Written Answers of 1 March 1995

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Gas Safety
  Mr. Raymond S. Robertson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the Health and Safety Commission's report on gas safety will be published.

  Mr. Eggar
  I have today published, jointly with the Health and Safety Commission, its report on safety in the new gas market.

  I welcome the report's recommendations for a comprehensive gas safety management regime. The proposals provide a firm framework which will allow the proposed safety regime to respond proportionately and flexibly to the unfolding impact of liberalisation.

  The report examines the safety implications of liberalising the domestic gas supply market, and of a more open framework for gas pipeline systems. It describes the means which will be required to maintain, and if possible improve upon, the safety record of British Gas as the extent of unitary control of the pipeline system reduces over time.

  Each system transporting gas to the public will be required to appoint a system manager, who will set out in a written safety case how management of the system will be achieved. Some of these safety cases are likely to be quite simple and straightforward. They will all, however, have to address key safety criteria approved by the Health and Safety Executive. The HSE will need to accept the safety case before operations can begin, although transitional arrangements will be put in place to avoid disruption as these new arrangements are introduced.

  When a number of public gas transporter systems come together, a network manager will he appointed to be responsible for producing an over-arching safety case for the network as a whole, which will also have to be accepted by the HSE. It will set down the specified emergency conditions in which the network manager will have statutory powers to override the operation of the whole network, and how this should be done. These powers will be backed up by licence obligations on shippers and suppliers to co-operate in an emergency.

  The report also covers other important issues, such as emergency response and safety downstream of the meter. Although adequate interim provision for safety is made in the Gas Bill, the HSC has set 1 April 1996 as a target date for agreeing new regulations and the associated documentation, to coincide with the opening up to competition of an initial area covering some 500,000 consumers.

  Copies of the report have been placed in the Library of the House.

  Gas and Electricity Industries
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to introduce legislation which would place a duty on the regulators of(a) the gas industry and (b) the electricity industry to have regard to the environmental impacts of the companies they regulate.

  Mr. Eggar
  Section 3 of the Electricity Act 1989 places on the Director General of Electricity Supply a duty to take into account, in exercising his functions assigned or transferred to him under the Act, the effect on the physical environment of activities connected with the generation, transmission or supply of electricity. It is proposed to include a broadly equivalent provision in the forthcoming Gas Bill.

  Inward Investment, Cumbria
  Dr. John Cunningham
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to promote west Cumbria as a destination for inward investment.

  Mr. Heseltine
  The Invest in Britain Bureau is responsible for promoting the UK as a destination for foreign investment. It has achieved some notable successes over recent years. At regional level the Invest in Britain Bureau part-funds a network of regional development organisations to promote overseas investment. Cumbria is served by INWARD, which received a grant of £1.29 million for 1994–95 to promote inward investment into the whole of the north-west region. The county also benefits from the activities of the Northern Development Company in this respect. At a more local level, my Department has contributed to the Cumbria marketing initiative and has worked closely with west Cumbria agencies to improve the attractiveness of the area for inward investment. West Cumbria benefits from the availability of regional selective assistance and a major investment programme by English Partnerships.

  Domestic Gas Supplies
  Mr. Home Robertson
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many households in the United Kingdom use gas from cylinders for(a) cooking and (b) heating; and if he will make a statement on the scale and impact of recent increases in the price of such gas supply.

  Mr. Page
  It is estimated that about 300,000 households use gas from cylinders for cooking and/or heating in Great Britain and 150,000 households in Northern Ireland. There are no statistics available breaking down the use of cylinder gas between cooking and heating.

  I understand a temporary gas price surcharge was introduced around the beginning of February, reflecting an exceptional supply/demand imbalance in the international market for propane. The surcharge appears to be around 10 to 20 per cent. The suppliers have indicated that they expect to remove the surcharge in March.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Campbell-Savours
  To ask the President of the Board of Trade what items of correspondence were received by Ministers in his Department from Messrs Ian Greer Associates in the last month.
  569
  Mr. Heseltine
  [holding answer 28 February 1995]: As far as I am aware Ministers in my Department have received a total of six items of correspondence. They include one invitation for a reception and one invitation for drinks—both refused—one letter of congratulations to my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Industry and Energy for winding up the debate on regional electricity companies in the House of Commons on 20 February, and three letters of congratulations to my hon. Friend the new parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Industry and Energy.

PRIME MINISTER

  St. David's Day
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Prime Minister, what proposals he has to make St. David's day a bank holiday in Wales.

  The Prime Minister
  None.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

  Tourism
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment he has made of the need for a tourist accommodation grading system in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I have today published an agenda for action in the tourist sector which sets out the Government's assessment of the need for improved market signals in the accommodation sector.

  Mr. Elletson
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps he is taking to promote jobs in the tourism industry.

  Mr. Dorrell
  I have over the past few months been conducting a review of the performance of the tourism industry and of our policies towards it. The analysis is complete and I have today published my agenda for Government action to help the industry improve its competitive performance. Details of my proposals are contained in a document entitle "Tourism: Competing with the Best", which I placed in the House of Commons Library earlier today, together with the analysis by McKinsey which underlies the agenda.

  Fast-Stream Entry
  Mrs. Maddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proportion of those accepted for fast-stream entry for which his Department is responsible(a) in 1991, (b) 1992, (c) in 1993 and (d) in 1994 were women.

  Mr. Dorrell
  The figures for the proportion of women accepted for fast-stream entry by my Department are as follows:

  Year

  Total number of faststreamers

  Proportion that were women (per cent.)

  1992

  0

  0

  1993

  1

  100

  1994

  2

  50

  570
  The Department was formed in April 1992 and therefore there are no figures for 1991.

  Deregulation
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will ensure the enforcement provisions contained in the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 apply to all regulations for which his Department is responsible, past, present and future, and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Sproat
  [holding answer 27 February 1995]: I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 27 February 1995, Official Report, columns 431–32.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Court of Appeal
  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list(a) the percentage of civil cases considered by the Court of Appeal that were successful and (b) the percentage of civil cases in which (i) the successful party was British and (ii) the unsuccessful party was foreign for each of the last five years.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The percentage of civil appeal cases disposed of by the Court of Appeal that were successful in each legal year from 1989–90 to 1993–94 inclusive was 25.5, 26.1, 27.9, 27.8 and 28.7 respectively.

  Information relating to the nationality of parties is not recorded.

  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give the arithmetic mean of the ages of the current judges that hear civil appeal cases in the Court of Appeal.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The arithmetic mean of the ages of the Master of the Rolls, the president of the family division, the vice-chancellor and the lords justices of appeal is 63. This figure is based on the judges in post on 27 February 1995, and their ages on that date. Lords justices are, of course, available to sit in both the civil and criminal divisions of the Court of Appeal. They are occasionally assisted by serving High Court judges and retired lords justices of appeal.

  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make it his policy to collate information on the number of civil appeals unsuccessful in the Court of Appeal for which applications for leave of appeal to the House of Lords were refused.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  I have no plans to do so. As the hon. Member will know, information on the outcome of petitions to the House of Lords for leave to appeal to that House is available.

  Mr. Gareth Wardell
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what system he employs to check on the performance of judges who hear cases in the Court of Appeal.
  571
  Mr. John M. Taylor
  The Lord Chancellor attaches the highest importance to the constitutional principle of judicial independence. He has established no procedures for monitoring the performance of the full-time judiciary. Recourse from a judicial decision in the Court of Appeal properly lies through the normal appeal process to the House of Lords.

  Mr. Bryce Taylor
  Mr. John Marshall
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department pursuant to his answer of 17 February,Official Report, column 845, if the legal aid fund expects to pay the costs of Mr. Bryce Taylor.

  Mr. John M. Taylor
  I understand that the parties in this case have settled out of court and that the terms of the settlement are such that there will be no call on the legal aid fund.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

  Palestine
  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to(a) the United Nations and (b) the World bank for funds to assist construction projects with the Palestine National Authority.

  Mr. Baldry
  We are in close touch with both the United Nations and the World bank and discuss their programmes and priorities in detail with them. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has planned a number of labour intensive projects and the World bank is funding an emergency rehabilitation programme with the Palestinian authority: both programmes include construction projects.

  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total amount of United Kingdom funds so far(a) pledged and (b) remitted for the purpose of assisting the Palestine National Authority; and to what purpose the funds are directed.

  Mr. Baldry
  My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced last year our intention to provide £75 million during 1994–95 to 1996–97 to the Palestinians and in support of the peace process. This includes direct bilateral assistance and aid channelled through multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the European Community.

  In 1993–94 we spent £3.3 million from our bilateral country programme, and we expect to spend around £6.4 million in 1994–95. This includes a £3 million contribution for police salaries. Most of the remainder will support a range of projects, in partnership with the Palestinian authority and non-government organisations, in public administration, finance and private enterprise, water and health.

  Since the signature of the Israeli-Palestinian declaration of principles in September 1993, the European Commission estimates that it has spent 73 million ecu. Over the same period we have provided £9 million direct to UNRWA.
  572
  Mr. Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which specific projects the Overseas Development Administration is involved, or planning to become involved, in the Palestine National Authority.

  Mr. Baldry
  A wide range of projects is being implemented or planned in the priority sectors agreed with the Palestinian authority. Information about a number of projects is given in an information folder called "British Aid to the Palestinians", copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Announcements will he made about other significant projects as these are finalised with the Palestinian authority.

  Indonesia
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 6 December 1994,Official Report, columns 118–20, if he will give the exact date of formal appraisal documents submitted by the Overseas Development Administration and the Department of Trade and Industry in respect of the aid and trade provision support for shortwave radio transmitters to Indonesia; and if he will place in the Library the relevant evaluation documents.

  Mr. Baldry
  The Overseas Development Administration engaged the transmitter projects group of the British Broadcasting Corporation to appraise the shortwave radio transmitters project, Indonesia. The appraisal report is dated 25 October 1990.

  In line with established policy, the ODA does not publish its project appraisals.

  Bangladesh
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the aid given to Bangladesh in(a) 1993 and (b) 1994 has been spent on assisting the training of Bangladeshi troops.

  Mr. Baldry
  No development funds have been used for the purpose of training Bangladeshi military officers. We do however provide assistance under the FCO-administered United Kingdom military training assistance scheme and the police and other training scheme—POLOT.

  World Bank
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to make the World bank more accountable to its funders.

  Mr. Baldry
  We consider the arrangements which the bank has for accountability to the member Governments to be broadly satisfactory but, along with other shareholders, we continue to keep this matter under review.

  Rwanda
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contributions(a) the United Kingdom and (b) other EC countries are making to the recovery of the humanitarian measures in Rwanda.
  573
  Mr. Baldry
  [holding answer 27 February 1995]: The EU and its member states have responded generously to humanitarian needs in Rwanda. The table, which is supplied by UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs, gives the breakdown of contributions up to 31 December 1994:

  Donor

  Value US$

  Austria

  427,097

  Belgium

  9,569,819

  Denmark

  12,022,532

  Finland

  3,147,876

  France

  4,969,849

  Germany

  54,032,033

  Greece

  169,193

  Italy

  13,698,477

  Luxembourg

  1,621.114

  Netherlands

  30,642,032

  Spain

  4,162,772

  Sweden

  36,340,848

  United Kingdom

  52,998,195

  EC

  1223,875,090

  Total

  447,676,927

  1 Of which about 13 per cent, is provided by the UK.

  The UK has already responded quickly to the 1995 UN consolidated inter-agency appeal for Rwanda with a pledge of £4 million.

  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member of Clydebank and Milngavie (Mr. Worthington) on 6 February, column 24–26, in respect of contributions to Rwanda's rehabilitation needs.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Constabularies
  Mr. Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) police officers and (b) civilians are currently serving in constabularies in (i) England and Wales and (ii) the west midlands; and how many were serving in 1979.

  Mr. Maclean
  The information is set out in the table.

  Police officers

  Civilian staff

  As at 31 December

  England and Wales

  West Midlands police

  England and Wales

  West Midlands police

  1979

  113,580

  6,160

  35,382

  1,413

  1994

  127,358

  6,996

  50,978

  2,611

  Police Support Services
  Mr. Booth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are his proposals for bringing competition to bear on police white collar support services.

  Mr. Howard
  It is the Government's intention that compulsory competitive tendering should be introduced to police white collar support services as part of a rolling programme. Detailed consultation proposals for police legal services were issued on 3 May 1994, and for police 574
  construction-related and property services, and the proposed statutory accounting framework on 6 June 1994. The Government have now considered the responses received from the police service, local authority associations and other interested bodies.

  With police legal services, the Government have decided that police authorities will be subject to the same CCT regime as other authorities defined under the Local Government Act 1988, except for a number of specific exemptions. The exemptions centre on the legal work associated with the criminal justice process, police complaints and discipline, unsatisfactory performance proceedings against police officers and licensing functions undertaken by police forces. The exemptions will protect operational policing and management functions special to the police service.

  Similarly, with the police construction-related and property services, the Government have decided that the same CCT regime will apply to both police and other defined authorities except for one specific exemption. The work of police architectural liaison officers will not be included within this defined activity, but will be specifically excluded because such a specialist crime prevention role should properly remain within the police service.

  The Government have also decided that police authorities will be subject to the same statutory accounting framework as other similar defined authorities, which will involve the annual publication of a statement of support service costs. The publication of SSSC's will enable informed discussion of support service costs, and promote efficiency and value for money.

  Young Offenders
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the future arrangements for the placement of young offenders, sentenced under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, in local authority accommodation and youth treatment centres.

  Mr. Howard
  From 1 April 1995 the responsibility for seeking and financing placements for young offenders, sentenced under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, in local authority accommodation and youth treatment centres will transfer from the Department of Health to the Home Office.

  Research (Non-Human Primates)
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ban the use of wild-caught non-human primates in scientific procedures and introduce further administrative controls on the use of non-human primates in such procedures.

  Mr. Howard
  I have considered recommendations from the Animal Procedures Committee on the use of non-human primates in scientific procedures and have accepted its view that I should ban the use of wild-caught non-human primates except where a project licence applicant can establish exceptional and specific justification.
  575
  In the light of the committee's advice, I have taken a number of administrative steps to ensure the effectiveness of such a ban, I have decided that:

  (i) a condition will be placed on a project licence authorising the use of non-human primates, requiring records relating to the breeding and conditions of housing and husbandry at the breeding centre(s) from which animals are obtained—and in the case of wild-caught animals the conditions in any holding centre—to be available for inspection by the Home Office;

  (ii) waivers under section 10(3) of the 1986 Act to allow the use of purpose-bred primates from non-designated sources will be conditional upon lifetime records being supplied;

  (iii) if the source of the animals is not know when the project licence application is prepared, or if the proposed source is likely to change, a condition will be placed on the licence that the source must be agreed by the Home Office before the animals are obtained and any procedure commences;

  (iv) the inspectorate will take into account the potential adverse effects, for example during transport, which may occur to the animals concerned before arrival in the United Kingdom; and

  (v) the Home Office will keep under review the availability of information about primate use, and will ensure that as much is published as is permissible within the restraints of the legislation and the need for commercial confidentiality.

  I have agreed also a number of other changes to the condition upon which non-human primates may be used:

  (i) applicants for project licences will be required to explain clearly why only non-human primates as opposed to any other species, including man where appropriate, are considered essential for the programme of research:

  (ii) where applicable, the applicant will be required to provide a clear explanation in the project licence application of why the use of old world, rather than new world, primates is proposed;

  (iii) procedures to be carried out using primates will be required to be described in separate protocol sheets on the project licence application, and primates must not be grouped with other species in such descriptions;

  (iv) when old work non-human primates have been used under a toxicology project licence in procedures of more than mild severity, the licence holder will be required to provide a justification to the Home Office. The Department will keep such use under review and report to the Animal Procedures Committee;

  (v) more detailed, collated data on primate use will be published either in the annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals or in the annual report of the APC.

  In the case of the requirement on the use of old work non-human primates under toxicology project licences, I have accepted the objective of a recommendation from the Animal Procedures Committee but have taken the view that this can be achieved by alternative means. The approach to be adopted will impose less burden on the companies involved in regulatory toxicity testing, and will ensure that the animals—scientific procedures—inspectorate is not diverted from its primary tasks of advising on applications for personal and project licence and visiting scientific establishments.

  I have placed in the Library a copy of the committee's recommendations, and of the Home Office ministerial reply.

  North East London Probation Service
  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what will be the effect of the November 1994 budget statement on the North East London probation service;
  576
  (2) what was the effect of the November 1993 statement on the budget of North East London probation service.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  The 1993 Budget statement resulted in a specific grant cash limit for 1994–95 for the North East London probation service of £7.2 million, 6.8 per cent. higher than for 1993–94. The 1994 Budget statement resulted in a specific grant cash limit for 1995–96 of £7.1 million, plus a further £200,000 to support probation service partnerships with the independent sector previously funded separately by the Home Office.

  It is for the North East London probation service to decide how these resources are best used and to determine what specific changes within the service should be undertaken on the basis of the total expenditure limit implied by this level of grant support.

  Mr. Timms
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were employed, and what grade, by the North East London probation service on 30 June 1992, 30 June 1993 and 30 June 1994.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  Information is given in the table.

  Staff employed by the North East London probation service, in post at 30 June, whole-time equivalent1 by grade and type

  Number of staff, whole time equivalent

  30 June 1992

  30 June 1993

  30 June 1994

  Probation Officers

  Chief

  1

  1

  1

  Deputy Chief

  —

  —

  —

  Assistant Chief

  3

  4

  4

  Senior

  21

  21

  22

  Main grade

  102

  114

  109

  Total probation officers

  127

  140

  137

  Non-probation grade staff

  Probation Services' Officers2

  36

  40

  36

  Clerical/secretarial

  92

  99

  101

  Administrative

  11

  13

  12

  Other non-probation grade staff, excluding hostel staff3

  10

  17

  17

  Hostel staff

  12

  17

  13

  Total non-probation grade staff

  161

  186

  179

  Total probation staff

  287

  326

  316

  1 Whole-time staff plus whole-time equivalent of part-time staff. Figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Components and totals are rounded independently and so components may not add precisely to totals.

  2 Formerly ancillaries

  3 Figures include sessional supervisors on community service schemes, staff employed in student training units and on miscellaneous functions.

  Employment of Children (Offences)
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is(a) the maximum and (b) the average penalty imposed on any person convicted for offences relating to the employment of children, and (c) how many served a term of imprisonment in the last year that figures were available.

  Mr. Maclean
  Information for 1993—the latest available—is given in the table. 1994 data will not be available until autumn 1995.
  577

  Sentencing data for offences against the employment of children England and Wales

  1993 data

  Fine

  Legislation

  Offence description

  Maximum sentence

  Prosecutions

  Convictions

  Conditional discharge

  Total fined

  Average fine given

  Maximum fine given

  Probation order

  Immediate custody

  Children and Young Persons Act 1933 Sec 4

  Causing a child or young person to be in any street, &c, for the purpose of begging

  £500 or 3 months or both

  29

  25

  16

  8

  £31

  £50

  1

  —

  Education Act 1944 Sees 58–60

  Employment of children or young persons

  £200 or 1 month or both

  2

  1

  —

  1

  £50

  £50

  —

  —

  Children and Young Persons Act 1933 Sees 18 to 21 (Sec 18 as amended by the Children Act 1972)

  Restrictions on the employment of children (including street trading)

  £1,000

  5

  4

  —

  4

  £159

  £300

  —

  —

  Asylum Seekers, Haslar Prison
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for how long the person who has been detained for the longest period of time, while seeking asylum in the United Kingdom, has been in Haslar prison;

  (2) if he will list (a) nationalities, (b) gender and age, (c) number of each nationality, (d) annual cost to Her Majesty's Government and (e) the total number of all those seeking asylum in the United Kingdom who are detained at Haslar prison.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  At 23 February 1995, a total of 83 people who had sought asylum were detained at the all-male Haslar holding centre. This figure includes people awaiting the setting of directions for removal following the refusal of their applications, as well as those whose applications were under consideration or subject to appeal. Information on the nationality and age of these detainees is given in the tables. The longest currently detained person at Haslar who had sought asylum has been detained since 23 March 1994.

  Haslar is a Prison Service establishment run almost exclusively to house people detained under immigration powers. The Prison Service does not separate out costs according to the category of inmate but, in 1993–94, the net operating cost per prisoner place in local prisons and remand centres was £21,400.

  Numbers of persons detained at Her Majesty's Holding Centre, Haslar' who have sought asylum, by nationality, as at 23 February 1995

  Nationality

  Number detained

  Europe and Americas

  Bulgaria

  1

  Columbia

  1

  Poland

  1

  Russia

  1

  Turkey

  3

  Turkish Cyprus

  1

  Yugoslavia

  1

  Middle and Far East

  Bangladesh

  2

  China

  6

  India

  3

  578

  Numbers of persons detained at Her Majesty's Holding Centre, Haslar1 who have sought asylum, by nationality, as at 23 February 1995

  Nationality

  Number detained

  Iran

  1

  Pakistan

  1

  Africa

  Algeria

  11

  Benin

  1

  Eritrea

  1

  Ghana

  18

  Kenya

  2

  Liberia

  2

  Nigeria

  21

  Sierra Leone

  2

  Sudan

  3

  Zaire

  1

  Total

  184

  1 One Haslar detainee is currently in hospital.

  Numbers of persons detained at HM Holding Centre, Haslar1 who have sought asylum, by age, as at 23 February 1995

  Age

  Number detained

  19 or under

  2

  20–24

  18

  25–29

  30

  30–34

  17

  35–39

  12

  40–44

  4

  45 or over

  1

  Total

  184

  1 One Haslar detainee is currently in hospital.

  Carriers' Liability
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask Secretary of state for the Home Department if he will publish a list of airlines which have been charged under the provisions of the Immigration (Carrier's Liability) Act 1987, stating the number of passengers involved, the amount of charges paid and the amount of charges unpaid for each of the past five years.
  579
  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  I am unable, for reasons of commercial confidentiality, to provide details of the charges incurred by individual carriers, and the numbers of passengers involved. The total value of charges paid and outstanding for each of the last five years were as follows:

  £ million

  Year

  Total charges paid in each year

  Total charges outstanding at the end of each year

  1990

  3.433

  115.653

  19912

  7.581

  19.440

  1992

  4.789

  25.775

  1993

  11.500

  22.003

  1994

  8.652

  324.527

  Notes:

  1 Includes charges outstanding from previous years. Figures for 1990 and subsequent years are therefore cumulative.

  2 Charge increased from £1,000 to £2,000 per improperly documented passenger on 1 August 1991.

  3 Of this sum, £13.514 million is currently the subject of settlement discussions.

  Football Violence
  Mr. Chris Smith
  To ask the Secretary of state for the Home Department (1) what evidence he has of the involvement of people associated with Combat 18 in the recent football riot in Dublin;

  (2) what investigation he has called for into the organised involvement of political extremists in the recent football violence in Dublin.

  Mr. Howard
  I understand from the police that they have no evidence that this violence was organised by Combat 18 or any other group of political extremists, although some of the individuals involved may have sympathies with such groups. Any further investigation is a matter for the police.

TREASURY

  VAT
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the return to the Treasury of value added tax on works, maintenance and repair of buildings for which listed building consent is required, in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Information on expenditure on repairs and maintenance of listed buildings is not readily available.

  Sports Clubs
  Dr. Spink
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will encourage clubs which supply sporting services, with particular reference to golf clubs, to take carefully into account the representations and interests of its past and present members when considering the application or distribution of any refunded VAT resulting from the VAT exemptions for supplies of certain sporting services for the period following 1 January 1990.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Coventry, South-East 580
  (Mr. Butcher) on 27 February 1995, Official Report, column 409.

  National Lottery
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his current forecast of the revenue the Exchequer will receive from national lottery tax in the financial years(a) 1994–95 and (b) 1995–96.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  In the financial year 1994–95, it is estimated that the Exchequer will receive £104 million from lottery duty. Receipts for 1995–96 are difficult to forecast because the national lottery instant game is due to start shortly. However, lottery duty receipts are included in a forecast yield of £1.2 billion for 1995–96 from all betting, gaming and lottery duties.

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has so far been received in lottery tax from the operators of the national lottery; and on what dates these payments were made.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The operator of the national lottery has made three payments of lottery duty. On 15 December 1995, the operator paid £11,629,122.72; on 16 January, £32,755,258.32; and on 15 February, £29,978,975.04. The total revenue so far received is £74,363,356.08.

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what forecast he made of national lottery turnover in the financial years 1994–95 and 1995–96 when he set the rate of lottery tax at 12 per cent.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  At the time the lottery duty rate was set at 12 per cent., the forecast for national lottery turnover was £1.5 billion for a full financial year. At that time it was not known when the national lottery would start to operate and no separate forecast was made for 1994–95.

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what frequency operators of the national lottery are required to pay lottery tax.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  The operator of the national lottery is required to pay lottery duty on the 15th of the month following the month in which the liability arises.

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what benefit accrues to the Exchequer from the interest earned on sums due from the promoters of the national lottery in lottery tax but not paid until the due date.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  There are no arrangements for the payment of interest to the Exchequer in relation to lottery duty.

  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what dates during the financial year 1994–95 the operators of the national lottery are required to pay lottery tax.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  In the financial year 1994–95, the operator of the national lottery is required to make payments of lottery duty on 15 December, 13 January—15 January is a Sunday and payment should be made on the last working day before—15 February and 15 March.

  Pool Betting Duty
  Mrs. Ann Taylor
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what frequency football promoters are required to pay pool betting duty.
  581
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  Pool betting duty is payable weekly on Thursday following the week, which ends on a Saturday, in which the liability for the duty arose. However, certain pools promoters have been granted an extension which allows them a further week before they are required to submit returns and payment.

  Monetary Policy
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account the Government's monetary and exchange rate policies take of the role of the exchange rate as a market-clearing mechanism; and what assessment he has made of how the equilibrium rate is related to the current account of the balance of payments.

  Mr. Nelson
  Movements in the exchange rate are considered as part of the general assessment of monetary conditions in setting monetary policy. The current account of the balance of payments is affected by a large number of factors, including world trade, growth in United Kingdom export markets, export profit margins, domestic demand and competitiveness. The current account is only one of many factors which can affect the exchange rate.

  Consultants
  Mr. Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are his latest estimates of the expenditure on all external consultants, including management consultants, for each year since 1987, in 1994 prices, for his Department and its agencies; and what are the quantified annual cost savings which such expenditure has resulted in.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 9 February 1995]: The cost of employing consultants in the years since 1991–92 at 1994 prices is shown in the table. Expenditure in earlier years and details of the level of savings, which are not held centrally, could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

  Value of Consultancy work (in 1994 prices) (in £million—excluding VAT)

  Year

  £ million

  1991–92

  10.70

  1992–93

  2.27

  1993–94

  5.90

  1994–95

  1.00

  Statutory Instruments
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the statutory instruments which his Department has sponsored in the last 12 months.

  Mr. Nelson
  [holding answer 27 February 1995]: The information relating to the Treasury, for the 12-month period February 1994 to January 1995, is as follows:

  S.I. Number

  Title

  1994/188

  The Traded Securities (Disclosure) Regulations 1994

  1994/236

  The Distraint by Collectors (Fees. Costs and Charges) Regulations 1994

  1994/265

  The Trustee Investments (Additional Powers) Order 1994

  1994/343

  The Savings Certificates (Amendment) Regulations 1994

  582

  S.I. Number

  Title

  1994/350

  The Superannuation (Children's Pensions) (Earnings Limit) Order 1994

  1994/468

  The Acquisition of Land (Rate of Interest after Entry) Regulations 1994

  1994/469

  The Acquisition of Land (Rate of Interest after Entry) (Scotland) Regulations 1994

  1994/656

  The Building Societies (General Charge and Fees) Regulations 1994

  1994/657

  The Friendly Societies (General Charge and Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 1994

  1994/658

  The Industrial and Provident Societies (Credit Unions) (Amendment of Fees) Regulations 1994

  1994/660

  The Industrial and Provident Societies (Amendment of Fees) Regulations 1994

  1994/687

  The Value added Tax (Sport, Physical Education and Fund-raising Events) Order 1994

  1994/744

  The Telecommunications Act 1984 (Government Shareholding) Order 1994

  1994/776

  The Pensions Increase (Review) Order 1994

  1994/777

  The Income Tax (Replacement Cars) Regulation 1994

  1994/778

  The Income Tax (Car Benefits) (Replacement Accessories) Regulations 1994

  1994/955

  The Travellers' Allowances Order 1994

  1994/1188

  The Value Added Tax (Education) Order 1994

  1994/1257(c.22)

  The Finance Act 1994, Section 45, (Appointed Day) Order 1994

  1994/1307

  The Taxes (Interest Rate) (Amendment) Regulations 1994

  1994/1410

  The Free Zone (Southampton) Designation (Variation) Order 1994

  1994/1479

  The Income Tax (Definition of Unit Trust Scheme) (Amendment) Regulations 1994

  1994/1517

  The Financial Services Act 1986 (Miscellaneous Exemptions) Order 1994

  1994/1518

  The Private Medical Insurance (Disentitlement to Tax Relief and Approved Benefits) Regulations 1994

  1994/1567

  The Taxes (Interest Rate) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 1994

  1994/1698

  The Insurance Premium Tax (Taxable Insurance Contracts) Order 1994

  1994/1819

  The Insurance Premium Tax (Prescribed Rates of Interest) Order 1994

  1994/1820

  The Air Passenger Duty (Prescribed Rates of Interest) Order 1994

  1994/1821

  The Air Passenger Duty (Connected Flights) Order 1994

  1994/1908

  The Trustee Investments (Additional Powers (No. 2) Order 1994

  1994/2216

  The Free Zone (Port of Tilbury) Designation (Variation) Order 1994

  1994/2508(c.50)

  The Finance Act 1989, Section 165(2), (Appointed Day) Order 1994

  1994/2509

  The Free Zone (Birmingham Airport) (Substitution of Responsible Authority) Order 1994

  1994/2542

  The Value Added Tax Act 1994 (Interest on Tax) (Prescribed Rate) Order 1994

  1994/2543(c.51)

  The Friendly Societies Act 1982 (Commencement No. 8) Order 1994

  1994/2656

  The Capital Gains Tax (Gilt-edged Securities) Order 1994

  1994/2657

  The Taxes (Interest Rate) (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 1994

  1994/2898

  The Free Zone (Port of Sheerness) Designation Order 1994

  1994/2904

  The Alcoholic Liquor Duties (Beer-Based Beverages) Order 1994

  1994/2905

  The Value Added Tax (Increase of Registration Limits) Order 1994

  583

  S I. Number

  Title

  1994/2969

  The Value Added Tax (Education) (No. 2) Order 1994

  1994/3009

  The Retirement Benefits Schemes (Indexation of Earnings Cap) Order 1994

  1994/3008

  The Capital Gains Tax (Annual Exempt Amount) Order 1994

  1994–3010

  The Income Tax (Cash Equivalents of Car Fuel Benefits) 1994

  1994/3011

  The Inheritance Tax (Indexation) Order 1994

  1994/3012

  The Income Tax (Indexation) Order 1994

  1994/3013

  The Value Added Tax (Buildings and Land) Order 1994

  1994/3014

  The Value Added Tax (Transport) Order 1994

  1994/3041

  The Excise Duty (Amendment of the Isle of Man Act 1979) Order 1994

  1994/3206

  The Ministerial and Other Salaries Order 1994

  1994/3207

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Estonia) Order 1994

  1994/3208

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Isle of Man) Order 1994

  1994/3209

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Guernsey) Order 1994

  1994/3210

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Jersey) Order 1994

  1994/3211

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Kazakhstan) Order 1994

  1994/3212

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Mexico) Order 1994

  1994/3213

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Russian Federation) Order 1994

  1994/3214

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Estates of Deceased Persons and Inheritances) (Switzerland) Order 1994

  1994/3215

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Switzerland) Order 1994

  1994/3216

  The Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Vietnam) Order 1994

  1994/3218

  The Value Added Tax (Means of Transport) Order 1994

  1994/3224(c.79)

  The Finance Act 1993, Section 165, (Appointed Day) Order 1994

  1994/3225(c.80)

  The Finance Act 1994, Chapter II of Part IV, (Appointed Day) Order 1994

  1994/3226

  The Exchange Gains and Losses (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 1994

  1994/3227

  The Exchange Gains and Losses (Alternative Method of Calculation of Gain and Loss) Regulations 1994

  1994/3228

  The Exchange Gains and Losses (Deferral of Gains and Losses) Regulations 1994

  1994/3229

  The Exchange Gains and Losses (Excess Gains and Losses) Regulation 1994

  1994/3230

  The Local Currency Elections Regulations 1994

  1994/3231

  The Exchange Gains and Losses (Insurance Companies) Regulations 1994

  1994/3232

  The Exchange Gains and Losses (Debts of Varying Amounts) Regulations 1994

  1994/3233

  The Currency Contracts and Options (Amendment of Enactments) Order 1994

  1994/3277

  The National Savings Stock Register (Amendment) Regulation 1994

  1994/3278

  The Overseas Life Assurance Fund (Amendment) Order

  1995/201

  The Public Supply Contracts Regulations 1995

  1995/171

  The Friendly Societies (Taxation of Transfers of Business) Regulations 1995

  Child Pornography
  Mrs. Ann Winterton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has concerning the 584
  number of occasions in each of the last five years upon which Her Majesty's Customs and Excise officers investigated individuals returning from overseas in connection with the possible import of child pornography; and in how many of these cases prosecutions resulted.

  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  [holding answer 28 February 1995]: The information requested is not available in that form. Centrally collated statistics for the period prior to 1993–94 do not disaggregate Customs investigations into offences concerning indecent or obscene paedophile material from those concerning illicit importations of other obscene material. Furthermore, the statistics for 1993–94 onwards refer to all investigations of importations of paedophile material, including postal importations.

  Between 1 April 1993 and the current date the following numbers of individuals have been investigated by officers of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise in connection with suspected importation of indecent or obsence paedophile material, child pornography.

  April 1993—March 1994: 70

  April 1994—current date: 79

  Of these, the following numbers have had proceedings instituted against them.

  April 1993—March 1994: 34

  April 1994—current date: 14

HEALTH

  Health Authority Funding
  Mr. Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the funding available for(a) Barking and Havering health authority, (b) Redbridge and Waltham Forest health authority, (c) City and East London health authority and (d) Newham under the new capitation based funding formula and the previous funding formula.

  Mr. Sackville
  Weighted capitation formulae are used to set capitation targets and so inform, but not determine, the amount of funding made available to health authorities.

  For 1995–96 the modified national weighted capitation formula has been used to set targets for regional health authorities. However it is for North Thames RHA to determine both its own sub-regional formula and how much funding is to be made available to its district health authorities. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir William Staveley, the chairman of North Thames regional health authority, for details.

  Sir Duncan Nicol
  Mr. Milburn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the pensions and severance payments made to Sir Duncan Nichol when he left the NHS executive.

  Mr. Sackville
  Sir Duncan Nichol has been seconded to the national health service executive by Mersey regional health authority and on expiry of the secondment he was made redundant by the RHA. He received the benefits due to him under the NHS pension scheme after more than 30 years' service to the NHS—a superannuation lump sum and an annual pension—and statutory redundancy compensation. No other payments were made.

  GP's Pay
  Mrs. Beckett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the average tabular index of deprivation since used in the payment of general practitioners for each family health services authority in order of deprivation, and the average figure for all of them.

  Mr. Malone
  I refer the right hon. Member to the reply Under-Secretary of State my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville), gave to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms Primarolo) on 20 July 1994, columns 355–57.

  NHS Overseas Enterprises
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the gross administrative costs of NHS overseas enterprises in each year since 1990, together with any offsetting income.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is shown in the table:

  £000

  Year

  National health services overseas enterprises Administrative costs

  National health services overseas enterprises Total sales

  1990–91

  529

  1,000

  1991–92

  367

  1,176

  1992–93

  377

  1,127

  1993–94

  371

  1,600

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a list of the projects and their value together with the sponsoring NHS provider of projects(a) committed and (b) commenced under the auspices or as a result of the intervention of NHS overseas enterprises since 1990.

  Mr. Sackville
  National health service overseas enterprises uses a database of some 800 professional staff from NHS trusts and health authorities to provide under contract both student training for overseas health care organisations and consultancy support for overseas health care projects.

  Since 1990, with help from 32 NHS hospitals and health authorities, it has trained some 240 students from five countries, predominantly in the technician grades, at a total contract value of about £1.7 million. In addition, it has completed or is involved in 41 other projects in 17 countries with a contract value of around £2.5 million, and involving some 40 NHS hospitals and health authorities.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS overseas enterprises insures, or indemnifies, losses from cost overruns, defaults, or payments not received for projects under the auspices of NHS overseas enterprises; and how often such overruns or defaults have occurred since 1990.

  Mr. Sackville
  National health service overseas enterprises does not insure or indemnify against losses or bad debts. In the period form 1990–91 to 1993–94, its provision for bad debt, and the extent of write off, were as follows:586

  year

  Bad debt provision £

  Bad debts written off £

  1990–91

  Nil

  Nil

  1991–92

  Nil

  1,151

  1992–93

  Nil

  Nil

  1993–94

  10,000

  Nil

  Family Policies
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how often since 8 December 1994 Ministers have met to examine the impact of Government policies as a whole on the family; how often Ministers will be meeting for this purpose; and what assessment she has made of the outcomes to date.

  Mr. Bowis
  Frequently. Such meetings contribute to overall policy making. they are not assessed in the way described.

  NHS Computer Costs
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS total computer costs are spent on(a) clinical information and (b) financial information required for the internal market.

  Mr. Sackville
  This information is not available centrally.

  GPs' Hours
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent consultation she has had with colleagues regarding the effects of stress on general practitioners with particular reference to working long hours.

  Mr. Malone
  I meet frequently with colleagues to discuss the terms and conditions of service of general medical practitioners.

  HIV Education
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals she has for further HIV education development within the community.

  Mr. Sackville
  Fundamental to the United Kingdom's success in limiting the spread of HIV infection is community based education projects. The Government will continue to support a great range of initiatives, developed by health and local authorities to meet the needs of their resident populations in places of education, work and recreation. Such projects are also supported by the community-based sexual health programme at the Health Education Authority. Some £49.6 million will be available next year through the national health service for HIV prevention of which about half will be used purely on public education.

  Training for Life Initiative
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding is available for the ACET—AIDS, care, education and training—training for life initiative.
  587
  Mr. Sackville
  A grant of £20,000 was awarded in 1994 to ACET as a contribution to the development and distribution of its training for life initiative which provides sex education training for schools. This was in addition to the Department of Health's direct funding of £150,000 towards the administrative costs of providing home care services.

  Illegal Employment of Children
  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were(a) prosecuted and (b) convicted for offences relating to the employment of children for the last year that figures are available.

  Mr. Bowis
  I understand that the number of people prosecuted and convicted under the relevant statutory provisions were as shown in the table.

  England and Wales: 1993

  Offence description/legislation

  Prosecutions

  Convictions

  Offences against the Education Act 1944 Secs 58 to 60 including offences against byelaws as to the employment of children (except offences relating to Mines, Factories or Workshops)1

  2

  1

  Offences in connection with employment of children and young persons. Children and Young Persons Act 1933 Sees 18 to 21 (Section 18 as amended by the Children Act 1972)

  5

  4

  Offences in connection with the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 19202

  1

  1

  Source:

  1 Home Office, year beginning January 1993.

  2 Health and Safety Executive, year beginning April 1993.

  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) inspections and (b) investigations were made into alleged offences relating to the employment of children in the last year that figures are available.

  Mr. Bowis
  This information is not available centrally.

  Dental Services
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices per region took NHS patients in 1992: what was the number in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Malone
  The available information is shown in the table:

  General Dental Services: number of dentists who had additions to their register for 31 December 1992 and 1994: England

  Number of dentists who had additions to their register by year

  Regions

  1992

  1994

  England

  15,295

  15,217

  Northern

  883

  889

  Yorkshire

  1,158

  1,142

  Trent

  1,283

  1,308

  East Anglia

  619

  622

  North West Thames

  1,511

  1,508

  588

  General Dental Services: number of dentists who had additions to their register for 31 December 1992 and 1994: England

  Number of dentists who had additions to their register by year

  Regions

  1992

  1994

  North East Thames

  1,314

  1,315

  South East Thames

  1,392

  1,374

  South West Thames

  1,298

  1,300

  Wessex

  1,005

  990

  Oxford

  861

  842

  South Western

  1,248

  1,237

  West Midlands

  1,427

  1,443

  Mersey

  773

  773

  North Western

  1,289

  1,278

  Source:

  Dental Practice Board.

  Notes:

  1. Additions to the register include instances of patients reregistering with a dentist after a break in attendance and instances of reinstatement of registrations that have been cancelled in error.

  2. Some dentists have contracts with more than one family health services authority. Dentists have been counted only once in the region which contains the family health services authority where the dentist does the majority of his/her work.

  3. Regions were redefined from 1 April 1994; the previous regions have been used for both 1992 and 1994 to enable comparability.

  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been deregistered from their dentist since 1992 in each family health services authority area.

  Mr. Malone
  This information will be placed in the Library.

  Welfare of Partners
  Mr. Alex Carlile
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what financial and general welfare protection is ensured by the Government for the partners of seriously ill people; and if she will make a statement.

  (2) what assessment Her Majesty's Government have made of the effects to the financial status, health, employment and general welfare of partners of the long-term seriously ill; and if she will make a statement.

  Mr. Bowis
  This would depend on their circumstances. A wide range of support is available for those in need, ranging from the benefits system to community care and health respite support.

ENVIRONMENT

  Energy Efficiency Campaigns
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will place in the Library the work presented to his Department by BRMB International on the changes in public knowledge, attitudes and intended energy saving behaviour brought about by the Helping the Earth Begins at Home advertising campaign.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Yes. A copy of BRMB's report on the completed campaign will be placed in the Library.

  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State if he will place in the Library the findings presented to his Department by NOP on the Wasting Energy Costs the Earth advertising campaign.
  589
  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  The Wasting Energy Costs the Earth campaign, launched in October last year, is due to run until March 1996 and NOP will report on its completion.

  Pop Festivals
  Mr. Barry Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment under what legislation councillers on the Isle of Wight are liable for surcharging for refusing to license pop festivals.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Local authorities have discretionary powers to licence pop festivals under the provisions of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. Councillors who exercise their discretion by refusing to licence pop festivals would be liable to surcharge only if the authority's appointed auditor decided to take action under section 19 or section 20 of the Local Government Finance Act 1982. Under these provisions, the auditor may seek to recover, by surcharge of those responsible, any financial loss sustained by the authority as a result of illegal action or wilful misconduct by officers or members of the authority.

  Carbon Dioxide Emissions
  Dr. Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he expects that the United Kingdom will meet its commitment under the current convention on climate change to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels by 2000 on current policies; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  We remain fully committed to meeting the requirements of the climate change convention. We are reviewing progress under our current climate change programme and will make an announcement shortly.

  Construction Industry
  Mr. Spellar
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to issue a public consultation document on detailed proposals for legislation to implement the Latham report.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  Shortly.

  Home Ownership
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he next expects to meet the Council of Mortgage Lenders to discuss(a) prospects for home ownership and (b) the impact of current Government policies.

  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  My right hon. Friend the Ministers in this Department have regular meetings and contacts with the Council of Mortgage Lenders. No dates have yet been set for any future meetings.

  Westminster City Council
  Mr. Robert Ainsworth
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has had with the Audit Commission concerning the resources available to the district auditor of Westminster city council, with particular reference to the possible need for additional resources.
  590
  Mr. Robert B. Jones
  None. This is not a matter for the Government. It is for the appointed auditor to determine what resources he needs.

  Planning Application Appeals
  Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement about appeals T/APP/C1435/A/90/161862/P3 and 161951/P3 against refusal of planning applications Nos. WD/87/3410/P and WD/89/1441/P made by Mr. F. M. Wood; if Mr. Wood had complied with the requirements of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971, with special reference to sections 27 and 36; if these appeals were valid; and if the use of the words "perspective purchaser" on form PA1 invalidated or prejudiced the planning applications or subsequent appeals in any way.

  Sir Paul Beresford
  Responsibility for these appeals has been delegated to the Planning Inspectorate executive agency under its chief executive, Mr. C. J. Shepley. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

  Letter from J. Greenfield to Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith, dated 28 February 1995:
  The Secretary of State has asked the Chief Executive, Mr. Shepley, to reply to your question about the validity of the appeals made by Mr. F. M. Wood in respect of applications WD/87/3410/P and WD/89/1441/P. As Mr. Shepley is currently away from the office, I am replying.As you know, the relevant appeals were dismissed by the Inspector on 10 May 1991. Before responding to the substance of your question, we need to recover the appeal files from our archives.I will see that a considered reply is sent as soon as possible.

  Environment Agency
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consideration he has given to which sectors of industry would incur financial costs if the duty to further nature conservation were extended to the pollution control functions of the Environment Agency; what is his estimate of those costs; and what costs are currently imposed by the duty to have regard to nature conservation.

  Mr. Atkins
  The costs to regulated organisations of either a qualified duty on the Environment Agency to further conservation or an unqualified duty on it to have regard to conservation will depend upon the way in which the duty is discharged in practice. In either case they will depend upon judgments to be made by the agency as to what is reasonable in the particular circumstances. However whereas a duty to have regard to the desirability of conservation applies to all cases, a qualified furtherance duty would not apply to those cases falling within the terms of the qualifications. This may be uncertain and difficult to establish in relation to pollution control functions.

  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the purpose of the Environment Agency.

  Mr. Atkins
  The Government issued on 17 January a draft outline showing the scope of the statutory guidance Ministers propose to issue on the agency's aims and objectives, including a proposed principal aim for the agency to help to promote sustainable development through high quality, integrated environmental protection, management and enhancement.

  Sustainable Development
  Ms Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the key principles of sustainable development.

  Mr. Atkins
  I refer the hon. Member to "The UK's Strategy for Sustainable Development", Cm 2426, chapter 3.

  Local Authorities (Companies)
  Lady Olga Maitland
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on his proposals for local authority participation in companies and for amending the capital finance regulations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Curry
  My right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales have received some 180 representations on our proposed order under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, including requests to exercise our powers under that Act to exempt specific local authority companies from our proposals and about 40 representations on our proposed amendments to the capital finance regulations. Having regard to these representations, we have concluded that it would be right to allow certain exemptions and to make certain technical modifications, including making special transitional provisions, to our originally proposed order, and to make some amendments to the regulations.

  I have arranged for copies of a revised draft order and regulations, including those modifications, together with explanatory guides and a statement of our current intentions on exemptions, to be placed in the Library of the House. Department of the Environment and Welsh Office officials are continuing to discuss the detail of the draft order and regulations with the local authority associations, and we shall be considering further the applications received from individual authorities for exemptions. It is our intention to make the order and regulations by 1 April 1995.

TRANSPORT

  QE2 (Safety)
  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 20 February,Official Report, column 3, which agency was responsible for refusing the Queen Elizabeth 2 permission to sail from New York in December 1994 until further works had been undertaken on the vessel.

  Mr. Norris
  The requirements of both the Marine Safety Agency and the United States coast guard resulted in a delay to the departure of the Queen Elizabeth 2 from New York.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 20 February,Official Report, column 3, what discussions were held between the Marine Safety Agency and US authorities regarding the fitness of the Queen Elizabeth 2 to sail from New York in December 1994; what advice was received from the US authorities; and what action was taken as a result.

  Mr. Norris
  The Marine Safety Agency maintained a professional dialogue with the United States coast guard when they boarded the ship in New York. Both agencies 592
  advised the owners that further work was necessary before departure and action was taken to comply with these requirements.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 20 February,Official Report, column 3, what was the precise nature of the work which the Marine Safety Agency required to be undertaken to the Queen Elizabeth 2 before the vessel was allowed to leave New York in December 1994.

  Mr. Norris
  As I explained in my previous answer on 20 February 1994,Official Report, column 3, the work which had been delayed due to heavy weather during the crossing had to be completed. This included materials being removed from the restricted access areas of the ship.

  Mr. Denham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 20 February,Official Report, column 3, what breaches of the safety of life at sea convention were identified on the QE2 (a) during the vessel's voyage to New York in December 1994 and (b) whilst in New York in December 1994.

  Mr. Norris
  The ship had work outstanding on sailing from Southampton, some of which was SOLAS related. For this reason, a certificate was issued for a reduced number of passengers, subject to special provisions and procedures being in place during the voyage.

  Humber Bridge
  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement regarding the outstanding debt on the Humber bridge; and what proposals he envisages to repay the debt.

  Mr. Watts
  The debt currently stands at £435 million. Primary legislation will be needed to write off or suspend debt which cannot be serviced from toll revenue.

  Mr. Michael Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has for privatising the Humber bridge.

  Mr. Watts
  There are no present proposals to privatise the Humber bridge.

  Leicester Western Bypass
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the daily number of vehicles which will use the Leicester western bypass when it is opened; what are the expected flow rates in each direction; and if he will make a statement.

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

  Letter form Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated I March 1995:
  I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about forecast daily traffic flows on the A46 Leicester Western Bypass, which is currently under construction.
  In line with current practice, we have calculated traffic flows based on high and low economic growth and other factors. For each

  593
  section of the bypass the forecast annual average daily traffic flow in each direction, at opening, ranges between:

  17,500–19,000 vehicles: M1 Junction 21A to A50

  19,000–20,500 vehicles: A50 to B5327

  13,000–14,000 vehicles: B5327 to A6

  11,000–12,000 vehicles: A6 to A46

  Channel Tunnel
  Mr. Meacher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the level of investment by British Rail in each year since 1979 on(a) the rail network excluding the channel tunnel and (b) the channel tunnel.

  Mr. Watts
  British Rail has not invested in the channel tunnel. Investment in infrastructure and rolling stock to run international services through the tunnel is shown in the table, together with investment on the existing railway.

  Existing railway £ million cash

  EPS and channel tunnel freight £ million cash

  Total £ million cash

  1979

  367

  —

  367

  1980

  431

  —

  431

  1981

  409

  —

  409

  1982

  378

  —

  378

  1983

  439

  —

  439

  1984–851

  596

  —

  596

  1985–86

  550

  —

  550

  1986–87

  543

  —

  543

  1987–88

  693

  —

  693

  1988–89

  723

  5

  728

  1989–90

  865

  27

  892

  1990–91

  869

  178

  1,047

  1991–92

  969

  350

  1,319

  1992–93

  955

  521

  1,476

  1993–94

  650

  515

  1,165

  1 Fifteen month year due to change from calendar year accounting to financial year accounting.

  Road Maintenance (Delays)
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessments he has made of the delays to motorists arising from(a) structural maintenance of roads and (b) bridge strengthening and replacement.

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

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Ms Joan Walley, dated 1 March 1995:
  You asked the Secretary of State for Transport what assessments he has made of the delays to motorists arising from structural maintenance of roads and bridge strengthening and replacement.As this is an operational matter for the Highways Agency, I have been asked to reply.The Highways Agency is committed to keeping the duration of schemes and the amount of delay they cause to a minimum, and is developing arrangements for monitoring performance.Our most recent assessment is that the cost of these delays to road users on motorways is in the order of £600m per year. We do not have equivalent figures for other types of road.

  Roadside Wages (Wildlife)
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he is taking to encourage wildlife habitats on roadside verges.

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

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Elliot Morley, dated 1 March 1995:
  The Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the measures taken to encourage wildlife habitats on roadside verges.Since 1962 a substantial estate has been established alongside the trunk road network a large part of which is woodland or scrub. This significant area of woodland is now proving valuable for nature conservation. It links existing patterns of vegetation and often complements severed woodlands and forests adjoining the road. The species used are predominantly native and the land suffers little human disturbance. This has allowed natural colonisation by some of our rarest wildflowers which is now complemented by the selective sowing and planting of areas with wildflowers.The practice of planting roadside verges with wildflowers has formed part of the landscape treatment of roads since the mid-1980s and our motorways are increasingly becoming nature reserves in their own right. For example, 384 species of wild flora have been identified along the M1 between London and Leeds. They include rare species as well as 54 species of grass.Effective maintenance will ensure that the landscape and other environmental mitigation objectives are achieved and maintained throughout the life of the scheme. Maintenance is timed to avoid nesting and breeding seasons and glades and rides are created in solid woodland blocks. Where opportunities permit, balancing ponds and watercourses can be managed to create a mosaic of wildlife habitat. Trees, shrubs and wildflowers which fail to establish are removed and replaced and dominant species such as gorse which can stifle the growth of other species is controlled by cutting. The spread of weeds such as docks and ragwort (which is poisonous to livestock) is prevented by cutting or in some circumstances through the selective use of herbicides. To bring trees to maturity in a well-formed, stable and healthy manner periodic thinning will take place, removing those trees which were either planted as nurse crops or are preventing the natural growth of other trees within a planted area. In many cases the wood derived from this process is recycled to provide mulch for new planting.Specific measures taken to encourage wildlife onto roadside verges include work on the A27 Brighton Bypass. On this scheme the use of plant species which attract the Chalkhill Blue is helping to preserve this rare species of butterfly. This work has won an award from Butterfly Conservation, and other measures to preserve butterflies are being planned throughout the country.These examples of work are aimed at the protection of individual species, but much of the work that is implemented is directed at preserving areas of habitat which support a wide range of species. Examples include M1-A1 link road relocation of a wetland site; A31 Ferndown Bypass restoration of heathland SSS1; A361 North Devon Link Road restoration of moorland and re-creation of ponds; and M3 Winchester restoration of chalk Downland. Innovative techniques have been used in all these cases and long term monitoring is underway to help inform future work of a similar nature.We also take measures to deter wildlife from straying onto roads. These include protective measures such as bird and bat boxes, toad and frog tunnels, special fencing for badgers and deer and the construction of otter holts. We also divert and maintain watercourses during construction to prevent stagnation. Rescue plans for dormice have also been implemented, new ponds created for great crested newts and butterfly habitats have been recreated.Advice on the best measures to be taken to encourage wildlife habitats on roadside verges is obtained from English Nature and other conservation bodies and has been incorporated in Volume 10 of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges which is available from the House of Commons Library.

  Radioactive Materials
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he now intends to introduce regulations arising from the radioactive materials (Road Transport) Act 1991.

  Mr. Norris
  Regulations should be laid before the House in May.

  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what efficiency savings he has made in respect of the radioactive material transportation division.

  Mr. Norris
  A higher executive officer post has been given up, with estimated savings of £4,500 in the current financial year and £26,000 in 1995–96.

  Joint Aviation Requirements
  Mr. David Marshall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions during the last four years the joint aviation requirements—JAR-OPS 1—now being promulgated by the CAA as alternatives to or as an elaboration for, an air navigation order have been subject to the normal parliamentary process in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Norris
  None.

  Redundancies
  Ms Glenda Jackson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff have left British Rail since January 1993 under redundancy or early retirement arrangements; and what has been the total cost of payments made to staff leaving the industry.

  Mr. Watts
  For the period from 1 January 1993 to 31 January 1995, 19,183 employees left British Rail under voluntary redundancy or special severance terms, at a cost of some £377 million.

  Birmingham Northern Relief Road
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will make a statement on the departmental preparation and supervision costs in trunk roads in England 1994 review, in respect of the proposed Birmingham northern relief road;

  (2) how much his Department has spent to date on the administration of the public inquiry into the proposed Birmingham northern relief road; and how much he expects to spend by the time the inquiry is completed;

  (3) how much his Department expects to spend on the compulsory purchase of land and property to make way for the proposed Birmingham northern relief road.

  Mr. Watts
  These are operational matters for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

  Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Ms Joan Walley, dated I March 1995:
  You asked the Secretary of State for information on the Department's costs in respect of the Birmingham Northern Relief Road (BNRR).The Highways Agency expects to spend in the order of £25 million acquiring land compulsorily for the construction of BNRR. This land would remain in the ownership of the Department, who would lease it to Midland Expressway Ltd for the duration of their Concession. The road itself will revert to the Department when the concession expires.The preparation and supervision costs for this scheme referred to in the Trunk Roads in England 1994 Review relate to costs incurred
  596
  by the Department in selecting the private sector promoter and negotiating the Concession Agreement. In addition, there are costs associated with carrying out certain statutory functions during the planning stage and the fees of consultants engaged to assist with the Department's supervision of the project. To date these costs amount to about £5.0 million.You also asked how much the Department had spent to date on the administration of the public inquiry and the likely outturn costs. To date we have spent around £700,000 which includes fees, venue costs, the cost of servicing the inquiry and staff costs. We expect spend to continue at about £20,000 per week until the inquiry ends some time in the summer.

  WALES

    Non-departmental Public Bodies (Delegated Pay)
    Mr. McAllion
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department which will(a) follow the pay arrangements of the sponsoring Department and (b) pursue an independent and separate route under the delegated pay option (i) from April 1995 and (ii) from April 1996.

    Mr. Redwood
    NDPBs in Wales operate a variety of pay systems. Where these are currently linked to national civil service pay settlements, it will be for the management in each NDPB concerned to develop and bring forward proposals for new pay arrangements to operate following the delegation of civil service pay to departments and agencies and in the absence of national pay settlements from April 1996.

    Civil Servants (Fast Stream)
    Mrs. Maddock
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of those accepted for fast-stream entry for which his Department is responsible(a) in 1991, (b) 1992, (c) in 1993 and (d) in 1994 were women.

    Mr. Redwood
    The information for 1991 and 1992 is published in the Civil Service Commissioners' reports, copies of which are in the Library of the House.

    For 1993 and 1994 the information is as follows:

    Total number of fast-stream entrants

    Number who were women

    1993

    2

    1

    1994

    6

    1

    Modern Apprenticeship Scheme
    Mr. Ron Davies
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which sectors the modern apprenticeship scheme will cover in 1995–96; and what funding he will make available for the scheme.

    Mr. Redwood
    I intend making over £6 million available to fund modern apprenticeships in 1995–96. My Department is currently in discussions with the training and enterprise councils to determine those sectors to which modern apprenticeships will be extended to meet the needs of the local economy, though a strong emphasis on manufacturing engineering will continue.

    Compulsory Competitive Tendering
    Mr. Ron Davies
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the value in today's prices of work contracted out by compulsory competitive tendering from local authorities; and how much has been won in value and in percentage terms by(a) the private sector and (b) in-house bids indicating when they were permitted to bid and giving the number of bids involved.

    Mr. Redwood
    This information is not held centrally.

    NCM
    Mr. Michael
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he intends to take to facilitate the smooth transition of NCM from Crown offices in Cathays park, Cardiff, to new offices in Cardiff bay.

    Mr. Redwood
    My Department is not directly responsible for the arrangements to move NCM out of Cathays park. However, my officials are in contact with the company and we will do anything we reasonably can to assist them within the constraints imposed by our own operational and budgetary requirements.

    Market Testing
    Mr. Ron Davies
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the value in today's prices of work contracted out from his Department through market testing; how much has been won by the private sector and how much has been won by the public sector if permitted to bid; and what is the total number of contracts in each category.

    Mr. Redwood
    Details of the value of the three contracts awarded as a result of market testing during 1992–93 and 1993–94 are as follows:

    Service

    Public/Private sector

    Total contract value

    Building maintenance management

    Private sector

    Fee based call-off contract. Actual cost for first year, 1993–94, was £24,191, excluding VAT

    Staff training

    Private sector

    Total not available. Part call-off contract. Fee for 3 year non-call of element £286,750, excluding VAT.

    Catering services

    Public sector when contract let

    Costs dependent on turnover. Actual cost for first year, 1992–93, was £76,000, excluding VAT.

    Mr. Ron Davies
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the cost of today's prices of the compulsory competitive tendering and market-testing programme.

    Mr. Redwood
    The costs for each of the years 1992–93 and 1993–94 for market testing is £360,000 if costs are annualised over the accepted investment appraisal period for central Government of 10 years, compared with the expected annual savings of £1.65 million.

    Motorways
    Mr. Murphy
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many miles of motorway are currently(a) open in Wales, (b) under construction in Wales and (c) planned in Wales, either (i) as new motorway or (ii) as existing motorway being widened.

    Mr. Gwilym Jones
    Seventy-eight miles of motorway are open. A further 4.4 miles and 14 miles of new motorway are under construction and planned respectively. Twelve miles of existing motorway are to be widened.

    Gas Works Sites
    Mr. Llew Smith
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what information he has on remedial decontamination work undertaken at former gas works sites in Wales;

    (2) how many abandoned former gas works sites there are in Wales.

    Mr. Gwilym Jones
    The survey of contaminated land sites in Wales published by the Welsh Office in 1988 identified 76 former or existing gas works sites in Wales. A number of these have been or are being decontaminated under the Welsh Development Agency's land reclamation programme. British Gas also has its own programme of works to survey and treat gasworks sites in its ownership which might give rise to off-site contamination.

    Dioxins Report
    Mr. Llew Smith
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to(a) publicise the existence and (b) make available to those organisations and communities in Wales known to be concerned with dioxin pollution, copies of the Government report on the United Kingdoms—comments on the United States Environmental Protection Agency's external review draft reassessment of dioxins, issued in January.

    Mr. Gwilym Jones
    On 25 January my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment announced the publication of the United Kingdom's response to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's draft report on dioxins. Since publication the Department of the Environment have distributed copies to a wide range of interests. Other interested organisations in Wales can obtain copies on request either from the Welsh Office or from the Department of the Environment.

    Bowel Cancer
    Mr. Llew Smith
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what plans he has to introduce a screening system to identify bowel cancer before it spreads beyond the bowel wall.

    Mr. Richards
    None. The Government's screening policy seeks to ensure that a national screening programme is introduced only if research has shown it to be effective and affordable. The benefits provided by screening must also outweigh any disadvantages. These criteria are not met in respect of screening the whole population for bowel cancer.

    Prostate Cancer
    Mr. Llew Smith
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to introduce an early diagnosis service for prostate cancer assessment following the trial evaluation programme of a selective screening system recently conducted in Gwent.

    Mr. Richards
    Although the trial evaluation in Gwent has now ended, I understand that publication of the findings is not expected until the end of the year. The Welsh Office has not been informed of the results, but will consider them when they are made available.

    Public Appointments
    Mr. Ron Davies
    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the appointments he has made to non-departmental public bodies and NHS trusts since 1 March 1994.

    Mr. Redwood
    All current appointments made by me, including those made since 1 March 1994, are listed in "Appointments made by the Secretary of State for Wales". This document is updated quarterly and is available in the Library of the House.

  SCOTLAND

    Road Accidents
    Mr. Foulkes
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the accident and fatal accident figures for each year since 1990, and any months of 1995 currently available for each stretch of A77, A74 and A96 and for the whole of each road, on a directly comparable basis.

    Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
    The information requested is given in the tables:

    Route: A77

    Section: Stranraer to Ayr

    Length km.: 83.18

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    0

    20

    45

    65

    0.43

    1991

    3

    19

    33

    55

    0.37

    1992

    6

    24

    47

    77

    0.51

    1993

    3

    18

    39

    60

    0.40

    1994

    0

    26

    48

    74

    0.49

    Route: A77

    Section: Ayr to Glasgow City Boundary

    Length km.: 46.70

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight 75

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    8

    27

    75

    110

    0.29

    1991

    8

    29

    75

    112

    0.29

    1992

    5

    31

    72

    108

    0.28

    1993

    3

    18

    64

    85

    0.22

    1994

    3

    22

    57

    82

    0.21

    600

    Route: A77

    Section: Stranraer to Glasgow City Boundary (Whole Trunk Road)

    Length km.: 129.88

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    8

    47

    120

    175

    0.46

    1991

    11

    48

    108

    167

    0.43

    1992

    11

    55

    119

    185

    0.48

    1993

    6

    36

    103

    145

    0.38

    1994

    3

    48

    105

    156

    0.41

    Route: A77

    Section: Within Glasgow City Boundary

    Length kms.: 6.00

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    0

    16

    83

    99

    1.76

    1991

    1

    28

    65

    94

    1.67

    1992

    0

    21

    57

    78

    1.38

    1993

    0

    14

    50

    64

    1.13

    1994

    0

    20

    42

    62

    1.10

    Route: A74/A74(M)

    Section: National Boundary to Millbank1

    Length km.: 92.16

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    8

    31

    67

    106

    0.14

    1991

    4

    31

    76

    111

    0.15

    1992

    8

    26

    55

    89

    0.12

    1993

    7

    24

    50

    81

    0.11

    1994

    1

    21

    37

    59

    0.08

    1 The construction work related to the upgrading of the A74 to motorway has been under way during the period covered making separation of individual dual and motorway sections impractical.

    Route: M74

    Section: Millbank to Maryville

    Length km.: 35.83

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    1

    10

    22

    33

    0.08

    1991

    4

    9

    23

    36

    0.09

    1992

    0

    11

    26

    37

    0.09

    1993

    1

    8

    20

    29

    0.07

    1994

    1

    9

    43

    53

    0.13

    Route: A74/M74

    Section: National Boundary to Maryville (Whole Trunk Road)

    Length km.: 127.99

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    9

    41

    89

    139

    0.12

    1991

    8

    40

    99

    147

    0.13

    1992

    8

    37

    81

    126

    0.11

    1993

    8

    32

    70

    110

    0.09

    1994

    2

    30

    80

    112

    0.10

    601

    Route: A96

    Section: Aberdeen to Fochabers

    Length km.: 85.63

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    7

    20

    80

    107

    0.40

    1991

    3

    26

    58

    87

    0.33

    1992

    3

    28

    71

    102

    0.39

    1993

    2

    19

    65

    86

    0.33

    1994

    5

    16

    52

    73

    0.28

    Route: A96

    Section: Aberdeen to Fochabers

    Length km.: 85.63

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    7

    20

    80

    107

    0.40

    1991

    3

    26

    58

    87

    0.33

    1992

    3

    28

    71

    102

    0.39

    1993

    2

    19

    65

    86

    0.33

    1994

    5

    16

    52

    73

    0.28

    Route: A96

    Section: Fochabers to Inverness

    Length km.: 73.01

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    3

    15

    54

    72

    0.24

    1991

    3

    22

    52

    77

    0.26

    1992

    6

    13

    56

    75

    0.25

    1993

    4

    13

    47

    64

    0.21

    1994

    2

    12

    42

    56

    0.19

    Route: A96

    Section: Aberdeen to Inverness (Whole Trunk Road)

    Length km: 158.63

    Personal injury accidents

    Year

    Fatal

    Serious

    Slight

    Total

    Section accident rate

    1990

    10

    35

    134

    179

    0.32

    1991

    6

    48

    110

    164

    0.29

    1992

    9

    41

    127

    177

    0.31

    1993

    6

    32

    112

    150

    0.27

    1994

    7

    28

    94

    129

    0.23

    Note:

    1 The accident rates shown in all the tables are expressed in numbers of personal injury accidents per million vehicle kilometres travelled. The traffic flows are estimated from sample counts taken at specific sites and updated annually using national growth factors.

    Vocational Qualifications
    Mrs. Golding
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to(a) promote and (b) fund the Scottish vocational qualification in child care and education.

    Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
    A national television and press advertising campaign to promote SVQs and other vocational qualifications will be conducted in Scotland during March and April this year. A second phase of the campaign is planned for later in the year.

    Some £1.2 million has been given to the Scottish Vocational Education Council by the Scottish Office in
    602
    the current financial year for the Scottish vocational qualification development programme, which includes the child care and education sector.

    Paisley Gilmour Street Railway Station
    Mr. McMaster
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to meet the appropriate officials of the relevant authorities to discuss making Paisley Gilmour Street railway station accessible to disabled people, including wheelchair users; and if he will make a statement.

    Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
    Paisley Gilmour Street railway station is owned by Railtrack and operated by the Strathclyde passenger transport executive. I have no plans, at present, to meet officials of either body. However, I understand that Railtrack has a scheme under consideration to refurbish the station, which will include the provision of lifts to the platforms and for the building of a subway to Sneddon street.

    Gemini Housing Association
    Mr. Michael J. Martin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if Gemini is registered with Scottish Homes as a bona fide housing association;

    (2) what assessment he has made of the consistency with the code of conduct of Gemini distributing a newsletter to current Scottish Homes' tenants prior to formal registration of interest;

    (3) if Gemini's financial packages for each ballot area will be appraised on a mutually exclusive basis, in direct competition with each of the alternative landlords;

    (4) what is the full postal address of the Scottish Homes' office in the east end of Glasgow;

    (5) how much and in what manner Scottish Homes is resourcing the Gemini hid;

    (6) if Gemini is submitting stand-alone viable financial packages for each ballot area.

    (7) what assessment he has made of the viability of Gemini as an organisation capable of attracting private funding if it is unsuccessful in a substantial proportion of its bids for balloted housing stock from Scottish Homes;

    (8) what is the full postal address of Gemini housing Association.

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

    Community Education Service
    Mr. McMaster
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will make a statement on the value of the community education service in Strathclyde region.

    Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
    I attach considerable importance to the work of the community education service throughout Scotland, as an integral part of the statutory provision for education made by local authorities. Total expenditure on community education by local authorities in Scotland in 1992–93 was almost £79 million, including over £37 million by Strathclyde region.

    Royal Scottish National Hospital and Community NHS Trust
    Mr. Gallie
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what financial arrangements are being made for the Royal
    603
    Scottish national hospital and community NHS trust which was dissolved on 30 September 1994.

    Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
    Pursuant to the dissolution of the Royal Scottish national hospital and community NHS trust, on 30 September 1994, and its reconfiguration with Forth Valley Healthcare a directly managed unit, as Central Scotland Healthcare NHS trust on 1 October 1994, my right hon. Friend proposes to create new originating capital debt for the new trust equal to the net assets transferred to it and therefore to remit the outstanding debt of the dissolved trust.

    The operations consequent on the reconfiguration involve no loss to the Exchequer. Her Majesty's Treasury has today presented a minute to the House giving the particulars and circumstances of the proposed remission which it has approved in principle.

    Fatal Accident Inquiries
    Dr. Godman
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 8 February,Official Report, Scottish Grand Committee, column 18, in how many of the fatal accident inquiries were the managers or the owners, judged by the sheriff to have been negligent of the interests and well-being of the resident who died; and if he will make a statement.

    Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
    [holding answer 27 February 1995]: It could be misleading to summarise the determinations of sheriffs on complex cases. I will therefore write to the hon. Member, enclosing copies of the relevant determinations.

    Although the Government deplore the circumstances surrounding the "Glenglova" case, I would emphasise that an inquiry following the death of a resident in residential or nursing home care is not necessarily indicative of poor standards of care in such establishments.

    Dr. Godman
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 8 February,Official Report, Scottish Grand Committee, column 18, what proposals he intends to introduce in response to the recommendations of the sheriffs who conducted fatal accident inquiries into the deaths of several elderly residents of privately owned residential homes; and if he will make a statement.

    Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
    [holding answer 27 February 1995]: I shall write to the hon. Member to clarify my earlier answer. This will indicate that there has in fact been only one fatal accident inquiry related to a private residential care home. The remaining six inquiries concerned private nursing home residents.

    A working group is being set up to consider the registration and inspection issues concerning private and voluntary residential care establishments following the recent "Glenglova" FAI. The group will consist of Scottish Office officials and representatives from local authorities, independent providers and user groups. It is anticipated that recommendations will be put to Ministers this autumn.

    Following discussion with the Department's health policy and public health directorate about the effectiveness of the Nursing Homes (Registration) (Scotland) Act 1938, health board general managers have funded a project to establish a nationally agreed and implemented set of core standards for the registration and inspection of nursing homes. The project steering group, which is chaired by the Scottish Office and includes
    604
    representatives of health boards, local authorities, residents and nursing home owners, will ensure that all relevant information, including the determination of FAIs following deaths in nursing homes, are considered by the project team.

    These developments demonstrate the Government's commitment to protecting the more vulnerable groups in society who require either residential or nursing home care.

  DEFENCE

    Defence Export Services Organisation
    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of the Defence Export Services Organisation were on short-term secondments from defence contractors in each year from 1988; and what proportion of the total staff they represented in that time.

    Mr. Freeman
    The information requested is set out in the table.

    Contractor

    Period

    1988

    Sir Colin Chandler

    British Aerospace

    1985 to September 1989

    H. L. Myers

    Rolls Royce

    November 1986 to July 1989

    D. J. Hastie

    British Aerospace

    April 1988 to October 1989

    S. Brett

    British Aerospace

    August 1988 to August 1989

    1989

    Sir Colin Chandler

    British Aerospace

    1985 to September 1989

    H. L. Myers

    Rolls Royce

    November 1986 to July 1989

    D. J. Hastie

    British Aerospace

    April 1988 to October 1989

    S. Brett

    British Aerospace

    August 1988 to August 1989

    S. Barker

    Westland Helicopters

    July 1989 to July 1991

    A. Thomas

    Raytheon

    July 1989 to September 1994

    1990

    S. Barker

    Westland Helicopters

    July 1989 to July 1991

    A. Thomas

    Raytheon

    July 1989 to September 1994

    1991

    S. Barker

    Westland Helicopters

    July 1989 to July 1991

    A. Thomas

    Raytheon

    July 1989 to September 1994

    1991

    S. Barker

    Westland Helicopters

    July 1989 to July 1991

    A. Thomas

    Raytheon

    July 1989 to September 1994

    1992

    A. Thomas

    Raytheon

    July 1989 to September 1994

    605

    Contractor

    Period

    1993

    Sir Alan Thomas

    Raytheon

    July 1989 to September 1994

    D. Mitchell

    British Aerospace

    October 1993 to date

    1994

    Sir Alan Thomas

    Raytheon

    July 1989 to September 1994

    D. Mitchell

    British Aerospace

    October 1993 to date

    C. Masefield

    British Aerospace

    September 1994 to date

    1995

    D. Mitchell

    British Aerospace

    October 1993 to date

    C. Masefield

    British Aerospace

    September 1994 to date

    Note:

    1. In all years, the number of secondees represented less than 1 per cent. of the total DESO staff numbers.

    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former members of staff of the three Defence Export Services Organisation project offices have advised of business or employment interests relevant to the work of Defence Export Services Organisation; and in how many cases clearance was refused.

    Mr. Freeman
    Since January 1990, members of the Defence Export Services Organisation have made 33 applications to accept employment with defence-related companies. All were approved; 31 unconditionally; one subject to a waiting period; and one subject to a ban on the applicant's involvement in a specific area of work of the prospective employer.

    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of the Defence Export Sales Organisation are covered by performance bonuses; and what aspects of performance are so rewarded.

    Mr. Freeman
    In line with arrangements applying across the civil service, the majority of civilian staff within the Defence Export Service Organisation are subject to performance-related pay arrangements, which can include bonuses. Performance criteria are intended to reflect the individual's contribution to the overall performance of the organisation.

    The pay of service personnel within the organisation is not performance related.

    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of staff of the Defence Export Services Organisation since 1979 have left the service and subsequently taken up duties for, or on behalf of, a defence-related contractor; and whether the staff of the Defence Export Services Organisation are required to notify him of such duties.

    Mr. Freeman
    The information is not available for the period before January 1990. Since then, 13 members of the Defence Export Services Organisation have made 33 applications to accept employment with, or on behalf of, a defence-related contractor. The rules do not require staff to notify my Department of whether appointments are taken up.

    Jordan
    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what occasions prior written agreement was sought by the kingdom of Jordan to dispose of items exported to 606
    it under the Government-to-Government Jordan defence packages; and whether the United Kingdom Government acceded to such requests.

    Mr. Freeman
    This is a confidential matter between Governments.

    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is(a) the purpose of and (b) the statutory authority for payments under the subhead vote 2 H7 for the years 1988–89 to 1992–93; and in respect of which countries these payments were made.

    Mr. Freeman
    [holding answer 17 February 1995]: The main purpose of these payments has been to provide interest rate support for Jordan. Additionally, in the years 1986–87 to 1988–89, payments were made to the Export Credits Guarantee Department from within the figures given to the House on 13 February 1995, Official Report, column 544, to provide interest rate support for Oman. Contributions were made by the Ministry of Defence under the class I Supply estimates and confirming Appropriation Act.

    Global Positioning System
    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what payments, either in cash or by the provision of facilities of services, are made by the United Kingdom under any of the successive moves between the United Kingdom and the US for access to the global positioning system.

    Mr. Soames
    The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence makes no payments either in cash or in kind for access to the United States global positioning system.

    International Military Services Ltd.
    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 20 December 1994,Official Report, column 1189, on which occasions IMS Ltd. (a) applied for approval to seek business in new markets, (b) made applications which involved novel features and (c) made applications which were significantly different from previous business; if these guidelines were in written form; and on what date these guidelines were first issued to the management of IMS.

    Mr. Freeman
    The policy guidelines for International Military Services Ltd. were set out in writing by the Ministry of Defence in March 1979 and made available to the Public Accounts Committee. Consultations under the guidelines remain confidential between the Ministry and the company.

    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of International Military Services have been transferred to other companies during the winding down of the company; and whether the normal Government rules of conflict of interest and business advantage have applied to the staff of International Military Services.

    Mr. Freeman
    The staff of International Military Services Ltd. were not public servants and consequently were not covered by Government regulations on future employment. When the company ceased trading in 1991, most staff were made redundant and made their own arrangements for future employment where appropriate.

    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when IMS discontinued its practice of reporting quarterly
    607
    to its board of its use of, and remuneration to, agents and consultants in furtherance of defence-related export sales.

    Mr. Freeman
    The internal reporting arrangements to the board are a matter for the company.

    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the legal or international arbitration action between the government of Iran and IMS Ltd. has now been resolved; and if he will make a statement on the settlement reached.

    Mr. Freeman
    Any discussions or proceedings between International Military Services Ltd. and its former customers remain commercially confidential.

    Royal Marines School of Music
    Mr. David Martin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will be announcing his decision on the future of the Royal Marines school of music at Deal and the proposal to relocate it at Portsmouth.

    Mr. Soames
    A consultation document on our proposal for the future relocation of the Royal Marines school of music was issued on 17 October 1994 and the consultation period ended on 16 December 1994. We are currently considering very carefully all the many representations made during this period before deciding on the way forward.

    Overseas Contracts
    Mrs. Clwyd
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if all commitments made in memoranda of understanding signed with Nigeria prior to June 1993 have subsequently been honoured;

    (2) on what dates in the last 10 years memoranda of understanding relating to defence have been signed with Nigeria.

    Mr. Freeman
    A detailed search of records has revealed that the MOU referred to in previous answers—24 February 1994,Official Report, column 383, and 9 March 1994, Official Report, column 254—between the Governments of the United Kingdom and Nigeria was never signed, although negotiations were conducted over a number of months in 1981. No defence MOU has since been signed with Nigeria.

    Mrs. Clwyd
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 8 February 1985,Official Report, column 323, what were the exact dates of the memoranda of understanding concerning defence contracts with the Government of Indonesia on September 1983, March 1984, April 1986 and November 1991.

    Mr. Freeman
    The exact dates are as follows: 21 September 1983, 30 March 1984, 12 April 1986 and 18 November 1991.

    Aircraft Controllers
    Mr. Fatchett
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft controllers have left to join civilian airports in the last two years; and what were the companies involved and the numbers joining each company.

    Mr. Soames
    Departmental records of those air traffic controllers who leave Crown service do not include their eventual employment in civil life.

    Navy Personnel (Private Companies)
    Mr. Fatchett
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Royal Navy(a) nursing officers, (b) surgeons, (c) medical consultants, (d) occupational therapists, (e) pharmacists, (f) physiotherapists and (g) dentists, have left to join private health care companies in the last two years; and what were the companies involved and the numbers joining each company.

    (2) how many Royal Navy (a) engineers and (b) metallurgists have left to join defence or defence-related companies in the last two years; and what were the companies involved and the numbers joining each company.

    Mr. Soames
    This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    Nuclear Weapons Convoys
    Mrs. Golding
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the emergency services which are informed when nuclear warheads are transported by road.

    Mr. Soames
    Civil police forces are always notified at least 24 hours in advance of nuclear weapon convoy movements through their area of jurisdiction.

    Subcontractors
    Mr. Nicholls
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requirements are placed upon main contractors to the Ministry of Defence to make timely payments to subcontractors.

    Mr. Freeman
    The following term has been included in MOD contracts on main contractors since March 1992.Where the contractor enters a subcontract with a supplier or contractor for the purpose of performing the contract, he shall cause a term to be included in such subcontract which requires payment to be made to the supplier of contractor within a specified period not exceeding 30 days from receipt of valid invoice as defined by the subcontract requirements.

    Russian Armed Forces
    Mr. Elletson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all planned military co-operation programmes, conferences and exchanges with the Russian armed forces.

    Mr. Soames
    The United Kingdom's military co-operation with Russia is at present confined to three main areas.

    a. To assist in the removal of nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles from places of deployment to destruction sites, we are providing 20 armoured transport vehicles and 250 armoured containers. A meeting of the Anglo-Russian steering group, which oversees this project is scheduled to take place at the end of 1995.

    b. To UK has also offered modest assistance with the resettlement in civilian life of Russians leaving the armed forces. This would include training resettlement instructors, and equipping and maintaining a resettlement centre in Moscow for three years. Discussions on this proposal are continuing.

    c. To meet the obligations of arms control treaties and agreements, there is an ongoing programme of military contacts and inspections in which the UK participates.

    609
    Routine defence staff talks are planned to take place in London towards the end of 1995. A Russian hydrography ship will visit the UK in March. A Royal Navy ship will visit St. Petersburg in May, to help commemorate victory in Europe. Agreement has also been reached in principle to hold a joint UK-Russian exercise, but no firm plans have been made, and no dates set for this.

    Fertiliser
    Mr. Byers
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions since 1 January HMS Brazen transported fertiliser from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar for use in the gardens at the official service residence; what was the quantity of fertiliser carried; and what was the cost involved.

    Mr. Soames
    None.

    Porton Down
    Dr. David Clark
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the ethics committee overseeing the service volunteers programme at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down was set up; for what reasons it was established; what is the purpose and nature of the committee's work; how often it meets; how many members sit on the committee; how many of these members are drawn from outside Porton Down; and who is the current chairman.

    Mr. Soames
    This is a matter for the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down under its framework-document. I have asked the chief executive, CBDE to write to the hon. Member.

    Letter from Graham Pearson to Dr. David Clark, dated 1 March 1995:
    1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking when the Ethics Committee overseeing the Service volunteers programme at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down was set up; for what reasons it was established; what is the purpose and nature of the committee's work; how often it meets; how many members sit on the committee; how many of these members are drawn from outside Porton Down; and who is the current chairman has been passed to me to answer as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
    2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. In order to carry out this work, it is necessary to use Service volunteers to:

    a. Assess the ability of Service personnel to function with new equipment and procedures.

    b. Develop medical countermeasures to protect Service personnel and,

    c. Evaluate the effects of very low and medically safe concentrations of CW agents on the ability of unprotected personnel to operate normally.

    No studies involving volunteers are carried out unless there is a clear military need and a detailed protocol has been reviewed and approved by an independent Ethics Committee in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Royal College of Physicians.
    3. The creation of an independent Ethics Committee at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment followed the publication of guidelines from the Royal College of Physicians. The CBDE Ethics Committee was established in July 1991. The Ethics Committee has subsumed previous arrangements for the ethical review of proposed volunteer studies. For some 30 years, a committee on the safety of human experiments had been set up at this Establishment involving all the medical officers on the staff of the Establishment whose task was to review all the protocols for
    610
    proposed volunteer studies to ensure that they were as safe as possible; this committee had the right of veto. Following such reviews, protocols were then considered by an ethical sub group of the Medical Committee of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council which involved independent experts.
    4. The purpose of the CBDE Ethics Committee is to consider the medical-ethical aspects of all proposed studies involving human volunteers. Its role is to review and approve detailed protocols for any studies carried out involving the use of volunteers. Such studies are only carried out if there is a clear military need and the protocol has been designed to ensure that any possible risks, however slight, are minimised. The protocol also includes a full explanation in lay terms of the study which will be read to the volunteer by a military officer unconnected with the study so that informed consent based on the volunteer's complete understanding of the nature of the study and any perceived hazards can be sought.
    5. The CBDE Ethics Committee consists of 11 members of whom 9 are drawn from outside of the Ministry of Defence. It meets four times a year although there is provision to meet on a more frequent basis if required. The Committee is chaired by Professor Hugh Dudley, CBE, ChM, FRCSE, Professor Emeritus of Surgery, University of London.

    Dr. David Clark
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the nature of the guidelines and rules provided by the Royal College of Physicians, London and the British Psychological Society with regard to the service volunteers programmes at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down; and when these guidelines were adopted by the establishment.

    Mr. Soames
    This is a matter for the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, CBDE to write to the hon. Member.

    Letter from Graham Pearson to Dr. David Clark, dated I March 1995:
    1. Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking if he will make a statement on the nature of the guidelines and rules provided by the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the British Psychological Society with regard to the Service volunteers programmes at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment at Porton Down; and when these guidelines were adopted by the Establishment has been passed to me to answer as Chief Executive of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment.
    2. The role of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment is to ensure that the UK Armed Forces have effective protective measures against the threat that chemical or biological weapons may be used against them. In order to carry out this work, it is necessary to use Service volunteers to:

    a. Assess the ability of Service personnel to function with new equipment and procedures.

    b Develop medical countermeasures to protect Service personnel and,

    c. Evaluate the effects of very low and medically safe concentrations of CW agents on the ability of unprotected personnel to operate normally.

    3. Studies and tests at CBDE which involve Service volunteers are only carried out where there is a clear military need and a detailed protocol has been reviewed and approved by an independent Ethics Committee in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Royal College of Physicians and British Psychological Society.
    4. In 1984 the Royal College of Physicians published Guidelines on the practice of Ethics Committees in medical research which were subsequently updated in 1990 and taken into account when the CBDE Ethics Committee was established in July 1991. These guidelines provide advice inter alia on terms of reference, membership, methods of working, application, responsibilities. consent, definition and classes of research and payments. The British Psychological Society guidelines were taken into account shortly after their publication in 1993. These provide inter alia advice on

    611
    the code of conduct for psychologists and the ethical principles for work with human participants.
    5. Although these guidelines have only recently been published, there has been an ethical review of proposed volunteer studies at CBDE for over 30 years. Prior to the establishment of the CBDE Ethics Committee there was a committee on the safety of human experiments which had been set up at this Establishment involving all the medical officers on the staff of the Establishment whose tasks was to review all the proposals for proposed volunteer studies to ensure that they were as safe as possible; this committee had the right of veto. Following such reviews, protocols were then considered by an ethical sub group of the Medical Committee of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council which involved independent experts.

    RAF Bentwaters
    Dr. David Clark
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the RAF Bentwaters site was sold to the highest bidder; what consideration he gave to environmental factors in reaching a decision over the sale of the RAF Bentwaters site; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Soames
    I can confirm that the RAF Bentwaters site has been sold to the highest bidder; the proposal from the Maharishi Foundation complies fully with the agreed planning brief.

    Dr. David Clark
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the Maharishee Foundation provided a detailed business plan as part of its purchase bid for the RAF Bentwaters site.

    Mr. Soames
    It is not my Department's policy to divulge details or information provided by prospective purchasers of redundant military sites. However, it can be confirmed that the Maharishi Foundation provided full and sufficient information on which to assess the bid.

    Attack Helicopters
    Dr. David Clark
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated in-service date for the Army's attack helicopter.

    Mr. Freeman
    The attack helicopter is expected to enter service with the Army at the end of the decade. It is not at present possible to be precise; the in-service date will depend on which of the contenders we choose to meet the Army's requirement.

    Dr. David Clark
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts concerning the procurement of attack helicopters.

    Mr. Freeman
    My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has not held any formal discussions with his foreign counterparts concerning the procurement of attack helicopters. Discussions continue with officials of the contender nationals and other Governments with requirements similar to our own.

  EDUCATION

    College Fees
    Mr. Merchant
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans she has for the future settlement of college fees.
    612
    Mr. Boswell
    My officials have written today to the Higher Education Funding Council for England asking it to advise my right hon. Friend on the annual adjustment of the average college fee at the Oxford and Cambridge colleges from 1995 onwards. The council has been asked to base its advice on the annual movement in public funding at universities with a similar mission. In this way, the annual adjustment of college fees with reflect trends in public funding per student elsewhere in higher education. The Department will no longer engage in negotiations with the Oxford and Cambridge colleges. The funding council has also been asked to advise on future arrangements for the setting of college fees at the universities of Durham, Kent, Lancaster and York.

    Higher Education Funding Council
    Mr. Fisher
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the level of underspend in the 1994–95 budget of the Higher Education Funding Council.

    Mr. Boswell
    No underspend is anticipated in the 1994–95 budget of the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

    Teachers
    Ms Hodge
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are her Department's estimates of the total number of qualified teachers in England and Wales in 1994–95 and the forecasts for each subsequent year up to and including 2000–2001.

    Mr. Robin Squire
    Returns from the Department's 1994–95 census of teachers are incomplete: the results will be published later this year. Projections of teaching numbers are not available.

    Pupil-teacher Ratios
    Ms Hodge
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the Department's estimates of the average pupil-teacher ratios in (i) primary schools and (ii) secondary schools in 1994–95 and the forecasts for each subsequent year up to and including 2000–2001.

    Mr. Robin Squire
    Returns form the Department's 1994–95 censuses of pupils and teachers are incomplete: the results will be published later this year. Figures for future years will reflect the decisions of employers.

    Local Education Authority Budgets
    Mrs. Currie
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if she will list in rank order the shire county local education authorities showing the reserves held in their education budgets at the most recent date available;

    (2) if she will list in rank order (a) the metropolitan district education authorities outside London and (b) the London boroughs to show the reserves held in their education budgets at the most recent date available.

    Mr. Robin Squire
    Reserves held by local authorities are not apportioned between education and other services.

    For the financial year ending on 31 March 1994, the table shows the total amount of balances held by schools for each LEA for which the information is available to the Department. The figures are shown in rank order for (a) metropolitan districts outside London; (b) inner and outer-London boroughs; and (c) shire counties.
    613

    Total balances in schools—year ending 31 March 1994

    LEA

    Balance (£000)

    a) Metropolitan districts outside London

    Birmingham

    16,696

    Sandwell

    5,742

    Bradford

    5,632

    Sefton

    5,684

    Sheffield

    5,616

    Coventry

    4,802

    Doncaster

    4,735

    Leeds

    4,587

    Solihull

    4,504

    Newcastle upon Tyne

    4,271

    Wolverhampton

    4,155

    Wigan

    4,144

    St. Helens

    3,941

    Kirklees

    3,868

    Wakefield

    3,643

    Walsall

    3,594

    Wirrall

    3,249

    Manchester

    3,146

    Barnsley

    3,046

    Stockport

    2,741

    Salford

    2,456

    Calderdale

    2,330

    Bolton

    2,291

    Bury

    2,225

    Knowsley

    2,078

    Sunderland

    1,897

    South Tyneside

    1,861

    Gateshead

    1,577

    Dudley

    1,317

    Tameside

    1,303

    Trafford

    1,055

    Rotherham

    930

    North Tyneside

    372

    Oldham

    322

    Rochdale

    211

    Liverpool

    n/a

    b) London boroughs

    Tower Hamlets

    8,189

    Croydon

    5,499

    Lambeth

    5,325

    Hounslow

    4,969

    Enfield

    4,778

    Camden

    4,768

    Newham

    4,694

    Brent

    4,545

    Barnet

    4,279

    Lewisham

    4,270

    Havering

    3,544

    Southwark

    3,513

    Haringey

    3,352

    Redbridge

    3,247

    Wandsworth

    3,228

    Westminster

    3,195

    Bromley

    3,134

    Merton

    2,996

    Ealing

    2,971

    Islington

    2,549

    Richmond upon Thames

    2,440

    Hammersmith and Fulham

    2,366

    Hillingdon

    2,231

    Hackney

    2,171

    Bexley

    2,013

    Barking

    1,707

    Harrow

    1,640

    Kensington

    1,386

    Sutton

    1,303

    Kingston upon Thames

    774

    Corporation of London

    38

    Greenwich

    n/a

    Waltham Forest

    n/a

    614

    Total balances in schools—year ending 31 March 1994

    LEA

    Balance (£000)

    c) Shire counties

    Lancashire

    32,976

    Hampshire

    25,542

    Essex

    23,612

    Hertfordshire

    20,397

    Cheshire

    16,196

    Leicestershire

    15,750

    Nottinghamshire

    15,275

    Hereford and Worcester

    13,855

    Suffolk

    13,500

    Derbyshire

    12,475

    Avon

    12,093

    Oxfordshire

    11,951

    Kent

    11,675

    North Yorkshire

    11,470

    Devon

    10,340

    Northamptonshire

    10,067

    Norfolk

    9,199

    Staffordshire

    9,160

    Bedfordshire

    8,297

    Cleveland

    8,169

    Buckinghamshire

    8,316

    Berkshire

    7,985

    Durham

    7,799

    Humberside

    7,764

    Wiltshire

    7,341

    Cornwall

    7,241

    Dorset

    7,200

    Lincolnshire

    6,891

    Warwickshire

    6,576

    Somerset

    6,665

    Cambridgeshire

    6,585

    Gloucestershire

    6,240

    East Sussex

    5,990

    Surrey

    4,986

    Shropshire

    4,574

    West Sussex

    4,499

    Northumberland

    3,667

    Cumbria

    2,844

    Isle of Wight

    1,487

    Isles of Scilly

    n/a

    Note:

    The figures are derived from the LMS outturn statements—1993–94—prepared by LEAs under section 42 of the Education Reform Act 1988, with the exception of one figure which has been separately provided by the LEA concerned. "N/A" denotes that the information is not yet available to the Department, either because no statement has been received or—in one case—because the LEA has been asked to clarify the treatment of balances in its statement. All figures represent surpluses net of deficits and cover all county and voluntary schools, and special schools in the case of the eight LEAs whose LMS schemes covered them in 1993–94. They also include the final balances shown in respect of schools which became grant-maintained during the course of the financial year.

    Deficit Budgets
    Mr. Gordon Prentice
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education what powers she has to intervene where school governors set deficit budgets.

    Mr. Robin Squire
    A local education authority school governing body which sets a deficit budget will normally be in breach of its duties under its LEA's scheme for the local management of schools. It is for the LEA to decide how to proceed if the situation arises. If the governors of a school have been guilty of a serious breach of the scheme requirements, or of financial mismanagement more generally, the LEA has power to suspend their right to a
    615
    delegated budget and take over management of the school's finances.

    Governing bodies of GM schools are under an obligation to remain solvent under the terms of their financial memorandum with the Funding Agency for Schools. Should a GM school submit a deficit budget it would be for the Funding Agency for Schools and the school to agree upon the action to restore the school's financial position.

    In the last resort, my right hon. Friend has the power, under sections 68 and 99 of the Education Act 1994, to direct a LEA or a governing body that she considers to have acted unreasonably or to be in breach of its statutory responsibilities to take corrective action.

    Pupils
    Mr. Spring
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils are covered by the local education authorities in(a) Suffolk, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) Norfolk.

    Mr. Robin Squire
    In January 1994, 93, 282 pupils were being taught in schools maintained by Suffolk local education authority, 84, 515 pupils in schools maintained by Cambridgeshire local education authority and 93,702 pupils in schools maintained by Norfolk local education authority. This excludes pupils being educated in grant-maintained schools.

    Mr. Spring
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education what per cent. of pupils stayed on to lake A levels in(a) Suffolk, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) Norfolk; and what percent in each of these counties obtained grades A to C last year in its A-level examinations in the last year for which figures are available.

    Mr. Boswell
    The exact information is not available in the format requested.

    The estimated percentage of those in their last year of compulsory schooling in 1991–92 who subsequently enrolled in the first year of GCE A-level course in 1992–93 in schools and further education colleges was: 38.2 per cent. in Suffolk; 40.3 per cent. in Cambridgeshire; and 35.9 per cent. in Norfolk.

    The estimated percentage of these students starting on a GCE A-level course in schools and colleges in 1992–93, who achieved at least one GCE A level at grade C or above after the second year of the course in 1994 was: 56.7 per cent. in Suffolk; 62.9 per cent. in Cambridgeshire; and 55.9 per cent. in Norfolk.

    Special Needs
    Mr. Harry Greenway
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the percentage of pupils statemented in each local education authority in England in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of the education budget, and what amount of money, was spent on special needs in each local education authority.

    Mr. Robin Squire
    The percentage of pupils in each LEA with a statement of special educational needs in January 1994 is given in the following table.

    It is not possible to provide aggregated expenditure on special educational needs in each local education authority, as the data on such expenditure incurred by individual schools are not collected.
    616

    Percentage of pupils with statements in each local education authority in England (January 1994)

    Local Education Authority

    Total children with statements as a percentage of the school population

    Corporation of London

    0.33

    Camden

    2.30

    Greenwich

    3.07

    Hackney

    3.66

    Hammersmith and Fulham

    2.64

    Islington

    3.27

    Kensington and Chelsea

    1.46

    Lambeth

    1.83

    Lewisham

    3.21

    Southwark

    2.48

    Tower Hamlets

    3.03

    Wandsworth

    2.77

    Westminster

    2.11

    Barking and Dagenham

    1.84

    Barnet

    1.79

    Bexley

    2.61

    Brent

    2.13

    Bromley

    2.34

    Croydon

    1.95

    Ealing

    2.10

    Enfield

    0.94

    Haringey

    1.84

    Harrow

    2.13

    Havering

    1.92

    Hillingdon

    2.18

    Hounslow

    3.02

    Kingston upon Thames

    2.18

    Merton

    2.48

    Newham

    2.35

    Redbridge

    1.94

    Richmond upon Thames

    2.01

    Sutton

    2.61

    Waltham Forest

    1.65

    Birmingham

    2.27

    Coventry

    1.95

    Dudley

    1.88

    Sandwell

    1.28

    Solihull

    2.04

    Walsall

    2.53

    Wolverhampton

    2.33

    Knowsley

    2.88

    Liverpool

    2.67

    St. Helens

    4.33

    Sefton

    2.56

    Wirral

    2.64

    Bolton

    1.92

    Bury

    3.67

    Manchester

    1.65

    Oldham

    1.12

    Rochdale

    2.18

    Salford

    1.67

    Stockport

    2.98

    Tameside

    3.03

    Trafford

    2.21

    Wigan

    3.63

    Barnsley

    2.35

    Doncaster

    2.55

    Rotherham

    2.53

    Sheffield

    2.19

    Bradford

    1.52

    Calderdale

    1.63

    Kirklees

    3.04

    Leeds

    2.82

    Wakefield

    2.35

    Gateshead

    1.94

    Newcastle upon Tyne

    2.36

    North Tyneside

    2.73

    South Tyneside

    2.18

    Sunderland

    2.23

    Isles of Scilly

    0.69

    617

    Percentage of pupils with statements in each local education authority in England (January 1994)

    Local Education Authority

    Total children with statements as a percentage of the school population

    Avon

    2.56

    Bedfordshire

    2.94

    Berkshire

    2.50

    Buckinghamshire

    3.45

    Cambridgeshire

    1.93

    Cheshire

    2.94

    Cleveland

    2.32

    Cornwall

    3.66

    Cumbria

    3.19

    Derbyshire

    2n/a

    Devon

    3.14

    Dorset

    2.61

    Durham

    2.78

    East Sussex

    3.04

    Essex

    2.26

    Gloucestershire

    2.69

    Hampshire

    3.12

    Hereford and Worcester

    1.69

    Hertfordshire

    2.45

    Humberside

    1.86

    Isle of Wight

    2.27

    Kent

    2.49

    Lancashire

    3.24

    Leicestershire

    2.27

    Lincolnshire

    3.36

    Norfolk

    3.21

    North Yorkshire

    2.21

    Northamptonshire

    1.95

    Northumberland

    2.35

    Nottinghamshire

    1.11

    Oxfordshire

    1.80

    Shropshire

    3.24

    Somerset

    1.90

    Staffordshire

    2.39

    Suffolk

    3.02

    Surrey

    2.99

    Warwickshire

    2.26

    West Sussex

    2.09

    Wiltshire

    3.44

    England1

    2.49

    1 England figures exclude Derbyshire.2 not available.

    Further Education
    Mr. James Pawsey
    To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what has been the change in provision of further education following the end of local authority involvement;

    (2) what is the projected change in provision in further education for 1995–96;

    (3) what further education subjects have shown greatest growth in the last three years.

    Mr. Boswell
    Local authority recurrent expenditure on further education in 1992–93, the last financial year before the transfer of FE colleges to the new FE sector,

    Employment Department Funding

    Year/Programme

    1991–92 £ million

    1992–93 £ million

    1993–94 £ million

    1994–95 Budget £ million

    Total£ million

    ITO Support

    3.35

    3.47

    3.21

    3.50

    13.53

    Standards Programme

    12.00

    11.47

    11.62

    11.35

    46.44

    Modern Apprenticeships

    —

    —

    —

    1.62

    1.62

    Total

    15.35

    14.94

    14.83

    16.47

    61.59

    618
    was £2,341 million. Recurrent funding by the FEFC in 1993–94 was £2,549 million, and the estimated outturn for 1994–95 is £2,684 million. The Government plan for expenditure on recurrent funding to increase to £2,863 million in 1995–96.

    Data on the growth in further education subjects in the last three years, on a basis consistent with the structure of the new FE sector, are not yet available.

  EMPLOYMENT

    Business Link Wirral
    Ms Eagle
    To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what financial help his Department or its agencies have given to the Business Link Wirral since its inception.

    Mr. Paice
    Neither the Employment Department nor its agencies have given financial help to Business Link Wirral. However, I understand that CEWTEC contributed £35,000 to the development costs of Business Link Wirral in 1994–95. In addition, a further contract for £42,000 was placed to support training in local companies.

    Training
    Mr. Barron
    To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if he will list the amount and type of funding or other support received from his Department by each occupational standards council in(a) the current year and (b) each of the previous three years;

    (2) if he will list the industry lead bodies, the industry training organisations and the awarding bodies for each industrial sector and the amount and type of funding or other support received from his Department by each in (a) the current year and (b) each of the previous three years.

    Mr. Paice
    The Department has contracted with the National Council of Industry Training Organisations to maintain an up-to-date list of occupational standards councils, lead bodies and industry training organisations. NCITO produces a regular listing of all those organisations. A copy of the latest listing has been placed in the Library. Awarding bodies are independent organisations and the Department does not maintain a list of them. However, details of all awarding bodies currently accredited by the National Council for Vocational Qualifications to award national vocational qualifications are contained in the latest edition of the "NCVQ Monitor", a copy of which is also available in the Library. The Department does not normally fund awarding bodies.

    The Department's funding for OSCs, LBs and ITOs comes principally from three main programmes. The funding for these programmes for the years 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94 and 1994–95 is provided in the following table. More detailed information could he provided only at disproportionate cost.

    Earnings
    Mrs. Wise
    To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the source or basis of the estimates given by him as to the number of employees earning below the national insurance lower earnings limit.

    Mr. Oppenheim
    The estimates were produced by firstly estimating the proportion of the "New Earnings Survey" sample with earnings below the April 1994 lower earnings limit of £57, then applying this proportion to the number of employees in employment, taking due account of the estimated number of employees, mostly part-timers, who were excluded from NES because they were not covered by a PAYE scheme.

  SOCIAL SECURITY

    Habitual Residence Test
    Mr. Timms
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 30 January 1995,Official Report, column 520, (1) how many of those who have been refused income support owing to the habitual residence test are European Economic Area nationals residing in the United Kingdom under EC rights of residence directives as students, pensioners, or non-economically active persons;

    (2) what proportion of the British nationals who have been refused income support owing to the habitual residence test have one parent who is a British national and one parent who is a national of another country;

    (3) what proportion of the British nationals have been refused income support owing to the habitual residence test had (a) never previously lived in the United Kingdom and (b) never previously been employed in the United Kingdom.

    Mr. Roger Evans
    This information is not recorded centrally and could he obtained only at disproportionate cost.

    Mr. Timms
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what account he has taken of the advice given by the Social Security Advisory Committee that is possible to he habitually resident in more than one country or in none; and what responsibility the Government have to British nationals in this country who have been excluded from income-related benefits on the basis of the habitual residence test.

    Mr. Roger Evans
    Decisions about whether an income support claimant is habitually resident are made by the independent adjudication officer in the first instance. The chief adjudication officer has drawn attention to the fact that a person may be habitually resident in more than one country or in none in the guidance that has provided for adjudication officers.

    Mr. Timms
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures he is taking to monitor the impact of the habitual residence test on(a) unsuccessful claimants, (b) local authorities and (c) benefits agency offices.

    Mr. Roger Evans
    Information about the number of claims to income support where habitual residence is considered is collected monthly. This includes information about the number of unsuccessful claims. The 620
    impact on Benefits Agency offices also continues to he monitored from these monthly statistical returns. The impact on local authorities will be monitored from the normal range of management information statistics which local authorities submit from time to time.

    Mr. Timms
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Islington (Mr. Corbyn) on 30 January 1995,Official Report, column 520, how many European economic area nationals were estimated to claim income support in a year before implementation of the habitual residence test; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the numbers of claimants being refused income support under the test.

    Mr. Roger Evans
    Information identifying claims for income support from EEA nationals was not available before the introduction of the test. However, our assessment of the reason why people have been refused income support under the test is that it confirms that until its introduction a number of people received benefit who had no close connection with this country.

    Ms Gordon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated administration cost of the habitual resident test from 1 August 1994 to 1 August 1995; and what is the amount of income support that the Government estimate will be saved by the application of this test.

    Mr. Roger Evans
    [pursuant to his reply 2 November 1994, column 2672]: I regret that the information provided on the estimated annual income support saving contained an error. The correct information is as follows.

    The estimated annual income support saving is about £3 million rather than "in excess of £7 million" as inadvertently stated in the earlier answer, which represented the estimated full saving including housing benefit and council tax benefit.

    Housing Costs
    Ms Walley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he now proposes in respect of his acceptance of recommendations relating to an exception to the restriction on income support housing costs for income support recipients other than disabled people and the elderly, for the interest on additional loans for repairs and improvements necessary to maintain the fabric of the dwelling occupied as home; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Roger Evans
    As a result of our acceptance of these recommendations, the regulations originally referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee were amended so that when they took effect on 2 May 1994 income support recipients who took out additional loans for this purpose could continue to have the interest on such loans met.

    Disablement
    Mr. Hanson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps are taken by his Department to ensure that medical assessors are sufficiently trained with regard to medical evidence when interpreting the Social Security (Industrial Injuries) Prescribed Diseases Regulations 1993.

    Mr. Hague
    Assessments in connection with prescribed diseases are made by independent adjudicating
    621
    medical authorities, the members of which are fully registered medical practitioners with extensive knowledge and experience in general medicine. On appointment the medical practitioners are trained in the practical procedures and the medico-legal aspects of the industrial injuries scheme by experienced AMAs. In addition, all AMAs are supplied with the DSS publication, "Notes on the Diagnosis of Prescribed Diseases", and the "Industrial Injuries Handbook for Adjudicating Medical Authorities" which details and explains the legislation relevant to the assessment of disablement in industrial injuries and prescribed diseases. Copies of both publications have been placed in the Library.

    Mr. Hanson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many individuals in each region have claimed industrial disablement benefit for chronic bronchitis or emphysema under the approved scheme to date; and how many have been approved.

    Mr. Hague
    The information is not available by region. Information from Benefits Agency area directorates as at 31 December 1994 is in the table.

    Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema (PD D12) by Area Directorate

    Area

    Claims

    Awards1

    South

    Anglia

    25

    3

    Chilterns

    22

    4

    East London and Essex

    21

    0

    South London and West Sussex

    0

    0

    South East

    479

    33

    Wessex

    0

    0

    West Country

    149

    6

    Wales and Central England East Midlands

    5,813

    646

    1987–88

    1988–89

    1989–90

    1990–91

    1991–92

    1992–93

    £ million total

    1986 Industrial injuries changes

    -7

    -35

    -45

    —

    —

    —

    -113

    Abolition of REA new cases

    —

    —

    —

    -5

    -20

    -42

    -72

    Notes:

    1. All figures shown are in £ million.

    2. Figures shown are in cash terms except for the totals which are expressed in real terms at 1994–95 prices.

    3. Figures should be regarded as estimates only.

    4. The figures shown are for the forecast savings of Industrial Injuries benefits resulting from the changes shown during the relevant Public Expenditure Survey period. They are not necessarily the actual effect on II benefit or total DSS benefit expenditure.

    1 The main change to the Industrial Injuries scheme was the increase of disability threshold from 1 per cent. to 14 per cent.

    Widower's Benefit
    Mr. Hanson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to extend widow's pension provision to widowers with dependent children.

    Mr. Arbuthnot
    None.

    Asylum Seekers
    Mr. John Marshall
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether income support is payable to asylum seekers whose application for asylum has been rejected.

    Mr. Roger Evans
    When an asylum seeker's claim has been either finally refused or abandoned, entitlement to income support ends.
    622

    Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema (PD D12) by Area Directorate

    Area

    Claims

    Awards1

    Greater Manchester

    329

    32

    Lancashire and Cumbria

    2,297

    151

    Merseyside

    509

    49

    Midlands South West

    658

    56

    Wales

    9,625

    1,375

    West Mercia

    3,728

    384

    Scotland and North

    East Scotland

    2,411

    95

    Glasgow

    244

    8

    North and West Yorkshire

    2,730

    425

    North, Central and West Scotland

    1,908

    60

    South Yorkshire and Humberside

    6,627

    790

    Tyne Tees

    7,227

    603

    Totals

    44,802

    4,720

    Notes:

    1. Based on 100 per cent. count and subject to amendment.

    2. Not all claims received by 31 December will have been decided.

    1 Awards are where industrial injuries disablement has been awarded at 14 per cent. or more (does not include aggregate awards).

    Mr. Bradley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the savings to his Department referred to in his answer of 21 July 1994,Official Report, column 621, resulting from each of the changes in the eligibility conditions for benefits under the industrial injuries scheme including (a) the amount of savings for each change by year, (b) the cumulative savings to date and (c) the amount of savings for each year and cumulatively at 1994–95 prices.

    Mr. Hague
    [holding answer 15 February 1995]: Information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

    Mr. John Marshall
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his latest estimate of the amount of income support paid to(a) those seeking asylum and (b) those granted asylum.

    Mr. Roger Evans
    In February 1994, there were 41,960 asylum seekers in receipt of income support at an estimated annual cost of about £79 million. People who have been granted asylum as refugees are not separately identified within the income support scheme.

    Disabled People (Housing Policy)
    Mr. Alfred Morris
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what representations the Minister for Social Security and Disabled People has received,
    623
    including those from Habinteg, about the impact on disabled people of the Government's housing policies; what replies he has sent or will be sending; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Hague
    I have received two letters from Habinteg, one dated 6 December 1994 and another dated 15 February 1995 which was forwarded to me by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) on 16 February. I responded to the earlier letter on 19 January 1995 and have responded to the right hon. Member today.

    The Department of the Environment has responsibility for the Government's housing policies and I am in regular contact with it in relation to the effect of policies on disabled people.

    Unemployment and Incapacity Benefit
    Mr. Frank Field
    To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what would be(a) the gross cost and (b) the net cost, after income support and housing benefit savings, of making eligibility for short-term national insurance benefit conditional on (i) 25 times that year's lower earnings limit only and (ii) 50 times that years' lower earnings limit only; and if he will estimate the additional number who could become eligible for (1) unemployment and (2) invalidity benefit on the basis of their sickness benefit entitlement.

    Mr. Roger Evans
    [holding answer 23 February 1995]: The estimated cost and difference in numbers of people becoming entitled to unemployment benefit and incapacity benefit as a result of changing the contribution conditions to requiring a claimant to have paid or have been credited with class I national insurance contributions on earnings of at least:

    (i) 25 times the lower earnings limit in the last tax year before the benefit year in which the claim is made;

    or

    (ii) 50 times the lower earnings limit in the last tax year before the benefit year in which the claim is made;

    are set out in the tables. Attention is drawn to table 1 note (v) and table 2 notes (v) and (vii). The estimates make no allowances for the uncertain number of people currently not claiming the benefits who would do so under new contribution conditions. They should therefore be treated with great caution.

    Table 1—Result of changes in national insurance contribution conditions on claims to and cost of unemployment benefit

    Option (i)

    Option (ii)

    Gross cost (£ million)

    230

    115

    Net cost (£ million)

    35

    20

    Increase in number of unemployment benefit recipients

    85,000

    45,000

    Notes:

    The following assumptions have been made:

    1. Costs have been rounded to the nearest £5 million and caseloads to the nearest 5,000.

    2. Calculations are based on an unemployment benefit caseload of 500,000.

    3. Calculations are made using current prices and benefit levels, and data taken from the 1992–93 national insurance recording system database, the 1993 Annual Statistical Enquiry and the 1990–91–92 Family Expenditure Surveys.
    624
    4. Some people who would satisfy revised contribution conditions may be disallowed, or disqualified for, unemployment benefit on other grounds (eg leaving work voluntarily, misconduct, compensation from an employer).

    5. The figures are an under-estimate as no allowance can be made for people who sign as unemployed for the first time as a result of the change in the contribution conditions.

    Table 2—Result of changes in national insurance contribution conditions on claims to and cost of incapacity benefit

    Option (i)

    Option (ii)

    Gross cost (£ million)

    1,400

    550

    Net cost (£ million)

    250

    100

    Long-term increase in number of incapacity benefit recipients

    400,000

    150,000

    Notes:

    The following assumptions have been made:

    1. These are estimated figures of the long term effect. Costs have been rounded to the nearest £50 million and caseloads to the nearest 50,000.

    2. Calculations have been made using current prices and benefit levels, and data taken from the 1992–93 national insurance recording system data-base, and the 1993 Annual Statistical Enquiry.

    3. New entitlements come from either the current severe disability allowance caseload or from those, registering as sick, who are less than 80 per cent. disabled and who currently have insufficient contributions.

    4. Allowance has been made of the effect of the incapacity benefit changes and the expected effect of the new medical test.

    5. The new contribution conditions in the lower rate of short-term incapacity benefit are assumed to apply to long-term incapacity benefit. This means that all those who get lower rate of short-term incapacity benefit will move on to long-term incapacity benefit as long as their incapacity continues.

    6. The figures are an under-estimate as no allowance can be made for people registering as sick for the first time as a result of the change in the contribution conditions.

    7. These estimates are highly uncertain and should be treated with extreme caution.

  AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

    Integrated Administration and Control System
    Mr. John Greenway
    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what are the requirements for IACS applications in England and Wales in 1995.

    Mr. Jack
    [pursuant to his reply, 24 January 1995, c. 187]: The House will wish to note that the 1995 IACS forms and explanatory booklets are now available and arc being sent out to farmers. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.

    Slaughterhouses
    Mr. Luff
    To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has made an assessment of the hygiene standards in red meat slaughterhouses in England and Wales.

    Mrs. Browning
    Since early 1994 we have been operating the hygiene assessment system in red meat slaughterhouses. The HAS is the method developed and used by the state veterinary service to assess and monitor hygiene standards in slaughterhouses. HAS looks at specific aspects of performance within five main categories—ante-mortem, slaughter and dressing,
    625
    personnel and practices, maintenance and hygiene of premises and general conditions and management. Each category is scored according to the standards observed on the day, and the scores are weighted to reflect the importance of each category to the overall hygiene of

    Numbers by type of slaughterhouse

    Score bands

    All types

    Fully approved

    Low throughput1

    Temporarily derogated2

    21–30

    3

    0

    0

    3

    31–40

    19

    1

    1

    17

    41–50

    90

    4

    3

    82

    51–60

    103

    15

    11

    77

    61–70

    84

    17

    11

    56

    71–80

    50

    25

    4

    20

    81–90

    23

    15

    3

    5

    91–100

    4

    3

    1

    0

    1 Licensed slaughterhouses with a throughput of no more than 20 livestock units per week.

    2 These plants have until the end of 1995 at the latest to complete their work plans to meet the structural requirements of the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1992.

  NORTHERN IRELAND

    Sulphur Quotas
    Mr. Spellar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make representations to the Department of the Environment to allocate unused sulphur quotas for England and Wales to Northern Ireland.

    Mr. Moss
    Any increase in the limits set for Northern Ireland would necessitate a revision of the plan by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.

    As my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State for Industry and Energy said in his reply to the question from the hon. Member for Antrim, East (Mr. Beggs) on 8 February 1995, Official Report Column 315–16, this matter is kept under regular review.

    Accident and Emergency Departments
    Mr. Keen
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many accident and emergency departments there are in Northern Ireland; what were the corresponding figures in each year since 1986; and how many accident and emergency departments have been relocated in each year since 1986.

    Mr. Moss
    The number of accident and emergency departments in Northern Ireland in each year since 1986 is shown in the table:

    Year

    Number

    1986

    29

    1987

    28

    1988–89

    27

    1989–90

    26

    1990–91

    26

    1991–92

    25

    1992–93

    23

    1993–94

    22

    1994–95

    21

    Assuming A and E departments are defined as having been "relocated" when a new A and E department takes on their workload, since 1986 two A and E departments have been relocated following the opening of a new acute hospital.
    626
    operations; thus, a high score reflects a high standard of hygiene. As at the end of November 1994, the results of HAS in red meat slaughterhouses by type in England and Wales were as follows:

    Fair Employment Legislation
    Ms Mowlam
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the benefits of employers with fewer than 250 staff being obliged to keep a record of all job applications for monitoring purposes in any revised fair employment legislation.

    Mr. Ancram
    There is provision in the legislation for this threshold to be varied if necessary hut, to date, it has been considered that this issue should await the wider review of the legislation. My right hon. and learned Friend has asked the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights to take forward the independent review of the fair employment legislation which was promised during the passage of the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1989. It is for SACHR to consider how this issue will he addressed in the context of the review.

    Employment Practices (RUC)
    Ms Mowlam
    To ask the Secretary of State of Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library the internal review of employment practices recently carried out by the Chief Constable of the RUC, Sir Hugh Annesley.

    Sir John Wheeler
    The position remains the same as when I replied to the hon. Member for Kingston Upon Hull, North (Mr. McNamara) on 25 May 1994,Official Report, columns 200–01.

    Transport
    Ms Mowlam
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to improve or extend public transport services between the major towns and cities.

    Mr. Moss
    We are currently engaged on a major investment programme for public transport facilities aimed at producing better public transport services across Northern Ireland. We have completed the Belfast cross-harbour rail bridge to unify rail services for the first time; built the new Euorpa bus centre in Belfast; and provided new or upgraded bus stations in Omagh, Enniskillen, Cookstown, Newcastle and Newtownards. Work is continuing on the Belfast to Dublin rail line and rolling stock upgrade, on the reinstatement of the line to a new station at Great Victoria street, Belfast, and on a
    627
    new bus station at Donegall Quay, Belfast. In addition work is due to start soon on the re-opening to scheduled services of the Antrim to Bleach Green rail line.

    There has also been a significant modernisation of the bus fleet in Northern Ireland. This represents investment in public transport of some £110 millions since 1990, substantially assisted by the European regional development fund. As part of the guiding principles for future transportation planning which I announced on 17 January, the transport operation companies are to be restructured to provide a more co-ordinated approach to service planning and a more strategic use of resources and to cut out unnecessary bureaucracy and duplication.

    Water Services
    Mr. Spellar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to make an announcement on the options for water charging.

    Mr. Moss
    Options for new charging arrangements for water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland are still being examined. I intend to publish a policy document in advance of the introduction of new arrangements and I will make an announcement at that time.

    Mr. Spellar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are his estimates of water leakage from the water supply system.

    Mr. Moss
    The latest estimate for overall leakage is 28 per cent., of which approximately one third occurs within consumers' premises.

    HMS Caroline
    Mr. Spellar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he is taking to ensure HMS Caroline stays in Belfast.

    Mr. Moss
    The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that is has no plans at present to move HMS Caroline from its present Belfast location.

    Electricity
    Mr. Peter Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the terms of the contract between Scottish Power and Northern Ireland Electricity in respect of denial of and third party access to the Scotland-Northern Ireland electricity interconnector for 15 years.

    Mr. Ancram
    The terms of the contract between Northern Ireland Electricity plc and Scottish Power plc are primarily a matter for the two private companies concerned. NIE considered that a term covering its exclusive use of the electricity interconnector for the first 15 years was necessary in order to secure a reasonable return on its considerable capital investment. Government endorsed this arrangement in granting a transmission licence to NIE.

    Mr. Peter Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the relative economic efficiency of power production for Northern Ireland of(a) an indigenous generator and (b) the Moyle interconnector.

    Mr. Ancram
    None. Following the privatisation of the electricity industry in Northern Ireland, responsibility for assessing the merits of new generating capacity rests solely with Northern Ireland Electricity plc.

    Strangford Lough
    Mr. Mackinlay
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans exist to carry out flood defence works at Strangford lough; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Ancram
    The Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland is currently undertaking a feasibility study into possible options for refurbishment works on sea defences on Strangford lough. These sea defences, known as the Newtownards, Ballyurnanellan and Kilnatierney dykes, are designated in accordance with the terms of the Drainage (Northern Ireland) Order 1973 to provide protection against flooding from the sea to the town of Newtownards at its most northerly end, and to other valuable land and property on the Ards peninsula.

    It is not possible to confirm any plans for flood defence works at Strangford lough until the feasibility study has been completed and all necessary consultations have taken place with environmental and other interests in this area, which is recognised as an area of high conservation value.

    Areas of Special Scientific Interest
    Mr. Mackinlay
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria his Department applies when considering for designation as areas of special scientific interest those locations that are primarily being considered for their(a) ornithological and (b) marine life values; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Moss
    The criteria used when considering for designation of areas of special scientific interest for ornithological reasons are largely based on the numbers of each species of bird using the site. For marine sites an assessment is made of the naturalness, diversity, size and rarity of the habitats occurring at the site.

    Mr. Mackinlay
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advice he has received about the predicted scale of deterioration in respect of areas of special scientific interest due to(a) non-enforcement of management agreement conditions and (b) lack of monitoring; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Moss
    Management agreement conditions arc generally respected, and there is little evidence of significant deterioration of the scientific interest of areas of special scientific interest due to non-compliance. However, it is accepted that, if management agreement conditions were not enforced, the scientific value would be likely to deteriorate significantly.

    Monitoring is important in the management of ASSIs, but in itself it has no direct effect on whether or not a site deteriorates.

    Mr. Mackinlay
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which areas of special scientific interest have suffered deterioration since their designation; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Moss
    No declared areas of special scientific interest have deteriorated to such an extent as to lose the feature(s) which qualified them as such at declaration.

    Mr. Mackinlay
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many management agreements with landowners and land occupiers have been established in(a) areas of special scientific interest and (b) prospective areas of special scientific interest; and if he will make a statement.
    629
    Mr. Moss
    At present, 31 management agreements have been established with landowners and land occupiers in areas of special scientific interest, and there are five agreements for prospective areas.

    Mr. Mackinlay
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans or machinery exist to monitor the protection of areas of special scientific interest in Northern Ireland.

    Mr. Moss
    Conservation plans which will set out the monitoring requirements of individual areas of specific scientific interest are currently being prepared for some of the largest and most important sites, and it is planned to extend these to cover all areas by 1997. A trial monitoring exercise has just been completed, and it is planned to extend this work. In addition, it is intended to recruit more staff to help with the monitoring and management of ASSIs in the near future.

    Mr. Mackinlay
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will publish the next tranche of areas of special scientific interest to be designated in Northern Ireland.

    Mr. Moss
    It is not our policy to publish lists of proposed areas of special scientific interest.

    Mr. Mackinlay
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which areas of special scientific interest(a) have been designated in Northern Ireland (b) are being examined for possible future designation.

    Mr. Moss
    A list of declared areas of special scientific interest is set out in the following table. Other sites are being examined for possible future designation, but it is not our policy to publish these. It is the Government's intention to declare the remaining sites known to qualify as ASSIs by the year 2001.

    Number

    Site name

    1

    Carrickbrawn

    2

    Gortnagory

    3

    Moneygal Bog

    4

    Garry Bog

    5

    Teal Lough and Slaghtfreedan

    6

    Black Bog

    7

    Glenarrif

    8

    Cleggan Valley

    9

    Monawilkin

    10

    Lough Beg

    11

    Beagh Big

    12

    Garvros

    13

    Moneendogue

    14

    Lergan

    15

    Drumlisaleen

    16

    Inner Belfast Lough

    17

    Glenburn

    18

    Strangford Lough Pt 1

    19

    Ballymacormick Point

    20

    Strangford Lough

    21

    Kiltubbrid Lough

    22

    North Woodburn Glen

    23

    Dunloy Bog

    24

    Strangford Lough Pt 3

    25

    Moninea Bog

    26

    Fairy Water Bogs

    27

    Annacramph Meadows

    28

    Rathlin Island—Coast

    29

    Rathlin Island—Ballygill North

    30

    Rathin Island—Kinramer South

    31

    Rathlin Island—Ballycarry

    32

    Loughkeelan

    33

    Horse Island

    34

    Dernish Island

    630

    Number

    Site name

    35

    Sheep Island

    36

    Corraslough Point

    37

    Lough Neagh

    38

    Lackan Bog

    39

    Innishroosk

    40

    Slievenacloy

    41

    Crockaghole Wood

    42

    Glenmore Wood

    43

    Ness Wood

    44

    Ervery Wood

    45

    Drumlea and Mullan Woods

    46

    Altmover Glen

    47

    Strabane Glen

    48

    Owenkillew and Glenelly Woods

    49

    Deroran Bog

    50

    Portmore Lough

    51

    Banagher Glen

    52

    Culnafay

    53

    Pettigoe Plateau

    54

    Garron Plateau

    55

    Upper Lough Erne—Crom

    56

    Knockballymore Lough

    57

    Kilroosky Lough

    58

    Summcrhill Lough

    59

    Burdautien Lough

    60

    Cuilcagh Mountain

    61

    Mill Lough

    62

    Killymacken Lough

    63

    Derryleckagh

    64

    Magilligan

    65

    Slieve Beagh

    66

    Ballynahone Bog

    67

    Upper Lough Erne Galloon

    68

    Teal Lough Part II

    69

    Murlough

    70

    Upper Lough Erne—Belleisle

    Mr. MacKinlay
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what environmental impact assessment is being carried out on actual and projected engineering works in and around the environs of Strangford lough; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Ancram
    The Government are conscious of the high conservation value and the protected status of Strangford lough and its environs both as an area of outstanding natural beauty and area of special scientific interest. Any engineering operations currently undertaken or proposed by the Department of Agriculture on the designated sea defences on Strangford lough or on designated watercourses discharging into the lough arc subject to rigorous assessment of the environmental impact. Where any environmental effects are considered significant, a full environmental statement will he prepared and made available for public comment, before the designs for any proposed works are finalised and works commence.

  FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

    Indonesia
    Dr. Godman
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has held with representatives of the Indonesian Government regarding the issue of human rights in that country.
    631
    Mr. Goodlad
    We have regular discussions with the Indonesian Government on a wide range of issues, including human rights.

    Mr. Fraser
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to pay an official visit to Indonesia to assess the human rights situation.

    Mr. Goodlad
    My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no plans to visit Indonesia at present.

    Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
    Mr. Llew Smith
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress to date in negotiations for a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.

    Mr. David Davis
    The negotiations for a comprehensive test ban treaty began in the conference on disarmament in January 1994. A draft text containing the elements of a treaty has now been completed. The United Nations General Assembly has welcomed this progress. The conference on disarmament continues to work to achieve consensus on both the treaty text and on an international monitoring system to verify compliance with the treaty. The United Kingdom is playing a full part. We remain committed to negotiating an effective and verifiable comprehensive test ban treaty.

    Pakistan
    Mr. Waller
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about relations between the United Kingdom and Pakistan.

    Mr. Baldry
    We have good relations with Pakistan. We look forward to deepening and extending our political, commercial and cultural contacts.

    Chechnya
    Mr. Mullin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart about the situation in Chechnya.

    Mr. Hurd
    I had a full discussion of the situation in Chechnya with Mr. Kozyrev in Stockholm on 14 February.

    United Nations (Conflict Settlement)
    Mr. Grocott
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the United Nations' role in the settlement of international conflicts.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    The process of assessing the UN's role in the settlement of disputes is a continual one. In the last few years we have come forward with a number of initiatives designed to strengthen UN capabilities and improve the UN's performance in this field.

    European Union
    Mr. Riddick
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if border controls will he one of the issues on the agenda of the next meeting of EU Foreign Ministers which he will attend.
    632
    Mr. David Davis
    The next Foreign Affairs Council meeting is on 6 and 7 March. Border controls are not on the agenda.

    Middle East
    Mr. Rathbone
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he is preparing for members of the Government to visit the Lebanon to discuss the middle east peace process.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    Members of the Government meet regularly with their Lebanese counterparts to discuss the middle east peace process and other issues. My noble Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning will he visiting Lebanon in April.

    Mr. Luff
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Britain's role in the middle east peace process.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    The Prime Minister's visit to Israel, the occupied territories and Jordan from 12 to 15 March will underline Britain's full political and economic support for the peace process.

    Social Development Summit
    Mr. Bayley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to attend the United Nations social development summit in Copenhagen.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    Baroness Chalker will represent the United Kingdom.

    Iraq
    Mr. Bill Michie
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the United Kingdom Government have made of the latest report of the United Nations special rapporteur on Iraq.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    We welcome Mr van der Stools' report and share his condemnation of the Iraqi regime for the continuing abuses of human rights. We will continue to press Iraq to comply in full with the terms of all United Nations Security Council resolutions.

    Lady Olga Maitland
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the United Nations in respect of Iraqi compliance with resolutions seeking the release of Kuwaiti prisoners of war and missing persons.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    We attach great importance to the resolution of this issue. We take every suitable opportunity to raise it at the United Nations—for example, at each 60-day Security Council review of sanctions against Iraq.

    Western Sahara
    Mr. Gerrard
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Moroccan Government regarding access to United Nations vote identification centres in Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    We have made no representations to the Moroccans on this issue. The United Nations is responsible for organising the referendum in the Western Sahara. As a member of the informal Security Council
    633
    group of friends of the UN Secretary-General in relation to the Western Sahara, we remain in close contact with the UN about all aspects of the organisation of the referendum.

    Patagonia
    Mr. Flynn
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new proposals he has to improve trading relations between the United Kingdom and Patagonia.

    Mr. David Davis
    My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Welsh Affairs will lead a group of business men to Argentina from 13 to 17 May. He is considering going to Patagonia as part of the visit, which will aim to improve trading relations between the United Kingdom and Argentina in general.

    Information Technology
    Mr. David Shaw
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps British embassies are taking to promote United Kingdom interests in information technology and the information super-highway.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    UK posts offer support, advice and briefing to UK companies doing business overseas in all fields. They also monitor market conditions and opportunities and send information back on a regular basis for onward distribution to industry to help them take advantage of business opportunities. FCO commercial staff in the US, Canada, France and Germany are working closely with the DTI to research the commercial opportunities for UK companies in multi-media and information highway products in these countries.

    World Summit for Children
    Ms Glenda Jackson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what practical steps the Government will implement to fulfil its commitment in achieving the goals set by the 1990 world summit for children.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    We are responding positively to the summit's goals. The UK was one of the first 634
    industrialised countries to publish a national response to the summit. The needs of children in developing countries are also a priority goal of the British aid programme.

    UNESCO
    Mr. Canavan
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received about the United Kingdom rejoining UNESCO; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has received 38 letters from both MPs and members of the public in the last five months about the United Kingdom rejoining UNESCO. In addition, there have been 10 parliamentary questions in the same period, the most recent in this House having been answered by me on 1 February 1995.

    We are continuing to keep this issue under review but as of yet have taken no decision.

    France
    Mr. Harry Greenway
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on measures being taken to strengthen United Kingdom relations with France.

    Mr. David Davis
    Our relations with France are extremely sound and developing in many important areas. This was confirmed at the Franco-British summit in Chartres last November.

    We continue to consult frequently and closely on all issues of mutual concern.

    Land Mines
    Mr. David Nicholson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the establishment of a UN anti-personnel mine clearance fund.

    Mr. Douglas Hogg
    We welcomed the UN Secretary-General's decision last year to establish a voluntary trust fund for assistance in mine clearance. The UK made the first financial contribution to the voluntary trust fund in September 1994 when we gave $150,000 for de-mining in the Yemen.

  Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands: Right of Individual Petition
  Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands: Right of Individual Petition
  Iraq
  Iraq
  Spratly Islands
  Spratly Islands
  M.5 and M.6 Traffic Delays: Costs
  M.5 and M.6 Traffic Delays: Costs
  M.6, Junctions 9 and 10: Traffic Flows
  M.6, Junctions 9 and 10: Traffic Flows
  Birmingham Northern Relief Road and The Western Orbital Route
  Birmingham Northern Relief Road and The Western Orbital Route
  Ponds: Wildlife Protection
  Ponds: Wildlife Protection
  Official Report: Production Costs
  Official Report: Production Costs
  Foods made from Genetically Modified Plants
  Foods made from Genetically Modified Plants
  Non-Human Primates: Use in Scientific Procedures
  Non-Human Primates: Use in Scientific Procedures