated because of failure to comply with requirements, conviction of another offence or other reason1

  1985

  74

  26

  1986

  77

  23

  1987

  75

  25

  1988

  72

  28

  1989

  71

  29

  1990

  71

  29

  1991

  69

  31

  1992

  71

  29

  1993

  69

  31

  1 Includes small proportion terminated due to changes in circumstances.

  Animal Welfare
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many designated establishments have ethics committees, operated by the Home Office inspectorate, for animal care and use under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986; and if he will list them. [28677]

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  None.

  The Animals (Scientific Procedures) inspectorate does not operate any ethics or animal care and uses committees in establishments designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. They may attend meetings of animal care and use committees set up by

  137
  designated establishments as invited observers when asked to do so.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of parliamentary questions, which would have been answered directly by him or his Ministers prior to the establishment of executive agencies, are now referred to the chief executive of such an agency. [28502]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  Ministers are accountable to Parliament for all matters concerning their agencies. Written parliamentary questions concerning matters which have been delegated to the chief executive of an executive agency in its Framework document normally receive a reply from the Minister to the effect that he or she has asked the chief executive to reply direct to the Member by letter. The chief executive's letter is published in Hansard below the Minister's reply.

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many written parliamentary questions were tabled for answer by his Department in each of the past five years; how many of these were not answered because the information(a) could be obtained only at disproportionate cost (b) was not held centrally and (c) was not normally disclosed; how many of these could now be answered due to non-computerisation, more effective and efficient operational systems or more open government; and if he will list each question along with the name and constituency of the right hon. or hon. Member who originally tabled it. [28521]

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

  Asylum Appeals
  Mr. Terry Davis
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many appeals against the refusal of entry clearance were outstanding on 31 May or at the most recent date for which this information is available; how many appeals against the refusal of asylum were outstanding on this date; what action is being taken to reduce the numbers of outstanding appeals; and whether any priority is given to appeals against the refusal of asylum. [29793]

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The number of outstanding appeals against refusal of entry clearance is not recorded as a separate figure. However, at 31 May 1995, approximately 9,369 non-asylum appeals were outstanding. The number of asylum appeals outstanding was 4,885. There are plans to recruit additional adjudicators and staff, and to expand existing court room accommodation, to enable more cases to be heard in future. In the short term, more flexible listing arrangements and an increase in the length of the sitting day will help to increase the disposal rate. The immigration appellate authorities are also able to offer parties in London a hearing at a provincial centre where waiting times are shorter.
  138
  The immigration appellate authorities endeavour to determine asylum appeals where the Secretary of State has certified the claim to be without foundation within seven days of their receipt, and all other asylum appeals within 42 days, in accordance with the Asylum Appeals (Procedure) Rules 1993.

ENVIRONMENT

  Negative Equity
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for the environment, pursuant to his answer of 23 February,Official Report, column 268, if he will update the table on the number of households in negative equity. [27532]

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Estimates of negative equity are sensitive to the house price index and other assumptions used. Based on Department of the Environment house price data, an estimate of the number of households affected by negative equity in the first quarter of 1995 and the value of negative equity by region is as follows:

  Region

  Number of households (thousands)

  Value (millions)

  South East

  374

  1,910

  Greater London

  1.00

  371

  South West

  97

  309

  East Anglia

  71

  309

  East Midlands

  33

  71

  West Midlands

  7

  6

  Wales

  11

  13

  Yorks and Humberside

  70

  153

  North West

  41

  29

  North

  28

  40

  Scotland

  53

  80

  Northern Ireland

  1

  1

  UK

  886

  3,292

  This table is intended to provide only a broad indication of the level of negative equity. Certain assumptions used in compiling the table may have overstated the number. My Department is reviewing with the Bank of England the reliability of those assumptions.

  Sewage Treatment
  Mr. Congdon
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what percentage of coastal discharge of sewage are given(a) no treatment, (b) preliminary and (c) secondary treatment; [28675]

  (2) what steps are being taken to achieve those provisions of the urban waste water treatment directive requiring all towns, whether or not with a population greater than 10,000 to apply secondary treatment before discharge. [28676]

  Mr. Atkins
  Some 96 per cent. of the UK population is connected to a sewerage system. Eighty per cent. of sewage is treated and 90 per cent. of this receives secondary treatment or better. The proportions, already high in comparison with those in many continental countries, will rise as a result of investment over the next few years in particular the implementation of the urban waste water treatment directive. More detailed
  139
  information on the proportion of the UK's population receiving different levels of sewage treatment and the programmes for implementing the directive are contained in the report produced by the UK under article 17 of the directive, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

  Temporary Accommodation
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the percentage and total number of families in temporary bed-and-breakfast accommodation who have kitchen facilities. [28808]

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The information requested is not centrally available.

  Paper Pulp
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (I) what guidelines his Department has published for the disposal of paper pulp; [29271]

  (2) what discussions he has had with ADAS with regard to the disposal of paper pulp by spreading on land; [29272]

  (3) what representations he has received regarding problems caused by the disposal of paper pulp at Thieveley Pike, Cliviger, Burnley; [29273]

  (4) if he will call for an inquiry into environmental damage at Thieveley Pike, Cliviger, Burnley caused by the spreading of paper pulp; and if he will make a statement. [29274]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Responsibility for the enforcement of waste management controls rests with waste regulation authorities such as Lancashire county council. It is an offence under section 33(1)(a) or (b) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to deposit, recover or dispose of controlled waste without a waste management licence or contrary to the conditions of a licence exemption. It is also an offence under section 33(1)(c) of the 1990 Act to carry out these activities in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.

  We have provided exemptions from licensing in schedule 3 to the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. Subject to certain conditions, paragraph 7 of schedule 3 exempts the spreading of de-inked paper sludge on land used for agriculture. The exemption applies only where the actively results in benefit to agriculture or ecological improvement and the waste regulation authority for the area are provided with information about the spreading.

  We have provided guidance on this exemption in DOE circular 11/94 paragraph 5.66–5.86. I understand that Lancashire county council, as waste regulation authority for the area, is aware of the incident referred to by the hon. Member and has taken appropriate action. The Department has received no representation about the incident.

  The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food has published codes of good agricultural practice for the protection of water in 1991 and for soil in 1993. The Department is also considering with MAFF the provision of technical guidance on the spreading of waste on land. In this context, officials have held discussions with ADAS and other consultants.

  National Superdome, Odsal
  Mr. Sutcliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what action will be taken in respect of safety issues such as fire risks, chemical fire or spillage at the proposed new national superdome at Odsal; [29005]

  (2) what action will be taken in respect of fire and other anticipated safety hazards in the development of the national superdome. [29006]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Should planning consent be granted for the superdome, these issues will be matters for the developers, the contractors the stadium operators and the appropriate safety authorities.

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals are being considered to minimise risks to the public from chemical works and associated industrial development in the area of the proposed national superdome. [29004]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  A planning application for the superdome in Bradford has been referred to the Secretary of State as a departure from the development plan and is being assessed to decide whether it should be called in for public inquiry. The relevance of risk from other development is a matter for consideration in the normal procedures of local planning authorities and, where necessary, consultation with the appropriate safety authorities.

  Conservation Areas
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when a national list of sites will be sent to the European Commission under the habitats directive. [29856]

  Mr. Gummer
  Following extensive local and national public consultation launched on 31 March, a first list of 136 candidate special areas of conservation was sent today to the European Commission.

  This list covers only sites on land and those that are already sites of special scientific interest. Consultation on possible marine sites will continue until 22 June.

  I will announce the submission of a further tranche of sites to the Commission as soon as points raised in the consultation exercise have been fully considered and resolved.

  A number of organisations have suggested additions to the list. These suggestions will be fully considered in accordance with the approach to site selection applied to the current list of possible sites and outlined in section 3 of "A list of possible Special Areas of Conservation in the UK" which was published on 31 March and placed in the Libraries. If the nature conservation agencies, through the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, advise that any of these additions qualify as possible SACs they will be published for consultation in due course. As indicated in my written reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson) on 31 March at column 834, there will also be consultation on those sites proposed for certain habitats types and species where it is necessary first to complete further SSSI notifications or on which additional scientific information is being sought.
  141
  The list of sites which has been sent to the Commission is as follows:

  Sites

  Country

  Amat Woods

  Scotland

  Ardmeanach

  Scotland

  Ballynahone Bog

  Northern Ireland

  Barry Links

  Scotland

  Beer Quarry and Caves

  England

  Benacre to Easter Bavents Lagoons

  England

  Berwyn

  Wales

  Birklands and BIlhaugh

  England

  Black Bog

  Northern Ireland

  Black Wood of Rannoch

  Scotland

  Balwhorn Moss

  Scotland

  Blean Complex

  England

  Borrowdale Woodland Complex

  England

  Braehead Moss

  Scotland

  Bredon Hill

  England

  Burry Inlet: Dunes/Cilfach Burry:Twyni

  Wales

  Cannock Extension Canal

  England

  Carrine Common

  England

  Castle Eden Dene

  England

  Castle Hill

  England

  Chilmark Quarries

  England

  Chilterns Beechwoods

  England

  Cockinhead Moss

  Scotland

  Coed y Cerrig

  Wales

  Coedydd a Cheunant Rheidol/Rheidol Woods

  Wales

  Coedydd Derw Meirion/Merionnydd Oakwoods

  Wales

  Coleg Glynllifon

  Wales

  Cors Caron

  Wales

  Cors Fochno

  Wales

  Corsydd Mon/Anglesea Fens

  Wales

  Cothill Fen

  England

  Craigengar

  Scotland

  Cranley Moss

  Scotland

  Creag nan Gamhainn

  Scotland

  Crymlyn Bog/Cors Crymlyn

  Wales

  Cuilcagh Mountain

  Northern Ireland

  Culbin Bar

  Scotland

  Culm Grasslands

  England

  Cym Cadlan

  Wales

  Derryleckagh

  Northern Ireland

  Drostre Bank

  Wales

  East Hampshire Hangers

  England

  Eastern Mournes

  Northern Ireland

  Ebernoe Common

  England

  Eilean na Muice Duibhe

  Scotland

  Elenydd

  Wales

  Eryri/Snowdonia

  Wales

  Fairy Water Bogs

  Northern Ireland

  Fenland

  England

  Feur Lochain

  Scotland

  Flow of Dergoals

  Scotland

  Gang Mine

  England

  Garron Plateau

  Northern Ireland

  Garry Bog

  Northern Ireland

  Glac na Criche

  Scotland

  Glannau Mon: Cors heli/Anglesea Coast: Saltmarsh

  Wales

  Glannau Mon: Twyni/Anglesea Coast: Dunes

  Wales

  Glanau Ynys Gybi/Holy Island Coast

  Wales

  Glen Coe

  Scotland

  Godrevey Head to St. Agnes

  England

  Great Orme's Head/Pen y Gogarth

  Wales

  Great Yews

  England

  Hascosay

  Scotland

  Helvellyn and Fairfield

  England

  142

  Sites

  Country

  Hill of Towanreef

  Scotland

  Holme Moor and Clean Moor

  England

  Hoy

  Scotland

  Inchnadamph

  Scotland

  Invernaver

  Scotland

  Isle of Wight Downs

  England

  Keen of Hamar

  Scotland

  Kenfig/Cynffig

  Wales

  Kilhern Moss

  Scotland

  Kingley Vale

  England

  Kirkcowan Flow

  Scotland

  Lewes Downs

  England

  Limestone seacliffs of S W Wales/Clogwyni Calchfaen De-Orllewin Cymru

  Wales

  Lismore Lochs

  Scotland

  Llangorse Lake/Llyn Syfaddan

  Wales

  Loch Watten

  Scotland

  Lydden and Temple Ewell Downs

  England

  Magheraveely Marl Loughs

  Northern Ireland

  Merrick Kells

  Scotland

  Minsmere to Walberswick Heaths and Marshes

  England

  Mochrum Lochs

  Scotland

  Monadh Mor

  Scotland

  Monawilkin

  Northern Ireland

  Moniack Gorge

  Scotland

  Morrone Birkwood

  Scotland

  Mound Alderwoods

  Scotland

  Newham Fen

  England

  Norfolk Valley Fens

  England

  North Northumberland Dunes

  England

  North Pennine Dales Meadows

  England

  Oak Mere

  England

  Oldshoremore and Sandwood

  Scotland

  Oxford Meadows

  England

  Pasturefields Salt Marsh

  England

  Pembrokeshire bat sites/Safleoedd Ystlumod Penfro

  Wales

  Pettigoe Plateau

  Northern Ireland

  Pewsey Downs

  England

  Pitmaduthy Moss

  Scotland

  Prescombe Down

  England

  Preseli

  Wales

  Queendown Warren

  England

  Reidside Moss

  Scotland

  Rex Graham-Reserve

  England

  Rhinog

  Wales

  Rhos Goch

  Wales

  Rhos Llawr-cwrt

  Wales

  Rooksmoor

  England

  Rum

  Scotland

  Slieve Beagh

  Northern Ireland

  St. David's/Ty Ddewi

  Wales

  Staverton Park and the Thicks, Wantisden

  England

  Strath

  Scotland

  Stromness Heaths and Coast

  Scotland

  Tanat and Vyrnwy Bat Sites/Safleoedd Ystlumod Tanat ac Efyrnwy

  Wales

  Taynish Woods

  Scotland

  Teal Lough

  Northern Ireland

  The Mens

  England

  The New Forest

  England

  The Stipperstones and the Hollies

  England

  Thorne Moor

  England

  Thrislington

  England

  Tingon

  Scotland

  Tregonning Hill

  England

  Trotternish Ridge

  Scotland

  Tulach Hill and Glen Fender Meadows

  Scotland

  Tyne and Allen River Gravels

  England

  Upper Lough Erne

  Northern Ireland

  143

  Sites

  Country

  Wasdale Screes

  England

  West Midlands Mosses

  England

  Whitlaw and Branxholme

  Scotland

  Windsor Forest and Great Park

  England

  Wye and Crundale Downs

  England

  Opencasting
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action his Department is taking to minimise detrimental environmental effects from(a) opencast mining and (b) quarrying. [29646]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Tight, improved guidelines which upgrade environmental requirements on opencast mining were published last July. Similar guidelines for quarrying were published in April 1994. These guidelines would apply to any new permissions for either opencast mining or quarrying.

  Social Housing
  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his estimate of the likely need for social housing in Britain up to 2001. [28108]

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  My Department estimates that the additional demand for new social lettings over the current public expenditure survey period lies within the range of 60,000 and 100,000 units per year.

  Building Regulations
  Mr. Corbett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the current timetable for recommendations to changes in part M of building regulations to be considered by the Building Regulations Advisory Committee; [29665]

  (2) what is the current timetable for bringing into force parts M5 and M6 of building regulations. [29666]

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Officials in my Department are analysing all the many responses received to the consultation paper on part M of the building regulations issued earlier this year. I expect the Building Regulations Advisory Committee to consider this analysis in the autumn, after which its recommendations will be considered by Ministers. No decisions have been taken as to when any changes to part M should come into effect.

  National Parks
  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment under what circumstances he will call in a proposal for major development in a national park. [29877]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Both within and beyond national parks, planning applications are, in general, called in for decision by my right hon. Friend only if planning issues of more than local importance are involved. He is very selective about calling in applications to determine himself. Such cases may include, for example, those which, in my right hon. friend's opinion, could have wide effects beyond their immediate locality, which give rise to substantial regional or national controversy, which may conflict with national policy on important matters and 144
  those where the interests of foreign Governments may be involved.

  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, if he will outline Government policy on major development proposals in national parks. [29879]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Special considerations apply to major development proposals in national parks. Such development should not take place in national parks, the Broads and the New Forest heritage area save in exceptional circumstances.

  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment for what reasons it was decided not to call in the planning application for further minerals extraction at Swinden quarry in the Yorkshire dales national park. [29875]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The Secretary of State is selective about calling in applications for his determination and will, in general, take this step only if planning issues of more than local importance are involved. Each case must be considered on its individual merits. The decision not to call in the application to extend Swinden quarry, given the site's location in a national park, was taken only after the most careful scrutiny. The Secretary of State decided on the basis of the information before him that the application did not raise issues of more than local importance.

  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the application for development at Swinden quarry was in accordance with the structure plan; and if it was subject to an officer recommendation of refusal. [28878]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The Yorkshire dales national park authority considered the application to be contrary to the provisions of the north Yorkshire county structure plan. It was subject to an officer recommendation of refusal.

  Mr. Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many letters he has received requesting him to call in the application for further mineral extraction at Swinden quarry. [29876]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  The Secretary of State has received 55 letters asking him to call in the application for further mineral extraction at Swinden quarry. In addition a petition was received.

  Thames Tunnel
  Mr. Dowd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give approval to London Underground Ltd. to go ahead with shotcreting the Thames Brunel tunnel to allow tunnel repair and associated works to go ahead. [29874]

  Sir Paul Beresford
  An application by London Underground Ltd. for listed building consent to carry out works to the Thames tunnel has been notified to the Secretary of State for the Environment in order that he may consider whether he should determine it.

  Very careful consideration is currently being given to whether the application should be called in. In these circumstances, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the matter.

  Standard Spending Assessment
  Mr. Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the answer of 21 February given by the Secretary of State for Education,Official Report, columns 183–84, in relation to his statement in the debate on council budget capping on 15 June about comparative figures for Devon and Somerset local education authorities' central administrative costs; and if he will make a statement on whether the figures are correct. [29926]

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Our decisions on capping were based on the figures put to us by the authorities themselves as a part of their representations, rather than the 1992–93 figures listed in the answer of 21 February. In the view of Somerset county council the difference between the Somerset and the Devon figures in the answer may reflect differences in definitions or accounting practices between the authorities.

  Local Government Commission
  Mr. Patrick Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who will serve on the Local Government Commission for England. [30058]

  Mr. Curry
  Sir David Cooksey will be chairman. We have asked four of the existing commissioners to remain on the commission and they have agreed to do so. They are: Professor Malcolm Grant, Ken Ennals, Robert Scruton and David Thomas.

  In addition, four new commissioners will be appointed with effect from 1 July 1995. They are: Peter Brokenshire, chairman of Redbridge and Waltham Forest family health services; Professor Michael Clarke, professor and head of the School of Public Policy, university of Birmingham; Helena Shovelton, chairman
  146
  of the National Association of the Citizens Advice Bureaux; and Norman Warner, managing director of Warner Consultancy and Training Services Ltd.

  Ministerial Meeting, Sofia
  Mrs. Lait
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to assist with the preparations for the pan-European conference of Environment Ministers to be held in Sofia in October. [30237]

  Mr. Gummer
  With the Austrian Minister of the Environment, I co-hosted and chaired a meeting of a number of Environment Ministers from western and eastern Europe at Lancaster house on 12 and 13 June to discuss key issues for the forthcoming Sofia conference and to guide the officials engaged in the detailed preparations. There was a consensus that the conference should focus on further implementation of the environmental action programme for Europe under which countries of central and eastern Europe are being assisted to tackle their most serious environmental problems, and that to this end enhancing environmental investment, encouraging the private and business sectors to become fully involved and protecting biodiversity were key areas for attention. My colleagues agreed that the Sofia conference should produce a number of concrete projects to demonstrate how new ideas could be realised, including the development of pilot projects for joint implementation under the climate change convention and the sulphur protocol.

  In addition we have co-sponsored with our Austrian colleagues a study of impediments to environmental investment from the perspective of central and eastern European countries and we are assisting the Bulgarians directly with the conference preparations through the provision of a high-level adviser.

TREASURY

  Barlow Clowes
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much Her Majesty's Government have paid to Barlow Clowes victims; [27272]

  (2) if he will publish the statement read out in court in the recent Barlow Clowes case; and if he will set out the full terms of the settlement; [27274]

  (3) what sums each of the relevant parties have agreed to pay to HM Treasury following the recent out-of-court settlement in connection with Barlow Clowes; [27270]

  (4) for what reasons Her Majesty's Treasury agreed to settle out of court in the Barlow Clowes case; and on whose authority the decision was taken; [27273]

  (5) what was the total cost to public funds of the action to obtain payment in the matter of Barlow Clowes recently settled out of court. [27271]

  Mr. Nelson
  The Government's publicly stated aim is to pursue vigorously any claims showing prospect of reducing the cost to the public purse of the ex-gratia payments scheme. This has paid some £150 million to investors who suffered loss as a result of the collapse of the Barlow Clowes group of companies in May 1988.

  Consequently, the Government initiated litigation against a number of parties previously involved with Barlow Clowes companies. This litigation included proceedings against a group of professional advisers, comprising Midland bank plc, Rensburg and Co., Simpson Curtis, Singer and Friedlander Ltd., Singer and Friedlander (Isle of Man) Ltd., Sinjul Nominees Ltd., Spicer and Pegler, Spicer and Pegler (Gibraltar) and Touche Ross and Co.

  The decision to settle the litigation by acceptance of a substantial sum in respect of claims made in those proceedings, including interest and costs, was taken after receiving firm legal advice from leading counsel and solicitors, which also confirmed the commercial good sense of such a course.

  The settlement was signed and announced to the High Court on 24 May 1995. That statement made it clear the parties do not intend to make any further public statement, except as may be required of the Government by Parliament or of any defendant by its obligations to the stock exchange, concerning the settlement of these proceedings. I have arranged for a copy of the statement to the court to be placed in the Library.

  It is generally the Government's policy not to comment on the detail of legal proceedings or settlements relating to the Barlow Clowes litigation, so as not to influence the attitude and outcome of continuing actions. The Government continue to pursue vigorously any claims in relation to the Barlow Clowes companies which show any prospect of cost-effective recovery in order to reduce the cost to the taxpayer of the ex-gratia payments schemes.

  European Single Currency
  Mr. Duncan Smith
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the report of the study group on the role of public finance in European 148
  integration chaired by Sir Donald MacDougall, published in 1977; and what are his conclusions on its findings on the effect on the size of the European Community budget, in the event of the creation of a single currency. [27671]

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The MacDougall report was an early attempt to assess the role of the public finances in European integration. Its analysis reflected the thinking of the 1970s. The Government do not endorse its conclusions or its recommendation that the EC budget should grow to some five to seven per cent. of EC GDP to be compatible with monetary union. There is no provision in the Maastricht treaty for any such expansion of the EC budget and the Government remain committed to the firm ceilings on EC spending agreed at Edinburgh.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many written parliamentary questions were tabled for answer by his Department in each of the past five years; how many of these were not answered because the information(a) could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, (b) was not held centrally and (c) was not normally disclosed; how many of these could now be answered due to computerisation, more effective and efficient operational systems or more open government; and if he will list each question along with the name and constituency of the right hon. or hon. Member who originally tabled it. [28519]

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

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of parliamentary questions, which would have been answered directly by him or his Ministers prior to the establishment of executive agencies, are now referred to the chief executive of such an agency. [28501]

  Mr. Nelson
  The chief executives of the four agencies responsible to the Chancellor of the Exchequer have delegated authority to reply to parliamentary questions on day-to-day operational matters within their responsibilities. Since October 1992, five questions to the Chancellor have been referred to chief executives for reply under these arrangements.

  Works of Art
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply of 9 June,Official Report, column 340, how many owners of chattels had been granted conditional exemption from inheritance tax as capital transfer tax in each year since 1987. [28851]

  Sir George Young
  The numbers of owners are as follows:

  1987: 35

  1988: 51

  1989: 44

  1990: 41

  1991: 69

  1992: 73

  1993: 55

  1994: 63

  149
  These figures are for owners of chattels which are currently conditionally exempt, and can be viewed by appointment.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply of 9 June,Official Report, column 340, if he will place in the Library a copy of the register of conditionally exempt works of art. [28853]

  Sir George Young
  The register of conditionally exempt works of art, which now has over 14,000 entries, was computerised in 1993. As the hon. Member may be aware, there are established guidelines on the acceptance of electronic data by the House of Commons Library. The feasibility of making the register available through the Library will be explored and I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply of 9 June,Official Report, column 340, how many owners of chattels which have been granted conditional exemption from inheritance tax as capital transfer tax have allowed access in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available to members of the public wishing to view conditionally exempt works of art. [28849]

  Sir George Young
  Records are not kept centrally of how many members of the public have exercised their rights to require owners of chattels conditionally exempt from inheritance tax or capital transfer tax to allow viewing of these works of art.

  VAT
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Chancellor of the

  Year

  Registrations at Halifax office

  Deregistrations at Halifax office

  Registrations in West Yorkshire

  Deregistrations in West Yorkshire

  1985

  2,228

  2,257

  7,905

  7,958

  1986

  2,254

  2,329

  8,299

  8,862

  1987

  2,256

  1,856

  8,469

  7,427

  1988

  2,634

  2,110

  10,274

  7,946

  1989

  3,284

  2,256

  11,385

  8,102

  1990

  2,646

  2,318

  10,013

  8,245

  1991

  2,486

  3,046

  8,871

  10,875

  1992

  2,147

  2,652

  8,302

  9,967

  1993

  2,207

  2,540

  8,240

  9,180

  1994

  1,891

  2,443

  7,373

  8,621

  19951

  482

  560

  1,605

  2,004

  1 To end March.

  Incapacity Benefit
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if a person who is in receipt of incapacity benefit will be treated for tax purposes in exactly the same way as a person in receipt of retirement pension. [28979]

  Sir George Young
  Both incapacity benefit and state retirement pension are taxable, except for incapacity benefit payable in the first 28 weeks of incapacity, and additional payments of both incapacity benefit and retirement pension payable to claimants with children. For most claimants, arrangements for collecting tax are broadly similar in both cases.
  150
  Exchequer how much extra revenue would be raised from the extension of VAT to new building. [28884]

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The Treasury publication, "Tax Ready Reckoner and Tax Reliefs", shows that applying the standard rate of VAT to new dwellings is estimated to raise £1,950 million in a full year in 1994–95. This figure makes no allowance for behavioural changes.

  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses registered and deregistered for value added tax in(a) Batley and Spen and (b) west Yorkshire each year since 1983. [27710]

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  [holding answer 13 June 1995]: Customs does not have information concerning the number of businesses registered and deregistered in the Batley and Spen constituency. The local VAT office at Halifax covers, in addition to Halifax, the towns of Batley, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Morley, Todmorden and part of Bradford. The local VAT offices at Bradford, Doncaster, Halifax and Leeds cover the west Yorkshire area. They are able to provide only the number of registrations and deregistrations for VAT at the Halifax office and in west Yorkshire since 1985. These are in the following schedule.

  Traders who are in business and trading below the registrations threshold may choose to register for VAT, if they wish. This gives them the advantage of being able to reclaim VAT paid on goods and expenses in connection with their business. Above the threshold level registration is obligatory.

  The effect of the substantial increase in the registration threshold in both 1991 and 1993 provides an explanation for the net decrease in the number of registered businesses since 1991.

  Gilts and Bonds
  Mr. Butcher
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue will make available a provisional compliance cost assessment on the proposals set out in the consultation paper on the taxation of gilts and bonds. [29242]

  Sir George Young
  My foreword to the Inland Revenue's consultation document makes clear that we are aiming for a major simplification of the current rules. This offers the prospect of substantial long-run compliance cost savings as well as wider efficiency gains. But the precise effects will depend on the details, a number of which have been expressly left open as matters for consultation.
  151
  If we decide to proceed with these proposals, the Inland Revenue will make available the compliance cost assessment once the details have been sufficiently settled and the responses given in consultation have been fully evaluated.

  Northern Electric
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has voted his shares either directly or by proxy in recent shareholder votes in Northern Electric; whether he supported the call for an emergency annual meeting; and what public statement he has made on whether Northern Electric is to accept the offer of Trafalgar House plc. [29774]

  Sir George Young
  At no shareholder meeting have Treasury shares been voted. The Treasury was prepared to vote its shares in March in favour of the full cash alternative in reference to a combination of cash and Trafalgar House shares. Not to have so voted our shares would have meant acceptance by default of the latter option and would have involved, unacceptably, the Treasury taking a new stake in a private sector company. In the event, the Trafalgar House bid was withdrawn. The Government's usual policy is not to vote our shareholdings to intervene in the commercial activities of a privatised company but, in the circumstances of last March, we took account of the fact that Northern Electric had recommended acceptance of the Trafalgar House bid. Treasury Ministers have made no public statements on this matter.

  Fundamental Expenditure Review
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Minister in his Department is responsible for the fundamental expenditure review process; and how many such reviews have been approved so far by that Minister. [29740]

  Mr. Aitken
  Secretaries of State in Departments have been conducting the reviews in co-operation with me. The Departments listed have produced final reports already, but the reviews were intended to look at long term spending patterns and follow-up work and implementation are continuing in most cases.

  Ministry of Defence

  Department of Trade and Industry

  Employment Department

  Department of Transport

  Urban spending by the Department of the Environment

  Home Office

  Lord Chancellor's Department

  Department for Education

  Department of National Heritage

  Department of Health

  Department of Social Security

  HM Treasury

  Customs and Excise

  Inland Revenue

  Investor Compensation Scheme
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he proposes to meet the Securities Investment Board 152
  or the Personal Investment Authority to discuss the operation of the investor compensation scheme; and if he will make a statement; [29730]

  (2) what information he has on the solvency of the investors compensation scheme set up under the Financial Services Act 1986; and if he will make a statement. [29729]

  Mr. Nelson
  I meet senior figures from the Securities and Investments Board, the Personal Investment Authority and the investors compensation scheme to discuss matters of policy and interest from time to time. I recently met the chairman and chief executive of the ICS.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Winnick
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 6 April referred from the Department of Social Security regarding a constituent, reference 0595/38. [29669]

  Sir George Young
  A reply was sent on 19 June.

  Pensions
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he proposes to take to ensure that holders of appropriate personal pensions can rely on these policies to provide benefits at least as generous as those provided by SERPS. [27602]

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: It would be inappropriate for the Government to guarantee the investment performance of a personal pension. However, the financial services regulators have rules designed to ensure that financial advisers are trained, competent and able to recommend only products which are suitable for the individual investor and whose risks are properly explained.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 4 May,Official Report, column 264, if he will provide comparable details on civil service early retirement packages on grounds of inefficiency. [29284]

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: Inefficiency is a ground for dismissal. An immediate lump-sum payment of up to two years' salary may be made where a department judges payment of compensation to be appropriate. Where compensation is agreed and the person dismissed is over 55, this may be forgone in favour of immediate payment of the accrued superannuation benefits which would otherwise be preserved for payment at retiring age. There have been 15 departures from the Treasury on inefficiency grounds in the past five financial years, 11 of which were during probation. No compensation was paid in any of these cases.

  Electricity Privatisation
  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the terms of reference of the Treasury inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the sale of PowerGen and National Power stock in March; if he will
  153
  name the official who is conducting this inquiry; if the completed inquiry report will be published in full; and if he will make a statement. [28841]

  Sir George Young
  [holding answer 15 June 1995]: The stock exchange has suggested further examination into the circumstances surrounding the Genco2 share sale, including the dissemination of information between various parts of the public sector and between the public sector and the market. Sir Terence Burns has asked Mr. John Beastall, a senior Treasury official and former Treasury officer of accounts, to take this work forward and draft the Treasury response. He has been asked to examine in detail the events surrounding the share sale and the role of all the parties involved and any lessons to be learned for future share issues by public authorities. Once the work has been completed, the Permanent Secretary, Sir Terence Burns, will respond to the stock exchange and, the response will be published.

PRIME MINISTER

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 20 June 1995. [27975]

  Sir Peter Tapsell
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 20 June. [27976]

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

  President Clinton
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Prime Minister what contact he has had with President Clinton on plans for a visit to the United Kingdom. [27979]

  The Prime Minister
  I would welcome a further visit to the United Kingdom by President Clinton. We are discussing possible dates.

  Nuclear Tests
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Prime Minister what steps he has taken to persuade the French Government not to resume nuclear testing and to oppose any proposals taken by them to do so. [29739]

  The Prime Minister
  We are in regular contact with the French Government, who are aware of our views.

  BMARC
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Prime Minister if the intelligence sources referred to in the oral statement on BMARC by the President of the Board of Trade of 13 June,Official Report, columns 595–606, and dated at July and September 1988 used material from within the Astra group of companies. [29722]
  154
  The Prime Minister
  It is not the Government's policy to comment on the sources of information contained in intelligence material.

  Scott Inquiry
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 12 June to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central, (Mr. Fatchett)Official Report, column 373, if he will list the external lawyers who have been used to provide advice for witnesses to the Scott inquiry; and if external lawyers have been used at the request of witnesses of Departments or of the Treasury solicitors. [29764]

  The Prime Minister
  The Government will have no objection to publishing the names of external lawyers who have been used to provide advice for witnesses to the Scott inquiry at public expense after Sir Richard Scott's final report has been published and provision of such advice has been concluded. External advice is provided at public expense either where the witness concerned requests it and the departmental legal adviser considers this reasonable or where, after consultation with his departmental legal adviser of the Treasury Solicitor, it is agreed that such advice should be sought.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 24 February, to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central, (Mr. Cousins)Official Report, column 353, if further evidence has been taken in private by Lord Justice Scott. [29155]

  The Prime Minister
  Sir Richard Scott continues to obtain evidence, both oral and written, as the need arises. I am advised by the inquiry that the last evidence taken at a private hearing was on 4 May 1995.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister if the Cabinet Office has received any information on allegations that British companies had circumvented export control regulations or guidelines covering Iraq or Iran, which have not yet been passed on to Lord Justice Scott. [29151]

  The Prime Minister
  All information received by the Cabinet Office and identified as required by Sir Richard Scott's inquiry has been passed to the inquiry.

  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Prime Minister if he has instituted any change in the system of distribution of intelligence reports to Ministers and their appropriate officials as a result of the problems outlined by Baroness Thatcher in her evidence to the Scott inquiry. [29150]

  The Prime Minister
  A number of improvements have been made, of which details have been given to the Scott inquiry.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 12 June given to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett),Official Report, column 373, how many requests for legal assistance for witnesses to the Scott inquiry have been turned down as unreasonable; and if he will break down the costs to public funds between the costs in respect of (a) external lawyers and (b) the Treasury solicitors. [29763]

  The Prime Minister
  Witnesses to the Scott inquiry who wish to seek legal assistance at public expense must first seek the approval of their departmental legal adviser
  155
  or the Treasury Solicitor's Department. Where necessary, the nature, scope, source and terms of such legal advice are discussed with the individual concerned. I am not aware of any case in which there was a disagreement over the provision of legal advice following such discussions. The information on legal costs is given in my answer to the hon. Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Fatchett) today.

  Mr. George Howarth
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden),Official Report, column 374, on leaks from the provisional draft report of Lord Justice Scott, who conducted the inquiry; what were the responses of those who were interviewed; and if he will publish the conclusions for the inquiry. [29519]

  The Prime Minister
  I have nothing further to add to my reply to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) on 12 June,Official Report, column 374.

  Security Vetting
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 24 April,Official Report, column 344, if contractors who carry out basic checks are now obliged to require their employees and potential employees to disclose to them any information concerning any criminal record, including those which are spent and if he will make a statement. [29770]

  The Prime Minister
  Contractors are obliged only to carry out basic checks on employees or potential employees who will have access to Government assets. As part of a basic check, employees and potential employees are not required to disclose spent convictions. Contractors have a duty to request from their employees and potential employees, a completed criminal record declaration form. However, employees and potential employees do not have to return the form to their employer; if they prefer, they can pass it directly to the contracting Department or agency.

  In my answer of 24 April, I also referred to exceptional cases where, in the interests of national security, and with the agreement of the Cabinet Office, Office of Public Service and Science, extra inquiries are necessary in addition to those carried out for a basic check. Where these include a check against the national collection of criminal records, individuals are required to declare spent convictions, as permitted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, and the rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 (Exceptions) Order 1979. This information is available only to the contracting Department or agency and is not accessible by the contractor.

  Intergovernmental Conference
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 12 June,Official Report, column 374, which treaty gives authority to the common fisheries policy, and which is subject to amendment at the 1996 inter-governmental conference; and if he will make it his policy to seek withdrawal from the common fisheries policy. [28923]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 19 June]: Fisheries are part of the common agricultural policy
  156
  governed by articles 38–47 of the EC treaty which will be reviewed as part of the 1996 intergovernmental conference. The detailed rules of the common fisheries policy are set out in the Council regulation 3760/92 which comes up for formal review in 2002. We have no plans for UK withdrawal from the common fisheries policy, but we are continuing to work for improvements in the appropriate fora.

  Overseas Visits (Royal Family)
  Mr. Mackinlay
  To ask the Prime Minister when the royal household sought the advice of Her Majesty's Government on the appropriateness of a member of the royal family attending the Island games, Gibraltar, to be held in July. [28674]

  The Prime Minister
  [holding answer 19 June]: Official visits overseas by members of the royal family are made on the advice of the Government. The Princess Royal had hoped to attend the Island games in Gibraltar in July but, in the event, she was unable to do so.

TRANSPORT

  Motorway Noise
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department takes to monitor noise levels faced by residential properties located near to motorways. [28166]

  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 Mr. David Chidgey, dated 20 June 1995:
  As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts MP, has asked me to write to you in reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the question of monitoring of noise levels faced by residential properties located near to motorways. No routine monitoring of noise levels adjacent to trunk roads or motorways is undertaken, there being no requirement on the Highways Agency to do so.

  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the sections of the British motorway network where noise levels exceed 68 db (A) at the facade of adjacent residential properties of which an increase of at least 1 db(A) is attributable to traffic on the new or improved motorway. [28167]

  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 Mr. David Chidgey, dated 20 June 1995:
  As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts MP, has asked me to write to you in reply to your recent Parliamentary Question requesting a list of the sections of the British motorway network where noise levels exceed 68 db(A) at the facade of residential properties of which an increase of at least 1 db(A) is attributable to traffic on the new or improved motorway.
  The Highways Agency is only responsible for motorways in England. I cannot therefore comment on motorways in the other parts of the United Kingdom.

  157
  The Noise Insulation Regulations require an offer of insulation or grant to owners of residential properties which qualify in accordance with the criteria you have quoted within six months of a new or improved road being open to traffic, but statistics of such offers are not collected centrally.

  Driving Test
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest situation in the Government's planning for a theory test as part of the driving test; and what assistance and information is available for driving instructors to enable them to prepare for the change. [29361]

  Mr. Norris
  I refer the hon. Member to a reply I gave on 23 May,Official Report, columns 567–68.

  Driving instructors are being kept abreast of significant developments as they happen. The Driving Standards Agency, which will have overall responsibility for this new test, plans to publish, in early spring, a handbook for candidates and their instructors about the new driving theory test which will include the official bank of questions.

  Air Accidents Investigation Branch
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements have been made for continued pathology support to the AAIB in the event of an alteration to the RAF Institute; and if he will make a statement. [29888]

  Mr. Norris
  The RAF Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine is to be disbanded, but the department of pathology is to be retained and co-located with the school of aviation medicine. They intend to continue to support the air accidents investigation branch in its accident investigation for the foreseeable future.

  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions in the last five years the RAF Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine has assisted the AAIB in its investigations; and if he will list these occasions on a year-by-year basis. [29887]

  Mr. Norris
  The RAF Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine has assisted the air accidents investigation branch on 103 occasions since 1 January 1990. The lists are as follows:

  Cvilian accidents attended by RAF IPTM 1990–95

  Date

  Aircraft

  Location

  Fatalities

  9 February 1990

  Christen Eagle

  Pleshey Castle

  1

  18 March 1990

  Fournier Glider

  Rattlesdon

  1

  24 March 1990

  Cessna F150M

  Mere

  2

  28 March 1990

  Robinson R22

  Chinnor

  1

  5 April 1990

  Cessna 210

  Dunbrach

  2

  21 April 1990

  Microlight

  Chirk

  1

  28 April 1990

  Rollason Condor

  Tibenham

  1

  3 May 1990

  Grob G109

  Wolford Health

  2

  19 May 1990

  Piper PA28/ Tiger Moth

  Redhill

  4

  27 May 1990

  Ralleye Tobago

  Stranraer

  5

  27 June 1990

  Augusta

  Rocester

  2

  7 July 1990

  Piper PA28

  Cranfield

  3

  13 July 1990

  Bell 206

  Stanley

  2

  17 July 1990

  Cessna 150

  Skegness

  2

  158

  Civilian accidents attended by RAF IPTM 1990–95

  Date

  Aircraft

  Location

  Fatalities

  25 July 1990

  Sikorsky

  Brent Spar

  5

  4 August 1990

  Puchaez Glider

  Usk

  1

  31 August 1990

  Hughes

  Felsted

  1

  20 October 1990

  Partenavia

  Castle Donnington

  1

  20 November 1990

  Piper PA28

  Dunbar

  1

  1 December 1990

  Air Commander

  Lannocks Hill

  2

  27 December 1990

  Cessna F150F

  Lasham

  2

  10 March 1991

  Cessna 175

  Goodwood

  1

  31 March 1991

  Piper Tomahawk

  Coventry

  2

  13 April 1991

  Nieuport Scout

  North Weald

  1

  12 May 1991

  Glider

  Syresham

  1

  16 May 1991

  Cessna

  Llangollen

  3

  20 May 1991

  Provost

  Newbury

  1

  20 May 1991

  Piper PA28

  Lancaster

  2

  30 June 1991

  Dragon Rapide

  Audley End

  1

  6 July 1991

  Taylor

  Bristol

  1

  14 August 1991

  Microlight

  Ashbourne

  1

  17 August 1991

  Christen Eagle

  Ashampstead

  2

  8 September 1991

  Robinson R22

  Stratford

  1

  16 December 1991

  Cessna 210

  Goodwood

  1

  13 February 1992

  Piper Cherokee

  Keswick

  1

  15 February 1992

  Cessna 172

  West Thurrock

  2

  23 February 1992

  Robinson R22

  Oldham

  2

  28 March 1992

  Robinson R22

  Telford

  1

  8 April 1992

  Piper

  Teeside

  1

  28 April 1992

  Grob 115

  Loch Muick

  2

  4 May 1992

  Microlight

  Colchester

  2

  29 May 1992

  Robinson R22

  Chesham

  2

  27 June 1992

  Spitfire

  Manchester

  1

  27 June 1992

  Microlight

  Chester

  1

  12 July 1992

  Piper

  Kidlington

  2

  16 July 1992

  Piper Seneca

  Clitheroe

  1

  14 August 1992

  Jet Ranger

  Bracknell

  2

  22 August 1992

  Socata

  Jura

  4

  22 September 1992

  Dauphine

  Piper Oil

  1

  4 October 1992

  Cessna

  Barnstable

  1

  6 October 1992

  Jestream

  Prestwick

  2

  17 November 1992

  Pitts Special

  Latimer

  1

  7 December 1992

  Cessna

  Loxters Farm

  2

  9 December 1992

  Beechcraft

  Berkhamstead

  1

  13 January 1993

  Bandierante

  Sellafield

  2

  18 January 1993

  Piper Bravo

  Ayr

  2

  21 March 1993

  Socata

  Sevenhampton

  1

  8 April 1993

  Wassmer WA52

  Teignmouth

  1

  27 April 1993

  Boeing 707

  India

  1

  11 May 1993

  Hawker Hunter

  Sheffield

  1

  23 June 1993

  Microlight

  Sandown

  1

  20 July 1993

  Beechcraft Bonanza

  Ashford

  1

  13 August 1993

  Glider

  Buxton

  1

  15 August 1993

  Piper Navajo

  Guildford

  1

  15 September 1993

  Piper PA28

  Dumfries

  1

  3 October 1993

  Stardust III

  Bridport

  1

  16 October 1993

  Glider

  Ruthin

  1

  15 November 1993

  Auster

  Orpington

  1

  20 November 1993

  Robinson R22

  Abergavenny

  1

  11 December 1993

  Autogyro

  Almer

  1

  8 January 1994

  Mooney

  Telford

  2

  15 January 1994

  Bell Ranger

  Luton

  1

  17 January 1994

  Cessna 182

  Keswick

  2

  20 January 1994

  Socata

  Walsall

  4

  25 February 1994

  Viscount

  Stafford

  1

  20 March 1994

  Yak

  Warwick

  1

  22 May 1994

  Bell

  North Wales

  3

  30 May 1994

  Glider

  Dunstable

  1

  8 June 1994

  Robinson R22

  Hampshire

  2

  9 June 1994

  Glider

  Cheddar

  1

  25 June 1994

  Steen Skybolt

  Penzance

  2

  30 June 1994

  Airbus

  Toulouse

  1

  21 July 1994

  Microlight

  Stadbrooke

  2

  1 August 1994

  Morane Saulnier

  Parham

  2

  3 August 1994

  Glider

  Norwich

  1

  26 August 1994

  Glider

  Hereford

  1

  9 October 1994

  Grunman AA5

  Louth

  1

  2 November 1994

  Cessna 187

  Worthing

  2

  7 December 1994

  Squirrel

  Ballacuish

  1

  21 December 1994

  Boeing 737

  Coventry

  5

  26 December 1994

  Robin

  Stableford

  4

  159

  Civilian accidents attended by RAF IPTM 1990–95

  Date

  Aircraft

  Location

  Fatalities

  14 February 1995

  Harvard

  Maldon

  1

  13 March 1995

  Harvard

  Andover

  1

  21 March 1995

  Cessna 150

  Wakefield

  1

  15 April 1995

  Glider

  Buxton

  1

  28 April 1995

  Microlight

  Bromyard

  1

  30 April 1995

  Piper Cherokee

  Ipswich

  1

  5 May 1995

  Glider

  Leicester

  1

  5 May 1995

  Squirrel

  Glasgow

  1

  7 May 1995

  Glider

  Parham

  1

  25 May 1995

  Bandierante

  Leeds

  12

  11 June 1995

  Glider

  Abergavenny

  1

  Privatisation
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those parts of his Department or departmental agencies which were privatised without an in-house bid; if he will indicate the expertise which was absent in his Department or departmental agencies which prevented an in-house bid taking place; which future parts of his Department or departmental agencies he intends to privatise; and which of them do not have the necessary in-house expertise to mount an in-house bid. [29431]

  Mr. Norris
  No part of the Department has been privatised without an in-house bid. The following services have been contracted out without an in-house bid, as part of the competing for quality programme:

  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

  Internal audit services

  Waste collection

  Vehicle Inspectorate

  Workshop

  Building and estate management

  IT Strategy

  Roller brake testing

  Library services

  Weighbridge maintenance

  Coastguard Agency

  Property management

  Central Transport Group

  File storage

  Procurement of office machines

  Reprographics

  Computer bureau services

  Stationery supplies

  Books and periodicals

  Vehicle Certification Agency

  Microfilm, data storage and retrieval

  Providing information on expertise not available to the Department in relation to individual bids would involve disproportionate cost. Contracting out without an in-house bid can occur, for example, where the Department judges that the private sector is clearly better equipped to deliver a specific service, has a better understanding of market needs or has a capacity to invest in new technology. Where an activity is relatively small and peripheral to a
  160
  Department's functions, a strategic decision to contract out can also be taken.

  For the future, my right hon. Friend intends to privatise the Transport Research Laboratory and has announced his readiness to consider, among other sale options, an in-house bid from management and staff to take over the laboratory as a non-profit distributing company. The Department proposes to contract out the following services without an in-house bid, as part of the competing for quality programme:

  Central Transport Group

  Library services

  Inquiry services

  Publication services

  New Headquarters:

  building management and maintenance

  telecoms

  catering

  security

  post and messengers

  Central services (IT communications network)

  DOT publications

  Highways Agency

  Road surface and strength testing unit

  Topographical and architectural model making unit

  Management of land and property acquired for roads programme

  Administrative arrangements for public inquiries into road schemes

  Cones hotline

  Coastguard Agency

  Accommodation support services

  Training facility

  Marine Safety Agency

  Survey and certification

  Equipment approvals and seafarers sight testing

  Fishing vessel safety equipment inspections

  Cycle Lanes
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of cycle lane have been provided in each of the last five years. [29645]

  Mr. Norris
  This information is not available centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Driving Licences
  Mr. Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times per year the information contained in a driving licence can be changed; and how many prosecutions have been undertaken over the last three years of individuals who have failed to provide an up to date address. [29767]

  Mr. Norris
  There is no limit to the number of times per year the information contained in a driving licence can be changed.

  Information on the number of prosecutions against drivers who have not notified the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency of a change of address is not available.

  Brent Spar
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information was received by the Coastguard Agency in respect of the arrangements for the towing of the Brent Spar. [29246]

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

  Letter from C. J. Harris to Ms Joan Walley, dated 20 June 1995:
  The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question as the question deals with an operational matter, for which I have responsibility as Chief Executive.
  On 6 June 1995 the Regional Controller of HM Coastguard's North and East Scotland Region met with the installation operators, Shell, and Grampian Police to discuss the towage of the Brent Spar. At this meeting he explained that HM Coastguard's responsibility was to monitor the sea safety of all concerned in the operation, and to coordinate any search and rescue action that might be required.
  Aberdeen Coastguard received a fax from the towage contractors on 6 June in accordance with the normal procedures for moving offshore installations, giving notice that the tow was due to proceed on 8 June. A second fax was received on 12 June giving notification that the tow had commenced.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

  Public Gallery Queue
  Mr. Mullin
  To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee what plans he has to provide shelter for the queue for the public gallery; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Martin
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: Space currently exists in St. Stephen's Hall to provide shelter for some 80 visitors awaiting entry to the Public Gallery of the House. There are no plans to augment this at present.

EDUCATION

  Tuition Fees
  Mr. Pickthall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the total costs per Oxford and Cambridge colleges of the tuition fees top-up. [29360]

  Mr. Boswell
  The Department estimates that total public funding payable through the mandatory awards system in the current academic year for undergraduate college fees at Oxford and Cambridge colleges to be approximately £56,000,000. The Higher Education Funding Council for England takes account of the Oxbridge colleges' fee income in determining the level of grant payable to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and abates those universities' grants accordingly.

  Charter Week
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the main events she is proposing for 162
  Charter Week; what is the total cost to public funds; and how many (a) civil servants and (b) other public officials will be playing a part. [29881]

  Mr. Forth
  Public service events planned by the Department for Education to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the citizens charter are likely to include the announcement of the content of the 1995 school and college performance tables and a briefing paper on value added for schools and colleges. There will be no additional cost or staff resources as a result of these events. The officials concerned will be working on them as part of their normal duties.

  Ofsted
  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the cost of establishing Ofsted. [18608]

  Mr. Boswell
  [pursuant to his reply, 5 April, column. 1195]: The establishment of Ofsted was contained within the existing departmental running costs, and was not separately identified. The £8.225 million transferred to Ofsted by DFE in 1992–93 was used to establish a new vote for Ofsted from which running costs later in the year were covered. None of the set-up costs fell to this vote.

  Mr. Don Foster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the total running costs of all non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department, including the National Council for Vocational Qualifications and OFsted for each year since 1987. [17248]

  Mr. Boswell
  [pursuant to his reply, 18 April 1995 columns. 50–52]: The net running costs of OFsted in 1992–93 were £13.917 million and not £22.145 million.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Micro-enterprise Development
  Mr. O'Hara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will be announcing his decision on the request for support by the Grameen Trust; and if he will make a statement. [29671]

  Mr. Baldry
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Ms Jackson) on 23 May at column 511.

  Aid and Trade Provision
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the additional projects to be funded, and the sums allocated, by the 31 million returned to the aid budget for 1995–96 from(a) the Pergau dam project and (b) three other aid and trade provision projects. [29342]

  Mr. Baldry
  The reimbursed funds were fully integrated into ODA's planning and were thus not reallocated on an individual basis. Details of a breakdown of the aid budget planning allocations for 1995–96 can be
  163
  found in table 30, page 61 of the ODA's departmental report.

  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the estimated rate of return on the Cigading/Serpong railway ATP project in Indonesia at the time of appraisal; what is the actual post-completion rate of return; on what date the project was approved by the sub-committee for aid and trade; and on what date the project was approved by the Minister for Overseas Development. [28297]

  Mr. Baldry
  A rate of return for the Cigading/Serpong railway project was not calculated at the time of appraisal. The developmental justification for the project was based on the use of rail as the least cost mode to transport coal from Cigading port to cement works at Cibinong. It is not possible to provide a post-completion rate of return because the line is still under construction. The project was approved by the sub-committee for aid and trade, and by the then Minister for Overseas Development, in November 1986.

  Family Planning
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's reports on the monitoring of the work of the UNFPA and IPPF. [28952]

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: The Overseas Development Administration's recent case studies in certain countries on the work of the United Nations Population Fund and the International Planned Parenthood Federation were carried out using material and documents provided on the basis that the information and findings would be treated in confidence.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what written information was supplied to his Department prior to, at and following the last meetings of the UNFPA's governing body and the IPPF's annual donor's meeting. [28953]

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: In respect of the United Nations population fund papers were supplied on the following: financial matters; policy and strategy; country programmes; and responses to the United Nations General Assembly resolutions on United Nations systems reform.

  In respect of the International Planned Parenthood Federation the principal document provided was the annual report supplement, copies of which have already been placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the Chinese Family Planning Association's response to the Chinese Government's eugenics law. [28960]

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: We understand that the China Family Planning Association has made no public statements on the new maternal and child health law.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received 164
  on the number of Chinese officials convicted of abusing their powers in implementing the Chinese programme of population control. [28961]

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: We understand that no such records are available.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters have been discussed at meetings between officials from the British embassy in Peking and representatives of UNFPA in China. [28955]

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: Officials from the British embassy in Peking have periodic contact with representatives of the United Nations population fund to discuss UNFPA's work in China as well as a range of issues relating to China's population policy and its implementation.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what sum of money has been provided by the UNFPA to population control projects in China over the last 10 years; [28957]

  (2) what sums of money have been provided to (a) the Chinese Family Planning Association and (b) other Chinese population control initiatives by the IPPF over the last 10 years. [28956]

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answers 19 June 1995]: Neither the United Nations population fund nor the International Planned Parenthood Federation provides funds for population control projects. The IPPF has provided US$ 7.776 million to the China Family Planning Association since 1986 and the UNFPA has allocated US$ 152.451 million since 1979, for its programmes in China.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sums of money were donated by the UNFPA and IPPF from their core budgets to countries worldwide for the last year for which figures are available; and if he will list the recipient countries together with the amounts received from each organisation. [28959]

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 November 1994, column 713.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those occasions in the last 10 years when aid has been tied to implementation of family planning programmes by donor countries. [28954]

  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: We are not aware of any donor countries which have tied aid to the implementation of family planning programmes during the last 10 years.

  Abortion
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the recent World Health Organisation's study into the numbers of women worldwide who die after abortion distinguished between unsafe abortions and illegal abortions. [28958]
  165
  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: The World Health Organisation study does not distinguish between unsafe abortions and illegal abortions.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  French Nuclear Tests
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his French counterpart regarding the resumption of nuclear weapons tests by the French Government. [29462]

  Mr. David Davis
  We are in regular contact with the French Government, who are aware of our views.

  Rwanda
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make statement about the new mandate of the United Nations Mission in Rwanda force in Rwanda. [29505]

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Under United Nations Security Council resolution 997, the revised mandate of UNAMIR now includes assisting the Government of Rwanda in facilitating the voluntary and safe return of refugees and supporting its efforts to promote a climate of confidence and trust through the performance of monitoring tasks throughout the country. We hope that this revision will facilitate UNAMIR's efforts to promote national reconciliation in Rwanda.

  Births on Vessels
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many ships masters have reported a birth aboard their vessels to a consular office during the last 10 years. [29592]

  Mr. Baldry
  Ships masters are not required to report or register births on board their vessels to consular officers. They report births, and deaths, to the Marine Superintendent at the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, Cardiff.

  Chinese State Orphanages
  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what measures he intends to take to promote proper care for abandoned children in Chinese state orphanages; and if he will make a statement; [29783]

  (2) what information he has received as to physical restraint of children in Chinese state orphanages; and if he will make a statement; [29781]

  (3) what representations his Department has made in the last two years to the Chinese authorities regarding allegations of the existence of dying rooms in Chinese state orphanages; [29792]

  (4) what representations his Department has made to the Chinese Government regarding their treatment of orphans and abandoned children; [29791]
  166
  (5) what reports he has received alleging absence of care in Chinese state orphanages; [29776]

  (6) what reports he received as to who cares for abandoned babies in Chinese state orphanages; and if he will make a statement. [29780]

  Mr. Goodlad
  We continue to be deeply concerned about reports of abuses of children in certain Chinese state orphanages.

  We have received varying reports about standards of care in Chinese orphanages. The Chinese Government provide social health care workers to look after abandoned babies. We believe that the ratio of staff to children, and the quality of staff, vary around the country. We believe that conditions in the orphanages also vary, but some include the use of physical restraint of children.

  We take every suitable opportunity, both bilaterally and in conjunction with our European Union partners, to express to the Chinese authorities our concerns about reports of human rights abuses in China. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, for example, discussed human rights in China with the Chinese Foreign Minister in New York on 18 April.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what statements have been issued by the Chinese Government on their missions to Great Britain regarding the standards of care in Chinese state orphanages and the existence of dying rooms. [29777]

  Mr. Goodlad
  I refer the hon. Member to the fact sheet on China's orphanages issued by the Chinese embassy in London on 13 June 1995, a copy of which will be placed in the Library.

  Mr. Alton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if representatives of Her Majesty's Government will raise the issue of the condition of abandoned children in Chinese state orphanages at the United Nations conference on women in Beijing. [29778]

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  No. We are deeply concerned about reports of ill treatment and neglect of children in Chinese orphanages, but the UN conference on women has not been called to address specific issues of this kind in individual countries.

  Intergovernmental Conference
  Mr. Robin Cook
  to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to publish a White Paper outlining Her Majesty's Government's objectives and priorities for the 1996 intergovernmental conference of the European Union. [29670]

  Mr. David Davis
  We have no plans to publish a White Paper on priorities for the IGC. We shall continue to keep the House informed of our approach as it develops.

  Zaire
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about(a) the security situation in Zaire relating to disputes between the Rwandan refugees and local

  167
  Zaireans and (b) the likelihood of armed incursions by Hutu refugees into Rwanda. [29504]

  Mr. Baldry
  The initiative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to deploy Zairean forces and international liaison staff in the camps in eastern Zaire has significantly reduced tensions and incidents involving refugees and the local population.

  We are obviously concerned by the possibility of armed incursions into Rwanda. We therefore welcome the agreement of the government of Zaire to allow UN observers in eastern Zaire, to monitor the embargo imposed by the Security Council on supplies of arms intended for use within Rwanda.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Attorney-General how many written parliamentary questions were tabled for answer by his Department in each of the past five years; how many of these were not answered because the information(a) could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, (b) was not held centrally and (c) was not normally disclosed; how many of these could now be answered due to computerisation, more effective and efficient operational systems or more open government; and if he will list each question along with the name and constituency of the right hon. or hon. Member who originally tabled it. [28503]

  The Solicitor-General
  The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask Mr. Attorney General what percentage of parliamentary questions, which would have been answered directly by him or his Ministers prior to the establishment of executive agencies, are now referred to the chief executive of such an agency. [28484]

  The Solicitor General
  Ministers are accountable to Parliament for all matters concerning their agencies. Written parliamentary questions concerning matters which have been delegated to the chief executive of an executive agency in its framework document, normally receive a reply from the Minister to the effect that he or she has asked the chief executive to reply direct to the Member by letter. The chief executive's letter is published in Hansard below the Minister's reply.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Chernobyl
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many farms are still affected by

  £000's

  Year

  Belfast education and library board

  Western education and library board

  North-Eastern education and library board

  South-Eastern education and library board

  Southern education and library board

  Voluntary grammar schools

  Integrated schools

  Total

  1987–88

  (a)

  3,932

  5,148

  5,013

  2,827

  5,396

  1,635

  0

  23,951

  (b)1

  3,824

  4,765

  4,213

  2,325

  4,759

  1,045

  0

  20,931

  1988–89

  (a)

  3,645

  4,699

  4,613

  2,743

  5,207

  1,411

  0

  22,318

  168
  restriction notices imposed due to radioactive contamination following the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986; what land area these farms constitute; and what percentage of available farmland in Northern Ireland this represents. [28601]

  Mr. Ancram
  In Northern Ireland 55 farms comprising 5,728 hectares and representing 0.54 per cent. of the area available for farmland, are still under restriction.

  Confectionery Sales (Schools)
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under what authority the selling of confectionery in schools may be prohibited; and which schools have prohibited its sale. [28828]

  Mr. Ancram
  There are no specific statutory provisions relating to this issue and it is a matter for boards of governors of schools at a local level. All grant-aided schools are, however, required by law to have schemes of management and it is from these that the authority of the principal and board of governors for the day-to-day management of the school is derived.

  I am not aware of any schools in Northern Ireland where the selling of confectionery has been prohibited.

  School Meals
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what nutritional quality standards there are for school meals; and when was the last change in these standards. [28813]

  Mr. Ancram
  The current arrangements, as approved by the Department of Education, require that menus be planned within the following nutritional guidelines:

  School type

  Nursery

  Primary

  Senior pupils in special schools

  Total Protein

  27g

  27g

  27g

  Animal protein

  16.5g

  16.5g

  18.5g

  Fat

  32g

  32g

  32g

  Calories

  500–550

  650–7.00

  880

  Nutritional standards are not prescribed in post-primary schools. The last change in these standards was in 1981.

  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what was the net expenditure on school catering services(a) in total; and (b) for free school meals for each year since 1987 broken down by county. [28801]

  Mr. Ancram
  The information is as follows:
  169

  £000's

  Year

  Belfast education and library board

  Western education and library board

  North-Eastern education and library board

  South-Eastern education and library board

  Southern education and library board

  Voluntary grammar schools

  Integrated schools

  Total

  (b)1

  3,525

  3,660

  3,518

  2,110

  3,852

  833

  0

  17,498

  1989–90

  (a)

  4,024

  5,197

  4,869

  3,027

  5,282

  1,465

  0

  23,864

  (b)1

  3,701

  4,252

  3,504

  2,304

  4,130

  843

  0

  18,734

  1990–91

  (a)

  3,918

  5,164

  5,105

  3,143

  5,438

  1,383

  0

  24,151

  (b)1

  3,603

  4,017

  3,8.00

  2,427

  4,191

  818

  0

  18,856

  1991–92

  (a)

  4,195

  5,669

  5,557

  3,287

  5,920

  1,812

  124

  26,564

  (b)1

  3,292

  4,381

  4,219

  2,717

  4,715

  996

  57

  20,377

  1992–93

  (a)

  4,247

  6,115

  5,618

  3,151

  6,199

  1,781

  219

  27,330

  (b)1

  4,020

  4,844

  4,389

  2,746

  4,930

  1,020

  98

  22,047

  1993–94

  (a)

  24,484

  26,280

  25,665

  23,302

  26,193

  1,859

  368

  28,151

  (b)1

  4,377

  5,132

  4,459

  2,678

  4,987

  1,109

  146

  22,888

  1 Estimated expenditure.

  2 Provisional figures.

  Higher Education
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people from Northern Ireland were studying at a higher education institution in the United Kingdom in(a) 1993–94 and (b) 1994–95; and if he will make a statement. [29033]

  Mr. Ancram
  The information is as follows:

  1993–94: 40,149

  1994–95: 46,307 (Provisional)

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average A-level point score of students embarking on first degrees at Northern Irish higher education institutions in(a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) 1993–94; and if he will make a statement. [29036]

  Mr. Ancram
  The information for Northern Ireland universities is as follows:

  1991–92: 19.8

  1992–93: 19.7

  1993–94: 19.9

  Information for teaching training colleges in Northern Ireland is available only for 1993–94 when the average A-level point score was 18.0.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of Northern Ireland higher education departments received a research rating of(a) three or above and (b) five during the recent research assessment exercise; and if he will make a statement. [29037]

  Mr. Ancram
  In the 1992 UK-wide research assessment exercise, 71 per cent. and 3 per cent. of the units of assessments in higher education institutions in Northern Ireland received ratings of(a) three or above and (b) five respectively.

  Student Loans
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the average mandatory awards and loan expenditure on each student from Northern Ireland in 1994–95; what proportion of the figure went on 170
  (a) student loans, (b) fee expenditure and (c) maintenance expenditure; what were the corresponding figures for those studying at the universities of (i) Oxford and (ii) Cambridge; and if he will make a statement. [29038]

  Mr. Ancram
  The information is not available in the form requested. However, the average fee expenditure for the 1994–95 academic year is estimated at £1,244 and that for ordinary and supplementary maintenance at £1,456 and £171 respectively.

  Final figures are not available for the average student loan in the current academic year. The latest year for which an actual figure is available is 1993–94 when the average student loan for Northern Ireland was £690.

  Figures for those studying at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Domestic Gas
  Mr. Brandreth
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he has reached any further conclusions about the choice of area for the second phase of the transition to a competitive domestic gas market. [29067]

  Mr. Eggar
  I announced on 9 March that the first phase of competition in supplying domestic households, which will start in April 1996, will comprise 500,000 gas consumers in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset. My decision regarding the second phase will mean that in 1997:the area for the first phase will be extended to cover a total of 1 million gas consumers in the south west; and
  competition will be introduced in a second area, also comprising 1 million gas consumers, in the south east.

  This will mean that from 1997 a total of around 2 million households will potentially be able to choose which company supplies their gas.

  The second phase of the transition will extend competition to about 11/2 million domestic gas consumers

  171
  in East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Dorset and Avon to add to the 500,000 gas consumers in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset from April 1996, who are covered by the first phase.

  The south-east received the second most support, after the south-west, in response to our recent consultation document on the choice of initial areas for the extension of competition to the domestic gas market. The chosen areas fulfil the criteria set out by the consultation document. They are clearly defined:
  both areas may be relatively disadvantaged by the transportation related charges—although the first supplier to declare its intention to enter the market in the south-west is still projecting average savings of 10 per cent. on BG's tariffs;
  two separate areas of this size will provide a thorough test of the technical and administrative systems in the second phase, ahead of the introduction of national competition in 1998;
  the areas have a mix of rural and urban areas and cross-section of types of customers.

  The consultation demonstrated the widespread support for competition in gas supply with responses from all parts of the country requesting that they be included in the area where domestic consumers first benefit from competition in the gas market.

  Coal Mining
  Mr. Berry
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action his Department took following receipt of a letter from the chief executive of Bristol city council dated 17 September 1993 regarding official coal mining searches prepared by British Coal; and if he will make a statement. [29596]

  Mr. Page
  The letter referred to was passed to British Coal on 11 October 1993 as a matter falling within their responsibilities. I understand that the Corporation wrote to Mr. Robinson on 28 October 1993.

  Astra Holdings plc
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the decision to prosecute all but one of the former directors of Astra was taken, if he was consulted over the decision to prosecute; and what factors led to the decision not to prosecute the remaining director. [29482]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  The decision to bring disqualification proceedings against certain of the former Astra directors was taken in May 1994 by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade after considering the advice of officials, Treasury Solicitors and counsel. This decision was taken after consideration of the conduct of those concerns as set out in the report of independent inspectors appointed under the Companies Act 1985 to investigate the affairs of Astra Holdings plc and published on 17 June 1993.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade from which hon. Members he has received correspondence or representations about the investigations into the conduct of, and ultimate prosecution of some of the former directors of Astra. [29721]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  I list those hon. Members who have tabled questions before the House concerning the appointment of and subsequent report of the inspectors 172
  appointed to investigate and report on the affairs of Astra Holdings plc.

  Jim Cousins; Doug Hoyle; Allan Rogers; Austin Mitchell; Michael Meacher; Gerald Bermingham; Lord Clinton Davis has tabled a question before the House of Lords.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make available to Her Majesty's Customs and Excise the records of Astra and BMARC that were acquired in the course of his Department's inquiries into the affairs of Astra. [29485]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  Information obtained by use of the Secretary of State's compulsory powers is confidential and disclosure is subject to legal restrictions. No request has been made yet by HM Customs and Excise for information obtained by the inspectors appointed to investigate and report on the affairs of Astra Holdings plc, but I can assure the hon. Member that in discharging the Department's responsibilities I am conscious of and will take into account the strong public interest in ensuring that the proposed investigation by HM Customs and Excise is comprehensive and effective.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will suspend or withdraw his prosecutions of former directors of Astra until the HM Customs and Excise inquiry into Astra and its subsidiaries is complete. [29483]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  The proceedings initiated by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade are for the disqualification as company director of certain former directors of Astra, not their prosecution, and are based on the report of independent inspectors appointed to investigate and report on the affairs of Astra Holdings plc. The inspectors' investigation and subsequent report did not concern itself with the subject matter of the HM Customs and Excise enquiry. On that basis I see no reason to suspend the disqualification proceedings. It is of course open to any of the respondents to seek an adjournment of the disqualification proceeding if they think there are sufficient grounds.

  Insolvency Service
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to ensure that the cost of the private sector operations of the Insolvency Service will not rise disproportionately. [27799]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  The contracting-out exercise will explore possible charging mechanisms for contracting out although it is likely that an inclusive single charge for the work to be undertaken on each case will prove most appropriate. Under any such arrangements the cost of any work done by contractors would vary in proportion to the number of cases which needed to be dealt with.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what changes have occurred to the plans for the contracting out of services for the Insolvency Service as a result of experience of private sector insolvency services in Scotland. [27800]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  None. Any contracting-out of official receivers' functions in England and Wales will be on the basis of value for money.
  173
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many official receivers' offices will be closed as a result of the contracting out of services of the Insolvency Service. [27801]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  No decisions have yet been taken in relation to the residual size and location of the Insolvency Service should contacting out go ahead. It is not expected that a decision will be able to be made until conclusions on contracting out have been reached.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the implications of contractors referring to the Official Receiver only cases where a criminal offence is suspected for directors and people declared bankrupt in respect of cautions under section 67 and 78 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. [27802]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  It is anticipated that contractors would report to the official receiver in all cases so that they could decide whether any further investigation was required. Official receivers may require a bankrupt or company director to attend for interview on more than one occasion and any further interviews conducted by the official receiver once the case has been reported on by a contractor will be conducted on the same basis as at present so that the provisions of sections 67 and 78 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 will not apply.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the implications of a requirement on the official receiver to issue cautions under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 for the provisions of the Insolvency Acts in respect of the requirement on directors and people declared bankrupt to answer questions. [27803]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  Counsel's advice obtained by my officials is that the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 does not currently apply to the official receiver's investigative work and that in the current state of the law contracting out would not alter the position.

  Mrs Helen Jackson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if staff of the official receiver's office transferred to the private sector will retain the terms and conditions of their original employment for the duration of their contracts. [28825]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  If, in the event of contracting out proceeding, staff were to transfer to the private sector under the terms of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981, their existing terms and conditions would be retained. If TUPE were deemed not to apply, any staff who wished to transfer to successful bidders would, in the normal way, be responsible for agreeing the terms and conditions on which they were prepared to be employed.

  Inward Investment
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the top 25 foreign companies by investment in the United Kingdom since 1979. [29869]

  Mr. Eggar
  Information on investment since 1979 can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The 1995 edition of "The Times 1000" gives details of the thousand United Kingdom companies with the highest turnover in 174
  1994. Among these, the foreign owned companies with the highest levels of capital employed were as follows:

  The "Shell" Transport and Trading Company PLC

  Unilever PLC

  Esso UK PLC

  Rank Xerox Ltd.

  Ford Motor Company Ltd.

  Amerada Hess Ltd.

  Stockholm & Edinburgh Investments Ltd.

  IBM United Kingdom Holdings Ltd.

  Chevron U.K. ltd.

  Marubeni U.K. PLC

  Courage Ltd.

  Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd.

  Gallaher Ltd.

  Seagram Holdings Ltd.

  Nissho Iwai Europe PLC

  Mobil Oil Co Ltd.

  Texaco Ltd.

  ICL PLC

  Hamilton Oil Great Britain PLC

  Kodak Ltd.

  Short Brothers PLC

  British Alcan Aluminium PLC

  Deminex UK Oil And Gas Ltd.

  Mitsubishi Corporation (UK) Ltd.

  Source: the 1995 edition of "The Times 1000", published by Times Books.

  Mobile Telephones
  Mr. Nicholls
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what initiatives he is considering to tackle the problem of mobile telephone fraud. [29664]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  I have decided to set up a study group of senior representatives from the industry, the Federation of Communication Services, officials from the DTI and Home Office and representatives from the law enforcement agencies as necessary, to consider how the Government can underpin the continuing work of the industry in fighting the escalating problem of mobile phone crime. The group will report back to me in September and will examine the technological aspects of the problem, how these are changing as the industry develops and in particular the increased use of scanners in the cloning of mobile phones and the theft of airtime.

  The Government intend to ensure that these problems are tackled on all available fronts. The study group will draw together the useful work that has already been done by the industry to pursue technological solutions and to improve industry control systems, and will consider in particular if there are any further steps which the Government can take in support of the industry.

  Mr. Martyn Gregory
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what action his Department is taking in respect of the libel action being brought against his Department by Martyn Gregory; and if he will make a statement. [27418]
  175
  Mr. Ian Taylor
  I confirm that a writ has been received from Mr. Gregory's solicitors. As the matter is now subject to legal proceedings in the High Court I do not consider it appropriate to comment further.

  Detergents
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will ask the Monopolies and Mergers Commission to carry out an investigation of the UK detergent market. [29487]

  Mr. Jonathan Evans
  This is a matter for the Director General of Fair Trading, who, under the competition legislation, is responsible for keeping markets under review, and has independent powers to make a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.

  BMARC
  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer on 28 April,Official Report, column 725, when he now intends to write to the hon. Member concerning BMARC and arms exports. [29031]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade made a statement to the House on 13 June 1995,Official Report, column 606.

  I wrote to the hon. Member that day to inform him that the statement would embrace replies to his questions.

  Internal Market Council
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what matters were discussed and what decisions taken at the EU Ministerial Council on the Internal Market on 6 June; and what matters were voted upon. [26737]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  [holding answer 7 June 1995]: I attended the Internal Market Council in Luxembourg on 6 June.

  The Council agreed a satisfactory resolution on the effective application of Community law and penalties for breach of Community law provisions in the internal market field; a common position on the decision on notification of derogations from free movement of goods; and political agreement on the directive on legal protection of databases. There was no agreement on a common position on the novel foods and novel food ingredients regulation, as Germany, Sweden, Austria, Denmark and Greece voted against.

  The Council discussed the Commission's White Paper on the preparation of the associated countries of central and eastern Europe for integration into the EU's internal market. It also held a joint meeting with internal market Ministers from those countries. There was also a debate on improving the work and operation of the single market. This followed Commissioner Monti's outline of the Commission's forthcoming 1994 annual report on the single market.

  I presented a new study by the DTI, reporting on a survey of 250 businesses and 100 trade associations.

  The Council discussed the work of the Molitor group, set up to examine the impact of European Community and national legislation on employment and competitiveness;
  176
  Customs 2000 action programme; and the draft convention on insolvency proceedings.

  The next meeting of the Council is provisionally scheduled for Monday 9 October 1995.

  Copyright (Educational Material)
  Mr. Eastham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the total cost per year to primary, secondary and further education establishments in fees for the photocopying of copyright educational material. [29447]

  Mr. Ian Taylor
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: The Department of Trade and Industry does not have this information. However, I am informed by the Copyright Licensing Agency, the collecting society which administers the photocopying rights of nearly all owners of copyright in books, journals and periodicals, that licence fees received for financial year 1994–95 from local education authority schools was £2.2 million. Licence fees from grant-maintained and independent schools amounted to £934,000, and fees from further education establishments amounted to £2.5 million.

  Temazepam
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what monitoring his Department undertakes of the overseas export of temazepam; if his Department checks the licences of those who export the drug; what measures are in place to ensure that export licences of buyers in the medical/drug industry are legitimate; if his Department monitors the drug shipment after it has been purchased and until it reaches the foreign destination; and if he will make a statement. [29248]

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I have been asked to reply.

  There are no statutory controls on the export of temazepam, but companies have been warned to be on their guard for suspicious orders. Records from exporters are examined annually with information of amounts and destinations being passed to the International Narcotics Control Board. The details of any suspicious transactions are passed to the INCB and the authorities in the receiving country. Manufacturers and wholesalers require an operating authority. They are carefully vetted and inspected.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what percentage of parliamentary questions, which would have been answered directly to him or his Ministers prior to the establishment of executive agencies, are now referred to the chief executive of such an agency. [28492]

  Mr. Dorrell
  Ministers are accountable to Parliament for all matters concerning their agencies. Written parliamentary questions concerning matters which have been delegated to the chief executive of an executive agency in its framework document normally receive a
  177
  reply from a Minister to the effect that he or she has asked the chief executive to reply direct to the Member by letter. The chief executive's letter is published in Hansard below the Minister's reply.

  Radio Stations
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will take into account the audience reach of radio stations when assessing the most efficient use of spectrum for policy purposes. [29737]

  Mr. Dorrell
  Government policy aims to ensure that frequencies are used so as to enhance the range of listener choice. Under section 123 of the Broadcasting Act 1990, the Radio Authority is obliged to ensure that the frequencies assigned to the authority are used as efficiently as is reasonably practicable.

  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will relax the restrictions on the concentration of radio ownership in major urban areas. [29738]

  Mr. Dorrell
  I announced on 23 May that the Government would be enacting immediate secondary legislation to liberalise the existing rules on radio ownership. One effect of these changes is to remove the current limit on the holdings of radio licences in areas where the number of persons over the age of 15 resident in the area for which the service is provided exceeds 1 million, but does not exceed 4.5 million. The Government

  Year

  Let by

  Activity

  Name of successful bid

  Won by in-house bid

  1992–93

  DNH

  Computer equipment and related services

  SEMA Group Ltd.

  No in-house bid

  1993–94

  DNH

  Consultancy for advice on competitive tendering of works management functions

  Watts and Partners

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Reprographics

  William Lea FM

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Central Typing and Secretarial

  Manpower Plc

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Mailroom

  Security Despatch Group

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Security

  Royal British Legion Association

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Minor Maintenance

  Richard Devine

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Cleaning

  Ramoneur

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Reception

  Manpower Plc

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Payments and Accounts Services

  Accounts Services Agency

  No in-house bid

  The Royal Parks

  Property maintenance management

  Tarmac Facilities Management

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kew Palace—Security Services

  Royal British Legion

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Hampton Court Palace— Gardens Litter Clearance

  SITA

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Hampton Court Palace

  Initial Cleaning Services

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kensington Palace—Catering

  De blanks

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kensington Palace—Cleaning

  Swanlux

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kensington Palace—Cash Collection

  Armaguard/Security Express

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Banqueting House—Cleaning Services

  Sloane Cleaning

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Banqueting House—Security

  Royal British Legion

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Banqueting House—Porterage

  Universal

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Banqueting House—Catering

  10 companies used—selected by tender

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Banqueting House—Floristry

  Nancy Ford

  No in-house bid

  178
  intend to enact primary legislation at the earliest available opportunity which will remove the numerical limits on the number of licences that can be held, and regulate ownership by means of the existing points system. Regional, and local plurality will be safeguarded by the overlapping areas provisions, which prevent a licensee from holding more than one licence in each waveband in areas where services overlap. However, the changes will allow companies to expand significantly within local radio across the nation.

  Privatisation
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list those parts of his Department or departmental agencies which were privatised without an in-house bid; if he will indicate the expertise which was absent in his Department or departmental agencies which prevented an in-house bid taking place; which future parts of his Department or departmental agencies he intends to privatise; and which of them do not have the necessary in-house expertise to mount an in-house bid. [29432]

  Mr. Dorrell
  Since it was formed in April 1992, my Department and its agencies have contracted out the activities listed below. As a newly formed Department central services had been supplied by former parent Departments and thus there were no existing staff to mount an in-house bid. In order to concentrate on its core policy tasks it was decided to contract out these activities. Activities contracted out in the past and planned for the future, are as follows:
  179

  Year

  Let by

  Activity

  Name of successful bid

  Won by in-house bid

  1994–95

  DNH

  Provision of works management services for certain properties in central London

  E. C. Harris

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Provision of works management services for central ceremonial activities

  Unicorn Consultancy Ltd.

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Provision of works services management at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich

  Taylor Woodrow Facilities ManagementNo in-house bid

  DNH

  Statue maintenance services

  Stonewest Ltd.

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Services relating to Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree and New Year Works

  Building and Property Facilities Management Ltd.

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Record Storage, Retrieval and Review

  Britannia Data Management

  No in-house bid

  The Royal Parks

  Management of Car Parking Facilities

  Apcoa Parking Ltd.

  No in-house bid

  The Royal Parks

  Audit Services

  Price Waterhouse

  No in-house bid

  The Royal Parks

  Estate management duties

  Daniel Smith

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  IT Consultants

  Internet Solutions

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Ticketing/EPOS Systems

  MHG Systems Select Ticketing

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  HM Tower of London—Window Cleaning

  Metropolitan

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  HM Tower of London—Computer Maintenance

  HMSO

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  HM Tower of London—Commercial Guard Force

  RBLA

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  HM Tower of London— Signage—Moat Gardens

  HB Sign Company

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  HM Tower of London—Costumed Interpretation

  Past Pleasures

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  HM Tower of London—Garden Maintenance

  Ground Control

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Hampton Court Palace Catering

  Town and County

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Hampton Court Palace—Costumed Interpretation

  Past Pleasures

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Hampton Court Palace—Recorded Tour Service

  Acoustiguide

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kensington Palace—Catering

  De blanks/Digby Trout

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kensington Palace—Cleaning

  Securior

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kensington Palace—Cash Collection

  Armaguard/Security Express

  No in-house bid

  1995–96

  DNH

  Consultancy for provision of professional support and advisory services relating to other Royal Estate Division works responsibilities

  Tenders under consideration

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Services relating to Remembrance Day ceremony works

  Tendering exercise planned for later in the yearNo in-house bid

  DNH

  Stationery

  Not yet awarded

  No in-house bid

  DNH

  Payments and Accounts Services

  CSL Managed Services

  No in-house bid

  The Royal Parks

  Car Park Security duties

  Reliance Security

  No in-house bid

  The Royal Parks

  Entertainment organiser

  Not yet awarded

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Computer Maintenance

  LCE Computer Systems

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  HM Tower of London—Cash Collecting/Counting

  Security Express

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kensington Palace—Catering

  Securior

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kensington Palace—Cleaning

  Securior

  No in-house bid

  Historic Royal Palaces

  Kensington Palace—Cash Collection

  Armaguard/Security Express

  No in-house bid

  National Lottery
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the distribution of lottery money in(a) Sandwell, (b)
  180
  Dudley, (c) Wolverhampton and (d) Wallsall. [29494]

  Mr. Dorrell
  There have been two awards to date to projects based in Dudley. The Sports Council has awarded £71,350 to Halesowen Athletic and Cycling
  181
  Club and £17,118 to West Midlands Amateur Gymnastics.

  There have not yet been any awards from lottery proceeds to projects in Sandwell, Wolverhampton, or Walsall.

  Library Services
  Mr. Hanson
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 16 May,Official Report, columns 150–1, from whom he envisages local authorities buying library services; and from whom diverse sources of finance would come. [29459]

  Mr. Dorrell
  My announcement reflected my concern that library authorities should clarify and specify the service they want to achieve for their customers, while accepting they need not necessarily provide that service themselves. This is consistent with the Government's overall approach to local authority provision. My consultation on the Aslib report makes it clear that I welcome views on how these ideas might be developed constructively. Similarly, the Aslib report contains several specific proposals for diversification of the sources of funding for public libraries, and I have sought views on those proposals and requested other practical ideas.

  Mr. Hanson
  to ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer of 16 May,Official Report, columns 150–1, what is his Department's definition of the range of core library services. [29460]

  Mr. Dorrell
  As I made clear in my announcement, one outcome that I am seeking from the public library review, and in particular from the current wide-ranging consultation exercise on the Aslib report, is guidance for local authorities on a clearer definition of the range of core services which libraries should provide. I would expect any definition to draw on the core purposes and functions identified in the Aslib report and to be consistent with the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.

  Works of Art
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to the answer by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 9 June,Official Report, column 340, about works of art exempt from inheritance tax, how many chattels are available for viewing (a) at private dwelling houses, (b) at banks or other secure places or (c) at other private institutions. [28850]

  Sir George Young
  I have been asked to reply.

  Owners of works of art which are conditionally exempt from inheritance tax or capital transfer tax may satisfy the public access requirement by undertaking to arrange viewing by appointment and to lend the items on request to a public collection. Objects subject to such an undertaking are publicised by means of an entry in the computerised register of conditionally exempt works of art. The viewing arrangements, including the venue, are for agreement between the owner and the prospective viewer, and they must be reasonable for both parties. There is no requirement that owners must allow viewing in any particular location, although in practice this may often be the place where the items are normally kept.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Abandoned Offshore Installations
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research, prior to the signing of the UN law of the sea convention, his Department conducted into the effect on the fishing industry of the abandoning of offshore oil and gas installations. [28987]

  Mr. Jack
  The Department has maintained for many years an active research and monitoring programme into the effects on fishing and the marine environment of contaminants and wastes of all sorts including oil and oil-related products.

  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps his Department is undertaking to record the positions of abandoned oil installations and oil related debris; what assessment his Department has made of the hazard to fishing vessels; and what consideration has been given to arranging for compensation for fishermen for(a) loss of or damage to their vessels or (b) loss of access to fishing grounds as a result of such abandonment. [28984]

  Mr. Jack
  It is a requirement of the International Maritime Organisation guidelines and standards for the removal of offshore installations and structures that precise locations of any abandoned offshore installation should be notified to the hydrographic service for inclusion on nautical charts. It is Government policy to consider each abandonment proposal on a case-by-case basis. This will allow assessment of any hazards and include consultation with fishermen's organisations where appropriate. No special compensation arrangements have been made. Liability for any loss or damage consequent upon abandonment would remain with the companies concerned.

  Food Imports
  Mr. Etherington
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the volume of imports for(a) 1993 and (b) 1994 of pate de foie gras, tinned, preserved, fresh, chilled or frozen made from (i) duck livers and (ii) goose livers. [28930]

  Mr. Jack
  Official trade statistics for the volume of imports of pate de foie gras are not separately available. However, the totals of all prepared or preserved goose or duck liver imported into the United Kingdom from all sources were 116 tonnes in 1993 and 87 tonnes in 1994.

  Grants
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the amounts received by each organisation which receives a grant from his Department for each of the last five years. [28968]

  Mr. Jack
  Listed are the amounts of grant in aid received by organisations from my Department
  183

  £'000

  Description

  1990–91 Outturn

  1991–92 Outturn

  1992–93 Outturn

  1993–94 Outturn

  1994–95 Outturn

  1995–96 Estimate Provision

  Agricultural Training Board

  10,349

  7,303

  6,7.00

  8,920

  1,797

  50

  Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

  13,190

  16,204

  15,565

  14,946

  16,450

  15,581

  Food From Britain

  4,591

  4,479

  4,765

  5,030

  5,198

  5,419

  Note:

  The former ATB became a non-statutory, independent Organisation in March 1994. The figures shown for 1994–95 and 1995–96 represent remanet expenditure associated with the winding-up process. The figures for FFB include reimbursement of payments made to Speciality Food Groups and exclude Chairman and Members' remuneration expenses.

  Committee Membership
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the membership of the veterinary products committee for each year since 1972, giving details of declared interests in each case. [29732]

  Mrs. Browning
  The information requested is contained in the published annual reports of the Medicines Commission and other committees established under section 4 of the Medicines Act 1968. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, if he will list the membership of the

  Independent members and annual declaration of interests in the pesticides industry

  Name of member

  Nature of interest

  Name of companies

  Current/former interest

  1994

  Chairman

  Professor Sir C. L. Berry

  None

  —

  —

  Deputy Chairman

  Professor G. R. Sagar

  None

  —

  —

  Members

  Dr. A. D. Carter

  Field Monitoring programme to determine fate of alachlor

  Monsanto Agriculture

  Current interest

  PSD/BAA funded work to develop a computer database on soils and environmental fate

  British Agrochemical Association

  Current interest

  Groundwater vulnerability maps

  National Rivers Authority

  Current interest

  Professor N. M. Cherry

  None

  —

  —

  Professor M. F. Claridge

  None

  —

  —

  Professor A. D. Dayan

  Shareholding

  ICI plc

  Current interest

  Mr. J. S. Leahy

  None

  —

  —

  Professor D. L. Lee

  Antifouling compounds

  International Paints

  —

  Dr. A. T. Proudfoot

  None

  —

  —

  Dr. E. Roman

  None

  —

  —

  Mr. R. Tayler

  None

  —

  —

  Professor J. P. G. Webster

  None

  —

  —

  1993

  Chairman

  Professor Sir C. L. Berry

  None

  —

  —

  Deputy Chairman

  Professor G. R. Sagar

  None

  —

  —

  Members

  Dr. A. D. Carter

  Field Monitoring programme to determine fate of alachlor

  Monsanto Agriculture

  Current interest

  PSD/BAA funded work to develop a computer database on soils and environmental fate

  British Agrochemical Association

  Current interest

  Groundwater vulnerability

  National Rivers Authority

  Current interest

  184
  pesticides advisory committee for each year since 1972, giving details of declared interests in each case. [29731]

  Mrs. Browning
  Details of the year-end membership of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides for the years 1984 to 1994 are contained in the committee's annual reports for those years and are reproduced as follows. Details for previous years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  The chairman is required to have no industry interests. Since 1991, declarations of interests have been required of other members and their involvement in discussions to which these interests are relevant has been restricted. Prior to 1991 members were not appointed to the committee if they had interests in the pesticides industry.
  185

  Independent members and annual declaration of interests in the pesticides industry

  Name of member

  Nature of interest

  Name of companies

  Current/former interest

  maps

  Professor N. M. Cherry

  None

  —

  —

  Professor A. D. Dayan

  Shareholding

  ICI plc

  Current interest

  Professor E. B. G. Jones

  Pharmaceutical products

  Cyanamid (USA)

  Current interest

  Pharmaceutical products

  Pfizer

  Current interest

  Pharmaceutical products

  Schinoggi

  Current interest

  Marine paints

  Blakes Marine Paints

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  Cruachem Ltd.

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  Maxicrop International

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  Shell

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  ICI

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  BP

  Current interest

  Pharmaceutical products

  Beechams

  Current interest

  Pharmaceutical products

  Glaxo

  Current interest

  Mr. J. S. Leahy

  None

  —

  —

  Professor D. L. Lee

  Antifouling compounds

  International Paints

  —

  Dr. A. T. Proudfoot

  None

  —

  —

  Mr. R. Tayler

  None

  —

  —

  Professor J. P. G. Webster

  None

  —

  —

  1992

  Chairman

  Professor C. L. Berry

  None

  —

  —

  Deputy Chairman

  Professor G. R. Sagar

  None

  —

  —

  Members

  Dr. A. D. Carter

  Field Monitoring programme to determine fate of alachlor

  Monsanto Agriculture

  Current interest

  PSD/BAA funded work to develop a computer database on soils and environmental fate

  British Agrochemical Association

  Current interest

  Groundwater vulnerability maps

  National Rivers Authority

  Current interest

  Professor A. D. Dayan

  Shareholding

  ICI plc

  Current interest

  Professor E. B. G. Jones

  Pharmaceutical products

  Cyanamid (USA)

  Current interest

  Pharmaceutical products

  Pfizer

  Current interest

  Pharmaceutical products

  Schinoggi

  Current interest

  Marine paints

  Blakes Marine Paints

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  Cruachem Ltd.

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  Maxicrop International

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  Shell

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  ICI

  Current interest

  Pesticides

  BP

  Current interest

  Pharmaceutical products

  Beechams

  Current interest

  Pharmaceutical products

  Glaxo

  Current interest

  Mr. J. S. Leahy

  None

  —

  —

  Professor D. L. Lee

  Antifouling compounds

  International Paints

  —

  Dr. A. T. Proudfoot

  None

  —.

  —

  Mr. R. Tayler

  None

  —

  —

  Dr. K. L. Woods

  None

  —

  —

  1991

  Chairman

  Professor C. L. Berry

  None

  —

  —

  Deputy Chairman

  Professor G. R. Sagar

  None

  —

  —

  Members

  Dr. T. C. Aw

  Medical consultancy: Occupational health advice

  Harcos Chemical Group

  Current interest

  Dr. A. D. Carter

  1. Consultancy: Field monitoring of the herbicide Alachlor. To investigate the potential of ground and surface water contamination.Monsanto AgricultureCurrent interest

  2. Consultancy: Literature review of the Insecticide Phorate regarding environmental fate and behaviour.

  MTM ChemicalsFormer interest (December 1990)

  186 187

  Independent members and annual declaration of interests in the pesticides industry

  Name of member

  Nature of interest

  Name of companies

  Current/former interest

  Professor A. D. Dayan

  Shareholding

  ICI plc

  Current interest

  Professor E. B. G. Jones

  None

  —

  —

  Mr. J. S. Leahy

  None

  —

  —

  Professor D. L. Lee

  None

  —

  —

  Dr. A. T. Proudfoot

  None

  —

  —

  Mr. R. S. Tayler

  None

  —

  —

  Dr. K. L. Woods

  None

  —

  —

  1990

  Chairman

  Professor C. L. Berry

  Deputy Chairman

  Professor G. R. Sagar

  Members

  Dr. T. C. Aw

  Professor R. Clark

  Professor A. Dayan

  Professor G. Jones

  Mr. J. Leahy

  Professor D. Lee

  Dr. A. Proudfoot

  Mr. R. Tayler

  Dr. K. Woods

  1989

  Chairmanv

  Professor C. L. Berry

  Deputy Chairman

  Professor G. R. Sagar

  Members

  Dr. T. C. Aw

  Dr. B. Buckley

  Professor R. Clark

  Professor A. Dayan

  Professor G. Jones

  Mr. J. Leahy

  Professor D. Lee

  Dr. A. Proudfoot

  Mr. R. Tayler

  Dr. K. Woods

  1988

  Chairman

  Professor C. L. Berry

  Deputy Chairman

  Professor G. R. Sagar

  Members

  Dr. B. M. Buckley

  Professor R. B. Clark

  Professor A. Dayan

  Professor E. B. G. Jones

  Mr. J. Leahy

  Professor D. Lee

  Dr. A. T. Proudfoot

  Mr. R. S. Tayler

  Dr. K. Woods

  188
  1987

  Chairman

  Professor Sir T. Kilpatrick

  Members

  Professor C. L. Berry

  Professor R. B. Clark

  Dr. L. E. Coles

  Professor E. B. G. Jones

  Professor J. Knowelden

  Professor R. I. McCallum

  Dr. A. T. Proudfoot

  Professor G. R. Sagar.

  Mr. R. S. Tayler

  1986

  Chairman

  Professor Sir R. Kilpatrick

  Members

  Professor C. L. Berry

  Dr. R. L. Carter

  Professor R. B. Clark

  Dr. L. E. Coles

  Professor E. B. G. Jones

  Professor J. Knowelden

  Professor R. I. McCallum

  Dr. A. T. Proudfoot

  Professor G. T. Sagar

  Mr. R. S. Tayler

  Professor P. N. R. Usherwood

  1985

  Chairman

  Professor R. Kilpatrick

  Members

  Professor C. L. Berry

  Dr. R. L. Carter

  Dr. L. E. Coles

  Professor E. B. G. Jones

  Professor J. Knowelden

  Professor R. I. McCallum

  Dr. T. A. Proudfoot

  Professor G. R. Sagar

  Mr. R. S. Tayler

  Professor M. J. Way

  1984

  Chairman

  Professor R. Kilpatrick

  189
  Members

  Dr. R. Goulding

  Professor C. L. Berry

  Dr. R. L. Carter

  Dr. L. E. Coles

  Professor E. B. G. Jones

  Professor J. Knowelden

  Professor R. I. McCallum

  Professor G. R. Sagar

  Mr. R. S. Tayler

  Professor M. J. Way

  Dietary Supplements
  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the proposals by the European Commission to issue another consultative document on the issue of dietary supplements; and if he will make it his policy to oppose the development of any further directives limiting access to vitamin, mineral and other dietary supplements. [28872]

  Mrs. Browning
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: The EC issued a discussion paper in December 1991. Since then the Commission has reviewed the situation but has issued no further documents. If the Commission does issue a consultative document we shall ensure that all interested parties have a chance to comment. UK policy in this area is to seek to achieve a balance between ensuring public health and maintaining the availability of safe, correctly labelled, products.

  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to defend the access of United Kingdom consumers to vitamin, mineral and other dietary supplements of their choice. [28873]

  Mrs. Browning
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: There are no proposals to change the current regime of foodstuffs legislation under which such products are sold. If necessary the UK would continue to defend the access of consumers to vitamin, mineral and other dietary supplements.

  Selenium
  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are relative levels of selenium content in North American wheat and European wheat; how levels of consumption of each of those wheats has changed in England and Wales over the last 25 years; and what effect such a change has had on dietary selenium levels. [28874]

  Mrs. Browning
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: The selenium content of wheat varies according to its source. North American wheats contain an average 0.42µg/g1 and European wheat 0.025µg/g2 to 0.14µg/g3. The levels of usage of North American wheat and European wheat over the last 25 years are set out in the table.

  Trade Data

  000 tonnes

  Wheat

  1970

  1993

  1994

  Imports Total

  4,921

  1,629

  1,146

  190

  Trade Data

  000 tonnes

  Wheat

  1970

  1993

  1994

  of which

  EU 8/EU 11

  883

  1,384

  899

  3rd Countries

  4,038

  244

  247

  of which

  US

  684

  0

  0

  Canada

  1,533

  227

  225

  The effect of the above change has been a fall in selenium intake from bread. However recent measurements2 3 of selenium in a wide range of non-cereal foods suggests that many foods, especially meat and eggs, have a higher selenium level than those measured and reported by MAFF in 19781. The estimated mean daily intake of selenium reported in 1978, based on 1974 intake, was 60µg/person/day. As I explained in my answer of 16 May 1995, Official Report, column 201, the estimations of average intake based on results from two independent analyses of the Ministry's 1991 total diet study and a separate research project in 1994 are either 30–40 µg/day or 50–60µg/day, depending on the method of analysis and estimation of intake used. A newly published study carried out at Kings college London on the selenium content of foods has estimated the average intake as 62.2µg/g3.

  Notes:

  1 Thorn J. Robertson J., Buss D. H., Bunton N. G. (1978). Trace nutrients. Selenium in British Food. British Journal of Nutrition 39, 391–396.

  2 Barclay M. N. I., MacPherson A. and Dixon J. (1994). Analysis for selenium. (Available from MAFF Library).

  3 Butcher M. A., Judd P. A., Caygill C., Peach S. and Diplock A. T. (1995) Current Selenium content of foods and an estimation of average intake in the United Kingdom. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, in press.

  Mr. Hain
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what plans he has to undertake a survey of selenium consumption in the population; [28875]

  (2) in how many regions the average selenium intake is above the lower reference value; and in how many of those regions the average selenium intake level is above the higher reference value. [28876]

  Mrs. Browning
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: There are two main ways in which MAFF determines intakes of minerals such as selenium by the population. The first is through surveys of food purchase or consumption which include the national food survey, a continuous survey of all foods brought into the household, and the national diet and nutrition survey programme of individuals. The second is a total diet study which involves the analysis of complete diets. However, as I stated in my reply of 16 May 1995, Official Report, column 201 there is some uncertainty e analytical results and it is not therefore possible to provide reliable intake figures for selenium by region. We have a programme of work under way to try to resolve this issue.

SCOTLAND

  Enterprise Zones
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each enterprise zone(a) the total office and other floor space built or proposed to be built, (b) the percentage occupancy of the space available and (c) the average stay of occupation. [28235]

  Mr. Kynoch
  In the case of Inverclyde enterprise zone, the office and industrial floorspace provided amounts to 922,780 sq ft, of which 831,882 sq ft is occupied, with a further 14,492 sq ft under offer. Information on the average period of occupation on zone properties is not available, although the majority of companies which have occupied zone properties remain in occupation.

  In the case of Lanarkshire enterprise zone, the office and industrial floorspace provided amounts to 400,000 sq ft, with a further 582,000 sq ft proposed: 156,000 sq ft of floorspace is already occupied. Information on the average period of occupation of zone properties is not available but no company has vacated zone property following occupation.

  M8
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to improve the signposting of the M8 motorway to include signage for Paisley, Johnstone and Elderslie from at least the stretch of motorway from Glasgow city centre, and if he will make a statement. [28538]

  Lord James Douglas Hamilton
  The Secretary of State is responsible for the M8 motorway west of junction 26 at Hillington. The existing signing on this stretch of the road is considered to identify the principal destinations within the constraints of space and safety. There are therefore no proposals to amend the existing signing. The urban section of the M8 motorway east of Hillington through Glasgow to Baillieston is currently the responsibility of the local roads authority, Strathclyde regional council.

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to provide adequate lighting along the entire stretch of motorway from Glasgow to Edinburgh; and if he will make a statement. [28529]

  Lord James Douglas Hamiltion
  The responsibility for the M8 motorway and A8 all-purpose dual carriageway between junction 8 Baillieston and junction 2 Newbridge rests with the Secretary of State. The urban section of the M8 motorway from Baillieston through Glasgow is currently the responsibility of the local roads authority, Strathclyde regional council. The new M8 extension from Claylands to Edinburgh city bypass opens later this year and the new interchanges and associated slip roads at either end of the extension will be lit. Lighting will also be provided on the new motorway planned between junction 8 Baillieston and junction 6 Newhouse. There are no other plans to provide additional lighting on the sections of road for which the Secretary of State is responsible.

  Appointments
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what appointments he will be required or able to make within the next 12 months; if he will list each relevant body and the name, age, place of residence and existing or previous employment of the current incumbent; what is the rate of remuneration and expected time commitment; and if he will make a statement. [28555]

  Mr. Lang
  The only information which is held centrally on appointments is that relating to those public bodies listed in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1994", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. As the information on appointments reaching the end of their term in the year from 15 June 1995 is extensive, I have arranged for it to be placed in the Library of the House. The name, age, place of residence and existing or previous employment of the current incumbents of these appointments is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I shall in due course be making appointments to the new water authorities and customers council, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration.

  Planning Appeals
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what ratio or other measurement of public open space to housing density in urban areas he uses in determining appeals against the refusal of planning consent; how this is expected to apply to the development of the recreational space at(a) Spateston road and (b) Miller street, both in Johnstone; and if he will make a statement. [28576]

  Mr. Kynoch
  In determining an appeal a reporter has regard to any relevant policy of the development plan, and to any further matters which are drawn to his attention. This would include ratios of public open space to housing density, if those matters are covered in submissions.

  This would apply to any appeals relating to the sites referred to, but no such appeals have been received to date.

  Windyhill Farm
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to reach his final decision on the proposal by Scottish Aggregates to develop a quarry at Windyhill farm, Elderslie. [28530]

  Mr. Kynoch
  The reporter will shortly submit her report with recommendations to my right hon. Friend for his consideration. The decision on this proposal is expected within two to three months from the receipt of the report.

  Scottish Folk Music
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of(a) the Scottish Arts Council, (b) designers of curricula and
  (c) providers of education to discuss their role in raising the awareness of the role and importance of Scottish folk music in cultural development within schools and colleges; and if he will make a statement. [28579]
  193
  Sir Hector Monro
  My right hon. Friend and I meet senior representatives of the Scottish Arts Council from time to time to discuss a range of issues. Traditional music projects have benefited from substantial increases in funding by the council over recent years. The council also played an important advocacy role in the recent decision by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to introduce in autumn 1995 a degree course in traditional music.

  My hon. Friend the Minister with responsibilities for education in Scotland, opened a forum on Scottish resources sponsored by the Scottish consultative council on the curriculum on 24 February 1995. An aim of the forum was to ensure that the framework of teaching and learning for all Scottish schools identified opportunities for Scottish culture, including music and dance, to flourish.

  European Regional Development Fund
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money has been received by(a) Strathclyde regional council and (b) Renfrew district council from the European regional development fund and European social fund since their inception; and if he will make a statement. [28567]

  Mr. Kynoch
  The information relates to payments made under the respective funds:

  European Regional Development Fund (since January 1989)

  Strathclyde Regional Council £131,299,306

  Renfrew District Council £3,436,167

  European Social Fund (since January 1990)

  Strathclyde Regional Council £64,690,986

  Renfrew District Council has not received any ESF awards.

  Information on ERDF payments pre-1989, and ESF payments pre-1990, are not readily available centrally as this period predates the introduction of programmes under the 1989 reform of the structural funds and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The information may be available from the local authorities.

  Allowances
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the existing rates of allowances and payments to elected members of Scottish regional, district and unitary authorities; if he will include in the table details of what the(a) attendance allowance, (b) special responsibility payments, (c) travelling allowances and (d) subsistence rates would be at today's prices had they kept pace with inflation since 1974 and had the method of payment remained the same since that time; and if he will make a statement. [28524]

  Mr. Kynoch
  The information requested is complex and will take time to compile. I will, however, write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library.

  Food Poisoning
  Dr. Strang
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases of food poisoning have been reported in Scotland this year. [28616]
  194
  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  During the period 1 January to 9 June 1995 1,522 cases of food poisoning were reported in Scotland.

  Dr. Strang
  To ask the secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of reported cases of salmonellosis in Scotland in each year since 1979; and what is the latest available figure for this year. [28617]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The total numbers of cases of salmonellosis reported by laboratories to the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health are as follows. These figures do not necessarily reflect the total incidence of the infection in the community, since doctors do not routinely send specimens from every case for laboratory confirmation.

  Year

  Number of notifications

  1979

  1,483

  1980

  1,577

  1981

  2,526

  1982

  2,621

  1983

  2,288

  1984

  2,221

  1985

  1,690

  1986

  2,015

  1987

  2,286

  1988

  2,580

  1989

  2,578

  1990

  2,441

  1991

  2,330

  1992

  2,992

  1993

  2,919

  1994

  2,973

  19951

  857

  1 As at 9 June

  Pleading Diets
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases under summary procedure in the most recent(a) three and (b) five years for which figures are available have involved the pleading diet being brought within 21 days; and if he will make a statement. [28634]

  Lord James Douglas Hamilton
  The subject of the question relates to matters undertaken by the Scottish Court Service. I have asked its chief executive, Michael Ewart, to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from Michael Ewart to Mr. Gordon McMaster, dated 20 June 1995:
  Lord James Douglas Hamilton has asked me to reply to your question regarding the timing of pleading diets under summary procedure.
  Almost all summary criminal prosecutions in the Sheriff Courts are called at pleading diets which fall within 21 days of the date on which the papers are lodged with the Sheriff Clerk.

  Chernobyl
  Mr. Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many farms are still affected by restriction notices imposed due to radioactive contamination following the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986; what
  195
  land area these farms constitute; and what percentage of available farmland in Scotland this represents.

  Sir Hector Monro
  Currently, 41 holdings in Scotland remain affected by post-Chernobyl controls on the movement and slaughter of sheep. These holdings cover around 43,000 hectares which represents 0.7 per cent. of farm land in Scotland.

  Victim Support Groups
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to increase funding to victim support groups; and if he will make a statement. [29275]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  I am pleased to be able to advise that the funding support given by the Scottish Office to victim support (Scotland) increased from £890,000 in 1994–95 to £985,000 for 1995–96, an increase of 9.64 per cent.; £700,430 of this grant is set aside for distribution by the independent funding panel to provide local co-ordinator posts. Victim Support (Scotland) will put its financial proposals forward later this year in respect of 1996–97, and this will be carefully considered along with the proposals put forward by other voluntary organisations.

  Administration costs

  £000

  1991–92

  1992–93

  1993–94

  Health board area

  1990–91 Administration

  Purchaser

  Provider

  Purchaser

  Provider

  Purchaser

  Provider

  Argyll and Clyde

  17,710

  4,588

  14,375

  7,170

  15,662

  5,235

  19,838

  Ayr and Arran

  13,182

  3,839

  11,353

  4,236

  12,741

  3,854

  12,495

  Borders

  3,923

  1,358

  3,710

  1,370

  3,650

  1,837

  3,941

  Dumfries and Galloway

  5,481

  2,247

  4,750

  2,475

  4,864

  2,829

  5,761

  Fife

  12,014

  3,013

  9,933

  3,874

  10,780

  5,276

  12,399

  Forth Valley

  10,124

  2,945

  9,154

  3,623

  10,380

  4,402

  10,438

  Grampian

  20,466

  6,140

  17,838

  7,259

  22,968

  6,864

  24,799

  Greater Glasgow

  53,052

  12,563

  46,110

  9,585

  57,758

  15,552

  61,192

  Highland

  9,422

  2,668

  8,777

  2,327

  11,470

  2,657

  11,974

  Lanarkshire

  17,596

  3,417

  16,298

  4,762

  18,612

  6,484

  21,739

  Lothian

  33,098

  7,494

  29,704

  9,220

  37,490

  11,355

  38,034

  Orkney

  723

  424

  407

  529

  508

  541

  596

  Shetland

  1,176

  1,117

  364

  647

  454

  646

  972

  Tayside

  18,680

  5,146

  16,145

  5,401

  17,381

  5,328

  19,564

  Western Isles

  1,622

  1,101

  719

  1,197

  1,246

  995

  1,653

  Scotland total

  218,269

  58,060

  189,637

  63,675

  225,964

  73,855

  245,394

  Contaminated Blood Products
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his most recent estimate of the number of people in(a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland infected with hepatitis C from contaminated blood products; and how many of these people are haemophiliacs.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  A "lookback" exercise is currently under way to seek to identify, counsel and treat patients who may have been exposed to the hepatitis C virus via blood or blood products. It is estimated that around 650 people throughout Scotland may have been infected in this way, 350 of whom are likely to be haemophiliacs. A breakdown for Inverclyde and Strathclyde is not available.

  NHS Costs
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the administrative costs incurred by(a) NHS purchasers and (b) NHS providers in each region in each year since 1990–91. [29095]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  In Scotland the equivalent to regional health authorities are health boards. The information shown in the table has been given for each board area and has been taken from the annual accounts for each health board and NHS trust.

  The figures in the table represent the total administrative costs for purchasers and providers, comprising administrative salaries and wages, supplies and services, office expenses and agency services. The format of the accounts for 1990–91 does not allow for a split between the purchaser and provider functions. Figures for 1994–95 are not yet available.

  The administration figures for providers include senior nurses and clinicians who have transferred to the general/senior managers' pay scales, particularly in latter years. These changes, together with accounting policy changes and transfer of provider functions to NHS trusts since 1992–93, mean that the annual figures are not comparable.

  Ear, Nose and Throat Units
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines he has issued about the maximum distance any patient should be from an ear, nose and throat unit; and if he will make a statement. [28324]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  No such guidelines have been issued.

  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all the ear, nose and throat units in(a) Renfrewshire and (b) Strathclyde. [28325]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Hospitals in Strathclyde and Renfrewshire with ear, nose and throat units1 at 31 December 1994 are as listed:

  Renfrewshire

  Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley

  197
  Strathclyde2

  Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock

  Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock

  Law Hospital, Carluke

  Monklands District General Hospital, Airdrie

  Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley

  Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow

  Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow

  Stonehouse Hospital, Stonehouse

  Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow

  Western Infirmary, Glasgow

  Notes:

  1 Hospitals with two or more staffed ear, nose and throat beds on average in the quarter.

  2 Comprises Argyll and Clyde, Ayrshire and Arran, Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire health board areas.

  Student Loans
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the forecast for expenditure on mandatory awards and loans given to students from Scotland during the current year; and if he will make a statement. [29039]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The planned expenditure in the 1995–96 financial year on awards and loans in respect of students domiciled in Scotland is £291 million and £95 million respectively.

  Higher Education
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the proportion of young people from Scotland entering higher education in(a) 1993–94 and (b) 1994–95; and if he will make a statement. [29030]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The age participation index of young people aged under 21 from Scotland entering higher education in the UK for the latest two years available is as follows:

  1992–93: 35.1 per cent.

  1993–94: 38.3 per cent.

  Source: Statistical Bulletin 'Scottish Higher Education Statistics 1993–94.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the proportion of students obtaining(a) first class and (b) upper second class degrees at Scottish higher education institutions in (i) 1991–92 and (ii) 1992–93, and if he will make a statement. [29034]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The available information is for students obtaining first class and second class degrees at Scottish higher education institutions and is shown in the table:

  Percentage of students obtaining first and second class degrees at Scottish higher education institutions

  Total (= 100 per cent.)

  1st Honours per cent.

  2nd Honours per cent.

  1Others per cent.

  1991–92

  15,252

  7.0

  54.0

  39.1

  1992–93

  16,663

  7.3

  54.8

  37.8

  Note:

  Figures in the above table may not total 100 per cent. due to rounding.

  1 3rd Honours and unclassified degrees.

  198
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many students were studying at a Scottish Higher Education Institution in(a) 1993–94 and (b) 1994-95; and if he will make a statement. [29104]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The information requested is set out in the table:

  Number of students studying higher education courses at Scottish Higher education institutions:

  1993–94

  112,167

  20,306

  1994–951

  116,472

  20,523

  1 Provisional.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average A-level point score of students embarking on first degrees at Scottish higher education institutions in(a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) 1993–94; and if he will make a statement. [29026]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: The information requested is not readily available. Most students embarking on first degrees at Scottish higher education institutions possess Scottish certificate of education higher grades rather than A-levels.

  Ayrshire and Arran Community Health Trust
  Mr. Foulkes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what expenditure has been incurred by the Ayrshire and Arran community health trust in its campaign to have the proposed south east Ayrshire community hospital sited in Cumnock; under what powers they have incurred such expenditure; and if he will make a statement. [29668]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The current review of community services in south-east Ayrshire is being carried out by Ayrshire and Arran health board to ensure that the best quality services are readily available for patients. The Ayrshire and Arran community healthcare trust has incurred £3,996 towards the preparation of a business case for a new community hospital at Cumnock. Under paragraph 16, schedule 7A to the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, an NHS trust has the power to take any action which appears to it to be necessary or expedient for the purpose of, or in connection with, the discharge of its functions.

  House Repossessions
  Dr. Godman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of house repossessions which occurred in(a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole in each of the past 10 years. [28162]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: We do not hold this information centrally. However, figures supplied by the Council of Mortgage Lenders suggest that, in 1994, 1,791 properties were taken into possession by mortgage lenders in Scotland. This represents 0.22 per cent. of the total number of properties with mortgages outstanding. The comparable figures for 1993, were 2,330 and 0.29 per cent. respectively. The rate in Scotland remains less than half of that for the rest of the United Kingdom as a whole.

  Teachers' Parental Leave
  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will bring the entitlement for teachers' parental leave into line with the EU directive on parental leave. [29492]

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: Matters concerning the terms and conditions of service for teachers are for the Scottish joint negotiating committee to determine and not for my right hon. Friend.

  Regional Selective Assistance
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of grants of regional selective assistance made to Scottish companies and the number of companies involved for each financial year since 1979–80. [25346]

  Mr. Kynoch
  [holding answer 23 May 1995].: The available information relates to offers accepted by companies with projects in Scotland. For earlier years, this is published in the Industrial Development Act 1982 annual report, copies of which are available in the Library. In 1994–95, 248 offers were accepted by companies with projects in Scotland.

HEALTH

  Dentistry
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what initiatives are being pursued to increase the number of students entering dentistry; and if she will make a statement. [27724]

  Mr. Malone
  There are currently 3,908 dental students in the United Kingdom.

  There are no reasons to believe that, in England, there will be too few dentists. The Nuffield report, published in September 1993, recommended that greater use should be made of dental auxiliaries in general practice as part of a dentist-led team. That could have an impact on the level of dental manpower required and, therefore, on the level of student intake needed. The Department will review the position regarding student intake in the light of decisions taken about the Nuffield recommendations.

  Residential Institutions (Abuse)
  Mr. Wicks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to tackle the problem of physical and sexual abuse of people with severe learning difficulties in residential institutions. [27725]

  Mr. Bowis
  We have in place a programme of guidance and inspection and have funded projects to support good practice in such residential care to lessen the likelihood of abuse, to identify it and to take appropriate action if it does occur.

  National Health Service Trusts
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received regarding federation of services between NHS Trusts. [27726]
  200
  Mr. Malone
  We have received no representations other than three letters from the hon. Member.

  Incomes and Health
  Ms Coffey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made by her Department as to the relationship between incomes and health; and if she will make a statement. [27727]

  Mr. Sackville
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Olner) on 16 May at column 161.

  Hepatitis C
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received concerning compensation for those affected with the hepatitis C virus; and if she will make a statement. [27728]

  Mr. Sackville
  Representations this year about payments include five parliamentary questions, a short debate in another place and four early-day motions. In addition, Ministers have received 214 letters.

  Capital Projects
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many capital projects(a) have gone ahead since 1990–91 and (b) are currently under way or planned in the south Thames region. [27729]

  Mr. Sackville
  Records of schemes with a total cost of less than £2.5 million are not collected centrally. Fifty six capital schemes each at an approved total cost exceeding £2.5 million have gone ahead since 1990 in South Thames region, nine of which are still under way. A further six schemes are approved to proceed to construction.

  Details are not available about schemes at an early planning stage.

  Sir Michael Neubert
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many capital projects have(a) gone ahead since 1990–91 and (b) are currently under way or planned in the North Thames region. [28357]

  Mr. Sackville
  Records of schemes with a total cost of less than £2.5 million are not collected centrally. Forty seven capital building schemes each at an approved total cost exceeding £2.5 million have gone ahead since 1990 in North Thames region, eight of which are still under way. A further scheme has been approved to proceed to construction.

  Details are not available about schemes which are at an early planning stage.

  Care Services
  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the level of demand since April 1993 for care services; and if she will make a statement. [27730]

  Mr. Bowis
  Centrally available information, which largely covers provision of services rather than demand, is published in a range of statistical publications and is brought together in "Health and Personal Social Services Statistics for England", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Mixed-sex Wards
  Mr. Brandreth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding mixed-sex wards in NHS trust hospitals; and if she will make a statement. [27731]

  Mr. Sackville
  We have received about 100 representations in recent months. Under the patients charter, patients have the right before entering hospital for a planned treatment to know whether that treatment is to be provided in a mixed-sex ward, so that their preferences can be made known and, if possible, catered for. In addition, all patients can now expect single-sex washing and toilet facilities. How much further national health service trusts can go in meeting individual patient preferences is a matter for local determination in the light of local circumstances.

  Access to Information
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will limit fees chargeable under the guidance to NHS trusts allowing access to information; and if she will make a statement. [27732]

  Mr. Sackville
  The guidance to national health service authorities and trusts on the implementation of the code of practice on openness in the NHS makes it clear that, in the vast majority of cases, information will be provided free of charge. In exceptional circumstances, for example where dealing with a request would require significant diversion of resources, a reasonable charge may be made.

  Asthma-related Prescriptions
  Mr. Rendel
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the increase in the expenditure on asthma-related prescriptions in Berkshire since 1988. [27733]

  Mr. Malone
  The net ingredient cost of national health service prescriptions for medicines and appliances used in the treatment of asthma and related conditions in Berkshire family health services authority was £5.6 million in 1993 and £5.9 million in 1994. The net ingredient cost is the basic price of a drug before discounts and the addition of dispensing costs or fees. Retrieval of data from earlier years could be made only at a disproportionate cost.

  Blood Stocks
  Mrs. Jane Kennedy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the current levels of blood stocks. [27734]

  Mr. Sackville
  Blood stocks held on 16 June 1995 were 16,707 units. The National Blood Authority, which is responsible for our blood services, collects sufficient blood from our volunteer donors to meet the needs of hospitals.

  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated daily requirement of red blood cell units for each of the eight NHS regions in England and Wales; and what was the total number available in each region for each of the last 30 days. [29524]

  Mr. Sackville
  The National Blood Service aims to meet, each day, from stock, the national demand from 202
  hospitals for blood. Figures are not collected on the basis of national health service regions.

  The last complete period for which figures are available from the National Blood Authority, for issues and stock, is April 1995. During that period, nationally, the average number of units of red cells issued daily was 8,500. During the same period the average daily national stock was 17,000.

  Hospital Waiting Times
  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reducing hospital waiting times. [27735]

  Mr. Malone
  Excellent progress has been made in reducing waiting times. Since 1987, when the waiting time initiative was first introduced, the national health service has almost completely eliminated waits of more than 18 months for in-patient or day case treatment, and the number of patients waiting more than a year for such treatment has fallen from around 210,000 to less than 32,000 today. The average time a patient has to wait has been cut from more than nine months to less than five months. In addition, we have recently introduced for the first time a standard for first out-patient appointments as part of the patients charter. All patients should be seen within 26 weeks of being referred by their general practitioner; nine out of 10 should be seen within 13 weeks.

  City and East London FHSA
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to deal with the financial irregularities highlighted by the district auditor's management letter of November 1994 to the City and East London family health services authority. [27736]

  Mr. Malone
  North Thames regional health authority has commissioned a report from independent auditors. Implementation of the report's recommendations is being monitored by the national health service executive regional office.

  Capital Projects
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many capital projects(a) have gone ahead since 1990–91 and (b) are currently under way or planned in the Northern and Yorkshire region. [27737]

  Mr. Sackville
  Records of schemes with a total cost of less than £2.5 million are not collected centrally. Fifty-five capital schemes, each at an approved total cost exceeding £2.5 million, have gone ahead since 1990 in Northern and Yorkshire region, 18 of which are still underway. A further eight schemes are approved to proceed to construction.

  Details about schemes that are at an early planning stage are not available centrally.

  Contracting Out
  Mr. David Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total saving of contracting out services to date. [27738]
  203
  Mr. Sackville
  Cumulative total savings since 1983 as a result of market testing National Health Service services is now estimated to be in excess of £1 billion. The improved value for money achieved has released additional resources for spending on direct patient care services.

  Detailed information on savings of £7.7 million arising from the Department of Health's market testing programme to 30 September 1994 was published on 9 January 1995 in the "Market Testing Bulletin Special Report", copies of which are available in the Library.

  Care in the Community
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on care in the community in Essex. [27739]

  Mr. Bowis
  Essex county council is responsible for assessing the needs of its local population and deciding on the appropriate services to provide. Between 1990–91 and 1995–96 the council's total resources for community care rose by 95 per cent. in real terms—well above the national average. It is for the council to spend these resources efficiently and effectively.

  Measles
  Mr. Streeter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate of how many children were immunised against measles in the recent campaign. [27740]

  Mr. Sackville
  The latest figure for the number of children in England immunised during the measles/rubella campaign is 6,585,661.

  General Practitioner Fundholding
  Mr. Mike O' Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much general practitioner fundholder practice budgets per patient have changed as a percentage and in real terms in each of the last two years; and if she will make a statement on differences between provider price rises and fundholding price rises and their impact on patients. [25207]

  Mr. Malone
  Between 1993–94 and 1994–95, the most recent years for which national information is available, the hospital and community health services element of fundholder budgets increased by an average of 5 per cent. per patient—3 per cent. per patient in real terms.

  Relevant information on provider prices is not available centrally. Fundholders' budgets represent their patients' fair share of local resources. It is for fundholding general practitioners, like health authority purchasers, to contract with hospitals to achieve the best balance of care for their patients.

  Nurses
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were(a) qualified and (b) in training in (i) 1979 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available; what estimate she has made of the number of qualified nurses needed by the National Health Service in 2000; and what plans she has to meet this requirement. [28234]
  204
  Mr. Sackville
  The figures for the number of nurses who were qualified and in training in 1979 are not available centrally.

  For the number of qualified nurses in 1994, I refer the hon. Member to the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing and Midwifery, which provides the information requested.

  The number of nurses in training during the last year for which figures are available is shown in the 1993–94 annual report of the English National Board for Nursing and Midwifery, copies of which are available in the Library.

  Estimates for the number of qualified nurses needed by the national health service in 2000 will be calculated from 1996–97 onwards. Action to ensure that the NHS has the number of qualified staff required, including those required to train, is primarily a responsibility for local employers.

  Drug Misuse
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to impose greater controls on the use of illegal drugs in psychiatric hospitals. [29270]

  Mr. Bowis
  Drug misuse is serious wherever it takes place and psychiatric hospitals are as susceptible to these problems as other parts of the community. Providers of psychiatric services should develop agreed local policies to tackle on-site drug misuse.

  Health Expenditure
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will specify the categories and amounts of expenditure on health, other than on spending on the national health service, contained within the estimates for health expenditures in(a) 1995–96 and (b) 1996–97, as set out in table 6A.3 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1995–96." [28965]

  Mr. Sackville
  The information is shown in the table. The figures in table 6A.3 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" are for spending by the Department of Health and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys combined, as the notes to the table make clear.

  £ million

  1995–96

  1996–97

  National Health Service

  31,971

  32,937

  Personal Social Services

  43

  42

  Civil Defence

  3

  3

  Central government grants to local authorities

  760

  114

  Credit approvals

  144

  137

  Total Department of Health

  32,921

  33,234

  Office of Population Censuses and Surveys

  36

  38

  Total DH and OPCS

  32,957

  33,271

  Notes:

  These details were published in the Departmental Report (Cm 2812) in March 1995.

  Funding plans in the Financial Statement and Budget Report are by convention rounded to the nearest £10 million.

  The apparent decrease in central government grants to local authorities between 1995–96 and 1996–97 is because resources for local authorities' new community care responsibilities for 1996–97

  205
  are currently held in the Department of the Environment's local government programme.

  Section 64 Grants
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the amounts received by organisations which receive a grant from her Department for each of the last five years. [28969]

  Mr. Bowis
  The Department makes a large number of grants to voluntary organisations. The main channel is the section 64 general scheme. For details of grants given in 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93 and 1994–95 I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon, South (Mr. Marshall) by my right hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Mr. Dorrell) on 21 May 1991) at column 435–39; the reply given to the hon. Member for Paisley, South (Mr. McMaster) by my hon. Friend for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville) on 18 January 1993 at column 96; the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Dover (Mr. Shaw) on 21 June 1993 at column 34–39; and the reply I gave the hon. Member for Barking (Mrs. Hodge) on 5 April 1995 at column 1212. Details of grants given during 1993–94 will be placed in the Library.

  Leukaemia
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government-funded research is being undertaken into leukaemia and other bone marrow related diseases. [29087]

  Mr. Malone
  The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which receives its grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In 1993–94, the latest year for which figures are available, the MRC spent a total of £5,084,000 on research directly related to leukaemia. In addition, a further £796,000 was spent on a number of research projects of relevance to bone marrow disease and transplantation.

  The Childhood Cancer Research Group—CCRG—funded by the Department at the University of Oxford, is responsible for the national registry of childhood tumours and carries out a programme of epidemiological studies of childhood cancer and leukaemia, together with follow-up studies of children treated for these diseases. The Department funds the CCRG by some £350,000 per year.

  Pollution
  Mr. William O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports she has commissioned or evaluated on asthma development and air quality with particular reference to pollution from road traffic. [29090]

  Mr. Sackville
  The independent expert Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) advises Government on the health effects of air pollution. At the request of the Department of Health, COMEAP established an expert sub-group to undertake a major review of asthma and air pollution. This group will report later in 1995.

  Medical Cost Inflation
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate of the rate of medical cost inflation in each of the year since 1993–94; and what it is in the current year. [28966]

  Mr. Sackville
  There is no separate measure of medical cost inflation. The retrospective measure of current inflation in the hospital and community health services in 1993–94 is provisionally estimated at 3.4 per cent. Estimates for later years are not yet available.

  St. Helier Hospital, Wimbledon
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many official complaints the health service authorities have received about practices or procedures in the St. Helier hospital, Wimbledon, in each year since 1990. [29867]

  Mr. Malone
  This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Jeremy Elwes, chairman of St. Helier national health service trust, for details.

  Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary for Health when she expects the Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee to make its second report; and what plans she has for providing funding for NHS spending associated with teaching and research in 1996–97. [30160]

  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  I am pleased to announce that the Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee has completed its second report. It is published today and copies will be placed in the Library.

  Over the past two years, MWSAC has examined a wide range of issues that affect the medical profession. I am grateful to Sir Colin Campbell, the chairman, and the members of the committee for their continued work on forecasting long-term medical work force requirements. The Government accept the committee's main recommendation of a gradual increase in the United Kingdom target medical school intake from 4,470 to 4,970 by 2000. We will discuss its implementation with interested parties.

  For 1995–96, as an interim measure, I increased by £40 million the service increment for teaching and research (SIFTR), which I announced on 22 November 1994 at column 489. SIFTR funds national health service spending in association with teaching and research so that these costs are not borne out of allocations for patient care. For 1996–97 I intend to transfer a further £40 million into the levies which will replace SIFTR.

  From 1996–97, funding for NHS spending associated with teaching will be separated from that associated with research. The research element will form part of the single research and development budget described in the plan for implementing the recommendations of the NHS research and development task force published on 11 April 1995. Proposals for the teaching element—the service increment for teaching—were published for consultation on 23 May at column 518. I shall announce details of the way the £40 million increase for 1996–97 is to be allocated after the end of the consultation period.

  London Ambulance Service
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times the London ambulance service was called out in the past year; what is the current average response time of the London ambulance service; what are the comparable figures for the recent past; and if she will make a statement. [27977]

  Mr. Sackville
  Figures for 1993–94 and previous years are contained in the annual publication "Patient Transport Services, Summary information from form KA34", copies of which are available in the Library. My hon. Friend may wish to contact Mr. Martin Gorham, chief executive of the London ambulance service, for specific information.

  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the differences between the variety of conditions grouped under the acronym CFS. [27978]

  Mr. Sackville
  The Department recognises the use of the term chronic fatigue syndrome—CFS—for an as yet incompletely understood condition characterised by severe fatigue along with a range of other symptoms and signs. A number of definitions, disease descriptions or diagnostic criteria have been proposed for CFS but there is no general consensus amongst the professions and/or among patient groups as to which should be used. The report of the national task force on CFS. PVFS (post viral fatigue syndrome)/ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) has considered matters concerning CFS, including the matter of nomenclature. With a view to securing progress and promoting the development of a professional consensus, the Chief Medical Officer has invited the Conference of Medical Colleges to consider the report. The views of the Conference of Medical Colleges will be of much assistance to the Department in helping to determine the best way forward.

  Waiting Lists
  Mr. Bill Michie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of patient fatalities amongst those on the waiting list for heart surgery in the latest period for which figures are available. [27980]

  Mr. Malone
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Dr. Mawhinney), then the Minister for Health, gave the

  Hospital medical consultants by full-time and maximum part-time contracts for each region—30 September 1990–1993 (numbers)

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Full-time

  Maximum part-time

  Full-time

  Maximum part-time

  Full-time

  Maximum part-time

  Full-time

  Maximum part-time

  Northern

  750

  170

  8.00

  2.00

  8.00

  170

  750

  140

  Yorkshire

  550

  360

  560

  390

  670

  4.00

  770

  350

  Trent

  730

  4.00

  740

  410

  810

  400

  880

  360

  East Anglian

  330

  230

  340

  240

  350

  250

  350

  250

  North West Thames

  540

  300

  590

  250

  530

  290

  520

  260

  North East Thames

  500

  470

  500

  480

  560

  480

  580

  470

  South East Thames

  510

  470

  540

  470

  510

  460

  520

  450

  South West Thames

  350

  380

  370

  380

  430

  320

  460

  320

  Wessex

  390

  350

  390

  370

  470

  310

  460

  350

  Oxford

  310

  310

  310

  310

  340

  300

  420

  310

  208
  hon. Member for Bristol. South (Ms Primarolo) on 19 May 1994 at c. 557.

  Road Traffic Act 1988
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much income was received by trusts as a result of charges levied under the Road Traffic Act 1988 for each year since 1988. [28107]

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Bill
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations concerned with the needs of people with mental illness or their families have made representations expressing(a) support for and (b) opposition to her Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Bill; and if she will make a statement. [29526]

  Mr. Bowis
  Consultations did not take place on the Bill as such but on the three proposals for inclusion in it. We consulted widely on these. It is not possible to categorise the responses in the way referred to in the question, but the numbers indicating support for the principles of each of the three proposals substantially exceeded those expressing opposition.

  National Blood Service
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the National Blood Authority to submit to her Department its final recommendations for the re-organisation of the National Blood Service; and when the final report will be published. [29523]

  Mr. Sackville
  The National Blood Authority will submit its revised recommendations shortly. A copy of the authority's report will be placed in the Library as soon as the recommendations have been considered and announced.

  Consultant Contracts
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) full time and (b) maximum part-time consultant contracts were held by regions for each year since 1990. [29525]

  Mr. Malone
  The table shows numbers of consultants on full-time and maximum part-time consultants in each region.
  209

  Hospital medical consultants by full-time and maximum part-time contracts for each region–30 September 1990–1993 (numbers)

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  Full-time

  Maximum part-time

  Full-time

  Maximum part-time

  Full-time

  Maximum part-time

  Full-time

  Maximum part-time

  South Western

  450

  340

  490

  330

  510

  310

  540

  320

  West Midlands

  770

  610

  810

  610

  850

  600

  880

  560

  Mersey

  440

  220

  520

  160

  560

  140

  520

  230

  North Western

  650

  500

  800

  420

  750

  490

  860

  450

  Special Health Authority

  190

  70

  180

  60

  170

  80

  180

  80

  England

  7,390

  5,140

  7,780

  4,960

  8,180

  4,830

  8,530

  4,770

  Note:

  Some doctors have contracts in more than one Region. For this reason the England total is less than the sum of the Regional figures. Figures rounded to the nearest '10'.

  SHA data includes Special Hospitals.

  Supervision Registers
  Ms Jowell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities had introduced supervision registers by 1 May. [29527]

  Mr. Bowis
  Supervision registers have been established in all health districts. The National Health Service Executive is continuing to monitor the position to ensure that the registers are operating effectively.

  Hospital League Tables
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many regional newspaper editors she expects to attend her briefing on the hospital league tables at the Department of Health; and what financial provision has been made for the provision of hospitality at this meeting. [29520]

  Mr. Sackville
  The number will depend on the level of acceptances. Light refreshments will cost around £5 a head.

  Prescriptions
  Mr. Miller
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answers of 15 June,Official Report, columns 623–24, on prescriptions, what is the difference between the figure of £909 million for 1993 and the figure for the total net ingredient costs of all 100 items in the list she regards as "Commercial; in Confidence;" and if she will make a statement. [29927]

  Mr. Malone
  The data supplied to Chester and Ellesmere Port community health council differed from information supplied in my answer of 15 June for two reasons:

  The information supplied to the community health council was for drugs only and excluded dressings and appliances. The information supplied on 15 June was based on all prescription items.

  There was also an error in the extraction of data supplied to the community health council which resulted in the exclusion of six drugs from the top 100 and, consequently, in the inclusion of six others with lower total net ingredient cost.

EMPLOYMENT

  Labour Market Policy
  Mr. Macshane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the federations of employers with whom he regularly meets to discuss labour market policy. [26643]

  Miss Widdecombe
  My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State meets many organisations representing both employers and employees such as the Confederation of British Industry and Trade Union Congress, from time to time, and discusses a wide range of labour market issues with them.

  Decency Threshold
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many and what percentage of the working population earns less than the threshold level of the lowest acceptable wage as assessed by the Committee of Independent Experts. [27656]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The Council of Europe's so called decency threshold has not been accepted by any EU Government and was not accepted by the United Kingdom when it was introduced in 1977. The threshold for the UK was £221.50 per week in April 1994 and 32 per cent. of the full-time working population earn less than this.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many written parliamentary questions were tabled for answer by his Department in each of the past five years; and how many of these were not answered because the information(a) could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, (b) was not held centrally and (c) was not normally disclosed; how many of these could now be answered due to computerisation, more effective and efficient operational systems or more open government; and if he will list each question along with the name and constituency of the right hon. or hon. Member who originally tabled it. [28511]

  Miss Widdecombe
  The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of parliamentary questions, which would have been answered directly by
  211
  him or his Ministers prior to the establishment of executive agencies, are now referred to the chief executive of such an agency. [28491]

  Miss Widdecombe
  Ministers are accountable to Parliament for all matters concerning their agencies. Written parliamentary questions concerning matters which have been delegated to the chief executive of an executive agency in its framework document, normally receive a reply from the Minister to the effect that he or she has asked the chief executive to reply to the hon. Member by letter. The chief executive's letter is published in Hansard below the Minister's reply.

  Health and Safety Executive
  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, what time was spent by the Health and Safety Executive's DSI grade on standard setting work in each of the national interest groups. [29210]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the industry advisory committees will be consulted about the recommendations of the Health and Safety Executive's management arrangements feasibility study as they affect(a) the area office network and (b) the national interest group structure. [29226]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Industry advisory committees will not be specifically consulted about the recommendations of the Health and Safety Executive's field operations division management arrangements feasibility study.

  However, relevant industry advisory committees will be consulted about any implications for them which may arise from a review of national interest groups now in progress.

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the percentage contact time spent by principal factory inspectors in(a) the London South area office and (b) the Nottingham area office of the Health and Safety Executive between 1 April 1994 and 1 April 1995. [29209]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The contact time by principal factory inspectors as a percentage of their total available time between 1 April 1994 and 31 March 1995 averaged 15.1 per cent. in the north midlands (Nottingham) area, and in the London South area averaged 10.5 per cent.

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what changes to the Health and Safety Executive's efficiency or effectiveness have arisen from the recommendations of the management arrangements feasibility study. [29225]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Recommendations of the management arrangements feasibility study remain the subject of consultation with Health and Safety Executive staff. No decisions have yet been made by HSE about their implementation.

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what information the Health and Safety Executive will maintain on the new FOCUS computer 212
  system on (a) the number of visits undertaken by inspectors and (b) the time spent on these visits; and what information of this type the Health and Safety Executive currently maintains on its existing computer system. [29219]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  FOCUS will record all visits by inspectors, and doctors and nurses, in the Health and Safety Executive's field operations division. It will record the time spent on each of these visits, and will provide an aggregate.

  There are currently different recording systems for different disciplines within FOD. Whilst all enable aggregate time spent on planned activities to be assessed, only one isolates visit time.

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, how many(a) doctors and (b) nurses were employed by EMAS in each of the Health and Safety Executive's area offices on (a) 1 April 1994 and (b) 1 April 1995. [29211]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The following tables show the number of doctors and nurses of the employment medical advisory service working in each of the Health and Safety Executive's area offices on 1 April 1994 and 1 April 1995.

  Area

  Doctors

  Nurses

  1 April 1994

  South West

  2

  3

  South

  3

  3

  South East

  2

  2

  London North

  2

  3

  London South

  1

  0.5

  East Anglia

  2.5

  2

  Northern Home Counties

  1

  2

  East Midlands

  1

  2

  West Midlands

  1

  3

  Wales

  3

  4

  Marches

  2

  2

  North Midlands

  2.5

  1

  South Yorkshire and Humberside

  3

  2

  West and North Yorkshire

  2.5

  2

  Greater Manchester

  3.5

  2

  Merseyside

  2.5

  1

  North West

  2

  2

  North East

  3

  4

  Scotland East

  4

  3

  Scotland West

  1.5

  2

  Total

  45

  45.5

  1 April 1995

  South West

  1

  3

  South

  3

  3

  South East

  1

  1

  London North

  1.83

  1.67

  London South

  1.83

  0.83

  East Anglia

  2.5

  1

  Northern Home Counties

  1

  2

  East Midlands

  0

  2

  West Midlands

  1

  2

  Wales

  2

  4

  Marches

  1

  1

  North Midlands

  2

  1

  South Yorkshire and Humberside

  2

  2

  West and North Yorkshire

  1

  1

  Greater Manchester

  3

  2

  Merseyside

  1

  1

  North West

  1

  1

  213

  Area

  Doctors

  Nurses

  North East

  3

  4

  Scotland East

  2

  3

  Scotland West

  1.68

  2

  Total

  32.84

  38.5

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the categories of information made available for public scrutiny by the Health and Safety Executive under the open government provisions; and if he will list the location and format in which each category of information is available. [29081]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  Under the commitments in the code of practice on access to Government information and the requirements on the Environmental Information Regulations 1992, the Health and Safety Executive makes publicly available on request all health, safety and environmental information it holds, subject to the exempted categories of information in the code, the excepted categories of information in the regulations and any other statutory restrictions on the disclosure of information it holds.

  Requests may be made to HSE's Sheffield information centre or to any HSE area office. Information will be provided in the format requiring the least use of public resources.

  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many visits were made by the Health and Safety Executive's factory and agricultural inspectorates in the 12 months to 1 April. [29218]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The Health and Safety Executive's field operations division factory, agricultural and quarries inspectorates carried out 136,889 planned inspection visits in 1994–95.

  Travel-to-interview scheme
  Mr. Ian McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will list the general grounds for rejection of financial assistance from the travel-to-interview scheme; [29203]

  (2) how many applications have been received, on a regional basis, for financial assistance from the travel-to-interview scheme since its inception; what is the total cost of the scheme; and what is the total budget allocation for the scheme; [29201]

  (3) how many appeals have been held as a result of rejection of financial assistance from the travel-to-interview scheme; and how many times the rejection of financial assistance has been overturned on appeal; [29204]

  (4) how many applications, on a regional basis, for financial assistance from the travel-to-interview scheme have been rejected since its inception. [29202]

  Miss Widdecombe
  Responsibility for the subject of the questions has been delegated to the Employment 214
  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. Ian McCartney, dated 20 June 1995:
  The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions on the Travel to Interview Scheme (TIS).
  The Travel to Interview Scheme helps unemployed people attend job interviews beyond normal daily travelling distance by meeting the costs of the journey, and where necessary the costs of an overnight stay. In accordance with the rules of the scheme, the general grounds for rejection of applications are as follows:

  application was not made in advance;

  applicant was not unemployed for four weeks or more;

  interview was not beyond normal daily travelling distance;

  applicant was not resident in the area for the past four weeks;

  job was for less than 30 hours per week;

  job was not expected to last for more than 12 months;

  job was for self-employment;

  the salary was above £25,000 limit;

  interview was not in the United Kingdom;

  no help can be given for second or subsequent interviews.

  However, I should explain that we are presently testing changes to the rules in the North West region. The changes include the removal of the salary limit, help with second and subsequent interviews, help for some self-employed jobs, and a more relaxed interpretation of the 12 month rule.
  The scheme was introduced in late 1986. The total cost of the scheme between April 1987–March 1995 has been £8.7m enabling attendance at over 395,000 interviews. The allocation of funds for 1995/96 amounts to £2.2m.
  The normal process for appeals against rejected TIS applications operates on two levels. Initially, applicants can ask for their case to be reconsidered by the jobcentre manager. Where the jobcentre manager endorses the original decision and the applicant is still dissatisfied with the explanation, a final appeal can be made to the Employment Service Head Office.
  I cannot give you the total number of appeals for Head Office consideration since the schemes's inception, as records are kept for 2 years only. The following figures cover the period from April 1993–March 1995:

  appeals 34

  number of rejections overturned on appeal 6

  The number of appeals cleared at the local office level is not recorded.

  The table below shows the number of applications made from April 1987–March 1995 and the number of applications rejected by region.

  Regions

  Applications made from April 1987–March 1995

  Applications rejected from April 1987–March 1995

  Northern

  36,989

  7,485

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  40,510

  9,188

  East Midlands and Eastern

  40,540

  10,620

  London and

  South East

  56,045

  13,040

  South West

  37,328

  9,437

  215

  Regions

  Applications made from April 1987-March 1995

  Applications rejected from April 1987-March 1995

  Wales

  27,081

  7,843

  West Midlands

  29,311

  7,429

  North West

  61,827

  10,713

  Scotland

  54,245

  13,117

  I hope this is helpful.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Pawsey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth may expect a definitive reply to the matter raised in his letters of 23 March, 28 April and 2 June. [28942]

  Miss Widdecombe
  I will look into the circumstances of this case as a matter of urgency and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

  Offshore Installations
  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the estimated number of operational safety cases for new offshore installations, or mobile installations entering United Kingdom waters for the first time, which will be submitted to the Health and Safety Executive in each of the next three years. [29077]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The Health and Safety Executive estimates that a total of 15 to 20 cases for offshore installations and mobile installations entering UK waters for the first time will be submitted in each of the next three years.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) improvement notices and (b) prohibition notices have been issued by the offshore safety division of the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 1991. [29075]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The figures are as follows:

  Year

  Improvement notices

  Prohibition notices

  1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992

  0

  2

  1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993

  19

  5

  1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994

  22

  3

  1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995

  34

  5

  1 April 1995 to 8 June 1995

  3

  0

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the expected number of well operations notifications per month which will be submitted to the offshore safety division of the Health and Safety Executive under the provisions of regulation 11 of the Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 1992; and what is the HSE's planned personnel allocation to the handling of these notifications. [29079]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The Health and Safety Executive estimates that around 65 well notifications will be submitted per month.

  Sixteen staff who are currently engaged on approving well consents will be employed in managing the notification scheme when this comes into effect. The
  216
  offshore safety division is also able to draw on further specialist staff as required.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the first revised safety case is due to be submitted to the Health and Safety Executive under the provisions of regulation 9(4) of the Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 1992; and how many such revised safety cases are expected to be submitted to the HSE in each of the subsequent three years. [29078]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The first revised safety case due to be submitted under the provisions of regulation 9(4) of the Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 1992 is expected to be submitted in January 1997. from 1997 onwards the Health and Safety Executive estimates that 60 revised safety cases will be submitted in each of the next three years.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many offshore installation safety cases have been submitted to the offshore safety division of the Health and Safety Executive to date; and how many of these have been formally accepted by the Health and Safety Executive. [29076]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  At 31 May 1995, a total of 260 safety cases for offshore installations had been submitted to the Health and Safety Executive, of which 17 were design safety cases which are not formally accepted by HSE. At the same date, 102 safety cases had been accepted by HSE.

  Mr. McFall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many exemptions have been granted to the time deadline requirements for safety case submission, as provided for in regulation 17(2) (a) of the Offshore Installations (Safety Case) Regulations 1992. [29080]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  No exemptions have been requested or granted to the time deadline requirements for safety case submission, as provided for in regulation 17(2) (a).

  Foreign Companies
  Mr. Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the top 25 foreign companies in the United Kingdom by the total numbers of personnel employed. [29868]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The Statistics of Trade Act 1947 prohibits the disclosure of information which could be identified as relating to an individual employer. In the circumstances, I cannot provide the information requested.

  Ministerial Visit, Manchester
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he next intends to visit the Greater Manchester area to discuss matters relating to employment with local authority representatives. [29872]

  Miss Widdecombe
  My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, will next visit Stockport and Manchester on Wednesday 21 June 1995 when he shall discuss employment matters with people from a cross section of employment and training organisations. He has no specific plans to meet representatives from local authorities separately.

  Training-for-Work
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what advice his Department gives to unemployed people in the Greater Manchester area who cannot find places on the training-for-work programmes. [29870]

  Miss Widdecombe
  There are a large number of training places for those seeking them, and for whom training is the best course of action, but training is not necessarily the priority need for all unemployed people. That is why all Employment Service offices offer a structured and coherent advisory service, which is aimed at helping people back into work as soon as possible. ES provides unemployed people with information and advice about the full range of jobs, training and other programme opportunities available to them. About 1.5 million opportunities are available through ES this year.

  Sheep Dips
  Mr. Tyler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment with what frequency, and with what sanctions, inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive monitor the adherence of sheep farmers to the advice contained in the HSE leaflet "Sheep Dipping", reference AS29 revised. [29735]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  The frequency of visits by Health and Safety Executive inspectors is prioritised on the basis of a number of factors: these include the risks to those at work or the public. Around 30,000 visits per year are made to agricultural premises, though not all of these will, of course, be sheep farms.

  Where inspectors find poor conditions the available sanctions range from verbal or written advice to improvement and prohibition notices and, in extreme cases, prosecution.

  Unemployment, Manchester
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions he has had with other EU employment Ministers on measures to reduce unemployment in the Greater Manchester area. [29871]

  Miss Widdecombe
  My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State and I regularly discuss employment matters with our fellow Employment Ministers at the Social Affairs Council. We consistently urge them to make job creation the first priority and not to pursue new restrictions and regulations which can only destroy jobs. Our aim is to improve employment prospects in all areas of Britain, including Greater Manchester.

  Charter Week
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the main events he is proposing for Charter Week; what is the total cost to public funds; and how many(a) civil servants and (b) other public officials will be playing a part. [29884]
  218
  Miss Widdecombe
  A number of events are planned to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the citizens charter, including:local events organised by the Employment Service, for example, to promote services for long-term unemployed people and to launch client consultation groups on a pilot basis;
  publication of revised versions of the Health and Safety Executive's two key statements of service standards.

  These activities were planned as part of normal departmental business, although in some instances the timing has been adjusted to coincide with Charter Week and the charter content has been made more explicit. There will be no additional cost or staff resources required as a result of holding the events in July. The officials concerned will be working on the events as part of their normal duties.

  Working Abroad
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many United Kingdom citizens were working abroad in each of the last 10 years. [29280]

  Miss Widdecombe
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: The information requested is not available.

  Redundancies
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) on how many occasions in each of the last five years he has taken action against employers failing to notify his Department of impending redundancies under section 193 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and what action was taken on each occasion; [29452]

  (2) on how many occasions in each of the last five years he has learned of failures by employers to notify his Department of impending redundancies under section 193 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. [29451]

  Mr. Oppenheim
  [holding answer 19 June 1995]: Information on the number of allegations of an employer's failure to notify my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State in accordance with section 193 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 is not recorded, though appropriate inquiries are made in such cases. The number of instances in each of the last five years where the Department was notified, but where the notification did not fully meet the requirements of section 193 of the Act is as follows:

  1990: 2,828

  1991: 4,021

  1992: 4,724

  1993: 2,630

  1994: 1,918

  In each case an explanation was sought and the full requirements of the legislation brought to the employer's attention. The legislation provides that where it is not reasonably practical to comply with the full requirements, the employer should take all reasonable steps to comply as far as possible. Taking account of this, it has not so far been found appropriate to prosecute an employer.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

  Business Appointment Rules
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps are being taken to monitor conditions imposed under the business appointment rules; and if conditions are made known to those offering appointments to which conditions are applied. [29168]

  Mr. Horam
  Conditions are monitored through routine contact between former employing departments and new employers or their competitors. The Government are considering the recommendation of the Committee on Standards in Public Life that the operation, observance and objectives of the business appointment rules should be reviewed. Conditions are made known to new employers where appropriate.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place a copy of the business appointment rules in the Library. [29163]

  Mr. Horam
  The business appointment rules form part of the civil service management code, a copy of which is already in the Library.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the membership of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, the number of meetings attended by each member during the year 1994–95 and the total cost of remuneration or compensation to the membership of the committee in 1994–95. [29165]

  Mr. Horam
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) on 23 May 1995,Official Report column 535. The committee met twice during 1994–95; it handles the bulk of its work by correspondence. Committee members do not receive remuneration or compensation.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to introduce the possibility of a ban on the acceptance of an appointment under the business appointment rules. [29169]

  Mr. Horam
  None.

  Charter Week
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the main events he is proposing for Charter Week; what is the total cost to public funds; and how many(a) civil servants and (b) other public officials will be playing a part. [29880]

  Mr. Horam
  A number of public service events are planned to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the citizens charter, including:the publication of NHS performance tables for England, Wales and Northern Ireland;
  the launch of the charter standard statement for community services in Northern Ireland;
  the publication of the revised Customs and Excise travellers charter;
  a reception for users who have nominated organisations for the 1995 charter mark and representatives of the nominated organisations; and
  the publication of the a guide to consultation.
  220
  There will be no additional cost or staff resources required as a result of holding these events in July. The officials concerned will be working on the events as part of their normal duties.

  Contracting Out
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those parts of his Department or departmental agencies which were privatised without an in-house bid; if he will indicate the expertise which was absent in his Department or departmental agencies which prevented an in-house bid taking place; which future parts of his Department or departmental agencies he intends to privatise; and which of them do not have the necessary in-house expertise to mount an in-house bid. [29422]

  Mr. Horam
  Those parts of the work of the Cabinet Office, its agencies, HMSO and COI which have been contracted-out without an in-house bid are as follows:

  Agency

  Central OPSS

  Consortium Reports

  Publishing and Print Procurement Service

  CCTA

  GTN (Long-Distance)

  Chessington

  UNISON (Phase 1)

  CS College

  Prospectus Distribution

  RAS

  Catering Services

  Cleaning Services

  IT Hardware Maintenance

  IT Software Support Services

  HMSO

  Print Order Processing System

  Software Development: Business Supplies

  Software Development: Finance

  COI

  Videotext Unit

  The Cabinet Office, its agencies, HMSO and COI have contracted-out activities without inviting in-house bids where it has been judged that the private sector is clearly better equipped to deliver a specific service, has a better understanding of market needs, or the capacity to invest in new technology. Other decisions to contract-out services without inviting in-house bids have been taken where an activity is relatively small and peripheral to the Department's functions.

  There are no current plans to contract-out any activities within the Cabinet Office, its agencies, HMSO and COI without inviting an in-house bid.

WALES

  Male Unemployment
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage of male unemployment in Dyfed in 1984, 1989 and 1994. [28692]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The annual average male unemployment rates in Dyfed for 1984, 1989 and 1994, based on the claimant count, were 13.8, 8.3 and 10.8 per cent. respectively.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage of male unemployment in the county of South Glamorgan in 1987, 1990 and 1994. [28969]
  221
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The annual average male unemployment rates in South Glamorgan for 1987, 1990 and 1994, based on the claimant count, were 14.2, 8.6 and 13.2 per cent. respectively.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage of male unemployment in Gwynedd in 1985, 1990 and 1994. [28690]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The annual average male unemployment rates in Gwynedd for 1985, 1990 and 1994, based on the claimant count, were 16.9, 9.0 and 12.5 per cent. respectively.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage of male unemployment in the county of Gwent for 1988, 1992 and 1994. [28694]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The annual average male unemployment rates in Gwent for 1988, 1992 and 1994, based on the claimant count, were 12.9, 14.2 and 13.8 per cent. respectively.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage of male unemployment in Mid Glamorgan in 1981, 1985, 1990 and 1994. [28693]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The annual average male unemployment rates in Mid Glamorgan for 1985, 1990 and 1994, based on the claimant count, were 20, 12.2 and 16.4 per cent. respectively. A comparable figure for 1981 is not available. However, the average registrant male unemployment rate for Mid Glamorgan in that year, expressed as a percentage of employees and registrant unemployed, was 17 per cent. This average excludes the figures for March and April 1981, which are not available.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage of male unemployment in the county of West Glamorgan in 1981, 1985, 1990 and 1994. [28697]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The annual average male unemployment rates in West Glamorgan for 1985, 1990 and 1994, based on the claimant count, were 19.1, 9.7 and 14 per cent. respectively. A comparable figure for 1981 is not available. However, the average registrant male unemployment rate for West Glamorgan in that year, expressed as a percentage of employees and registrant unemployed, was 16.7 per cent. This average excludes the figures for March and April 1981, which are not available.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the percentage of male unemployment in Clwyd in 1986, 1991 and 1994. [28691]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The annual average male unemployment rates in Clwyd for 1986, 1991 and 1994, based on the claimant count, were 15.3, 9 and 10.1 per cent. respectively.

  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the current percentage of male unemployment in the county of Powys. [28695]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The unadjusted male unemployment rate in Powys, based on the claimant count, in May 1995 was 5.1 per cent.

  School Meals
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what nutritional quality standards there are for school meals; and when was the last change in these standards. [28812]

  Mr. Richards
  The nutritional quality of school meals is a matter for local education authorities or, in some cases, the governing bodies of schools.

  Business Start-up Scheme
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those areas in Wales where no business start-up schemes are available for the unemployed. [28612]

  Mr. Richards
  All training and enterprise councils in Wales operate the business start-up scheme.

  Complaints
  Mr. Jon Owen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what use is made of complaints referred to his Department concerning the conduct and or practice of doctors within national health service hospitals; [28971]

  (2) if he monitors complaints made against medical practitioners who work in the national health service; [28970]

  (3) what advice his Department gives to health authorities in how they deal with complaints made against medical practitioners. [28972]

  Mr. Richards
  Guidance on the handling of complaints is issued to health authorities and trusts and is revised in the light of experience. The most recent advice from the Department is WHC(93)75. It is the responsibility of health authorities and trusts to investigate complaints and take action on matters involving the conduct or practice of doctors employed by them.

  The Department monitors the number of complaints received by health authorities and trusts and publishes the information.

  Minerals Planning Guidance
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to revise mineral planning guidance note 1. [28994]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  My right hon. Friend is considering what revised guidance is needed in Wales to supersede that contained in minerals planning guidance note 1.

  Agricultural Grants
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the mean, median and standard deviation for the length of time between receiving a claim and the payment of a claim for each agricultural grant handled by his Department. [29456]
  223
  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  The information required could be provided only at disproportionate cost. I published the targets for the payment of claims for grants and subsidies in March this year. Details of performance against targets will be published after the end of the financial year.

  Employment
  Mr. Alan Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the work force in(a) Swansea, (b) West Glamorgan and (c) Wales is employed on a temporary basis. [29512]

  Mr. Gwilym Jones
  Information on the work force employed on a temporary basis in Swansea and West Glamorgan is not available centrally. The latest available information for Wales is based on the labour force survey conducted in winter 1994–95—three months ending February 1995—and relates to employees rather than the work force. It estimates that 9 per cent. of employees of working age in Wales had jobs that were not permanent in some way.

  National Museum of Wales
  Mr. Barry Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to enable the national museum to expand its collection of fine art. [29637]

  Mr. Richards
  The national museum of Wales receives an annual specimen purchase grant from the Department; the amount for 1995–96 is £1,140,000. Decisions on how the grant is spent are a matter entirely for the museum.

  Higher Education
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people from Wales were studying at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom in(a) 1993–94 and (b) 1994–95; and if he will make a statement. [29032]

  Mr. Richards
  In 1994–95, provisional data suggest that there were 48,228 full-time and sandwich Welsh domiciled higher education students in the United Kingdom. The data were collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

  In 1993–94, only data for Welsh domiciled students at institutions in England and Wales are readily available. This total was 44,303 and represents the great majority of Welsh domiciled students. In 1994–95, only 556 Welsh domiciled students were at institutions in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

  Student Degrees
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the proportion of students obtaining(a) first class and (b) upper second class degrees at (i) the university of Wales and (ii) Welsh higher education institutions as a whole in (1) 1991–92 and (2) 1992–93; and if he will make a statement. [29035]

  Mr. Richards
  The information available on the proportion of first degree students obtaining first class or upper second class honours degrees at the constituent colleges of the university of Wales and at higher education institutions in Wales is shown in the table:224

  First degree students in Wales

  1991–92

  1992–93

  University of Wales1

  Number

  Per cent. awarded

  Number

  Per cent. awarded

  Awarded

  First Class Honours

  296

  5.9

  315

  5.5

  Other Honours2

  4,379

  86.7

  5,018

  87.4

  Ordinary Degrees

  377

  7.5

  411

  7.2

  Total

  5,052

  5,744

  Notes:

  1 As at December.

  2 Includes upper second, lower second and third class honours.

  Source:

  Universities Statistical Record.

  1991–92

  1992–93

  Higher Education Institutions1

  Number

  Per cent. awarded

  Number

  Per cent. awarded

  Awarded

  First Class Honours

  101

  3.9

  120

  3.9

  Upper Second Class Honours

  804

  31.2

  1,004

  32.3

  Other Degrees2

  1,673

  64.9

  1,987

  63.9

  Total awarded

  2,578

  3,111

  Notes:

  1 As at November.

  2 Include lower second, third class and ordinary degrees.

  Source:

  Examination Results First Destination Survey.

SOCIAL SECURITY

  Departmental Performance
  Ms Hodge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what performance indicators and performance targets there are for measuring the performance of his Department in(a) answering letters from members of the public and (b) answering telephone calls from members of the public; how performance is monitored; and what are the latest figures for performance measured against the target set; [26227]

  (2) what policy and procedures exist for dealing with complaints against his Department by members of the public; when his Department last updated its policy; what time limit and target for dealing with such complaints his Department has; and what follow-up procedure exists where complaints are not satisfied with his Department's response to a complaint. [26211]

  Mr. Hague
  DSS headquarters aims to answer all correspondence within 20 working days of receipt. For the period 1 January 1995 to 31 May 1995, 12,317 replies to letters from members of the public were sent of which 83 per cent. were answered within this target. The public inquiry line handles telephone calls from members of the public. It aims to provide good quality answers to customers' inquiries rather than process a set quantity of telephone calls. Quality performance is continually monitored by electronically tracking the number of calls dealt with and by a supervisor routinely listening in to a number of calls. Staff also receive continuous training on information available in addition to regular specific assessment of their individual performance.
  225
  The responsibility for day-to-day operations, including the handling of letters, telephone calls and complaints from members of the public, rests with the chief executive of each agency. Each of them will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Ms Margaret Hodge, dated 19 June 1995:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about our performance targets for answering telephone calls and letters, and our complaints procedure.
  Over the past two years we have made many improvements in the service we can give to war pensioners. The launch of the War Pensions Agency in April 1994 included the publication of our first Charter Standard Statement, which defines service targets and standards including a complaints procedure if we fail to deliver the service we promise. Our published targets are:
  Telephone calls to War pensions Helpline answered within 30 seconds. If we cannot answer the question straight away, we will call back at a time convenient to the pensioner.
  Letters from the public acknowledged within 5 working days followed by a full response by letter or telephone within 10 working days.
  The War Pensions Agency telephone Helpline provides the main point of contact for the whole of the Agency and is the number quoted on all correspondence and publicity material. It includes a new automatic call distribution system which amongst other things provides statistics for monitoring and target purposes.
  Six months after Helpline was set up, we started a rolling programme of customer perception surveys. In December 1994, these showed that 93% of those asked said the service they received was either very good or good. In 1994/5 calls were answered within an average wait time of only 6.9 seconds and 95% of calls were answered within 30 seconds.
  As part of our continued drive to improve standards of service, the use of customer satisfaction surveys are reflected in our business plans. We are currently awaiting results of the 1995 survey, including the area of correspondence, which will be carefully examined and improvement initiatives coordinated by the Total Quality Management team.
  In 1994/5, 1781 replies were sent by our operational sections in respect of letters addressed to Ministers or myself with 95 per cent being sent within the 10 day target. The complaints system we now have in place, including a database of information, will enable us to monitor our targets for acknowledgement and replies in other areas of correspondence.
  Turning to our complaints system, pensioners with concerns can telephone the War Pensions Helpline on 01253 858858, the Helpline staff will be only too pleased to answer the query.
  Our Charter Standard Statement states that if things go wrong, any written complaint will be acknowledged within 5 working days, and a full reply sent within 10 working days. If we think it will take longer than this, we will write or telephone the person concerned to explain why and let them know when to expect a full reply to their complaint.
  If a person is dissatisfied with the way the complaint has been dealt with, they can contact our Customer Service Manager. If, however, they are still not satisfied they can get in touch with me. Details of how to do this are contained within the Charter Standard Statement. In addition to this, a person can also ask their MP to refer their case to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration for investigation and review.
  In addition to the formal complaints procedure, pensioners can discuss any concerns with the many ex-service organisations and we fully investigate any matters referred to us as a result. People can also, if they wish, discuss their cases with their local War Pensions Committee (WPC). These are independent of the Agency and are made up of members who are disabled ex-service persons, some of whom work for voluntary associations. Again, any recommendations may by the WPCs are fully considered. Information on how to contact ex-service organisations or the WPCs is contained in leaflets
  226
  available from the Agency and our national network of War Pensioner's Welfare Service offices.
  I hope you have found this information useful.

  Contributions Agency
  Ms Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security in what circumstances the Contributions Agency is sending out a form asking people why they believe they are in receipt of benefit. [29014]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  Operational matters relating to the Contributions Agency are the responsibility of Mrs. Faith Boardman, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Ms Dawn Primarolo, dated 19 June 1995:
  As Chief Executive of the Contributions Agency, I have responsibility for answering questions about operational matters relating to the Agency and the National Insurance Scheme. I have been asked to reply to your question concerning forms sent to people asking why they believe they are in receipt of benefit.
  Whilst there are no formally laid down circumstances in which this question is asked of a customer, there are occasions where it may be necessary to do so. For example, when the Agency is investigating non-payment of National Insurance contributions by self-employed contributors it is possible that the contributor may allege that he or she was, or is, in receipt of benefit. This might affect both the amount of National Insurance contributions outstanding and the course of action that the Agency will take. It may prove necessary in these circumstances to contact the person concerned for more information about any benefit claims.
  Alternatively a person may learn, possibly from a notification issued by the Agency, that insufficient contributions were paid in a particular year to make that year qualify for benefit purposes, and may query this. It is possible that the customer may be entitled to credits for periods in which benefits were paid that could make up the shortfall. In investigating some of these cases it may be necessary to contact customers to obtain details of benefit claims so that their National Insurance records can be put right.
  These two examples do not cover every eventuality which could result in such enquiries being made. And we avoid making such enquiries when we have enough information to resolve the customers enquiry internally. I hope these examples indicate why it is sometimes important, and in individual customers' own interests, that the Agency sometimes asks questions about benefit claims.
  I hope that you will find this information useful. If I can be of any further assistance please let me know.

  Social Fund
  Mr. Redmond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the current average length of time taken to decide an application for assistance from the social fund in the Doncaster and Mexborough area of the Benefits Agency; what is the national average figure; and what were the comparable figures for 12 months ago. [28260]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Ian Magee, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.

  Letter from Ian Magee to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 19 June 1995:
  The Secretary of State of Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the current average clearance times for applications to the Social Fund (SF), both nationally and in Doncaster and Mexborough.
  When the Benefits Agency was established in April 1991, a major restructuring programme resulted in existing offices being grouped

  227
  together to form Districts. Mexborough Branch Office is one office within the District of Rother and Dearne. Information has, therefore, been supplied for the Doncaster and Rother and Dearne Districts as figures for Mexborough cannot be given separately.
  Unfortunately it is not possible to provide the current average length of time taken to decide an application for assistance from the SF. We are, however, presently looking at whether an average processing time would be a helpful way forward.
  At present, our performance is measured against a standard time for processing each type of claim. This is based on the time it takes to clear the more straightforward of cases. For instance, for SF Maternity payment claims, we aim to process 65% in the standard time of 5 days. To ensure proper emphasis is given to the remaining claims, a secondary measure is set which in the same example is 95% in 20 days. Our performance measure for SF Crisis payments is that we aim to process the claim on the day it is received. We aim to achieve this in 95% of cases.
  Appendices A - C outline the clearance times for the period I April 1993 to 31 March 1994 and 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995. Appendix A outlines the national figures, Appendix B the Doncaster District and Appendix C the Rother and Dearne District figures.
  I hope you find this reply helpful.

  Appendix A: Clearance times of applications to the social fund, nationally. 1 April 1993–31 March 1994 and 1 April 1994–31 March 1995.

  Application type

  Target

  Achieved Per cent.

  i. 1993–94

  Crisis loans

  On day need arises

  96.28

  Community care grants

  65 per cent. in 7 days

  81.13

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  96.94

  Budgeting loans

  65 per cent. in 6 days

  77.89

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  97.40

  Maternity payments

  65 per cent. in 5 days

  73.31

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  96.84

  Funeral payments

  65 per cent. in 12 days

  71.70

  95 per cent. in 35 days

  96.10

  ii. 1994–95

  Crisis loans

  On day need arises

  97.40

  Community care grants

  65 per cent. in 7 days

  87.00

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  98.20

  Budgeting loans

  65 per cent. in 6 days

  83.97

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  98.27

  Maternity payments

  65 per cent. in 5 days

  80.89

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  98.02

  Funeral payments

  65 per cent. in 12 days

  75.52

  95 per cent. in 35 days

  96.96

  Appendix B: Clearance times of applications to the social fund, Doncaster 1 April 1993–31 March 1994 and 1 April 1994–31 March 1995.

  Application type

  Target

  Achieved Per cent.

  i. 1993–94

  Crisis loans

  On day need arises

  96.46

  Community care grants

  65 per cent. in 7 days

  82.47

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  97.19

  Budgeting loans

  65 per cent. in 6 days

  79.34

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  97.36

  Maternity payments

  65 per cent. in 5 days

  74.08

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  97.33

  Funeral payments

  65 per cent. in 12 days

  70.97

  95 per cent. in 35 days

  96.81

  ii. 1994–95

  Crisis loans

  On day need arises

  97.67

  Community care grants

  65 per cent. in 7 days

  84.47

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  97.47

  228

  Appendix B: Clearance times of applications to the social fund, Doncaster 1 April 1993–31 March 1994 and 1 April 1994–31 March 1995.

  Application type

  Target

  Achieved Per cent.

  Budgeting loans

  65 per cent. in 6 days

  83.55

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  97.71

  Maternity payments

  65 per cent. in 5 days

  82.87

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  97.55

  Funeral payments

  65 per cent. in 12 days

  69.81

  95 per cent. in 35 days

  97.50

  Appendix C: Clearance times of applications to the social fund, Rother and Dearne. 1 April 1993–31 March 1994 and 1 April 1994–31 March 1995.

  Application type

  Target

  Achieved Per cent.

  i. 1993–94

  Crisis loans

  On day need arises

  99.17

  Community care grants

  65 per cent. in 7 days

  73.61

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  97.44

  Budgeting loans

  65 per cent. in 6 days

  79.02

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  98.62

  Maternity payments

  65 per cent. in 5 days

  75.69

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  97.82

  Funeral payments

  65 per cent. in 12 days

  68.32

  95 per cent. in 35 days

  98.02

  ii. 1994–95

  Crisis loans

  On day need arises

  98.44

  Community care grants

  65 per cent. in 7 days

  88.98

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  99.30

  Budgeting loans

  65 per cent. in 6 days

  85.53

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  99.22

  Maternity payments

  65 per cent. in 5 days

  83.83

  95 per cent. in 20 days

  98.77

  Funeral payments

  65 per cent. in 12 days

  69.58

  95 per cent. in 35 days

  97.82

  Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidance he has issued regarding the assessment of debilitation caused by myalgic encephalomyelitis in relation to incapacity for work benefit; and if he will make a statement. [28575]

  Mr. Hague
  The administration of Incapacity Benefit is a matter for Mr. Ian Magee, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Ian Magee to Mr. Gordon McMaster, dated 19 June 1995:
  The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the guidance that has been issued regarding the assessment of debilitation caused by myalgic encephalomyelitis in relation to incapacity for work benefit.
  No guidance has been issued as the basis of the new test of incapacity for work is the effect of a customer's medical condition on their ability to work and not the medical condition itself.
  The new test provides an assessment of the effect of the medical condition on the person's ability to carry out a range of work-related activities. All medical conditions are addressed and the Benefits Agency Medical Services doctors involved have been provided with detailed and comprehensive training in all physical, sensory and mental conditions.
  I hope you find this reply helpful.

  War Pensions
  Mr. Maclennan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what information he has about the expected timetable for clearing the arrears of applications submitted for an allowance for lowered standard of occupation. [29013]

  Mr. Arbuthnot
  This is a matter for Mr. Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the War Pensions Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Robert Maclennan, dated 19 June 1995:
  I am writing in reply to the Parliamentary Question that you raised concerning the clearance of arrears of applications for the Allowance for Lowered Standard of Occupation (ALSO).
  Some 982 cases were stockpiled pending legal advice on how legislation should be applied. Following that advice, we were obliged to change the way in which we dealt with certain claims for ALSO.
  We again began to process applications, under the new criteria, at the beginning of May and, as of this morning, 692 applications had been cleared. We expect to clear all but a small number of the remainder by the end of this month.
  The only cases remaining will be those where we have not yet fully established how the criteria should be applied but we expect to resolve the outstanding questions very shortly and for those cases not to be be delayed much longer.

  Income Support
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what research his Department has commissioned on the adequacy of income support rates for providing a balanced diet for pregnant women. [28806]

  Mr. Roger Evans
  No amounts are separately identified within income support for particular household budgetary items such as food.

  Whatever the research, there has to be a subjective assessment of what is an appropriate level of benefits. This is especially true of diets where individual preferences vary substantially.

  Income Support
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the effects on the special medical and dietary needs of the poorest sections of society of the changes in allowances implemented in the Social Security Act 1986, from April 1988, in Wales. [29153]

  Mr. Hague
  None. The 1988 reform of income-related benefits replaced a multiplicity of additions for special needs with a more rational and fairer structure of allowances and premiums for the most vulnerable and needy groups.

  Vibration White Finger
  Mr. Etherington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have(a) claimed and (b) been awarded disablement benefit for vibration white finger PD A11, in consequence of exposure to vibration in the coal-mining industry. [28944]
  230
  Mr. Hague
  Information is not readily available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The available information is in the table.

  Initial assessment of disability by a medical board for Vibration White Finger (PD A11) in the deep coal mining industry

  Total initial assessments

  Assessments of 14 per cent. or more

  1992–93

  683

  5

  1993–94

  492

  6

  Source:

  B127–100 per cent. count of cases where PD A11 has been diagnosed.

  Child Support Agency
  Ms Lynne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what research his Department has commissioned to assess the impact of the activities of the Child Support Agency in respect of encouraging lone parents into work; and when he expects to be able to publish the results. [29522]

  Mr. Burt
  The Department has commissioned a continuing research programme with the Policy Studies Institute to look at the circumstances of lone parents. Two reports have been published:"Families, Work and Benefits", Marsh and McKay. PSI Publishing 1993.
  "Lone parents and Work", McKay and Marsh. DSS Research Report No. 25.
  A further study of lone parents is planned for 1995–96.

  In addition, the Department has commissioned research by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough university to investigate the incentives and disincentives to leaving income support. This will include information about lone parents and a report is expected to be published in the DSS series within the year.

  The CSA aims to secure regular payment of maintenance, this will give lone parents a secure financial base from which they can make a decision about moving into employment.

  Social Security Expenditure
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 13 June,Official Report, columns 293–94, if he will detail further the changes in his forecasting techniques which have lead to a further £1.7 billion saving in social security expenditure up to the year 2000–01. [29736]

  Mr. Hague
  The £1.7 billion saving in social security benefit expenditure in 2000–01 attributed to forecasting changes was due partly to the use of more up-to-date information in the later forecasts and partly to the use of improved forecasting techniques.

  The improvements to forecasting techniques include the introduction of new models for forecasting housing benefit and the earnings-related component of retirement pension as well as improvements to the forecasting models for several other benefits including income support.

  Appeals
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals to the disability appeals tribunal have been waiting more than the average clearance time; what is the average; and what is the longest time an appeal to a disability appeal tribunal has been outstanding. [29873]

  Mr. Hague
  I have been informed by the president of the independent tribunal service that approximately 10,000 appeals have been waiting more than the average clearance time of 23 weeks and that the longest time an appeal has been outstanding is six years.

DEFENCE

  Arms Exports
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when his Department was informed that British arms were being exported to Iran via Singapore; and if he will make a statement; [29463]

  (2) when his Department received notice of allegations that BMARC was exporting arms via Singapore to Iran. [29474]

  Mr. Freeman
  In 1991 my Department was made aware of allegations to this effect as a result of evidence given to Trade and Industry Select Committee.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the types of military equipment exported to Iran via Singapore by the British firm BMARC. [29464]

  Mr. Freeman
  As stated by my right hon. Friend, the President of the Board of Trade, on 13 June 1995 at columns 595–606, there may be grounds for believing that the final destination of GAM B01 naval guns, spares and associated ammunition exported by BMARC could have been Iran. This type of equipment is fitted in many surface ships of the Royal Navy and other naval forces including the Singaporean navy.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations were made to his Department during the period of the Iran-Iraq arms embargo to permit British arms to be sold to Singapore. [29466]

  Mr. Freeman
  The Ministry of Defence receives frequent inquiries from British companies who are interested in exporting defence equipment to Singapore or other countries. We do not keep records of all such inquiries.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total value of arms exports sold to Singapore since 1980. [29467]

  Mr. Freeman
  It has been the policy of successive Governments not to reveal the value of defence exports to individual countries. However, the value of exports by geographic region is contained in table 1.11 of UK defence statistics.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports his Department has received that British arms exports are currently being sold to Iran through Singapore. [29468]
  232
  Mr. Freeman
  It is not normally the practice of my Department to comment on intelligence reports. The possibility of British arms exports to Iran through Singapore, or other countries, is kept under regular review interdepartmentally and appropriate action taken.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the normal procedure undertaken by his Department following requests from the Department of Trade and Industry for information on British arms export licences; and if he will make a statement. [29469]

  Mr. Freeman
  The Department of Trade and Industry normally circulates export licence applications, to the FCO and MOD. Unless the exports concerned have already been the subject of MOD scrutiny they are normally circulated within MOD for the appropriate operational, security and intelligence assessments. A MOD view is then co-ordinated and sent back to the DTI.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures his Department adopts to prevent British arms from being sold to Iran; and if he will list the changes to these procedures in the last 10 years. [29471]

  Mr. Freeman
  All export licence applications are looked at on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all the available evidence and our national and international policy commitments.

  In the case of Iran, since December 1984, this has been undertaken by a Ministry of Defence working group and an interdepartmental committee, which includes representatives from FCO and DTI.

  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on the duties of the Minister of State for Defence Procurement in the export procedures of British arms; [29472]

  (2) what role the right hon. member for Thanet, South, (Mr. Aitken) had in respect of the export of arms to Singapore while acting as Minister for Defence Procurement. [29473]

  Mr. Freeman
  The Minister of State for Defence Procurement has responsibility within MOD for, inter alia, promoting defence exports within Government policy. He also has ministerial responsibility in relation to the advice on exports his Department gives to the Department for Trade and Industry, as licensing authority.

  Sea Dart
  Mr. Thurnham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the contract for the Sea Dart airframe refurbishment contract to be placed. [28887]

  Mr. Freeman
  A response to the single-source invitation to tender is currently the subject of detailed evaluation. Contract award will be dependent on the negotiation of an acceptable price which can be demonstrated as offering value for money.

  RAF Redundancy Programme
  Mr. Bill Walker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the RAF redundancy programme. [29449]
  233
  Mr. Freeman
  A total of some 8,600 Royal Air Force redundancies are planned in two phases over 1995–96 and 1996–97. Those leaving in 1995–96 will be volunteers. Work is continuing on the composition of the second phase in 1996–97, which will be made up of volunteers and some compulsory redundancies. It is hoped that as many places as possible will be taken by volunteers.

  Ballistic Missiles
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with other members of NATO about ballistic missile defence. [28920]

  Mr. Freeman
  The NATO summit in January 1994 commissioned work to develop a NATO policy to address the risks posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. Since then there have been regular meetings both bilaterally and multilaterally with allies in a number of fora to review all aspects of this problem, including ballistic missile defence. The most recent discussions were at the last defence planning committee in Brussels on 8 June.

  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is her Majesty's Government's policy towards the procurement of a ballistic missile defence system for the United Kingdom. [28922]

  Mr. Freeman
  I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 12 June 1995,Official Report, column 364.

  Multifunction Electronically Scanned Adaptive Radar
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the Mesar system and its application for ballistic missile defence. [28921]

  Mr. Freeman
  The multifunction electronically scanned adaptive radar is being developed with a number of air defence applications in mind, including most surface-to-air missile systems. It is also the key element of a technology demonstrator programme which, as I announced to the House on 18 October 1994,Official Report, column 239, could have an application for ballistic missile defence. This programme will take some two and half years to complete, including tests, and aims to develop technologies where the UK is an acknowledged world leader.

  Eurofighter 2000
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his current estimate of the likely cost of each aircraft in the Eurofighter 2000 project. [29160]

  Mr. Freeman
  The current estimated unit production cost of the Eurofighter 2000 aircraft for the UK is £37.3 million at today's prices.

  Service Personnel
  Mr. McAllion
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) service personnel, (b) retired officer grades and (c) other non-industrial civil servants were employed in each of the service areas dealing with quarterly or estates functions in each year since 1979. [28791]
  234
  Mr. Soames
  Personnel data are not held for this particular function, and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine
  Mr. Burden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are currently employed at the RAF Institute of Pathology and Tropical Medicine. [29886]

  Mr. Soames
  As at 16 June 1995, 16 civilian and 74 service personnel were employed there.

  Charter Week
  Mr. Morgan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the main events he is proposing for Charter Week; what is the total cost to public funds; and how many(a) civil servants and (b) other public officials will be playing a part. [29883]

  Mr. Soames
  A number of Ministry of Defence events are planned to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the citizens charter, including:

  1 July: RAF Quedgley, Gloucester—Open Day

  8–9 July: Wirral Show, Wallasey—Defence Policy Exhibition (DPE)

  11–13 July: Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate—DPE

  16 July: RAF Sealand, Chester—Open Day

  18–20 July: East of England Show, Peterborough—DPE

  19–29 July: Royal Tournament, Earls Court

  22–23 July: International Air Tattoo—DPE

  These events were scheduled to take place as part of MOD's normal arrangements for keeping the public informed about defence policy and on what taxpayers' money is spent. No additional costs or staff resources will be required.

  Gulf War Syndrome
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many ex-service personnel have been examined to date by his Department's medical personnel, or on behalf of his Department, concerning Gulf war syndrome. [28625]

  Mr. Soames
  To date a total of 270 individuals have been medically examined as part of my Department's Gulf war medical assessment programme, 190 of whom were former members of the armed forces at the time of their assessment.

  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Gulf war syndrome. [28623]

  Mr. Soames
  We continue to investigate the allegations of a Gulf war syndrome with scientific rigour, principally through a medical assessment programme. To date 270 veterans have been examined as part of the programme and any remaining veterans concerned about their health are encouraged to come forward for assessment by a service consultant. Preliminary findings of the assessment programme, published in the British Medical Journal on 22 April 1995, show that there is no evidence from these clinical examinations that United Kingdom Gulf personnel are suffering from any syndrome or unexplained pattern of illness.
  235
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial and other assistance is made for ex-military personnel suffering from Gulf war syndrome. [28626]

  Mr. Soames
  There is comprehensive assistance for all ex-service personnel. In addition, those ex-service personnel who are concerned about their health as a result of service in the Gulf conflict have repeatedly been urged to come forward for a medical examination by a service consultant under my Department's Gulf war medical assessment programme. Financial assistance is available to help with the travel and subsistence costs of attending the programme. Veterans coming forward for assessment are given a comprehensive medical examination and offered a diagnosis.

  As the prime responsibility for the health of former service personnel rests with the national health service a medical report is forwarded to the individual's civilian general practitioner to assist with further treatment.

  Claims for compensation will of course be met by Department if it is proven that a liability in common law exists in respect of the claimed illnesses but to date no detailed grounds for such claims have been submitted by solicitors representing Gulf veterans.

  Personnel discharged on medical grounds for whatever reason my be eligible for benefits under the armed forces benefit scheme. In addition, all former service personnel can apply to the War Pensions Agency of the Department of Social Security for a war disablement award if they consider that they are suffering a disability as a direct result of their armed forces service, including service in the Gulf conflict. To date 153 such awards have been made to Gulf veterans, although none is in respect of the alleged Gulf war syndrome. Finally, all former personnel have access to the various welfare organisations and charities associated with the services.

  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of Gulf war syndrome have been reported since 1990. [28624]

  Mr. Soames
  The first cases of the alleged Gulf war syndrome among United Kingdom Gulf veterans were reported in 1993. Since then, 302 individuals have responded to requests from my Department for those who are concerned about their health as a result of service in Operation Granby to come forward to examination under the Department's Gulf war medical assessment programme. Around 240 of these are from a group of some 530 individuals on whose behalf notification has been received from solicitors that they intend to make a claim against my Department in respect of illnesses alleged to result from service in the Gulf. Our investigations have not established any medical or scientific evidence to support a connection between Gulf war service and the reported illnesses.

  Low Flying
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the final report by the RAF Police into the alleged low flying incident over Barnoldswick and Earby in January. [28814]

  Mr. Soames
  No. Service police reports are prepared for internal purposes and are considered confidential to the Ministry of Defence. However, the conclusions and 236
  summaries of the findings of RAF Police investigations into alleged breaches of low flying regulations are provided to those Members of Parliament or individuals who report the incidents to my Department.

  In the case in question, the hon. Member was provided with this information during the Adjournment debate on low-flying military aircraft on 28 April, Official Report, column 1159 and in the letter of 7 June from my noble Friend, the Under-Secretary of State for Defence.

  Annual Reports
  Mr. Fabricant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many inspecting grade officers of his Department's police were awarded box 4 assessments for their overall performance in their annual staff reports during the period between 1990 and 1994; and how many of these officers then had his Department's inefficiency procedure initiated against them. [28632]

  Mr. Soames
  Four inspecting officers were awarded box 4 assessments for their overall performance between 1990 and 1994. Only one had inefficiency procedures initiated against him.

  Atlas Equipment Company
  Mr. Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department has placed with the Atlas Equipment Company based in London for periods for which information is available since 1979. [28996]

  Mr. Freeman
  According to the Defence Accounts Agency database the Procurement Executive has had no contact with any company of this name in London as far back as our current records date, which is to 1990.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many written parliamentary questions were tabled for answer by his Department in each of the past five years; how many of these were not answered because the information(a) could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, (b) was not held centrally and (c) was not normally disclosed; how many of these could now be answered due to computerisation, more effective and efficient operational systems or more open government; and if he will list each question along with the name and constituency of the right hon. or hon. Member who originally tabled it. [28515]

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

  Royal British Legion
  Mr. McMaster
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what public funds are available to branches of the Royal British Legion who wish to mount events to commemorate VJ day; and if he will make a statement. [28526]

  Mr. Soames
  Public funds are being made available only for Government sponsored events which are scheduled to take place in London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. They are not available for local, privately organised events.

  BMARC
  Mr. Byers
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many documents seized by his Department's police from the offices of BMARC in April 1990 have been withheld for(a) security and (b) other reasons. [29662]

  Mr. Soames
  All the documents taken by the Ministry of Defence Police which previously belonged to Astra/BMARC, and of which we are aware, have been sent to the liquidators.

  Arms Sources (Iran-Iraq War)
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment has been made by his Department on the source of arms used by the Iranian Government during the Iran-Iraq war; and if he will make a statement. [29470]

  Mr. Freeman
  My Department broadly agrees with the assessment contained in the 1987 edition of the SIPRI Yearbook on World Armament and Disarmament, which shows that some 40 countries supplied arms to Iran during 1980–86.

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  UK/Israeli Military Links
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  Counter-Proliferation Initiative
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